Even as old-school Saturn fans chant the Darkstalkers name from the mountain tops (I’m looking at you, Kris Knigge), it seems the general public just doesn’t share that same level of enthusiasm for Capcom’s recent re-release compilation of Night Warriors: Darkstalkers’ Revenge and Darkstalkers 3. While the game has managed to make its way onto PSN’s top ten list for March, that isn’t enough for it to be considered a success–at least not in Capcom’s eyes.
When members of Capcom Unity’s forums argued that the game seemed like a success, Capcom USA head Christian Svensson offered up a rather disheartening response:
Sadly, it’s not as high on that list as it really needs to be to be successful.
We’re working on promotions and the like to improve the situation. We’ve not given up. But I’m disappointed in the opening sales response relative to any other fighting title we’ve put out on the same platforms given the frequency and urgency of requests we’ve had here over the last several years and the quality of the execution. It is the most fully featured and probably best project of this type we’ve done.
And before people jump to the wrong conclusions, I’m not blaming fans who did buy it and supported the brand. I’m very thankful for those guys (thank you, to all of you). I’m more disappointed by my misread of the information in this particular case.
Svensson has suggested elsewhere that the novelty of these kinds of projects has been tapering off, but I’m not sure that’s the case all around. Darkstalkers is one of the most inspired of Capcom’s many hibernating fighting IPs, and while the recent saturation of 2D fisticuffs has certainly diluted the pot, this series really boasts some potential to become a new fan favorite.
Whether the blame rests with fickle fans, a saturated market, or ho-hum advertising, the outcome is nevertheless crushing. Is the Darkstalkers franchise going to be put to rest for another 15 years? Has Capcom lost all faith in re-releasing or updating classic fighters?
Only time will tell.
[Source: Eurogamer]
Argh, I was intending to purchase this when it came out, but life was so busy I didn’t notice. I snagged it as soon as I read this article