To be honest with you guys, I totally dug Alan Wake. Like I mentioned in my review, that game was a breath of fresh air, something different in an industry inundated with first person shooters and movie tie-ins. Unfortunately, games don’t move copies on the adoration of one man alone, and Alan Wake has had a disappointing showing in its debut month, shifting only 145,000 copies to date. While there are many reasons that games don’t sell, I’m kind of puzzled by the fact that Wake got left behind. The game reviewed fairly well and was backed up by a decent marketing push, but it still barely managed to crack 100,000 copies.
Of course, one good reason could be Red Dead Redemption, which sold an outstanding 1,513,000 in May alone, more than ten fold what Alan Wake did. That sort of number boggles my mind, especially considering that it’s in the typical video game sales “dry season”. Big name games don’t usually sell that well until the end of the year, so kudos to Rockstar on once again proving that they know how to make damn fine games and sell them well. We can expect that number to go up again once the holiday season hits, so don’t be surprised if Red Dead ends up being one of the best selling titles of the year.
Despite Red Dead’s success over Alan Wake, Microsoft has still maintained that it is interested in ongoing downloadable content for the game, something that could help boost sales and even get us a sequel. One game that isn’t going to be coming back, however, is Alpha Protocol. While the game was by no means terrible (Anthony had a good review for it), it didn’t sell enough for SEGA to justify a second showing. I guess the story that May tells is that new IPs are still a very tough sell in the industry, despite the fact that core gamers clamor for new, original properties. Red Dead is more of a reboot than anything, but it’s still a successor to a previous game with a similar name.
What do you guys think of May’s somber news? Are you thrilled for Red Dead or sad for Alan Wake and Alpha Protocol?
Well, as a PC gamer, I waited for about 5 years for Alan Wake. When they cancelled our release, I say Karma gave them a sweet kick in the ass-wallet-pocket. A well deserved one.
And it doesnt surprise me that Red Dead sold that much. It’s a rockstar game, and kids are always clamouring for their shit (Even though the game was great, I know, but that’s not the point.) I suspect that even if Red Dead got awful reviews, it probably still would have sold almost a million copies.
Meh. I played Alan Wake on youtube, it didn’t seem anything more then a rent. I was even playing and I was sick of the repetitive combat by the end of it. Doesn’t really seem to have much replay value, like heavy rain.
I haven’t got around to AP yet because I’m so bogged down with a backlog of games especially after the huge steam sales. I picked up 18 games for a total of around £2.50 (~$6) each.
Alan Wake is going to get a sequel and I loved it, so no complaints there. I think that’s going to be a game that picks up after word of mouth. Also the fact that it released the same day as Red Dead didn’t help any. And I really don’t feel bad for Alpha Protocol, it was a terrible game in a line of mediocre games made by a mediocre developer (wow that sounds really harsh) so really it’s their fault. I think Obsidian needs to shit or get off the toilet, and I think that Fallout New Vegas is their last shot.
I want to give Alan Wake a shot, I think it looks like a nice experience. Also pushing me that way is that the game features three songs from a band I like called Poets of the Fall. 😛 I wish I had more money…don’t we all?
It’s too bad games that are different don’t sell…we’re stuck in a rut of sameness and this only exemplifies that.
It’s really sad to see a great game like Alan Wake struggle with sales. It’s a great game that has to be played to be really enjoyed and anyone who ever liked Max Payne simply has to play it. It’s clear that Remedy was the true brains behind Max Payne all along and it’s evident here. It makes me fear even more for what Rockstar’s trying to do with the next Max Payne game. I hope Alan Wake picks up sales and kills, not only because I’m dying for a sequel, but also because if Remedy is successful enough, well maybe here’s hoping for an Alex Casey game. I’d take that over whatever Rockstar is trying to do anyday. Give us Sam Lake as Max/Alex again and let’s see the story end the way Remedy wants it to.