Video game sales thread December: It's over, use the new thread

Couscous · January 2010

http://www.develop-online.net/news/33645/Jagex-enters-third-party-publishing

UK mega-studio responsible for RuneScape signs new RTS

Cambridge developer Jagex has moved into third party publishing for the first time.

It is set to release browser based real time strategy game War of Legends by a currently unknown external developer. An official website welcoming new registrations is already live, but little else is currently known about the title.

Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard revealed that the studio behind RuneScape is moving into publishing when speaking to regional website Cambridge News about the publications Business Excellence Awards.

"2010 is set to be our most successful year to date, with more world class browser games, the publishing of War of Legends, our first third party developed title, and building on the success of our first iPhone game 'Bounce Down', which went straight to Number One in the UK and USA iTunes charts," revealed Jagex.

Currently the game's developer is unknown, but in the coming days Develop will be able to reveal far more details about War of Legends.

The game's release is set for early 2010.

When do hardcore gamers start bitching incessantly about all the browser games?

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/32994/Boxed-PC-games-market-gone-by-next-year

Publisher blames retail for decline in PC games sales

1C’s international publishing director Darryl Still has accused retail of failing to support boxed PC games.

The industry veteran says that by refusing to stock certain games and moving PC titles to the back of the store, retail is forcing publishers to head towards digital distribution. And that PC games software will be sold entirely through digital channels by next year.

“In the PC market at the moment the growth in digital is phenomenal,” said Still.

“If PC games manage to get listed at retail, then they’re rarely getting any exposure because they’re appearing at the back of the store.

“There is still demand, but retail is forcing PC games out. Digital is fantastic, and we’re very pleased with it. But it is not us as the developers and publishers driving products to digital – it is because the options for the PC at retail are so limited.
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“You just have to head into a games store and look for their PC titles, and you’ll see there is no focus, listings or promotions for them.

“It is extra strange because there is a much better margin on PC games,” he continued. “The industry should be embracing PC more enthusiastically.

“Digital proves there is a consumer waiting for it. But these consumers are now more than happy to click the download button.

“Q1 2011 is my estimate as to when PC games will be sold completely via digital. I have seen the predictions that by 2013 more than 50 per cent of our revenues will be earned digitally. But if the PC games market has to wait until 2013 then we are all in trouble.”

Despite this, Still admits there are still some challenges in the digital market – partly caused by the sheer number of digital platforms out there, with publishers having to try and pick the right ones carefully.

“I feel like I am at the front of an express change, and every week we’re adding an extra carriage at the back, which is a digital distributor. We have contracts with 25 of them at the moment, and of that amount six or seven are producing decent revenue numbers.

“And this year I know more carriages will be added on and others will be coming off the rails. The issue is we don’t know which ones will succeed and which ones won’t.”

Opiate · January 2010

UreshiiAkuma wrote: »

Couscous wrote: »

Nintendo and Sony have already announced that sales for the Wii and PS3 were up roughly 40 percent and 150 percent year over year, respectively, Creutz points out, adding that many retailers have run their own in-store promotions -- like Wal-Mart's aggressive discounting on Wii.

Well, if Nintendo and Sony aren't lying about the percent YoY, we can expect Wii at ~3m and PS3 at ~1.8m for December.

Nintendo's press release specifically stated the increase was in the US, while Sony's clearly stated that theirs was worldwide.

Thus, Nintendo should be at almost exactly 3M, while Sony could (in theory) be anywhere. It could be down in the US but up by some ridiculously huge amount in the EU. Or Canada. Or anything. Also, Sony spun the whole statistics by listing their totals from Black Friday, rather than from the beginning of December (NPD won't include Black Friday), so Sony's numbers are... inflated. Nintendo's could be too -- it's not like I wouldn't put it past them -- but there was far less room for interpretation in their press release. It looked legit.

I'm wagering on ~1.5 for the PS3. Which is still awesome, of course.

Sipex · January 2010

cloudeagle wrote: »

Speaking of big-name game delays:

Speaking on the Nintendo Weekly show (via Youtube), President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime stated the company will be taking its time with the upcoming Zelda title for Wii, and that it won't see a release until its perfect.

"Right now, it's still in development. But the key message that Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Aonuma is telling us is that it really has to be perfect when it launches," he said. "That really is what the Zelda fan is expecting."

"So for all of those Zelda fans out there right now, I would say enjoy The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and know that the Zelda title for Wii is going to come out when it's perfect," he said.

Fils-Aime's comment doesn't exactly mesh with an earlier report saying the new title would ship in 2010.

Last week, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata was quoted by Asahi Shimbun Daily in Japan as saying the next Zelda for Wii will ship before the end of this year. Nintendo Japan has yet to officially make an announcement on its release date, however.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/106/1060447p1.html

Reggie's so hardcore he's willing to contradict his boss.

Honestly, with no real trailer or details just yet I figured Zelda in 2010 might be a bit of a stretch. But, we'll see.

Holding back worked for Ocarina of Time, I could see why they'd want to do it again.

cloudeagle · January 2010

Brainiac 8 wrote: »

cloudeagle wrote: »

Speaking of big-name game delays:

Speaking on the Nintendo Weekly show (via Youtube), President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime stated the company will be taking its time with the upcoming Zelda title for Wii, and that it won't see a release until its perfect.

"Right now, it's still in development. But the key message that Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Aonuma is telling us is that it really has to be perfect when it launches," he said. "That really is what the Zelda fan is expecting."

"So for all of those Zelda fans out there right now, I would say enjoy The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and know that the Zelda title for Wii is going to come out when it's perfect," he said.

Fils-Aime's comment doesn't exactly mesh with an earlier report saying the new title would ship in 2010.

Last week, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata was quoted by Asahi Shimbun Daily in Japan as saying the next Zelda for Wii will ship before the end of this year. Nintendo Japan has yet to officially make an announcement on its release date, however.

http://wii.ign.com/articles/106/1060447p1.html

Reggie's so hardcore he's willing to contradict his boss.

Honestly, with no real trailer or details just yet I figured Zelda in 2010 might be a bit of a stretch. But, we'll see.

I wouldn't jumpt the assumption gun just yet, Cloud. While I'm with you that getting Zelda out in 2010 doesn't seem likely, Reggie didn't necessarily say it wouldn't, he just said it'll release when it's perfect by Nintendo's standard....which is what holds true in all their big games.

Since it seems Mario and Metroid are both due out before the holidays, Nintendo will make sure they have a big name game for Christmas, so they may throw a bunch of extra manpower on the game to make sure Zelda is that game.

Oh, I'm not making any assumptions yet. I'm sure that, deep down, Nintendo themselves aren't sure when it'll be done. 2010 could happen, but 2011 isn't out of the question.

Though I wouldn't put it past Nintendo to have Mario Galaxy 2 and Metroid as their big tentpoles for the year, and push Zelda to 2011.

Or not. Nintendo's greatest weakness (as a developer) is their release schedule... since they tend to delay games to make sure they have extra polish, there are some years that are very slow and some years that are insanely packed with awesome.

And as far as that article blaming PC's decline on retail... I'd say that the majority of money for the PC nowadays is coming from MMO dues, browser games and Facebook games, all things that are hard to put on shelves.

Sheep · January 2010

I'll buy a PS3 if Zelda Wii comes out in 2010.

My friend Jim said he's gonna buy me a Wii as a wedding present.

That takes care of all that.

UreshiiAkuma · January 2010

Opiate wrote: »

Nintendo's press release specifically stated the increase was in the US, while Sony's clearly stated that theirs was worldwide.

Ah, gotcha. Guess I should have dug into the press releases more

As for Zelda Wii, I seem to remember previous console versions of Zelda having a habit of being delayed. (At least both Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time were). So, while 2010 would be great, count me on the skeptical side. That being said, I think delays did nothing but help the previous games, so I'd rather it be delayed then pushed out prematurely to make the holiday season. Fortunately, Nintendo seems to have a pretty good track record for letting games bake until they are ready.

RainbowDespair · January 2010

I imagine the new Zelda is scheduled for 2010, but Miyamoto is notorious for delaying stuff until he's completely satisfied so who knows when it'll actually come out.

Speaking of release dates, Microsoft is getting better about announcing release dates for digital stuff. Looks like Major Nelson is going to start announcing upcoming release dates for XBLA games & discounts and the like twice a month. Vandal Hearts sequel & Death by Cube next week.

Brainiac 8 · January 2010

UreshiiAkuma wrote: »

Opiate wrote: »

Nintendo's press release specifically stated the increase was in the US, while Sony's clearly stated that theirs was worldwide.

Ah, gotcha. Guess I should have dug into the press releases more

As for Zelda Wii, I seem to remember previous console versions of Zelda having a habit of being delayed. (At least both Twilight Princess and Ocarina of Time were). So, while 2010 would be great, count me on the skeptical side. That being said, I think delays did nothing but help the previous games, so I'd rather it be delayed then pushed out prematurely to make the holiday season. Fortunately, Nintendo seems to have a pretty good track record for letting games bake until they are ready.

This is it, and more companies could take a page from Nintendo's book when it comes to this.

I'm one that feels if Miyamoto things Zelda could use another six months of tweaking, then so be it. I would rather have a game that lives up to Miyamoto's high expectations than get it a few months earlier.

Opiate · January 2010

I think it's obvious that retail should be pushing PC less, though. Despite the obvious positives the PC Market has -- higher margins is a particularly big concern -- it has some serious downsides, too.

1) The PC is the standard bearer for digital distribution. Yes, retailers care about this a lot. Yes, they will try and punish you for pushing this forward.

2) The PC has no one to push them. The PS3 is actively pushed by Sony, making deals with retailers for prime retail space. Microsoft does the same with the 360, and even though I've never heard of it, I'm sure Nintendo does the same. Who has the incentive to do that on the PC? The PC game market simply exists. It does not benefit from having a sugar daddy that heavily advertises and promotes it, on TV or in retail shops.

3) Much of what sells on the PC now couldn't even be boxed if they wanted it to be, as cloud mentioned. MMO subscription fees and Social Network essentially cannot exist in boxes. Other casual fare like Bejeweled and Diner Dash is boxed up, but it's so cheap that I'd guess most people buy bite sized games like that on the web.

The advantages to the PC are important, but the disadvantages are even larger.

Mgslee · January 2010

I feel a Metroid Prime / Zelda Wind Waker situation all over again.

In Japan they get Zelda this year, NA gets Metroid
Early next year the other title.

Adding SMG2 in to the mix seems to be crowding things a bit unless that is much earlier this year (~August)

cloudeagle · January 2010

Supposedly Mario Galaxy 2 was to hit this spring, but either Nintendo's working on it some more (like they did with the original MG) or they're wisely avoiding Christmas II.

Couscous · January 2010

UPDATED: Call of Duty, FIFA and Nintendo dominate in platform-by-platform listings

With Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 being crowned as the best selling game of 2009 in the UK, here’s a closer look at which titles won out on each platform in the last 12 months.

The numbers come courtesy of ELSPA GfK-ChartTrack.

UPDATED: Lists expanded from Top Five to Top 20

2009 Nintendo Wii Chart
1. Wii Sports Resort
2. Wii Fit
3. Wii Fit Plus
4. Mario Kart Wii
5. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
6. Wii Play
7. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
8. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
9. My Fitness Coach: Get In Shape
10. EA Sports Active
11. Carnival: Funfair Games
12. Just Dance
13. Big Beach Sports
14. Monopoly
15. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga
16. F1 2009
17. Super Smash Bros: Brawl
18. Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party
19. Guitar Hero: World Tour
20. Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City

2009 Nintendo DS Chart
1. Professor Layton And The Curious Village
2. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training
3. Professor Layton And Pandora's Box
4. Mario Kart DS
5. New Super Mario Bros.
6. Pokémon Platinum
7. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games
8. Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force
9. More Brain Training From Dr Kawashima
10. Carnival: Funfair Games
11. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
12. Puzzler Collection
13. Mystery Case Files: Millionheir
14. Peppa Pig: The Game
15. Big Brain Academy
16. 42 All-Time Classics
17. Nintendogs: Lab & Friends
18. 100 Classic Book Collection
19. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
20. Rhythm Paradise 

2009 Sony PlayStation 3 Chart
1. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2. FIFA 10
3. Assassin's Creed II
4. Killzone 2
5. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
6. Need For Speed: Shift
7. Littlebigplanet
8. Call Of Duty: World At War
9. Resident Evil 5
10. Batman: Arkham Asylum
11. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
12. Pro Evolution Soccer 2010
13. FIFA 09
14. UFC 2009: Undisputed
15. Grand Theft Auto IV
16. Street Fighter IV
17. Infamous
18. Fight Night Round 4
19. Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection
20. Resistance 2

2009 Sony PSP Chart
1. FIFA 10
2. FIFA 09
3. Gran Turismo
4. Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
5. LittleBigPlanet
6. Tekken: Dark Resurrection
7. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
8. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
9. Invizimals
10. God of War: Chains Of Olympus
11. Need For Speed: Undercover
12. Ben 10: Alien Force
13. Daxter
14. Call of Duty: Roads To Victory
15. Medal of Honor: Heroes
16. Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition
17. Dissidia: Final Fantasy
18. Resistance: Retribution
19. Football Manager 2009
20. Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite

2009 Xbox 360 Chart
1. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
2. FIFA 10
3. Forza Motorsport 3
4. Assassin's Creed II
5. Halo 3: ODST
6. Call Of Duty: World At War
7. Resident Evil 5
8. Lego Batman: The Videogame
9. Grand Theft Auto Episodes - Liberty City
10. Left 4 Dead 2
11. Pure
12. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
13. Need For Speed: Shift
14. Gears Of War 2
15. Halo Wars
16. FIFA 09
17. Batman: Arkham Asylum
18. UFC 2009: Undisputed
19. Grand Theft Auto IV
20. Halo 3

2009 PC Chart
1. The Sims 3
2. Football Manager 2010
3. Football Manager 2009
4. Empire: Total War
5. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
6. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War Ii
7. World Of Warcraft: Wrath Of Lich King
8. Dragon Age: Origins
9. The Sims 2: Double Deluxe
10. The Sims 3: World Adventures
11. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest
12. World Of Warcraft
13. Grand Theft Auto Iv
14. Championship Manager 2010
15. Spore
16. Fallout 3
17. World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
18. Rollercoaster Tycoon 3
19. Amazing Adventures Of The Lost Tomb
20. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Didn't most of those PSP games appear for like a week in the Top 40 charts?

Couscous · January 2010

cloudeagle wrote: »

Supposedly Mario Galaxy 2 was to hit this spring, but either Nintendo's working on it some more (like they did with the original MG) or they're wisely avoiding Christmas II.

MG2 is a big enough game to be big in Christmas II. I just think spring is too close to last Christmas when NSMBWii was released.

cloudeagle · January 2010

Couscous wrote: »

cloudeagle wrote: »

Supposedly Mario Galaxy 2 was to hit this spring, but either Nintendo's working on it some more (like they did with the original MG) or they're wisely avoiding Christmas II.

MG2 is a big enough game to be big in Christmas II. I just think spring is too close to last Christmas when NSMBWii was released.

Or that too. This really is the first time we've gotten a "core" Mario game on the same system this close to one another.

Couscous · January 2010

http://www.gametactics.com/?view=article&article=2801

In a financial release sent out today, Ubisoft has notified investors (and gamers alike) that Splinter Cell Conviction has been pushed back to April 2010, R.U.S.E has been pushed back to November 2010.

Below is the official statement:

Update on third fiscal quarter performance and annual targets

* 2009-10 targets revised downwards
* Releases of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction and R.U.S.E postponed to 2010-11
* Initial information on the 2010-11 line-up

Paris, January 13, 2010 – Today, Ubisoft updated its 2009-10 targets.

The sales targets for third-quarter and full-year 2009-10 have been revised downwards to €495 million and around €860 million respectively, from the previously announced figures of €540 million and €1,040 million.

These downward revisions are due to the following factors:

- A further correction in the market for DS titles. After several years of very strong growth, the significant correction of the DS market in 2009 particularly affected Ubisoft. As a result, despite relatively robust sales for Wii casual games, and particularly the success of Just Dance, sales in the casual segment are expected to be down for the full year by around €160 million, representing a drop of around 50%.

- Further market concentration towards high-quality AAA games. Ubisoft has demonstrated its ability to react to this trend through the success of Assassin’s Creed 2, which has achieved sell-through sales topping 6 million. However, not all of the Company’s games have reaped the full benefits of the measures implemented, with James Cameron’s Avatar™: The game and several non-casual Wii titles reporting lower-than-expected sales.

- Underperformance of back catalog titles due to both of the above-mentioned trends.

- The postponed release dates for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction™ and R.U.S.E™, which were previously scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2009-10, and will now be released in 2010-11. Splinter Cell Conviction™ is now expected to hit the stores in April 2010.

In addition, Ubisoft now expects to end the year with a current operating loss before stock-based compensation of around €50 million, rather than the previously announced target of current operating income amounting to at least €70 million. This negative swing reflects the following:

- Lost earnings due to lower-than-expected sales.

- Additional depreciation and impairment charges for:

o under-performing products and back-catalog titles,

o abandoned projects, as well as certain games scheduled for release in future periods,

o write-downs of inventories.

- The postponed release dates for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction™ and R.U.S.E™.

Yves Guillemot, Chief Executive Officer, stated "Despite a number of highly successful titles, such as Assassin’s Creed 2 – which is expected to reach 9 million sell-in units by the end of March 2010 – and Just Dance – our great Wii success during the holiday season – Ubisoft has not met its financial targets. The considerable contraction in the DS market during the year particularly affected Ubisoft, leading to a €160 million, or almost 50%, year-on-year drop in the Company’s casual segment sales. At the same time, like in 2008, the year 2009 saw the release of many more very high-quality games than in the past. Against this backdrop and with a view to further reduce our exposure to the DS, we intend to continue to refocus our development resources on our major franchises and on the Xbox360 and PS3, the two consoles that are expected to see sales growth in games for gamers in 2010. Ubisoft has already demonstrated its capacity for success in the high-end games market thanks to Assassin’s Creed 2, with sales 40% higher than for the first title. The 2010-11 line-up – which is stronger in franchises for Xbox360 and PS3 – reflects our refocusing efforts and should enable us to both win market share and enhance our profitability.”

Initial information on the 2010-11 line-up

The 2010-11 fiscal year will see a greater number of franchise releases than in 2009-10, including Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction™, a new game in the Tom Clancy™’s Ghost Recon® series, Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands™, Driver®, Raving Rabbids™ 4 and a new episode of Assassin’s Creed®, which will be the first in the series to have an online multiplayer mode. The 2010-11 line-up will be more focused on the Xbox 360® and Playstation® 3, the consoles which are expected to experience sustained sales growth in games for gamers in calendar 2010. Other new franchises and innovations will also be announced throughout the year.

Ubisoft will release its final sales figures for the third quarter of 2009-10 in February.

The Company will organize a conference call at 6.15 p.m. (CET) this evening, which will be accessible via the following address: www.ubisoftgroup.com/ir

What will the Wii and DS do without all of Ubisoft's great games?

Spoiler:

Brainiac 8 · January 2010

cloudeagle wrote: »

Supposedly Mario Galaxy 2 was to hit this spring, but either Nintendo's working on it some more (like they did with the original MG) or they're wisely avoiding Christmas II.

I think it's the latter. Supposedly, Japan gets SMG2 in April, which means we'll probably get it June or July....this leaves Metroid to be the fall game, maybe around Sept or Oct like Metroid Prime 3 was.

That leaves the holiday to another high profile Nintendo title. (Starfox Wii please!)

Dodge Aspen · January 2010

Twilight Princess was delayed for more than a year, wasn't it? Of course, that was because it was waiting for Wii, but still.

Brainiac 8 · January 2010

What non-casual games did Ubisoft put on the Wii last year? O_o

Best America · January 2010

Market correction on the DS? Were software sales down? Hardware seemed to be pretty consistent, iirc, so where's the market correction?

Couscous · January 2010

Brainiac 8 wrote: »

What non-casual games did Ubisoft put on the Wii last year? O_o

There was Tenchu, Anno 1404, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up, and Raving Rabbids from a brief search of the Wikipedia page. The last two are iffy as fare as whether they are casual or not but whatever.

Rakai · January 2010

Looking at metacritic: Dawn of Discovery (which I've never heard of), Rabbids Go Home, that crappy TMNT fighter, and some mediocre Tenchu game I think. Ubisoft won't be missed. At this point the only Ubisoft game I care about they didn't even make (NMH2). Beyond Good & Evil is dead and PoP has been turned into a movie tie-in. At this point they're fighting Activision for the top spot of "publishers I wouldn't miss".

Couscous · January 2010

http://www.gamefocus.ca/?nav=new&nid=7955

It seems like Metroid Prime Trilogy won’t be the only Wii game to be discontinued by Nintendo. Coffee with Games, the same site that brought the original Metroid Prime Trilogy news, is reporting that Nintendo is planning to stop printing/shipping fifteen more games, including great titles such as Excitebots Trick Racing, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Mario Strikers Charged.

Below, is the full list given to Coffee with Games by Nintendo:

* Battalion Wars II
* Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
* Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
* Endless Ocean
* Excitebots: Trick Racing
* Excite Truck
* Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
* Mario Strikers Charged
* Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
* Metroid Prime Trilogy
* New Play Control! Pikmin
* Wario Land: Shake It!
* Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
* Wii Fit
* Wii Music

Brainiac 8 · January 2010

Rakai wrote: »

Looking at metacritic: Dawn of Discovery (which I've never heard of), Rabbids Go Home, that crappy TMNT fighter, and some mediocre Tenchu game I think. Ubisoft won't be missed. At this point the only Ubisoft game I care about they didn't even make (NMH2). Beyond Good & Evil is dead and PoP has been turned into a movie tie-in. At this point they're fighting Activision for the top spot of "publishers I wouldn't miss".

Rabbids go home is the only game from them that I hear is really fun.

Red Steel 2 is due out this year, but it gets a big 'meh' from me.

So yea, they won't be missed.

Brainiac 8 · January 2010

Couscous wrote: »

http://www.gamefocus.ca/?nav=new&nid=7955

It seems like Metroid Prime Trilogy won’t be the only Wii game to be discontinued by Nintendo. Coffee with Games, the same site that brought the original Metroid Prime Trilogy news, is reporting that Nintendo is planning to stop printing/shipping fifteen more games, including great titles such as Excitebots Trick Racing, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Mario Strikers Charged.

Below, is the full list given to Coffee with Games by Nintendo:

* Battalion Wars II
* Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
* Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
* Endless Ocean
* Excitebots: Trick Racing
* Excite Truck
* Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
* Mario Strikers Charged
* Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
* Metroid Prime Trilogy
* New Play Control! Pikmin
* Wario Land: Shake It!
* Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
* Wii Fit
* Wii Music

Wow, they finally decided to put Wii Music to bed for good. I may actually need to go out and buy it on the cheap now for completionists sake.

I also need to find a used copy of Mario Strikers Charged, which still has a rather healthy online community. My brother finds people to play on that still all the time.

Dodge Aspen · January 2010

No More Heroes 2 is only 2 weeks away. Hubba hubba. Splinter Cell has potential, too.

Brainiac 8 · January 2010

Strawberry on the shortcake?

cloudeagle · January 2010

Couscous wrote: »

http://www.gamefocus.ca/?nav=new&nid=7955

It seems like Metroid Prime Trilogy won’t be the only Wii game to be discontinued by Nintendo. Coffee with Games, the same site that brought the original Metroid Prime Trilogy news, is reporting that Nintendo is planning to stop printing/shipping fifteen more games, including great titles such as Excitebots Trick Racing, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Mario Strikers Charged.

Below, is the full list given to Coffee with Games by Nintendo:

* Battalion Wars II
* Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
* Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
* Endless Ocean
* Excitebots: Trick Racing
* Excite Truck
* Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
* Mario Strikers Charged
* Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
* Metroid Prime Trilogy
* New Play Control! Pikmin
* Wario Land: Shake It!
* Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
* Wii Fit
* Wii Music

This just goes to show that Nintendo keeps printing (most) games for some time even if they never really sell. I love Wario Land, but that was a sales stinker from day one.

Metroid Prime Trilogy is an odd case, but with the tin case maybe it was imagined as a limited edition package from day one. Or maybe it sold horribly. Anyone know how well it did?

And yeah, interesting to see they're giving up on Wii Music after they posed it as their "holy shit must have" game last year.

Wish we heard about games ending their print runs more often. Hell, I wouldn't be shocked if the average print run length for most games has been getting shorter and shorter over the years.

Brainiac 8 · January 2010

They advertised Metroid Prime Trilogy as a limited edition run in the first place, so that doesn't surprise me that the 'limited' aspect has run out.

I'm not sure how it sold, but I'm sure it was meant to sell to those die hard fans of the series (like myself) and not really anyone aside from that.

cloudeagle · January 2010

Now that you mention that, I remember that as well.

I need to finally fire that puppy up, but I'm sure I've got zero chance of getting the friend vouchers to unlock the bonus stuff now. Blah.

Sheep · January 2010

Couscous wrote: »

http://www.gamefocus.ca/?nav=new&nid=7955

It seems like Metroid Prime Trilogy won’t be the only Wii game to be discontinued by Nintendo. Coffee with Games, the same site that brought the original Metroid Prime Trilogy news, is reporting that Nintendo is planning to stop printing/shipping fifteen more games, including great titles such as Excitebots Trick Racing, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Mario Strikers Charged.

Below, is the full list given to Coffee with Games by Nintendo:

* Battalion Wars II
* Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
* Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
* Endless Ocean
* Excitebots: Trick Racing
* Excite Truck
* Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
* Mario Strikers Charged
* Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
* Metroid Prime Trilogy
* New Play Control! Pikmin
* Wario Land: Shake It!
* Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
* Wii Fit
* Wii Music

I'm hoping that they simply produced enough to burn through forseeable demand and it's not a case of Nintendo telling gamers to go fuck themselves.

EDIT

Vandal Hearts sequel

Next week? Really?

Sweet.

cloudeagle · January 2010

Clearly you've forgotten how fast non-AAA games vanish from store shelves nowadays. I'm sure most publishers quit their print runs faster than Nintendo apparently does. Seriously, they stuck with Excitebots for a loooooong time.

Brainiac 8 · January 2010

cloudeagle wrote: »

Now that you mention that, I remember that as well.

I need to finally fire that puppy up, but I'm sure I've got zero chance of getting the friend vouchers to unlock the bonus stuff now. Blah.

Fire it up and play through it Cloud. I will need someone to trade friend vouchers with myself, so if we both play through them, we can trade vouchers with each other and wala, problem solved.

Lawndart · January 2010

Couscous wrote: »

http://www.gamefocus.ca/?nav=new&nid=7955

It seems like Metroid Prime Trilogy won’t be the only Wii game to be discontinued by Nintendo. Coffee with Games, the same site that brought the original Metroid Prime Trilogy news, is reporting that Nintendo is planning to stop printing/shipping fifteen more games, including great titles such as Excitebots Trick Racing, Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Mario Strikers Charged.

Below, is the full list given to Coffee with Games by Nintendo:

* Battalion Wars II
* Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree
* Donkey Kong Barrel Blast
* Endless Ocean
* Excitebots: Trick Racing
* Excite Truck
* Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
* Mario Strikers Charged
* Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
* Metroid Prime Trilogy
* New Play Control! Pikmin
* Wario Land: Shake It!
* Wario Ware: Smooth Moves
* Wii Fit
* Wii Music

Which of these things is not like the other?

While I can see low sales (at least compared to supply) being behind discontinuing every other game on that list, isn't Wii Fit still selling like gangbusters? Is Wii Fit Plus supposed to replace it or something?

cloudeagle · January 2010

Yeah, Wii Fit Plus replaces it. To the point that the entire first game is in the second. So I'm a little surprised Nintendo hasn't actually canned it already.

RainbowDespair · January 2010

I'm sure it's just a matter of them replacing Wii Fit with Wii Fit+.

AZChristopher · January 2010

I don't really see that as news. There is a reason most games fall off he shelves after a few months, retailers stop ordering them.

slash000 · January 2010

Wii Fit Plus is already the replacement. It's packed in with the Balance Board and there's no reason for retailers to reorder older original Wii Fit packs when they have the new one.

Xenogears of Bore · January 2010

Yeah, this site is a bit full of themselves cosidering they discontinued Radiant Dawn two years ago.

Brainiac 8 · January 2010

As well as Battalion Wars II.

Muramasa18 · January 2010

If NSMBWii outsells both versions of MW2 combined, I will eat my cock. Or, if not my own, certainly a cock.

Penny Arcade

Video game sales thread December: It's over, use the new thread

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