It turns out that no matter how divisive a videogame might be, success isn’t beyond its grasp if it carries a recognizable character at its heart. Warren Spector’s Wii-exclusive Epic Mickey has been given a rough ride since its launch, with more than a few reviewers citing technical issues that, in some cases, ruined their experience. Despite the mixed reception, the latest NPD figures show that Disney‘s mascot has had the last laugh, as the game has now sold more than 1.3 million copies in the United States alone.
With children and adults alike receiving a beautifully-wrapped Nintendo Wii over the holidays, it actually turned out to be a perfect release window for the world famous mouse. If the game had been launched at a different time in the year, who knows how sales may have turned out.
We’re no psychics, but the fact that the controversy around the game seemed to reach its climax heading into the holiday shopping season could only have meant that interest would be up, and the numbers don’t lie. Despite the hiccups or flaws in the game, it would be hard to pick up the system today without buying one of the few games that almost everyone has heard of.
When you consider just how much buzz can be generated by a game being talked about as a disappointment, it’s no surprise that Spector felt the polarized opinions of the game were a good thing. Whether you loved the game or hated it, people speaking so passionately about their wishes for Mickey Mouse quickly turned the game into a title that everyone who owned a Wii had to try out, if only to see what all the complaining was about.
Now we must begin to wonder what this level of success could mean for the future of the franchise, since Spector has openly stated his desire to continue the story of Mickey beyond a single game. For those who believe that games should be given sequels, or further investment based on artistic merit over commercial success, this is a bit of a head-scratcher. Epic Mickey certainly gave a healthy dose of Disney-grade cinematics, but if the sales are what convinces the publishers to invest in more games, is that a moral victory?
And the cynics who felt the game failed in technical aspects have it just as bad. They’re now tasked with reconciling a broken experience being given even more sequels by cashing in on a recognizable figure with a desire for better games. The game isn’t for everybody, but the numbers show that there are still plenty of people who just want a chance to play as Mickey Mouse, and who can blame them?
From our interview with Junction Point, it’s clear that the developers feel passionately about the property, and it’s safe to say that nobody would like to make a second crack at the game a perfect one more than they would. With the sales numbers being so high with such mixed reviews, maybe the team will be given a bit more time and freedom to really expand on the more interesting concepts of the game.
If there’s one lesson that can be taken away from Epic Mickey‘s success, it’s that no matter how you may feel about a particular property, the sheer amount of gamers in the world today mean that even a somewhat-broken game can find a few hundred thousand people who enjoy it. You have to admit; that’s a victory in itself.
You can add to the 1.3 million yourself, by picking up a copy of Epic Mickey today, exclusively for the Nintendo Wii.
Source: Eurogamer
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Couldn’t get into the gameplay for me.
Nice to see that games that aren’t made by Nintendo can still sell well on the Wii.
“a somewhat-broken game can find a few hundred thousand people who enjoy it”
Pfft. A few hundred thousand? How about making that 1.3 million people and counting?
Sheesh.
By the somewhat-negative tone of this article, it seems to me that Mr. Dyce got the vapors over ‘Epic Mickey’ having actual epic sales over a period of a single month… in the US market alone.
For my part, I am glad that Epic Mickey did so well on the Wii. Because this is a traditional type game from a third party that did incredibly well on a console that analysts always claim is def toxic for such type of games. Now they cannot make that claim. Well, they didn’t since RE4 Wii Edition sold BETTER than Epic Mickey but… you know. They forget.
I definitely don’t have any problem with the game selling so well, and didn’t mean to imply that successful sales are a bad thing.
I think this is a perfect example of how split the community has become. I liked my time with the game, and thought that Mickey Mouse and Disney were the best parts of it. But I can’t remember the last time I played a game that had THIS MUCH hype and buzz around it that I struggled with on a technical level to this extent.
In my mind, the final product never lived up to that first concept image splashed across Game Informer, and to me that was a shame. When I saw the sales were good I was actually pleasantly surprised that the game’s mixed reception didn’t hurt the chances of seeing a second take. But as I said in the article, I’m not sure how I feel about the combination of a game that disappointed, yet had commercial success.
I really think fans who loved and disliked the game can be happy that the team will get another shot at making a game that will be more applauded than dissed.
As for the hundred of thousands, I’m not going to make the assumption that every person who bought a copy of the game ended up liking it, especially given the holiday season gift-giving.
“I can’t remember the last time I played a game that had THIS MUCH hype and buzz around it that I struggled with on a technical level to this extent”
Remember these 5?
1. LAIR.- Hyped as the game that would push the PS3 beyond its competition. Alas, it had craptacular controls. Factor 5 went kaput because of it.
2. Killzone 2.- Much hyped game that is surely beautiful to look at… and that’s about it. Because the gameplay blew. EDGE was right with their review all along.
3. Too Human.- Need I say more. I’m sure that you know the story behind this game. A game that was 1O YEARS IN THE MAKING.
4. Daikatana.- Remember this craptastic game that had FPS fans waiting and waiting for an eternity? And only to get a POS game that pretty much ended Romero’s career.
5. Spore.- It had ppl talking on Twitter and all over the web. It was suppose to be some sort of evolution/revolution according to all the hype. And yet the end product was disappointing.
Compare to those games, Epic Mickey actually looks awesome. Considering that said game’s main prob is the lousy camera. Still, its not a broken game. Just not perfect or even close to that. No need to hate it for it either.
Like Mr Dyce said in a previous post, “As for the hundred of thousands, I’m not going to make the assumption that every person who bought a copy of the game ended up liking it, especially given the holiday season gift-giving.” Is entirely true. Plus take into account out of the 1.3 million who bought it in North America, turned around played the game attempted to beat it got bored and traded it in at a Best Buy or Game Stop shortly there after.
Epic Mickey is a niche game like many games out there. But just because it sold big doesn’t make it a good game. For Example Age of Conan, Halo ODST, and CoD Black Ops (Yeah I said it) just to name a few.
So all I’m saying is Mr Ed that if your argument for defending the game is sheer number of sales than other factors take in to place, and game play isn’t one of them. Look at Transformers 2, s**t movie almost made a billion dollars worldwide. Does it make it a good movie? No, just properly marketed to maximize buzz before release. Same applied for Epic Mickey.
And your list of games proves the point that just because a game sells good, does not make it a good game.
Mr. Ivan here must be one of those guys that assumes what is true for him, must be true for all.
If he IMAGINES that he bought Epic Mickey. He also imagines that he played it and got so bored by it that he traded it in at GameStop and actually got full price for it. This he assumes, happened all over the US with about 80% of those that got Epic Mickey. He then claims that is and Mr. Dyce’s theory is “entirely true”. That’s quite an imagination.
Mr. Ivan didn’t stop there either… He then goes on to assume that I believe that because a game sells a lot, it must be good. Then tries to give me some examples of games that are crap and that sold a lot. As IF I actually believed what he ASSUMED that I believed.
In terms of sales, I wasn’t making the claim that EM was good because it sold alot. Nope. I said that I was glad that a ‘traditional’ game made by a 3rd party was successful on a console that many analyst predit doom for such type of games. They believe only dance/fitness games do well on said console.
And… I’m not defending Epic Mickey as much as I’m simply saying that its detractors are getting the vapors over a game that is NOT broken (like Mr. Dyce said) and that is actually kinda good. I mean, not a lot of games of EM’s genre (not made by Nintendo) get an over 70% score at that site.
These detractors are simply complaining that there was too much hype over a game that is above average. Not exactly excellent or perfect as one would expect. So basically, I think the real prob could be over how much games get HYPED in the media.
Oh and the crap games I listed Ivan, some of them sold like crap. Lair even sent Factor 5 packing from the US because of it.
I’m not getting into the debate over what games are good on which platforms, since it’s tough to make the argument that a single joystick isn’t necessary for a third-person action game to be pain-free. I’m saying that the games you listed may have been hyped, and talked up, and promoted like crazy, but the fact is I and others expected more from Epic Mickey.
The game features one of most recognizable characters of all time, in a completely new type of environment, helmed by a legendary figure in the games industry. For a game to come out of that and just be “good, really good” is far more of a disappointment than a brand new IP. Epic Mickey may be good, great, or terrible, but the fact si that for a MASSIVE amount fo people, it wasn’t what they had hoped.
Now the game sells well regardless of the fact that large amounts of people who lined up to get excited for the game were let down, and suddenly there’s potential there for future titles. That’s the issue I want to get at: how dollars and cents can become more important than delivering on potential. You can dismiss the entire argument by saying that “Epic Mickey is great, nothing wrong with it, you guys are wrong,” but that’s not the point I’m trying to make at all.
Just wasn’t a game for adults. Too simplistic. Oh well.
^^^ Yeah, like how dare Disney makes a game about Mickey Mouse that didn’t include any blood, guts and especially, guns. Tsk! Tsk!
I guess we should go back to playing bloody totally NOT simplistic games. Where you basically shoot anything that moves and do that for every single level. All the while a bunch of 13 year old kids, acting all ghetto, scream at you through the headset.
Now that’s what I call an experience designed for ‘adults’! (ends sarcasm).