Posts tagged Sales Figures
Capcom considers Darkstalkers: Resurrection to be unsuccessful
Apr 14th
Even as old-school Saturn fans chant the Darkstalkers name from the mountain tops (I’m looking at you, Kris Knigge), it seems the general public just doesn’t share that same level of enthusiasm for Capcom’s recent re-release compilation of Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge and Darkstalkers 3. While the game has managed to make its way onto PSN’s top ten list for March, that isn’t enough for it to be considered a success–at least not in Capcom’s eyes.
When members of Capcom Unity’s forums argued that the game seemed like a success, Capcom USA head Christian Svensson offered up a rather disheartening response:
Sadly, it’s not as high on that list as it really needs to be to be successful.
We’re working on promotions and the like to improve the situation. We’ve not given up. But I’m disappointed in the opening sales response relative to any other fighting title we’ve put out on the same platforms given the frequency and urgency of requests we’ve had here over the last several years and the quality of the execution. It is the most fully featured and probably best project of this type we’ve done.
And before people jump to the wrong conclusions, I’m not blaming fans who did buy it and supported the brand. I’m very thankful for those guys (thank you, to all of you). I’m more disappointed by my misread of the information in this particular case.
Svensson has suggested elsewhere that the novelty of these kinds of projects has been tapering off, but I’m not sure that’s the case all around. Darkstalkers is one of the most inspired of Capcom’s many hibernating fighting IPs, and while the recent saturation of 2D fisticuffs has certainly diluted the pot, this series really boasts some potential to become a new fan favorite.
Whether the blame rests with fickle fans, a saturated market, or ho-hum advertising, the outcome is nevertheless crushing. Is the Darkstalkers franchise going to be put to rest for another 15 years? Has Capcom lost all faith in re-releasing or updating classic fighters?
Only time will tell.
[Source: Eurogamer]
Anarchy Reigns makes it to 16th in UK charts
Feb 1st
A lot of people’s concerns for Anarchy Reigns when it was coming out was that the lack of decent advertising would hurt its overall sales. Well with its release date behind it we can finally look at the figures and judge it’s success. According to UK chart statistics the game in fact entered into the 16th spot right under Dishonored and above the latest Skylanders outing when it first debuted last month. Not too hopeful unfortunately since both those games are months old but I personally think the true test will be to see how long it stays in the charts.
Honestly I think a lot to do with this is the January release date. But what do you think? Could Anarchy Reigns have sold better with a more strategic launch? Or was it always destined to be a niche title? Let me know in the comments!
[Source: Chart Track via Euro Gamer]
Yakuza 5′s first week sales are less than they were for Yakuza 3 and 4
Dec 19th
With a bounce in my step and a tune in my throat, I happily reported last week that Yakuza 5 was already doing beautifully right out of the gate in Japan. My view may have been a little rose-tinted, but hell, this series deserves some good news.
But when compared to the sales of previous current-gen entries in the series, it appears that Yakuza 5 does slip a little bit behind its predecessors. As Media Create reports, Team Yakuza’s latest entry sold 356,757 copies, which is about 65.80% of its initial shipment. In Yakuza 4′s first week, 383,972 copies were sold (72.01% of its initial shipment), while Yakuza 3 sold 372,301 (78.57%).
Of course, this is only a minor shift, but it does ground expectations a bit. That being said, this is the fifth major entry in a sprawling, long-running series, so such a small fluctuation can only mean good things for fans’ continued thirst for the world of Kazuma Kiryu. At least in Japan.
[Source: Siliconera]
Sonic: The Fighters and Sonic Adventure 2 prove once again that people really, really like Sonic
Dec 16th
No matter what happens to Sega financially, they will always be able to depend on one blue, speedy cash cow to rake in the bucks. That’s right: Sonic’s name is still as viable as it ever was, as evidenced by the fact that not one but two Sonic games graced XBLA’s top 20 list last week.
As many jaded Sega fans have been predicting, the…um…”fighting game” Sonic: The Fighters managed to crush its superior Model 2 fighting brethren, coming in at #10 in sales. Meanwhile, Virtua Fighter 2 barely held on at #20 and Fighting Vipers didn’t even make the chart. Perhaps even more noteworthy is the fact that Sonic Adventure 2 made a startling comeback, taking the #6 spot on the list.
We all knew this was going to happen, but it doesn’t make it any less annoying. Sure, I love the blue blur as much as the next guy, but when his very worst efforts still manage to demolish nearly everything else Sega puts out there, I start to feel a little bit of venom for the little guy, not to mention the entire Sonic fanbase. Seriously people, expand your damn horizons.
[Source: TSSZ]
Yakuza 5 outsold the Wii U launch in Japan
Dec 13th
As Sega fans in the West continue to twiddle their thumbs in anticipation of any news on the latest entry in the Yakuza series, recent Media Create data reveals that folks in Japan are snatching up Yakuza 5 in droves. With more than 356,000 copies sold in its launch week, Team Yakuza’s latest offering has outsold even Nintendo’s Wii U launch, which sold just over 308,000 units.
As you might expect, the Wii U’s games also came in well below Yakuza 5′s impressive returns. In fact, this ambitious organized crime epic reportedly managed to outsell all three of the Wii U’s bestselling launch titles…combined. That’s right: Super Mario Bros. U, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, and Nintendo Land just topped 342,000 units sold. Granted, Yakuza 5 came out a couple days before the Wii U, but even so, those numbers are nothing to scoff at.
For a good year now, Western Sega fans have been scrambling for the right words to convince Sega that their ridiculously awesome, criminally underplayed Yakuza series still has the capacity to turn heads and earn money. Nothing has worked yet, but maybe this news will. Please, Sega, give us this game.
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f sells 230,000 copies, gunning for best selling Vita game of the year
Nov 3rd
Boy, Japan really loves them some Hatsune Miku. The most recent Vita entry has been selling like hotcakes, with an impressive 230,000 copies sold since the game’s release. No word yet on the ratio of physical copies to downloads as of now, but as of launch Sega was reporting that digital copies were selling at about 10% of what the retail numbers were.
Sega is hoping that these numbers will eventually translate to the best selling Vita game of the year, and with these numbers it certainly seems like it could have once been possible. But with big names like Fifa, Gravity Rush, and Persona 4 standing in the way, this goal seems like a bit of an uphill battle. Either way 230,000 copies on something like the Vita is nothing to scoff at.
Of course, we’ll probably never see this thing over here, but for the sake of bradkal, I hope we do.
[Source: Siliconera]
Sonic Adventure 2 HD still high in XBLA charts
Oct 26th
With Sega still in a worrying financial crisis it’s always good to hear news of a game doing well… even if it is a port of a decade old Dreamcast title. When looking at the top selling Xbox games for the week the arcade chart reveals that Sonic Adventure 2 is still riding high in the top sales list at 3rd place. Keep in mind this is three weeks away from it’s release marking it a stronger launch than Sonic 4 Episode 2 and even the Sonic CD port.
So that’s some good news to cheer you up. Even though Sega is losing profits they can still rely on Sonic to bring in the bug bucks. And even Jet Set Radio is at 16 this week making both ports a pretty successful venture! So what does this mean for us? More ports probably. I’m personally hoping for Shenmue, but I know that’s probably pipe dream at best. What about you? Got an idea for a good Sega port? Let me know in the comments!
[Source: TSSZ News]
Sonic Colours sold close to 2 million
Feb 9th
For those of you wondering how well Sonic Colours sold, smack yourself in the face. Of course the game was going to make a boat-load of money, it’s a Sonic game. However what you can’t slap yourself for is knowing that the game would sell as much cash as it did, that being nearly 2 million copies.
SEGA’s parent company SEGA Sammy has unveiled their financial results for the last 9 months of 2010 and among the figures is an impressive record of 1,850,000 copies sold for Sonic’s Wii and DS exclusive, Sonic Colours. The title was SEGA’s best-selling of the period and managed to gain that number in less than 2 months on sale.
Yeah Sonic games were always gonna sell a ton, but at least now it’s a good game that’s making the money.
[Source: Sega Neptune]
