Do you think Golden Sun 4 would be financially viable?

Poll question: Do you think Golden Sun 4 would be financially viable for Camelot?

Yes, I think it would sell well enough that they can safely pour a lot of money into it
Yes, I think it can be profitable if they don't make the game as fancy
I'm not sure which way I think
Probably not
Other

Erik the Appreciator
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3:12:30 AM - Sun, Jul 1st 2012

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So we all know what Camelot had said about considering making Golden Sun 4 if there's enough interest expressed in the idea by players. However, I planned on this poll topic even before that news story came out, because there was a big news story in the game industry that had made the rounds over a month ago: when 38 studios and Big Huge Games underwent financial collapse. One of the primary reasons this had happened was because the one big game 38 studios released, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, had a huge amount of money poured into its development and polishing. The game was well-received and showed for itself just how much better it was as an individual title than it would've been without as much money dedicated to it, and it sold well too - but I heard somewhere that it needed to sell literally three times as much as it ultimately did in order to break even. Not to mention that the company was also focusing on developing some big new MMORPG in addition. (Though maybe it was actually the huge MMO they were building that is more at fault for the financial fiasco... I'm not that accurate a journalist on these matters.)

Whichever of the two projects was more to blame, this story was a really up-front demonstration and example of how a game company really would not want to pour in a huge amount of resources on the development of something that would ultimately make less-than-fantastic sales. So... How would Camelot, a fairly modest company whose most recent JRPG sold half a million by now (Is this large, average, or small? I really don't know, though I should note that vgchartz shows it sold less than half as much as Amalur), make a sequel on the 3DS that's both technically impressive for its platform and yet does not take so much money that it would struggle to break even? I figure the much more powerful 3DS would allow for a 3D game that's much more visually impressive and detailed, that Camelot would want to make it detailed to keep up the series' visual tradition, and that it would take much more development cost than the DS game because of that - and I also figure GS4 would sell less than GSDD because it's no longer on the DS that everybody has. Though I guess I could be wrong on any of these assumptions...

Chinkycandie
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5:54:44 AM - Sun, Jul 1st 2012	Quote
If you think about it...
This could go both ways. 1: If Camelot put a lot of time and effort to make GS 4 better than the others it would be worth it. 2: If they slack it then obviously it won't be so good and not worth the finance. Also, if it was on the 3DS then they would make a loss rather than profit. If they kept it on DS then maybe they would break-even and profit. If demand is high then supply has to match. If not, then it'll be a major loss.

HungryPaperweight
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10:47:22 AM - Sun, Jul 1st 2012	Quote
Timing is also important
Something I'd like to point out: Yes, the 3DS is new, but it's only a matter of time before it completely supplants the DS, just like how the DS took over after the GBA. If GS4 were to be announced tomorrow (and for the 3DS), then yes, it wouldn't make as much of a profit as it would for the DS. However, if Camelot waits a few years before they reveal GS4, enough people should have a 3DS that it wouldn't be an issue. I suspect that Camelot will make a game or two for the 3DS before they start working on GS4, if for no other reason than to have some experience with the 3DS under their belt. So the question is less "Would GS4 be as profitable for 3DS as for DS?" and more "Which will come first: GS4 for 3DS or the 3DS's successor?"

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12:35:44 PM - Thu, Jul 5th 2012	Quote
Well. To make great profit... 1. This needs to be crafted carefully and... 2. They need to try and promote it more, it will grab more attention.

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4:21:02 PM - Sat, Jul 7th 2012	Quote
Really i would like they do GS4 because GS dark Shaun doesn t ends

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3:03:24 PM - Sun, Jul 8th 2012

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Quote:

If GS4 were to be announced tomorrow (and for the 3DS), then yes, it wouldn't make as much of a profit as it would for the DS.

Actually, if it were announced tomorrow, that's still at least a whole year before it comes out. Meaning, there's more than enough time for the 3DS to establish itself. If it were released tomorrow, then yeah, it'd not be able to, but there's finally some good titles starting to come out, such as KH:3D, Luigi's Mansion, and that Castlevania game that was announced. Between that, and the more respectable price the system has, yeah, it's gonna be pushing some units.

Most likely, it'll be at least until next E3 before we get an announcement - and at least a year after the announcement before the release. There's no reason for it to not be on the 3DS at this point.

Vortex World
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8:49:04 PM - Wed, Jul 11th 2012	Quote
Not 3DS
I don't think it's a good thing to pour it all out on a 3DS platform. It's been a while since it's been released but it's still not as "hot" as the original DS craze was. We should also point out the decision of the recent Pocket Monsters game to be available not only on 3DS but on DSi and the old DS platforms - a wise decision on their part if they wanted their game to sell more copies. For now, Camelot should be making an awesome story for GS4, and patiently wait for the next Nintendo handheld. It may take years from now though, as the 3DS is making a slower progress than its predecessors... OR they could release it on both DS and 3DS platforms too. I'm still waiting for that fourth installment and still hoping it has an awesome Cinematic...

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4:52:29 PM - Thu, Jul 12th 2012	Quote
I'm also waiting for the characters to actually talk.

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11:10:06 PM - Mon, Jul 23rd 2012	Quote
Wii U
What i think the company shld do for max profit and sales is to wait and release the 4th Golden Sun on the Wii U. Even though the series has never been that much of a popular one, some innovation is needed after 3 similar titles. With the transfer from portable gaming consoles to more of a stationary one. The next title cld be more of a first person perspective. Making puzzles, riddles, etc. all the more interesting. With the addition of first person, some further character development, and possibly character voices ( ). I feel as if the series cld really attract in some new fans. And with moving the series to the Wii U. I cld easily see Camelot adding in multiplayer for 4 ppl. As this wld change up the battle system up a bit, for the old fans of the series. I just overall wld really like Camelot to continue the Gold Suns series. And this wld be my recommendation on how to bring it back in the next title.

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10:39:37 PM - Fri, Jul 27th 2012	Quote
Hm...
The characters won't talk I say, it's unnerving for me too if I may add. That's just something I can't see nor exactly want. And I have faith in Camelot on all this. It simply cannot end on a cliffhanger as a sidenote. But the suspense is unbearable, I'd like to hear something about the game at least just so my confidence can get backed up. I think they should stick with the DS however, not the 3DS, or at least until the 3Ds is improved further. If they move to the WII U however and release that along its line, it may prove wildly successful, and i have no issues with playing GS4 on the WII U, that would be awesome.But if it sticks with the old GS games that would be great.

Rolina
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11:10:49 AM - Fri, Nov 16th 2012

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The thing is, if they're gonna make GS4 work, they've gotta remember what made GS great - and that was presentation. Dark Dawn, compared to the GBA games, fell flat on its face in this regard. Battles didn't have that great flair that the GBA games had, the sound effects fall flat, most visuals seem lackluster in their transition to 3D, the flashy, high-particle spells are pretty much gone for the most part...

Then there's the overworld. The colors seem to be a bit more flat compared to the GBA counterparts, too. The music wasn't quite as good, either. And then there's the puzzles. The puzzles were pretty boring, with most of them being solved easily, with the same spells... there's the story. Golden Sun didn't have a huge epic story to begin with, but DD's was just... well, sub par is putting it nicely. The pacing really needs work, and for the love of Jon, please, PLEASE allow the ability to skip scenes, at least if you have clear data on the cart. There's no excuse anymore not to have that.

Marandahir
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9:01:01 AM - Fri, Feb 15th 2013

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They have to move to 3DS. POKéMON waited for a while, but even that franchise is moving over now. If POKéMON doesn't sell that platform, nothing will, but you can't just stagnate and wait with an old console forever.

Of course, moving over to 3DS means making the engine all over again. That's fine with me, actually; it would give the story-board team more time to develop the game as well. I would be happy with a GS4/3DS coming out near the end of the 3DS life-cycle, much like Dark Dawn did for the DS (though, POKéMON did extend it out a year or so more).

The thing is, unless there's a game you REALLY HAVE TO HAVE for that console, like, say, POKéMON, or a new ZELDA title, then the console won't sell. Even Ocarina of Time 3D doesn't count for that, because it's a remake. Remakes don't make the console a must-have; while the remake is the BEST Ocarina of Time version out there, it's still a version of a game I can play on N64, GameCube, AND Wii, in addition to 3DS. Similarly, as long as POKéMON remain on DS/DSi, then people aren't going to move over to 3DS. And as long as no amazing Mario or Zelda games comes to the Wii-U, that won't sell well either.

Now that POKéMON is moving over, Golden Sun must too. Nothing really will be made for the DS after that giant makes the shift.