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[najballe]

hi,
i am just wondering if the weak sales of vf5(in japan only for the moment)is the point where the fighting games are showing an alarming fall.
There was a time (i dont talk about the 2D times) where the technology was brillant with some incredible looking (Vf2-3/tekken3-4/SC/DOA3) now it seems than even if vf5 looks great it not the edge we used to know and most importantly the sale are doing bad .
just look at the sales of DOA4 compared to DOA3 or look at the sales of tekken 5 compared to the ones on ps1.
We saw the decreasing appeal for racing games(even though gran tourisma 4 failesd to match the sales of the predecessor) only the average need for speed serie is selling well and burnout .....
so end of racing games, end of fighting games now may be action games???so at the horizon may be only cheap non games will succeed????
question: what if nintendo was right????
answer:i've got to find to find some others entertainements.....

 

[X26]

I think you're over-reacting juuuuuuuuuust a little bit

 

[fresquito]

There was a time (i dont talk about the 2D times) where the technology was brillant with some incredible looking (Vf2-3/tekken3-4/SC/DOA3) now it seems than even if vf5 looks great it not the edge we used to know and most importantly the sale are doing bad .

There was a time when I didn't have to course a career for each individual fighter in a game.

We saw the decreasing appeal for racing games(even though gran tourisma 4 failesd to match the sales of the predecessor) only the average need for speed serie is selling well and burnout .....

When you flood the market with clones of the latest succesfull game (in this case it was the GT series), that's what you get, people get tired until someone offers something different (in this case, arcade racers).

so end of racing games, end of fighting games now may be action games???so at the horizon may be only cheap non games will succeed????

You know, cheap is what fighting games are. Cheap is selling us thhe same game for the last 10 years. Non-games will succed among people that never cared for those genres in the first place.

question: what if nintendo was right????
answer:i've got to find to find some others entertainements.....

Having different entertainments always helps. So does not sticking yourself in time.

 

[DECK'ARD]

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

 

[jarrod]

DOA4 sold over a million (did a bit worse in America, but much better in Europe evidently). Not stunning, but not really a decline for the series either... which is surprising given DOA4's lukewarm reception imo.

I think VF5's low sales have more to do with PS3's performance in Japan versus the franchise losing steam. If PS3 were the force PS2 was, I think VF5 would've sold comparably to VF4.

It is going to be interesting with Wii being the dominant JP console now though (and Japan being the overwhelming center of fighting game development)... I'm eager to see how Naruto EX sells next week....

 

[Pureauthor]

Fighting games are increasingly appealing to a core group of players, thus it's sales are slowing down in general.

And you may wanna tone down the 'nongames are taking over' shtick a bit.

 

[R0nn]

At first I kinda agreed with you and thought you made a good point about fighting games declining in popularity.

Then I came to the end of your post...

Yeah, don't panic man.

 

[bud]

DOA4 sold over a million (did a bit worse in America, but much better in Europe evidently). Not stunning, but not really a decline for the series either... which is surprising given DOA4's lukewarm reception imo.

shipped =/= sold

 

[dark10x]

It is going to be interesting with Wii being the dominant JP console now though (and Japan being the overwhelming center of fighting game development)... I'm eager to see how Naruto EX sells next week....

You're probably rooting for Naruto aren't you?

 

[najballe]

DOA4 sold over a million (did a bit worse in America, but much better in Europe evidently). Not stunning, but not really a decline for the series either... which is surprising given DOA4's lukewarm reception imo.

i think they lie DOA4 never reached 1 million i work in the videogames distribution industry in europe sales were low.....


I think VF5's low sales have more to do with PS3's performance in Japan versus the franchise losing steam. If PS3 were the force PS2 was, I think VF5 would've sold comparably to VF4.
yes may be bu right now it s not a machine seller anymore...

It is going to be interesting with Wii being the dominant JP console now though (and Japan being the overwhelming center of fighting game development)... I'm eager to see how Naruto EX sells next week....

but naruto compared to vf5.....

 

[najballe]

I think you're over-reacting juuuuuuuuuust a little bit

i know;-)
may is it the way the industry is going ??

 

[BrokenSymmetry]

Recent fighting games (Tekken5, DOA4, VF5) haven't done anything to attract newcomers to the genre. Meaningful tutorials are still painfully absent, and progress in game experience seems to be limited to adding a few characters in each new iteration.

 

[Zweisy1]

Isn't Mortal Kombat the best selling fighting game series around? We'll see how the next one does..

VF5 is off to a disappointing start.. hopefully it will do well outside japan. I've got high hopes for the 360 version.

 

[jarrod]

You're probably rooting for Naruto aren't you?

Maybe if 8ing had made it. :lol

I'm actually more curious to see if Wii's popularity can overcome Dream Factory's shittiness.

 

[RumFore]

Yes VF, Tekken and DOA does equal the end of fighting games because they seem to be the only ones being made. Has there been a new IP for a fighting game that has hit the US in the past 3 years? The new Def Jam is the only one I can really think of. Some seem to come out in Japan but the hell if we get any, so yes fighting games are dead imo. Nothing new from Capcom or SNK is heartbreaking.

 

[The Faceless Master]

the thing is, if you ask most people who are even semi-serious about fighting games if they would like games to be dumbed down so they are more approachable by casuals, they'll say no.

why?

it's not worth playing if the game is dumbed down.

 

[Dr_Cogent]

Hell no.

When Soul Calibur 3 finally comes out I am going to be all over it.

 

[Doom_Bringer]

When Soul Calibur 3 finally comes out I am going to be all over it.

Lol looks like somebody is living under a rock

 

[Dr.Hadji]

Smash Bros, Anime fighters, and MK say hi.

 

[R0nn]

Btw, there is only one reason why fighting games are getting less and less popular: lack of innovation. Someone seriously needs to turn the genre around to make it very popular again. And no, this doesn't have to mean that the games have to get dumbed down. Not at all. They simply need to feel fresh and interesting again to a broader group of people, outside of the core fanbase.

Same goes for racing games btw, though to a somewhat lesser extend. But I don't see action games ever declining in popularity. Enough innovation there every so often. It keeps alle kinds of people interested instead of only appealing to a core group.

BTW, this also happened to (horizontal/vertical) shooters and classic adventuregames. At some point in time, they only appealed to a small core group of people, simply because the genres lacked innovation and it was basically the same gameplay over and over again.

 

[E-phonk]

don't worry, smash brothers will sell a few millions WW

 

[bill0527]

I used to be one of the core fighting game audience.

I'm getting older and I don't have hours to sit down and study and memorize 40 combos for 20 different characters.

The last fighting game I purchased was DOA 4 and I think it has scarred me for life when it comes to fighting games.

I just find myself not being able to compete very well against people online who have more time on their hands than I do, to learn all the ins and outs of every fighting game.

To me, fighting games are going into the toilet and its going to take someone to make a fighting game that brings back a form of simplicity to the genre to get more people interested again.

 

[WrathOfOtaibah]

Wait until VF5 for 360 comes out before making any rash assessments.

 

[R0nn]

Smash Bros, Anime fighters, and MK say hi.

See, this is what I mean.

Smash Bros: innovating without losing depth
Anime fighters: attaching appealing licenses

Both ways to appeal to a broader audience, without neccessarily having to lose out on interesting gameplay, depth or challenge for the core group. What about MK? Well, I have no idea honestly. It seemingly is still a popular and well known franchise among casuals, unlike far superior franchises like Street Fighter.

To me, fighting games are going into the toilet and its going to take someone to make a fighting game that brings back a form of simplicity to the genre to get more people interested again.

Like Smash Bros? Sure, it's not a pure fighting game, but it does offer relative simplicity and accessibility, without losing depth or challenge for core players. It's a prime example of making the genre fresh and interesting again for everyone. Not saying all devs should copy it, but it's a good example of how one can innovate in the right way.

 

[marc^o^]

I used to be one of the core fighting game audience.

I'm getting older and I don't have hours to sit down and study and memorize 40 combos for 20 different characters.

The last fighting game I purchased was DOA 4 and I think it has scarred me for life when it comes to fighting games.

I just find myself not being able to compete very well against people online who have more time on their hands than I do, to learn all the ins and outs of every fighting game.

To me, fighting games are going into the toilet and its going to take someone to make a fighting game that brings back a form of simplicity to the genre to get more people interested again.

You nailed it, my thought exactly.

 

[Haunted]

so cute!


Traditional fighting games like Dead or Alive, Virtua Fighter, Tekken etc. are for the hardcore (That was different in the past, but it is true now. I mean, frame counters? hardcore!). They'll continue to do ok for their niche market but their sales are (obviously) pale against the games that are big with the casuals (and I'm not even talking about the big uncharted waters of the blue ocean).

Anime franchises that just happen to be fighters or casual friendly games like Smash Bros. are another thing, but the OP didn't mean them, so I won't either.

 

[Dr_Cogent]

Lol looks like somebody is living under a rock

Soul Calibur 4 then. I forgot about 3 because those asswipes never put it out for the cube or Xbox.

Yeah, not keeping up on every videogame title equates to living under a rock.

My goodness you need a ****ing life Doom_Bringer.

 

[typhonsentra]

I think you'll be surprised by the February sales of VF5 over here.

 

[methane47]

it's nintendo's fault

Spoiler

j/k..... or am I?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

I think you'll be surprised by the February sales of VF5 over here.

So you're predicting less than 50k?

 

[Doom_Bringer]

Soul Calibur 4 then. I forgot about 3 because those asswipes never put it out for the cube or Xbox.

Yeah, not keeping up on every videogame title equates to living under a rock.

My goodness you need a ****ing life Doom_Bringer.

WTF man? I thought everyone knew about SC3. All the Cube and Xbox fans were complaining like crazy. It was huge, massive news! I wonder how you missed it? Anyway that's no reason to be insulting me and telling me to get a life.

Chill out

 

[GCQuinton]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt20hM-codE

Fighting games aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[Nozi]

Fighting games need to evolve.

Games like Tekken, VF etc are great, but they are still anchored in the past.

Developers need a whole new take on fighting games to make them fresh again.

 

[gutter_trash]

Fighting Games are not the problem

Arcades in the West are the problem

fewer arcades, fewer players = fewer interest in arcade content.. it's that simple

 

[Steroyd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt20hM-codE

Fighting games aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

I agree though Fighting games are becoming or have become stale, much like the FPS genre IMO, and there needs to be some big massive shake up GTA's sandbox style.

 

[RuGalz]

SC3 arcade edition on PSN please Namco!

 

[Parallax]

Fighting Games are not the problem

Arcades in the West are the problem

fewer arcades, fewer players = fewer interest in arcade content.. it's that simple

i agree completely

 

[karasu]

Fighting Games are not the problem

Arcades in the West are the problem

fewer arcades, fewer players = fewer interest in arcade content.. it's that simple

QFT

 

[SatelliteOfLove]

Fighting Games are not the problem

Arcades in the West are the problem

fewer arcades, fewer players = fewer interest in arcade content.. it's that simple

*Ding ding ding* "Hold your calls, listeners, we have a winner."


Less people playing Fighters leads to what some earlier posters see as the genre becoming only for the hardcore, whereas it's actually only the hardcore left.

 

[The Faceless Master]

the thing with casuals is that, unless there's a draw from something popular (like nintendo or anime characters) they're always moving on to the next big thing, while the hardcore will play a good fighting game for years

 

[Yoboman]

Tekken 4 destroyed gaming

 

[PedroLumpy]

My goodness you need a ****ing life Doom_Bringer.

Little over the top there tough guy.

Focus: I personally don't play anymore fighting games because I no longer live with roomates (or siblings, but that's way in the past) to play with. Since fighting games are all about the multiplayer, my interest has dropped accordingly.

Online play is a possible solution this, and I have no experience with DOA when I say this, but I have a tough time imagining a fighting game would work with the lag typically found online these days.

 

[Nick]

Dumb thread. Genres don't "die".

 

[Bebpo]

Fighting games make all their money in the arcades in Japan. Console sales are just a bonus and bad sales/good sales don't really effect any decision to make the next arcade machine. Then since the game is in the arcade and the porting costs are likely not very high, the next arcade game will come to home consoles, etc...

 

[Gallagher]

Fighting games never die as long as we get Smash Brothers and games like Naruto!

 

[gutter_trash]

for the sake of balance, it is essential that a FIGHTER comes out to arcades first for play tests, balancing and improvement

if Soul Calibur 3 came out to arcades first, it would of been a much greater game then what the PS2 version is with it's strange console-centric modes that veered away from what the game was supposed to be about

 

[virtuafightermaster]

Weak Sale of VF in Japan probably due to the sale of PS3.

 

[black_13]

I'm actually going to put some of the blame on Capcom. They've seemed to put less and less effort every year into fighting game genra, the area where they were most famous for one day.

Having said that, I don't think the market is in that much trouble right now.

Here's hoping for a GOOD STREET FIGHTER IV one day! OR the day we finally get Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat! I can only dream.

 

[Brobzoid]

I'm actually going to put some of the blame on Capcom. They've seemed to put less and less effort every year into fighting game genra, the area where they were most famous for one day.

Having said that, I don't think the market is in that much trouble right now.

Here's hoping for a GOOD STREET FIGHTER IV one day! OR the day we finally get Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat! I can only dream.

Street fighter 4 is out in spirit. It's called SFTM and it's filled to the brim with awesome!