The dust has now settled on the Wii U launch, and it's the ideal time to take stock of what's happened and how software has performed in terms of sales.
With this in mind, Chasing Aurora developer Broken Rules has admitted in an interview with Wii U Daily that the performance of the game didn't entirely meet expectations, but the Christmas sale had a positive effect.
When asked how well the title had done commercially, Broken Rules staffer Martin Pichlmair had this to say:
This being our first launch title, we did not know what to expect. And we’re still puzzled by the dynamics of this launch. I can’t deny that I had higher hopes but this has more to do with my personal attitude than with the performance of the game itself. As for the game, the Christmas sale did really well and the eShop is hitting his stride now. We’re still learning how to operate in this new and exciting environment.
Not a totally negative assessment, then - but hardly glowing praise. Pichlmair also revealed that the company's next project should be coming to the Wii U, but was hesitant to commit its long-term future to the console:
Obviously, we’ve got the technology in place and the capability to make another Wii U title. Yet as a small studio we have to chose very careful what platforms we’re targeting. From the current perspective we plan to bring our next game to the Wii U. But I can’t see into the future, so I can’t guarantee anything at this point.
Hopefully as the Wii U matures the eShop will grow and become a more attractive place for developers - that certainly seems to be the case with the 3DS eShop right now.
[source gonintendo.com, via wiiudaily.com]
Comments 33
"I can’t deny that I had higher hopes but this has more to do with my personal attitude than with the performance of the game itself."
What on earth does that mean?
Shot-em-ups have never been my kind of game so I might be wrong in imagining it's a bit of a niche market these days but hey ho.
Often indies don't understand (or lack the resources) to do proper sales modelling with their games.
Which translates into a "disappointment" for the game's market performance, when really it performed as expected.
One look at Chasing Aurora was enough to realise that it was far too abstract to have a hope of being high on the list of people's first Wii U purchases.
It's a very pretty game, but in a way that is very alienating. A more experienced publisher would not have expected stellar sales from this game.
@cornishlee it's not a shoot-em-up. It's a multiplayer tag game/ singleplayer time trial racer.
Therein lies my point. What the game fails to do is articulate what it is about. Without that articulation only the most experimental of gamers would bother with it.
Also, if the developers had have got some dummy reviews written up they would have realised quickly that the reception to the game in the media was going to be mixed, further impacting on sales.
tl;dr this was never going to be a hit.
The problem is the price-point. More expensive than Nano Assault Neo and nowhere near as good. Not saying it's a bad game but it's very poorly positioned.
@Bankai
Ah, yes, sorry, I think I was thinking of Nano Assault. You're right though, it could do with more explication.
@Grubdog - Agreed
It was a title I thought would feel more at home on the iOS and Android platforms rather than a home console. The appeal of it just doesn't seem like a game that would pull too many console players in. Too abstract for it's own good.
@bowserblog
A good point. Understanding the market and the platform is crucial. It's the same thing that makes calls for Angry Birds on Wii U so idiotic.
And I had higher hopes for Chasing Aurora being a good game. Reviews ended up mixed and mediocre. Plus it's Multiplayer only?!
I can't say much but for whatever reason the game has not been on my radar. Maybe it's marketing or something else but the game didn't really strike me as something I needed to purchase.
The game is okay, but nothing special. It's no wonder it's not a breakthrough hit, and the high price point didn't help.
@cornishlee Angry Birds is selling boatloads on the 3DS.
Just set a permanent price drop at €.4,99
I didn't download this one due to the lack of single player content.
Now I remember why I didn't bother getting this! Yes. Multi-player only. That's a no-go for me. Probably the reason I haven't enjoyed Nintendo Land too.
I didn't buy this because all of the reviews I read said that it relied heavily on multiplayer and I being the sole gamer in my house means I wouldn't have anyone to play it with. If the games focuses so much on its multiplayer aspect then they should have made online multiplayer part of it. Then I would have bought it.
Played it few times. Single player is pants... Time trials in games have never appealed to me. Multiplayer didn't grab me by the bollards either. Pretty bland game. Nice distinctive art though. Hope the Cave is good. Reviews haven't been very reassuring though. Like the idea of the different characters with special powers. Fingers crossed.
It's artsy. Need more substance. My buddy picked it up, explained it to me. Might be good when we are both at his house. Looking pretty isn't enough. Gotta flesh out the single player for sure.
The only reason I haven't bought it is the price. I'm sad that I missed it on sale. I was actually once going to buy it but saw that the price had got up to 11.99 euros. Didn't buy it.
I put 20 euros on my account and bought Nano Assault Neo for 9.99 (which, by the way, is an excellent game!). At the moment I would've bought Chasing Aurora for 9.99 as I had just about that amount left in my account. Right now I'd probably buy Mighty Switch Force instead of Chasing Aurora, but if it would be 4.99, I would buy it instantly. There's no doubt about it. If it would be 6.99 or 7.99, I might consider buying it but even for 9.99 I might not buy it.
So, just drop the price and you might see wonders in the sales numbers!
@Airola
I'm curious - is the UK the only place where you don't have to load up an account on the eShop? That was a pain on the Wii store and I was glad that I could just pay with a card for individual purchases on the eShop but I keep reading about people adding funds to an account.
I don't think it's pricing, just needs a demo or something. I'm not going to buy the game for screenshots. I don't know if it's fun.
@cornishlee
I haven't actually tried if paying a game without putting money into the account is possible. I'd love to be able to do that.
Can you really do that in the UK? If you can, I think other countries can too.
@cornishlee Yes, you can make individual purchases. When you click to purchase the game you want, you have a "add needed funds" option like the one on the 3DS eShop.
I didn't buy the game due to price & not knowing what the game was even about from the video...
Well, the platform can only take you so far. The rest is up to the game actually being good. This game didn't look bad, but it didn't look particularly appealing either, and that's not the fault of the eShop at all.
@Airola
Yep.
No interest in this game at. I am not surprised it did not sell well.
I was interested in the game, but the price has kept me from checking it out. It's too much of a gamble. That's what happens when you don't provide a demo. I think it's their own faults for it not being as successful as they had hoped.
Did They really Expect To Sell Well On A Nintendo Online Retail Store?? Really, Sir? Really?
Controls nice, looks pretty but very boring on your own. Disappointing there is no substance for one player.
Interesting how the developer once again blames every other factor but themselves when their game doesn't sell as well as expected. The fact is, Chasing Aurora is only a very average game at best, as proven by the reviews it's been given by just about everybody. If Broken Rules had put in a decent single player experience, and had a slightly lower price point from the start, then they'd probably have had more success. Much easier for them to say the fault lies elsewhere though. We don't live in the 8 Bit era anymore. You can't just put out mediocre games and expect them to sell by the truckload these days.
I bought the game during the Christmas sale, partly because of my love of animals and Nights Into Dreams, but seriously what do you expect for a stale game at $15? Maybe if it had online multiplayer and/or an actual story and long single player campaign it would have been worth it but truthfully the game should have been $5 and would have been a first purchase for every Wii U owner due to how cheap the game was. Its the same effect with My Little Inferno, you cant ask for 1/4th of a price of a retail game with stale experiences that dont translate into worthwhile games. Once again at $5 people would gobble that ish up but for $15 they could buy multiple, better, funner games.
90% of the miiverse posts on this say "is this game any good?" that means people either don't have the resources to find out such information, or they just want an honest response from a community...
not many people post for the latter reason unfortunately, meaning someone messed up
lower the price, especialy when its a launch title, people dont have a lot to choose from yet. Instant buy for many users.
Not a smart move to put it up for 15euro's
Should have had online.
Tap here to load 33 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...