Okami headed to the Wii

[Saist]

Called it here : http://clockworkmansion.com/forum/index.php?topic=2796.msg116340#msg116340

Announced... today : http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=29782

Okami is going to the Wii.

[Sid]

I always wanted to get it for the PS2 (actually held it in my hands today), but I think I'll wait for the Wii version now! Thanks for the heads-up

[thegayhare]

you know I might just have to get a Wii for Okami alone

I hope they add some material to it but even if they don't the brush magic should be so cool on the wii

[Janus Whitefurr]

Funny, the initial response to a Wii-Okami was always that the game was just too awkward to try and integrate with the Wii's control system. Curious to see how the redesigned control system works.

Ah well. Cross-platform gaming is good.

[Fresnor]

..... I really have no idea how to react to this news.  I loved the game and would mark it as a close 2nd/tie to Twilight Princess, but am curious how it'll work out since I heard Clover Studios was cut away from Capcom...

Though this does make Okami as a possible Brawl character more reasonable...

[Janus Whitefurr]

..... I really have no idea how to react to this news.  I loved the game and would mark it as a close 2nd/tie to Twilight Princess, but am curious how it'll work out since I heard Clover Studios was cut away from Capcom...

Though this does make Okami as a possible Brawl character more reasonable...

That always irritated me. Clover puts out neat games like Okami and God Hand, which sell fairly well in the case of the former, and Capcom responds by shutting them down?

[Saist]

..... I really have no idea how to react to this news.  I loved the game and would mark it as a close 2nd/tie to Twilight Princess, but am curious how it'll work out since I heard Clover Studios was cut away from Capcom...

Though this does make Okami as a possible Brawl character more reasonable...

actually, most of Clover's development staff (~60%) was absorbed back into Capcom. The lead developers, while forming their own development staff (Seeds Inc.), are still under contractual obligation to Capcom.

Capcom also has a well received test case out already, RE4. Currently I believe the team that brought RE4 to the Wii is also involved in handling the creation of the new control system for the Wii Platform, while other former Clover developers are supposed to be working on porting the art assets and core engine.

---

Janus : Capcom shut Clover down for multiple reasons. First, Capcom was pulling external development teams back in, a maneuver Sega also did to try and reestablish brand unity.  By the time the Clover shut down was finalized the lead developers had already been in the process of creating Seeds Inc.

Clover's hurried dissolution and integration of former employees back into Capcom as a whole, as well as the layoffs that did occur, was primarily driven by poor retail sales. Yes, Okami, God Hand, and other titles were critically acclaimed... but they simply didn't sell. Okami was a retail flop and left Clover several million yen in the hole. So, no, unlike you state, Okami did not sell fairly well.

The basic problem with Clover is that they were budgeted for short term gains, similar to other Playstation and Xbox development teams. They only plan on making the most amount of money in the first 6 weeks that the game is on the market. After that, any additional sales are just a bonus. Had Capcom budgeted and planned for Okami to still be having steady sales 8 to 10months down the line? Things might have been different.

*****

okay, have some hard numbers. Okami cleared 200,000 sales in North American, and around 60,000 sales in Japan.

By comparison, the Wii version of Zelda: TP cleared 1million sales in North America in just 3 months, and the Gamecube version had passed 1 million sales in 4 months. As of this July Zelda: TP sold over 3 million copies on the Wii, and over 1 million on the GameCube, just in North America. I can't find hard numbers for Japan and Europe right now, other than the wikipedia cited 240,000 sales in the first weekend.

So, basically, Zelda: TP was what Okami was up against, and by that comparison, Okami didn't do all that well.

The plus side is, with the move to the Wii, I think Okami stands a better retail chance as more people will be familiar with the name, and people will be looking for more Zelda type gameplay.

[Sid]

The plus side is, with the move to the Wii, I think Okami stands a better retail chance as more people will be familiar with the name, and people will be looking for more Zelda type gameplay.

Also, I figure that the market for Wii games isn't as saturated as the market for PS2 games has been (and still is). People who don't keep up with the new trends most likely overlooked Okami in the shelves because there are always dozens, maybe hundreds of other titles to choose from. With the Wii, the market is still fairly small, and high-quality titles tend to stick out more.

(Then again, I don't keep track of things enough to check if my guesses are actually true - this is just my random musing based on personal experience)