The disappointment just keeps rolling in as Sega and Platinum Games's MadWorld moves only 66,000 copies on top of failing to crack the software Top 10 for the month of March. Some of this probably reflects the fact that MadWorld is a really short game (it's possible to clear both modes in less than six hours) and in a recession, games that don't have a lot of replay value become much harder to sell. Still, games a lot shorter and crappier than MadWorld have done better on other platforms, so we've got to chalk this one up as another major loss for Wii... but not a total loss.
In an interesting twist, Sega of America marketing exec Sean Ratcliffe has stated that "The first set of data for Madworld is very encouraging." If this seems baffling to you, consider this: while MadWorld only sold 66,000 copies, it still charted on the March NPD Wii top ten ahead of Sega's other major release for the month, Sonic and the Black Knight. That's quite an impressive feat given that Sonic and the Black Knight was actually onsale much earlier in the month, too (March 3 versus MadWorld's March 17).
So while it's disappointing that MadWorld wasn't duking it out with Resident Evil 5 at the top of software charts, what Platinum Games has achieved with MadWorld is proving to Sega that a fresh new IP can outsell a title from a long-established franchise that usually sells well regardless of poor quality. Now, that does fit my definition of "encouraging," especially if MadWorld didn't cost any more than Sonic and the Black Knight to make.
