
We understand that Sony only has a finite number of marketing bucks to spend, but it does tend to hamstring some of its own franchises at times. Until Dawn is a recent example of a title that was incredibly well received, yet that hypothetical Hallowe'en push that we were all hoping for hasn't come. And now it's confirmed that Gravity Rush Remastered won't be getting a retail release in North America.
Look, we totally get it: this is a port of a niche PlayStation Vita game that's unlikely to set the sales charts alight. But it's also the first entry in a really promising new property that's getting a big budget PlayStation 4 sequel next year. Would it really hurt the company to print a few thousand retail copies and send them out to stores? Not only would this please fans, but it may also introduce the series to newcomers, who don't follow gaming news closely, but pick up the titles that catch their attention in their nearest GameStop.
This isn't the first time that Gravity Rush has almost been denied a retail release – the original game was planned as a PlayStation Store exclusive before fans managed to twist the platform holder's arm. There's good news at least in Europe as the game will be available on Blu-ray in the Old World – but we really feel for our North American brethren, and hope that you kick up a stink about this so that the manufacturer has no choice but to reconsider.
[source blog.us.playstation.com]
Comments 28
SCEA proving yet again that unless your game's Uncharted, God of War, Call of Duty, Destiny, or Star Wars Battlefront, it just doesn't care.
I'm glad it's getting a physical release in the UK. Otherwise I wouldn't have bought it. inFAMOUS: First Light also got a physical release over here but not in America. I wonder why, though.
Well this sucks I was hoping to get that collector's edition with the figure, I suppose I should have known better.
at least we are getting one because to be honest as i live in the UK the only release i care about is ours
@get2sammyb
Wild, isn't it?
I still buy Discs if i can & want this in my PS Disc collection (luckily i am in the UK then) & if i can't get it on Disc over here i just Import it, easy really.
Im in Europe so i got lucky i guess. But to be honest Europe did the Playstation family a lot more love on the past. With the PS3 the US had a lot exclusive retail releases. But i am reading that there are a lot of fans here start a petition and start to Sony i hope i works. And the real fans can import i know it's annoying.
Sony should change their marketing tagline for the game in North America....Gravity Rush "This Is Sort of for The Players"
Europeans think they have it bad but I'm telling you, the American branches of all of the big 3 are completely idiotic.
And this crap is another example why Sony needs to allow external harddrives exactly like MS does for Xbox One. If I have to download stuff because these scumbags want to force digital, give me more options for expanding the memory of the system itself without having to open the damn thing up.
Ugh.
Even if I can see why it wouldn't, I still feel that this is a potential waste. How are we, the stupid Americans, going to buy your games if you don't give them some love?
@DerMeister
I'm sorry, there's no excuse for it. The Europeans love to crush SCEE and frankly since I don't live there I can't say there wrong. What I can do is comment on SCEA however and I'll just flat out say it. Under Shawn Layden's 'leadership' this branch of the company is reminding me too much of the Xbox division under the brilliant 'guidance' of another corporate robot who had too many hand motions, Don Mattrick. Enough of this guy. The PS4's strongest territory is Europe, so by all means the European PS fans should be treated like kings and queens (and if they're not getting that, shame on SCEE). Here in NA, however, we are support PS4 as well. Hello, dipsh*ts running SCEA, PS4 is currently outselling the Xbox One here, instead of doing stupid stuff like squandering opportunities such as this why not try to build on a strength? Incredibly dumb. It's amazing how whenever one of these companies, and it does happen to all of them, do well it's like all the people in suits are instantly given a daily dose of stupid.
At least SCEA is not as bad as NOA. I'm going to sign the petition and if we get a physical release, this is a day 1 buy. But guess what!!! PS4 is region free!! Take that Nintendo, you spoony bards! If we can't get a physical release then I'm importing from the U.K. because at least Sony doesn't seem to live in the 2000's. 2015 and still region locking. If the NX has region locking (and NOA hasn't changed who's in charge) I'm done with NIntendo.
(--_-- )
p.s. all will be forgiven when Zelda U gets released.
@Utena-mobile
Just because it's region free doesn't mean SCEA should be let off the hook. I agree it's nice to have though.
@Gamer83
You're right, they shouldn't. They're probably a bunch of old, stuffy men in a board room who think Americans only like shooting things and breaking into cars (which, I mean, we sort of do if you watch the news). But after NOA passed on Another Code: R, Last Story, Xenoblade, Pandora's Tower, their weird treatment of Fatal Frame and lots of other Japanese games, SCEA just looks and feels so much better by default of no region locking. As a Sony fan you probably feel disappointed, but as a Nintendo fan coming to PS4, it feels more like the console of dreams. lol.
@Utena-mobile
Yeah, I can see that perspective too. I still love the Super Mario and Zelda games but I could never own just a Nintendo platform these days,.
@Gamer83 Yeah it's so hard cover off lose 1 screw so hard to do..... Do you also have trouble with unplugging the powercord.
@Flaming_Kaiser
I know it's not hard, I've had this discussion a thousand times but I don't care. Never know what can happen, I want the simplest option for stuff like this. But unfortunately some of you are so busy defending ridiculous decisions nothing gets done like it should. I hope Sony has you on the payroll at least.
I have it for vita so I don't really need it on PS4 , but if I want it that bad, I'll just import it from Europe.
@Gamer83 I'll admit, I've never really cared about the political aspect of games, but when something like this happens I can't help but get a little upset. It's like the article said, they can help build another franchise up. Uncharted, God of War and the like aren't going to be around forever, so that would be a good thing. But not having a physical release in stores could harm it. What does it tell the consumer when the big dogs don't think the game should be on store shelves?
Granted, I never played the game, so I dunno. Maybe it was too short or something. But just being niche shouldn't mean it gets held back. Final Fantasy was niche at one point, now anyone who's had a Playstation has probably played it. It may or may not work, but you'll never know if you hold it back, you know?
@DerMeister
It's my favorite Vita game, there's no reason the big wigs shouldn't display some confidence in the game. It just simply comes down to incompetence on SCEA's part. For as many things as it does right, and PS4 is winning right now so SCEA is getting a lot right, it also makes many bonehead decisions.
I loved the original on Vita and planned to get the remaster, but without a retail release I'll probably skip and wait for the sequel.
@Gamer83
Well, I could never just own any one console, be it Nintendo, Sony OR Microsoft.
It's not so much "not getting enough" on one particular console- it's more that there's "too many games I don't wanna miss" on all 3 platforms... handhelds too mind you. No matter how many AAA games they drop on PS4, it will never change the fact I absolutely refuse to miss out on my Splatoon's, Mario Makers and Xenoblades. I love them too much. Same can be said all around.
As for this, it wouldn't piss me off so much if it wasn't right off the heels of NoA denying us a physical release of Fatal Frame Black Haired Maiden. But seeing these two VERY good games release physically in Japan and Europe but digital in NA just aggravates me to no end. Fatal Frame even got a collector's edition in EU! And it seems Gravity Rush too! Meanwhile, we can't even get a disc!
@get2sammyb Of course... when most consumer don't care either...
I'm a hard copy-type of gaming and collecting person, so unless this releases along with Gravity Rush 2, sans Bayonetta 2, I won't be playing this series.
@JaxonH
Fatal Frame has been on different console brands (I believe it started on PS2) and never really performed well in the States though. That's actually one decision I wouldn't crush NoA for, you have a track record to look. It's the same as Yakuza. It absolutely sucks that we can't get a physical release for Yakuza 5 and may not see 6 at all, but track record shows, Americans don't buy the Yakuza games. Sony hasn't given Gravity Rush a chance. It was game that received no advertising released on a handheld that got minimum at best advertising. This is complete incompetence on SCEA's part.
I get the feeling this isn't so much SCEA as much as it is the retail landscape in the US, or at least a bit of both. You hear all sorts of things like if a game is rated AO then shops won't stock it, so therefore a game has to be censored and redesigned in some way in order to be acceptable by Gamestop and their crappy brethren. In the UK, many games are legally rated 18+ and have been since I was a kid. I remember getting Duke Nukem on the N64 and that was an 18. All REs and GTAs have been 18+. Even the Uncharted Collection has a legal restriction of 16+ as does Tales of Zetiria. None of this stops places from stocking them, though.
Shelf space seems to be far more contested in the US, and also much more politicised, for want of a better word. I've heard many Americans telling me how even though the PS4 is outselling the Xbone there, the latter often still has far more shelf space in stores because, presumably, MS throwing their weight around like they also do with PC retailers, threatening to boycott them entirely unless they meet certain demands.
Glad to hear we get it in Europe on physical release, not much of a problem for the NA gamers they could just get it on import, that's what I did when devil may cry 4 was released physical only in Japan
This is disappointing, but not a deal breaker. I really hope everyone at Sony changes their minds.
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