Nintendo defends GTA DS sales

By Tom Bramwell Published 20 April, 2009

Expects them to pick up in future.

Nintendo of America expects Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars sales to pick up over its lifespan, despite relatively low first-month US sales.

"Chinatown Wars is performing in line with AAA titles that have come to our platform like Spore or LEGO Star Wars," Nintendo's third-party relations man Steve Singer told MTV. "Those games went on to have very different life-to-date sales numbers."

The DS-exclusive action game reviewed extremely well but only notched up around 89,000 US sales in the second half of March following launch, according to NPD figures.

SEGA also ran into problems with MadWorld, which did around 66,000 US sales on the Wii, although the publisher bullishly told VentureBeat that the data was "very encouraging".

Singer pointed out to MTV that DS games often sell in odd patterns, most notably with Brain Training, which has been a continuous success, and that slow early sales are "the result of having only a limited number of M-rated games on the platform". He also brought up Call of Duty 4, which sold poorly in its first month on DS and went on to do over 500,000 units.

"I think strategically, [GTA] is a very important game because it helps send the message that great M-rated content can come to the platform and will find a home," he added.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • menage #1 3 years ago

    I don't think the current GTA players out there really had much interest in the original topdown versions. Which this looks a lot like on first sight. I don't being scared of innovation has anything to do with it, it doesn't look innovating at all at first glance, only a step back to the old days.

  • stampax #2 3 years ago

    playing it at the moment, and think it' alright. But only alright. Am surprised that it didn't sell a bucket load though on the strength of the name alone.
    Having said that, not seen it advertised much at all, so maybe that's the problem.

  • DUFFMAN5 #3 3 years ago

    A shame, because it may scare off over developers making adult games for the ds. I would love to see more adult style action (no not that!) and horror games on the ds.

  • menage #4 3 years ago

    People actually buy DS games based on the back of the box? That's 90% txt and 3 tiny pics. I only have to look up some screens on the web and all I see is topdown action with some artwork faces of the chara's.

    I'm not saying it isn't innovative, or doesn't look like it when you go deeper. But I don't think people pick up on innovation from some screens.

  • DUFFMAN5 #5 3 years ago

    @Lord
    don't think anyone is scared of making adult games for the DS.
    I suppose your definition of adult is different to mine though. To me DS completely monopolises 5-13 and 30-death.

    I didn't say they were I said it may scare off future games and or developers. Re the age thing, which I think you mean in your 5-13 and 30 death statement, not to sure what you are driving at there Mr Lord, my 15 and 24 year old nephews play the ds ;)

  • JohnnyWashnGo #6 3 years ago

    @stampax
    I fully agree with you - the game is the very definition of average. I expected it to sell much better than it has to date and cannot really explain why it hasn't sold so well.

    Would it be too much to ask for developers to make mature games for the DS, games that do not need to make use of swearing, astonishing levels of violence and drug dealing? I do not see those activities as things that adults do, more things that idiots do.

  • dingo75 #7 3 years ago

    I would love to see more adult style action (no not that!)

    Yes I want to see that!

    Oh and it doesn't print money for Rockstar. :p

  • patch #8 3 years ago

    Could it be they've missed the target audience? I'm just throwing this out there for discussion, but maybe the majority of DS owners play either Ben 10 or brain training. Those of us who might want GTA are more likely to own another console as well, and get our GTA action somewhere else.

    Not saying that's the reason, but wanted to play devil's advocate.

  • DFawkes #9 3 years ago

    The drug dealing is just resource trading, and I find it thoroughly enjoyable.

    Great game, deserves much better than it started but I bet it'll be in the DS charts for a while, slowly eating up sales.

  • popabawa #10 3 years ago

    I'm really surprised it hasn't done a lot better, for me, it completely lives up to the hype and the glowing reviews.

  • callum9999 #11 3 years ago

    I don't know about the sales figures for the last two PSP games released, but I would imagine GTA is more suitable for the PSP than the DS. I personally preferred the PSP games to GTA IV.

  • monkeylite #12 3 years ago

    "Chinatown Wars is performing in line with AAA titles that have come to our platform like Spore or LEGO Star Wars"

    'Kay...

  • linksdad #13 3 years ago

    Better than GTA4 -if you havent already, get it

  • BM #14 3 years ago

    @callum9999

    Why would you say that? I agree with DFawkes, a thoroughly enjoyable game with certain elements (breaking into cars and searching dumpsters) that are extremely clever and could not be done as well without a touchscreen.

    I much prefer the DS version to GTA IV on the 360

  • Skandalle #15 3 years ago

    Surprised it hasnt pushed more. When a game makes you genuinly excited to see a dumpster, you know they're doing something right!

  • CaptianScarlet #16 3 years ago

    Now you can see all the "Adult" action you want on the DSi with the web browser!! :)

    The fact that the browser isn't exactly super fast helps draw the thrill out!! :p

  • suicida #17 3 years ago

    I bought a DSi just for this game, loving it...

  • Reihn #18 3 years ago

    I'm going to be one of the late buyers! There's no way I'm missing this game, but I'm snowed under with a few others at the moment. Don't worry Rockstar/Nintendo - I'll save you! ; )

  • Reihn #19 3 years ago

    @ JohnnyWashnGo

    I have never seen you make a single comment that wasn't a bile-filled tirade about how much whatever's being discussed sucks. I can understand not liking some things, but . . c'mon . . are you really that bitter?

  • cherryuk #20 3 years ago

    I'll get this at some point, but need to complete GTAIV first on PS3 but stupidly resetted my game due to the trophies not being available doh! Still not sure about the overhead camera on DS and I think most people are afraid of this!!

  • ShogunAssassin #21 3 years ago

    Is Call of Duty 4 on the DS? O_o

    edit: Never mind, apparantly it is...
    Edited by 1 at 20/04/09 @ 14:37

  • callum9999 #22 3 years ago

    @BM - purely demographics. The average PSP owner is going to like games like GTA, the average DS owner isn't going to play games like GTA. I've never played the DS version so I couldn't comment on how good it is.

  • MisterCraig #23 3 years ago

    It may also just simply be that because GTAIV is such a relatively new game that people are still actually enjoying it. Or even playing the recently released DLC.

    Maybe the timing of the release didnt do the game any favours. There is only so much of one franchise people are going to invest in, particularly when there are so many other fantastic games out there.

    Lastly, new DS games are expensive! There are so many slightly older but just as good titles availble in bargain bins at the moment. There isn't a rush, and frankly Nintendo didn't need to defend the sales; they are guaranteed to improve significantly over time.

  • Skeletor #24 3 years ago

    @Coin-Op

    "Wasn't this game pirated to fuck before release?, could explin it."

    So was EVERY DS game. Doesn't explain shit.

    Fact is many GTA players weren't asking for a return to top down and many more are missing the "full" audio/radio experience. A handfull of instrumental tracks doesn't quite cut it imho, at least not with a price tag of around 35 Euros...
    However, I'm pretty sure the sales will go up over the summer time.
    Edited by 1 at 20/04/09 @ 16:05

  • Vinicity #25 3 years ago

    @Skeletor

    "A handfull of instrumental tracks doesn't quite cut it imho, at least not with a price tag of around 35 Euros..."

    You are saying the number of songs included in a game should decide its asking price?
    Edited by 1 at 20/04/09 @ 16:14

  • Skandalle #26 3 years ago

    They got a few bits wrong, but for all they done right it really does amount to nothing.The music being one.

    The only DS owners i know of (myself excluded), all play it for the same games....Brain Training, Nintendogs and maybe the god awful version of Guitar Hero ....nothing else seems to take there interest. Even after a year or so of running those games to the ground :S thats all im thinking behind the bad sales.

  • hiddenranbir #27 3 years ago

    Bring back GTA2!

  • Burkey123 #28 3 years ago

    It deserves better. Great game and my 2nd favourite DS game behind Zelda PH.
    Although I agree with Skeletor about the radio stations. They are a big miss imo.

  • ph101 #29 3 years ago

    The game is great anbd I am enjoying it. But I don't love the top down view. Is uses a 3d engine so why not just make it as per normal gta perspective would have been fine by me. That said it still plays really well and is pretty funny and fun. I would agree with patch maybe the demograhpic of GTA players who own DS use their DS for other games and consoles for GTA... but it will still rack up sales I think.

  • smelly #30 3 years ago

    >Better than GTA4

    wouldnt be hard.

  • SlackMaster #31 3 years ago

    People could be holding out until the price drops. I know you can get it for £24.99 online, and it was going for £17.99 for a short while, but paying 30 and over for DS games for me just isn't worth it.

    I'd like to see Nintendo do something similar to what Sony have done and start releases games at £24.99 price mark. I know brain trainning and all that are sold at £20 but I don't count them as games in the traditional sense.
    Edited by 1 at 21/04/09 @ 08:21

  • konnsky #32 3 years ago

    @lord
    sure, they just don't monopolise that spice.


    fixed..
    ..and there you have it!
    ..a Dune reference in a GTA thread..
    Edited by 2 at 22/04/09 @ 02:21