Namco 'proud' of Enslaved despite low sales, won't comment on sequel possibility

There may yet be a future for Trip, Monkey and Pigsy. Despite its disappointing sales, Namco Bandai has stated that it is standing behind Enslaved: Odyssey to the West due to the outpouring of critical and fan praise. It seems a sequel could still be possible. Maybe...

Since its release last October, Enslaved has quietly grown into something of a cult-favorite, joining the likes of Beyond Good and Evil, Psychonauts and Okami in the %26ldquo;games most people ignored, but should really get off their asses and play%26rdquo; category. Thankfully, word of its cult-love has reached the ears of Namco Bandai. In an interview with MCV, the studio's marketing manager, Lee Kirton, hinted that there may be enough fan appreciation to fund a second attempt.

%26ldquo;It didn%26rsquo;t perform as well as we hoped it would, but we%26rsquo;re very proud of how it was received by both the media and the gamers who have experienced it,%26rdquo; said Kirton, continuing, %26ldquo;I can%26rsquo;t discuss where we are in terms of a sequel, but we%26rsquo;re looking at reviews and feedback from the press and because of the gameplay and quality that Enslaved delivered, we see it as a great catalogue title going forward.%26rdquo;

Ninja Theory put a lot of heart and soul into Enslaved, but heart and soul isn't enough when competing with high-profile releases like Halo: Reach, Medal of Honor and Fallout: New Vegas. If a second game were to materialize, it'd need a lot more marketing and a better sense of timing. And yes, more Pigsy.

Jan 28, 2011

[Source: MCV]

Matt Bradford wrote news and features here at GamesRadar+ until 2016. Since then he's gone on to work with the Guinness World Records, acting as writer and researcher for the annual Gamer's Edition series of books, and has worked as an editor, technical writer, and voice actor. Matt is now a freelance journalist and editor, generating copy across a multitude of industries.