GTA: Chinatown Wars Sales Tank Badly

[Andy Chalk]

GTA: Chinatown Wars Sales Tank Badly

Despite being the highest-rated title in the history of the Nintendo DS, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars [http://www.rockstargames.com/chinatownwars/] has suffered from "very disappointing" sales, leading analysts to cut the game's annual sales projections by as much as 75 percent.

Analysts including Jesse Divnich of the NPD [http://www.eedar.com/] numbers the game managed to sell only 89,000 copies.

Creutz said the "very disappointing" sales, which occurred despite the huge popularity of the Grand Theft Auto franchise and a flood of Take-Two [http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ds/grandtheftautochinatownwars?q=chinatown%20wars] exported their most valuable IP onto the most widely distributed gaming platform and created the most highly-rated title in the history of that platform," he said. "We knew there were some uphill challenges due to the demographics of the platform, but believed there were enough core gamers/adults owning a DS that the title could still perform very well."

"However, either the demographics are more challenging than we thought, or core gamers did not view the title as an essential purchase due to the nature of the platform," he added.

Creutz said the surprisingly poor sales of Chinatown Wars had led him to drastically cut the game's first-year sales projections, from two million units down to only 500,000. "We believe the experiment was a worthwhile one for Take-Two and still expect the title to be profitable (though likely marginally so)," he noted. "However, the disappointing first month sales reinforce our view that achieving meaningful success on Nintendo [http://www.nintendo.com] platforms remains a very difficult proposition for third party publishers."

Souce: GamesIndustry [http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/gta-chinatown-wars-sales-a-disappointment]


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[NewClassic_v1legacy]

I feel like this was a great example of a self-defeating concept. Gamers constantly complain that Nintendo's consoles and concepts are too kiddy, and that core gamers avoid them because of that label.

Then, as Yahtzee proves with his opening statements in his Mad World review, when they do break the mold and work against the label, they continue to complain. So they don't want exclusive adult-only titles on the Wii or DS, but they still want them...

Paradoxical expectations aside, the reason GTA:CW didn't do well is because the core gamers aren't among the many that own the DS. That means games like these won't begin to sell well. The problem is they easily could, if more titles of this sort were released on the DS. Gamers usually need more than a single "killer app" to be sold on a console (especially in the low-income overview of our current economic outlook), so Chinatown Wars couldn't sell non-DS owners on the DS. If more titles of the sort came out, then more core gamers will have the DS.

The problem is several need to show up at once. Because of poor sales as it stands now, though, there's little marketable incentive to continue with the market. If the market grows, though, so will the capital.

 

[GoldenShadow]

The thing is, the Nintendo core fanbase doesn't play GTA, they play Mario and Zelda.

 

[WrongSprite]

The thing is, the Nintendo core fanbase doesn't play GTA, they play Mario and Zelda.

This. The majority of DS owners are under 18. Hell, half the ones i know are under 12.

 

[tendo82]

What I take from this, is that the DS seems to have a lot of hardcore gamers on it, but they are very different than the GTA buying crowd. I mean the fact that the DS was able to support not one but two Etrian Odyssey's says that it's more than just a casual gamer's platform. But that being said, people who love Etrian Odyssey and Dragon Quest V remakes are not the same people who necessarily are interested in the GTA series.

I guess it just shows how dangerous it is to use catchall terms like hardcore when you're trying to define a potential sales audience. Granted, I'm not saying Rockstar actually did that.

 

[uppitycracker]

I guess I'm the exact opposite of what all the commenters here are talking about. I have all the systems, grew up on nintendo but tend to drift towards other types of games these days. Absolutely love the GTA franchise, played em all (aside from those horrible PSP ports) from the very first one. I plan on getting this game, it's just a matter of priorities right now. I make decent money, but I'm waiting just a little bit longer to pick this up. Game seems amazing, and give it time, it'll start making some sales, I'm sure. I can imagine one of the things keeping people so on the fence about this one is the fact that most GTA players these days never played, or just plain didn't like, the old 2-d style. But who knows. Either way, I agree that it is disappointing.

 

[keyton777]

i was going to say something, but you guys summed it up pretty well

 

[bodyklok]

I blame Yahtzee's review. Stoped me form buying the game.

 

[deathstrikesquirrel]

Paradoxical expectations aside, the reason GTA:CW didn't do well is because the core gamers aren't among the many that own the DS. That means games like these won't begin to sell well. The problem is they easily could, if more titles of this sort were released on the DS. Gamers usually need more than a single "killer app" to be sold on a console (especially in the low-income overview of our current economic outlook), so Chinatown Wars couldn't sell non-DS owners on the DS. If more titles of the sort came out, then more core gamers will have the DS.

I reject the assertion that Core gamers do not own the nintendo DS, My friends and I all have a Nintendo DS and we still consider ourselves core gamers.

Rather, Nintendo doesn't need to fight against the label but go with it by releasing kid friendly games that anyone's little brother or sister can play, but they also need to put a deeper element in it for perfectionist gamers and layer several challenges underneath the primary goal to make most of the 'Core gamers' here scream in frustration as they end up getting owned by a little kid's game.
example: Final fantasy tactics A2. A child could probably beat the main game with some patience, but its hook for fans of strategy role playing games are the boundless side quests and the expansive job system with which a 'core gamer' could tweak their perfect party and culminate it all in a battle with six level 99 mages

 

[Randomologist]

The thing is, the Nintendo core fanbase doesn't play GTA, they play Mario and Zelda.

This. The majority of DS owners are under 18. Hell, half the ones i know are under 12.

That is, I think only half of the story. Like the Wii, the DS seems to have tapped into the new "casual gaming" market. Old-school board games, retro arcade games, that brain training one plus all its cousins. Some of the older folk I know have a DS themselves, and they arent in the slightest bit interested in playing games like GTA.

 

[wordsmith]

Completely off topic, but would saying it "tanks badly" mean that it fails to draw aggro or that it draws aggro and dies?

 

[Spyalt]

The thing is, the Nintendo core fanbase doesn't play GTA, they play Mario and Zelda.

This. The majority of DS owners are under 18. Hell, half the ones i know are under 12.

At least attempt to support your statements with facts, this is the escapist after all.

 

[deathstrikesquirrel]

I think it means in the way you tank a test, or Epic Fail

 

[Same River New Water]

What I take from this, is that the DS seems to have a lot of hardcore gamers on it, but they are very different than the GTA buying crowd. I mean the fact that the DS was able to support not one but two Etrian Odyssey's says that it's more than just a casual gamer's platform. But that being said, people who love Etrian Odyssey and Dragon Quest V remakes are not the same people who necessarily are interested in the GTA series.

I guess it just shows how dangerous it is to use catchall terms like hardcore when you're trying to define a potential sales audience. Granted, I'm not saying Rockstar actually did that.

That's exactly what I was wondering about. There are a lot of "hardcore" games on the DS... just a different kind of hardcore, apparently.

I'm floored by this result. With all the critical acclaim I just assumed it was selling well. I bought it and I'm loving it, so don't blame me, Rockstar! D:

The majority of DS owners are under 18. Hell, half the ones i know are under 12.

At least attempt to support your statements with facts

He did. Anecdotal evidence is still evidence.

 

[Spyalt]

The majority of DS owners are under 18. Hell, half the ones i know are under 12.

At least attempt to support your statements with facts

He did. Anecdotal evidence is still evidence.

True. However it does not fully back up such a sweeping statement. If he had proved survey results on the other hand...

 

[Aardvark Soup]

I'd say piracy is to blame for this, since most of this game's target audience has a R4. If you happen to belong to them, you should be ashamed.

 

[AlexTheBucket2112]

This is expected (from me anyway) I never had much hope for this game.

 

[Anachronism]

How did Nintendo not see this coming? It's the only game on the DS of its type, and DS owners have proved time and time again that they aren't interested in this sort of game.

 

[RheynbowDash]

Completely off topic, but would saying it "tanks badly" mean that it fails to draw aggro or that it draws aggro and dies?

This comment Fails.

On Topic: I love my DS and im 23 years old. i own all the Pokemon games, as well as some of the other games like Trama Center, Brain Age, etc. The DS is geared toward the casual gamers because its easy to pick up and play. Games like GTA are very complicated. People that own the DS dont like to think while they play. My girlfriend and I enjoy playing Mario Kart on plane rides and buses. The DS is a great handheld. Just wanted to add my 2 cents.