TW 07 -- System Seller?

[johnlucas]

OriGin said: *sigh* Unfortunately only a handful of people on here understand what the hell is going on in this market right now. SMG and MP3 aren't huge system sellers... no way hosei. SS:BB perhaps yes... but not as much as you consider, the market has changed so drastically in the last couple of years. These kind of games are only going to serve to cater for the hardcore market, but most likely won't be purchased by a lot of the casuals as they are too complicated. Impossible to make a lot of hardcore gamers understand this because all they see is the opinion of JUST their peers on internet forums and blogs.

I know exactly what you mean here OriGin. I think what's happening is when you're saying Metroid Prime 3 & Super Mario Galaxy won't be huge system sellers they think that you're saying those games will bomb on the market. That they won't sell any units. I think that's where the confusion is coming from. No these games will sell big no doubt but OriGin is talking about these games being able to persuade the newer incoming audience to want to buy and in that case he is correct. The audience that exists will buy Metroid Prime 3 & Super Mario Galaxy. We're already in the club so to speak. They know how to push our buttons. Zelda: Twlight Princess alone shows us OriGin's point. Look at the Japanese sales charts from week to week on Zelda often considered the #2, the left to Mario's right of Nintendo's franchises: Zelda: TW — Week to Week (Japan) It has only sold 435,250 units! And it's been out since launch there at December the 2nd last year! It is #46 on the charts at current standings of week ending March 11, 2007. It only moved 6,000 units this week & 7,000 units the week before that & 9,250 units the week before that. On the Americas charts it has sold a total of 1,419,250 by end of February 2007. 4 months on the charts. Zelda TW- Americas chart (check for February 2007) Zelda sells to those who have been entrenched in gaming world for years and years like us but it DOESN'T sell to those who would be coming in fresh to gaming. The people that are gonna REALLY make the sales are the NEW audience. Wii Sports & Wii Play move units to the "new breed". In one months time on the Americas charts Wii Play is close to selling 1/4 of what what Zelda sold in 4 months time. And people are surprised by this. They shouldn't be. The game has changed. You are in the midst of Nintendo's Revolution. A Revolution is a whole scale change on how things are done. I'm guilty of it myself. My idea of system sellers revolve around the IPs I grew up with and which were famous in years past for being the lynchpin of systems. Mario & Link will never die of course but the REAL system sellers are products that are unpredictable to our eyes. To us Tiger Woods 07 on Wii just seems like another EA cashcow capitalizing on a famous celebrity's product endorsement. And it WAS BEFORE. But that's before the Wiimote got involved. With the Wiimote things have changed. The Wiimote actually made me interested in Madden & I don't even like football much less most realistic sports games (baseball is the only one I dig). If the interface isn't too complicated Tiger Woods will be a smash on Wii. Wii Sports introduces the newcomers to the other titles. Do you understand that Bowling sims are now system sellers? Do you understand that Boxing sims will have a whole new power thanks to the Wii? Do you know that Pool games, Billiards are about to be monster sellers thanks to the Billiards game in Wii Play? Golf sims as well. What about Bassmaster Tournament Wii? Deer Hunter Wii? I don't quite agree with OriGin that Super Mario Galaxy won't be a system seller. It WILL make an impact on moving Wiis. It sells to the traditional buyers and may just interest the newer buyers though not on the level that Wii Sports did. But Metroid Prime 3 does not appeal to anyone but us. They will be high-quality as always but as for lasting system sellers its time is limited. What I think OriGin is talking about is LASTING system sellers on the level of Nintendogs & Brain Training not flash-in-the-pan system sellers that start explosively big like Monster Hunter Freedom 2 on PSP then fizzle out in the coming weeks. Games that don't sell systems in a burst but more rather in a slow burn. Thinking back on it I can't say he's totally off on Super Mario Galaxy not being on this level. Super Mario Galaxy will sell big and will move many units but for how long? I DO think much longer than any ol' school title we've seen. He may have a point there now that I think about it. Our idea of system sellers has to expand. We have games that are big monsters and will definitely make a big splash but what we REALLY need to look at are those games that will consistently encourage people to buy a game console over long periods of time. And these games may not be as obvious to point out. A system with traditional blockbusters and sleeper hits with sure & steady modest sellers makes a recipe for a console domination. What are people gonna say when Bob Ross Painting comes out on the Wii? (they gotta make this happen!) Will Animal Crossing Wii outdo its Nintendo icon siblings? What unforeseen title will become the new icon? Keep your eyes peeled & your mind open. This gameworld is changing & we need to be aware of where it's heading. John Lucas