Japanese Devs Can't Stop Citing Call Of Duty In Interviews
See Full ImageIf you're wondering why most all long-running Japanese franchises are clearly adapting what the Japanese see as quintessential Western traits, here's why.
I'm not sure if anyone has noticed, but for the past few years, whenever a Japanese developer is interviewed and answers questions concerning changes in a game, franchise, or genre, they inevitably mention Call of Duty. I mean, it's all the time. And it doesn't even have to be relevant; I've seen Japanese studios cite CoD when talking about games in completely different genres that have basically no connection to shooters whatsoever.
The latest example comes from Resident Evil: Revelations producer Masachika Kawata during a recent Gamasutra interview, in which he says the survival/market category is simply too small for a franchise the size of Resident Evil. Said Kawata:
"Looking at the marketing data [for survival horror games] ... the market is small, compared to the number of units Call of Duty and all those action games sell," he said. "A 'survival horror' Resident Evil doesn't seem like it'd be able to sell those kind of numbers."
Yup, there it is. And of course, that's in regards to sales so it makes perfect sense to mention the biggest-selling franchise in video game history. But wait, he does it again when speaking about Resident Evil 6 and the clear new direction Capcom is taking:
"I can't really speak for Resident Evil 6, but I don't think that it necessarily has to go all the way in that [action-heavy] direction, the Call of Duty direction. It doesn't have to be a straight up shooter. But my impression is that Resident Evil 4 and 5 aren't shooters, per se."
Look around for yourself; it's actually really surprising just how many times Call of Duty is mentioned. Another important note is that it seems to be the only big Western title that is cited so often; I rarely see a Japanese game maker talk about Uncharted or Batman or Assassin's Creed or even Grand Theft Auto. No, only CoD, because it seems painfully obvious that the Japanese designers have shooters on the brain, that all we Westerners want to play is Call of Duty.
And maybe that is part of the problem.
Tags: japanese games, japanese developers, call of duty, cod
3/23/2012 10:35:01 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (84 posts)
Bonampak
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 6:34:26 PM
That's why in that same article he also mentions something that many sites are overlooking - that games such as Resident Evil: Revelations (a hybrid - more traditional horror RE game with action elements) and Operation Raccoon City (a shameless TPS action game) are still being produced. With the understanding that they too can co-exist with the more action-oriented numbered games (RE4,RE5,RE6).
Kawata is in fact saying in that interview that we'll always have the option to play games like Revelations and ORC, aside from the main numbered games. Thus Capcom is going to try to cover the demand for such games in the different markets assigned for each genre.
I do agree though, that it's unrealistic for them to expect to get CoD sales numbers. Considering that not even EA has been able to meet that same goal. And oh boy, have they tried to get there.
Last edited by Bonampak on 3/23/2012 6:35:23 PM
4 up, 2 down
Ichigo40
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:02:35 AM
Reply
I guess only time will tell how this all plays out.
1 up, 2 down
Jawknee
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:24:38 AM
17 up, 5 down
Beamboom
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:27:04 AM
They need to do a tiny bit research, is all.
7 up, 1 down
Underdog15
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:36:21 AM
2 up, 0 down
Ichigo40
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:46:29 AM
I would like to see Japanese developers look at games like Dead Space, Mass Effect, & Uncharted (and again a few others) to see that you dont have to make a game more like COD to sell well and become popular.
And remember we I say we are creating the problem I'm not talking about the true gamers out there I'm talking about most of the casual gamers that are out there. Remember we are the minority in gaming now.
7 up, 1 down
Jawknee
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:07:23 PM
6 up, 3 down
Beamboom
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:10:03 PM
First off, I believe we can say that the casual gaming today doesn't primarily happen on consoles, it happens on mobile phones and in the Internet browser. And on those platforms you find very, very few plain shooters. It's almost non-existent.
Secondly, that other shooters doesn't sell too well (like those you list) is rather proof of how we westerners DON'T just buy shooters.
And thirdly, if we widen the scope just a *tad* more than focusing solely on the absolute top selling title, you will find that on spot #2-#10 there is a plenitude of genres and styles. And that is my main problem with all this talk about westerners and shooters: It simply Is Not True.
In addition to the titles you mention, you can add a HOST of titles to that list: Portal, Skyrim, Mindcraft, GTA, Batman, Limbo, LBP, Dark Souls, The Witcher 2, LA Noire, Assassins Creed... I mean, the list goes on forever!
And it's *not* our fault that the Japanese developers don't see that.
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/23/2012 12:14:27 PM
8 up, 0 down
pillz81
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 1:17:48 PM
9 up, 0 down
Ichigo40
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 2:03:45 PM
And I believe 100% that casual gaming happens on the consoles…why do you think more and more game studios feel like they need to include multiplayer in every game they make. I’m not saying that multiplayer is bad, I enjoy it but there is a reason why more and more games have it…even when the game series started out as just a single player experience. Look at Uncharted, Mass Effect, Assassins Creed, & there is already talk about multiplayer in the new Grand Theft Auto. If you were to walk into any gym, school, or mall and ask a person if they play games a large majority of them will cite COD in the games they play. I also never said that other shooters don’t sell too well…I said other great games don’t sell well and that is because westerners over look them for COD. The games that beamboom listed are awesome games (and I’ve played all of them but minecraft) but you can put money on the fact that the studios behind these games will go out of their way to avoid releasing anything around COD. If they did you would see that these games wouldn’t sell half as well as they did. Resistance 3 is a perfect example because it had to deal with Battlefield 3 and COD releasing so close to it. A highly rated game that was overlooked because of the window it came out in.
So yes in my opinion its not our fault that Japanese developers don’t see that there are other games out there that they can try model after but it is our fault that the only game they think we play is COD.
1 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 2:12:16 PM
"but it is our fault that the only game they think we play is COD."
No it's not. Thats like saying it was the woman's fault she was raped because she chose to wear a skirt.
Last edited by Jawknee on 3/23/2012 2:14:26 PM
2 up, 6 down
Beamboom
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 2:34:30 PM
And it's NOT our fault that they think all we play is COD. It just is not. WE are not to blame for THEM not doing proper research:
It is dead easy to find out that we don't just play/buy COD. All they have to do is open their browser, type in the address of any online retailer, click on their games sales charts, and see for themselves. That little piece of research alone would tell them it's not the case.
In fact, all they really need to do is to go to any - ANY - western gaming site to find that out.
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/23/2012 2:40:04 PM
1 up, 0 down
Oxvial
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 3:29:35 PM
Last edited by Oxvial on 3/23/2012 3:30:16 PM
3 up, 0 down
Looking Glass
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 4:29:39 PM
Ultimately I think both many western gamers (not all of course) and a number of Japanese companies (not all of course) share the blame for this situation.
But if you were to ask which side has the larger share of the blame I would say many western gamers.
It may be true that many western gamers may not be forcing the particular Japanese companies in question to change their games. But many western gamers are providing some very strong incentive for these Japanese companies to do so to say the least.
I mean by all accounts the primary purpose of these Japanese companies in question is to make money and by spending so much money on CoD many western gamers are sending them the message that being like CoD is the best way to do so. The companies (once again this is not to say all of them) are simply following a trend but by all accounts it seems that it's the gamers that are ultimately creating it.
It's no secret that the Japanese companies in question in all likelihood wouldn't be worshipping CoD if many western gamers weren't paying so much money for it.
As I indicated I don't believe either side is blameless but as for which side deserves more of the blame I would say many western gamers.
And here's a video that I believe is at least SOMEWHAT (not completely but somewhat) relevant to this topic:
http://www.destructoid.com/rev-rant-donate-141041.phtml
0 up, 0 down
xenris
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 8:22:16 PM
Now it is also the devs fault for thinking that they can tap into that market my mixing action elements into genres that don't require it. I still think Dead Space 1 is better than Dead Space 2 because it was less action packed and more suspenseful.
Its a bit of boths fault honestly, while no one is forcing them to change, they are trying to adapt to a market to appease the shareholders just like the other publicly traded publishers. Its becoming more and more about profit, and less about being creative and trying new things, more about playing it safe. But again I stress that any devs making changes to their games that aren't meant to be action games, and are hoping to hit CoD sales numbers are delusional.
McDonalds analogy was clever. However you could also say that we the consumer argue with our wallets and the numbers show that apparently mindless action games sell the most. So people in this competetive industry are going to try and compete by fighting fire with fire you know?
2 up, 1 down
Beamboom
Saturday, March 24, 2012 @ 5:48:39 AM
What did you guys say with your wallet last year? What did your friends say with theirs? Do you know of a single gamer who with his/her wallet said, "I only want to play multiplayer shooters now. That is all I want to buy, that is all I care for"?
What did we say with out wallets when we teared Skyrim off the shelves this christmas, and showered Portal 2 with GOTY-prizes? What DO we say, guys? You tell me!
Yes, we speak with our wallets. But do they hear what we say?
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/24/2012 9:11:43 AM
1 up, 2 down
Looking Glass
Saturday, March 24, 2012 @ 9:16:06 AM
First of all GOTY awards are of little concern and sales are by all accounts what matter the most to the companies in question.
And yes the people who have bought games like Skyrim and Portal 2 have also spoken with their wallets. The problem is while both of those games sold well they still pale in comparison to the CoD numbers to say nothing of the combined numbers of CoD and other similar IPs.
Some may speak other things with their wallets but the problem is that the CoD people speak much louder and with many more voices.
They are listening, that's not the problem. The problem is that those who buy things other than CoD and similar IPs are being drowned out by the buyers of CoD (and similar IPs).
And no the popularity of CoD in Japan is in all likelihood not the issue because the Japanese market is MUCH smaller compared the western market. The issue by all accounts is overall sales numbers. If the Japanese market really was the primary concern then by all accounts westernization would not really be an issue.
1 up, 0 down
xenris
Saturday, March 24, 2012 @ 9:43:55 AM
Thats why they look at the CoD numbers because its their goal to get that, and they try to reach that to keep their shareholders from jumping ship. Thats the main reason for all the streamlining BS thats going on. Between the WII and CoD the numbers show that there are an overwhelming number of casual players willing to spend money. Plus when they only play one game a year....CoD, they are more willing to pay for it annually. This comes from two things, one most of them are new to gaming and don't realize that they are largely being ripped off for overly glorified expansion packs. Two, they really by into the reviews and the media exposure and buy it soley on the fact that its the BEST selling game of all time. If you look at all the CoD games, they make a point to say its the best selling game. People who don't put much thought into things think sales=quality, which we know that it doesn't. It doesn't mean all games that sell a lot aren't high quality some are, what it means is there are a ton of quality games, that sell terribly AND here lies the problem and the desperation that the japanese devs are showing in their interviews.
Its the consumers that are doing this, and I don't mean you personally, but as a whole publishers look at the majority, and sadly that majority is the casual, pew pew bang explosion CoD crowd.
But I don't deny that the japanese devs are idiots for trying to duplicate the success of CoD, you just can't get those numbers. If anyone is going to get those numbers soon it will be EA with someone like Battlefield or Medal of honor.
Another reason why this is happening now and didn't happen when I was growing up was because nintendo games were FREAKING hard man. You had to read a manual the size of the bible just to maybe know what was going on. One hit deaths, limited lives and you could actually get a GAME OVER. When was the last time you saw a game over screen?
Anyway I got off on a tangent, but the point is, both the consumers as a whole are asking for this with their wallets, and the devs are being delusional in thinking they can actually get CoD numbers.
Luckily the indy scene is still going strong, as long as people keep making games like Journey and Limbo I will be happy. Plus this kickstarter games thing has me excited for the future of gaming providing it works.
End Rant.
2 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Sunday, March 25, 2012 @ 9:58:20 AM
Surely the companies in question must see that there is a relation between the three?
@both:
I understand they want the same sales numbers as the #1. I bet *everyone* dream of that. It's just, when they themselves barely are able to reach just a few percent of those sales with their titles, it just looks so incredibly NAIVE. It's like they don't have any business sense whatsoever, and that I refuse to believe seeing how large their nation is on other business areas (cars, electronics, etc).
Cause most of all it feels in this discussion like we are talking about some complete freshmen here!
It's like if I were to introduce a new line of soda on the market. Would I then measure my success on a scale against Coca Cola, or take a closer look as Cokes competitors instead? And would I go for a cheap copy of the Coke taste to reach the sales of the Cocal Cola company? What would you say my odds are?
And more so, whose fault would it be if I made such idiotic plans? Is it the fault of all those who drink Coca Cola now and then? For me the answer to that question is a painstakingly obvious NO.
It. Just. Makes. No. Sense.
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/25/2012 10:29:16 AM
1 up, 0 down
Looking Glass
Sunday, March 25, 2012 @ 6:39:19 PM
Well by all accounts sales numbers are the primary concern if not the sole concern. And why not seeing as how relying on good scores to help sales along doesn't seem to be a particularly reliable strategy. One good example would be with Enslaved. That game got good review scores but didn't sell very well. Namco Bandai was so displeased that they severed ties with Ninja Theory. And Enslaved certainly doesn't seem to be alone in this regard either.
And as far as I can tell it's not really naivete so much as it is greed and ambition. They are also not completely lacking in business sense as you indicate. They see what's selling the most and try to follow that trend. It certainly seems to be sensible enough.
And while there might be other factors in play by all account the primary driving force behind the behavior of the companies in question is the behavior of the consumers. A company might not do a particularly good job of following consumer trends but it's still by all accounts the consumer trends that drive the actions of the company (regardless of whether those actions are successful or not).
0 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Monday, March 26, 2012 @ 2:41:00 AM
But the main point here is:
If I make such stupid plans, if I go out of business because of these plans it's NOT the fault of those who buy Coca Cola now and then. You can't blame poor market understanding and insight on the market. That is just plain wrong.
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/26/2012 2:42:48 AM
0 up, 0 down
Looking Glass
Monday, March 26, 2012 @ 7:55:03 AM
First some of the bigger companies like Square Enix (among others) actually do have the resources and the budgets. And you wouldn't necessarily need the budgets and resources either. You may simply alter your games in some smaller yet significant way such as swapping turn-based for real time combat for example.
And this isn't about companies going out of business or the soft drink industry. It's about the video game industry and it's about video game companies changing their games to reflect consumer trends, even if they do a poor job of following consumer trends. As I indicated I believe that both the producers and the consumers share the blame for this situation.
But ultimately I would say that consumers deserve the larger share of the blame because ultimately it begins with the consumer. The companies are after all trying to do what the consumers are essentially telling them to do when they speak with their wallets.
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Beamboom
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 @ 3:17:50 AM
It is not the consumers fault if a company do poor business decisions. It just isn't!
... And so this case stands. :)
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/27/2012 3:18:26 AM
0 up, 0 down
Looking Glass
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 @ 8:12:29 AM
But you see that's BESIDE the point.
As I've indicated before I believe BOTH the producers and the consumers share the blame. But I would say that the consumers deserve the larger portion of the blame. While the producers may ultimately be responsible for their own business decisions (hence their share of the blame) who is it that compels them to make those poor decisions in the first place? And who is it that makes it hard for them not to make said decisions? Who leads them astray? That would be the consumers.
I don't usually use biblical metaphors but I think this one fits in this case. The producers may be grabbing and eating (or at least trying to grab and eat) the forbidden fruit of their own free will but the consumers are the ones who are offering it to them and tempting them to accept it. Who is more at fault? The one who eats the fruit or the one who offers it? I would say that it's the one who offers it. Why? Because it begins with the one who offers it. Or the one who offers it is the one who throws the first punch so to speak.
The consumers (or at least a large portion of them to be more specific) ARE actually the ones who are actually creating the problem. The producers (or a number of them to be more specific) are simply making it worse.
And it doesn't matter what consumers say or what they ask for. What matters is what they do. As long as they continue to BUY shooters in such large amounts producers are going to continue to try to tap into that market. Because consumers wallets speak louder than their words. It's not good enough to simply ask for more than shooters. People need to actually stop buying shooters or perhaps at least stop buying them in large amounts.
Because even if producers fail to grab the fruit and get themselves hurt in the process there would seem to be a good chance that instead of looking for something more reasonable to eat they simply convince themselves that they simply didn't go about trying to grab the fruit the right way and try to grab it some other way.
Now why would someone do this? Because that fruit is just too sweet. And it's consumers who make it too sweet in addition to offering it. On top of that producers may see people who have chosen to look for something else to eat either going hungry or not prospering ENOUGH to make such a choice truly tempting.
Producers may be responsible for their own actions but so are the consumers. And it really would seem that by all accounts it ultimately begins with the consumers.
Last edited by Looking Glass on 3/27/2012 8:16:38 AM
0 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 @ 2:50:47 PM
Temptation is everywhere. But the choices made is the responsibility of him who make it, and only him.
If I waste my talent as an author on poor crime novels, is that the markets fault since thrillers are on the top seller lists?
If I am tempted to steal, is that the stores fault since they got the products on display?
Is it the girl who is most to blame when she get raped, cause the rapist was tempted?
Why isn't there just one flavor of soda? Why are there any other music genre out there than pop/rock?
Temptation is EVERYWHERE. But it is the one who makes the decision that is solely responsible for that decision. In business as in life. Neither you, nor I can or should be held responsible or in any way blamed for these developers imagining that the best business move is to go create COD clones, when that is *wrong*.
As a matter of fact it makes more sense to put even MORE blame on them, for robbing us all from the experience of quality Japanese productions because of their poor decisions.
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/27/2012 2:51:48 PM
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Looking Glass
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 @ 5:37:31 PM
Okay you're right. I see your point. The whole temptation metaphor does have unfortunate implications. And using it was a bad idea on my part. I'll give you that. And yes the ones being tempted are indeed still ultimately responsible for their own actions.
Although sometimes the temptation may be actively and purposely presented to someone with the purpose of leading them astray. In which case the tempter might share the greater portion of the blame. But of course the scenarios you mention about the girl and the store don't fit into such a category. So of course the store and the girl would not be at fault at all.
Although the crime novel scenario you mention is too vague. It depends on your motivation. Did you try writing crime novels because you like writing crime novels or are were you just trying to make money? Because if it's the latter I don't think it would be your fault since your goal is to make money and trying to follow a popular sales trend is a reasonable way to do that.
But yeah. On reflection the whole temptation metaphor really doesn't seem to fit this situation with the video game industry. And because of this and the unfortunate implications it has I take it back. And now I feel embarrassed and ashamed to have brought it up in the first place.
So now I won't speak in broad terms. I'm only referring to this specific situation with the video game industry.
And actually the developers are not "imagining" anything. The idea that the best business decision is to follow CoD's lead, perhaps even in some smaller yet significant way, is the message that many consumers are sending developers when they spend so much money on CoD and other similar games.
And this isn't about you or me. It's about the large numbers of consumers who spend so much money on CoD (and other similar games).
Okay. After giving it a little more thought I now concede that perhaps it is actually unclear who deserves the greater share of the blame: the producers in question or the consumers in question. But I am convinced that the blame is still indeed shared.
Even if as you say (and I'm paraphrasing of course) the producers in question did "rob" consumers I think that also begs the question: "Are consumers really making a good enough effort to take back what was robbed?". And sadly this does not seem to be the case.
Because while some Japanese developers seem to have abandoned their support of the good old Japanese stuff (so to speak) I think the sad truth is that many consumers seem to have done the same.
And I think it's safe to say that if the good old Japanese stuff is going to come back (hopefully) both the producers in question and an adequate number of consumers are going to have to be on board with it.
Last edited by Looking Glass on 3/27/2012 5:51:46 PM
0 up, 0 down
wackazoa
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:09:04 AM
Reply
Last edited by wackazoa on 3/23/2012 11:12:25 AM
1 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:26:30 AM
Last edited by Jawknee on 3/23/2012 11:27:40 AM
4 up, 0 down
shadowscorpio
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:48:07 AM
Guess that says something...
1 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:10:35 PM
3 up, 0 down
bigrailer19
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:41:28 PM
1 up, 0 down
wackazoa
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:44:58 PM
And I wouldnt put it past the developers to whore out those games. In the end I dont think even the great Hideo Kojima can stop Konami if they get dollar signs in their eyes.
Last edited by wackazoa on 3/23/2012 12:46:32 PM
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Fane1024
Sunday, March 25, 2012 @ 8:36:37 PM
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Underdog15
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:11:27 AM
Reply
Make more high quality Japanese games, and I'll be spending even more on them. Level-5... Gust.... Imma lookin' atchew.
2 up, 0 down
shadowscorpio
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:52:12 AM
We will buy it if they make it.
1 up, 0 down
xenris
Saturday, March 24, 2012 @ 9:47:14 AM
I want another Dragon Quest 8 quality game. I still maintain its the best RPG I have ever played. Yes I played the old Final fantasy games, DQ8 just has soooo much to do and so much charm.
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gumbi
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:12:41 AM
Reply
Focus your budget, talent, and design in a direction fitting the market you're catering to. You can find great success any market as long as you're focus is where it should be.
I don't want to play a bastardized hybrid genre game suffering a major identity crisis.
Call of Duty is NOT the standard by which you should be comparing all your games.
10 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:22:08 AM
I feel Japanese games would fare better if they simply increased their quality of what they make. Alot of the Japanese games this generation don't really look all that "next gen".
5 up, 0 down
wackazoa
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:48:48 PM
1 up, 0 down
H0TSHELLZ
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:24:39 AM
Reply
2 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:38:48 AM
Not that there's anything wrong with wanting those numbers. But they, along with all the other Western developers that already know this, need to realize that CoD is an anomaly. It's simply not realistic to achieve those numbers. They need to come back down to earth. A 5 million copy selling game is a huge success!!! Anything over 2 million is a success. CoD's insane sales should not be attempted, as it only sets you up for failure.
5 up, 0 down
Rogueagent01
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:12:38 PM
One of these developers around the world(not just Japanese) will realize the only way to knock off a generic giant is to come out with pure quality, even then the numbers won't be as high but they'll be just enough to show the other devs that CoD is not the end all, be all, of gaming.
Skyrim is one of those games that should have opened the eyes of devs and it is still not true quality. Just imagine if Bethesda could release a game like that and have it be essentially bug free.
1 up, 0 down
wackazoa
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:56:25 PM
Question how many people think FF7 is a top 5 if not all time #1 game ? And that was almost 15 year ago....
1 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 1:11:19 PM
I have friends who have never played or enjoyed any other jRPG apart from FFVII, and -they- would say that too. That says alot.
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Beamboom
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:25:13 AM
Reply
"NO-ONE ARE ABLE TO SELL THOSE KIND OF NUMBERS! *NO-ONE*!"
Last edited by Beamboom on 3/23/2012 11:34:43 AM
4 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 11:30:22 AM
Reply
5 up, 1 down
bigrailer19
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:44:32 PM
3 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 1:06:29 PM
5 up, 0 down
H0TSHELLZ
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 1:08:12 PM
1 up, 0 down
Underdog15
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 1:13:07 PM
It's good to note that once you are no longer an elite subscriber, you cannot access those maps. That's very important. It's also curious that that info is in the terms of service, but not anywhere else. Most people don't even realize that.
In addition, they have a variety of "premium" services that have released, been un-released, etc. all because they still do not work.
Elite is a joke. And the stats? They tell me almost nothing I can't already see in the menu.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 3/23/2012 1:13:49 PM
1 up, 0 down
jimmyhandsome
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 1:32:41 PM
Capcom seems like they have less of an idea of what their doing with DLC, etc.
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shadowscorpio
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:04:44 PM
Reply
Honestly though, what an opportunity to massive cater to the genres of games that havent't really been given to the major consoles this gen.
In business, if you never takes risks you'll never truly put yourself in the position to gain great success. Not every genre has to be hybryded with "shooter" elements. Japanese devs need to understand that the Westerns devs already have that market. Instead of trying to take that share that you simply will not get, how about sticking to the formulas that made you successful enough to get to this point?
Yes , its risky in your eyes but the major consoles have been suffering from a lack of "non-shooter" inspired games this gen if you compare the last gen. This is aside from exclusive and downloadable titles of course.
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slugga_status
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:20:12 PM
Reply
If they stuck to what made them great in our eyes and made it better I don't think they'd have a problem. For example, as we all know the issue with RE lacking sales numbers is because they went away from what brought them fans in the first place, Survival Horror and zombies. They've made it more action based and is more survival than horror.
When you deviate from what works best and you're likely to lose fans and sales
1 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:22:17 PM
Reply
That's the problem. They're not just aspiring to higher retail numbers; they're doing the exact wrong thing and moving away from that which made Japanese games JAPANESE. And thus far, it hasn't been working.
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slugga_status
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:35:35 PM
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Jawknee
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:40:00 PM
Exactly. What does amaze me about this particular statement is that Resident Evil has a large following and the fans who support the franchise would be delighted to hear they are going back to is horror roots. But since they want to ride CoD's coat tails, for this long time fan it's a disappontment and this will be the first Resident Evil I don't pick up on day one. I will likely buy this used and I never buy used games because of this very reason. Their approach is counter productive.
Last edited by Jawknee on 3/23/2012 12:55:42 PM
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H0TSHELLZ
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 1:14:46 PM
1 up, 0 down
LimitedVertigo
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 12:56:10 PM
Reply
8 up, 2 down
Underdog15
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 1:20:51 PM
5 up, 1 down
LimitedVertigo
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 9:12:03 PM
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stealth
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 1:00:33 PM
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What hes saying is he sees the money that COD makes and he wants that. Plain and simple
Alot of western game makers talk about mario, zelda, pokemon, ff, dq in the same way
0 up, 1 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 2:01:27 PM
And I hear Kotick and Riccitiello talk about Mario and Zelda all the time. Really.
...........what genius.
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ValentinoGB
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 2:09:23 PM
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jimmyhandsome
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 2:13:09 PM
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For the most part CoD is the latest "fad" amongst gamers. Instead of Capcom trying to innovate and come up with something original that sells, they just water down their own games, make them more like CoD and as a result the market becomes saturated with CoD knock offs. Companies go out of business with this copy/paste formula. I hope for their sake they wake up, possibly spend some money on market research, and realize that not everyone wants Call of Duty ALL the time.
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slugga_status
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 2:38:57 PM
Video game marketing in general has to get better to me. Seems like it's gotten worse over the years
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WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 3:02:08 PM
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3 up, 1 down
Temjin001
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 5:20:50 PM
There were several early indicators that signaled that western audiences really like multiplayer FPS. It was already huge on PC's back before it ever was on console. It seemed to save the N64 from and early death. It saved Xbox from death. And now, with added online, it's basically immortilized. Seeing as this sort of experience is driven like a competitive sport, I don't see it waning away. And if it does, something else may just fill it's spot just the same.
2 up, 1 down
Beamboom
Saturday, March 24, 2012 @ 5:33:03 AM
Also, I don't get this logic of "COD messing it all up". Let's play with the idea that we somehow removed COD from existence. *poff* gone. There would then be another title that sells better than the rest! Would that change anything?
The very core of them problem here, as I see it, is that they apparently think that ALL we want to play is what's at #1, and that in order to succeed they need to mimic *whatever* is at #1 - regardless of what that title is.
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JLB1
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 4:41:30 PM
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Fane1024
Sunday, March 25, 2012 @ 8:47:58 PM
Not hating on COD, but it's really the opposite of everything I like in a game...which is everything else on your list (more or less).
Last edited by Fane1024 on 3/25/2012 8:49:03 PM
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gray_eagle
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 7:36:01 PM
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and they want a slice, a big slice.
the only way they see how to do that is westernize their game(s)
and they wonder why they lose fan support.
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karneli lll
Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 8:20:24 PM
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Honestly, its our fault as gamers for encouraging cash cow schemes like COD,while the developers who actually give us their heart and soul walk away almost empty handed and their bosses force them to be more CODish. You want better games; stop buying COD, dont talk about it.
1 up, 1 down
BigBoss4ever
Saturday, March 24, 2012 @ 1:28:04 AM
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Last edited by BigBoss4ever on 3/24/2012 1:32:01 AM
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___________
Saturday, March 24, 2012 @ 2:32:03 AM
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this is exactly whats destroying the industry, developers are becoming more and more greedy!
the millions of fans they already have is not enough, they want more so they change their game to try bring in more fans.
but what they dont realise is there not going to gain any new fans, all there going to do is alienate their old ones!
as the saying goes you dont realise what you have till you loose it!
enough with the f*cking greediness, just be happy with what you have!
if you go and create something truly unique i think you will be surprised how many people will support you!
look at heavy rain, one of the weirdest niche of the niche games out there and it sold really well!
same goes for LA Noire!
enough of the oh this sells really well so we have to copy it!
and more of the ok what has not been done?
ok lets try that because theres always people looking for something new.
your going to make a hell of allot more money doing something new then trying to milk the same cow that died 16 years ago!
and to make things worse not only are they greedy they have become tight a$$ too!
trying to cut corners everywhere especially where you cant cut them and thats just making the games worse!
cough ME3!
everything about that game, unlike its predecessors, feels rushed to kingdom come!
ME2 felt like 6 months was spend deciding what colour the M28 rifle should be.
ME3 felt like 6 months was spent writing the whole game!
everything these days just feels really rushed!
Last edited by ___________ on 3/24/2012 2:34:48 AM
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saintaqua
Sunday, March 25, 2012 @ 11:36:41 AM
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Give me an old style FF game with modern trimmings, Kingdom Hearts and some quirky Japanese fun!
I will not buy these terrible westernized Japanese games. I just don't want them!
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Underdog15
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Friday, March 23, 2012 @ 10:50:20 AM
CoD is great at certain times, but if all I ever had was a CoD experience and nothing else... I'd be a very sad panda.