Are Fans To Blame For Lower Than Expected 'DmC' Sales?

Forbes - Did fans of Devil May Cry destroy the brand by not buying the reboot?

[zerocrossing]

"Are Fans To Blame For Lower Than Expected 'DmC' Sales?"

Maybe, are Capcom and NT to blame for alienating the core fanbase in an attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator? They sure are.

[Root]

We all saw these types of articles coming

They p***** off the old DMC fanbase, they called the old creator, they called the old games, the called the fans, they have been arrogant thinking their work is better, they've been ignorant ignoring fans complaints and making it look like nothing is wrong and they've also just dug themselfs in a bigger hole the two whole years this was announced.

...and now "we" are to blame

I don't think so

Not to mention the games are terrible as DMC games...how they got good reviews I'll never know. It's like people forgot what made a DMC game...DMC

[Dno]

im sorry but DMC games are not all good games. the ONLY good ones are part 1 and 3. the rest suck and this one is clearly better then 2 and 4 and as good as if not better then 1 and 3.

[vallencer]

Don't lump all the old DMC fanbase together. I'm part of that fanbase but i really enjoyed the new one. Should it have been called something else? Maybe. I honestly hope they make another one but i also hope that they make another Devil May Cry like the originals. I think they can both co exist. The reason it got good reviews was because its a good game. The only bad reviews it got was from pissed off fanboys. Hell some of the metacritic user reviews were just down right dumb. One guy said the combat and story and game was great but because it wasn't the original dante he gave it a zero out of ten. I mean really come on. I think its a shame people didn't put their fanboyism aside and try the game. I think people would have been surprised at how good the game really is.

[aCasualGamer]

It's a good game. It's not a good Devil May Cry game.

The lowest a company can get, when they blame the customers.

[guitarded77]

Yeah, I get pissed when an author tries to blame fans and/or gamers in general for poor sales. If they're a "fan" of the series, they probably bought the game, so how are they to blame.

If they're not satisfied with the direction the game/series is going, and decide not to buy it, it's their choice. Most people work hard for their money, and owe NOTHING to any developer/publisher. The developer/publisher in EVERY instance need to remember that they must offer something of quality to get people to spend money on their product, or have very savvy marketing to get people to buy it.

I'm not saying DMC is good or bad, but in the beginning of development, the backlash against emo Dante was evident. That alone put many fans of the series to caution. It's a risk/reward industry. They took a chance, and it's time for gamers to decide if they want to spend their money or not. It is NEVER the gamers fault though.

I remember this crap with Heavenly Sword... how it was the gamer's fault it didn't sell well. And that was from the dev studio. Pissed me off for any development studio to believe that they are owed something.

[rdgneoz3]

"The lowest a company can get, when they blame the customers."

NT did that already when they blamed fans for low sales on Heavenly Sword and Enslaved.

[thaking155]

@Dno, Okay 4 might be repetitive but when you get Dante, the gameplay mechanics from Devil May Cry 3 are present but perfected.

The one I would somewhat agree on with you is Devil May Cry 2 which actually should be compared to DmC because this is what happened when the company tried to go in a different direction and instead it turned out to be nothing like the original and also the worst in the franchise, well of course until DmC came along.

I will say, the quote from Dante in DMC 2 is pretty awesome. "King??? Yeah, Here's your Crown!" Epic!!

Where was that in DmC????

[Gaming101]

I know right, the only people who loved past DMC games were total weirdos. Once you alienate those idiots, you've got nothing left. If you can't ignite a new fanbase with a snarky little bitch who looks like he hasn't been to a gym his entire life, of course I'm not buying it, you emo bitches.

[miyamoto]

Any comments from Shinji Mikami and Hideki Kamiya-the creators of this franchise?

NT are arrogant as always, anyways.

And this is what happens when you leave your child in the the "care" of strangers who turns out to be arrogant pricks.

I think gamers, not just fans, saw through Capcom and NT's motives and voiced heir opinions by not opening their wallets.

This westernizations by Capcom really needs to end now.

dmC is a mere shadow of its former self. no soul, no identity, no passion, just a lifeless clone

[USEYOURFIST]

dont know how you got a disagree!!!

Ninja theory acted too arrogantly towards the devil may cry fanbase and although they do make good games im sort of glad this has happend as it may cause them to change there attitude..probably wont though!

[Nodoze]

Ninja Theory always act that way. They think that they are a gift to game development.

You would think the fact that the last 3 games they made didn't SELL would clue them in.

Perhaps they need to go back to developing Kung Fu Chaos games.

Gotta love how the new lead character in this DMC is a spitting image of the lead dev at NT. That's not cocky at all.

[I_LOVE_MYSELF]

Its a reboot that didn't do much to cater to the previous fanbase. In theory this game had to make new fans so this game came in to the scene without a core fanbase.

The fans of the reboot went out on bought it so you can't blame them. I would say the core following for this rebooted franchise is now getting established. Is it lower than expected? In comparison to the previous DMC? Well Capcom shouldn't have rebooted the franchise then lol.

[Irishguy95]

"Should fans get the Credit?"

The title should be

[bayonetta]

if they like 2 increase the sells of the series
they should listen to the old fans who bring the series to this level , but New dmc is nothing but trying 2 create a new fans and ignore the old one

[joab777]

No. Video game sales are and a saturated game market. I am sure thatit didnt help but weeks after christmas is never the best time to sell a game.

[pr0t0typeknuckles]

lets be honest zero, we as DMC fans all saw these are fans to blame articles coming, heck im pretty sure you or me called it in a previous comment.

[Darrius Cole]

I have a couple of point about this.

1) The customer is always right. Give the people what they want. Capcom and NT refused to do this. And because they refused to listen to the fanbase. The fans had no choice but to vote with their wallet.

2) Hack n' Slash is a PS3 genre. GOW3 is approaching 5 million copies sold, not counting re-releases; Bayonetta died because it was broken on PS3. How many people who played HSword also play DMC or NG or GOW. I would say almost all of them. I would estimate that H&S has a relatively small fanbase which supports about 5 or 6 games.

3) Ninja Theory lets that fanbase know how much they don't appreciate the base's support of HSword almost every time NT releases a statement. But Ninja Theory makes hack n' slash games, so insulting this fanbase is downright suicidal, and the numbers bear it out.

3.5) Because of #3 Capcom was stupid to get Ninja Theory to make this game. Until NT stops smacktalking and insulting fans, and makes Heavenly Sword 2 (the only thing that the fans want from them) The H&S fanbase is going to be overly critical of every thing they do.

4) I do believe that changing Dante's hair color and his lineage from half human/half demon to half angel/half demon matter....especially the hair color. The hair color can have no material effect on the game. Refusing to change it could only be viewed as show of spite / refusal of acknowledgement to the fans.

5.) Tomonobu Itagaki is hasn't released a game in 5 years, yet Capcom thought it was better to get Ninja Theory to reboot Devil May Cry. (say that out loud; it sounds even dumber than when you read it)

[Blank]

You make solid good points that dont sound fanboyish great breakdown but its true the fans from more than one base were split and NT did all the wrong moves and interviews I did my part and spoke with my wallet two of my main reasons were the disrespect NT were doing and because they wiped out the possibility of finishing the original canon I dont feel complete and lastly I love reason number 5 it wouldve been an excellent move if capcom got Tomonobu itagaki to reboot it to be honest that sounds pretty damn awesome

[rdgneoz3]

Nice list, though with "3.5", NT won't be making Heavenly Sword 2 any time soon since Sony owns the IP. Hopefully Sony would be smart and not hand ask them to do it (due to #3) and have an Santa Monica or such handle it.

[Darrius Cole]

@rdgneoz3

Yeah, but if NT were to change their tone and make Heavenly Sword 2, I believe that would be seen as an apology.

Right now, Santa Monica has no reason to make a Heavenly Sword game. Heavenly Sword and God of War are both hack n' slash. For Santa Monica it would be a waste of resources to make a Heavenly Sword game when they can use the same labor to make God of War.

[thaking155]

Haha so now it's on the fans that the game didn't sell well. Hmm can anyone say Damage control? Capcom take this as a lesson and listen to the fans and not alienate them like you did with this game... Oh and with Resident Evil 6!

[LOGICWINS]

Many things are to blame:

1) Alienation of a good portion of the pre-existing DMC fanbase.

2) General ill sentiments towards Capcom

3) Selling a game in January(when people JUST spent all their cash during the holiday rush and/or are still playing games they bought last year)

4) People saving up for Ascension/MGS: Rising

5) Newer gamers don't know of the franchise so they completely ignored it

6) Demo was just...okay. Fun, but not groundbreaking. The people interested in it are waiting for a price drop.

[LackTrue4K]

Specking of price drop, they have it at GameStop for 39.00
Lol....still not worth it!

[Hanso]

just get it used

[BabyTownFrolics]

or gamefly that shit

[FarCryLover182]

Give it a few weeks.....it shall be lower.

[Eamon]

Capcom and Ninja Theory suffer from their obstinacy. They thought a reboot would gain more sales than DMC4. It's doing poorly and will probably never reach 1 million sales. DMC4 managed to gain just under 3 million sold worldwide.

As for this article. Are fans to blame for the low sales? After reading it, I think the author is trying to be balanced. He concedes that if a consumer is unhappy with a product, he should not feel 'entitled' and instead should protest with his wallet. That is exactly what has happened. Just as the gamer is not entitled to have his way on a game's development, the developer is also not entitled to have sales just because it needs to make some profit. The best business is one of mutual interest. Fans will only continue to support a franchise if you cater to them and impress them. By alienating an entire fanbase, you risk a boycott and there is nothing wrong with a boycott.

Remember, a company needs to appeal to the customer to get them to purchase a product. You can't simply moan when you choose to be selfish and nobody is buying it.

[thaking155]

The funny thing is that Devil May Cry 4 with Nero was the "Reboot" that did not include Dante in the game whatsoever, once the fans heard this, they were not happy so they changed the game and put Dante back in. The only problem with Devil May Cry 4 was that it wasn't a full Dante game other than that it was a good beautiful looking game! Nero wasn't bad just lacking with his moveset once you get him back after using Dante.

Good comment Eamon, Bubble up!

Cheers!

[Eamon]

Thanks!

I also remember how Nero was a bit slower than Dante.

[SavageKuma]

I say yes because too many people still go by that old saying of "Judging a book by its cover!" The game came out great, but yet the fans were a bit harsh towards the change. I get it, gamers are scared of change, but at times you should not be afraid. DMC Came out on top with great camera angles and awesome fight mechanics. The dialogue was a lot better than the old versions as well. I enjoyed it.

[Sevir04]

I'm having a blast playin g through it on Dante Must Die Mode and still trying to find all the secrets it offered! and I'm really starting to get the full scope of the combat! Enemies are far far more brutal and unforgiving! I'll stop playing once ive completed Hell or Heaven! I'm not messing with that HOH shit!

[Max-Zorin]

Bad enough NT was being Android 17 arrogant and ignoring complaints, rebooting the series when there was nothing wrong with it was just stupid.

[BanBrother]

Lol yeah they should have really been like android 16. At least that guy shut his trap. Plus, that means they could have given 'teh cell' a run for its money ;)

Love the random dbz reference lol.

[InTheLab]

Playing through DMC 4 and I gotta admit, that game had it's flaws. Namely, Nero and replaying the same 12 missions over as Dante. I also hated playing as Nero, and funnily enough, they make a whole new DMC based around Nero's weaker combat minus the ex gauge O.o

So yeah, there was something wrong with DMC but everything they "fixed" wasn't necessarily broken.

[SavageKuma]

There was a lot wrong with the series gameplay wise and horrible dialogue that many made fun through out the years. The worst game was part 2. In the end fans will never be happy.

[Roccetarius]

Maybe we are, maybe we aren't. For once i'm proud that People voted with their wallets. People need to call these things out more often.

Even if they don't make a true DMC (not DmC) game, it's a necessary sacrifice. We all knew they would be playing the blame game after this.

[cero55]

The answer is most companies set the sale goals to high. i mean im not bashing on dmc but cmon... you can tell they didn't pump millions into the dam thing but expect %200 profit.(tho i think the game is ok)

[Moerdigan]

There was also an Fan operation where people bought the HD collection on Amazon, to exceed the sales of DmC in Amazon at launch.

[Kur0]

haha that explains why it was in the top 10 list over DMC when it was already several months old. Hopefully Capcom knows about it and gives us a real DMC5.

[Hanso]

*thanks everyone who didnt bought the game*
Dante is proud of you all !

Donte jumped off a bridge bye bye

[JeepGamer]

When you basically say 'screw you' to fans over and over again you can't be surprised when they say 'no, screw YOU'

[Xklaw]

Not screw you,... it´s FUCK YOU. (shakespearian Dante quote).

[MasterCornholio]

They should have catered to the fans then if that would have improved the sales for this game.

The only one who is to blame is Capcom.

[MaideninBlack]

Here's the deal:

Devil May Cry fans: We don't like this reboot!
Journalists: So? Don't like it don't buy it. Go cry in a corner about how the Ninja Theory Gods changed Dante's hair color.
Devil May Cry fans: Y'know what? We ain't gonna buy it!

Two years later: DmC sells half of what DMC 4 did in Japan at launch, sells 1/3 of DMC 4 in Europe at launch, Capcom lowers DmC sales expectations worldwide.

Journalists: You spoiled, entitled brats! Why didn't you buy DmC!?

[squarecircle]

So very true.

[Darrius Cole]

This

[MiyagiSPG]

So funny cause its true :)

Capcom! Real DMC please :)! *said pretty much the DMC fanbase and gamers alike*

[AtomicGerbil]

Really? Did somebody really write that?

First and foremost I think the blame should be pointed squarely and forcefully at the smug faces of Ninja Theory for being complete and utter a'holes from day one.

The fans were continually advised to not buy if they don't like and now the "journalists" are jumping up and down, stamping there feet because the fans did exactly that.

The mind boggles!

[zerocrossing]

I still stand by the opinion that DmC was not made with the intention of appealing to the original core fanbase, taking this into consideration, how is it possible for a demographic that was never even taken into account as a potential consumer possibly be the reason for a product failing?

Spite or no spite DmC was available for anyone to buy, the majority of gamers just chose not too.

[Tdmd]

Fans? Really?! Nop. Try arrogance.

[Root]

" seen how desperately the IP needed an injection of new ideas and modernisation"

No it didn't

" which is exactly what the skilful Ninja Theory achieved."

Skillfull....LOL

What a suck up

"Yet the fans revolted because Capcom dared to reinvent its IP for the 21st century and dared to change the colour of Dante’s hair. "

LOL that wasn't the problem, there are many problems with why we don't like the new dmc. The hair thing again OH GIVE IT A BREAK

"Devil May Cry fans destroy brand out of spite"

We destroyed a brand out of spite?

No it was Capcoms and Ninja Theory's own fault, we voted with our wallets and now they must pay the price.

[MikeMyers]

If you want people to respect your opinion then do the same in return. Stop calling everyone suck-ups or PR spokesmen that don't have issues like you do with these developers/publishers.

This is why you have an agenda rather than simply voicing your opinion. You can't have freedom of expression if you're quick to attack anyone who has different views.

I'm having a lot of fun with DMC on my PC. Now make sure you put your little disagree on there because I enjoy it and you don't want to.

[Root]

Awwwww someone is a little upset that their favorite isn't doing so well after all that time spent on knocking peoples opinions on dmc articles trying to defend it

"You can't have freedom of expression if you're quick to attack anyone who has different view"

LOL, what a massive hypocrite, you hate anyone who doesn't share your opinion, you did it on every dmc article before it was released, just like what your doing now however this time your trying to project your flaws onto me...thats hilarious. Unlike you I don't attack anyone on forums and stuff but rather the people in the companies who deserved to be hated on.

Thats right, instead of posting a comment normally like everyone else you saw me, commented on me and me only and you know what it's becoming pretty sad

Do you need a tissue to wipe away those tears...

[MikeMyers]

"Awwwww someone is a little upset that their favorite isn't doing so well after all that time spent on knocking peoples opinions on dmc articles trying to defend it"

Sounds very mature. Why would I be upset if I am enjoying my game? Your opinion really has no relevance at all about how much I enjoy it so don't flatter yourself. Seems to me you're the one who gets upset because the more people that like it the less chances the publisher will likely care about your issues. That's why it's in your best interest to pool a bunch of others to go around parading the forums telling people not to buy it. To me it don't matter, I already have the game so the damage is already done from your point of view.

"LOL, what a massive hypocrite, you hate anyone who doesn't share your opinion, you did it on every dmc article before it was released, just like what your doing now however this time your trying to project your flaws onto me...thats hilarious. Unlike you I don't attack anyone on forums and stuff but rather the people in the companies who deserved to be hated on."

My flaws? I'm not the one who argues with moderators telling them they are wrong. I'm not the one swarming this site with endless rhetoric going on and on and on about the same thing. I'm not the one who creates multiple accounts to make it appear more people think like me. So if my flaws are being open to see how good games like DMC, Tomb Raider and Dead Space 3 are by actually playing them without per-conceived opinions from just demo's or my vendetta towards these publishers then so be it.

"Thats right, instead of posting a comment normally like everyone else you saw me, commented on me and me only and you know what it's becoming pretty sad"

Actually what's sad is seeing people like you whine about not being able to voice their opinion, feeling like they are being picked-on, acting like the victim and preaching about freedom of expression to constantly see you contradict yourself in the process. While YOU attack people for not sharing your opinion, calling them PR people or suck-ups because they are not signing up to your petition.

If this is truly in your best interest to whine all day and preach the same thing then perhaps you should take up a new hobby.

"Do you need a tissue to wipe away those tears..."

Again you tell me I'm the one being immature. Do you even know what the word hypocrite and immature mean?

[Root]

Ok princess

Says the guy who always has to target my posts on articles and try to make me look stupid or argue with me for the fun of it. Your the immature one Mike....

I mean look at your comment history, most of your posts are replying to me.

<Plays smallest violin>

[Soldierone]

Lol why are you blaming the fans?

Capcom messed up, the fans didn't buy it, now they know they messed up. If they would have left the franchise alone it would have been fine. I liked DMC4, and would have loved a 5.

One thing people always say, "if you don't like it don't buy it." Guess what? No one bought it.

Maybe these publishers and developers that think they know everything about what we want should listen once and a while?

[Danteuiuiuiui]

God, I'm so happy about this situation.
It's taken two years to reach this point, but finally NT and Capcom realize that the fans do matter and Tameem should have cared whether we're interested in this game or not.

Now here's to hoping we'll get a real DMC5 in a couple of years.

Cheers!

[Nodoze]

Tameem is a complete Douchebag! He was more interested in modeling the new Dante after himself.

I for one will be glad when Ninja Theory are no more. They are a vain and arrogant bunch that need to get a dose of reality. It's ok though cause they will run out of money soon enough.

[Danteuiuiuiui]

At the very least all of this drama shows that this franchise still has a very large and active community.

[Sevir04]

Fans who vehemently hate this reboot ultimately damned this game no matter how good it was, they were willing to admit that this is a great acttion game but dismissed it as a great DMC game and personally, The only BAD DMC game there was was DMC2 and that has been unanimously the admitted consesus. The fact is the never let of of the ire of the initial look of the redesign when it was unveiled back in 2010, fast forward later and that hate they held onto later affect the already dwindling fanbase that action hack and slash has seen since this generation began.

They said they wanted a NEXT GEN DMC3, and capcom gave them that in the form of DMC4. what happened... It barely sold 2 million and they bitched that it wasn't as good because it had a new character and there were insane amount of back tracking. Capcom seeing the state of things decides to reboot and thus they get irate, Granted the initial backlash was warranted. because the game didn't look anything recognizable in what DMC was all about.

But over the 3 years Ex capcom and developers DMC fore father put out Bayonnetta, and as amazing as that game was it too was also bashed as being a DMC rip and was even coined the nickname Devil May Boobs, The game went on to be a huge success as far as critcs go, but didn't even reach 2 million. So what the point of all things ive said

The Fanbase that use to play these games have dwindled, even Mega franchises like GOW have suffered in sales due to to the rise in the shooter genre, and as such interest in the hack and slash has all but diminished, couple that with the really uncalled for hate towards a game that fans really didn't give a chance because of a few cosmetic changes given the premis that it is a reboot you can really see that this game was unfairly treated.

IT REALLY IS a GOOD Game, The story while very straight forward, is Far more cohesive and put together than any game in the series! It isn't quite as hardcore, but it isn't a casual affair either. I totally understand that NT's Lead was outspoken, Giving the game a chance wouldnt kill the soul, the game was far from broken, and by far its the best in combat experience coming from NT's last games which were moderately enjoyable combat experiences. And as a game in DMC's lineage The games aspects dont stray far from the core.

At the end though the game managed 1 million worldwide! and is on track to reach the lowered shipment figures of 1.2 million, I'm just gald Capcom gave the game a chance, but it looks like despite trying to rejuvinate the franchise with this reboot/retelling, the strinking fanbase that largely ignored DMC4 which was a copy and paste of DMC3's amazing combate with minor improvements, ignored this games too and well I have a feeling DMC fans on a whole will lose because while this game is excellent capcom will shelve it. This is largely why I believe that Bayonnetta 2 will stay exclusive to the Wii U because the it sold meagerly on the X360/PS3. The fanvbase just isn't there anymore, refuse to give anything a chance.

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

The reason why Devil May Cry 4 wasn't good because of terrible game infrastructure. You traveled the same area over several times which led to fighting the same bosses repeatedly. Other than that the combat improved greatly due to the on the fly Style selection and Devil Arm of Nero (who shouldn't have took up the majority of the game mind you but I liked the character). All Capcom really needed to do was:

First Devil May Cry atmosphere + Devil May Cry III combat system + Devil May Cry IV + A sprinkle of weird new weapons + Pacing that constantly progressed with OPTIONAL repeats of previous areas + Closure + MT Framework (Or MTF 2.0?) - Negative PR - Outsourcing = Sales guaranteed way more than it is now.

[zerocrossing]

Anytime a person tells me to shell out £40 ($60) for a game because "there's a chance you may enjoy it" I have to ask them if they are being serious, or if they don't realise how incredibly stupid that sounds...

Im not trying to offend you, Im just trying to make a point here. The core fans may not have given DmC a chance, but when posed with choice of purchasing a possible pleasant surprise or an equally possible disappointment, a £40 ($60) price tag is too steep for most people to take the dive.

[aliengmr]

So let me get this straight, if I like a game that you don't like, you should buy it because I say its good, and if you don't I get to call you an entitled whiner for not shelling out 60$ whenever Capcom or whoever demands. That about right?

Ultimately poor sales are on the devs and pubs not the gamers. Need I remind you that gamers are the most gullible consumers on the planet.

[ShaunCameron]

Correction: God Of War III is the highest-selling GOW game to date, and the current highest-selling hack-and-slash action game ever. And this is in the face of the FPS/TPS's popularity.

[zealot_x]

Why are we still talking about this?
It's over. Let it rot in a dark, dirty corner of the vgs history...

[SlyFamous02]

Nope, Capcom is to blame for not listening to the fans, we can all say that the fans are whiners and that they should take it on the chin but the fact is that it is not only the fans who buy the game but they are also in control and this is where SPP was brilliant. We all remember when they changed Coles look and all hell broke loose, well they listened to their fans and made the necessary changes but Capcom apparently thinks it is bigger than the industry.

[00]

How can you blame the fans when Capcom/ ninja theory did everything in there power to piss off the old fans and to try an replace them with the "wider audience"? turns out they weren't really interested with it in the first place.

though I'm not surprised a game journalist would make a completely stupid article blaming the fans for the developers failures, got to have those Doritos.

[nofallouthero]

but they voted with there wallets
why would you buy something you dont like

[squarecircle]

We have seen this before with Socom 4 and Operation Flashpoint Red River. They derived from their Simulation/Tactical shooter roots to have a piece of the COD pie and we all know what happened next...

When will the Developers and Publishers learn?

Build the game for the fans then implement features for new comers. Don't create a game for a wider audience while alienating your fan base!

[aliengmr]

"It’s almost—almost!—as if some people think game publishers are entitled to sales regardless of whether or not customers particularly care for the product."

This ^

This is exactly what bugs me. No matter what controversy people dream up or whining that takes place sales are the determining factor.

This just happened with Warfighter. Gamers are to blame for everything it seems. "The game was great, gamers are just too stingy and dumb." Hubris?

Regardless of what you think of the game, to catch hell for voting with your wallet should offend you on some level.

[FrigidDARKNESS]

Yes.

[SkullBlade169]

Sales failure well deserved.

[InTheLab]

Kills me how Vigil is no longer a thing but Ninja Theory still somehow manages to scrape by....

[Gamer-Z]

"I hear quite often when we enter the turbulent waters of "entitled gamer syndrome" that fans should stop complaining and vote with their wallets. If you don’t like it, so the advice goes, quit whining and just don’t buy it.

"Yet here we have an example of that very self-same thing happening right before our eyes, and now it turns out that voting with one’s wallet is actually akin to destroying a brand out of spite."

"It’s almost—almost!—as if some people think game publishers are entitled to sales regardless of whether or not customers particularly care for the product."

I find the reversal very interesting, now it's a game publishers who are acting "entitled".

[aLiEnViSiToR]

Hmm i think tittle is typo...

Are Capcom & Ninja Theory To Blame For Lower Than Expected 'DmC' Sales?

...thats' better :]

[Servbot41]

It shouldn't be a question, its a factual statement.

[Diffraction_Fos]

"OMG! How did this happen? We totally disrespected our fanbase throughout the development, but we still expected them to buy and support our game."

LMAO! The balls on Crapcom......

[Jason143]

Games too easy. Disrespectful devs. What they expect. Is a rental at best

[ninjahunter]

Still not as bad as the megaman legends 3 fiasco.
We want fans to help us build this game, 150,000 estimated active supporters, We are canceling this game due to lack of fan support.

"What?! Do you want us to actually make the game for you?!"
"that's is the point of this"

Im Glad their PR guy got punched in the face.

[HonestDragon]

At almost seven hundred thousand units sold, I would say it might make the new quota by the end of the year. Thing is, though, is that it's just average at best. Reviewing it on N4G, I gave it a six out of ten. It's not a bad score, but as a fan of the original Devil May Cry series, I say DmC is okay at best.

From Ben Parfitt: "It’s potentially a sad end to a tale brought about very much by the fans themselves. Anyone who played Devil May Cry 4 must surely of seen how desperately the IP needed an injection of new ideas and modernisation – which is exactly what the skilful Ninja Theory achieved."

I played Devil May Cry 4. I think it's awesome. I also think that the series did not need any modernization. What do I think would have been a better idea than a reboot? Seeing Dante kick all sorts of demonic rear ends (including Mundus)in the underworld. The only reason why I say that is because of Devil May Cry 2 (even though I know a lot of people hate it), but I think seeing Dante in the underworld would be cool with environmental potential and a possible cameo (or playable section) with Nero.

"Yet the fans revolted because Capcom dared to reinvent its IP for the 21st century and dared to change the colour of Dante’s hair. It’s really very sad."

Fans didn't like the idea of a reboot for more than just Dante's hair. The whole of the DMC universe was going to change and so did the characters (for the worst in my opinion). The gameplay was solid, but everything else fell apart.

And here is one from the author: "Oh, and to answer my own question (from that headline way up yonder)—in a word, yes. Fans are to blame. That’s how this crazy game is played."

So, are you saying that out of spite? I mean, that little line of "That's how this crazy game is played" seems rather spiteful. I think that it just goes to show that fans have a large voice and if they are determined they will vote with their wallets. Plus, Ninja Theory's ego didn't help.