Capcom discusses the underwhelming sales of Darkside Chronicles, and their expectation of difficulties for the DS. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=20726 In a recent Google-translated interview from Capcom France, executive Antoine Seux commented on various aspects of the company and its performance on Wii. When asked about the sales of Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles, Antoine expressed that sales were good but well below expectations, with only 16,000 copies sold since its release in December. He elaborated that "One feels that there is a problem very clear on this style of game on the Wii, where gamers are obviously moved on" and that "the customer of this console has turned to something much broader audience. It is a disappointment."
When compared to the sales of Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition, Antoine stated that “Resident Evil 4 on Wii had worked well, but he was released in June 2007, when the market had nothing to do! This year the Wii was very difficult with an oversupply, and a gamer market that has radically changed." He went on to compare the sales of broad-appeal titles like Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games to games like Madworld, Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, and other titles that have sold poorly. "We note that the games called “gamer games” are selling less and less on the Nintendo console", Antoine explained. "Whether MadWorld, Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop, The House of the Dead: Overkill … scores were not extraordinary. Compared to 140,000 pieces sold Resident Evil 4 on Wii at the time, it is very far away. There is clearly a concern to this level.”
Part of the problem regarding sales of Darkside Chronicles is that the game wasn't supported by French retailers, its 18+ rating preventing wider sales. "Unfortunately, this is a game rated 18 +. The advertising campaign was not visible at peak times by the general public, and thatÂ’s what counts at this time of year."
When asked why Capcom hasn't supported the DS in France, Antoine replied that "Capcom has never been strong on DS". He continued that Capcom expected handheld gaming to see difficult times in 2010, explaining that "This will be a difficult year for the handheld in general, DS or PSP. We should see the rise of the PS3 and Xbox 360, with, hopefully, expansion of game styles, open to a wider audience".
Finally, Antoine expressed his sentiments about how the Monster Hunter franchise is performing in Europe. He admitted that while sales aren't as big as in Japan, there's an interest for the games, and that sales expectations are high for Monster Hunter 3 on Wii.
Topic: Capcom Discusses Darkside Chronicles Sales, Looming Handheld Difficulties (Read 11363 times)
