Support NeoGAF

[schuelma]

Resident Evil 5, for example, will probably sell more in its first month on PS3 than RE4's lifetime sales on Wii - at 2x the MSRP.

.

If Wii was getting RE5, I think it outsells the PS3 version worldwide. Obviously Capcom can get away with just releasing it on PS3/360...but they are throwing away money if they don't give Wii RE5 or another high profile Resident Evil game. Both RE Wii releases have drastically outperformed Capcom's expectation's- that's why Dead Rising Wii is coming out.

 

[schuelma]

RE4 Wii edition sold 4 million copies world wide according to capcom...

That's incorrect- that 4 million figure is for all versions. The Wii version is a bit over a million.

 

[Grecco]

If it's so widely accepted as fact, why do we still have people harping on Capcom for supporting the HD platforms?
.

Who is doing this?

RE5 is going to sell 4-5 million plus copies even if it never touches the Wii, there's little reason to constantly tout RE4's sales constantly as if they're any indication that Capcom is making a grave mistake.

Again who i saying this? Having said that you cant deny a strong Resident Evil fanbase on the Wii. Both RE4s sales (Its a freaking port) and REUCs sales (Its an Onrails shooter. How did time Crisis do?) proove this. If RE5 was Wii exclusive vs 360 exclusive do you think it would sell less, more or equal?

Look at the variety of sour grapes responses to Madden's sales in this thread, Wii owners wishing that the franchise would just go away or that EA should die because somehow it's their fault that Wii owners don't want to play American sim-football games.

The only reason your hearing "Sour grapes" is because morons are using Maddens sales to somehow proove that Wii users are casual, non gamer, non hardcore enough. An idiotic statement if i ever heard one. Its a response to idiots.

An online co-op 3PS is precisely the kind of game that would seem like a more natural fit for the PS3/360/PC, that's all. And as long as there is money to be made making games for their 'limited' HD audience, some publishers, EA and Capcom included, will continue to release games specifically for these platforms

If RE 5 was just an "online co op 3ps id agree but its a Resident Evil game, and theres a significant amount of fans on the Wii. This isnt Army of Two, Time Shift, Cold Fear Generic shooter game #3000

Is there money to be made on the "limited HD audience" sure. But theres plenty of it to be made on Wii too and some companies arent taking advantage.

 

[farnham]

That's incorrect- that 4 million figure is for all versions. The Wii version is a bit over a million.

still one million copies is damn good money for a quick port

 

[TunaLover]

Is there money to be made on the "limited HD audience" sure. But theres plenty of it to be made on Wii too and some companies arent taking advantage.

hd consoles still having more userbase than wii, nintendo eventually will match that userbase in short time <refer to donny's graphs<. the only difference right now is the cost of developing in hd or wii, and the respective companies moneyhats, marketing support, etc.

 

[Jokeropia]

And since when did games magically stop selling just because they were popular from the jump(mario kart, gta).

Not sure what you're trying to say here, since Mario Kart (#5 this month) has most definitely not stopped selling while GTA (#46 this month) pretty much has.

not so much for others (PES, Madden, Smackdown

Actually PES did quite well despite releasing half a year late.

Resident Evil 5, for example, will probably sell more in its first month on PS3 than RE4's lifetime sales on Wii - at 2x the MSRP.

Compare the third port of a game to a new release, right. How much is that you're expecting from RE5, btw? Are we talking worldwide sales or NPD only?

 

[wsippel]

Resident Evil 5, for example, will probably sell more in its first month on PS3 than RE4's lifetime sales on Wii - at 2x the MSRP.

You expect the PS3 version alone to sell about 1.5 million copies in a single month? Sure, it's not impossible by any means, but it took re4 several years and releases on three platforms spanning two generations, including the market leaders of both generations, to reach 4 million copies. And it was one of the highest rated and most acclaimed titles of all time.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

If it's so widely accepted as fact, why do we still have people harping on Capcom for supporting the HD platforms?

People aren't pissed that the HD platforms are getting RE5 and saying it will bomb, they're pissed because the controls will be inferior.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

To answer everyone's questions without abusing the quote button:

- Yes, I believe that RE5 as a PS3 exclusive or a 360 exclusive would sell better than it would as a Wii exclusive, significantly moreso on the 360 side, despite the Japanese handicap for both HD consoles

- The change in the control scheme and the addition of online co-op is going to add 3PS fans (the kind who purchase Army of 2, Mercenaries, Gears, Uncharted, Lost Planet, SOCOM) to the already dedicated RE fanbase who would buy it no matter how it played

- PES Wii has sold well but still isn't anywhere near the best-selling version

- RE4 Wii has sold what, 400k-500k to date on NPD? You don't think the PS3 version will do that next March in NPD? You don't think it would easily do the same in PAL territories and Japan? It might do that in the first week in Japan. So yes, the PS3 version of RE5 will easily surpass RE4 Wii's WW totals in very short order.

If I'm wrong, feel free to spam this quote in the March 09 NPDs/Media Creates/whatever.

You expect the PS3 version alone to sell about 1.5 million copies in a single month? Sure, it's not impossible by any means, but it took re4 several years and releases on three platforms spanning two generations, including the market leaders of both generations, to reach 4 million copies. And it was one of the highest rated and most acclaimed titles of all time.

RE5 has several notable advantages over RE4, the most notable being that RE4's lead platform was the Gamecube, where despite being the best-selling M rated game on that platform its sales were relatively insignificant compared to several games on the PS3 or 360. Assassin's Creed, MGS4, and COD4 PS3 have sold more than RE4 GCN.

 

[charlequin]

Let's throw out the word "casual" altogether here, because it just adds confusion.

What are the specific characteristics of Madden gamers?

• They are generally football fans who play Madden due to their existing love of the sport.
• They (generally speaking) aren't gaming enthusiasts. Out of the 4 million or whatever sales of Madden each year, a very large portion of those go to people who don't consider themselves "gamers."
• However, they are sales to people who are accustomed to owning a gaming system and to using that system to play Madden every year -- especially because of its seasonal nature, Madden players buy the game right when it comes out.
• They're very likely to have HDTVs because watching football is one of the best reasons to own one.

Why would these people buy the Wii version? They already have HDTVs, they're already accustomed to buying gaming consoles so the Wii's "draw in non-gamers" qualities are irrelevant, and they don't play a lot of other games so the relative libraries aren't a big pull for them.

Compare this to (say) Tiger Woods, which is distinct because it sells to more people who aren't dedicated golf fans -- and even people who are huge golf nerds generally don't go out of their way to buy HDTVs to watch golf on.

If you do individual breakdowns like this, I don't think it's that hard at all to figure out the Wii's audience. (Unsurprisingly, it seems like core franchises that focus on graphics or online play heavily are less likely to succeed on Wii, while those that are group oriented do particularly well....)

 

[ThatObviousUser]

- Yes, I believe that RE5 as a PS3 exclusive or a 360 exclusive would sell better than it would as a Wii exclusive, significantly moreso on the 360 side, despite the Japanese handicap for both HD consoles

 

[Cheez-It]

GAF....Where Madden is considered a gauge for 'hardcore'.

:lol

Did you ever think it was perhaps because people who have played Madden on Wii in the past aren't digging the control system for the game and would rather stick with the tried and true gamepad method on PS3/360? The Wii edition does play a tad bit different. Not to mention the online multiplayer of the PS3/360 versions are easily superior as well. Maybe more people with 360's buy Madden on there because they know their friends are buying it as well, hence more online gameplay.

There is also the fact that football fans love their sports in HD as well (I know my wife who can't wait for football season to start does).

These IMO are the reasons for the lower sales for Madden on Wii.

For the record and from someone who has been gaming since the 70's (I'm hardly a casual) I own a 360 and a Wii and haven't played Madden since Madden 92 on the Genesis (Where the series always seemed to sell more over the SNES).

That said it WOULD be nice to see more original IP's from the likes of Capcom and Konami on Wii but I fear sales of Elebits and Zack & Wiki may have scared them off...Capcom seems happy to stick with 'enhanced' ports at the moment.

This + less advertising + (from what I have heard, I wouldn't touch a Madden title on any platform) a shitty Madden 08 for the Wii... I mean, it seems pretty obvious why this title didn't do as well on the Wii. I think last years version may be a major part of the poor YOY growth.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

This + less advertising + (from what I have heard, I wouldn't touch a Madden title on any platform) a shitty Madden 08 for the Wii... I mean, it seems pretty obvious why this title didn't do as well on the Wii. I think last years version may be a major part of the poor YOY growth.

Madden 08 was 30FPS on PS3 was it not? And wasn't it exclusively advertised for 360? And yet, the greatest YOY growth was on the PS3.

*snip*

An interesting theory, and certainly more productive than some of the others I've read here.

 

[wsippel]

RE5 has several notable advantages over RE4, the most notable being that RE4's lead platform was the Gamecube, where despite being the best-selling M rated game on that platform its sales were relatively insignificant compared to several games on the PS3 or 360. Assassin's Creed, MGS4, and COD4 PS3 have sold more than RE4 GCN.

It has a few notable disadvantages, too: much more competition and a different design team. I doubt it will match, let alone exceed the quality of it's predecessor. And it's not nearly as "mainstream" as AC or COD4.

 

[szaromir]

It has a few notable disadvantages, too: much more competition and a different design team. I doubt it will match, let alone exceed the quality of it's predecessor. And it's not nearly as "mainstream" as AC or COD4.

Really? Pardon my ignorance, but are there really any other as hyped games for H1 2009? I could think of Killzone 2, but nothing else. And Killzone 2, even if delivers all it's supposed to deliver and more, won't kill RE5 sales if that game is also well received. Partially different team also doesn't matter, most people don't know who was responsible for RE4 and who is responsible for RE5, they just see 'Resident Evil' and 'Capcom' labels on the box. This mainstream argument also seems fishy to me, it's a goddamn shooter with great graphics.

Capcom's target for RE5 is 2.3M, but I'll have to check what exactly that target means.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

It has a few notable disadvantages, too: much more competition and a different design team. I doubt it will match, let alone exceed the quality of it's predecessor. And it's not nearly as "mainstream" as AC or COD4.

How many people do you think even know who Shinji Mikami is? Honest question. I think we'd all agree just by looking at this thread that 'subjective quality' has no bearing on sales.

And AC more mainstream than RE? Doubtful. RE5 is one of the more hyped games for either HD platform, will probably review better across the board, and has multiplayer.

 

[titiklabingapat]

If it's so widely accepted as fact, why do we still have people harping on Capcom for supporting the HD platforms?

RE5 is going to sell 4-5 million plus copies even if it never touches the Wii, there's little reason to constantly tout RE4's sales constantly as if they're any indication that Capcom is making a grave mistake. Look at the variety of sour grapes responses to Madden's sales in this thread, Wii owners wishing that the franchise would just go away or that EA should die because somehow it's their fault that Wii owners don't want to play American sim-football games.

An online co-op 3PS is precisely the kind of game that would seem like a more natural fit for the PS3/360/PC, that's all. And as long as there is money to be made making games for their 'limited' HD audience, some publishers, EA and Capcom included, will continue to release games specifically for these platforms.

Because the Resident Evil userbase is clearly on the Wii already.

 

[Askia47]

If anything i think Madden just shows that not everything on Wii will sell better. That is all.

 

[jeremy1456]

Because the Resident Evil userbase is clearly on the Wii already.

This is the only thing I've heard regarding Resident Evil in this thread that isn't either completely incorrect, or an entirely wild theory/prediction.

It's simple facts people.

 

[WrikaWrek]

The creative minds behind Res5 want to make the game they want to make. They want to make RES5 on the 360/Ps3.

Why the fuck should they sacrifice their vision just because the wii exists? I'm sure there will be some RES game for the Wii, but let developers fulfill their creative visions. And since it's not even question if it can do amazing numbers on the HD consoles, what's the problem?

Want Res5, buy a HD console.

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

Hey guys, is there new dat...

Oh wait, its just more whiining as usual. Keep going.

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

This is the only thing I've heard regarding Resident Evil in this thread that isn't either completely incorrect, or an entirely wild theory/prediction.

It's simple facts people.

So now 1.35 million of sales, or ~2.5 million if you assume no overlap between RE4 and REUC, is equivalent to the entire RE fanbase.

Unbelievable. There are some RE fans on the Wii. I'm willing to bet there are more on the other platforms, both combined and individually. We'll see.

Below, Andrex again makes the mistake of comparing the PS360 to the fucking Gamecube when it comes to 3rd party software sales. The analogy would only work if the GCN had the vast majority of 3rd person action games last gen, and they all consistently sold better than those offered on PS2.

 

[jeremy1456]

The creative minds behind Res5 want to make the game they want to make. They want to make RES5 on the 360/Ps3.

Why the fuck should they sacrifice their vision just because the wii exists? I'm sure there will be some RES game for the Wii, but let developers fulfill their creative visions. And since it's not even question if it can do amazing numbers on the HD consoles, what's the problem?

Want Res5, buy a HD console.

How do you know this exactly? Do you know each and every one of the developers personally, and have they talked to you about it?

I prefer Resident Evil 5 on HD consoles, but some of these arguments are just getting stupid.

 

[WrikaWrek]

How do you know this exactly? Do you know each and every one of the developers personally, and have they talked to you about it?

I prefer Resident Evil 5 on HD consoles, but some of these arguments are just getting stupid.

Uh, because the game is being developed for the HD systems, clearly. If they wanted a Wii version, i'm sure a Wii version of Res5 would've been in the works already.

 

[ThatObviousUser]

The creative minds behind Res4 want to make the game they want to make. They want to make RES4 on the GameCube.

Why the fuck should they sacrifice their vision just because the PS2 exists? I'm sure there will be some RES game for the PS2, but let developers fulfill their creative visions. And since it's not even question if it can do amazing numbers on the more powerful consoles, what's the problem?

Want Res4, buy a GameCube.

You're absolutely right. "Visions" and all that.

 

[jeremy1456]

So now 1.35 million of sales, or ~2.5 million if you assume no overlap between RE4 and REUC, is equivalent to the entire RE fanbase.

Unbelievable. There are some RE fans on the Wii. I'm willing to bet there are more on the other platforms, both combined and individually. We'll see.

There are, most certainly, RE fans on the other consoles. Since no Resident Evil games have come out for either the PS3 or 360 we can't gauge how much, and since there's no real data on it you can't even make an educated guess on how much of a fanbase each console has for the seires.

Then again, GAF has never been about educated guesses.

 

[WrikaWrek]

You're absolutely right. "Visions" and all that.

Exactly.

 

[jeremy1456]

Uh, because the game is being developed for the HD systems, clearly. If they wanted a Wii version, i'm sure a Wii version of Res5 would've been in the works already.

Usually decisions like this aren't left up to the creative minds behind a game.

 

[Haunted]

The creative minds behind Res5 want to make the game they want to make. They want to make RES5 on the 360/Ps3.

Actually, the creative mind behind RE4 is currently working at Platinum Games.

And let's just say that we don't know whether the dev team made the decision to put the game on PS360, or whether the execs decided to put it on PS360 and tasked a dev team with the job.

 

[WrikaWrek]

Usually decisions like this aren't left up to the creative minds behind a game.

If they wanted to make a Wii version, Capcom would have no reason to say no. Simply put there was a project that was presented to capcom producers, and the project was meant for the 360/Ps3.

There's nothing shady about it. It's not like the Wii is this system that just makes people wanna work on it, give me a brake.

Actually, the creative mind behind RE4 is currently working at Platinum Games.

And let's jsut say that you don't know whether the dev team made the decision to put the game on PS360, or whether the execs decided to put it on PS360 and tasked a dev team with that job.

It says RES5 in my post. Read it again.

And yeah sure, execs run everything, heck i'm sure they designed the game too.

 

[Haunted]

Do we know when development on RE5 started? 2005? 2006?

 

[Sadist]

All of this because of Madden 09 Wii. *Sigh*

 

[jeremy1456]

If they wanted to make a Wii version, Capcom would have no reason to say no. Simply put there was a project that was presented to capcom producers, and the project was meant for the 360/Ps3.

There's nothing shady about it. It's not like the Wii is this system that just makes people wanna work on it, give me a brake.



It says RES5 in my post. Read it again.

And yeah sure, execs run everything, heck i'm sure they designed the game too.

The true part is bolded. I already answered the rest of your post before, so in case you missed it:

Usually decisions like this aren't left up to the creative minds behind a game.

 

[Sadist]

Do we know when development on RE5 started? 2005? 2006?

2005

 

[WrikaWrek]

It's no use arguing, you believe whatever you want to believe. I'm sure the devs wanted to make it for the Wii, this brilliant system (lol), but the enslaving execs, made the slave devs make it for the 360/Ps3. Yes.

Keiji Inafune anyone?

 

[Doubledex]

Here's the truth: Wii has the best games of all three consoles in my eyes. Clearly the fact that the majority feels the same way is hurting you a lot.

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

 

[wsippel]

How many people do you think even know who Shinji Mikami is? Honest question. I think we'd all agree just by looking at this thread that 'subjective quality' has no bearing on sales.

That's why I qualified the statement. Sure, almost nobody knows the team behind re4, but it was an excellent team - which led to amazing reviews. If the team behind RE5 isn't as good (and it probably isn't), it won't be as good, and it won't get comparable reviews or acclaim in general.

And AC more mainstream than RE? Doubtful. RE5 is one of the more hyped games for either HD platform, will probably review better across the board, and has multiplayer.

NeoGAF is not the world, we don't really matter. You can't sell five, or even three million copies of a game to enthusiasts alone. RE is Japanese, and it shows. It's very, very cheesy and over the top. It's not all that easy to sell Japanese cheese to western fragboys.

Hell, it doesn't matter, anyway. The question is: "Would RE5 sell better if it would be released on all three platforms, instead of only two platforms?" And it definitely wouldn't sell less, right? Nobody said it should be a Wii exclusive.

 

[jeremy1456]

It's no use arguing, you believe whatever you want to believe. I'm sure the devs wanted to make it for the Wii, this brilliant system (lol), but the enslaving execs, made the slave devs make it for the 360/Ps3. Yes.

:lol I don't know where you're getting all of this from, I never said anything close to that.

In a perfect world all developers get to do what they want and make all their own decisions. It could be anything from resources spread thin, to the company execs not being sure that they could make money back on it.

Since you are obviously naive on the subject, I'll tell you once more:

Usually decisions like this aren't left up to the creative minds behind a game.

Case in point: has anyone seen Shinji Mikami's head?

 

[Sho_Nuff82]

The true part is bolded. I already answered the rest of your post before, so in case you missed it:

Unless your arguing that all of these devs would actually prefer to work on the Wii (and based on most of the developer testimony we've seen on GAF over the past few years, this is doubtful), you're just playing masturbatory Devil's Advocate.

You don't get a game that looks and plays like RE5 by a dev team that was simply assigned to a project they didn't want.

REUC on the other hand...

Hell, it doesn't matter, anyway. The question is: "Would RE5 sell better if it would be released on all three platforms, instead of only two platforms?" And it definitely wouldn't sell less, right? Nobody said it should be a Wii exclusive.

My argument was never that RE5 would sell zero copies on the Wii. My argument is that it would sell less than the versions on PS3 and 360, despite the Wiis massive advantage in userbase, even if it was a day and date release with motion controls. My reasoning being that it's a graphically intensive, dual analog, online co-op action game, the kind of game that holds sway over the fanbases of the PS360, and is just another game to the Wii fanbase. Notably, Madden 09 and RE4's first month sales were virtually identical for NPD.

 

[Haunted]

It's no use arguing, you believe whatever you want to believe. I'm sure the devs wanted to make it for the Wii, this brilliant system (lol), but the enslaving execs, made the slave devs make it for the 360/Ps3. Yes.

Don't be obtuse, no one said that. We don't know what happened.


ALSO: if the game's development really started in 2005, with the MT framework engine (which is clearly tailored for HD systems) already in full development, it doesn't matter who actually decided where to put the game - the decision was an absolute no-brainer. Putting RE5 on the successor to the GC or the successor to the PS2, with a new engine already in place? lawl

Spoiler

The fact that we're even seeing RE5 on 360 is Capcom's reaction to the PS3's failure in the marketplace.

ALSO ALSO: Capcom is the most successful Japanese third party on HD consoles (by a good margin, too), so chastising them for their business decisions so far is questionable at best.

 

[jeremy1456]

Unless your arguing that all of these devs would actually prefer to work on the Wii (and based on most of the developer testimony we've seen on GAF over the past few years, this is doubtful), you're just playing masturbatory Devil's Advocate.

You don't get a game that looks and plays like RE5 by a dev team that was simply assigned to a project they didn't want.

REUC on the other hand...

Your statement would hold truth if it was scientific fact that quality is directly related to a dev team's passion on a project.

God Hand, anyone?

 

[Haunted]

Keiji Inafune anyone?

Exactly. For fuck's sake, the man is currently making a game using 8-bit sprites only!

edit: with the Wii as the lead platform.

 

[theBishop]

More people bought Madden on next-gen because the cover is cooler.

 

[WrikaWrek]

:lol I don't know where you're getting all of this from, I never said anything close to that.

In a perfect world all developers get to do what they want and make all their own decisions. It could be anything from resources spread thin, to the company execs not being sure that they could make money back on it.

Since you are obviously naive on the subject, I'll tell you once more:

You don't even seem to understand how the development process works. This isn't a licensed game.

There's a concept and the concept either gets the green light or not. It goes through producers, normally the head of the development, which usually isn't an "exec", as if we are talking about someone who thinks numbers.

Keiji Inafune wanted Dead Rising and Lost Planet on the 360, and he had to actually fight a bit with Capcom in order to be able to do it.

And in RES case, he too is the responsible of going ahead with the project for HD consoles, and the game is done with an idea, an idea that suits the HD consoles.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3161645

But yeah, keep trowing that out there.

 

[BishopLamont]

The creative minds behind Res5 want to make the game they want to make. They want to make RES5 on the 360/Ps3.

Why the fuck should they sacrifice their vision just because the wii exists? I'm sure there will be some RES game for the Wii, but let developers fulfill their creative visions. And since it's not even question if it can do amazing numbers on the HD consoles, what's the problem?

Want Res5, buy a HD console.

Yeah because putting RE5 on the Wii will magically make the HD versions uglier. Right.

 

[Sadist]

Keiji Inafune wanted Dead Rising and Lost Planet on the 360, and he had to actually fight a bit with Capcom in order to be able to do it.

Yeah and guess who Inafune needed to greenlight that one?

 

[theBishop]

Yeah because putting RE5 on the Wii will magically make the HD versions uglier. Right.

Do you really still believe in the "graphics knob" myth?

 

[WrikaWrek]

Yeah because putting RE5 on the Wii will magically make the HD versions uglier. Right.

I just think it's pointless to make RES5 wii if the game isn't gonna be the same. Make a Spin Off for the Wii.

 

[Aaron Strife]

My argument is that it would sell less than the versions on PS3 and 360, despite the Wiis massive advantage in userbase, even if it was a day and date release with motion controls. My reasoning being that it's a graphically intensive, dual analog, online co-op action game, the kind of game that holds sway over the fanbases of the PS360, and is just another game to the Wii fanbase. Notably, Madden 09 and RE4's first month sales were virtually identical for NPD.

You're saying that:

- The Wii fan base for Resident Evil is smaller because Resident Evil 4, a game that had been released on three other consoles previously, only sold 1.35 million copies.

- The PS360 fan base for Resident Evil is larger, even though there is no precedent for this claim, as Resident Evil 5 will be the first game in the series released on these platforms.

- The sales of Madden NFL 09, a football game, are indicative of how a Wii version of Resident Evil 5, a game where you kill zombies, would sell.

In other words, your argument sucks

 

[Brofist]

Pretty ironic a Nintendo fanboy posts a picture of the Nile River in regards to the subject of RE5 on Wii. Exactly who is in denial here :lol