I'm not at all surprised DAA sold a fraction of the copies of DAO. One, I would bet that this is a normal trend for AAA titles (just guessing here); and two, to me, DAA was a key indicator that business would now be conducted differently in the franchise, and frankly it showed. Hence, it didn't have near the strong word of mouth (which extended to DA2) that DAO had. DAO sold so well (and is still selling strong relative to the length of time that has passed since realease [with a sequel thrown in the middle to boot]) because it was (and is) a great game that was (and still is) well received. IMO DA2 merely continued a downward trend of attempting to package far less product for the same purchase point. At least DAA was priced at $40 US.
BW tried the packaging and marketing sleight of hand associated with a streamlined development budget, and quite frankly it didn't work in extending the fan base built with Origins, and only seemed to alienate those who may have otherwise been brand loyal. It may have added a few fans, and DA2 may, in fact, be more profitable, but it won't hold with the loss of a majority of the "Origins" base. DA3 pre-sales will be far less than DA2 in my humble prediction and it will be an uphill battle in marketing to the millions who (if sales are any indication) loved Origins and felt left behind in DA2. I personally think the majority want more Origins and BW in word and deed, is telling us it ain't gonna happen, for whatever reasons of realpolitik/business that don't really concern me, as I'm only a consumer concerned with end product quality and it's price point. DA is what it is now, and even though BW says they are listening (in truth, I question which fans they're listening to since Origns received such a radical overhaul that was not needed imo, based on fan feedback), no amount of soliciting and lobbying appears to change (at least from what we see in their public statements) what they're willing or able to give Origins lovers. So, I get it, Origins will not ever happen again with BW/EA...move along.
DAO was my conversion story from sole FPS/TPS action gaming to RPGs. I consumed it through seven playthroughs. In my "DA2 targeted demographic view," BW should have stuck with the Origins formula. Should've converted slowly and penetrated more deeply over time. I know full well the gaming demographic that I came from, and they are not, by and large, going to play a "gay" fantasy game. Casual gamers won't even look at it unless it is watered-down to the point that it virtually plays itself, so I'm still not sure who they are really targeting for DA. Accessibilty? For who...specifically? DAO was the formula that did it for me, and I can only speak for me and the few shooter fans I personally know that loved it. What they hoped to achieve (and failed by all indicators we have access to) with DA2, Origins actually did...for me (and them) at least.
I'm sure BW's telemetry showed some key indicator that pointed them in the direction they went. Their methodology of reading these data might be flawed however. Combine that with a radical constraining in resourcing and their landscape has now turned from production of immersive labors of love, to merely trying to remain competitive in a saturated action/hack and slash genre.
I don't envy Bioware on this one, I'm just sad I will no longer get from them what brought me from the other side to begin with. If this weren't a business relationship, I would say I felt betrayed, but that is, of course, not applicable. Since we serve at each others pleasure, we can part ways and I can thank them for introducing me to a world of gaming that I had previously never known. Hopefully, they'll find the magic again in the future. I personally think the ill-feeling and gaping hole in the gaming market of what ardent Origins fans are looking for (and it appears a larger number than I once thought), will be satisfied by smaller studios in the future that will emerge as talent migrates, who won't have to sell 1-2 million copies to break even. In the meantime there are a few offerings coming in from studios that are more than willing to give their established fanbases more of what they want.
Just my humble consumer's opinion though.
**Respectful.
Modifié par Barbarossa2010, 22 juin 2011 - 12:59 .
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