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Nintendo defends GTA DS sales News
DS News by Tom Bramwell
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.
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17 March, 2009 [4]
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Comments: 1-40 of 40 in total
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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.
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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. |
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@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 ;) |
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JohnnyWashnGo
20/04/09 @ 09:07
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@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. |
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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. |
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callum9999
20/04/09 @ 09:24
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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.
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xbendystevex
20/04/09 @ 10:05
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I played it alot for the first few days of having it, but mostly just drug dealing. It's a nice game to have, but not necessarily one that demands I play it every day.
Saints Row DS on the other hand... I would LOVE that. |
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monkeylite
20/04/09 @ 10:06
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"Chinatown Wars is performing in line with AAA titles that have come to our platform like Spore or LEGO Star Wars"
'Kay... |
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CaptianScarlet
20/04/09 @ 11:04
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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 |
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ShogunAssassin
20/04/09 @ 13:36
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Is Call of Duty 4 on the DS? O_o
edit: Never mind, apparantly it is...
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 20/04/09 @ 14:37
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callum9999
20/04/09 @ 14:20
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@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.
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MisterCraig
20/04/09 @ 14:58
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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. |
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@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 1 times,
most recently on 20/04/09 @ 16:05
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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. |
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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.
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SlackMaster
21/04/09 @ 07:19
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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 1 times,
most recently on 21/04/09 @ 08:21
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Comments: 1-40 of 40 in total
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