Sega Will Publish The Conduit: Why We Think it Might Not Sell Well
One of the more exciting game to come next year for the Wii is ‘High Voltage’s‘ first person shooter ‘The Conduit.’ Since it debut right before E3 many people were enthusiastic about the game’s unique control scheme, online multiplayer and good graphics. And let’s face it, the Wii and a game with good graphics does not come around very often.
One of the biggest questions since the game was announced, was which company would be publishing it. After a few month contemplating, High Voltage has finally confirmed Sega will publish ‘The Conduit.’
Sega of America President Simon Jeffery explains why they decided on the move:
“The Conduit is one of the most talked-about Wii games this year and High Voltage Software has only scratched the surface of the game in terms of what they have shown so far…They have proven that graphical and technological innovation can be exciting to the Wii market, and SEGA is thrilled to partner with a team that truly shares our belief in the Wii’s gaming potential beyond the casual market.”
While I think The Conduit is certainly one of the more exciting games to come out for the Wii. I’m just not sold on the idea a hardcore game is able to sell well outside the casual market. I understand that sometimes I come across as a ‘Wii Hater,’ but I want to reassure you that I’m not. In-fact, I believe the system includes some of the best games to come out for this generation.
Continue reading after the jump
However, a game like The Conduit probably won’t sell well — not matter how good it is. Most people who have bought the Nintendo Wii are looking for the casual/simple game — that’s why the hardware sold so well. The motion controls made it simple for the user to pick up and play. Take Wii-Play for example, which received terrible reviews but it sold incredibly well. And guess what, people actually enjoyed playing it. And their reason for their enjoyment — it was simple. So, a game like The Conduit might turn off a bunch casual gamers, but not because it’s bad. But because its ‘too deep.’ Even Nintendo shares this opinion — they’ve proved it at this past E3 when most games announced, were not geared towards their hardcore base.
On top of that, while gameplay is indeed important, first-person-shooters are generally rated high when the visuals look great. One of the main factors for graphics to be an essential part for this particular genre is because a FPS needs to be immersive. The player is playing through the eyes of the main character, if the environment doesn’t feel and act like a real world, it destroys the whole purpose. While The Conduit certainly looks good for the Wii, it doesn’t compare to games like Call of Duty or Killzone 2.
We don’t want to take anything away from High Voltage — what they have done for an underpowered system is astonishing. But we wonder, what would the game look like if it was on an Xbox 360 and/or PS3. I’m the end, hopefully I’m wrong because the developers deserve it to do well.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:25 am
What you seem to forget that now a days an FPS can be considered very casual, as the bulk of the western developped games is an fps.
Even if you DO say the conduit is purely a hardcore franchise, there is still reason to believe the game can do well. You might want to compare it to the two resident evil games on the Wii which both sold well over a million. Now these are pretty big names, and that’s probably the reason they did well. But they are also hardcore games, and they prove that such games can sell on the wii.
In the end, it will all come down to how big a marketing push sega employs, but looking back to the huge push of their other Wii titles, I believe this game will sell well, that is if it’s actually really good.
October 30th, 2008 at 2:28 am
Yes, you are the end.
October 30th, 2008 at 5:16 am
the wii play only sold well because of the wii mote that was with it.and as far as the game being to hard core or to deep, if thats true then why did nintendo fail so bad at e3, because everyone wanted hardcore games like FPS with online.
October 30th, 2008 at 7:21 am
Jon C. You are a tool, you ARE the definition of a Wii hater, and you should stick to writing about new Little Big Planet maps you discover. I am a hardcore gamer, I own a high end PC, Xbox 360, and a Nintendo Wii. Scott was right about the sales of Wii Play, I remember when it was released and it was actually the only way to buy a Wii mote at that time and the game sucked, the way you looked at it your are paying 10 bucks for a mediocre game with a Wii mote. Nintendo is thinking outside the box, and doesn’t need high performance graphics to do it. You can say that buggy as hell “Force Unleashed” was crap for the Xbox and PS3 but that is selling loads. And Conduit doesn’t compare to Killzone and Call of Duty, seriously? Why is that?! I like coming to this site to see news that is interesting and gaming related,and its not cluttered with crap like IGN, but seeing crap like this, that is one sided by a person that isnt a true gamer is bull *&($%. PS3 sucks, only reason they are big with the PS2 is the exclusives. (Which is no longer the case) Anonymous says it best. You are the end. Get some reliable data before saying saying that a Wii game won’t sell, because not all Wii owners are soccer moms.
October 30th, 2008 at 8:00 am
Some of the best selling games on the Wii were not intended for the Casual crowd. True, there are a number of people out there that won’t care about a shooter on the Wii, but they don’t need ALL of the Wii owners to buy the Conduit for it to be a hit. Plus, the casual games have plenty of competition – The Conduit will likely be THE choice for all the Wii owners that have been complaining about the lack of hardcore titles on the system.
October 30th, 2008 at 8:07 am
I don’t agree at all.
Most people that I know that bought the Wii are ex-gamers that got tired of gaming with the PS1 and it’s multi buttons and horrid, confusing 3D graphics. Just the VC was enough for them to buy the Wii. Added with games that they can share with the family and low price, it is a must-buy.
Those people bought RE4 and RE:UC. They bought No More Heroes. They bought Red Steel. They bought even Hoouse of the Dead. And those are about the most hardcore games (playable ones, at least) on the Wii (well, there is Okami, which didn’t sell on the PS2 too, and MoHH2, which is a PSP port with crappy sp and shallow mp). And I’m not even counting Nintendo games (Zelda, Mario, Metroid, Smash Bros), all which sold incredibly well.
As Nintendo has been clamouring, the Wii is for EVERYONE. The other companies try to create this image that only casuals buy the Wii, and this creates this misconception.
As said above, Wii Play sold because it costs ten dollars (fifty, but comes with a 40 bucks controller). It really is worth ten dollars. MacDonalds is more expensive than that, and it sucks.
Saying that Nintendo just caters to casuals because of E3 is misconception. First of all, hardcore gamers love Animal Crossing (me included), and we are very excited for Wii Motion Plus possibilities and Wii Speak production. Then ,we got Nintendo Media Summit right after E3, with the annoucement of really hardcore games like Punch Out, Sin and Punishment 2 and Disaster: Day of Crisis. All of those until first quarter 09.
Gameplay IS the most important thing. Else, Half Life 1 and System Shock 2 wouldn’t be considered one of the most important games ever. Both still provide a thrill that you can’t get in absolutely any modern game (maybe, in their sequels/spiritual sequels only). Dual stick controls really detracts from the experience, if compared to both the mouse and the wiimote. Modern FPSs are rated high when have good visuals because modern gaming media just don’t play games for fun anymore. Every kind of game is rated more for it’s physics and graphics than gameplay and fun factor. That’s a flaw in gaming media and not in entertainment provided. Millions of considered “hardcore” gamers bought the PS2 last gen, and had much fun with it. They didn’t have less fun than this generation of gamers because graphics weren’t as good. Graphics doesn’t need to be ultra realistics, they just need to keep the player immersed.
To me, the best FPSes ever are Half Life 2 and Perfect Dark, both primitive by today’s graphical standard. That doesn’t make them less cool each time I play them.
The Conduit would look better on the PS3/360, but you would loose so much from the experience that maybe it wouldn’t be worth it. The shot that follows the reticule, the gun that change the bullet inclination depending on your wrist position, the precise aiming, punching your enemy with the nunchuck… Would it be worth it to trade all this for better graphics?
Really, just buy the game, play it, and feel. If the game feels less cool because of downgraded graphics, even with all the wiimote possibilities, then you need to reevaluate your gaming. Or just stick to PCs and play Crysis like hell, and be happy. Because that’s the most important thing in gaming: having fun.
October 30th, 2008 at 8:27 am
“Most people who have bought the Nintendo Wii are looking for the casual/simple game”
Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition laughs at your so-called argument.
Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles shoots your so-called argument in the face.
No More Heroes mocks your so-called argument’s corpse while making an obscure joke about the dangers of overgeneralization.
October 31st, 2008 at 12:09 pm
I had trouble taking this article seriously for a number of reasons.
1. You sound like a broken record.
2. If you guys want to be a professional games journalism site, try editing the articles before they get posted. There are a number of errors in there that should never had made it to “print.”
3. It’s interesting that you brought up Nintendo’s E3 conference, while you completely ignored their independent conference from a few weeks ago. They showed a number of hardcore games there that made many people very happy. In addition to that, they’ve also stated numerous times that they have more games from their established franchises on the way (Mario and Zelda, to be specific).
Honestly, this article wasn’t really worth posting. The point was poorly argued and poorly articulated. The reason you come off as a Wii Hater is that you sound like an uneducated fanboy. Do some research. Edit your articles. Give a balanced report. Stop plaguing the internet with more Wii hate, which only contributes to the problem of low hardcore game sales.
~ Jeremy
November 9th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Touch’e Jeremy, definitely can tell his mother didnt buy him a wii, and just getting by with the PS3.
December 20th, 2008 at 4:32 am
I am a hardcore gamer but unfortunatly i agree… conduit might not sell well…nintendo is well marketed toward pre teens and family….very few hard core games of value were made for the wii..the ones that are there have been ported over from the ps2 or other ports… and to me anything with marios face on it is not a hard core title… (mario 1 2 3 4 world golf sluggers docter kart 64 wii bash bros.) enough already…i wish i could make billions of dollars creating one character and plastering it on every game i ever make.i guess people dont see the same thin i do…. put some effert into making a game insteade of using the same old tired models from the 64 era willya…………..anyhow.. i know at least one copy of the conduit will be sold… thank you high voltage software for stepping up the game .
May 3rd, 2009 at 9:16 am
I love it how people can talk a bunch of trash about the wii and it’s “terrible” graphics…. If you have forgot, the OVERALL POINT is money. the wii is the top selling system which puts it above the ps3 and 360 already…. the graphics are fine if you have a good tv…. and the ps2 is outselling the ps3, which just goes to show that gameplay is still more important than graphics
May 3rd, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Jordon,
The Wii is the top selling system, and no question what Nintendo has done is simply incredible. With that said, I never wrote the console had “terrible” graphics, so if you are referring to me, that is a wrong statement. However, the graphics and technology is not even in the same league as the PS3 or 360. If you believe it is, you’re just fooling yourself.
As far as making money, Nintendo is smart because they actually turn a profit for every console sold, which both Sony and Microsoft did not. Sadly, their software sales are “terrible.” And the whole reason why a company makes hardware, is to make money off of software.
The Wii does well in the casual market, however, as time passes companies are learning that particular market just does not buy abundant amount games, nor do they play them for a long period of time.