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3 million sales for Mirror Edge expected for it "being different"

September 24, 2008 in News comments 33

Games like Grand Theft Auto and Okami even Cooking Mama became hits for being a different style game. Well DICE the marketing director of Mirrors Edge is expecting this game to become a hit and sell 3 million just for being a different style game.

Well its always good to be an optimist but saying its going to sell 3 million just because its "Different" is being a little to confident if you ask me.

Martin Frain, marketing director for developer DICE says Mirror's Edge is proof that an IP can come out of nowhere and capture imagination, "just by being different." He is targeting worldwide sales of 3m.

"We're being helped immensely, just by the look of the game," Frain says. "You look at a screenshot of Mirror's Edge, and you know what it is."

Frain says that within most genres, all screenshots will look the same as other games in that same genre. "Some games do a good job with a unique look," he admits. "You see a screenshot of Bioshock, and you'd know it was Bioshock."

Mirror's Edge has that, too, Frain believes. "And we were quite frugal with our assets. So we had a lot of people questioning, 'What is this game about?'"
Final Blade via edge-online.com »
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Most recently commented on by on Sep 26, 2008

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  • 0
    Killosity Sep 25, 08
    Hmmm screenshot looks cool.
    Lets hope the game follows suit.
  • 0
    Red 9 Sep 25, 08
    Is that ever presumptuous! Expecting 3 million sales just for being different.
    • 0
      Final Blade Sep 25, 08
      I guess so, considering how well those 3 games were when it started being different.
      • 0
        Red 9 Sep 25, 08
        I'm just saying, setting yourself 3-millions-sales as an expected goal is a little overexpectant for a game we really don't know all that much about.
        • 0
          Final Blade Sep 25, 08
          Kinda the same thing Ryan Payton said about how MGS4 has to sell 3 million copies to be successful amirite?
    • 0
      Daigoji_Gai Sep 25, 08
      Perhaps, but everyone here at UGO.com that has seen it in action was so blown away they came close to soiling themselves and in dire need of a fresh pair of underoos... so, maybe not too presumptuous...
  • 1
    Koloth Sep 25, 08
    So we are just going to ignore the Wii phenomenon then? I don't think anyone predicted it would sell 30 million units in the first two years. And yet here we are 2 years later and the Wii is STILL selling out in some places. Just because it is different.
  • 0
    Killosity Sep 25, 08
    Koloth you have a point, but one would have to question the differing mindset of someone purchasing a console, and someone purchasing a game. Im thinking, that with the influx of hit anticipated titles coming up for each console respectively, that this game might be a shoved to the back of the line somewhat.


    Having said that, I totally agree with your idea. The Wii became a success on an unexpected level. This game could do that also.
  • 2
    Gutter_Tech Sep 25, 08
    well im definitely in that 3 million been waiting for this game....
    • 2
      Gamesta100 Sep 25, 08
      Same here, and for the exact reason this article mentioned.

      I REALLY want to play this game BECAUSE it is different.
    • 1
      tekmosis Sep 25, 08
      I was thinking the exact same thing (:
      Count me in as one of the 3mil as well.
    • 1
      Storm Sep 25, 08
      Same here. The trailer shown at E3 blew my mind away, heh. It's something fresh to me, something interesting.
  • 0
    Killosity Sep 25, 08
    quote
    Kinda the same thing Ryan Payton said about how MGS4 has to sell 3 million copies to be successful amirite?
    Feel free to correct me If im mistaken, but didn't he say that they needed to sell 1 million copies to turn a profit. (WAS MISQUOTED)



    On topic however, its silly for developers to estimate the games success based on it "being different". Through such difference, the game best be functional, fluent, and fun to play.
    • 0
      ZaikXory Sep 25, 08
      Very true. It needs to interest gamers and keep them interested. Lets just hope its not one of those deals where everyone gets so excited over a game that, when it comes out, it pretty much sucks.
  • 0
    ZaikXory Sep 25, 08
    Seems a little arrogant and naive of a comment from DICE. Whatever, if it sells, it sells.
  • 2
    iLLmatic Sep 25, 08
    First of all, Final Blade, Payton never said 3 million. He didn't even say 1 million, he was quoted incorrectly. Second, Metal Gear Solid is an established franchise. Red 9 is saying that they're expecting a lot for a new IP that we don't know a whole lot about. Assassin's Creed sold a lot as a new IP though, so it's possible, if anything just off the hype alone. I'm not sold yet. Mirror's Edge looks like a lot of the same thing over and over, despite it's unique gameplay.
    • 0
      Final Blade Sep 25, 08
      Wasn't really the point considering he stated it and I posted an article about it. Either way it serves my purpose. And yea I screwed up on the amount, which is why I didn't respond to killosity post.

      Anyway I have no doubt ME will be a colossal hit, look at the Wii, cooking Mama? Both were new and different and are selling like hotcakes and doesn't seem to be stopping.
      • 2
        ali3n Sep 25, 08
        It doesn't really serve your purpose if it's quite obviously wrong, might as well pull something else out of your ass while you're at it.

        Wii and Cooking Mama both appeal to 'casual' gamers where as this for the most part seems to be directed toward the 'hardcore' crowd from what I've seen about it.
      • 1
        iLLmatic Sep 26, 08
        None of what you just said made any sense. How does it serve your "purpose" if it was wrong to begin with? How does Cooking Mama or any software on the Wii have any correlation to this situation? Anything will sell on the Wii. It's a whole different demographic.
  • 0
    kik36 Sep 25, 08
    Well I believe a good majority of people are buying Little Big Planet for the same reason, so it's not all that far fetched.
    • 0
      Daigoji_Gai Sep 25, 08
      /agree. and as I said above, everyone, at least here at UGO.com that has seen it in action walked away thoroughly impressed and eager for it to come out.
    • 0
      iLLmatic Sep 26, 08
      Because LittleBigPlanet is new? Is that what you're saying?
      • 0
        kik36 Sep 26, 08
        No for being different, just like they are saying about this game.
      • 0
        Daigoji_Gai Sep 26, 08
        No, innovation and wildly unique gameplay that breaks the mold makes LBP and Mirrors Edge worth keeping an eye on.
  • 0
    kspiess Sep 25, 08
    Game looks good. But 3 million copies? Not a chance. That's way too optimistic.

    I'm going to say 800,000 copies.

    Yes, that is my final answer.
  • 0
    RabidChinaGirl Sep 25, 08
    I thought Okami didn't do too well, actually. Not to mention the PS2 version was marked cheaper than the standard. Now I loved Okami (one of my all-time favorites), I'm just making an observation. It bombed in Japan, and only did marginally better in the US.
    • 0
      Red 9 Sep 26, 08
      That was one of THE best games EVER crafted by ANY developer. I don't know what was wrong with the Japanese, but they're missing out.
  • 0
    Sayyed Sep 25, 08
    Am I the only one who thinks they could do it? If they can get a lot mre hype on the game and advertise it to the mainstream media (television) they can do it.
    • 0
      Daigoji_Gai Sep 25, 08
      /agree. I do think they can do it, especially given the continuing growing interest (especially here in the US) and popularity in parkour free running...
    • 0
      iLLmatic Sep 26, 08
      Of course they could do it. I don't know why everyone here is so against it. Why wouldn't it be possible? I'm personally not one of them, but there's people everywhere waiting for this game to come out. If not for anything else, graphics sell games these days, and Mirror's Edge has that covered easily.
  • 0
    BlackLabel Sep 25, 08
    I would be dissapointed if it didn't sell that many units i mean for one the game looks easy, well for those that didn't watch the E3 IGN LiveWire show with the developer dying like 6 times in 2 minutes. So that plays as an advantage to higher sales and it is very different personally the game is a work of art, it is creative and seems to have flawless gameplay. Though when have the casual crowd ever cared about that, i think Gears of War 2 could kill this games sales regardless of how much better this game may be on all fronts.
    • 0
      kik36 Sep 25, 08
      Gears of War 2 could do that, but since this one is multiplat it may be hard to dethrone the overall sales figures. Will make for good sales wars either way.
  • 0
    Bale Fire Sep 26, 08
    I expect this to go the way of Assissin's Creed. Heavily hyped and different and selling well for it. But lacking depth and replay value.

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