Namco Bandai Blames Enslaved's Low Sales on Poor Timing

[Logan Westbrook]

Namco Bandai Blames Enslaved's Low Sales on Poor Timing

According to the game's publisher, Enslaved got lost among all the other games that came out at the same time.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West [http://www.amazon.com/Enslaved-Odyssey-West-Playstation-3/dp/B00319DX4M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297439860&sr=8-1] was something of a disappointment [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/107515-Enslaved-Sales-Fail-to-Hit-Half-Million-Mark] for Namco Bandai, at least in terms of sales. But according to Carson Choi, Namco Bandai's VP of marketing, Enslaved's less than amazing figures were the result of bad timing.

Choi said the Enslaved's low sales were in no way a reflection of the game's quality, and referred to the warm response it had received from critics as proof. He said that the problem was that Namco Bandai hadn't picked a very good time to launch the game, which meant that it had come out in a very busy holiday season. He said that picking the right time to get games to market was vital, and the experience with Enslaved had proven that the publisher needed to get a lot better at it.

It might sound like Choi is making excuses, but if you look at the games that were released at around the same time as Enslaved, he does kind of have a point. Halo: Reach [http://www.amazon.com/Halo-Reach-Xbox-360/dp/B002BSA20M/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1297439923&sr=1-1], Dead Rising 2 [http://www.amazon.com/Dead-Rising-2-Xbox-360/dp/B002EE5ROO/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1297439892&sr=1-1], Medal of Honor [http://www.amazon.com/Medal-Honor-Playstation-3/dp/B002ZJNWWC/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1297439958&sr=1-1] and Fallout: New Vegas [http://www.amazon.com/Fallout-New-Vegas-Xbox-360/dp/B0028IBTL6/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1297439984&sr=1-1] all came out within a few weeks of Enslaved. Not only that, but Call of Duty: Black Ops [http://www.amazon.com/Call-Duty-Black-Ops-Xbox-360/dp/B003JVKHEQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1297440008&sr=1-1], Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood [http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Creed-Brotherhood-Xbox-360/dp/B003L8HQ7S/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1297440036&sr=1-1], Gran Turismo 5 [http://www.amazon.com/Gran-Turismo-5-Playstation-3/dp/B002BSA1C6/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1297440060&sr=1-1] and Epic Mickey [http://www.amazon.com/Disney-Epic-Mickey-Nintendo-Wii/dp/B002I0GEXM/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1297440080&sr=1-1] all came out the following month.

The release window won't be the only reason why Enslaved didn't sell, but at the same time, it can't have helped. It also explains why Namco Bandai is looking at the game as the first in a series [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/107354-Namco-Bandai-Proud-of-Enslaved-Considering-Franchise-Potential]. If the publisher thinks that the low sales were because it slipped up, and not because people didn't like the game, then it makes a lot more sense for it to be thinking in terms of sequels.

Source: Silconera [http://www.siliconera.com/2011/02/10/namco-bandais-iwai-on-western-development-and-the-future-of-enslaved/]


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[cynicalsaint1]

You know ... why not release your new IP in January or ... well really any time that isn't the winter holiday season? It'd be nice to have a more spread out release schedule for a change.

 

[Quiet Stranger]

I don't know, from what Yahtzee said it sucked ass with the camera controls and also the whole explosive collar is ass, least i think so.

 

[Yvl9921]

NOOOOOOOO

SHIIIIIIIIT.

There was a gap of about 5 months where there were no good games released last year except Red Dead Redemption. I'd've bought a game that merely piqued my curiosity for the whole $60 on the day of release I was so desperate for a new game then.

 

[Serioli]

In the UK at least, about the time of school summer holidays would be good. It's our 'drought time'

 

[Lord Beautiful]

I can tell you why I didn't buy it. I played the demo.

 

[Tim Latshaw]

Alternate headline: Namco Bandai Keeps Making Me Feel Guilty for Not Buying Enslaved Yet

 

[D_987]

I played the demo, it wasnt the timing, but the game.
Waaaay to easy. Easy game + linear gameplay + zero reasons to replay = crap.
Dont blame people not buying it, bargin bin maybe, but its not that good.

If you'd played the full game you'd see just how little perspective the demo actually gives you. The demo is poor yes, but the game itself isn't bargin bin quality...

 

[Armored Prayer]

Yeah they should of released it earlier like maybe early to late August.

Oh well I hope they learn from this and try to time it properly.

 

[Bobzer77]

I actually really liked it.

 

[Tipsy Giant]

see i think it was shit character design, just look at it, why has character design not changed since 1995?

 

[Fatal-X]

Played the demo - I thought the game was weak. Also that redhead was annoying imo.

 

[WorkerMurphey]

I'm a person that might have bought Enslaved if not for all the other games mentioned in the article. That's due as much to timing as the fact that some of those other games are of greater value on release day.

A linear game with no multiplayer and less than 15 hours of gameplay = a $25 or less purchase for me, and that's assuming there's some sort of hook like pretty graphics or an interesting story.

Sorry Enslaved, you're on my to-play-list but you're not coming up soon.

 

[Pengowen]

Recently having been able to play it, I can say it was an even mix of launch date failure and 'meh' quality gaming that led to this ones downfall.

 

[Therumancer]

Well there are multiple issues here. One of them is simply that if they are facing that much competition then umm... compete, lower your prices as far as you can while still making a profit. That's how the market in the US at least is supposed to work. When every game is costing $60 irregardless of actual development cost, and everyone keeps to the same prices, it DOES mean you have cases where products are going to get boned unfairly just as much as it works to "ensure" the highest possible profit margins. If they think it had to do with the competition, they are probably right to some extent, but it's their own fault for cooperating with industry-wide price fixing.

That said, as I've commented before, this game reeks absolute retardedness. Sorry if that is harsh, but I can't think of any way to say it. As I've pointed out in other threads it's hard to really get a feel for an idea when you pretty much buy all the critics and reviewers that matter so that they are singing your praises. That means there is nobody there to tell you "this idea sounds stupid" when your making the game (and before your too comitted). This also extends into reception, I mean after release you can't really expect all the people who were paid off to say the game is anything but good afte things like the Gerstmann scandal over "Kane and Lynch".

What we're looking at is another retread of "Journey To The West" which sounds really exotic and like it might be something western fanboys are unfamiliar with and might like especially with that Manga and Anime obsession... until you realize there were like a hundred people who did variations and reimaginings of it for the same reason before you. Heck we have the "Dragonball" franchise generating memes like crazy, anime like "Soul Hunter" and "Saiyuki" (the latter of which is on Netflix), and all kinds of stuff. Heck, Jet Li played "The Monkey King" in a disneyesque kung-fu movie alongside Jackie Chan a few years back (the name eludes me as the moment).

Really, the only thing about "Enslaved" that was remotely noteworthy was the "contreversy" of the girl putting a collar on this guy and turning him into a slave (which you know, is why they creatively call the game "enslaved"). Not that enslaving people with high tech collars is anything but an overused stereotype that has been popping up everywhere too.

What's more when you have a guy called "Monkey" (and yes I know why... but still) I'm not sure if you can question why this didn't have tons of people running out to buy this game.

The whole thing pretty much reeked "budget bin fodder at the best" from the beginning when it was first being planned. While there were a few people talking about it, it also seemed to have a lukewarm response at best, something that probably could have been determined if the company bothered to pay attention and didn't label anything they didn't want to hear as being "Contrarian".

These are my thoughts at any rate.

The company will not listen, but I'll tell them what they need to do: abandon any idea of making this into a series, and try a differant original IP. No really, your deluding yourself that this is a good game even if a comittee tells you so. It's sort of like the delusional behavior over "Kane and Lynch" where they got roasted, convinced themselves that it was actually a good game, and made another one which was even worse. Someone out there is probably thinking "gee, that was actually a good game, let's make a Kane and Lynch 3, maybe it will do better this time". Chasing an Enslaved franchise is going to waste a lot of money and lead to ridicule, no matter how much advertising and how many critics are bought to tell you it's a good idea in a public fashion.

 

[JPArbiter]

I know I enjoyed enslaved greatly and I always recommend it to someone looking for a decent single player experience.

 

[D_987]

In the demo if you cant see where to go, just tap the button and move the analouge stick in all directions, you cant fail... I didnt even die.

Like I said, the demo gives you little perspective of the actual game - the game stops using platforming as its main gameplay mechanic a chapter or two in.

 

[D_987]

As I've pointed out in other threads it's hard to really get a feel for an idea when you pretty much buy all the critics and reviewers that matter so that they are singing your praises.

Maybe your comments would be of more value if you could prove this wide-spread corruption...or maybe, just maybe, the critics might actually have enjoyed the game - you didn't, that's fine, but accusing people of corruption because they disagree with your opinion of a game, with no evidence, is just childish.