<![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Yes! I also thought it was going to have a paintbrush add-on controller!

HappyWulf

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @HappyWulf: Even though it came out before the Wii launched?

FP mind in rewind

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> BTW, when I first heard about the original release of Okami, I thought it was a Wii game. I disbelieved people who said it was a PS2 only title until I saw the press releases for myself. I thought it was a bass ackward way to do it by putting it on the PS2.

HappyWulf

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Capcom USA its wrong... in many ways
looks like they are doing wrong things on porpouse

jaquio

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Capcom is Dead Wrong. I can show this in a couple examples.
First is their own Monster Hunter that we love so much here at Kotaku. Since in the US, it has almost no advertising, it has to rely on word of mouth, appearance of fans and early adopters to advertise for them, and spread the influence to gather higher sales at a extended period of time. My group is still getting more people to join our Hunterings at this late in time after MHF2's release. People see us playing, see the awesomeness and want to join.
Next is the Mod/TC factor. We just recently in the past month picked up STALKER because of word of mouth recommendation, and because of the Oblivion Lost Mod for it that changes and tweeks almost everything in the game. One great feature is that Night time is no longer a blue twilight, but is now a pitch black darkness.
My last example can be summed up in 2 words: Half Life

HappyWulf

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @SAKY: $15?

FP mind in rewind

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> It is interesting to see the unique problems that they have with licensing. It is too bad that the big three cannot refund licenses on games that did not sell.

After this article, and the extra bonus one from CapcomLost, I am even more against the shovelware that crowds the shelves of the major retailers. I think that there is a substantial difference between a game that just doesn't work that well (I would say Lair for most people and Elebits for me personally) and a game that was never intended to be good, like almost all of the stock on the shelf for the DS and GBA right now. The DS is a perfect example because new people are constantly joining the user base, but the selection of games on the shelves are seriously dropping in quality. Again, there are games that just aren't my style, but there are also a ton of games that are complete shit like Elf Bowling. So, a flash game appears on the shelf and takes away a slot that could be used for something quality like Meteos. I recommend Meteos to everyone, but you cannot find it anywhere. I had to go to 8 stores before finding a single copy for my friend's birthday last year.

@Angryrider:
Professor Layton is on sale this week at Target, so that may be why you cannot find it. (I bought the last copy at my local one for my wife.)

@CapcomLost:
Thanks for the extra info!



kingofallcosmos

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Well this explains why I have such a hard time finding games that are a few months old.

WarlordPayne

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> There's a problem with this kind of thinking. Puzzle Quest on the DS; the game was completely under the radar at release. Retailers had one or two copy, failed to sell any after a week and sent them back.

THEN the demand hit.

Guizzy

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I hate that they do this with movies and music and even books now. It's certainly no way to sell video games.

One negative side effect is that this sort of thinking leads to less original ideas and more sequels to "proven" titles, as those are considered a safer sales bet.

w1nters

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Hmm... The game fails if it doesn't sell in one week? What about Phoenix Wright?

TheCleaningGuy is no longer (that) disappointed with DMC4

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Sounds like Harvey Birdman to me.

Fireblast

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @blizzardjesus: Exactly. There's no way in fucking hell those blaze charts in the first week.

RawSteelUT

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Working in retail this sounds about right. I think it's partly due to the way the marketing works, games get hyped like crazy until they come out, and then nothing. And that's when a vast majority of a product gets sold. I am really not suprised by this, in fact I've always wondered how long they actually bother manufacturing most games because of the significant drop off after the first few days or week. Only a few titles seem to be immune to this. Nintendo first party stuff has for years, there's always a demand for Mario and Zelda. Guitar Hero and DDR probably fall under this as well.

fearing

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Capcom eh? Then why do they keep making battle network games?

blizzardjesus

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I call bullshit. There are very, VERY few games that sell that well on the first week. Sony 1st party games are rather famous for trickling slowly to a million or more copies.

RawSteelUT

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> This doesn't surprise me. The system has been broken like this for awhile. Sometimes you'll get a Phoenix Wright that breaks the cliche, but it still makes it nearly impossible to sell a new franchise.

@CapcomLost: LOST! My day is complete!

Rebochan

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> That is harsh. I can't imagine the presure that must put on small devs. On wonder you don't see original IP's very often. Then again, WTF are TrU and Target doing buying crap like "Ninja Bread Man" when there are really games out there needing shelf space? It also makes me wonder how Amazon handles buying.

This makes me feel guildy for now getting "Zakk and Wiki" yet but I am POOR.

zensatori

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> That is harsh. I can't imagine the presure that must put on small devs. No wonder you don't see original IP's very often. Then again, WTF are TrU and Target doing buying crap like "Ninja Bread Man" when there are really games out there needing shelf space? It also makes me wonder how Amazon handles buying.

This makes me feel guilty that I have not pick up "Zack and Wiki" yet. But I AM POOR :(

zensatori

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Actually, as I was typing up the Capcom blog post for this MTV article, Christian Svensson wandered by my cube, so he added to this topic. You can read more on this subject at [blog.capcom.com]

CapcomLost

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Great choice of image to go with the post.

Inquisitor: Has the Imperial Magestrate reached a verdict?
Judge: I have.
Inquistitor: Guilty or innocent?
Judge: Innocent.
Inquisitor: Feed [insert critically-acclaimed Capcom title here...recommendations: Okami or Zack and Wiki] to the Sharkticons!
Judge: Hahahahahaha [change face] hahahahahahaha [change face] hahahahahaha [change face] hahahahahahaha!

eugaet

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> THEN WHY ARE THEY STILL FUCKING MAKING MEGAMAN?

enderx

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Koji Suzuki would be proud.

The_Antihippy

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I think he is completely wrong. That may be how the industry treats it, but the continued success is way more important then just the first week boost. Most games that have hundreds of thousands sold in the first week, but quickly drop below 10k a week usually dont see sequals. For a game to be successful they need close to a million in sales, and very few games will get that on their first few weeks. For example, Blue Dragon will most likely not see a sequal (at least on the 360). It's sales were not high in the US or in Japan. The first week was weak in the US and barely acceptable in Japan. On the flip side, Lost Odyssey has had a strong first few weeks, and is on track for the million copies. I would expect to hear of a sequal by the end of the year.

There are exceptions of course. Games like 50 Cent didnt score a million, but I dont think they ever expected a million sold. So, I think it also might be based on expectations. But then again, the 50 Cent game also had it's best weeks the first, 5th and 6th week.

Justcrim

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I must be weird. I can't remember the last time I bought a game the first week it was out.

Gouki4u's avatar has a severe case of Jekyll and Hyde

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Yep, and because I don't always have cash in hand waiting to be spent on the next big game, then sometimes piracy is literally the ONLY way to ever play a game.

Even a title like Ridge Racer 7 took me a couple weeks of searching all over the city until I found the one last used copy. It's sad how so many games have a momentary window of opportunity to get and then they're gone. Getting into the DS late, I NEVER found a copy of Phoenix Wright 1, new, used, or even online.

fuchikoma

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> How are CAPCOM still in business? They limp from one terrible decision to another. About the only thing they've done that made sense lately was porting Okami to the Wii (which was a total no-brainer)

If this kind of thinking is what drives their strategy it's no wonder they pulled the plug on Clover Studio. Damned bean counters have no interest in the medium, only the bottom line. If everyone thought like this then you'd never get more games like Ico, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus or LocoRoco.

JudgeNutmeg

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I think you'll find if you make a game that doesn't suck, people will buy it. If you keep churing out rehashes and tweaked copies of existing games, then yes, after about a week, people will grow wise to your bullshit.

A generalization? Perhaps, but I'm really just seeing Svensson and raising him.

Señor Vorpal Kickass'o

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Personally, one week isn't enough to judge how well or unwell a game will sell.

Yeah, part of the blame goes to retailers who'll only stock the Halos and Maddens of the game industry. However, I personally feel that WE gamers are partly to blame as well. For one, sure some games don't have a strong retail presence. However there is still the official store. Secondly: For every gamer who complains that Halo is over-hyped (and don't get me wrong, it is), 10 gamers buy it. So in a way, we are partly to blame for this as well. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it.

ChaosBahamut

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I suppose this ties into that relatively suspect off-hand remark I've heard attributed to Ryan Payton: "MGS 4 needs to sell 1 million on the first day..."

Perhaps it doesn't really need to sell a million on day one in order to turn a profit, but in the eyes of Konami, the better it does early on the more confidence they can store up. Just based on my own kind of non-sense prediction, I don't think it'll have a problem selling 800,000+ in the first 48-hours, and it'll hit a million before the week's out. It has the convenient situation of launching simultaneously across the world.

I wonder if Capcom will lean towards worldwide launches for future games like Resident Evil 5? They were pretty close to simultaneous with Devil May Cry 4 and that worked out well for them. The closer they get to a simultaneous release the more successful the early sales for the game will be, because it's all out there across the world at the same time, and I suppose that makes the numbers look good. It can have a lasting effect, too. You come out of the gate strong and then all the charts have you on top and more gamers who didn't buy the product may snatch it up because they see how many people thought it was worth buying and fall in line.

This is quite interesting... games seem to be spending more time in development than ever before. Polish it up and let the wheels get some good momentum on the hype machine so that you can have a killer start out of the gate. I guess that's the becoming the regular way to go about these things now, and it seems pretty good to me.

Strange Bedfellows

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Kazzahdrane:Of course, this would spell disaster for games retailers, but frankly here in the UK (and Europe in general) we pay what equates to $60 for a DS game so consumers would jump at the chance to buy games at a much more reasonable price.

Here's a somewhat rhetorical question. If UK gamers are raped for cash so much, why not just import the game? DS games are region free and I'm sure it would be easy enough to find a place willing to ship across the pond.

Or are tarrifs and import duties that bad over there?

battra92

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I don't know, maybe the used games market is partly to blame. I can go buy a game I might only play once, have it for a week or two (or even longer), then trade it in and recoup at least 70% of the initial purchase. Then that game is resold by the retailer for slightly less than the new product with a super-sized profit margin. The largest specialty chain in the world, Gamestop/EB Games, is little more than a long-term rental outlet that gives the option of ownership.

On the other hand, stores like Gamestop allow many gamers to get long-discontinued games for a decent price.

Replica23

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> There is a lot retailers can do about this. I used to work in the games section of HMV, and it all rests on how the products were marketed. I claim total responsibility for DBZ Budokai Tenkaichi on PS2 selling six times as many copies in its third week than in its first (in the one store) because I ordered in loads of copies, put it on a pod and started telling everyone how good it was. It was in the bestsellers list for ages, and I'm pretty sure it was only in our store.

Retailers don't even realise that they have the power, but because merchandising deals are made before games are finished, big games that turn out crap have to be pushed anyway, whilst surprise hits (Phoenix Wright) don't even get enough copies made! Retailers need to band together at places like E3 and just say, if the game is shit we won't market it.

MrLister

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I wonder how fast Professor Layton is selling. I was searching for it on Target.com, and it's gone!

Angryrider

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I don't know if that's necessarily true. It takes longer to decide to buy a game now. Remember with EA, midway, ubisoft making buggy or crappy games, we have to wait longer to see what other people are saying before buying the game. I don't have a problem with capcom, sega, and others. I would buy their game right away if I like the demo or I know it's going to be good. But with some company, you have to wait and see.

nxp3

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> How sad it's so short.
No wonder companies are always complaining about sells of new titles that aren't franchised based.

Despite the fact that some games sell great if you look at them over time, such as Tramua Center.


Kenofthedead

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @thinkfreemind:

The moral of this story is not to preorder games.

It is quite the opposite, never buy games during the first week.

The fact of the matter is as long as we have online retailers like Amazon that caters to the long tail, obtaining a game should not be a problem as long as a publisher can keep it in supply.

nlatimer

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Kazzahdrane: I agree that Capcom - and likely every game publisher - really has no idea of the demand for many of its smaller games.

The problem is marketing people have the attention spans of a gnat. It's not the public that's the problem, it's these idiot MBA's and marketers, who are both among the lowest forms of life on the planet. If *they* don't see sales in the first week, they just move on to something else. Then they're surprised if sales pick up or demand increases and shortages develop. They're always caught flat-footed. Then they go out and make stupid statements like "if a game doesn't sell in a week, it's DOA" despite their own evidence to the contrary.

I'm not saying every piece of shovelware needs to be nurtured until its sales pick up. But it would be nice if:

a) Crappy games aren't ever even released in the first place, so they're removed from the equation,

and

b) Good games that don't immediately sell (like Phoenix Wright) aren't simply abandoned before they have time to find an audience. Because they *will* find an audience if given the chance, and the publisher will leave money on the table if they're not ready.

It's no different than any other form of entertainment these days. The suits really have no clear plan for any game; they're just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. And if a game doesn't stick immediately, they just move on to the next thing (even if the next thing is an obviously inferior game).

It's got to stop.

badasscat

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I think anything will wilt horribly if you compare it next to the likes of Halo, Gran Tarismo, and other big name series. You have to look at it with some perspective, guys.

PapaBear434

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Funny, I know stores that try to sell 3+ years old games for full price. Thats including PC titles... I dont think they sell much of them.

JojoTheSlayer

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I just read the link to that article and was wondering if devil may cry 4 sold enough copies or does devil may cry not fall under that category? b/c I dont think it did that good, I know at least 25 people who played the demo and hated it

Molockian

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Which is why games like Psychonauts sell for obsurd amounts.

SAKY

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @ elenoverzero

sure, you are a gamer, but those games will still sell less and companies will try and make games that sell MORE. Hence games try to give good longevity. Just remember why there was DLC on the Xbox, because it promised longevity. This DLC for the purpose of longevity was even developed in advance and included on the disc! If MS thought it did not impact sales positively they would not have done it!

In that regard Japanese developers have fallen behind. Though they technically make great games, they lack that final appeal so that ALL friend buy the game, not just one.

Asbestos_Underwear

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Asbestos_Underwear:
I'm quite happy to play through a good single player experience and put it on my shelf, maybe to be revisted one day.

Do I not count as a gamer? Do my favourite games not count as games?

elevenoverzero

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @ Byakko

* I don't say that I rate games based on their longevity. They are all excellent games first time you finish them

* I do say that the chances of multiple of my friends buying a title is directly connected to longevity. IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE!

Let's say Bionic Commando comes around and it really is a 10/10 game then that alone does not mean that me and all my friends are buying it. If the game is only good fun for a weekend and after that it gets old, then most of my friends will not buy it but rather wait until they can borrow my copy (or vice versa). Apart from marketing telling you to do so, there is really no reason to buy any game on day one and I rarely do so.

It's true, replay value does not add anything to the game and many games are excellent without it. However, those games having replay value have an increased chance of being bought by friends who would usually lend each other their games.

Asbestos_Underwear

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Asbestos_Underwear:

By your definition, many entire genres would be gone because you equate longevity = value for money.

Then you might as well just play puzzle games, which have infinite longevity.

Your argument doesn't stand. You basically bash games because you don't appreciate other values in games other than you're need to justify a $60 purchase by the sole deciding factor of playtime.

I would rather spend my money on games like Psychonauts and Shadow of the Colossus that actually combine their identity as games with story, or pure artistic vision, then a game whose sole grace is replayability.

Byakko

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Byakko

It does not have to be Multiplayer. GTA rarely had multiplayer, but it kept players occupied for far longer than Uncharted, or Heavenly Sword, or Ninja Gaiden. My other example Guitar Hero also was single player only when it took off, it was exciting beyond playing every song one time. Which can't be said for most other games that do poorly at retail later on.

And yea, God of War and Bioshock are also one-trick ponies as far as I am concerned. If I have completed them, I just tuck them away. Friends then can have my copy for their 8h experience, I can have some of their throw-away games, and that ultimately hurts the sales.

Heale yourself from the marketing virus of having to play everything on day one. Then you and your friends will end up having different games that you can lend to one another. There is really no need for three close friends to go out and buy an eight hour game such as Devil May Cry or Bionic Commando. Things are different for other stuff I really play for months.

Asbestos_Underwear

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Digital distribution, baby. Darwinia tanked at retail, because it had no marketing and the retailers wouldn't give it space. But it made loads of money on Steam. At some point publishers are going to have to bite the bullet and piss the retailers off. Bowing to bricks and mortar is forcing them into really unhealthy business models.

cdammers

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> That seems about right.

It's a shame, too, because most of my favorite games sold horribly. Like ICO. :(

OneManFreakShow

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Asbestos_Underwear:

Because simply put, not all games are multiplayer and it shouldn't be a precedent that they are.

I'd love you to tell me that single player games like Shadow of the Colossus, Okami, Lost Odyssey, God of War, Bioshock, Oblivion, Persona 3 etc. etc. etc. aren't, by your definition 'up-to-date'.

Being multiplayer isn't being 'up-to-date', it's a genre and game feature.

Dear gawd to actually think multiplayer fits into all genres *facepalms*...

Byakko

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Kazzahdrane:
i think you make good points - but i completely disagree with your ideas on pricing.
1 - in ten years time, inflation will have pushed up the numeral value of the product (not making a claim on real costs, but the number on the price ticket will higher on most goods)
2 - point 1 aside, if people pay 30 quid now for ds games, why would nintendo reduce the price of a full-size (not mini) dowloaded game? If the consumer is used to spending 30 quid on a game now(of which, say ninetendo sees 15 quid), why would they chose not to make the full 30 if that is what consumers are used to?

Sony's very similar pricing of GT prologue on PSN and on disc is more than just an attempt to keep the retailers sweet - its the future. Did games get cheaper when they moved from cart to disc? At best they got a few quid cheaper, at worst - they got more expensive.

GMC

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Since most games are completed within hours and offer no replay value whatsoever the forums are filled with people saying "meh, finished it, don't like it no more" from day one. How are games supposed to sell for a month if they don't last a month and do not keep buyers excited and positive about it.

Look at CoD4, it offers fun for more than eight hours and it sells well even today. Look at Guitar Hero and Rock Band, those are games that last and which continue to sell.

Then look at Lost Planet and the upcoming Bionic Commando. Those games are classic 8h material which every player tosses into the corner after completing them. Of course people do not need to buy that after the first week, here, I lend you my copy.

Good games offer more than a few hours of entertainment and a single use rollercoaster story line. But that's exactly what Capcom is producing these days. No wonder they think the market is changing. Their games are not up-to-date if they want sales to remain high.

Asbestos_Underwear

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Komrade_Kayce:

Agreed, I think the article really hits home the limitations and risks ultimately involved in handling physical production of media. It certainly builds a case for the preference and sway to digital distribution becoming a key channel for console and PC games in the future.

I love how great games (that might not have done well in retail) can find new life by digital distribution. Especially, Psychonauts ^_^ Cutting out the middle-men in manufacturing makes everything so much easier and efficient!

However, the market would then be limited to those with high-speed internet connections, not to mention that games for handhelds naturally can't be done this way (not 'legally', anyway). There's still a precedence and necessity for game media to be manufactured in the old-fashioned way, I don't see discs and cartridges ever really becoming 'obsolete' at all.

Byakko

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I can't wait to see what they say about Atlus, but I already know the deal with them. As an Atlus fanatic, I am always telling people to pre-order their games or they will run the risk of never finding it in a store. I totally understand small production runs based on just the number of people they know will buy game 'X'. It is smart business, especially for those game makers who create (or localize) very niche games which do not appeal to the masses anywhere near the level of a game like Halo.

Moral of this story is pre-order your games people!

thinkfreemind

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Also, I've been saying for months (not here) that for the DS 2 Nintendo should seriously consider digital distribution of the games. I doubt it'll happen next-gen, so maybe for Nintendo's next-next handheld I guess. You buy the console and it comes with a blank cart (much like an R4) - you then use Nintendo's online store to buy games for your DS. They're offered at very reasonable prices, far below that of retail for this generation of handhelds. Your purchases are saved to your account so you can re-download them whenever you need to. As long as the DRM used to keep people from giving their games to all their friends wasn't annoying for legitimate customers... (perhaps the download of each game would be tied to the Serial Number of your handheld and would only execute on that physical device? You'd be able to change this once every 60 days or something to allow for replacements or upgrading to a newer colour/model).

Of course, this would spell disaster for games retailers, but frankly here in the UK (and Europe in general) we pay what equates to $60 for a DS game so consumers would jump at the chance to buy games at a much more reasonable price.

In reference to my last post, I actually tell customers to just import the Ace Attorney games since they are so hard to get hold of here, and they're half the price even when you factor in shipping from most import sites.

An online library of handheld games you could buy for £15/20 a pop would be fantastic, and if Nintendo used their usual approach of making it idiot-proof then even super-casual gamers could use it.

Apologies for the ramble and possible double post, just my two Earth bucks.

Kazzahdrane

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> In the games store I work in we're always getting people coming in asking for the Ace Attorney games. We never have either (only first 2 released in Europe so far) of them in stock. Ever. And the games are so good that people don't trade them in, so we never have used copies either.

Capcom clearly aren't aware of the market that exists for some of their titles to sell large quantities over a long period of time. When the 2nd AA game came out we got maybe 12 copies and these were all gone with a few days of release - I think we maybe got another 10 after that and then nothing since then (March 2007). Madness.

Kazzahdrane

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Nirolak: Yeah, that's pretty fascinating. Nice knowing that kinda stuff, which we don't normally hear about.

Luke Plunkett

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> This suddenly makes all the D's for Discontinued I see slapped all over games I love a few weeks after they come out make more sense.

God I hate you, retailers. Honestly, this sounds weird, but its because of stuff like this that I enjoy a direct download service, be it 360, Steam or otherwise. I 'lose' a game? Easily regotten, 90 percent of the time at no cost to me (unless my system breaks and Xbox Live fucks me and makes me pay again, of course).

Don't have the money to scrounge up for a new release? No fear. I've got time. It will be there for quite some time, if not forever, usually.

The Virtual Console, PSN Playstation games, and Xbox Originals are brilliant. Now we need to just stop being ripped off on hard drive peripherals (or in the case of Nintendo, we goddamn need one) and we're all set for an age of gaming I dont mind.

And to think I used to nay-say and witch burn this idea of abandoning my cartridge and disc based media.

Komrade_Kayce

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> "On the Nintendo DS, for example, the challenge is significant. It takes 50 to 75 days for a production order on a DS title to reach the US, longer during the holidays."

Wow, that's staggering. I can see how any screw up in demand estimation could cost an entire game's success.

@Ryan Saotome: I checked the article and apparently it's actually that stores will cancel their orders if games underperform not allowing them to sell more copies even if they want to.

Nirolak

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Well if that's the case, then it's a ridiculous situation and the retail model needs to change. Digital distribution is the first thing that springs to mind, and indeed the last given that I'm too tired to give it further thought at the moment. :P

ErskinPig

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> @Luke Plunkett: It's possible Z+W performed as expected for it's first month. I think their expectations were 300k for lifetime and it's achieved that, so first month was probably in line with expectations, maybe slightly better.

I imagine what they mean is simply if they expect 500k lifetime and 200k first month. If it doesn't achieve that 200K first month it's unlikely it will ever get to 500k. Not that if they have 500k sales expectations and it doesn't do that first month then it sucks and they hate it.

Zim

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> So what is he saying? They'll stop producting them after a week if its first week sales are shit?

Ryan Saotome

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> I blame the fact that pre-orders determin stock bought by retailers. Anything less than a grandiose American game marketed at generation ADD and you're fucked.

elevenoverzero

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> This is right. In a kind of way...

It applies mostly to the "old hardcore" game market, for which Capcom mainly delivers.

It does not apply the casual market (especially DS titles).

"KE"

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Will nobody think of Zack & Wiki!

Luke Plunkett

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Is the classic awfull "hit economy model".
A horrible side effect of that models is that less games will be released, with more money in advertisement.

Tei

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Gee, that's pretty rough. DD it is, then!

*sigh*

Xiedo

]]> <![CDATA[Games Have A Week To Sell Or They're Dead, Says Capcom]]> Huh.

ohhello

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