Comment: Why is MadWorld bombing at retail?

MadWorld has failed to set the UK gaming charts alight, which suggests that violent adult games aren't what Wii gamers want.

MadWorld debuted at a sorry 34th in the UK All Format's Chart and this week dropped off the radar and out of the top forty. The question is, why has Platinum Games' black and white masterpiece performed so poorly?

When we asked PlatinumGames' producer Atshushi Inaba whether he felt that the team were taking too many risks with MadWorld, he replied:

"Sure, there are definitely risks involved with any game but we're confident the game will be successful. We chose to develop on the Wii because it's currently the most popular console in the world and it isn't just a family console, it's played by a huge amount of people of all ages, from small children through to adults and even grandparents.

"There also aren't a huge amount of adult titles out there on Wii so we thought we'd make a game to tap into this audience. We're confident that the game will be successful but only time will tell."

Time seems to be telling (at least in this country) that the risks just didn't pay off. The game doesn't appear to be attracting the mass of Wii gamers it was expected to.

This really is a shame, since MadWorld is a game that's not only visually unique but also shows the Nintendo Wii's motion controls at their best. Our very own Ian Dunt had this to say about the game in his review:

"You won't be getting bored of this one anytime soon. You will be laughing yourself to sleep with glee and you will find yourself brimming with respect for the tender loving care that's been put into the package."

So would MadWorld have sold better if it had released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360? In retrospect, most likely. The demographic that appears to be lacking in the Wii audience is present on the Microsoft and Sony consoles. The thing is, the game wouldn't be nearly as good on these "next-generation" boxes, since half of the game's enjoyment is in its controls. Moreover, the game's development costs would have been much higher.

Is this the end of adult-only games on the Nintendo Wii? It's certainly possible that publishers, especially SEGA, are watching the performance of MadWorld and concluding that they won't take the risk again: instead they'll release top selling games like Sonic and Mario at the Olympics.

Then again, House of the Dead: Overkill (also published by SEGA) performed relatively well at retail, debuting at number fifteen and even managing to retain that spot one week later. Moreover, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is doing very well for the Nintendo DS, despite it being the handheld's very first 18+ game.

Could MadWorld's performance be due to its bad press? It was reported to have made the Nintendo Wii family unfriendly. Or could the sales be blamed on the fact that it's too gruesome for an efficient advertising campaign? Maybe Wii purchasers who would have bought MadWorld gave up on adult Wii games and sold their console already.

Whatever the reasons, I implore you to buy MadWorld, since I know it'd be right up your street.

Patrick Steen

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Why do you think MadWorld isn't doing very well? If you bought the game, what do you think of it?

For more information on MadWorld please visit the MadWorld Gamezine game page.