Topic: Capcom Reaffirms Multiplatform Development

[NWR_pap64]

Capcom emphasizes its commitment to supporting all game platforms.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=20728

 In a recent interview with Capcom France Executive Antoine Seux, he expressed that Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles was performing well below sales expectations. He also lamented that the Wii market is a difficult one to sell traditional games to, and foretold a development shift towards PS3 and Xbox 360, especially since motion control will soon be available on both platforms.  He also stated that Capcom had "never been strong" on the DS, and felt that tough times were ahead for handhelds.    

Today Capcom released a statement refuting these comments, reaffirming their commitment to supporting all gaming platforms, Wii and DS included. The company stated that, “Further to comments made in a recent article on French website Gamekult, Capcom would like to confirm its commitment as a multi-platform developer and publisher of interactive software."    

Capcom has several high-profile Wii titles approaching release, including Tatsunoko vs. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars and Monster Hunter 3. It is not known, however, if they will continue to offer mature-rated games on the console after the underwhelming initial performance of Darkside Chronicles.    

Seux's comments came on the heels of Sega Studio Director Constantine Hantzopoulos telling 1UP that his company was unlikely to produce M-Rated Wii titles going forward.

[BlackNMild2k1]

As I said before

This is the Capcom version of that Sega story.

1 guy isolated in his department making generalized statements that sound like he is speaking for the company as a whole.

[Plugabugz]

Oooh someone got a big slap on the wristies!

[Stratos]

Oooh someone got a big slap on the wristies!

I hope it left welts.

[BwrJim!]

didnt it take a bit before the first RE UC game made any type of good money?

[Stratos]

I find it funny how these people are jumping to disastrous conclusions when everyone knows that many Wii games have SBS, Slow Burn Syndrome.

[Chozo Ghost]

reaffirming their commitment to supporting all gaming platforms

Which really means they will support the PS3, 360, and PC systems and continue to treat the Wii as a toilet to pinch off some cheaply made rail-shooters and parlor garbage.

and foretold a development shift towards PS3 and Xbox 360, especially since motion control will soon be available on both platforms.

Okay, so does this mean the 360PS3 are going to start seeing a flood of light-gun on-rails crap? I hope so. Because those games will flop big time, and I am curious to see what their excuses will be then.

[Mop it up]

I wouldn't be surprised if Capcom stopped producing exclusive games for Wii and instead released only down-ports of games from the other systems.

[Stratos]

Delayed down-ports would still be an improvement over gimped spin-offs and nothing, sadly.

[ThePerm]

all capcom really needs to do is make a Wii game with re4 mechanics, and a new story to make me happy. Come on Capcom, make DinoCrisis with re4 mechanics

[Peachylala]

all capcom really needs to do is make Zack & Wiki 2

[Chozo Ghost]

Delayed down-ports aren't so bad, because often the extra time is spent improving things and adding stuff. Remember how RE4 was downported from the GC to the PS2? Well, in that time Capcom added in extra missions and junk which made the game better in some ways, even though it was graphically weaker because of the PS2 being inferior. Then it came to the Wii  later and the game became even greater still.

So downports aren't necessarily a bad thing. Anything downported to the Wii will lose its HD and perhaps other graphics, but at the same time new stuff might be added to help balance things out. So I won't be upset about that. Like Stratos said, this would definitely be better than how it is now. The last system to get a port of a game will generally get the best version of all.

[Stogi]

If Capcom would release Zack and Wiki 2 or Resident Evil 5, they'd meet their exorbitant expectations.

[vudu]

Zack & Wiki sold 126,000 copies despite high reviews and positive word of mouth.  I don't think a sequel would sell exceptionally well.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I'm pretty sure that Capcom only added the Ada Wong missions to RE4 because Sony had a policy of exclusive content if you want to port the game over to a Sony system.

If it  wasn't for that policy we probably wouldn't have ever seen that extra content in the PS2 or Wii versions.

& if Capcom had put Lost Planet, Dead Rising, Street Fighter 4, Resident Evil 5 and announced a Z&W2 with M+ support for the Wii and actually advertised them like they did for the HD versions (or released them at the same time as the HD version and advertised them all at the same time<exception of Z&W>), I think Capcom would be in a much better place right now.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Let's stop being a carriage pulling around this dead horse.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Zack & Wiki sold 126,000 copies despite high reviews and positive word of mouth.  I don't think a sequel would sell exceptionally well.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/4237/thirdparty_publishers_react_to_.php

Take the case of third-party publisher Capcom, whose stock rose to afive-year high in September, 2007 due to increased support for the Wii,according to the company.

At the time, its CFO spoke enthusiastically about Capcom's Wiiportfolio -- which had doubled from three to six games -- and waspoised to publish Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros' Treasure thenext month.

But Chris Kramer, Capcom senior director of communications andcommunity, said even though "it was one of the highest-rated Wii gamesand was beloved by the media, it sold abysmally -- about 120,000 units in 26 months -- for no apparent reason.

for no apparent reason.

1000facepalm.gif

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Allow me to complement your facepalm by ramming my skull thru this concrete wall.

[Luigi Dude]

It's rather funny how I actually addressed why Zack and Wiki bombed in my post yesterday on the Darkside Chronicles topic, only to have another representative of Capcom make a complete ass of himself today.

 But Dead Rising and Lost Planet both had huge multi-million dollar marketing campaigns as well.  When these games were released you had ads all over big mainstream television spots here in the US and low and behold, both games sold very well here.  In comparison, the only marketing Capcom has done with with it's Wii games is some web banners on Gamefaqs.

Had Capcom given Zack and Wiki the same advertising budget Lost Planet got to have, the game probably would have done a hell of a lot better and we'd all be looking forward to Zack and Wiki XYZ 5 Turbo in March.

[Chozo Ghost]

Zack & Wiki would have flopped no matter what system it was released on (except maybe the DS). The problem isn't the Wii or the Wii audience, the problem is 1) Capcom didn't advertise it worth a damn, and 2) the weird cartoony style probably turned off most potential buyers.

[Stratos]

I think the strange name didn't help either.