But it's not true. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Fatal Conspiracy was released for the PC, Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360 on Oct. 26th, 2010.
1. The CSI games have Telltale working in a traditional publisher-developer relationship with Ubisoft, as opposed to developing independently like they usually do. If Ubisoft wants the CSI games on a certain system, Telltale has to develop them for that system.
2. The CSI games are not only not episodic, but exist purely as retail games, so whatever issues Telltale has with a console's downloadable game service is irrelevant there.
I don't care if the game is 3-4 months late. Why isn't it coming period to the Xbox 360?
Because developing the game for the 360 would probably cost Telltale more money than they could make from it.
Realistically, this game won't sell very well. It'll definitely meet, maybe even surpass Telltale's expectations, but point-and-click adventure games are niche market, and even with the newcomers who will be attracted by the BttF license this game isn't going to break any sales records when you look at the big picture.
Let's pretend Telltale released BttF for every system, including the 360 and the Wii. Let's also assume the 360/Wii versions have the same problems Telltale's earlier attempts at those systems have had. And now we have a (fairly small) pie of people who want the game.
Most people will buy the PC version. It's coming out first, and since Telltale's a PC-oriented developer, the majority of people buying it will want to play the game the way it was intended, if they can.
If somebody doesn't have a gaming-quality computer, or maybe just prefers console gaming, they'll usually get the PS3 version. Even if the PS3 isn't their preferred console, most console gamers who own a PS3 will choose it once they realize it has none of the disadvantages of the 360/Wii versions.
Then we have the people without a quality computer or a PS3. They'll be pretty divided. Some will go with the Wii version for its not-as-bad-as-the-360 delays, while some will go with the 360 for not having reduced graphics. Most people, however, when realizing how much longer they have to wait while the people with systems they don't own have long since beaten the episodes, will probably just go "Fuck it" and give up on the game entirely.
From a business sense, it's better for Telltale to not develop the game for the Xbox 360 than spend money they're not confident they can make back.
Because developing the game for the 360 would probably cost Telltale more money than they could make from it.
That has to be one of the dumber statements I've read in a while. Do you know how many Xbox gamers there are and how profitable Xbox Live was in just the first 10 months of 2010?
Do you know how many Xbox gamers there are and how profitable Xbox Live was in just the first 10 months of 2010?
I'm one for the greatest possible system plurality, but don't you think that Telltale might know best what's easy and what not, what brings them money and what not, considering their past experiences?
I don't get when people start to assume that this decision could only be founded on stupidity. I don't get that!
So the reason there is no Xbox 360 version is because things get delayed with MS? So why not just release it 3-4 months from now?
I guess I don't understand why there isn't a Xbox 360 version period.
We would like to be on as many platforms as possible. At the moment, there are no plans for Back to the Future to be on Xbox 360 and Wii though. That's really all I can say.
I'm one for the greatest possible system plurality, but don't you think that Telltale might know best what's easy and what not, what brings them money and what not, considering their past experiences?
I don't get when people start to assume that this decision could only be founded on stupidity. I don't get that!
I certainly don't assume that. I figured there was a reason it wasn't coming to the Wii, despite the idea that it would translate very well. Nor do I really care. I'd only really be upset if PC had been the only option.
That has to be one of the dumber statements I've read in a while. Do you know how many Xbox gamers there are and how profitable Xbox Live was in just the first 10 months of 2010?
You clearly have no clue.
Again, you're looking at gaming in general without thinking specifically about Telltale and what they do.
Yes, there are a lot of Xbox gamers. However, only a small fraction of them would be interested in a point-and-click adventure game, and even less would stay interested after having to put up with XBLA's delays. Also, since you're playing the "more people own it" card, the Wii is the best-selling console of this generation, yet most third-party games ignore it. Why? Because those games aren't meant for the Wii, and they don't want to waste their time and money on a problematic (and most likely unprofitable) port. Same deal here.
Yes, Xbox Live is extremely profitable...because of games designed for use with Xbox Live. A game meant for the PC, given huge delays and raised prices, and released on another console without said delays and raised prices, won't be as profitable.
Anyway, this argument is starting to get ugly, so I'm going to drop out before it gets the chance to get worse. In the meantime, it's best to just accept that BttF isn't coming to the 360 (at least for the time being). Yeah, it sucks, but Telltale isn't doing it for the 360 because it'd be more trouble than it's worth, not because they want to screw 360 gamers over.
(Sheesh, the "Put BttF on the 360" complainers are almost enough to make me miss the "Bring back the Sam and Max Hit the Road voice actors" complainers.)
(Sheesh, the "Put BttF on the 360" complainers are almost enough to make me miss the "Bring back the Sam and Max Hit the Road voice actors" complainers.)
Telltale have put games on the Xbox download service (Wallace & Gromit), but it was a disaster, as has been mentioned before due to Microsoft not releasing the episodes in conjunction with the PC/Mac releases.
They've tried it, it doesn't suit their business model. Blame Microsoft, not Telltale for the situation.
We would like to be on as many platforms as possible. At the moment, there are no plans for Back to the Future to be on Xbox 360 and Wii though. That's really all I can say.
That could easily mean that in the future, they may bring it to the other consoles. There are always possibilities.
people criticise Wallace & Gromit's performance on XBLA, but no-one criticises W&G's performance as a PC title do they? From what I understand, the game sold quite poorly on all platforms, TTG's own download service included, so why penalise the xbox gamers out there?
I used to try downloading my TTG games for the Wii, then I gave up and started getting them all as downloads for the PC - now I buy them all for Xbox 360 too, purely becuase I like the play the games on the sofa rather than a desk, given a choice. But as a die hard TTG fan I own two or more copies of nearly every release!
I have already paid for BttF download, but I'd much prefer the option to buy it for the Xbox too, either on xbla or at retail. I'd feel a lot better with some kind of "unofficial" "don't worry folks, we haven't forgotten the xbox 360 just yet "
That has to be one of the dumber statements I've read in a while. Do you know how many Xbox gamers there are and how profitable Xbox Live was in just the first 10 months of 2010?
You clearly have no clue.
You're the one without a clue. You seem to think Live is the land of milk and honey for dev's. It's not.
Go ask Introversion, a great indy PC dev who's game Darwinia was ported to the xbox at great expense and sold so poorly the company was on the urge of going out of business until they were saved with a little help from Valve via a Steam sale and the addition of achievements into one of their old games.
A similar story was the one of ACE Team's "Zeno Clash", a brilliant PC indy game that was ported and sold pathetically on Live. Some games are suited better to some markets, and adventure games are always going to sell better on PC. When you factor in MS staggering the episodic release dates in a completely random way, then it just leads to frustration and the realization that it's not worth the effort of making a 360 port.
Again, you're looking at gaming in general without thinking specifically about Telltale and what they do.
Yes, there are a lot of Xbox gamers. However, only a small fraction of them would be interested in a point-and-click adventure game, and even less would stay interested after having to put up with XBLA's delays. Also, since you're playing the "more people own it" card, the Wii is the best-selling console of this generation, yet most third-party games ignore it. Why? Because those games aren't meant for the Wii, and they don't want to waste their time and money on a problematic (and most likely unprofitable) port. Same deal here.
Yes, Xbox Live is extremely profitable...because of games designed for use with Xbox Live. A game meant for the PC, given huge delays and raised prices, and released on another console without said delays and raised prices, won't be as profitable.
Anyway, this argument is starting to get ugly, so I'm going to drop out before it gets the chance to get worse. In the meantime, it's best to just accept that BttF isn't coming to the 360 (at least for the time being). Yeah, it sucks, but Telltale isn't doing it for the 360 because it'd be more trouble than it's worth, not because they want to screw 360 gamers over.
(Sheesh, the "Put BttF on the 360" complainers are almost enough to make me miss the "Bring back the Sam and Max Hit the Road voice actors" complainers.)
While I somewhat agree with what you're saying, why would the game perform any better on the PS3? Releasing the episodes in conjunction should certainly help, but that only goes against your argument. The fact Sam & Max, etc, sold so poorly on the 360 previously was because of the huge delays, not necessarily because there isn't an audience, but by that time anyone who might have been interested likely already would have played the games else where.
Perhaps it's Microsoft's fault for not handling the episodic format in the same manor as the PS3, but have Telltale ever said this is the problem? MS seem far better at keeping to release dates for XBLA and realising them worldwide in comparasion to the PSN, even if they wouldn't accommodate a subscription system for automatically getting each of the episodes, I find it hard to believe they wouldn't be willing to simply release one each month.
Except it's just common knowledge than 95 percent of multiplatform games sell better on 360 than PS3, also XBLA gets way more sales than the PSN. (Look at Pacman DX) Way more people bought it on 360 than PS3. The point is it's a dumb idea to not bring games to platforms the sell more titles.
As for this W&G stuff the series wasn't very interesting. That's why it didn't sell. ALSO I believe the remakes of monkey island have sold decently on XBLA so whoever said point and click games would never sell is wrong. Good ones will.
You're the one without a clue. You seem to think Live is the land of milk and honey for dev's. It's not.
Go ask Introversion, a great indy PC dev who's game Darwinia was ported to the xbox at great expense and sold so poorly the company was on the urge of going out of business until they were saved with a little help from Valve via a Steam sale and the addition of achievements into one of their old games.
A similar story was the one of ACE Team's "Zeno Clash", a brilliant PC indy game that was ported and sold pathetically on Live. Some games are suited better to some markets, and adventure games are always going to sell better on PC. When you factor in MS staggering the episodic release dates in a completely random way, then it just leads to frustration and the realization that it's not worth the effort of making a 360 port.
wow- this thread is quite rocky! I can understand people being a bit upset that BTTF isn't announced for xbox, but online market wise. Xbox's online is heavily based on people playing multiplayer. PS3's online is heavily based on people downloading games, from PS1 games to ps minis and films from 'Love film' and bbc i player, 4od, itv. so its more or a right move for BTTF to be with sony's market place.
I heard on the forums somewhere that Sam and Max didn't do to well on the xbox as a download, and was better when released onto a finalized disc so there is still hope yet for an xbox release!
As annoying as it is, its happening and people who don't have PS3's who are itching to have it will have to make do with the PC version
Hey, mister V, you should just make sure that this thread doesn't turn (anymore) into a console war. I mean, it's not the point, since Telltale didn't choose one platform over another arbitrary, they just did what they could.
Wait... wasn't that the whole point of the "platform discussion"? Letting the consoleros fight to the death??
All right, OK, a lot of people need to vent because of the Xbox being left out (maybe only for the moment!). That's why I really appreciate mediating posts like the one above...
Heck, I'm one of the ones with a PS3 and a PC, but I do feel bad that BTTF isn't being spread as much as it can. Again, at least for now. We'll see what develops...in the future.
No they can complain about the fact that it's not coming on Xbox.
Trying to spit on the other platforms just to claim how wrong Telltale's "choice" was (it's not even a choice but heh) is really pointless in my opinion.
I mean, there's already enough trouble right now (no PSN and Ipad release date, no Xbox version, etc...) for us not to flame another because we prefer one platform over another one ^^' .
It's not an "exclusive" deal of some sort, it's just what they could do.
Anyway, back on topic, who is like, super affraid the PSN release will be like the "free episode", meaning : Febuary :O ?
I seriously hope not !
I've honestly got that feeling, that's why I've decided that, even if I can only play it in very low res, I'm getting BTTF on my laptop for now. Now, if it turns out that I'm wrong, oh well. I'll have BTTF on my laptop for portable gaming and on my PS3 for high-def gaming. No biggie.
Except it's just common knowledge than 95 percent of multiplatform games sell better on 360 than PS3, also XBLA gets way more sales than the PSN. (Look at Pacman DX) Way more people bought it on 360 than PS3. The point is it's a dumb idea to not bring games to platforms the sell more titles.
As for this W&G stuff the series wasn't very interesting. That's why it didn't sell. ALSO I believe the remakes of monkey island have sold decently on XBLA so whoever said point and click games would never sell is wrong. Good ones will.
95% is absurd. There are still plenty of games that sell better on PC than they do on the consoles. Games that are PC oriented like RTS games such as C&C and Supreme Commander will never sell as well on consoles. A huge market of Indy games exist on PC only because it's too expensive or too risky to make a console version, games like Killing Floor, Red Orchestra, Amnesia etc.
If these games were all but guaranteed to sell better on consoles, then that's where they would be - they wouldn't be PC exclusives. My point is, is that porting a game over to the 360 isn't cheap, and there is absolutely no guarantee that it would be worth their time and effort, and that it would make them money. I gave 2 examples of great games that crashed and burned on Live, whilst doing very well on PC because of the differing tastes of many gamers on those platforms.
i think the problem is when bttf was announced, it was announced for "all major platforms" - i think the 360 and wii are major platforms, but personally the ipad isn't. Am i wrong?
95% is absurd. There are still plenty of games that sell better on PC than they do on the consoles. Games that are PC oriented like RTS games such as C&C and Supreme Commander will never sell as well on consoles. A huge market of Indy games exist on PC only because it's too expensive or too risky to make a console version, games like Killing Floor, Red Orchestra, Amnesia etc.
If these games were all but guaranteed to sell better on consoles, then that's where they would be - they wouldn't be PC exclusives. My point is, is that porting a game over to the 360 isn't cheap, and there is absolutely no guarantee that it would be worth their time and effort, and that it would make them money. I gave 2 examples of great games that crashed and burned on Live, whilst doing very well on PC because of the differing tastes of many gamers on those platforms.
I agree that RTS's are better on PC but Halo Wars was great on 360, it also probably sold more than most PC games that year. There is a reason that Crysis 2 is being made for consoles and not just PC. PC gaming is dying (sorry but its true) Also, Modern Warfare 2 on 360 outsold every other platform. And finally, the games you said crashed and burned was because they aren't amazing, (not bad either) and also had no PR behind them. Promoting is everything. And TellTale have done a solid job of promoting most of their games. If they bring them to Xbox Live than that version will outsell the PSN easily. I guarantee they make more than their money back.
I agree that RTS's are better on PC but Halo Wars was great on 360, it also probably sold more than most PC games that year. There is a reason that Crysis 2 is being made for consoles and not just PC. PC gaming is dying (sorry but its true) Also, Modern Warfare 2 on 360 outsold every other platform. And finally, the games you said crashed and burned was because they aren't amazing, (not bad either) and also had no PR behind them. Promoting is everything. And TellTale have done a solid job of promoting most of their games. If they bring them to Xbox Live than that version will outsell the PSN easily. I guarantee they make more than their money back.
Crysis 1 sold above expectations according to EA (1.5 million was the figure in mid 2008). It certainly sold more than "Halo Wars", which was so watered down it can barely be called an RTS. The reason why Crysis 2 is going multiplatform is simple... 3 markets are bigger than 1.
Tell me, how many 3rd party dev's/publishers are bringing out exclusive games for the consoles these days? I'll give you a hint. It's a LOT less than the amount of exclusives being released for PC.
Give that a look and try and honestly say that PC gaming is dying. Take a look at next years exclusives and tell me that any consoles can match the likes of The Witcher 2, Diablo 3, Red Orchestra 2, Guild Wars 2, The Old Republic, Shogun 2 etc.
And please, tell me why more formally console only games have been ported to PC this gen?
edit: Oh, and mod's, I'm really sorry, I know you don't want to read this, and I'm not enjoying turning this thread into a console/pc war, but sometimes people need to be educated.
Take a look at next years exclusives and tell me that any consoles can match the likes of The Witcher 2, Diablo 3, Red Orchestra 2, Guild Wars 2, The Old Republic, Shogun 2 etc.
You really should remove MMORPG from that list. Also, the Witcher 2 will be on consoles .
Uncharted 3, Infamous 2, The Last Guardian, Nino Kuni, Final Fantasy versus XIII, Gears of War 3, Yakuza, Little big planet 2 then you get the console exclusives on both system that aren't on PC (for instance you can't play games like MGS Rising, you also don't have "Red Dead Redemption" which is "the game of the year", or things like that)
Starcraft 2 might come to consoles, so is Diablo 3, and Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age 2 already are. So really, Pc gaming isn't doing so good. If you remove MMORPGs (which aren't regular games).
You really should remove MMORPG from that list. Also, the Witcher 2 will be on consoles .
Uncharted 3, Infamous 2, The Last Guardian, Nino Kuni, Final Fantasy versus XIII, Gears of War 3, Yakuza, Little big planet 2 then you get the console exclusives on both system that aren't on PC (for instance you can't play games like MGS Rising, you also don't have "Red Dead Redemption" which is "the game of the year", or things like that)
Starcraft 2 might come to consoles, so is Diablo 3, and Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age 2 already are. So really, Pc gaming isn't doing so good. If you remove MMORPGs (which aren't regular games).
Why should I remove MMO's from the list? Why doesn't a whole genre count?
The witcher 2 may come to consoles, the dev's have said they are interest in bringing it over. That's it, nothings been confirmed and if it does happen, it will arrive much, much later.
MGS: Rising is coming to PC, I bet that's a surprise, huh? but I guess they are releasing it on PC out of the goodness of their hearts, not because it makes economic sense. SC2 isn't coming to consoles, nothing has been said about it. Diablo 3 also isn't coming, and if it did, it would be on the next gen consoles.
And I love how you have to combine 2 consoles exclusives list to even come up with a response. The fact is (and I mean it, it's a fact, not my opinion), is that the PC receives a larger amount of exclusives than any console, and yes, even the two HD consoles put together. Just go have a look at the list I posted. Take a gander in the 2011 section. The amount of exclusive is staggering.
What you have to understand is that there is a huge section of the gaming industry that won't touch consoles until they have the financial security of a few successful PC games. I urge you to open your mind a little and go have a look at the like of Red Orchestra 2, Torchlight 2, Grim Dawn, The Ball, Killing Floor, Minecraft, Subversion, Amnesia, Zombie Driver, The Void, STALKER, Cryostasis, Mount & Blade, The Path, Audiosurf etc etc
These are all amazing, original games in their own right. What they don't have is a multi-million dollar marketing budget behind them, but they don't need it to be profitable, because they can rely on digital distribution. Look where we are posting, Telltale wouldn't exist and thrive without the DD scene on PC, and they are great example of a PC dev who have carefully dipped their toes into console development and has been prepared to pull out when things went bad, ala Wallace & Gromit on 360. But the PC has always been there to fall back on, until they switched over to PSN and have obviously found success on Sony's service.
PC gaming isn't dying, it's been changing shape and in turn, changing the way the industry does business, not just for the PC scene now, but for the consoles of the future.
Why should I remove MMO's from the list? Why doesn't a whole genre count?
The witcher 2 may come to consoles, the dev's have said they are interest in bringing it over. That's it, nothings been confirmed and if it does happen, it will arrive much, much later.
MGS: Rising is coming to PC, I bet that's a surprise, huh? but I guess they are releasing it on PC out of the goodness of their hearts, not because it makes economic sense. SC2 isn't coming to consoles, nothing has been said about it. Diablo 3 also isn't coming, and if it did, it would be on the next gen consoles.
And I love how you have to combine 2 consoles exclusives list to even come up with a response. The fact is (and I mean it, it's a fact, not my opinion), is that the PC receives a larger amount of exclusives than any console, and yes, even the two HD consoles put together. Just go have a look at the list I posted. Take a gander in the 2011 section. The amount of exclusive is staggering.
What you have to understand is that there is a huge section of the gaming industry that won't touch consoles until they have the financial security of a few successful PC games. I urge you to open your mind a little and go have a look at the like of Red Orchestra 2, Torchlight 2, Grim Dawn, The Ball, Killing Floor, Minecraft, Subversion, Amnesia, Zombie Driver, The Void, STALKER, Cryostasis, Mount & Blade, The Path, Audiosurf etc etc
These are all amazing, original games in their own right. What they don't have is a multi-million dollar marketing budget behind them, but they don't need it to be profitable, because they can rely on digital distribution. Look where we are posting, Telltale wouldn't exist and thrive without the DD scene on PC, and they are great example of a PC dev who have carefully dipped their toes into console development and has been prepared to pull out when things went bad, ala Wallace & Gromit on 360. But the PC has always been there to fall back on, until they switched over to PSN and have obviously found success on Sony's service.
PC gaming isn't dying, it's been changing shape and in turn, changing the way the industry does business, not just for the PC scene now, but for the consoles of the future.
How can you call any game you've never played amazing? Also, the interest for PC games are dying too. Crysis sold 1.5 mil you said, thats ok and that's for a few reasons: 1. Not many people could afford a PC that could play that game, and also more people would rather play games on their consoles. Crytek decided to be smart this time around and release their game on consoles so they could make money. The constant upgraded for PC gaming is a pain in the butt and people would rather buy one console for 300 bucks than keep putting money into their computer. As for MMO's that's great, PC gaming is becoming a one trick pony. DC Universe Online is coming out for PS3, you can say we're not educated all you want, you're just in denial that console gaming controls the market.
If they bring them to Xbox Live than that version will outsell the PSN easily. I guarantee they make more than their money back.
Can I just actually point out to you, the Xbox 360 has sold more than the PS3, ...In America, In Europe, Japan, etc, The PS3 is the higher selling console of the two (we all know Wii is in it's own time zone).
I'm also going to point out that Germany, which is in Europe, has an extremely huge fanbase for Adventure Games, and they do brilliant sale wise there, one of the first countries to actually get ToMI boxed at retail, etc. Autumn Moon actually throw their games out in Germany first because of that reason.
But do you see the connection? It might not make sense to you if you're in America, but Adventure Games tend to do a lot better in Europe and right now, between the Xbox 360 and the PS3, the PS3 is the higher selling console there.
I hope that at least shines a light on the subject but if I'm really honest, of course it's down to how Sony treated them, we all know about those issues with Microsoft and Nintendo, etc, but I would really be interested in seeing the sales figures for Telltale Games on the Consoles, between all of them so then we can get a nice idea about why TellTale swing in the directions they do.
How can you call any game you've never played amazing? Also, the interest for PC games are dying too. Crysis sold 1.5 mil you said, thats ok and that's for a few reasons: 1. Not many people could afford a PC that could play that game, and also more people would rather play games on their consoles. Crytek decided to be smart this time around and release their game on consoles so they could make money. The constant upgraded for PC gaming is a pain in the butt and people would rather buy one console for 300 bucks than keep putting money into their computer. As for MMO's that's great, PC gaming is becoming a one trick pony. DC Universe Online is coming out for PS3, you can say we're not educated all you want, you're just in denial that console gaming controls the market.
Crisis sold 1.5 million as of 2 and half years ago, not to date, and you say interest in PC gaming is dying, yet you have produced NOTHING to show this, just some generalised crap about "upgrading being a pain" and "people would rather buy a console". It's almost insulting that I've taken the time to write a huge post about what (in my opinion) is best about PC gaming right now (that being the middle-budget releases that rarely see a console release), when all you can come up with is "PC is a one trick pony".
I'm not saying that console users are uneducated, but I am saying you are. And just to make sure I'm practising what I preach, here are some articles to back my points up:
Crisis sold 1.5 million as of 2 and half years ago, not to date, and you say interest in PC gaming is dying, yet you have produced NOTHING to show this, just some generalised crap about "upgrading being a pain" and "people would rather buy a console". It's almost insulting that I've taken the time to write a huge post about what (in my opinion) is best about PC gaming right now (that being the middle-budget releases that rarely see a console release), when all you can come up with is "PC is a one trick pony".
I'm not saying that console users are uneducated, but I am saying you are. And just to make sure I'm practising what I preach, here are some articles to back my points up:
Yet hear we are almost 10 years later, with more PC releases then ever before, and as many exclusives as there have ever been.
Please tell me why console games still outsell PC games and why over 75 percent of PC games don't sell. Tell me why most Gamestops have walls dedicated to console games but a small kiosk for PC games? Developers aren't happy with PC gaming due to piracy, a major problem on their platform. Thanks to that less and less people are going to develop for the PC as console gaming continues to dominate the market. It's all about money.
Hmm... stores do seem to carry more console games than PC games. It is all about the money. Piracy does happen. You should probably get some articles like he has, though, or he'll tear through your arguement.
Computers do have us console gamers beat in RTS and Sim games. If I was gonna get back into RTS games, I'd probably go back to PC. If only they'd make a console version of the mouse... then we could be unstoppable!
Console or computer, gaming is fun. I wish many long years of gaming for all.
Comments
1. The CSI games have Telltale working in a traditional publisher-developer relationship with Ubisoft, as opposed to developing independently like they usually do. If Ubisoft wants the CSI games on a certain system, Telltale has to develop them for that system.
2. The CSI games are not only not episodic, but exist purely as retail games, so whatever issues Telltale has with a console's downloadable game service is irrelevant there.
Really? Got a source for that?
Because developing the game for the 360 would probably cost Telltale more money than they could make from it.
Realistically, this game won't sell very well. It'll definitely meet, maybe even surpass Telltale's expectations, but point-and-click adventure games are niche market, and even with the newcomers who will be attracted by the BttF license this game isn't going to break any sales records when you look at the big picture.
Let's pretend Telltale released BttF for every system, including the 360 and the Wii. Let's also assume the 360/Wii versions have the same problems Telltale's earlier attempts at those systems have had. And now we have a (fairly small) pie of people who want the game.
Most people will buy the PC version. It's coming out first, and since Telltale's a PC-oriented developer, the majority of people buying it will want to play the game the way it was intended, if they can.
If somebody doesn't have a gaming-quality computer, or maybe just prefers console gaming, they'll usually get the PS3 version. Even if the PS3 isn't their preferred console, most console gamers who own a PS3 will choose it once they realize it has none of the disadvantages of the 360/Wii versions.
Then we have the people without a quality computer or a PS3. They'll be pretty divided. Some will go with the Wii version for its not-as-bad-as-the-360 delays, while some will go with the 360 for not having reduced graphics. Most people, however, when realizing how much longer they have to wait while the people with systems they don't own have long since beaten the episodes, will probably just go "Fuck it" and give up on the game entirely.
From a business sense, it's better for Telltale to not develop the game for the Xbox 360 than spend money they're not confident they can make back.
You clearly have no clue.
I'm one for the greatest possible system plurality, but don't you think that Telltale might know best what's easy and what not, what brings them money and what not, considering their past experiences?
I don't get when people start to assume that this decision could only be founded on stupidity. I don't get that!
That game was published by Ubisoft. We developed the game.
I guess I don't understand why there isn't a Xbox 360 version period.
We would like to be on as many platforms as possible. At the moment, there are no plans for Back to the Future to be on Xbox 360 and Wii though. That's really all I can say.
I certainly don't assume that. I figured there was a reason it wasn't coming to the Wii, despite the idea that it would translate very well. Nor do I really care. I'd only really be upset if PC had been the only option.
Again, you're looking at gaming in general without thinking specifically about Telltale and what they do.
Yes, there are a lot of Xbox gamers. However, only a small fraction of them would be interested in a point-and-click adventure game, and even less would stay interested after having to put up with XBLA's delays. Also, since you're playing the "more people own it" card, the Wii is the best-selling console of this generation, yet most third-party games ignore it. Why? Because those games aren't meant for the Wii, and they don't want to waste their time and money on a problematic (and most likely unprofitable) port. Same deal here.
Yes, Xbox Live is extremely profitable...because of games designed for use with Xbox Live. A game meant for the PC, given huge delays and raised prices, and released on another console without said delays and raised prices, won't be as profitable.
Anyway, this argument is starting to get ugly, so I'm going to drop out before it gets the chance to get worse. In the meantime, it's best to just accept that BttF isn't coming to the 360 (at least for the time being). Yeah, it sucks, but Telltale isn't doing it for the 360 because it'd be more trouble than it's worth, not because they want to screw 360 gamers over.
(Sheesh, the "Put BttF on the 360" complainers are almost enough to make me miss the "Bring back the Sam and Max Hit the Road voice actors" complainers.)
Glad I missed THAT time!
I guess, I'm more happy that it's going to be on PS3 than sad for other people, though. I'm a bit selfish
They've tried it, it doesn't suit their business model. Blame Microsoft, not Telltale for the situation.
Nobody said it was NEVER coming to Xbox. The first two seasons of Sam and Max came out on Xbox long after the other platforms.
That could easily mean that in the future, they may bring it to the other consoles. There are always possibilities.
I used to try downloading my TTG games for the Wii, then I gave up and started getting them all as downloads for the PC - now I buy them all for Xbox 360 too, purely becuase I like the play the games on the sofa rather than a desk, given a choice. But as a die hard TTG fan I own two or more copies of nearly every release!
I have already paid for BttF download, but I'd much prefer the option to buy it for the Xbox too, either on xbla or at retail. I'd feel a lot better with some kind of "unofficial" "don't worry folks, we haven't forgotten the xbox 360 just yet
You're the one without a clue. You seem to think Live is the land of milk and honey for dev's. It's not.
Go ask Introversion, a great indy PC dev who's game Darwinia was ported to the xbox at great expense and sold so poorly the company was on the urge of going out of business until they were saved with a little help from Valve via a Steam sale and the addition of achievements into one of their old games.
A similar story was the one of ACE Team's "Zeno Clash", a brilliant PC indy game that was ported and sold pathetically on Live. Some games are suited better to some markets, and adventure games are always going to sell better on PC. When you factor in MS staggering the episodic release dates in a completely random way, then it just leads to frustration and the realization that it's not worth the effort of making a 360 port.
While I somewhat agree with what you're saying, why would the game perform any better on the PS3? Releasing the episodes in conjunction should certainly help, but that only goes against your argument. The fact Sam & Max, etc, sold so poorly on the 360 previously was because of the huge delays, not necessarily because there isn't an audience, but by that time anyone who might have been interested likely already would have played the games else where.
Perhaps it's Microsoft's fault for not handling the episodic format in the same manor as the PS3, but have Telltale ever said this is the problem? MS seem far better at keeping to release dates for XBLA and realising them worldwide in comparasion to the PSN, even if they wouldn't accommodate a subscription system for automatically getting each of the episodes, I find it hard to believe they wouldn't be willing to simply release one each month.
As for this W&G stuff the series wasn't very interesting. That's why it didn't sell. ALSO I believe the remakes of monkey island have sold decently on XBLA so whoever said point and click games would never sell is wrong. Good ones will.
I heard on the forums somewhere that Sam and Max didn't do to well on the xbox as a download, and was better when released onto a finalized disc so there is still hope yet for an xbox release!
As annoying as it is, its happening and people who don't have PS3's who are itching to have it will have to make do with the PC version
All right, OK, a lot of people need to vent because of the Xbox being left out (maybe only for the moment!). That's why I really appreciate mediating posts like the one above...
Trying to spit on the other platforms just to claim how wrong Telltale's "choice" was (it's not even a choice but heh) is really pointless in my opinion.
I mean, there's already enough trouble right now (no PSN and Ipad release date, no Xbox version, etc...) for us not to flame another because we prefer one platform over another one ^^' .
It's not an "exclusive" deal of some sort, it's just what they could do.
Anyway, back on topic, who is like, super affraid the PSN release will be like the "free episode", meaning : Febuary :O ?
I seriously hope not !
I've honestly got that feeling, that's why I've decided that, even if I can only play it in very low res, I'm getting BTTF on my laptop for now. Now, if it turns out that I'm wrong, oh well. I'll have BTTF on my laptop for portable gaming and on my PS3 for high-def gaming. No biggie.
95% is absurd. There are still plenty of games that sell better on PC than they do on the consoles. Games that are PC oriented like RTS games such as C&C and Supreme Commander will never sell as well on consoles. A huge market of Indy games exist on PC only because it's too expensive or too risky to make a console version, games like Killing Floor, Red Orchestra, Amnesia etc.
If these games were all but guaranteed to sell better on consoles, then that's where they would be - they wouldn't be PC exclusives. My point is, is that porting a game over to the 360 isn't cheap, and there is absolutely no guarantee that it would be worth their time and effort, and that it would make them money. I gave 2 examples of great games that crashed and burned on Live, whilst doing very well on PC because of the differing tastes of many gamers on those platforms.
I agree that RTS's are better on PC but Halo Wars was great on 360, it also probably sold more than most PC games that year. There is a reason that Crysis 2 is being made for consoles and not just PC. PC gaming is dying (sorry but its true) Also, Modern Warfare 2 on 360 outsold every other platform. And finally, the games you said crashed and burned was because they aren't amazing, (not bad either) and also had no PR behind them. Promoting is everything. And TellTale have done a solid job of promoting most of their games. If they bring them to Xbox Live than that version will outsell the PSN easily. I guarantee they make more than their money back.
Crysis 1 sold above expectations according to EA (1.5 million was the figure in mid 2008). It certainly sold more than "Halo Wars", which was so watered down it can barely be called an RTS. The reason why Crysis 2 is going multiplatform is simple... 3 markets are bigger than 1.
Tell me, how many 3rd party dev's/publishers are bringing out exclusive games for the consoles these days? I'll give you a hint. It's a LOT less than the amount of exclusives being released for PC.
http://adrianwerner.wordpress.com/games-of-2010/
Give that a look and try and honestly say that PC gaming is dying. Take a look at next years exclusives and tell me that any consoles can match the likes of The Witcher 2, Diablo 3, Red Orchestra 2, Guild Wars 2, The Old Republic, Shogun 2 etc.
And please, tell me why more formally console only games have been ported to PC this gen?
edit: Oh, and mod's, I'm really sorry, I know you don't want to read this, and I'm not enjoying turning this thread into a console/pc war, but sometimes people need to be educated.
You really should remove MMORPG from that list. Also, the Witcher 2 will be on consoles
Uncharted 3, Infamous 2, The Last Guardian, Nino Kuni, Final Fantasy versus XIII, Gears of War 3, Yakuza, Little big planet 2 then you get the console exclusives on both system that aren't on PC (for instance you can't play games like MGS Rising, you also don't have "Red Dead Redemption" which is "the game of the year", or things like that)
Starcraft 2 might come to consoles, so is Diablo 3, and Mass Effect 3 and Dragon Age 2 already are. So really, Pc gaming isn't doing so good. If you remove MMORPGs (which aren't regular games).
Why should I remove MMO's from the list? Why doesn't a whole genre count?
The witcher 2 may come to consoles, the dev's have said they are interest in bringing it over. That's it, nothings been confirmed and if it does happen, it will arrive much, much later.
MGS: Rising is coming to PC, I bet that's a surprise, huh? but I guess they are releasing it on PC out of the goodness of their hearts, not because it makes economic sense. SC2 isn't coming to consoles, nothing has been said about it. Diablo 3 also isn't coming, and if it did, it would be on the next gen consoles.
And I love how you have to combine 2 consoles exclusives list to even come up with a response. The fact is (and I mean it, it's a fact, not my opinion), is that the PC receives a larger amount of exclusives than any console, and yes, even the two HD consoles put together. Just go have a look at the list I posted. Take a gander in the 2011 section. The amount of exclusive is staggering.
What you have to understand is that there is a huge section of the gaming industry that won't touch consoles until they have the financial security of a few successful PC games. I urge you to open your mind a little and go have a look at the like of Red Orchestra 2, Torchlight 2, Grim Dawn, The Ball, Killing Floor, Minecraft, Subversion, Amnesia, Zombie Driver, The Void, STALKER, Cryostasis, Mount & Blade, The Path, Audiosurf etc etc
These are all amazing, original games in their own right. What they don't have is a multi-million dollar marketing budget behind them, but they don't need it to be profitable, because they can rely on digital distribution. Look where we are posting, Telltale wouldn't exist and thrive without the DD scene on PC, and they are great example of a PC dev who have carefully dipped their toes into console development and has been prepared to pull out when things went bad, ala Wallace & Gromit on 360. But the PC has always been there to fall back on, until they switched over to PSN and have obviously found success on Sony's service.
PC gaming isn't dying, it's been changing shape and in turn, changing the way the industry does business, not just for the PC scene now, but for the consoles of the future.
How can you call any game you've never played amazing? Also, the interest for PC games are dying too. Crysis sold 1.5 mil you said, thats ok and that's for a few reasons: 1. Not many people could afford a PC that could play that game, and also more people would rather play games on their consoles. Crytek decided to be smart this time around and release their game on consoles so they could make money. The constant upgraded for PC gaming is a pain in the butt and people would rather buy one console for 300 bucks than keep putting money into their computer. As for MMO's that's great, PC gaming is becoming a one trick pony. DC Universe Online is coming out for PS3, you can say we're not educated all you want, you're just in denial that console gaming controls the market.
Can I just actually point out to you, the Xbox 360 has sold more than the PS3, ...In America, In Europe, Japan, etc, The PS3 is the higher selling console of the two (we all know Wii is in it's own time zone).
I'm also going to point out that Germany, which is in Europe, has an extremely huge fanbase for Adventure Games, and they do brilliant sale wise there, one of the first countries to actually get ToMI boxed at retail, etc. Autumn Moon actually throw their games out in Germany first because of that reason.
But do you see the connection? It might not make sense to you if you're in America, but Adventure Games tend to do a lot better in Europe and right now, between the Xbox 360 and the PS3, the PS3 is the higher selling console there.
I hope that at least shines a light on the subject but if I'm really honest, of course it's down to how Sony treated them, we all know about those issues with Microsoft and Nintendo, etc, but I would really be interested in seeing the sales figures for Telltale Games on the Consoles, between all of them so then we can get a nice idea about why TellTale swing in the directions they do.
Crisis sold 1.5 million as of 2 and half years ago, not to date, and you say interest in PC gaming is dying, yet you have produced NOTHING to show this, just some generalised crap about "upgrading being a pain" and "people would rather buy a console". It's almost insulting that I've taken the time to write a huge post about what (in my opinion) is best about PC gaming right now (that being the middle-budget releases that rarely see a console release), when all you can come up with is "PC is a one trick pony".
I'm not saying that console users are uneducated, but I am saying you are. And just to make sure I'm practising what I preach, here are some articles to back my points up:
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2010/10/26/blizzard-pc-gaming-is-not-dying/1
http://www.neoseeker.com/news/14377-bioware-pc-not-dying-transitioning/
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10291692-1.html
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=259680
http://www.neowin.net/news/gamers/08/02/09/valve-pc-gaming-is-thriving
http://www.thegamersblog.com/2010/04/16/pc-gaming-market-pcgaming-desktop-computers/
Those articles are full of facts and figures, of which I'm sure most would surprise you.
And hear is another article just to highlight the stupidity of your argument from IGN:
http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/092/092316p1.html - Is PC gaming dying? from 2001
Yet hear we are almost 10 years later, with more PC releases then ever before, and as many exclusives as there have ever been.
Please tell me why console games still outsell PC games and why over 75 percent of PC games don't sell. Tell me why most Gamestops have walls dedicated to console games but a small kiosk for PC games? Developers aren't happy with PC gaming due to piracy, a major problem on their platform. Thanks to that less and less people are going to develop for the PC as console gaming continues to dominate the market. It's all about money.
Hmm... stores do seem to carry more console games than PC games. It is all about the money. Piracy does happen. You should probably get some articles like he has, though, or he'll tear through your arguement.
Computers do have us console gamers beat in RTS and Sim games. If I was gonna get back into RTS games, I'd probably go back to PC. If only they'd make a console version of the mouse... then we could be unstoppable!
Console or computer, gaming is fun. I wish many long years of gaming for all.