Operate Shooting Star already discounted?
August 27, 2009 by Heat Man
Filed under Mega Man News
After we reported Rockman EXE: Operate Shooting Star’s Japanese release date last night, Fireman, a good pal of mine, brought something to my attention. Along with the release date, the expected sales price was reported at ¥4,190. In comparison, all Rockman games that have previous released on the DS started out at ¥5,040. Including tax, I believe that’s the standard price for a DS game in Japan. So from day one, Operate Shooting Star will be selling for considerably less than its DS predecessors.
After mulling over it here and there, I’m not sure I can think of a significant reason for the reduction of the price. Is Capcom hoping the reduced price will let it sell better? Were there reduced development costs due to using existing content from the original Battle Network? And ultimately, will its price be reduced in other regions as well?
I’m presently unaware of a reduced cost in any other upcoming DS games in Japan, so I can’t say if it’s part of a trend (Capcom’s last DS game, Gyakuten Kenji, sold at the regular price). There may really be nothing significant about it at all. In the end, there’s nothing bad about paying less for a game.
Whew! I thought this said “Operate Shooting Star already discontinued”. That’s a relief.
Ladies and gentlemen, please take cover. This is your captain speaking, we’re flying into a cloud of extrapolation and overanalyzation. Please remain calm and remember that any and all information in comments is speculation. Have a pleasant flight.
Seriously though, I’m stumped myself. It could be a sales ploy (SF3 didn’t perform spectacularly) but who knows.
Has there been a strong seller for the Mega Man series in recent years (apart from MM9, which was downloadable)?
I don’t really know the sales figures of the games in recent years, but I haven’t heard anything to indicate that the SF and ZX series were great sellers. I remember that the EXE games were pretty strong in Japan, so maybe that carried over to the later series.
Ramble aside, won’t complain with a lower sales price.
I know ZX series sold more in US, but other Rockman games sold more in Japan. Megaman X4-8, Megaman 7 & 8, Megaman Legends 1 & 2 sold horrible in the US.
Wouldnt that be a hint that it doesnt have Wifi? But still, there’s many DS games that are 29.99 with wifi capability somehow(SF1 Leo and the SF2 ZerkerXSaurian I got were 29.99). Anyone have any suggestions?
Not really into to these type of series (I’m a Megaman fan though), but this could be a marketing strategy or something. Probably to boost up sells or letting the StarForce series have it’s final run. . I don’t know. O Well I think this is the last Megaman game for 2009. . I can’t wait whats up for 2010 though!!!!
X4 and MM8 did NOT sell bad in the US. They got the Greatest Hits label for the Playstation, which I think that’s enough to say they did pretty damn good in the US.
Unfortunately, neither Legends games obtained this…
Of course, I could be wrong. Greatest Hits could mean something else entirely…
Actually, it seems like it’s been forever, but I do remember seeing my little cousin’s Megaman Legends 1 with a Greatest Hit label for the PS1. Wish I could say the same thing for Legends 2, but never did see the Greatest Hit label for it.
That’s right, I forgot that MM8 & X4 did reach the 150,000 copy mark for Greatest Hits. In Japan RMX4-6, Dash 1&2, RM8 made it to BEST version. Command Mission and X8 made it to BEST version as well but not X7 and Rockman Power Battles. I think the BN series got some kind of new versions in Japan, but i’m not sure, I saw that they sold with in America and Japan.
It´s curios. I´m from Mexico and here the regular DS game cost aproximatly $400 pesos (that´s like $ 30 to $35 Dollars I belive) but all the star force games cost less than that, arround $350 pesos when tey are relised. I don´t really know why, but this “proce drop” in megaman games is kind of normal gere.
…did X8 really sell all that badly?
Most everybody I know has a copy, and I’m the only one among my friends that’s a true Mega Man fanboy. The others are just long time gamers that still respect the blue bomber.
@Shotoman I’m the same way, I thought X8 sold well, but was shocked to hear that only Japan got a Best Version. I the only true Megaman fan out of my friend
The Website got updated, there’s a Wallpaper now.
The best selling games don’t become $20 “greatest hits.”
Take for example Smash Bros. Melee. That game never went any lower than $30 because gamers still liked it a whole bunch. Heck, even MGS4 is still $30, in comparison to a game like Ninja Gaiden Sigma reaching the $20 benchmark.
The $20 price tag just tries to convince people it’s good when, in fact, it probably had unsuccessful sales. That’s not to say God of War II or MMX8 were bad games, no no.
On wikipedia/ign/gamespot/famitsu it says that a game must sell more than 150,000 in it’s region for it to become Greatest hit/best version. Also Smash Bros, MG4, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma all got Best version.
If the game ends up as a rehash, I may still buy it if it’s a reduced price (I was gonna buy it eventually, anyway). So I guess Capcom knows what they’re doing, huh? In fact, lately, they’ve REALLY known what they’re doing – they revived 2D fighters, revived the Classic Megaman series, among others.
Also, you’re right Heatman, there is nothing bad about a lower price, haha.
I saw a sales figure a while back ago. The truth is, even if Rockman made a “The Best” version in Japan, that doesn’t mean it sold well, actually…
http://protodudesrockmancorner.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-well-has-rockman-performed-in-japan.html
Namely, ZX, ZX Advent, Zero 4, The PSP titles, PS2 Titles, and PS titles aside from X5 all sold horribly in Japan.
http://forum.rockmanpm.com/index.php?topic=2156.0
So the Wikipedia info is extremely inaccurate.
I saw that, but in the Famitsu issue, those are first week sales. Overall the game breaks the 150,000 over time, same as here. Megaman 8 and Megaman X4 sold horrible on first week in the US, but over time it reached 150,000.
Capcom has frequently started their MSRP prices lower than the competition on many other consoles. I remember buying the Playstation games for about $30 instead of the usual 40 it usually cost for a brand new game back then. I suppose they frequently do this to boost sales on games they think might not do as well at full price.
That is a good strategy.