darthdevidem01 on 23 March 2009
Does GTA have a place on Nintendo Platforms?
We were all speculating on how well GTA: Chinatown Wars was going to do on the Nintendo DS when Nintendo announced it at last year’s E3. With the DS’s demographic skewed on the younger side of things with older adults as well as female gamers all getting in on the DS act, selling a mature rated game on that platform was always going to be a difficult task. But if any game was to overcome that obstacle, it would have been Grand Theft Auto. At least one would think, right? Chart Track has released their latest figures for the UK and no surprise really, GTA: Chinatown wars fails to break the top 5 and comes in at number 6. Not a bad position at any stretch of the imagination for a game, but this is GTA we are talking about, not just any game. So after all this, one must ask, does GTA have a place on Nintendo platforms?
It’s not like Chinatown wars received little marketing across the UK. Television ads, as well magazine covers and newspaper pull outs, were all displaying Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS. With the amount of DS’s sold in the UK, one would think that such a big title should perform better, but it goes to show what demographic really purchased DS’s. According to Chart Track, Chinatown wars shifted less than half of what Vice City Stories on the PSP did within its first week of sales. This demonstrates that the DS, although the much larger install base of the two, provides a strong challenge as to how to sell a “core” game to a demographic that prefers light hearted games, such as Layton or Brain Challenge. This also begs the question; would this have the same effect on the Wii? It could very well be so, considering that the highly rated and lets add very mature game, Madworld, only managed hit 27 in the top 40.
It seems very hard to sell a mature rated game on Nintendo platforms, not surprising really when all the adverts are about either Wii Fit or Brain challenge. It’s not hard to see who is buying Wii’s or DS’s, but it is a shame because Chinatown Wars is a great game and one that should be enjoyed by the masses. Sadly, it won’t be due to the fact the majority of people who own a DS will overlook it passing the usual anti-GTA remarks we have all come to hear over the years. With rumors of a GTA game on the Wii, included in our very own Rumor Killers, should Rockstar bother our instead concentrate on the platforms that sell millions of copies of GTA games? That’s for them to decide but selling GTA on Nintendo platforms seems harder than one thought.
It’s not like Chinatown wars received little marketing across the UK. Television ads, as well magazine covers and newspaper pull outs, were all displaying Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS. With the amount of DS’s sold in the UK, one would think that such a big title should perform better, but it goes to show what demographic really purchased DS’s. According to Chart Track, Chinatown wars shifted less than half of what Vice City Stories on the PSP did within its first week of sales. This demonstrates that the DS, although the much larger install base of the two, provides a strong challenge as to how to sell a “core” game to a demographic that prefers light hearted games, such as Layton or Brain Challenge. This also begs the question; would this have the same effect on the Wii? It could very well be so, considering that the highly rated and lets add very mature game, Madworld, only managed hit 27 in the top 40.
It seems very hard to sell a mature rated game on Nintendo platforms, not surprising really when all the adverts are about either Wii Fit or Brain challenge. It’s not hard to see who is buying Wii’s or DS’s, but it is a shame because Chinatown Wars is a great game and one that should be enjoyed by the masses. Sadly, it won’t be due to the fact the majority of people who own a DS will overlook it passing the usual anti-GTA remarks we have all come to hear over the years. With rumors of a GTA game on the Wii, included in our very own Rumor Killers, should Rockstar bother our instead concentrate on the platforms that sell millions of copies of GTA games? That’s for them to decide but selling GTA on Nintendo platforms seems harder than one thought.
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The ARTICLE raises some Serious questions
It has been said many times Nintendo's demographic now doesn't suit GTA....maybe they were right
but on GTA:DS we should wait to see how the legs pan out!
so do YOU think GTA has a place on Ninty Platforms?
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