Critically acclaimed game didn't sell enough to warrant a sequel, says Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter.
By Tim Surette, GameSpot
Posted Jan 4, 2007 2:41 pm MT
One of the frontrunners for PlayStation 2 game of the year was the well-received (and in some minds, controversial) Bully from Rockstar Games. The publisher fended off critics of its prep-school survival story to release a finalist in many critics' "Best of" lists for 2006, including GameSpot's Game of the Year.
Gamers looking forward to steering the destiny of Bully protagonist Jimmy Hopkins through another year at Bulworth Academy may not want to scope out back-to-school sales just yet. According to Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities, Bully fans should not expect a sequel.
Citing sales performance for the game, Pachter flat-out told GamePolitics.com, "I would NOT expect a sequel [to Bully]." (emphasis in original.)
Pachter estimates that the game will create revenue of about $24 million before it's off store shelves, and that the three-year development time cost about $15 million. Including other expenses, the analyst predicts that Rockstar will do no better than break even with the game.
When asked for comment, a representative from Rockstar Games told GameSpot, "Rockstar does not comment on rumors or speculation."
