SNK Talks Sony Approval, Xbox Exclusives

Thanks to Insert Credit for its interview with SNK USA's Ben Herman, conducted at E3 last week, in which he "addressed the rumor that Sony had forced the company into making [multiple games in one compilation] pack-ins for their 2D [PlayStation 2] titles." Herman noted that, apparently, "pack-ins were indeed his plan all along... but acknowledged that Sony was definitely more receptive to the pack-in idea than the single package. SvC Chaos and Metal Slug 3 stand alone discs were not approved, for instance." Thus, "The Xbox exclusives in the US market (the aforementioned SvC Chaos and Metal Slug 3) only came about because of Sony's rejection", and Xbox exclusivity won't be repeated in the near future. There's also a longer interview with Ben Herman posted at the MMCafe forums in which he confirms that "Samurai Shodown V and Samurai Shodown V: Special... [are] approved for the PS2."

Comments

Logical Solution?

[RoderickMcDougall]

Why not just offer standalone at cheaper price? Thats probably what the XBOX versions will be marketed as.

Re:Logical Solution?

[ChibiLZ]

I have found that at the Game Crazy I work at, budget titles don't sell as well as higher priced titles. People see a game that came out at $20, and the first assumption is that the game must suck, or it's typical bargain bin schlock. So by bundling 2 or 3 games, selling at $40-$50, it increases the perceived value to the customer by not only being a full-priced game, but by including multiple games on that disc.

Re:Logical Solution?

[RoderickMcDougall]

Fair enough, I have always been cautious of bundled titles due to the fact they are generally weak if they are required to be bundled with each other to comprise of value enough for the price of a regular released game. I guess in terms of marketing there is no real winning solution for everybody though.

xbox exclusives are fine with me...

[Anonymous Coward]

they ensure that games which suck won't be ported to my superior gamecube and jeopardize my constant quality gaming experience...

yeah... it sucks to buy american products...

Suicide For The Niche Market

[shadowcabbit]

Wait, so Sony did reject two niche games because they weren't sufficient to put on one disc? I certainly do not get this. Why reject SvC Chaos and risk halfway-pissing off Capcom, and approve Guilty Gear X two years ago? (For those of you not in the know, GGX was a fighting game put out by Sammy that had a great engine but was very stripped down compared to the arcade version. Guilty Gear XX, released last year, restored the rest of the game's functionality and added new characters.)

The next generation of consoles that compete is going to have a clear-cut winner if they attract new players and niche players as well as mainstream gamers. Denying publishers the right to put out a game on the system because it's "not innovative enough", despite the drove of fans who want it, is not a smart move at all. Note that this isn't the same as developing endless copycat clones and sequels; sure, the games themselves are sequels, but with the popularity they had been enjoying in the US (and the fact that they were already developed) it was insane for Sony to deny SNK the privilege. Sony has sent a fair amount of money to Microsoft with that decision.

Re:Suicide For The Niche Market

[Babbster]

Why is Sony insane? You said yourself that this is a "niche" market that SNK is appealing to, and the PS2 is about as mainstream as one can get. I'm sure Metal Slug 3 is a super 2D side-scrolling shooter, but this is not a genre that's going to win over millions (or even A million) of PS2 owners. It seems to me that, as game consumers, we should be pleased when Sony encourages, or pressures, developers to give gamers more bang for the buck (or yen). The fact that the games are rehashes (as you yourself point out) makes it even more reasonable for Sony to ask for multi-game proposals. Then again, SNK a few years back was selling individual games for hundreds of dollars to their best (worst?) fans - it's therefore not surprising that they'd want to milk $40-50 a pop for their old games.

I do like, however, that you refer to the people who want the game as a "drove" (singular) of fans. There certainly aren't enough to make up more than one "drove."

Re:Suicide For The Niche Market

[h0mer]

Good lord, my eyes may explode from too much misinformation.

For one thing, the PS2 is not "mainstream", there are just lots out there. I'm sure the kid who plays Disgaea and La Pucelle Tactics has a PS2 just like the guy who just plays Madden all the time.

It doesn't matter that the game won't be a million-seller, I seriously doubt SNK created the title with that in mind. I don't want Sony to scare off new blood for their system, and they're nuts to do that at this point of the cycle. In case you haven't noticed, the PS2 is losing momentum because it's starting to look weak compared to the other systems.

The games are not rehashes, both of these games have been awaited for a long time. I love how SNK was "milking" $250 per game for their system, I also love how people can't remember the outrageous memory costs during the 90's.

Finally, there are plenty of people who support SNK and this type of gaming in general. They've been doing this for 15 years, they might know a little more about the target audience than you, eh?

Re:Suicide For The Niche Market

[Babbster]

I don't want Sony to scare off new blood for their system, and they're nuts to do that at this point of the cycle.

Any big fan of SNK ALREADY HAS a PS2. (note the period at the end of that sentence)

Re:Suicide For The Niche Market

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, that doesn't necessarily follow. As of right now, there is no such thing as a PS2-exclusive SNK game (although that will change with KOF Maximum Impact).

Re:Suicide For The Niche Market

[DeadScreenSky]

What exactly was GGX missing from the arcade version of GGX? The Dreamcast version was an exact port, with extra features, and AFAIK so was the PS2 version.

Yes! They just won't die!

[The-Bus]

I, for one, am jubilant that SNK will just not die. Most of their games are based on, what?, 15-year old technology? Simple "boring" 2D games? No 3D, no fancy graphics, no first person shooters-- just awesome gameplay. And they still survive because of that. It just gives me a nice warm feeling inside.

Re:Yes! They just won't die!

[Anonymous Coward]

Not quite, though they held out as long as they could. The Neo Geo hardware is dead now. Plus, the next King of Fighters ("Maximum Impact") is 3D, and on the PS2.

Re:Yes! They just won't die!

[ChibiLZ]

I still pick up and play old KOF or Metal Slug just because of the awesome gameplay. It's the same feeling I get playing old NES or SNES games.

MVS even oulasted the Hyper 64...

[wikthemighty]

Don't forget the ill fated Neo Geo Hyper 64 hardware which had a handful of so-so games, and ultimately got dumped to go back to developing for the MVS...

It is surprising how well the original Multi-Video System holds up - it will be interesting to see how well Metal Slug 6 (or whatever it is named) plays in 3D. Same goes for looks - I have a feeling some of us will miss the fluid 2D animation.

(Proud owner of a 6-slot MVS and about 40 games)

SCEA denies titles all of the time

[Anonymous Coward]

SNK is just the latest example. Where's my Mystical Ninja? If you're a gamer and value all games, mainstream and (especially) niche, you had better pray that Sony never gains an outright monopoly on the market, lest your favorite title gets blocked because it doesn't fit the "image" of Sony.

OT: quoting gone bad

[spir0]

fuck, the people who replied to the longer interview have quoted the super long article about 8000 times. people should learn how to use bbs's/forums.. it's just disgusting to see. mind you, at least their replies are usually UNDER the quote, unlike the MS standard of replying ABOVE the quote.

god damn it I hate people.