You have to remember as well that June 14 is over two years after release. And after what... 8 months it had only shipped less than 100,000 copies. I don't understand how a game can sell 300,000 more copies over a 16 month period than it shipped in the first 8.
Yeah. That shouldn't happen. Like, ever.
Guess thats what a cult following plus loads of word-of-mouth does to a game. Man, I wish there was a Psychonauts Wiimake though... it would have been an excellent time, jamming pointy objects into friends' feet until they picked it up since not having a PS2/Xbox/decent PC would no longer be an excuse.
Just strikes me as strange that they would have even produced 300,000 more copies than they had shipped in the first 8 months.
I don't understand why some publisher doesn't have Tim Schaffer on lock and key inside a giant mega studio somewhere just making up crazy shit for video games. I think it's clear at this point that everyone of his games have possessed great quality and have provided for unique experiences and concepts.
I mean if you guys can just imagine the sorta stuff that this batshit crazy guy can come up with if he basically had blank checks handed to him on a regular basis.
Guess I'm in the camp where people hail him as a damned genius who needs more exposure and support.
YOU SHUT YOUR DIRTY PIE HOLE RIGHT NOW!!!
If EA hears you, they're going to buy up Double-Fine!
Evander on
0
augustwhere you come from is goneRegistered Userregular
I don't understand why some publisher doesn't have Tim Schaffer on lock and key inside a giant mega studio somewhere just making up crazy shit for video games. I think it's clear at this point that everyone of his games have possessed great quality and have provided for unique experiences and concepts.
I mean if you guys can just imagine the sorta stuff that this batshit crazy guy can come up with if he basically had blank checks handed to him on a regular basis.
Guess I'm in the camp where people hail him as a damned genius who needs more exposure and support.
YOU SHUT YOUR DIRTY PIE HOLE RIGHT NOW!!!
If EA hears you, they're going to buy up Double-Fine!
Psychonauts '09 confirmed. It'll be released alongside Mass Effect 13.
To anyone who considers Psychonauts a financial failure - maybe it's posted in this thread somewhere, but I haven't seen any hard numbers that tell us how much revenue the game generated versus how much it cost to produce. Unless that's known, you can't really call it a failure financially. I'm sure they really really hoped it would sell 3 million copies, but just because it wasn't a blockbuster doesn't mean it didn't make back its money. My company generally sells very few copies of our games (much less than Psychonauts, I'm sure) and yet we consistently generate more revenue than it cost to produce the games. That's the only worthwhile measure of a game's financial success.
That being said, I'm not surprised major publishers aren't knocking down their door to buy them out. What they produce isn't mainstream in the slightest (though perhaps Brutal Legend will be a sea change for them).
When you talk about your company, are you talking about it on the whole, or just the American branch?
Because, while you guys definitely DO have costs, I was under the impression that to be profitable in America, your games only had to sell enough to make up for the costs of localization, which is a bit less than an American game would have to sell to make up for the entirety of its production costs.
What I'm not able to find (not a surprise) is an actual operating budget and a solid revenue number to compare it against. Cuz like I said, even if raw sales were bad (and they were, at least initially), that doesn't mean it was a financial failure.
But reading about Majesco at the time this was released, it seems their company was in a bit of a clusterfuck so any numbers might not mean anything anyway. Doublefine is still in business though, so I have to assume they got some money somewhere along the line. Unless they've been living off donations and Brutal Legend advances, which is perfectly likely.
If I recall correctly, there was a period during the previous generation where Majesco basically decided they wanted to be a budget game company and started pulled back advertising/support for non-budget titles that were still in the pipe. How the company did not fold under that kind of business decision is beyond me.
To anyone who considers Psychonauts a financial failure - maybe it's posted in this thread somewhere, but I haven't seen any hard numbers that tell us how much revenue the game generated versus how much it cost to produce. Unless that's known, you can't really call it a failure financially. I'm sure they really really hoped it would sell 3 million copies, but just because it wasn't a blockbuster doesn't mean it didn't make back its money. My company generally sells very few copies of our games (much less than Psychonauts, I'm sure) and yet we consistently generate more revenue than it cost to produce the games. That's the only worthwhile measure of a game's financial success.
That being said, I'm not surprised major publishers aren't knocking down their door to buy them out. What they produce isn't mainstream in the slightest (though perhaps Brutal Legend will be a sea change for them).
When you talk about your company, are you talking about it on the whole, or just the American branch?
Because, while you guys definitely DO have costs, I was under the impression that to be profitable in America, your games only had to sell enough to make up for the costs of localization, which is a bit less than an American game would have to sell to make up for the entirety of its production costs.
There was this huge interview on gamasutra with tim schafer where he talks about how psychonauts was a financial failure and how creativity wasn't financially viable for publishers.
Also, there was lots of advertising. I saw commericals for pshyconauts ALL the time. They didnt make me want to buy the game though. I didn't get it till well after its release.
Here is the problem: I would LOVE to support creativity, but I only have enough room in my budget for so many 50 dollar games.
There is so much truth in this that it's not even funny. Even more so with the fact that games are going for $60 a pop now. During the holiday rush most gamers on a budget have to pick which games to buy now and which to wait for a price drop. If your game is not on the forefront of advertising/marketing, it might not get bought at all. Or at least until it reaches bargin bin prices.
I thought "That looks neat, but I'll wait until the price drops."
I ended up buying it used, years later.
Here is the problem: I would LOVE to support creativity, but I only have enough room in my budget for so many 50 dollar games.
This right here is my problem too.
I want Zack and Wiki. I really want it. But I only have the cash to get SMG before sometime in '08. So I can't buy Zack and Wiki, even though I'd love to support it.
I look at a game like BioShock, and I'm glad it was a summer release.
Because if it had come out durring the winter, with no online and all, I'd have had to pass it up, because it would be the same experience after a price drop as it is now, but other games are only going to have an online presence for so long.
Honestly, though, this is why I support the idea of shorter budget priced titles. Give me a game half as long, for half the price, and I'll happily buy it.
At the meat circus. This is most frustrating, I can get to the area with the giant rotating wheel and I *KNOW* what I have to do but I keep dying or running out of time or not moving out of the way at the right point and getting hit with a knife.
At the meat circus. This is most frustrating, I can get to the area with the giant rotating wheel and I *KNOW* what I have to do but I keep dying or running out of time or not moving out of the way at the right point and getting hit with a knife.
How long is this section? If I keep having to go up, like, ten more floors I think i'm going to snap. If it's just another few then I reckon I can make it.
Also, I like how most of the bosses in this game are actually pretty easy if you use your powers right. For the wrestlers I:
Picked them up with telepathy, and then dropped them. They sit confused for a second or two. Enough to get a punch in and then back away. Then for ALL of their special moves, except Dragon, I just used invisibility and hid.
Meat circus 'broke' me. I was in the mood to finish the game that night and was doing the final stretch of the game. When I reached meat circus I just looked around a little, said 'no', slowly put the controller down, turned the PS2 off and walked out of the room.
I simply couldn't handle the insanity/awesomeness of that at that moment in time.
It was such a beautiful game. On a side note, why is it that Psychonauts gets talked about so much more then Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath? It was equally beautiful, deep and underrated/commercial failure/artistically wondrous.
Rey Del Aguila on
Because you know who SAID you know what with you know who, let's keep that between me and you.
To anyone who considers Psychonauts a financial failure - maybe it's posted in this thread somewhere, but I haven't seen any hard numbers that tell us how much revenue the game generated versus how much it cost to produce. Unless that's known, you can't really call it a failure financially. I'm sure they really really hoped it would sell 3 million copies, but just because it wasn't a blockbuster doesn't mean it didn't make back its money. My company generally sells very few copies of our games (much less than Psychonauts, I'm sure) and yet we consistently generate more revenue than it cost to produce the games. That's the only worthwhile measure of a game's financial success.
That being said, I'm not surprised major publishers aren't knocking down their door to buy them out. What they produce isn't mainstream in the slightest (though perhaps Brutal Legend will be a sea change for them).
When you talk about your company, are you talking about it on the whole, or just the American branch?
Because, while you guys definitely DO have costs, I was under the impression that to be profitable in America, your games only had to sell enough to make up for the costs of localization, which is a bit less than an American game would have to sell to make up for the entirety of its production costs.
There was this huge interview on gamasutra with tim schafer where he talks about how psychonauts was a financial failure and how creativity wasn't financially viable for publishers.
Also, there was lots of advertising. I saw commericals for pshyconauts ALL the time. They didnt make me want to buy the game though. I didn't get it till well after its release.
Yeah, I had no interest in Psychonauts. I didn't know who Tim Schafer was, and I hadn't played any of his previous games, so all Psychonauts was, was a weird game everybody was flipping out over. Luckily, my wife wanted something new to play, so we picked it up and I got to see first hand what all the fuss was about.
At the meat circus. This is most frustrating, I can get to the area with the giant rotating wheel and I *KNOW* what I have to do but I keep dying or running out of time or not moving out of the way at the right point and getting hit with a knife.
God help me, I'm going to get by it tonight.
You might be making it too hard on yourself. Sissy.
What’s up with Meat Circus is that you’re a sissy. Sure, sure, invisibility is very important when Raz’s dad is trying to knock you off those tight ropes. And your shield will bounce the knife thrower’s blades right into those spinning target wheels. And also you can throw a confusion grenade at that bunny and then just go pick it up, instead of trying to grab it with Telekinesis. Those things are also true. But the main point I’m trying to make here is that first one, about you being a sissy.
Don't get me wrong, I love Psychonauts. Most of us do. But I'm always a little disappointed when I see how many people demand a sequel from Schafer. I mean, we are looking at a hilarious, imaginative dude with an absolutely delicious track record.
Every time this guy starts a new project, it is awesome. Why screw ourselves out of future franchises by insisting he succumb to the sequel-mania of the tired industry he is standing apart from so well? He's said that he doesn't like the idea of making sequels, and I agree fully, for this reason: If he had made Full Throttle 2, there wouldn't have been a Grim Fandango. If he had made Grim Fandango 2 there wouldn't have been a Psychonauts. If he had made Psychonauts 2 there would be no Brutal Legend.
The guy clearly has no shortage of ideas. Let him do his thing by his own momentum.
Don't get me wrong, I love Psychonauts. Most of us do. But I'm always a little disappointed when I see how many people demand a sequel from Schafer. I mean, we are looking at a hilarious, imaginative dude with an absolutely delicious track record.
Every time this guy starts a new project, it is awesome. Why screw ourselves out of future franchises by insisting he succumb to the sequel-mania of the tired industry he is standing apart from so well? He's said that he doesn't like the idea of making sequels, and I agree fully, for this reason: If he had made Full Throttle 2, there wouldn't have been a Grim Fandango. If he had made Grim Fandango 2 there wouldn't have been a Psychonauts. If he had made Psychonauts 2 there would be no Brutal Legend.
The guy clearly has no shortage of ideas. Let him do his thing by his own momentum.
This is probably the best rationale against Schafer sequels I've ever heard.
FireWeasel on
AC:CL Wii -- 3824-2125-9336 City: Felinito Me: Nick
Don't get me wrong, I love Psychonauts. Most of us do. But I'm always a little disappointed when I see how many people demand a sequel from Schafer. I mean, we are looking at a hilarious, imaginative dude with an absolutely delicious track record.
Every time this guy starts a new project, it is awesome. Why screw ourselves out of future franchises by insisting he succumb to the sequel-mania of the tired industry he is standing apart from so well? He's said that he doesn't like the idea of making sequels, and I agree fully, for this reason: If he had made Full Throttle 2, there wouldn't have been a Grim Fandango. If he had made Grim Fandango 2 there wouldn't have been a Psychonauts. If he had made Psychonauts 2 there would be no Brutal Legend.
The guy clearly has no shortage of ideas. Let him do his thing by his own momentum.
This is probably the best rationale against Schafer sequels I've ever heard.
That would be all well and good if the end of the first psychonauts didn't allude to a sequel.
Don't get me wrong, I love Psychonauts. Most of us do. But I'm always a little disappointed when I see how many people demand a sequel from Schafer. I mean, we are looking at a hilarious, imaginative dude with an absolutely delicious track record.
Every time this guy starts a new project, it is awesome. Why screw ourselves out of future franchises by insisting he succumb to the sequel-mania of the tired industry he is standing apart from so well? He's said that he doesn't like the idea of making sequels, and I agree fully, for this reason: If he had made Full Throttle 2, there wouldn't have been a Grim Fandango. If he had made Grim Fandango 2 there wouldn't have been a Psychonauts. If he had made Psychonauts 2 there would be no Brutal Legend.
The guy clearly has no shortage of ideas. Let him do his thing by his own momentum.
This is probably the best rationale against Schafer sequels I've ever heard.
That would be all well and good if the end of the first psychonauts didn't allude to a sequel.
I don't mind allusions to sequels, but I was perfectly satisfied with how it ended, and felt like it was a self-contained work. I'd much rather he move on and spin off some other new and imaginative idea than rehash an old one -- even though that "old" one would still be better than the majority of the drek out there.
FireWeasel on
AC:CL Wii -- 3824-2125-9336 City: Felinito Me: Nick
Don't get me wrong, I'd fully expect any Psychonauts sequel to bear only a hint of a distinct resemblance to its predecessor. So I suppose the sequel would be one in plot and name only...
Posts
Just strikes me as strange that they would have even produced 300,000 more copies than they had shipped in the first 8 months.
http://shop.doublefine.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=8
It's a great game but no-one is going to buy it at that price these days
That's straight from the developer. I'm pretty sure you can get it other places at a reasonable price.
I know that, it's just the fact that they haven't changed their prices yet just seems screwy
YOU SHUT YOUR DIRTY PIE HOLE RIGHT NOW!!!
If EA hears you, they're going to buy up Double-Fine!
I wouldn't be surprised if the price they're allowed to charge on their site isn't dictated by the publisher.
Psychonauts '09 confirmed. It'll be released alongside Mass Effect 13.
When you talk about your company, are you talking about it on the whole, or just the American branch?
Because, while you guys definitely DO have costs, I was under the impression that to be profitable in America, your games only had to sell enough to make up for the costs of localization, which is a bit less than an American game would have to sell to make up for the entirety of its production costs.
If I recall correctly, there was a period during the previous generation where Majesco basically decided they wanted to be a budget game company and started pulled back advertising/support for non-budget titles that were still in the pipe. How the company did not fold under that kind of business decision is beyond me.
There was this huge interview on gamasutra with tim schafer where he talks about how psychonauts was a financial failure and how creativity wasn't financially viable for publishers.
Also, there was lots of advertising. I saw commericals for pshyconauts ALL the time. They didnt make me want to buy the game though. I didn't get it till well after its release.
I thought "That looks neat, but I'll wait until the price drops."
I ended up buying it used, years later.
Here is the problem: I would LOVE to support creativity, but I only have enough room in my budget for so many 50 dollar games.
There is so much truth in this that it's not even funny. Even more so with the fact that games are going for $60 a pop now. During the holiday rush most gamers on a budget have to pick which games to buy now and which to wait for a price drop. If your game is not on the forefront of advertising/marketing, it might not get bought at all. Or at least until it reaches bargin bin prices.
This right here is my problem too.
I want Zack and Wiki. I really want it. But I only have the cash to get SMG before sometime in '08. So I can't buy Zack and Wiki, even though I'd love to support it.
Because if it had come out durring the winter, with no online and all, I'd have had to pass it up, because it would be the same experience after a price drop as it is now, but other games are only going to have an online presence for so long.
Honestly, though, this is why I support the idea of shorter budget priced titles. Give me a game half as long, for half the price, and I'll happily buy it.
God help me, I'm going to get by it tonight.
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
You see? YOU SEE? I told you it was horror!
Also, I like how most of the bosses in this game are actually pretty easy if you use your powers right. For the wrestlers I:
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
Loved the game, fantastic experience. The second game this year I've actually enjoyed enough to complete!
PSN: SirGrinchX
Oculus Rift: Sir_Grinch
I simply couldn't handle the insanity/awesomeness of that at that moment in time.
Yeah, I had no interest in Psychonauts. I didn't know who Tim Schafer was, and I hadn't played any of his previous games, so all Psychonauts was, was a weird game everybody was flipping out over. Luckily, my wife wanted something new to play, so we picked it up and I got to see first hand what all the fuss was about.
These pronouncements were made far before it was available on Steam. No numbers on its sales on Steam or Gametap are available.
Ohhh ok. Well, I wouldn't mind a sequel. Maybe one of the higher-ups is reading my post right now.
Hey higher-up: A sequel would be swell.
That would probably convince them.
so you want creative games
and you don't want small studios to be bought out
but you don't want to pay full price for their games
so you buy them used, meaning they didn't see any money from you at all
are you sure you're an economics major?
You might be making it too hard on yourself. Sissy.
THE JUMPS.
Meaning they fired whoever designed Meat Circus?
Every time this guy starts a new project, it is awesome. Why screw ourselves out of future franchises by insisting he succumb to the sequel-mania of the tired industry he is standing apart from so well? He's said that he doesn't like the idea of making sequels, and I agree fully, for this reason: If he had made Full Throttle 2, there wouldn't have been a Grim Fandango. If he had made Grim Fandango 2 there wouldn't have been a Psychonauts. If he had made Psychonauts 2 there would be no Brutal Legend.
The guy clearly has no shortage of ideas. Let him do his thing by his own momentum.
This is probably the best rationale against Schafer sequels I've ever heard.
why?
We don't know if it isn't a new Psychonauts project.
It looks like it's either a port or a sequel.
That would be all well and good if the end of the first psychonauts didn't allude to a sequel.
Rumour squash and yams.
I don't mind allusions to sequels, but I was perfectly satisfied with how it ended, and felt like it was a self-contained work. I'd much rather he move on and spin off some other new and imaginative idea than rehash an old one -- even though that "old" one would still be better than the majority of the drek out there.
Don't get me wrong, I'd fully expect any Psychonauts sequel to bear only a hint of a distinct resemblance to its predecessor. So I suppose the sequel would be one in plot and name only...