Namco Bandai Acknowledges Enslaved Release Blunder
Wrong time of year to release? We could have told them that!
Enslaved was an enjoyable game. It's just shame that it was released at a time where it got squeezed out by a million higher-profile titles. Namco Bandai understands this now, and is working hard to ensure that such planning doesn't happen again.
"It really didn’t do what we anticipated," explained marketing vice president Carlson Choi. "I think the game went to market at a very busy season. Last year, there were like 4000+ games for consoles. We didn’t do a good job finding the right time for it because when you look at the quality of the game it speaks for itself."
Thankfully, it doesn't seem like its release schedule blunder has diminished its interest in the brand. In fact, Namco Bandai Label president Makoto Iwai said that "we are proud of ourselves for being able to launch that game. The sales side wasn’t as good as expected, but the reviews were good and everybody loved it."
The reason why Enslaved didn't become a hit is something that may well be keeping Choi up at night. "An 80+ rated game is guaranteed a hit. We got DLC that came out that got 10 out of 10. Ultimately, I think that game had the quality needed to address the gamers. I think it’s a matter of getting into the market at the right time, which is something you will see us do much better."
Choi didn't say anything about any potential Enslaved sequel, but he certainly didn't shut down the franchise as a failure either. So all signs are looking good, and a good new IP is getting the respect it deserves from its publisher. That's rather refreshing, isn't it?
Source: Siliconera
"It really didn’t do what we anticipated," explained marketing vice president Carlson Choi. "I think the game went to market at a very busy season. Last year, there were like 4000+ games for consoles. We didn’t do a good job finding the right time for it because when you look at the quality of the game it speaks for itself."
Thankfully, it doesn't seem like its release schedule blunder has diminished its interest in the brand. In fact, Namco Bandai Label president Makoto Iwai said that "we are proud of ourselves for being able to launch that game. The sales side wasn’t as good as expected, but the reviews were good and everybody loved it."
The reason why Enslaved didn't become a hit is something that may well be keeping Choi up at night. "An 80+ rated game is guaranteed a hit. We got DLC that came out that got 10 out of 10. Ultimately, I think that game had the quality needed to address the gamers. I think it’s a matter of getting into the market at the right time, which is something you will see us do much better."
Choi didn't say anything about any potential Enslaved sequel, but he certainly didn't shut down the franchise as a failure either. So all signs are looking good, and a good new IP is getting the respect it deserves from its publisher. That's rather refreshing, isn't it?
Source: Siliconera
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