MR_Soren wrote:
Those aren't issues. It doesn't matter why people prefer DL vs. physical media, and it doesn't matter what's new and what's a remake. What matters is return on investment.
These things are precisely what determines how much return Treasure makes for their investment, though. If the consumer wants it, they will buy it. It's reasonable to assume Treasure would've sold more copies had they sold Ikaruga on a standard Xbox disc with more content or options -- for example, bundled with RSG or even Appreciate-style replays (although the leaderboard is pretty damn sweet). They'd make a killing because of the media used and the higher level of accessibility. Then again, there's a cost for putting it on the disc, marketing, etc (but these things also increase visibility, so there are greater chances for increased return). Same issue with Cave's upcoming ports. I'm sure most would rather have a disc than a file downloaded to a HD.
If the majority gets what they want, you get more return. If you use an alternative medium, even if it is new and hip, chances are the company will make less money.
I'm sure Ikaruga was profitable, but it was a poor use of development resources if they had to put games that were potentially more profitable on hold to do the port.
Agreed. How big of a company is Treasure? I don't know, but I do know they're nothing like Ubisoft, EA and their ilk. I'm sure this was more of a case of "this is something we (Treasure) want to do, not because we'll get rich."
Suppose an RSG port is predicted to generate $500,000 in revenue, but those same developers could instead be put on a game that is expected to generate $2,000,000. They can't afford to waste their resources on the smaller payoff.
Also agreed. It's common sense from an economics standpoint. But again, how many resources are being tapped to port an old arcade game to one of the most developer-friendly consoles out today?