Ben-DutkaAlthough Capcom is likely to be happy with the result, there may be some cause for concern…
The recently released DmC: Devil May Cry , the critically acclaimed but controversial franchise reboot, has topped the UK sales charts in its first week. It knocked off the previous #1 title, FIFA 13 , which had been at the top for two weeks. Call of Duty: Black Ops II slipped to third.
It's Capcom's first #1 seller in the UK since Resident Evil 5 back in 2009, but here's the iffy part- It seems DmC has only sold a little over one-third of what DMC4 sold during its first week in 2008. Furthermore, it's not like the competition has been especially stiff this month. Is this a sign that once again, despite favorable reviews, Ninja Theory will come up short in regards to sales and financial goals? We hope not but maybe too many fans have a problem with the game, and that's having a bigger impact than anticipated.
Or maybe we could just say, "Well, it debuted at #1 and that can't be a bad thing." Maybe it's better to be optimistic without delving too deep. …maybe.
Related Game(s): DmC: Devil May Cry
This has to be disappointing to Capcom. I don't think Capcom doubted it would hit the top spot, but I do think Capcom wanted this game to outperform it's predecessor DMC4. It was because of DMC4's less-than-expected sales that initiated this reboot in the first place. This reboot looks to have sent the series from going downhill, sales wise, to spiraling down. I also suspect a series reboot is pretty expensive.. recouping losses may not happen for Capcom. Heavenly Sword sold 2 million and still wasn't profitable for Sony, right? The big heavy hitters have to achieve higher.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/21/2013 11:19:02 AM
It might sound mean but I think it serves them right to be honest. None of the fans wanted a reboot, and in the age of the internet a lot of hate for this game spread fast even before it was released.
It didn't help that the director of the game wanted Dante to look like him and he had a sort of cocky attitude when addressing fans concerns.
They kind of brought this upon themselves, while I do think the fans over reacted the fact is they did and it could have been avoided if they hadn't have tried to reboot the game.
It is the same way Square decided to turn Final Fantasy in a corridor RPG, and then evolve it into an action RPG. No one wanted it, it seems its only purpose to exists is to hopefully strike a cord with the lowest common denominator and get huge sales.
Ah well, not really too upset, there are thankfully a lot of great games coming out this year 🙂 AAA and otherwise.
Yah, Xenris, this makes it seem pretty clear to me how big of a role identity plays in gaming franchises. Once a base seems to "get to know" and like a franchise for what has defined it, they tend to hate a deviation from that identity.
I'm sure if FFXIII or DMC released under a different name, setting a different expectation, their'd be a very different rep for those games stand alone.
It wasn't profitable to NT. Sony was glad for the sales on a new ip but NT weren't. They wanted more sales. They just broke even on the game.
To be fair, the UK videogame (retail) market is going through a crisis at the moment. A lot of games are bombing (games that do not have FIFA in the title, that is).
Several retail stores like GAME and HMV have been going through some serious financial problems. Its not a healthy market anymore. Its in an ever worse state than the console market in Japan.
And that is something to consider.
So let's wait until we get info from the NPD before we brand the game as a commercial failure/bomba.
I think ninja theory is just cursed. After they said they were upset with heavenly swords sales figures it would seem they haven't been able to match those sales :
Maybe they should make another heavenly sword game 😀
My memory seems to recall that NT's departure from that series had a lot to do with an emotional decision created from conflict between individuals from both parties. It would seem to me a succesful sequel could've been very possible given a re-scaled budget. Seeing that NT probably learned some things from working in DMC, a proper up to HS could be a great thing.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 1/21/2013 1:12:18 PM
Oh, and depending on how the DMC contract was inked up between Capcom and NT, this developer could be through. Sad, but most devs don't get 3 financial failures at bat before sinking…. That is of course DMC's final sales do prove underwhelming.
Yeah, we wont know until the sales come in. But I dunno, it seems like NT is good at making good games that no one plays :
I'm quite enjoying DMC so far but the lack of a lock on during combat can be really frustrating. I hope it does well personally and just maybe it will win over the fans over time…na just kidding it's screwed 🙂
The lock-on mechanic would scare away initiates. It's too complicated to hold a button down while doing something else =p
It had to go since the new accessible combat has you holding buttons to switch weapons sets. Too many weapons and no more buttons left. I'm actually a fan of Ninja Theory's "sticky" combat.
I know I'm not a fan of DMC-classic's jumping physics. Where Dante has this amazing vertical but can't cover any dang ground. I like feeling like a roll'y Polly ninja dashing and jumping all over the place =p
I'm actually enjoying DMC. It has been to long since I played DMC on my PS2, and I really don't remeber it.
DMC is an OK game.
Ninja Theory will look at it as a failure unless it sells well. they are not a very optimistic group. I dont know what to think about it other than this is what they do. Im not impressed with their business philosophy and that probably hinders them every time they release a game. They dont seems to give the fans what they want. Everyone wants a Heavenly Sword 2 but they dont see that. They completely changed Dante and made a reboot, for better or worse, and fans didnt like that.
They make great games ill give em that.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 1/21/2013 12:46:16 PM
I think the only thing they did wrong was not make HS2, it's not like they said hey lets go talk to capcom and see if we can piss off the DmC fans somehow. This game was made to order in every possible way.
And I think youre right. But Capcom wont get the short end here. But Ninja Theory was looking for a quick buck. They decided to go to an established franchise changed some intregal parts, instead of giving fans what they wanted.
Theyve yet to produce something for the fans and fail to see that Heavenly Sword actually has a following of them. Its just not good business sense.
Aside from that there games are still great and Enslaved was a great attempt at a new ip. But if all they want is money, they gotta make games for the fans and not worry about making Dante look like the director.
Last edited by bigrailer19 on 1/21/2013 2:18:07 PM
I would really like to remind everyone that Capcom brought this to Ninja Theory. Capcom wanted a reboot. Capcom wanted a Western studio to handle it. Ninja Theory said numerous times that any design decisions they wanted to make had to be OKed by Capcom.
So if the fans are going to be annoyed, the least they could do is direct their ire in the appropriate direction.
lol, I was just going to post this exact thing.
Finished it today. I really enjoyed it, such ashame it not selling hopefully it has legs. It wasn't the "12 hour" game I was expecting more like 8 hours.
A little over a third of DMC4's sales? Ouch. That can't be what Capcom had in mind. Hell it has to be considered dissapoining since the install base of the consoles has be a lot higher now than in 2008.
I wonder what happens now. NT continues their trend of releasing games that are liked by critics but undeperform when it comes to sales.
This is exactly what I expected to happen, while I've been a strong supporter of this game and Ninja Theory I knew nobody would want Enslaved and it was clear from the outset that fans would be voting against this reboot with(out) their wallets. They are a talented team and I want them to succeed but it's just never a good idea to blatantly piss off your fans. I hope NT gets paid and I hope Capcom learns a lesson. Though based on the direction of Resident Evil I would say there's a small chance of that.
The biggest shame is that we might not get a sequel to this DmC, which I personally can't wait to dig into. There's still an opportunity here. A "New Coke" opportunity for them to bring back the original, and then use those profits to fund the new universe and build rivaling fan bases.
Capcom's former failed reboot, Bionic Commando, didn't have a contract that saved Grin from sinking… Maybe NT got a sweeter deal.
They should have had a hawkish negotiator, knowing full well that fans would rage and people hate westernization I would have said look if you want this we'll give you a 9 scoring game but you have to make it worth our while no matter what the sales are.
Perhaps DMC was their desperate life line coming off of Namco's Enslaved disaster
Wouldn't doubt it but considering that the originals have only sold a total of 8 or 10 million, probably excluding pc sales. They both wanted accessibility and alieanated their original fanbase. Serves capcom right.
Another bummer for Capcom. RE6 and now DmC, guess they have to lower their sales forecast…again. I'm really impressed with the art direction of DmC, looks better than bayonetta and DMC4. They should've kept the white hair from the get go.
Hmm, NT is cursed when it comes to sales.
And DmC already got a lot of bad response from fans even if it's a great game.
DmC may get more new fans, but I think they lose even more from the old fans.
If this keeps up I think NT is gonna hit the red sooner or later which I hope they don't cause NT is one heck of a studio.
On the other hand, you have Slant Six making the disastrous and horrendous RE Operation Raccoon City and it sold pretty well.
The world is cruel and unfair…………
I wonder how much a prolonged console gen has at play with lesser sales, if any. Sometimes gamers buy something new when there's more excitement encircling a new platform, sorta like how Resistance FoM started popular then went soft over the years.
Right now It seems to me everyone has a backlog to play through on our existing hardware. And backlog's at least for me don't happen until later in a generation.
Maybe it's best some franchises use the spring board of new tech to push a new game. Half Life is one such example of a series that seems to update itself once new hardware or tech is introduced. Thus making the new feel that much more special.
Nobody talks about it much but I really like the high color enrichment and visual contrast in this iteration. Just sayin…
It's having exactly the impact I was expecting – you should see the amount of hate this game attracts across the web on other sites. This'll probably be made an example for other developers who wish to rejuvenate series or touch material that's been around for awhile.
Though gamers I personally believe are way too sensitive to this kind of thing – especially in comparison to fans of other forms of entertainment.
Oh well saw it coming a long time ago. I would really like NT to make more original games. I enjoyed Enslaved and loved Heavenly Sword. None of their games have looked as gorgeous as Heavenly Sword. It's unfortunate that Sony does own the rights to HS. I just wish NT and them would get back together again for a sequel. A much needed sequel.
Heavenly sword looks nice but doesn't play as well as dmc. There are frame rate drops and the controls seem slow and clunky, due to the framerate problems.
Comparing a 2007 title to a 2013 title is a bit unfair I think. Especially considering technology advancements. And Unreal 3 engine. I'm sure if there were to be another HS game it would play fantastically.
I didn't compare them. You mentioned it and so did I. Heavenly sword looked good but in motion it suffered a lot.
Look Sawao, the only thing I want from you is another Pillows album, we don't need to worry about which game was better. Hurry and get me a new album and tour the US again. Your show in Austin rocked and I want to see you guys again.
The video game industry was red hot back in 2008 so I'm not surprised sales of the new DmC, eventhough the game reached no. 1, were well under what DMC 4 achieved. Unfortunately that's the state of the industry right now though, sales have been down for at least the last two years and I'm not sure if in this economy new systems would spark sales.
Last edited by Gamer46 on 1/21/2013 6:22:27 PM
its a bit harsh to compare DMCs sales to DMC4.
that sold better partly because it was a highly anticipated sequel, but more so because the market was stronger then.
theres allot of games releasing in the next week or so, and a sh*t ton in a month or so, so people are saving up for those.
plus DMC4 was one of the very first games to show what current systems could do, so it was always going to sell well.
this, on the other hand, had EVERYTHING against it!
gotta feel sorry for NT, its always like they have the world against them!
Great, i hope ninja theory is dead or back to sony to make heveanly sword 2…