Why Platinum's games don't sell well?

[theRepublic]

I voted no.  Your third point has merit, but I don't think the first two are very relevant.  Here is why:

1. Platinum's first major HD game suffered huge technical problems on its biggest platform

I think you are forgetting that Platinum Games was basically Clover Studio first.  They made Viewtiful Joe, Okami, and God Hand.  None of these games were big sellers either.  Which is why they were dropped by Capcom.  Madworld and Infinite Space also predated Bayonetta.  As far as I can tell, Bayonetta is Platinum/Clover's best selling game to date.  So I don't think you can blame their best selling game for pulling them down when they have a history of low sales.

2.  Platinum's games are short

Depends.  I don't remember Viewtiful Joe being particularly short even though I got stuck on Leo.  Okami is not short.  Not at all.  Never played God Hand so I don't know about that one.  Infinite Space is an RPG.  It is not short either.

Is Madworld short?  Yes.  It took me only about 10 hours to beat.  Like some other Platinum games, it is not really meant as a game to be played for one playthrough and then you are done with it.  There is a hard mode after that.  But at heart, this game is all about high scores, and improving your runs.  That could have been a lot better with the addition of online leadboards, but unfortunately that was not included.

From what I know of Vanquish, it is in the same vein as Madworld.  A short game, but one that you are supposed to play again and again to improve your scores.  In fact, this same sort of element is seen in a lot of Platinum games.  It is there in Viewtiful Joe, God Hand, Madworld, Vanquish, Bayonetta, and The Wonderful 101.  I don't know jack about Anarchy Reigns, but I would bet it is setup the same way.

This is a classic arcade style gameplay element.  Platinum's biggest problem is not that the games are short.  It is that arcade style re-playability does not seem to be valued by gamers like it used to.

(As an aside, I think Bayonetta is about 10-12 hours the first time through? I would have called that short maybe 10 or 15 years ago.  Now?  Probably not.  Seems to me single player campaigns are getting shorter and shorter, so the norm is shifting.)

3. Platinum's games are of niche genres

Well, I can't argue with that.  A lot of their games are in the hack-and-slash or beat-em-up category, which haven't really been so big since...probably the days of the SNES.  Viewtiful Joe, Okami, and Madworld are all cell shaded.  I think they look good, but this turns off a lot of people for looking cartoony.  Speaking of cartoony, you have The Wonderful 101.  Vanquish looks great, and is in a popular genre, but I don't think Sega did a lot to really push this game.  I think a lot of their games put a lot of emphasis on being a good player too.  They have tough learning curves, and you only get the most out of the game when you get good at them.

All in all, I see Platinum as a gamer's game developer.  They are about as core as you can get.  They get a lot of praise from critics, but their work does not have a very broad appeal.  That's fine with me, as long as they keep making good games.