FE:W has achieved over one million sales worldwide

[TheWill]

1 hour ago, Dragonage2ftw said:

Looks like the decision to focus on Fates, Awakening, and stinky ol’ SD paid off.

But why?

Also, focusing on Fates/Awakening/SD and being successful are not correlated.

[Slumber]

On 4/26/2018 at 8:33 AM, Jedi said:

I want to personally thank everyone who got the game. 

It's been a bit of a personal endevor of mine to get the word out, i'm not sure how many people I may have touched with the articles I did, but I did want to say thank you to even those who bought it for others as a gift. 

 

You're welcome. My first Warriors game in like, 15 years. 

A sequel with tons more polish, Elibe, Tellius and Jugdral would be peachy keen. 

[Roy Chan]

Hearing that this game sold over a million was really good to hear. It's my first ever Warriors game and enjoyed many things it offered. I'm really hopeful for a 2019 sequel at this point, and I could finally play my favorite FE lord, Roy.

Edited April 28, 2018 by RKD | Roy Chan

[CmdrQuartz]

I'll not get truly excited until actual news shows up but I'm happy the game is doing well. 

[VincentASM]

9 hours ago, SlipperySlippy said:

But why?

Also, focusing on Fates/Awakening/SD and being successful are not correlated.

Fates and Awakening are more marketable in the West and Japan--and Shadow Dragon in Japan.

While we probably won't know how much of an impact that choice had, I have a feeling it had a big influence. After all, most FE fans these days are probably Awakening and Fates fans, given those games sold the most.

On the other hand, it suggests hardcore fans are probably a minority. Especially those who opted not to buy the game because of the focus on those particular three games. Otherwise sales would probably be much lower.

Anyway, that's just what I'm thinking.

[Etrurian emperor]

32 minutes ago, VincentASM said:

Fates and Awakening are more marketable in the West and Japan--and Shadow Dragon in Japan.

But that's kind of the problem. Only really in Japan. I wonder if more fans would have been drawn in if they replaced Shadow Dragon with Blazing sword or Tellius. It would have ensured the people who skipped on the game because of representation might not have skipped the game. 

The western fans that joined before Awakening weren't really tossed any sort of bone and were very grumpy as a result, some of them didn't buy the game because of this. Wouldn't it have made more sense to get those people on board? I doubt any Japanese fan who really liked Awakening and Fates would have skipped the game just because Marth isn't in but the other side of the fanbase is different. The stereotypical ''veteran'' western fan has issues with the new style but they don't have the nostalgia that ensures Marth and co would make up for the lack of the older games. 

[Jedi]

2 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

But that's kind of the problem. Only really in Japan. I wonder if more fans would have been drawn in if they replaced Shadow Dragon with Blazing sword or Tellius. It would have ensured the people who skipped on the game because of representation might not have skipped the game. 

Again you're harping on Shadow Dragon getting attention when this series started in Japan, I'm not seeing the issue in attempting to appeal more to them with the 3rd game chosen in general. It seems to be your common griping point in general.

As for your other point, I'm guessing thats partly why Lyn was used as a bonus, but the people who started with Melee/FE7 are a bit of a minority compared to those who have been with the series since it started in Japan ages ago and Awakening making the franchise mainstream.

I too want to see Tellius, Elibe & Jugdral (my 3 favorite FE settings), but I understand why they weren't used for a first FE:W from a marketing standpoint.

[VincentASM]

11 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

But that's kind of the problem. Only really in Japan. I wonder if more fans would have been drawn in if they replaced Shadow Dragon with Blazing sword or Tellius. It would have ensured the people who skipped on the game because of representation might not have skipped the game. 

The western fans that joined before Awakening weren't really tossed any sort of bone and were very grumpy as a result, some of them didn't buy the game because of this. Wouldn't it have made more sense to get those people on board? I doubt any Japanese fan who really liked Awakening and Fates would have skipped the game just because Marth isn't in but the other side of the fanbase is different. The stereotypical ''veteran'' western fan has issues with the new style but they don't have the nostalgia that ensures Marth and co would make up for the lack of the older games. 

Yeah, it's hard to know which way would have had better results. At the end of the day, we're all armchair analysts, haha.

For what it's worth, like @Jedi said, Shadow Dragon (or the first game anyway) is iconic for being the first Fire Emblem in Japan. I am not super familiar with the Japanese community, but I imagine it's similar to comparing with the original Super Mario Bros or the very first Legend of Zelda. So it's not just that it'd be nice for the devs to acknowledge it, they probably have to as well ^^

[Jedi]

1 minute ago, VincentASM said:

Yeah, it's hard to know which way would have had better results. At the end of the day, we're all armchair analysts, haha.

For what it's worth, like @Jedi said, Shadow Dragon (or the first game anyway) is iconic for being the first Fire Emblem in Japan. I am not super familiar with the Japanese community, but I imagine it's similar to comparing with the original Super Mario Bros or the very first Legend of Zelda. So it's not just that it'd be nice for the devs to acknowledge it, they probably have to as well ^^

Yeah I meant FE1/11 both when I stated Shadow Dragon haha.

[Etrurian emperor]

52 minutes ago, Jedi said:

Again you're harping on Shadow Dragon getting attention when this series started in Japan

Uh....no I'm not. This time its just speculation. The west is no longer a peripheral part of the fandom so the question does merit asking. And the issue I was talking about(this time at least) wasn't the inclusion of Shadow dragon but that the mid section of the fanbase just didn't get much and that this might have led to lost sales that could have been avoided. 

Yup, I am displeased Shadow Dragon got in over other games and that usually being the case is a pet peeve of mine but that and questioning the math of Archenea inherently bringing in more sales are two different topics. 

Edited April 28, 2018 by Etrurian emperor

[Jedi]

38 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Uh....no I'm not. This time its just speculation. The west is no longer a peripheral part of the fandom so the question does merit asking. And the issue I was talking about(this time at least) wasn't the inclusion of Shadow dragon but that the mid section of the fanbase just didn't get much and that this might have led to lost sales that could have been avoided. 

Past discussions with you have given me the possibly wrong impression that you feel Shadow Dragon deserves little to nothing in any sort of crossover, so thats partly where i'm coming from on that. 

I kinda doubt focusing on Elibe instead would have gotten more sales, due to the controversies that the FE13/14 inclusions gave among the other vast PR problems.

[The DanMan]

39 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Uh....no I'm not. This time its just speculation. The west is no longer a peripheral part of the fandom so the question does merit asking. And the issue I was talking about(this time at least) wasn't the inclusion of Shadow dragon but that the mid section of the fanbase just didn't get much and that this might have led to lost sales that could have been avoided. 

You are the first person I've seen suggest that SD be excluded. Which, despite your denial, you actually did:

58 minutes ago, Etrurian emperor said:

But that's kind of the problem. Only really in Japan. I wonder if more fans would have been drawn in if they replaced Shadow Dragon with Blazing sword or Tellius. It would have ensured the people who skipped on the game because of representation might not have skipped the game.

Considering the game sold a million (yeah, it's "shipped" but that effectively means sold to the developer/publisher because there's no way to know how much individual copies retailers have sold unless they order more), you're suggesting something that would both tick off a major part of the Japanese audience and many in the West as well (considering the lack of overall SD representation being one of the big complaints). The fact it's passed a million makes your argument a moot point, as "lost sales" likely would've been far greater if they excluded the first game in the franchise overall.

[Etrurian emperor]

Just now, Jedi said:

Past discussions with you have given me the possibly wrong impression that you feel Shadow Dragon deserves little to nothing in any sort of crossover, so thats partly where i'm coming from on that. 

Little to nothing is an overstatement though you're not entirely wrong. Shadow dragon deserves something, its just the fact of life that it automatically gets much more then other games that I find to be undeserving and annoying. 

 

[Etrurian emperor]

1 minute ago, The DanMan said:

You are the first person I've seen suggest that SD be excluded. Which, despite your denial, you actually did:

I think you need to study my denial a bit better. 

[Gregster101]

As long as Elibe, Tellius, and Valentia are the focus games for the sequel, I'm good.

[TheWill]

2 hours ago, VincentASM said:

Fates and Awakening are more marketable in the West and Japan--and Shadow Dragon in Japan.

While we probably won't know how much of an impact that choice had, I have a feeling it had a big influence. After all, most FE fans these days are probably Awakening and Fates fans, given those games sold the most.

On the other hand, it suggests hardcore fans are probably a minority. Especially those who opted not to buy the game because of the focus on those particular three games. Otherwise sales would probably be much lower.

Anyway, that's just what I'm thinking.

There's absolutely merit to your deduction, but it's still a hard bargain since we can only make educated guesses.

A lot of "hardcore" Fire Emblem fans... are still fans of Awakening and Fates. I feel it's disingenuous to couple "veterans" and "veterans who dislike Awakening/Fates", when the latter is most definitely a vocal minority. 

What I think is the most believable reason for good sales is a combination of viral marketing, the booming success of the Switch & Fire Emblem: Heroes and Fire Emblem Warriors being a solid Warriors experience. Heroes has already pushed the franchise into mainstream media. And, if that games anything to go off of, Lyn looks like to be the most profitable character of the franchise considering the egregious number of alts. 

[VincentASM]

22 minutes ago, SlipperySlippy said:

There's absolutely merit to your deduction, but it's still a hard bargain since we can only make educated guesses.

A lot of "hardcore" Fire Emblem fans... are still fans of Awakening and Fates. I feel it's disingenuous to couple "veterans" and "veterans who dislike Awakening/Fates", when the latter is most definitely a vocal minority. 

What I think is the most believable reason for good sales is a combination of viral marketing, the booming success of the Switch & Fire Emblem: Heroes and Fire Emblem Warriors being a solid Warriors experience. Heroes has already pushed the franchise into mainstream media. And, if that games anything to go off of, Lyn looks like to be the most profitable character of the franchise considering the egregious number of alts. 

Yeah, sorry, my choice of wording was a bit poor. I just meant those who aren't massive Awakening/Fates fans or fans of the classic games.

I would agree with the success of the Switch and Heroes, plus FE Warriors actually being a good game. But viral marking? Unless you mean all the negative news about the roster choices, which ended up being fantastic publicity in the end ^^

[TheWill]

22 minutes ago, VincentASM said:

Yeah, sorry, my choice of wording was a bit poor. I just meant those who aren't massive Awakening/Fates fans or fans of the classic games.

I would agree with the success of the Switch and Heroes, plus FE Warriors actually being a good game. But viral marking? Unless you mean all the negative news about the roster choices, which ended up being fantastic publicity in the end ^^

Well I typically use adblock, so I can only assume from the ads I did see which were the ones integrated on the Nintendo livestream. Not going to say for sure whether it was a direct or not, but I think it was? Not the most recent one, the one prior. 

I don't want to take away from the game or roster choice by offering alternative explanations to the games success, I am glad the game done well. I just dislike that people are using the games sales to push certain... agendas.

[Jedi]

7 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

Little to nothing is an overstatement though you're not entirely wrong. Shadow dragon deserves something, its just the fact of life that it automatically gets much more then other games that I find to be undeserving and annoying. 

Why is that? Franchise legacy is something that shouldn't be ignored. Not to mention last I checked people were quite upset that it got much less than Awakening & Fates in Warriors which people were rightfully upset about.

[Thany]

35 minutes ago, Jedi said:

Why is that? Franchise legacy is something that shouldn't be ignored. Not to mention last I checked people were quite upset that it got much less than Awakening & Fates in Warriors which people were rightfully upset about.

Personally im still upset we didnt get silly out there characters like Hero Wrys from the cipher art. theres so much fun to be had with adding characters but shadow dragon just got way to little and that upsets me. hopefully the sequel decides to have much more fun with out there characters and weapons, id love to kill people with a log.

[The DanMan]

1 hour ago, Jedi said:

Why is that? Franchise legacy is something that shouldn't be ignored. Not to mention last I checked people were quite upset that it got much less than Awakening & Fates in Warriors which people were rightfully upset about.

There are some extremes, like how every Valkyria Chronicles game has shoehorned in members of the cast/direct connections to the 1st even to the point of retcons, or Gamefreak drastically overemphasizing Gen 1 in the 3DS pokemon games (to the point where Alolan forms were gen 1 exclusive and there being more Kanto Pokemon than Alolan Pokemon in the Alolan pokedex), but if anything I'd agree that FE has the opposite issue (see: Heroes, with the only post-launch Archanean characters being the controversial/overlooked assassins from NME, early game ME cavaliers, and Emperor Hardin with Marth not having a single alt while Lyn and Robin sit at 4 each).

Edited April 28, 2018 by The DanMan

[Jedi]

19 minutes ago, The DanMan said:

There are some extremes, like how every Valkyria Chronicles game has shoehorned in members of the cast/direct connections to the 1st even to the point of retcons, or Gamefreak drastically overemphasizing Gen 1 in the 3DS pokemon games (to the point where Alolan forms were gen 1 exclusive and there being more Kanto Pokemon than Alolan Pokemon in the Alolan pokedex), but if anything I'd agree that FE has the opposite issue (see: Heroes, with the only post-launch Archanean characters being the controversial/overlooked assassins from NME, early game ME cavaliers, and Emperor Hardin with Marth not having a single alt while Lyn and Robin sit at 4 each).

Extremes do exist yeah, it's kinda like a balance you have to pull off.

Also Lyn has 5 variants now as a minor but funny correction.

[Etrurian emperor]

4 hours ago, Jedi said:

Why is that? Franchise legacy is something that shouldn't be ignored. Not to mention last I checked people were quite upset that it got much less than Awakening & Fates in Warriors which people were rightfully upset about.

Where my position differs from most is that I don't view the Archenean legacy as universal because it was a Japanese only title for so long. Its the first Fire emblem game ever made but its not the first one that the vast majority of fans got to play. As a westerner and someone who found the remakes behavior in regards to characterization very grating I have trouble understanding this nostalgia for these characters which in turn leads to annoyance when seeing them over and over and over again by default where other characters might have added more. (Though to point out again that wasn't the point I was making when writing my first post) 

Though I was annoyed by their lack of representation in Warriors too. If they do chose for Shadow dragon they should just have committed themselves to that choice and add a substantial amount of characters and a strong position in the story. I would certainly have liked to see Camus get into the game and Minerva being playable from the start. 

 

Edited April 28, 2018 by Etrurian emperor

[Florete]

16 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

The western fans that joined before Awakening weren't really tossed any sort of bone and were very grumpy as a result, some of them didn't buy the game because of this.

We were given Lyn, but this number is likely extremely small.

14 hours ago, SlipperySlippy said:

A lot of "hardcore" Fire Emblem fans... are still fans of Awakening and Fates. I feel it's disingenuous to couple "veterans" and "veterans who dislike Awakening/Fates", when the latter is most definitely a vocal minority.

And this is why. I consider myself a hardcore FE fan and a veteran since I started with FE7. Although I was a bit disappointed to not get Elibe or Tellius, I still like Awakening and Fates. I bought the game and the DLC and played through all of it. So yeah.

[Linkmstr]

It's nice to see that the game was able to ship 1 million units worldwide. Better chances of a sequel to be made and at least satisfy some folks that are still complaining. I remember there were people saying the game flopped on its first week in Japan (when it clearly didn't). Good times, good times...