Wreckateer was only able to gain just 6,629 players, according to a Gamesura report, making it the lowest selling Summer of Arcade title since 2009. While the 2012 selection for the Summer of Arcade promotion also included Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, Deadlight, Hybrid, and Dust: An Elysian Tale, it seemed that players were not interested in the majority of the releases, with the exception of Tony Hawk Pro Skater HD, which has been able to rack up some good sales.
While the sales of the Summer of Arcade 2012 titles were not that impressive, Microsoft has seen a number of other Xbox Live Arcade releases this year attract a lot of attention and set new sales records. This says that there is still money to be made and developers can be successful on Xbox Live.
A number of developers we have spoken with have indicated that sales of Xbox Live Arcade titles are riskier than before because of the large number of choices that players have today, when compared to what players could do with their consoles just a few years ago. With all of the entertainment choices beyond the games for owners to spend money on, as well as the increase in the number of titles released on the platform, there is a lot more competition than there used to be; and buyers seem to be more choosey than they used to be.
Some developers say that higher prices and the increased development costs of Xbox Live Arcade titles have not helped. Titles are more expensive, and we are finding that many owners are simply buying fewer of them because of this. It is more risky than it has been to develop an Xbox Live Arcade title simply because of visibility; some also believe that the titles are not as visible for sale with the latest dashboard update and that has contributed to reduced sales.
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