Mon, Apr 16, 2012 | 19:26 BST

GAME situation “hurt” Syndicate sales, says Starbreeze CEO

The situation revolving around GAME at the time of Syndicate hurt sales of the shooter, Starbreeze CEO Mikel Nermark told GI International.

The game, published by EA Partners as a reboot of the old Peter Molyneux/Bullfrog IP, was released in February on PS3, 360 and PC, just before the publisher pulled support for the chain.

EA games are now back on sale in store and online at GAME.

But Nermark said what was happening to the retailer at the time impacted the shooter.

“There’s so many reasons why a game succeeds or fails from a commercial point-of-view. We released the game about a month or more ago, and we’re doing our post-mortem right now: what did we do right, what did we do wrong, and of course we will look at the commercial side as well,” he said.

“The numbers are not as high as we would like, and I think if you asked anyone they would say the same thing about any game they made. But [Syndicate] was released in the midst of GAME going under; the retail space is hurting, and I think that hurt us because we were such a retail product.”

15 comment-trail-alt Posted in: EA, PC, PS3, Shooter, Xbox 360
Tags: , , , ,

15 comments

#1

YoungZer0
16/04/12, 11:24 am

I think the game Syndicate “hurt” Syndicate sales.

#2

viralshag
16/04/12, 11:26 am

I rocked up to my local store to get this game and the shelves looked like they had a healthy supply of stock for it…

Whatever helps you sleep at night, I guess. The game’s not even that bad, it’s just not that good either. SP is pretty boring and the MP is where it’s at but there just isn’t enough options or content.

#3

Ge0force
16/04/12, 11:32 am

#1 My thoughts exactly, the game is mediocre at best.

#4

KingCharMing
16/04/12, 11:38 am

Why bother calling it syndicate at all? Most who play it are too young to remember syndicate and those who are old enough to remember the first 2 despise it for what its become (aka another generic shooter).

#5

AHA-Lambda
16/04/12, 11:46 am

sssuuuuuuurrrrreeeeeeee……

it had nothing to do with the fact you game was generic as wallpaper and was generally quite a shit game in of itself.

PR 101: blame EVERYONE but yourself

also my local hmv has tonnes of new copies of this all discounted, barely any used copies though. Guessing it didn’t sell right? ;)

#6

LOLshock92
16/04/12, 12:57 pm

The new Syndicate is pure garbage. Just console trash and a generic FPS.

Also, the single player is super short.

#7

LOLshock94
16/04/12, 2:05 pm

The new Syndicate is pure amazing, just an amazing game made for the console and is one of the best FPS out there.
Also campaign is pretty long.

#8

ACME
16/04/12, 2:36 pm

#4 My thoughts exactly! Calling it “Syndicate” was only good enough to make us mad!

#9

The_Red
16/04/12, 2:58 pm

You know, maybe “re-imagining” a once beloved 2D isometric, real-time STRATEGY game as a co-op action heavy FPS is what ultimately hurt Syndicate.

Now of course an isometric, real-time strategy game like the Bullfrog classic might not have sold on consoles but EA could have:
1. Released a proper sequel to Syndicate the way X-Com EU, Wasteland 2 and such are coming out.
2. Make Starbreeze’s name a new freaking IP and market that accordingly.

#10

ManuOtaku
16/04/12, 3:55 pm

Reading this it makes me remember a saying we have here, success has so many fathers while failure is fatherless.

#11

xino
16/04/12, 4:25 pm

lies!

The game game months early before the GAME problem, it was around March that the thing got started, Syndicate was released end of Feb

#12

SOUTHNECK
16/04/12, 5:13 pm

LACK OF SUPPORT!!!

Still hangs every 10 seconds on the PS3 playing co-op. No mention of a patch. Thanks EA!!!

#13

Giskard
16/04/12, 5:20 pm

@11

Read your comment again. “End of february, start of march – months”.

Well played, sir.

#14

xino
16/04/12, 7:10 pm

@13
eh..read again.
did I say Feb 29!?
no. end of feb as meaning the ending week of feb.

when you get paid, do you get paid the last day of the month? of course not!

#15

GwynbleiddiuM
17/04/12, 8:54 am

I’m glad that I don’t need to make a comment here cause everyone else explained the situation perfectly.

Leave a Reply