Namco Expects To Sell More Naruto, Less Enslaved

Namco Bandai has released revised sales numbers and expectations for some of their current and future titles. The company had hoped sales of two new IPs, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West( developed by Ninja Theory ) and Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom( developed by Game Republic) would top a million worldwide but now Namco is predicting lower results for both titles.

[TOO PAWNED]

well there you go Ninja Theory (silly name). Multiplat does not = more sales.

[Cloudberry]

.
How much Enslaved performed in worldwide sales right now?

[Game-ur]

Tales would have sold better than Enslaved

[oldjadedgamer]

Based on vgcharts, its sold about 90k on each system with the xbox selling about 2k more.

Four weeks and less than 200k sold.

Edit: Tales would have also have been a better game

[ChineseDemocracy]

It didn't help that they isolated their fanbase and verbally defecated on their own game. Karma.

[dgroundwater]

Sorry to break it to you kids. Obscure game developer quotes you heard of a gaming news aggregator do not affect sales at all. I could call my game "trash" and insult everyone who likes the console it's out for. Does this change normal consumers opinions of my game?

Enslaved's sales were low due to market factors like low awareness, being too different/unique, and low value-for-money compared to other games in it's launch window like Fallout NV, etc.

You know. Things that really matter. Not your strange demand for every developer to praise your favorite console.

[Raikiri]

yes it does...if it was exclusive it would sell twice as less

[Imperator]

If it was exclusive it would have gotten more attention, it would be technically superior (if it was PS3 exclusive), and it would probably have had the backing of Sony or MS.

[3nd3rth3]

yeah, that's why Heavenly Sword sold less than 90k.... oh wait....

[ReservoirDog316]

You people are too hard on enslaved. It's like the old platformers from the PS2 days. Like Jak and Daxter. On steroids.

If anyone wants something like that or if you miss the old days of platformers, get enslaved.

[FunAndGun]

The type where you point in a direction and hit X, X, X, X, X...?

[RonRico]

Yep. Gameplay was very automatic.

[DigitalAnalog]

Yes, yes it does. As a die-hard Final Fantasy fan, I absolutely REFUSE to purchase FFXIII. I am ALSO a fan of Heavenly Sword, but I refuse to buy it since not only did they try to make the ports equal, they even removed the surround sound feature on the PS3. That is when they've crossed the line.

@ReservoirDog316

That is an insult to all platform games. On-rails platforming should NOT be implemented in any platform game.

EVER.

-End statement

[big_silky]

thats the sad state of gaming for 'ya.

[FAGOL]

haha well shame on ninja theory. They should of focused on promoting the damn game instead of moaning about the past.

[Ares84PS3]

....didn't help at all. I mean they basically told DMC fans to fuck off.

I'm sure that many people skipped Enslaved for that reason.

[RememberThe357]

Fuck them for turning Dante into an emo... They are great story tellers bu they need to prefect their basic craft first.

[Lavalamp]

Isn't it also the responsibility of the publisher to promote the game? I remember an article was posted on N4G a while ago and it said that Namco Bandai was promising a major marketing campaign for Enslaved. From what I saw, they really didn't keep their promise.

[NYC_Gamer]

what excuse will ninja theory use now?

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

Ninja Theory: "Well Naruto DOES already have an installed base."

[ReservoirDog316]

People like guns.

[Balt]

It serves those fools at Ninja Theory right. But, as sad as their reality is, they'll still defend the xbox 360 and dog the Ps3 by saying something like --

"Yes, but it did preform better on the xbox 360 by some whopping 2000 units".

That's how delusional they are. I refuse to buy anything from them and encourage everyone or anyone, all 4 of you, if you do buy their software buy it used or borrow it from a friend. Rent it, maybe.

[Ares84PS3]

For $25 less than a week after it came out. I would have never gotten it for $65.

The game is worth about $20 in my opinion so I still feal like ripped off.

[maniacmayhem]

So if it were a PS3 exclusive would it of sold better?

just asking.

[Ares84PS3]

I could have sold better if:

- N.T. actually advertised the game.
- N.T. didn't talk bullshit about other developers thus angering some gamers.
- N.T. didn't talk bullshit about how they know what's best and cool and gamers don't.
- N.T. didn't redesign Dante and when told by fans that it's not good shouldn't acted the way they did.
- The game could have been better and actually longer and could have used some real platforming.

So there is a lot of factors why I think Enslaved sold poorly. It has nothing to to with being multiplat or exclusive.

[RememberThe357]

Sony seems to get their devs to push the envelope. In the case of Level-5 and Slant 6, I think those guys just blew it. We saw what Ninja Theory could do in Heavenly Sword and they took a step back with this game. I loved Enslaved, don't get me wrong, but there are a few fundamental things they could have done better that I think Sony would have asked for before release.

[maniacmayhem]

Actually that questions was geared towards sitlab. It seems he has a problem with Ninja Theory making a multi-play game.

@357 - In my opinion enslaved is leaps and bounds better than heavenly sword.

[Balt]

More than 200,000 units?

Easily. It'd have been marketed and handled very differently as an exclusive. More dollars and care goes into exclusive IP, man. It's a money game. Same could be said if it were exclusive to the xbox 360. It'd have sold much more than 200,000 units just because of marketing.

Sony didn't want to advertise it because it isn't their job to support a 3rd party game with a developer who isn't very hands on friendly with them. Why would or should they? They could've but Ninja Theory could've also done better business in the media with Sony too.

Microsoft didn't want to take marketing dollars away from their big guns to toss into a 3rd party game from a developer who's unproven, either.

Namco, the publisher, had a job to do but didn't want to give the game the attention because their plate is so full with other endeavorers. They took Enslaved on because Ninja Theory had done all the work. It's hurting Namco very little to have this game under their hoods. Trust me.

Ninja Theory hurt themselves. They burnt the bridge down while they were crossing it and had no way back across. Simple as that. They are going to be reeling over this one and Capcom is going to foot a huge bill if they want DMC to succeed.

[maniacmayhem]

Hmmm, let me see...

An established IP and brand known by millions of people versus a new IP that no one has ever heard of...

Yea naruto just might sell more.

[QuantumSponge]

Oh, good. 'cause we don't have enough Naruto games.

[FAGOL]

we don't have enough good naruto games.

[shikamaroooo]

Naruto UNS 1 Sold 1 mill and it was only on PS3

[fei-hung]

wonder what capcom is thinking right now with ninja theory re-booting DMC :p

Knowing Ninja Theory, they will blame the Move release, Castlevania release, Vanquish release, Kinect release, Black ops release and Sony for the game not selling well. I don't think Ninja Theory have yet learnt to suck it up and take responsibility for their own actions.

That;s what you get for trash talking, for turning Dante into a crack head and for not listening to your fans!

[George Sears]

Ninja Theory getting owned by a ninja. Oh the irony.

[Sharingan_no_Kakashi]

LOL

An orange jumpsuit wearing ninja at that.

[jack_burt0n]

lmfao

[TANUKI]

Good riddance too!

[dragonyght]

they can claim on poor judgment on their part i mean they should have stick around and work on heavenly sword 2 the things would have been different this time around with install base of 40+ million

[Ahasverus]

Know hat fanboys? You happy because NT faildes as a multiplatform? guess what? that studio is likely to dissapear now and won't make any exclusive or non-exclusive game, after DMC of course...

[NYC_Gamer]

yes its sad how ignorant NT acted towards the sales of Heavenly Sword and even trying to blame the PS3...NT should have spent more time working on this game instead of doing douchebag interviews every week

[Ahasverus]

completely agree, they were douchebags.... "Story is more important than gameplay" yeah say that to the tank controls and impossible camera.

[BillOreilly]

Its very sad that people wont buy a game of this caliber. Who cares what they say, i dont have to like someone to respect their work. They are amazing developers and it would be horrible if they go belly up. I hope devil may cry kicks so much ass they finally get the respect they deserve. And fyi DMC4 sucked so much balls they needed a reboot, i cant believe i wasted 10 dollars on it. The whole redisign is great minus dante but im acually excited for it.

[Genecalypse]

Namco is one company I will never understand. Tales of games WILL SELL HERE, yet they dont care. Honestly, they must hate money or something. Who the hell is running the show over there, a bunch of monkeys? they said they want less emphasis on overseas markets...maybe if you actually released games westerners cared about you wouldnt be freakin broke

[jack_burt0n]

Whats happened is that new staff have come into the company this gen.

They are basing JRPG sales in the west on xbox360 nothing else, they really are that stupid at namco.

[Vegeta9000]

Namco isn't getting any money from me until the localize the Tales games.

[BillOreilly]

They did localize Tales of Vesperia its on xbox 360 along with Magna Carta 2, two of the best rpgs this gen. If anyone hasnt played these two i feel sorry for you. Magna Carta 2 was such a suprise and the battle system rocked. Vesperia was the best tales ever made the equivilent of ff7.
They do need to bring graces over on the wii ps3 or 360 though.

[jwk94]

But i thought Naruto sucked because you have to unlock characters??? /s

[Redempteur]

I bought naruto it gave me a storymode i finished in 16h42mins ( all events done ) and an online mode i'm still playing ...

on the other hand , enslaved....

[zanzibarlegend]

dear Ninja Theory,

you cried and whined like a bunch of pansies when speaking of the PS3... EVEN THOUGH in its infancy Heavenly Sword was already turning heads and looked like a game that could have benefitted from a proper sequel. Enslaved is shallow compared to HS, the only thing Enslaved does well is cinematics. HS for what it was was far more exciting and deep. greater story, and way deeper combat system. lets face it.. Nariko looked like she could have given Kratos a run for his money. but because of NT's moaning the world will never know. and btw first party games sell.

-Kilzone2
-Infamous
-Uncharted

need i say more? each of these games surpassed the million mark, id be shocked if enslaved even gets half of that. and the lesson learned by sticking with sony is when said games get a sequel, THEY ONLY GET BETTER... go play Uncharted 2 NT. GOTY 2009.

and now here you are with your half-ass attempt at combining all the element of all the popular games out, ie: Assassins Creed, Uncharted,etc...... AND FAILING MISERABLY.

i'll fully support Naruto because at least it succeeds in being a damn fun game.

maybe you guys will stop sucking your thumbs and get Naughty Dog and all the other great devs at sony on the phone, so you can finally deliver a sequel to HS. if not... peace out and keep it movin.
2011 is looking stacked.

[StrifeHawkins]

Killzone 2 2.5 million sales
Infamous 2 million sales
Uncharted 4 million
Heavenly Sword 1.7 million
Sales from publishers not vgchartz
source if required but im too lazy

Uncharted 1 sales before uncharted 2 was released was about 2 million so if there was heavenly sword 2 , im sure heavenly sword sales would go up dramatically

[zanzibarlegend]

And we all know now how well all the devs work together sharing ideas on the systems architecture. HS2 would have been a quantum leap over 1 and could have been a start of a new blockbuster franchise.

[andron]

Enslaved is pretty good, but not as great as HS.

Maybe now they will go to Sony and beg to make Heavenly Sword 2. HS was a great game and I would love a sequel...