Zitat
Cave is one of those niche publishers (the other shmup pubs like the Raiden guys, Ikaruga team, Triggerheart, 5pb, etc) that really `gets it`with the Xbox 360. Install base isn`t always everything and for cheaply developed low-budget niche games in particular(and bullet-hell shmups are niche), install base is definitely not that important.
Cave understands that when they release a Cave shmup exclusive on the Xbox 360, they`re gonna be the only Xbox 360 exclusive debuting the week of their release. So pretty much most of the 360 software purchases for that week are going to be concentrated towards their game. That`s the benefit of having little to no competition within the 360 realm (avoiding the type of nightmare scenario you saw with Last Rebellion). It seems like whenever a Japanese-oriented 360 exclusive has a debut, it charts pretty well. And being a Japanese Xbox 360 exclusive and being the only 360 exclusive that week is going to generate buzz and attention. Think about it. Would Magna Carta II even really be given much attention if it wasnt a 360 exclusive? It got a lot of attention from the 360 base precisely because It was what looked like to be a good 360 exclusive eastern rpg after a long drought (since Star Ocean) of no 360 exclusive jrpg in the pipeline and after a series of 360 exclusives jumping ship to the PS3. When you have that kind of distinction, it makes your game stand out more. MagnaCarta II is pretty much known as that exclusive 360 korean rpg.
And then when you factor in the cheap and easy development that the 360 offers and the hardcore install base (highest software to hardware tie ratio in Japan and the base buys lots of niche titles), you have a great niche base to cater to and Cave (and other shmup devs) gets it. Sometimes being the big fish in a small pond is better than being a tiny fish in a huge ocean full of sharks out to sabotage your debut (which pretty much means you are finished in Japan since its so front-loaded there).
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