Game designer predicts poor sales performance for high-profile FPS

With past ‘hardcore’ failures like No More Heroes, House of Dead: Overkill and (more recently) Madworld, the Wii is getting a reputation for being a casual gamers’ machine first and foremost.

This certainly doesn’t bode well for Sega’s upcoming FPS title The Conduit. Developer High Voltage Software has gone to great lengths to stress that this is a game for ‘proper gamers’, not the soccer moms introduced to the Wii by the allure of Wii Sports and Wii Fit.

However, does The Conduit have what it takes to break the trend of ‘core’ experiences selling poorly on Nintendo’s platform?

Writing for Gamastura, games designer Ian Fisch (previously of Gameloft, Pyro Studios, and Nerjyzed Entertainment) makes the compelling point that although many dedicated gamers own a Wii, they also own a PS3 and Xbox 360, which makes it more difficult for ‘hardcore’ Wii titles to get the attention they deserve:

Assuming hardcore gamers own the Wii, it seems odd that hardcore games on the platform are not selling better. Perhaps the answer is that hardcore gamers do not exist in a vacuum. Hardcore gamers who own the Wii are also likely to own either a PS3, an Xbox360, or a suped-up PC.

When a hardcore Wii game is released, it doesn't only compete against other Wii games; it competes against all games. So MadWorld isn't just competing against Disaster: Day of Crisis. It's competing against Ninja Gaiden 2 and Grand Theft Auto 4. Suddenly it doesn’t stand out quite as much.

It’s a valid argument, and with this knowledge in mind, Fisch seems skeptical of The Conduit’s chances at retail:

The game has been viewed as a symbol of hope for hardcore Wii developers for a long time now…yet when compared to Gears of War 2, it looks like a heavyweight bout between Evander Hollyfield and Tiger Woods.

The Conduit aims to be a very competent shooter, but one that wouldn’t look out of place on the original Xbox. It doesn't seem to bring anything new to the table - at least nothing that can be communicated through video or screenshots…by virtue of being on the Wii, it has to overcome a huge graphical disadvantage as well as the disadvantage of having to utilize the Wii’s lackluster online matchmaking system. Sad as it is, I can't think of any reason why a hardcore gamer would choose to buy The Conduit instead of its competition.

However, before you pick up your pitchforks and set out in the direction of Fisch’s house in an angry mob, it’s worth noting that it’s not all doom and gloom from his perspective:

So is it possible for a hardcore game to be a sales success on Wii? I would say yes…one advantage the Wii has is that anything on the Wii that aims for the hardcore audience will get more press coverage than it would if it were launching on another console. If a game like The Conduit were to be developed for Xbox360, it would probably be unknown. By virtue of being on the Wii, it will probably grace a few magazine covers.

Another advantage is that a Wii game can get great reviews with lower-budget graphics since reviewers tend to compare Wii games to other Wii games. There is a real opportunity for launching a successful hardcore game on the Wii. It just takes the right idea.

It should be noted that Fisch himself is merely putting this forward as a ‘theory’ and there’s every chance that The Conduit could sell like cakes that are exceedingly hot, but you have to admit his point of view does carry a tremendous amount of weight – especially when you consider the high-profile ‘hardcore’ casualties that the Wii has experienced so far.

And of course let’s not forget that retail sales often have no bearing whatsoever on the overall quality of the game…

http://wii.nintendolife.com/news/2009/04/talking_point_could_the_conduit_be_in_for_a_rough_ride_at_retail

The first couple lines are inaccurate and just asking to piss people off. Seriously, where are all these Wii hating articles coming from? The number of them is simply astounding.

Well so far I have been assuming that it would be doing OK sales wise but nothing spectacular compared to MASSIVE nintendo titles. What do YOU think?

The Conduit is the first real test for third party exclusives on the Wii. There will be NO excuses if it performs badly.

I think it'll do pretty well. The hype level among Wii owners on this site is ridiculous. Much more than any of those games mentioned in the article and even more than some first party titles.

I think it will be a fun game and will do ok in sales. I really doubt it's going to be huge. Does anyone actually think that it will be?

Do you really believe that a Nintendolife Wii website would be making Wii hate propaganda? 

Propaganda...no.

 So just because it appears to be a nintendo dedicated website it won't bash the wii?

OT: The conduit will do fine, in the long run I see it doing 1-2 million

1-2 million for conduit? hahahahaha. It wouldn't even do 1-2 million on the 360.

I don't know.

I am starting to believe the murmurs. I think Wii only do buy Nintendo products. I think what Nintendo should do is publish all good games that come out and then trick all of us into believing that Miyamoto made the game.

"Wow Miyamoto what was your inspiration for making this game."

"I was in a movie theater and this guy was talking on his cell phone during a movie and I thought wow wouldn't it be cool if I could kill him in some graphic fashion. So I created Mad World..."

OR

"We had some bugs in our house and I thought boy wouldn't it be cool if I could kill the bugs with fire arms? So, I created Conduit."

And I think then and only then Wii would say, "Man I got to buy this game!"