Western Publishers are struggling

[Malachi]

alpha_dk said:

Malachi said:

Endz said:
You could take PS2 to PS3 as an example. Sony got massive revenue from PS2 but in developing for PS3 that added up to lots of expenses. Why? Sony tried too put too much too quickly. Some people agreed that PS3 should have waited for one more year to be released (this would have been market share suicide in my opinion) but still time is the factor here.

Everything just advanced too much not just graphical advancement (which takes loads of money to develop) but features too. As other posts have said, you need those shiny hot real-life graphics to even be noticed in this gen (xbox and PS3 mainly of course) but people want more. Technical advancement is too much (AI and physics for hundreds of enemies), everything in a game is too complicated, features like achievements for everything and huge multi-player. Things are just going to cost more and more along with each advancement.

But time is the factor, Sony could have waited until hardware parts are cheaper like game companies could have waited until getting into top-end technologies is cheaper. What if next-gen Xbox has a console that allows for many more features in games and close to real-life graphics- Companies would need to develop for that and the costs might be staggering.

*snip*

Wii got the mass market audience but not the traditional gamer one (except for marioboy) a situation that cause publisher problem because they can't install themself on it by bringing there traditional gaming franchise. Once that happen publisher start to have problem. As I say different is not the same as new, you can make whole new football gaming franchise with a different name and change a few feature here and there it's not going to change anything, only traditional gamer wll be interested in it, much less just additioning All Play at the end of the name. Same thing with EA Fit and that cart game EA is making, again, it's new not different, it's the equivalent of the GTA clones, good to bring in some revenue but it's not going to become your next blockbuster, something EA really need.

Crazzy?

This argument still fails, much as it has failed every time it's brought up in the past.  For you to say these efforts will fail on Wii requires the effort to be put in on the Wii.  I see plenty of games - even games not made by Nintendo - sell lots and lots when they have a little bit of effort put into them

100% of Wii's games that were designed to be blockbuster games* ended up selling like gangbusters.  That's a fact.

*As in, were marketed as you would a blockbuster game.  I'm talking TV spots, special events, etc.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound insulting, it's just the first name that popped into my mind.

Second, I didn't say that game doesn't sell on the Wii, it's the one that sell the most software after all, I just say that they need to make different game, not new one on it. Again I didn't say that EA Fit won't sell or that the cart game wont, I say it won't become blockbuster, the same way Saint Row didn't, for the simple reason that there is already blockbuster of these two games, Wiifit and MK. Good revenue to be had, sure, a new cash cow? No, and EA need one.

EA got a lot of franchise, with the Wii they have the opportunity to make something different with them, and I don't mean dumb the game down and put a family friendly box art on it, but to use the feature of the Wii to change the experience these game provide. But they don't know how to do it, they don't know how to take a well know but shrinking franchise, build it around the Wii feature(which mean they can't port it to every platform know to man*) and make something different out of it, turn there back on the one that deserted them, like Nintendo did, so as to have the advantage of a well know brand and at the same time have feature that will bring a new audience to it, the best of both world. Do it well and you have the new Mario Kart Wii on your hand.

 

*It may be one of the other problem of EA, they are used to port there game to all the hardware available to maximize sale, a good strategy when all of them use the same style of controller, a not so good one when the console with the biggest marketshare use a new control set and you stubbornly design your game around the old one.