Enslaved fails to meet sales targets
Namco fears Majin, Splatterhouse flops too.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West has fallen short of Namco Bandai's sales targets.
Andriasang reports that the publisher had hoped Ninja Theory's action epic would have shifted a million units by now, but it has only managed 800,000.
And that's only the start of Namco's woes. Its latest financial report reveals that Dead to Rights Retribution has sold only half of the 700,000 units anticipated, while movie tie-in Clash of the Titans struggled to 250,000 - well shy of the 750,000 hoped for.
The publisher is also bracing itself for lackluster sales of yet-to-be-released titles Splatterhouse and Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. It had hoped both would top the million mark but now expects to move 350,000 of the former and 300,000 of the latter.
The only rays of sunlight appear to come courtesy of the well-worn Naruto and Ben 10 franchises. Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm 2 and Ben 10 Ultimate Alien Cosmic Destruction both exceeded expectations.
All things considered, this is sad news – Eurogamer thoroughly enjoyed Enslaved and Majin was shaping up very nicely last time we checked.
Both Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom and Splatterhouse launch on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 26th November.
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Comments (76) Latest comment 2 years ago
Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!
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What a sad world we live in... rehashed formulas sell millions whilst original IPs struggle like this...
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All things considered they should stop making such wank games.
Neg me all you like .. the truth is spoken : http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/v...
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@Markitron - what does it have if it doesn't have DD? I thought it was standard for PS3 games, DTS being the exception...
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Improve the fighting system, make the platforming more rewarding, and Enslaved 2 will sell just fine.
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I didn't hate it or anything, it's just that my gaming time is limited and there's other stuff I'd much rather play (and indeed pay for) first...
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@DefendoCroc
You really don't "get" Zero Punctuation, do you.
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For Splatterhouse, their biggest chance is to get some current video circulated - trailer and some gameplay.
They've not had much to show, beyond the screens. Usually, the game differs, from each last batch. However, they've not released anything to tie it together, it's just random images, for the most part.
Majin; if there's one Q4 crush casualty I can pick, it'd definitely be that, sadly. It got the demo release, but to me, that didn't really help trigger word of mouth/buzz about the game. It wasn't pushed, in any way. I think it's currently being undersold by the pub, and barring some kind of tie-in to Family/Christmas spirit (unlikely, as thematically it's an awkward fit with aspects of the demo's world), I don't know how it can gain lift. I believe it has some crossover appeal, but it's not even present atm, in the general perception.
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Ugly game. Def not one of the games you self proclaimed purists should use as an example of a good game being shoved out of the way for COD.
Just because its an original IP doesnt instantly make it good? Dead Space is a great original IP - Enslaved is meh...
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I almost fell for the thing at the point in the demo when the plane crumbles and you're confronted by so much of the bluest sky ever but i just couldn't get past how much i *hated* the characters and the fact that the controls fell really sluggish didn't help either.
Any ideas who they've got lined up for the reboot?
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Plus the fighting is a bit guff.
Cutscenes and acting are ace though to be fair.
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Who wants to visit the exhibition when all lights are off, and displays are inactive...
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I've got the same problem with Vanquish: I'll definitely buy it, just not yet. Spring/ Summer is a much better time to release new IP, both Vanquish and Enslaved have summer blockbuster written all over them.
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This the main issue in my opinion.
More and more people realize the insane price dropping and as gaming people get older quite some (like myself) get more patient. We don't need to play the "it" game these days just to be able to keep up with the mates as stuff like job / family etc. take it toll anyways preventing us from burning through the games any longer.
If you still buy day one you often pay a hefty extra for the "exclusivity" to play the newest shit.
Also the "pact" between developers / publishers and gamers is broken. Back then you bought stuff to support a developer and reward them for their work. Today it's a question of whom fucks whom better. Publishers using DRM, online passes etc. and gamers waiting for price drops / Steam sales etc.
No idea how that can be resolved in the long run.
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I get it just fine thanks, it just so happens that he didnt have to try very hard to be sarcastic this time did he ...
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Have Majin on order - looks like a lovely game and i liked the demo. I'm not sure how they think Splatterhouse will outsell Majin as the gameplay videos show Splatterhouse is clearly absolute arse...i guess blood and guts can sell and nice Majins don't
To be honest it's not great news, Namco have supported some new IP's and it's not really working out.
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I point to Dead Space 2 as a case in point, EA were smart enough to keep faith in a product that sold pretty badly, and DS2 is looking like it could sell a good amount.
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I'm all for supporting games like Majin or Enslaved (with all their flaws), but, just like every product in every business in the world, they need to be sold at the right price and that price has to remain stable for a while.
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Castlevania, lovely game, but didn't quite have the same impact with me as Enslaved, I reached disc 2 and truth be told, haven't picked it up since.
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Oh boo hoo, look I'm a bit dissapointed that Enslaved didn't do well either, but am I surprised?...no. Mainly because the main problem is that there is a recession going on and people want to be more careful with their money which means they won't want to buy games that even though they might be good, don't have replay value to them and Enslaved just does not have the replay value that say CoD (well in the multiplayer sense) has, I mean why do you think Vanquish flopped? (btw I chose Fallout New Vegas over Vanquish because of the whole fact that the SP in is so short)
Look I'm all for new IP's as much as the next gamer, but you have to face facts, and whining and crying about it (much like what 95% of the EG community does) is not going to help, rehashing is the only way for companies to keep operating in the bad economy right now and we just have to accept it. I have so why can't other people do so as well?
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Enslaved had some downsides, mainly visuals that left something to be desired, a main character that sometimes seemed to have too much inertia (e.g. my controller actions while platforming/climbing/running didn't always immediately transform to onscreen responses), and a somewhat predictable ending.
That said, the game's upsides far outweigh it's cons. It was quite enjoyable, great art style (I'm a sucker for lush green environments, post-apocalyptic or otherwise), nice atmosphere and I too was hoping that this would be well-received, if only so that a sequel would have been guaranteed.
As telboy007 said, may not get a sequel, and if so, that is definitely a pity.
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To take one sentence from the review that sums it up:
"the gameplay mechanics aren't as impressive as the rest of the package."
I've got time for games where the gameplay is the most impressive thing about the game and other bits let it down but not the other way round. (Look at the slightly buggy but very popular Fallout: New Vegas for example!)
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It would be a crying shame if it doesn't get a sequel.
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Anyway, I'm in the group of those who've held out for a price drop. Enslaved suffered from coming ina year (and period) when sequels to my 2 favourite series came out (Halo and Fable), and I knew u wouldn't get a chance to play it till the Net Year. Christ, I still haven't even taken Bayonetta out of the shrink-wrap and have an unstaffed Limbo on my HDD....
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I mean 800000/1000000 sales are not 'Clash Of the Titans'-bad
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So that means, in about 10 years... we'll get a sequel made by a small dedicated team. Huzzah!
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Perhaps instead of telling me to take a moment and think about it, you should maybe take a moment and read what I've written before you speak to me so condescendingly.
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Since your comment is directly below mine and I'm certainly guilty of asking for a sequel on an original IP (surely a contradiction of terms), let me explain why I've asked for a sequel.
Firstly, because, as far as I'm aware, Enslaved story ends on a cliff-hanger and I would like a proper closure.
Secondly, because the above mentioned story, while not particularly original itself, is acted in a very life-like and convincing way through the cut-scenes.
Finally, because delivering one or even two competent sequels is not taking things too far, as I'm concerned. The problem begins with uninspired annual or bi-annual sequels that offer nothing new. Enslaved is a showcase of developers' enthusiasm (at least in my eyes) and I would like to see the characters develop further.
EDIT: @ telboy007:
I've caught myself thinking the same thing earlier. It certainly feels like a nod to BG&E while playing.
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Good example is Alan Wake. I really enjoyed it (despite flaws), but would need convincing that a sequel offered a different enough experience to make me fork out for another £40.
I'm a huge advocate of original IP, and will buy this new (not 2nd hand), but only once i have some spare gaming time, which unfortunately for publishers will likely be when the game is at a reduce price.
Perhaps a March release would have made me (an others?) buy at full price on day of release...
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But as much as I loved the characters, their scripts, and the world they live in, I don't want a sequel.
Why? Why not? Why is it that every game, every movie, every book, needs to be milked? Why can't we just file it away in the annals of history as an enjoyable experience, one to be remembered, and move on? I remember the days (is that phrase a sign that I'm getting old?) when we were regularly treated to new IPs, new experiences, and new characters in games. Not all of them were great, but all of them were refreshing, and their attempts to evolve brought the medium to where it is today. If everybody had stuck to the same old formulaic games twenty or thirty years ago, we'd still be playing Lemmings spin-offs today.
I hope that Ninja Theory takes the lessons learned from Enslaved, and makes something even more original and passionate in the future, rather than tying themselves to a specific franchise like so many other developers have done. Whatever you think of the game, you can't deny that they have spirit.
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Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, managed to survive because of its franchise strength, although the cost was its more violent, 'dark' angsty tone in its sequels. People forget how badly it fared at first, especially since it's been rereleased and used as the base of the plot for the film.
Beyond Good And Evil fared less well, although if we're lucky Michel Ancel will get his apparent side project sequel off the ground eventually.
This generation hasn't had many BG&Es, Psychonauts, Icos and Stranger's Wraths so far, looks like it's starting to get them now.
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Your comments are reasonable and I wholeheartedly agree with the motion of getting sequels when the developers have something meaningful to add.
In the case of Alan Wake, though, all Remedy has to add is a couple of new enemies and some light/dark puzzles (sadly missing from the original) and they can count me in!
@ Mentalist(air):
I hear what you're saying and I agree. I do have to point out, though, that, IMHO, both PoP and BG&E suffered, also, from the timed exclusive deal they got with Sony only in Europe, while everybody knew they were released on all three formats in the US. By the time the deal was over, Ubisoft had to release them in EU as well, but at a lower price.
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My point is that linking to ZP as a "bad review source" is like linking to a PETA review of a bull fighting game. ZP never likes stuff, that is the point. And he doesn't strike me as ever having to try to be sarcastic, it just comes naturally (a man after my own heart)
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I am another who thought of BGE while playing (particularly when piggy joined the game). Looking forward to the HD remake on that one.
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that's your problem right there.
Movie tie-in for a shit movie...
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Halo Reach, Dead Rising 2, Fable 3.
I still can't afford Fallout new Vegas or this game. Just blew £25 on Black Ops for zombie mode.
My job is insecure right now and xmass is near.
maybe I'll get it as a present?
/sigh