Alan Wake

[Psy]

PC version has been downright cancelled.

Interestingly, Microsoft claims that the PC version has been cancelled because the PC platform is "too intimate".

"Some games are more suited for the intimacy of the PC, and others are best played from the couch in front of a larger TV screen," a Microsoft spokesperson told Strategy Informer.

"We ultimately realised that the most compelling way to experience Alan Wake was on the Xbox 360 platform, so we focused on making it an Xbox 360 exclusive. Both Microsoft and Remedy have long histories in PC game development. This decision was about matching this specific game to the right platform."

Source

Easily the most downright silly reason I have ever come across for cancelling a port.

[dux]

lol that is such bullshit. But I stopped caring about this title, like I've said because of this dumb attitude to wards PC's.

Seriously, fuck you developers and publishers who are giving this mighty platform the middle finger. Take that finger and stick it up your ass.

[Erratic]

I guess when you release possibly one of the greatest PC games ever made and then no one buys it, kinda makes you readjust your business a bit.

My guess is the majority of people bitching about Alan Wake pirated the fucking shit out of Max Payne 2.

[D3ads]

Oh well, I guess I can stop caring about this one completely now, what a crock of shit.

[FrieChamp]

So that is Microsoft's strategy to calm the PC crowd over the announcement that the PC version is cancelled: a blatant lie? Smooth Microsoft. Very smooth.

[D3ads]

Just noticed one of the comments on there;

"Some games are more suited for the intimacy of the PC developed in a reasonable amount of time so we have some spare budget to port them over, and others are best played from the couch in front of a larger TV screen took 5 years to develop so we just want them out the door, and recoup our losses."

QFT!

[Thrik]

Eh, hardly surprising. Who really expects developers to bother with the PC nowadays?

I'm past bitching about it every time it happens. It is now the norm, thanks to poor development-to-sales costs and excessive piracy. Only got PC gamers themselves to blame — why wouldn't they release it on the PC if it were worthwhile?

[FrieChamp]

Maybe they screwed up on the planning and ran out of cash? Wouldn't be surprising after 5 (?) years of development. Hence they need to get the 360 version out of the door and I don't see any reason why Microsoft would complain about a 360 exclusive.

[-HP-]

After all this years, probably M$ paid them a huge amount of money so they could release it exclusively for Xbox. Which is a good move from M$, cos most of the xbox exclusives are dumb shooters.

btw, it was 7 years of development, not 5.

[Furyo]

The only way you'd have got that PC version in the first place was via a 1-man-2-weeks port of the X360 version anyway, were you actually expecting Microsoft to publish a PC game still? I mean the signs have been around for years, not to mention the PC gaming division of Microsoft has all but ceased to exist in any meaningful way for some time. You don't close down Ensemble Studios on one hand only to release a game on a platform that is going to compete against your leading SKU 6 months later. Microsoft has been many things, and consistent is one of them.

[FrieChamp]

I don't criticize the fact that they cancelled the PC version, I criticize their PR work around it.

[e-freak]

Have we any numbers of the Max Payne sells? Honestly, to me it just looks as if Microsoft is trying to prolong the Xbox' life-cycle and set a comparsion mark to the upcoming PS3 exclusives (Heavy Rain kind of attracts the same audience i could imagine).

[-HP-]

i don't have any link to support this, but I believe that Max Payne might sold around 5 million copies while Max Payne 2 sold 1/2 million copies. That's why it was considered a disappointment.

Scott: That is always the goal. With Max Payne, for example, we always planned for a long series. I’m still puzzled to this day why – after 3D Realms and Remedy sold the IP to Take2 – there’s not been a Max Payne 3. That’s a franchise that sold over 7 million copies between two games. We should be hearing about Max 4 in development by now.

http://www.yougamers.com/articles/1820_ ... ing-page3/

[e-freak]

well after some googling on it i got to a simmilar result, slightly higher though. They said MP2 sold about 2 million units and as seems was called a disappointment because they clearly had higher expectations after the first one (4 to 5 million).

From a personal perspective I'm not surprised though. MP2 was one of the more expensive titles at release, especially considering the short duration and some of the heavy AI-Bugs.

I may sound like a PC-Fanboy, but such a decision against the PC-Market from both Remedy and Microsoft really lowers my respect to these companies (resp. the department in charge).

[Furyo]

I know Frie, the PR reeks of bullshit and I would probably punch in the face the guy that could tell that to my face and keep a straight one himself because it's so stupid it's insulting everyone's intelligence. Then again these guys are paid to do just that and it's one thing I simply can't do....