Let's be honest. The initial sales of XIII were never going to be very high. Most people who are on the fence about the game are waiting for reviews on the netcode. That doesn't mean the game can't be a success, however.
I'm personally hoping for sales that exceed Blazblue's levels. That seems like a surmountable goal (I hope). Also, I think KOF's market is different enough from UMvC3's market that they won't be completely at odds with one another.
I don´t agree.
There is a reason they are offering the 4 CD pre-order bonus. Why would they do that? Because they just want us to listen to some nice themes?
No. This works similar to the box office of the film market. I mean, it´s not exactly the same but kinda close.
The first weeks sales determine the level of success you had on the market. A game eventually can make a lot of money throu time, but it is not really advisable to bet on that. No company would actually bet on that.
You said KOF's market is different from Capcom's. That is correct. But like LouisCipher pointed out, the real problem is there is no real "market" in the US for KOF. THAT has to change.
That is why, releasing the game with no competition on the genre, is the best scenario. That will guarentee attention from gamers who like the genre but don´t have anything new to play for the time being.
If there is nothing else on the market, they will try it. Some might even turn into fans and ditch their previous fighting game. But if the usual shit they like is on the market, why try something new? To make things worse Kof is anything but a user friendly game but lets save that for another discussion. Point is, if the usual KOF fans are the only ones who will get this...it will fail.
They need to make themselves a place in the market, and for that, they don´t need the support of the usual kof-ers, they already have that, they need new people.
Imagine you released a film, and the only people who go and see it are your friends. It will make you proud and you might enjoy that, but in terms of bussiness....YOU ARE FUCKED.
Remember I am speaking in terms of bussiness, not of quality.
Hope it was clear, it is difficult for me to type about this type of stuff in English.