Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!sei.cmu.edu!fs7.ece.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!andrew.cmu.edu!sk2f+ From: sk2f+@andrew.cmu.edu (Seth D. Kadesh) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple2 Subject: Re: Your Ultima Quote Message-ID: Date: 29 Apr 91 07:04:00 GMT References: <5970.apple2.info.apple@pro-micol> <14795@darkstar.ucsc.edu> <854@seer.UUCP>, <10920@hub.ucsb.edu> Organization: Class of '92, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA Lines: 66 In-Reply-To: <10920@hub.ucsb.edu> 6600prao@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu (Parik Rao) writes: > Just out of curiousity... have you bought Dragon Wars GS? Or Immortals GS? > or Cryllan Mission 2088 GS? or Space Ace GS? or Rastan GS (ok, granted, > that ones a little tough to get ahold of). > > Here's a neat little story. Dragon Wars GS has sold around 600 copies > (it was 500 about a month ago, hopefully 100 have been sold by then). > Will harvey is very disappointed with the sales of Immortals GS, I'd expect > it to be around 1000. Even Victory Software hasn't had a smashing success > with Cryllan Mission (the first or second scenarios), and their game is a > Ultima style game. Nor has space Ace GS done well. Taito dumped all their > computer games, so they're sorta irrelevent. > > The point - all these professed users don't seem to be buying games. > Accolade dumped the IIgs when their game sales didn't even help break > even (TDII, Grand Prix, etc). > > BTW, these aren't numbers just off the top of my head, Bill Heineman > posted the #s on a service a while back, and Accolade/Taito/Sierra/ > Brian Greenstone (who is now doing Super Nintendo games, btw), Readysoft, > etc, etc all have come onto chats on other services and stated the > above. And as someone said a while back, in 1989 Origin released all > their games on AII format 1st (remember a ton of 128k dblhires games?) > and almost went bankrupt. That sorta thing wakes up a company I guess. Part of the problem as I see it: Where do all these users go to find out about these great games? How many people actually read Incider/A+? How many people get any magazines? (I'm talking II people, and Apple magazines). How many Apple magazines are there? I don't feel that the follow-up to the initial sale (of the II) is very good at all. I know that I'm constantly (depending on the money) improving my system - but how many other people are? How many of these thousands of II users leave their machines sitting in a closet? And how many of these IIs are owned by schools? What's the follow up in the school districts? I think if we could just reach out to everybody.... > > This is not to be a negative "god, we're all dying like rats" message, > just a observation that things aren't completely rosy. my suggestion - > pick up a couple games AND SEND IN THE WARRANTY! Buy from a local > dealer so he at least stocks stuff on the shelves. Get your friends to > buy cool games (Immortals GS is *AWESOME*, I even bought it directly Exactly. I'm not being negative either. Yeah, Immortal GS is incredible. You're a major loser if you don't have this game... I guess I should send in the registration card though... > from EA for $50 - 18002454525) and perhaps publishers will > realize that there IS a market! But they've been burned too often > to commit themselves to GS development anymore...:( > > > > -- > Apple II Forever | 6600prao@ucsbuxa.ucsb.edu | IBMs get the job done > Parik Rao | Amiga - for the creative mind | Class of 1994 > Macintosh - buy it or Apple will sue you. -seth tHe mAd ScienTisT, and other carnations ----------------------- sk2f@andrew.cmu.edu | everything seems so easy this way but I'm going under tmSatCMU@DRYCAS.BITNET| fast, I'm slipping away, am I so crazy? - Marillion