SEGA: HOTD has done very well, Mad World is very encouraging

SEGA - no talk of Mario and Sonic working together outside of an Olympic setting, House of the Dead: Overkill sales met expectations, MadWorld sales encouraging with franchise hopes
April 6th, 2009
A portion of a VentureBeat interview with Sean Ratcliffe, vice president of marketing at Sega of America...

VB: Do you see this Mario & Sonic franchise as something that can continue beyond the Beijing and Vancouver Olympic Games?

SR: I think the key factor that decides the ongoing building of this franchise is basically success. Is the game successful? Are consumers happy with it? It's quite a long list of people who are involved in making that game, from the IOC (International Olympic Committee) to ISM (International Sports Multimedia) to Nintendo to Sega. We see this as an ongoing franchise, but we can't comment about future Olympic events. We've not spoken to the right people about that yet, and it would be wrong of us to sort of speculate around that. But clearly, this is a franchise that resonates well with gamers, and we're very pleased of our success to date.

VB: Does this partnership with Nintendo open up the possibility of seeing those two characters together in something outside of an Olympics setting?

SR: Currently the plan is purely Olympic Games, and it would be wrong of me to speculate about whether there is going to be Mario & Sonic, this, that, or the other.

VB: Sega is also going after the core audience with games like House of the Dead: Overkill and Mad World. How are consumers responding to those Mature-rated titles?

SR: House of the Dead has done very well and has absolutely met our expectations. The first set of data for Mad World is very encouraging, as well.

VB: Do you see franchise potential for Mad World with sequels?

SR: If it resonates with the audience, yes, we absolutely want to make that into a franchise. I think it's unique, and there are many aspects of that game which are sort of pushing boundaries. And it's just great fun.

Link here

Good to hear that HOTD sold well and that Mad World sales are encouraging. I hope it continues to sell a few months from now like many Wii games have been doing.

I hope this isn't SEGA PR just running around doing damage control for making these Wii exclusives. The last few reports I read contradict strong sales, but I do hope these games find homes.

I own both.

I hope this isn't SEGA PR just running around doing damage control for making these Wii exclusives. The last few reports I read contridict strong sales, but I do hope these games find homes.

I own both.

SolidTy

What reports are those?

I hope this isn't SEGA PR just running around doing damage control for making these Wii exclusives. The last few reports I read contridict strong sales, but I do hope these games find homes.

I own both.

SolidTy

Madworld's sales are horrible

They're hoping something happens with it but as of now that game is crashing and burning

[QUOTE="SolidTy"]

I hope this isn't SEGA PR just running around doing damage control for making these Wii exclusives. The last few reports I read contridict strong sales, but I do hope these games find homes.

I own both.

Zhengi

What reports are those?

50% off in UK a couple of weeks after release is not indicative of strong sales. InsaneBasura

[QUOTE="SolidTy"]

I hope this isn't SEGA PR just running around doing damage control for making these Wii exclusives. The last few reports I read contridict strong sales, but I do hope these games find homes.

I own both.

Animal-Mother

Did you own an SNES, Genesis, or play arcade games in the late 80's early 90's? Madworld really has that brawler of yesteryear feel, but oozes it's own st.yle. MW Is a brawler from those days, a Beatem up, You have lives, you can pick up health, weapons, power-ups, you have a "High Score" to worry about...It's also very violent, but worth it. It's short, but if you get it for $30-$40, it's a title that you will be proud to own, assuming you aren't squeemish.

Both Sega games are very short, but have lot's of st.yle but this game isn't a real SEGA game, it's a PLATINUM game, so it's very special.

The real gem to watch for is Bayonetta.

[QUOTE="Zhengi"]

[QUOTE="SolidTy"]

I hope this isn't SEGA PR just running around doing damage control for making these Wii exclusives. The last few reports I read contridict strong sales, but I do hope these games find homes.

I own both.

InsaneBasura

What reports are those?

The UK is only one country, admittedly the 2nd biggest market now. We still don't have US numbers and other numbers from other countries.

Madworld would make such a good PSN and Xbox live title and it would Help sales a lot.gerard-williams

[QUOTE="gerard-williams"]Madworld would make such a good PSN and Xbox live title and it would Help sales a lot.Zhengi

Especially PSN, Sony has no limits to size, as you can see with Giant titles like BURNOUT, Warhawk, and SOCOM being available.

That seems like a good idea, M$ would probably lift any restrictions in size as well, it could be $20, and it would sell nicely, as long as they up the graphics, or bump up the resolution.

In it's current state, it wouldn't sell as a good HD $60 title, good for them Wii dudes though.

I'm thrilled that Nintendo have offered Sega (and PlatinumGames too) a platform to go wild on without worrying about bleeding money. I'm not Nintendo's biggest fan and there is definitely some room for improvement in the Wii's library, but I think this is a glimpse of the Wii's true potential. I'd love to see the system bring a new level of creative freedom to the gaming industry.

Madworld's sales are horrible

They're hoping something happens with it but as of now that game is crashing and burning

Jaysonguy

Well, I really can't tell whether this is damage control or truth or both. Anyway, call me when we have actually totals because these games will have a lot of shelf life.

[QUOTE="Jaysonguy"]

Madworld's sales are horrible

They're hoping something happens with it but as of now that game is crashing and burning

Bigboi500

That's a common tendency. Activision, EA, Ubisoft and more are dramatically cutting the price of their games. We are on recession.IronBass

The UK is only one country, admittedly the 2nd biggest market now. We still don't have US numbers and other numbers from other countries.

Zhengi

I like the part that says they want MadWorld to be a franchise.IronBass

I don't really know about a franchise, but man I'd LOVE more games with that graphic style that the game has, and the play style. Imagine even if they started taking comic book heroes, and making games with that look for them. Would be pretty awesome imo.

If it's so common you must have plenty of examples? InsaneBasura

[QUOTE="Zhengi"][QUOTE="gerard-williams"]Madworld would make such a good PSN and Xbox live title and it would Help sales a lot.SolidTy

Especially PSN, Sony has no limits to size, as you can see with Giant titles like BURNOUT, Warhawk, and SOCOM being available.

That seems like a good idea, M$ would probably lift any restrictions in size as well, it could be $20, and it would sell nicely, as long as they up the graphics, or bump up the resolution.

In it's current state, it wouldn't sell as a good HD $60 title, good for them Wii dudes though.

[QUOTE="Zhengi"]

The UK is only one country, admittedly the 2nd biggest market now. We still don't have US numbers and other numbers from other countries.

InsaneBasura

So 3 or 4 countries are suppose to represent the entire world? Especially considering that Wii games usually take a few months to see exactly how much have been sold since they are not as front loaded as 360 or PS3 games?

I think SEGA is holding some sort of event soon showcasing their games in San Fransisco.

In any case, I wish Valkyria Chronicles was "very encouraging." D:

[QUOTE="InsaneBasura"]If it's so common you must have plenty of examples? IronBass

I think SEGA is holding some sort of event soon showcasing their games in San Fransisco.

In any case, I wish Valkyria Chronicles was "very encouraging." D:

hakanakumono

sega: more rail shooters and less games like madworld coming up!

Dude those games are like five years old. As in not three weeks. A price drop after half a freakin year seems normal to me, if not unusually slow. A 50% drop after three weeks does not.InsaneBasura

[QUOTE="InsaneBasura"] [QUOTE="Zhengi"]

The UK is only one country, admittedly the 2nd biggest market now. We still don't have US numbers and other numbers from other countries.

Zhengi

So 3 or 4 countries are suppose to represent the entire world? Especially considering that Wii games usually take a few months to see exactly how much have been sold since they are not as front loaded as 360 or PS3 games?

prove this.

[QUOTE="InsaneBasura"] [QUOTE="Zhengi"]

The UK is only one country, admittedly the 2nd biggest market now. We still don't have US numbers and other numbers from other countries.

Zhengi

So 3 or 4 countries are suppose to represent the entire world? Especially considering that Wii games usually take a few months to see exactly how much have been sold since they are not as front loaded as 360 or PS3 games?

[QUOTE="Zhengi"]

[QUOTE="InsaneBasura"] The United Kingdom is actually four countries. The more you know. Great Britain is three. Britain is still three countries, or four, but for some reason not great. Who knows why. It's like birds. What are birds? We just don't know.

InsaneBasura

So 3 or 4 countries are suppose to represent the entire world? Especially considering that Wii games usually take a few months to see exactly how much have been sold since they are not as front loaded as 360 or PS3 games?

[QUOTE="InsaneBasura"] Dude those games are like five years old. As in not three weeks. A price drop after half a freakin year seems normal to me, if not unusually slow. A 50% drop after three weeks does not.IronBass

Wait! The price drop happened around the 3rd, so it's actually 2 weeks!

[QUOTE="Zhengi"]

[QUOTE="InsaneBasura"] The United Kingdom is actually four countries. The more you know. Great Britain is three. Britain is still three countries, or four, but for some reason not great. Who knows why. It's like birds. What are birds? We just don't know.

InsaneBasura

So 3 or 4 countries are suppose to represent the entire world? Especially considering that Wii games usually take a few months to see exactly how much have been sold since they are not as front loaded as 360 or PS3 games?

[QUOTE="IronBass"][QUOTE="InsaneBasura"] Dude those games are like five years old. As in not three weeks. A price drop after half a freakin year seems normal to me, if not unusually slow. A 50% drop after three weeks does not.InsaneBasura

[QUOTE="Zhengi"]

[QUOTE="InsaneBasura"] The United Kingdom is actually four countries. The more you know. Great Britain is three. Britain is still three countries, or four, but for some reason not great. Who knows why. It's like birds. What are birds? We just don't know.

Heydanbud92

So 3 or 4 countries are suppose to represent the entire world? Especially considering that Wii games usually take a few months to see exactly how much have been sold since they are not as front loaded as 360 or PS3 games?

prove this.

No More Heroes was thought to have flopped when it didn't chart and it sold 400k worldwide. This was enough to be Suda 51's best selling game ever and warranted a sequel. Boom Blox was in the same position and everyone was laughing that it flopped in sales. A few months later, we find out it sold 600k worldwide and EA is making a sequel. Wii games are not front loaded. They take a couple of months to sell.Zhengi

Alot of Wii games seem to sell this way, with word-of-mouth seemingly being the driver. It sure isn't advertising, I've seen absolutely ZERO advertising from Sega on MadWorld or House of the Dead.

[QUOTE="Heydanbud92"]

[QUOTE="Zhengi"]

So 3 or 4 countries are suppose to represent the entire world? Especially considering that Wii games usually take a few months to see exactly how much have been sold since they are not as front loaded as 360 or PS3 games?

Zhengi

prove this.

you didn't prove anything though without month by month numbers comparing wii to the other platforms.

the point is: certain games have legs, others dont. there are many many factors that come into play when deciding if a game is a success or not. also, sheer units sold isn't as useful over a long period of time, because some games recieve large price reductions, some games recieve prolonged advertising etc.

If I'm not making sense it could be because I think I might have a slight case of fever. And I don't have enough cowbell. But I'm pretty sure what I meant to say was that...

Zhengi: You asked "What reports are those?" I posted a "report". Which is part of what little information we have to go on here. Discussing other territories or the future or whatnot is just blubbityblub. It's pointless because we know ****. Hoping it'll do well is nice but you know... I would not expect it. Sega saying sales are encouraging could mean anything. They're not gonna say the sales are crap if they are. Like I said I think it's not currently meeting Sega's expectations, or else Sega would have said so, but that it might if it continues to sell consistently. Who knows what Sega's expectations are. I very much doubt this game would be getting a sequel anyway, but it would be neat if Clover got some damn appreciation for once, even though I don't personally think it should be because of this particular game. God Hand. You can hate that game but you'll still love it. Unless you're an asshat like IGN.

That's actually more than what I meant to say, but...look, a three-headed monkey!

IronBass: The price of Mad World was dropped by 50% after two weeks at retail. If this does not strike you as inconsistent with the titles you mentioned, and generally odd, you're odd.

[QUOTE="Zhengi"][QUOTE="Heydanbud92"]

prove this.

Heydanbud92

you didn't prove anything though without month by month numbers comparing wii to the other platforms.

the point is: certain games have legs, others dont. there are many many factors that come into play when deciding if a game is a success or not. also, sheer units sold isn't as useful over a long period of time, because some games recieve large price reductions, some games recieve prolonged advertising etc.

If I'm not making sense it could be because I think I might have a slight case of fever. And I don't have enough cowbell. But I'm pretty sure what I meant to say was that...

Zhengi: You asked "What reports are those?" I posted a "report". Which is part of what little information we have to go on here. Discussing other territories or the future or whatnot is just blubbityblub. It's pointless because we know ****. Hoping it'll do well is nice but you know... I would not expect it. Sega saying sales are encouraging could mean anything. They're not gonna say the sales are crap if they are. Like I said I think it's not currently meeting Sega's expectations, or else Sega would have said so, but that it might if it continues to sell consistently. Who knows what Sega's expectations are. I very much doubt this game would be getting a sequel anyway, but it would be neat if Clover got some damn appreciation for once, even though I don't personally think it should be because of this particular game. God Hand. You can hate that game but you'll still love it. Unless you're an asshat like IGN.

That's actually more than what I meant to say, but...look, a three-headed monkey!

IronBass: The price of Mad World was dropped by 50% after two weeks at retail. If this does not strike you as inconsistent with the titles you mentioned, and generally odd, you're odd.

InsaneBasura

IronBass: The price of Mad World was dropped by 50% after two weeks at retail. If this does not strike you as inconsistent with the titles you mentioned, and generally odd, you're odd.InsaneBasura

[QUOTE="InsaneBasura"]IronBass: The price of Mad World was dropped by 50% after two weeks at retail. If this does not strike you as inconsistent with the titles you mentioned, and generally odd, you're odd.IronBass

Now you're just trying to confuse me. Damn it all to hell. I'm going to bed.InsaneBasura

[QUOTE="Zhengi"][QUOTE="Heydanbud92"]

prove this.

Heydanbud92

you didn't prove anything though without month by month numbers comparing wii to the other platforms.

the point is: certain games have legs, others dont. there are many many factors that come into play when deciding if a game is a success or not. also, sheer units sold isn't as useful over a long period of time, because some games recieve large price reductions, some games recieve prolonged advertising etc.

What do you honestly want him to do? Its not like most of that data is just floating around to make month by month comparisons. Its also not like you can prove him wrong either. We all know what you are saying is true but he never said that the games were successes, he said they weren't front loaded and that much he is correct on. If we looked at price drops and advertising for every game we might aswelll never talk about a games sales at all and just believe everything we are told.

Anyone who thinks MW's sales are horrible has no idea what they are talking about. MW's first month sales are better than the first month sales of every third party million seller.

So what, MW didn't sell 8 million copies it's first month. It will though be over a mill in a couple months. Way more than enought o turn a very healthy profit.

Trut me, there will be a MW2.

HOTD:OK is freaking awesome. It's easily the best light game I have ever played, and I have played A LOT of light gun games. (even though it doesn't actually use a light gun)

I've only gotten to play about an hour of Madworld but from what I played it was very fun.