One key thing- Advertising
This game in the UK sponsered The X Factor, AND Pineapple Dace Studios, and they have about 20mil viewers each!
There were also loads of other adverts on ALL THE DAMN TIME!
And it was released at a bugdet price, so people could buy it without worry.
So, it may not have been good, but any game, no matter how good it is, needs to be advertised well to succeed...