Dead Space Extraction producer confident about sales despite GTA: Chinatown Wars

by JC Fletcher { Apr 27th 2009 at 9:02AM }

Steve Papoutsis, producer of Dead Space Extraction, isn't concerned about the disappointing sales of recent Mature-rated games on Nintendo platforms.

Talking to VG247 about MadWorld on the Wii and Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars on the DS, Papoutsis said, "I think that's happening because of what people are looking to buy, I guess." In contrast, "I think with our game right now I think we're hitting on something that's really interesting and really fun, and we're hitting on the atmosphere and the visuals that people have started to associate with Dead Space." It's hard to believe that Grand Theft Auto just wasn't what people were "looking to buy," and an unexplainable not-really-rail-shooter is, but he could be on to something! Or he could have just decided not to tell VG247 how scared he really was.

Papoutsis also extolled the cooperative play found in Extraction: "I love the Wii, I love Nintendo. I love all the platforms, but I really want something that I can play co-operatively on the Wii with a friend that hits that sweet spot I think Dead Space: Extraction is in."

Gallery: Dead Space: Extraction

Tags: dead-space-extraction, ea, gta-chinatown-wars, madworld, steve-papoutsis

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

t_m @ Apr 27th 2009 9:13AM

GTA on the DS doesn't really seem remotely connected to sales on the Wii. the two have very different audiences. I somehow feel that Chinatown wars will do ok, games on the DS seem to have a much longer tail.

That said, extraction isn't likely to sell great on the Wii. Not particularly because its mature, but because I don't think people especially want another rail shooter right now... even if it looks pretty good for a rail shooter.

The problem with mature games on the Wii seems to be that their raison d'etre seems purely to be "mature". (plus Madworld and Overkill were always gonna be niche due to their style - can't imagine they'd have done better on other consoles).

Grown up games, or at least non-kiddie games should do fine on the Wii, and indeed have done so. CoD, Metroid, RE4, Force Unleashed, etc.. have sold pretty good. Not amazing, but not bad.

danrenfroe2016 @ Apr 27th 2009 9:24AM

Exactly what I was saying!

Kenology18 @ Apr 27th 2009 11:21AM

Well said.

danrenfroe2016 @ Apr 27th 2009 9:23AM

Well, I really Think that there is a big disconnect her between bloggers, developers and the consumers.

Its like the developers thank that if they are gong to do a mature game it has to have the F-word in it 60 times and they have to overdue the blood or violence to extreme levels. The bloggers encourage this. But the developers keep peddling party games.

I mean what happened to games like Geist, Doom 64, Goldeneye, Perfect Dark, Resident Evil 4? It seams the devs will not make games like this for the Wii.

For Instance I am not interested at all in buying Madworld, gran theft auto or games by Suda 7. They are a bit over the top for me. Cant see playing these every day.

I am however looking forward to The Conduit. I really liked the the whole Red Steel thing (except for that it was barely playable.) Maybe Red Steel 2 will be better.

I really hope the Conduit does well. Having said that I hope that Madworld and Gran theft Auto does well too. As the mature games selling well will invite more to come play.

t_m @ Apr 27th 2009 9:25AM

Tho umbrella chronicles didn't sell too bad, so who knows...

(imho a few standard FPS/Action games released on the wii would do wonders to open it up as a viable platform for more "mature" games. They shouldn't be SoF style gore filled games, simply Halo/Metroid style T rated FPS games. )

acefondu @ Apr 27th 2009 9:30AM

I want Deadspace Extraction. And on GTA, I just didn't want it. I'm firstly not a huge GTA fan, and secondly just didn't care about it. I'm a Nintendo fan yes, and buy the hardcore games mostly. GTA DS just didn't appeal to me at all. Hardcore gamers do not have to buy ALL the hardcore games, lol.

Professor Lario @ Apr 27th 2009 10:57AM

I am not a huge GTA fan either, but am enjoying Chinatown Wars. I am very impressed with the visuals they were able to get. Gameplay is good as well.

acefondu @ Apr 27th 2009 10:59AM

A friend of mine was also quite pleased with GTA DS. I'll probably end up waiting for a price drop since I just spent a lot recently on Street Fighter IV and arcade sticks.

EDW @ Apr 27th 2009 9:32AM

the co-op sounds cool, but it's not going to sell copies of this game. i don't see how anyone could be optimistic for extraction's sales after madworld and house of the dead pretty much flopped.

Mr. Fister @ Apr 27th 2009 9:38AM

Wii games like these tend to do this. They start out with low sales, but eventually claw their to decent sales. Just because it didn't sell over a million copies on its first day doesn't mean it's doomed to obscurity.

acefondu @ Apr 27th 2009 9:40AM

Mad World had next to no advertising. It was like Okami (made by the same team). Great game that sold only through word of mouth. Also, most people that read about the game read how short it was, and probably just rented it. I bought it and still haven't beat it because college absorbs my life....and street fighter....shhh...

Brian @ Apr 27th 2009 10:37AM

First, can we stop with the term "hardcore?" So-called "hardcore" players are as much a niche as any other -- this is why games are so easily labelled "hardcore." A true hardcore gamer, in my view, would purchase any game, any genre. Madden and Animal Crossing should be considered "hardcore" as much as Call of Duty or Halo.

Second, Madworld and House of the Dead are hyper-stylized games, they're violent for violence's sake, and their content made them almost impossible to properly advertise. We haven't seen a mainstream mature effort on the Wii yet. The Conduit - perhaps in part because it's somewhat generic - fits the bill of mainstream. We'll see how that sells. And Chinatown Wars might have been GTA, and might be well-reviewed, but people don't want to play GTA on the DS. They want it on a console. Or at least, it being handheld is a turn-off. That game as it's known now is made for a big screen and full realized 3-D world.

Third, Dead Space isn't the biggest name on the planet; combined PS3 and 360, it seems to have sold about as well as Umbrella Chronicles and RE: 4 Wii (a port of an old game!). It would be unreasonable to expect crazy sales for Extraction, but 200,000 in the first month is entirely doable.

Finally, with the influx of more adult content on the Wii this year, it's reasonable to think these games will have longer lives. People who buy and enjoy The Conduit later this year may, having dusted off their Wii, go back and see what else has come out lately. The content will and is certainly getting people more invested in the system, and there's a steady stream of adult content (HOTD --> Madworld --> Conduit --> Dead Space --> Darkside Chronicles; I'm sure I'm missing something). And the development costs of these games are smaller than on 360/PS3 (smaller development teams, lower cost thanks to not being HD, etc).

If I were Steve Papoutsis, I wouldn't be worried.

acefondu @ Apr 28th 2009 11:40AM

http://www.vgcats.com/comics/

I have to agree with vgcats on this one.

Jason Statham (Aka Vegeta) @ Apr 27th 2009 10:37AM

If they want this game to sell at least decently, they do have to push this game to people who have no idea what Dead Space is.

Developers need to look at the mistakes their competitors are making(not advertising) istead of leaving it all to chance and hope to god that the hardcore gamers who do own Wiis will play the game.

sam @ Apr 27th 2009 12:38PM

Yes, that's really important - their audience are Wii owners and by definition, these aren't people who are likely to have heard of Dead Space.

David Black @ Apr 27th 2009 10:38AM

I love how everyone is mentioning the "tail sales" for Wii/DS games. Yes, it is true that the first month's sales numbers aren't half of the total sales like a Gears or Halo, but those sales that come 10 months after the release data are typically at a much lower price point. This is a disincentive to retailers to stock these games as they don't want to have to clearance them out or substantially drop their price to move copies. This week Best Buy has GTA:CW on sale for $20, which is a discount of 43% off MSRP for a AAA (by handheld standards) game that has been out ONE MONTH. Please show me another GTA game where this was the case.

So yes, these games will sell hundreds of thousands of copies over their retail lifespan, however you really have to ask if there is an audience for Mature rated games for Nintendo systems at the full MSRP price point?

Rob @ Apr 27th 2009 10:48AM

I think the fact that the economy sucks has at least partly to do with it. They need to have a reason to get people into stores, and this is how they do it. A large chunk of that 20 probably goes to the developer anyway.

Mr Khan @ Apr 27th 2009 11:33AM

They have no reason to worry, so long as the game itself is compelling, gets some solid advertising, and isn't too niche

Meet those criteria and you'll do fine. Seems to be a market for this sort of thing on Wii anyway.

Cellien @ Apr 27th 2009 12:02PM

Ultimately, I want the game to sell well for EA and Wii owners, BUT if there is any reason inside of me that is somewhat satisfied with low sales, it's the hardcore gamer inside me that is worried that Nintendo is shaping the market and eventually all console makers will be targeting the "casual" audience instead of the hardcore gamers. If sales aren't great, to me it signifies that hardcore gamers want hardcore games on their "hardcore consoles" instead of these versions that aren't the original, full experience only because of the hardware's limitations (or features ie. motion controls).

blunted666 @ Apr 27th 2009 1:47PM

well, since ninty is using the blue ocean strategy, then once other developers starting crowding the casual market and leaving the core market open, ninty would then go to core, which would be the new blue ocean. the market has a way of working itself out. if there are people willing to buy core titles then there won't be any shortage of people willing to make them

Maulok @ Apr 27th 2009 12:08PM

I think everyone who played Dead Space wants a sequel. Few, if any, of them wanted it to be on Wii. None of them wanted an on-rails shooter. Maybe a quarter of them will buy it just for a Dead Space fix.

Based on that equation, I'm guessing early sales top out at 100k.

MRLN @ Apr 27th 2009 12:52PM

I'd buy this if I had the money.

But I don't. Sorry, EA. This game is a lot more "mainstream" mature than Madworld or House of the Dead, though, and it really does look interesting. I would expect slow and long sales for this one, too.

Mike @ Apr 27th 2009 1:28PM

I'm gonna get this

intro94 @ Apr 27th 2009 2:07PM

so the interviewer asks how he feels comparing the sales from games from other genres and consoles but fails to mention that HOTD (ON RAILS MATURE JUST RELEASED) is seling like hotcakes?Retarded.

Letters2Kay @ Apr 27th 2009 3:58PM

I LOVED Dead Space on the PS3, but it takes a lot for me to even look at a Wii game these days, and once I heard "rail shooter," I was totally turned off. I bought my Wii for Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (though it was more for my kids) and I can't even play the game. I've heard many people say that light gun games are a "no brainer" on the Wii, but the sensor bar cannot accurately track movement to the left and right of the screen, meaning that if you have a gun peripheral for Wii, the experience of looking down the sights of the gun is utterly broken. All I'm really interested in on the Wii at this point are Murumasa (Wavebird control, FTW) and Fatal Frame, which I will probably never see unless I suddenly learn Japanese and import it. Nintendo has really let me down with the Wii in several areas, but at least my kids have gotten our money's worth out of this lame POS. Don't even get me started on the ugly, last-gen graphics...

BenHo @ Apr 27th 2009 6:25PM

I'm not looking forward to this because ...

dun dun DUN

Dead Space sucked. Seriously, it wasn't even scary, and I'm VERY easily scared.
At this point, I feel that all 3 consoles have really shitty libraries. The fact that anyone is happy with the current generation of games blows my fucking mind.