Donde vender un millón., ya no es suficiente...

Interesante artículo que analiza el caso de Take Two. There was a time, not so long ago, that selling a million of pretty much anything was deemed a huge success. In these days of big budgets and even bigger expectations though, games that don't do considerably better are deemed failures.

Signal Hill analyst Todd Greenwald issued a commentary this morning about Take Two Interactive's prospects for 2010, noting (with a firm grasp of the obvious) that Bioshock 2 was the company's best bet for success next year. "The original was one of the best-rated games when it first came out in August 2007 and sold nearly 3 million units," he points out. "Bioshock 2, due out on February 9, has great brand awareness, should be supported by a huge marketing campaign, and is one of the most highly anticipated titles of 2010." No arguments there.

We'll see fewer big budget games from the likes of Electronic Arts, Take Two, Activison, and Ubisoft, and we'll see more games developed with smaller teams and smaller budgets.

He went on to question the viability of Take Two's other confirmed offerings for the year, however, speculating that Red Dead Redemption is "challenged to sell more than 1-2 million units." He went on to cast doubt on the whole Western genre, noting that Red Dead Revolver sold "only" 1.5 million units while Ubisoft's Call of Juarez sold "just" 900k units. It remains to be seen how realistic his expectations of Red Dead's potential are. From what we've seen so far, it appears to be a very impressive title. Furthermore Hill also challenged the possible success of both Mafia 2 and Max Payne 3 citing sales of "less than 2 million units" for Electronic Arts' Godfather games as an indication for expectations of the former, and "just over 2 million units" for Max Payne 2 "despite the popularity of the original."

A game selling 2 million units these days is generating, conservatively, $100 million in retail sales. Once everyone gets their cut; the retailer, the platform holder, and the people that actually made the thing, the amount that goes back into the publisher's coffers is just a fraction of that figure. Many games these days cost well in excess of $10 million, and often $20 million or more - something that is usually paid up front (details of which emerged earlier this year in the dispute between Activision and Double Fine Productions regarding the rights to Brutal Legend.) With large marketing budgets factored in on top it's not hard to see why publishers are increasingly gun shy, and analysts are increasingly dogmatic about the prospects of all but a few games.

How will the industry respond to this in 2010? It's already becoming clear. We'll see fewer big budget games from the likes of Electronic Arts, Take Two, Activison, and Ubisoft, and we'll see more games developed with smaller teams and smaller budgets relying less on the latest technology and more on fundamental gameplay qualities. We'll see even more iPhone games, and more Facebook games, and we'll see big name franchise emerging as browser games and social media games. The big risks will be taken in small projects undertaken by "spec ops" style teams living within larger organizations. Group's like Electronic Arts' EA 2D will become less of an anomaly, and products like Sid Meier's Civilization Network will show us the way that a lot of games will evolve. As gamers we'll eventually end up spending less before we play and more while we play. A year ago, speculation of this nature would have seen many thinking "yeah, but that's not going to happen for years." In the current financial climate though, we're going to see this sooner than you think.

Fuente: Gamepro.

E3 Conference from Take Two

All details!! Bioshock for PS3 with downloadable content, a new FPS, MMORPG, TOP SPIN, etc, etc, etc... Take a look:


LOS ANGELES--At yesterday's Nintendo press event, one of the biggest surprises was the of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, the ultra-violent franchise's debut on the Nintendo DS. Though its unveiling drew audible gasps, little was revealed about the game other than its logo. Early speculation pegged it as being a city-centric title in the vein of Vice City Stories for the PSP, either set in Liberty City or San Fierro, the two metropolises in the GTA universe to have Chinatown districts. While gamers want more details about the first GTA DS, the game industry would like larger answers about the company making it, Take-Two Interactive. The publisher has had a roller coaster year, enjoying both record-breaking sales of Grand Theft Auto IV and being the subject of a hostile takeover by EA. Those attending its press event at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles this morning came for answers to those questions, and to learn about the company's plan for the future.
[10:49] Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick takes the stage right on time, immediately touting the fact that Grand Theft Auto IV was the "biggest entertainment launch in history."
[10:50] "We're investing in the future...with out creative team of 1,400 developers in 17 studios worldwide."
[10:52] "In an effort to produce the best in interactive entertainment, we encourage our developers to imagine," says Zelnick, who quickly hands over the podium to "the brains of the operation" Take-Two CEO and president Ben Feder.
[10:54] Feder cues a series of montages, beginning with 2K Sports. NBA 2K9, NHL 2K9, Top Spin 3, Don King's Prizefighter, Power Pros, and MLB 2K9. Then come two demos for the Xbox 360 NBA 2K9 and the Wii NHL 2K9, which aims "to bring the fun back to hockey."
[10:55] Now comes a demo of NHL2K9, which is billed as a "complete reset" of the franchise. The Visual Concepts producer on hand says hockey games have become "too complicated."
[10:56] The game will have pick-up-and-play controls, "an all-new fighting engine" and will even let you drive the Zambonie between periods.
[10:57] It still is a harcore hockey sim, he stress with a high level of detail. Apparently if the crowd is very displeased with a teams performance, they will start throwing beer cups and other debris onto the ice.
[10:58] There's even an interactive Stanley Cup celebration mode which lets you party until dawn with your team.
[10:58] The hockey player demoing the game is showing how you push forward with the controllers to slam opponents against the boards.
[10:58] Now it's NBA 2K9 for the 360.
[10:59] NBA is the game "the pros are playing" and is the best-selling basketball game on the current generation of consoles.
[11:00] Once again, its a virtual rematch of the Lakers and the Celtics.
[11:01] The presenter sayw, "If you you think you've seen online features, you ain't seen nothing yet." Do they have something to match NBA Live 09's Dynamic DNA?
[11:02] The Celtics start scoring, and some audience members groan. "I know we're in Los Angeles, but Kevin Garnett is our cover guy," jokes the VC producer.
[11:03] That's it for sports! Feder comes back to talk about the new casual game label 2K Play.
[11:04] Sarah Anderson, 2K's head of marketing, takes the stage.
[11:05] She talks about "building on our strategic partnership with Nickelodeon," and airs a TV ad for Carnival Games for Wii and DS.
[11:06] The games' developer is Cat Daddy, which is also working on a sequel, Carnival Games Mini-Golf for the Wii. Another TV ad talks about getting a "hole in fun!" Audible groans ensue.
[11:07] Anderson repeats the pun, getting some chuckles.
[11:08] Now she announces a new deal to bring Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer to the Wii and DS with Dora saves the Snow Princess this fall.
[11:09] Feder pops back on stage and quickly talks about 2K Games. Apparently the initial run of Civilization Revolution has already sold out at US retailers, with 2K rushing to manufacture more.
[11:09] Cue A trailer for BioShock, which is coming to the PlayStation 3 this fall.
[11:10] Nice--a Borderlands trailer.
[11:10] The post-apocalyptic game shows a lot of indoor and outdoor action, with highly detailed graphics and action.
[11:11] Mafia II is also show off, with extremely realistic depictions of 1950s-era mobsters.
[11:11] Anderson's back, talking about Champions Online, 2K's first MMORPG. It's due next spring.
[11:13] Cue a trailer for Champions. The graphics are semi-cell shaded, making it look and feel very much like an interactive comic book.
[11:13] 2K Marin's Marissa Maya Miller takes the stage to show off BioShock for the PS3.
[11:15] 2K Marin's Marissa Maya Miller takes the stage to show off BioShock for the PS3.
[11:15] Miller talks about the level of effort it took to make BioShock, which drew on resources from all of 2K Games. She says the same effort is being taken with BioShock PS3, which has four studios working on it: 2K Marin, 2K Boston, 2K Australia, and Digital Extremes.
[11:17] New announcement: PS3 BioShock will have exclusive DLC, including new "challenge rooms" in Rapture, new plasmids and new gene tonics.
[11:18] Now, Feder is back to talk about Borderlands, the post-apocalyptic road-actioner and shooter. Randy Pitchford takes the stage and gives BioShock expressive praise.
[11:22] Now onto Borderlands, which takes place on the planet Pandora. The demo begins, with a driver class and a soldier class jumping into a vehicle and driving around the landscape. In a scrub desert area called the "barrens" two vehicles looking like Halo warthogs engage in a road battle before the two players--engaged in co-op mode, jump out and go into a dungeon-like iridium mine. The perspective switches from first to third person. The game will have an experience system similar to Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, where the more you use a particular weapon, the easier it is to use.
[11:24] After fighting off some hungry alien wildlife, the two players go deep into the mine, finding the bones of bandits eaten by monsters--and then excreted. They find guns in a locker, and stress that no two guns in Borderlands are the same. They have an entire program which will randomly generate weapons with a variety of power-ups and extra features.
[11:26] A bloody battle with an underground bandit camp ensues, with the players' opponents meeting bloody ends. The visual style and gameplay looks like a cross of Halo 3 and Fallout 3, though the yellow-tinted guns look straight out of Haze.
[11:28] Ok the guns are color-coded according to their abilities. Like Mass Effect, there will be wide array of ammo types, including guns that shoot acid. More bandits meet their ends, being either fried with electrical rounds or blown to pieces with shotguns. The game is looking just slightly less bloody that Gears of War.
[11:29] After an ambush cut-scene, the demo ends. Huge applause. This game is gonna be massive.
[11:31] Now it's onto Rockstar Games, and Feder name-checks Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, but only says "stay tuned for more information." Cue a montage of GTAIV, Bully, and L.A. Noire, which is apparently still in development.
[11:33] Now it's onto a Midnight Club: Los Angeles trailer. Shots of detailed street racing are accompanied by pumping techno from French DJ duo Justice.
[11:33] Zelnick's back and that's it, apparently.
[11:34] "We're dedicated to creating value for shareholders," says Zelnick. The words "Electronic Arts" were never mentioned.
[11:35] A final sizzle trailer flashes title cards for Sid Meier's Pirates! II and the new Red Dead Revolver game. The lights come up and the crowd rushes for the exit.

Source: GameSpot.