Catherine Propels Itself Into Atlus' Record Books

[Logan Westbrook]

Catherine Propels Itself Into Atlus' Record Books

Atlus says that Catherine has exceeded its "highest expectations."

Catherine [http://www.amazon.com/Catherine-Playstation-3/dp/B004P7VGF2/ref=amb_link_357066002_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=right-4&pf_rd_r=00B5JJ0YPY36X38G8FX6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1313199462&pf_rd_i=507846] might seem like a niche game, but according to Atlus, the erotic thriller/puzzle game/relationship simulator has found a bigger audience than the publisher ever expected. In fact, it's had the biggest launch of any Atlus game to date.

In a statement, vice president of sales and marketing Tim Pivnicny, said that Catherine has exceeded Atlus' highest expectations. He said that not only had Catherine been the most successful game launch in the company's 20-year history, it was continuing to sell well. He was pleased at the response the game had received from critics and fans alike, which he thought had been helped in no small part by the demo released on PSN and Xbox Live a few weeks before the game's launch.

Pivnicny didn't supply exact sales numbers for Catherine, nor did he reveal sales targets, so it's hard to gauge exactly how successful the game really was. All the same, it's heartening that there's a market for games that stray outside the normal subject matter of epic battles and gritty warfare, even if it's comparatively small.

Catherine is already available in North America, and is making its way to Europe at some point in the future.

Source: IGN [http://uk.ps3.ign.com/articles/118/1185654p1.html]


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[RedEyesBlackGamer]

This news pleases me. A game I like is selling well, this can only do good things for the release of Persona 5, and it could encourage them to keep bringing over games that they would usually shy away from.

 

[Lullabye]

Good, hopefully this will encourage more companies to make more varied triple A titles. Also, I can see how the demo helped, since I myself played it and afterwards was dead set on buying it.
Atlus <3

 

[Delock]

I suspect this has to do a lot with the amount of hype it got. I feel like it got a lot more news pieces than any Atlus game I can remember. Hell, it was advertised in another one of their games.

This news pleases me. A game I like is selling well, this can only do good things for the release of Persona 5, and it could encourage them to keep bringing over games that they would usually shy away from.

This is the rest of my opinion on the subject.

 

[Gather]

And if it ever gets released on Steam you could have another Recettear on our hands.

 

[TimeLord]

Catherine is already available in North America, and is making its way to Europe at some point in the future.

Yay! I was looking for Catherine in UK game retailers when it was released in America with a small amount of hope. I was crushed.

 

[Dreiko_v1legacy]

Yeah, great game, it seems the "anime-ness" of it didn't drive away enough people to make this a cult classic with terrible sales. Lets just hope they keep making the games they have been.

I suspect this has to do a lot with the amount of hype it got. I feel like it got a lot more news pieces than any Atlus game I can remember. Hell, it was advertised in another one of their games.

This news pleases me. A game I like is selling well, this can only do good things for the release of Persona 5, and it could encourage them to keep bringing over games that they would usually shy away from.

This is the rest of my opinion on the subject.

Well, Digital Devil Saga was advertised in Nocturne, that wasn't the key.

 

[Pyroguekenesis]

Anything ATLUS releases always is a guarantee to be unique and different from any other company - Congrats to you guys! Oh! And I am still waiting for your next P4 anime trailers for me to upload xD

 

[Beryl77]

I'd really like to play it, unfortunately I don't own any of the consoles. If it did so well, maybe they'll consider a PC version at some point in the future.

 

[AyreonMaiden]

Fantastic news. I've been shilling this game to everyone as if I'd developed it myself. I feel so strongly about it. It's undoubtedly one of the most original games I've played this gen, or well, any gen, really.

It's time now for Atlus to become who they were born to be, and accept the responsibility of single-handedly reviving the JRPG with Persona 5.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Well, considering that Atlus was on the verge of closing its doors, I don't think their expectations were high, still, I reckon that it's a great game on its own.

 

[ace_of_something]

The demo is actually what convinced me not to buy the game. At least not for full price. Maybe when it's in a greatest hits bargin bin for $15.

I grew up playing adventure games on the PC and I was under the impression for a while that this would be some sort of adventure game with 'puzzles' not the same climbing puzzle (as in a puzzle game) framed in a choose your own adventure story.

While I appreciate the trying something new, and I'm thrilled that it's selling well. Nice to see something different making bank.

I still think the game isn't very fun.

 

[luvd1]

Welcome back Japan. You had me worried there for a decade with your lazy, lazy unimaginative clones and FF games. Now perhaps western games will stop making lazy, lazy unimaginative clones and COD.

 

[ANImaniac89]

Cool hopefully this will show the games industry can release a game that isn't a dog shit brown current war or fictitious revival of the cold wars FPS and have it sell well.

 

[Justanothergamer300]

It's still hard as hell but it was worth it. Now that I think about it that was the first Atlus game I ever bought. Wonder what else they have?

 

[hazabaza1]

I approve greatly.
Now get around to finding an EU publisher and start making Persona 5 please.
And please be on 360.
[sub][sub]Please.[/sub][/sub]

 

[ProfessorLayton]

Even if we don't know exactly how well the game did, this is still good news. Unfortunately, I don't really have the money to buy it just yet so I don't even know if the game was any good or not, but I do like what it represents. We're seeing more and more "obscure" games like L.A. Noire and this one getting attention and even if they are garbage it shows that people are kind of tired of shooter after shooter.

 

[CodeOrange]

And if it ever gets released on Steam you could have another Recettear on our hands.

Is Recettear really worth playing?

To me it was just horrible cutscenes with done-to-death anime cliches that would make anyone who has picked up a book or seen more than just Naruto and the 90's classics want to slaughter the mainstream market, coupled with uninteresting shop gameplay, unrefined and tedious fighting and an overall pointless hub/world screen.

But that's just my opinion.