Torment Was Planescape: Torment really a commercial failure? Fallout sold fewer copies but got a sequel

[pippin]

I think you guys are kinds overrating the "cover art" effect. And if this is an "official" reason as to why the game didn't sold as much as they expected, then it's bullshit. PST was a marginal DND property, and crpgs have always been a marginal pc gaming genre. In my opinion, PST did as well as it could have done for a game of its characteristics. Diablo and Final Fantasy are guilty of setting unreasonable expectations for western crp games and companies, but at the same time those franchises had other stuff to attract people not familiar with crpgs. A magazine I had didn't focused on the cover or stuff lie that, they just said it was rather worrying how the game was shorter than BG and how you had pretty much one way to play the game if you wanted to feel the true PST experience.

 

[Fairfax]

In the Beamdog stream, he mentioned the Pariah and Lost Souls pitches and said the team didn't pursue them because they were burned-out. There you have it, folks.

 

[Junmarko]

I knew he would say that.

I think that's a well worded, balanced answer, if a bit boring.

Interplay obviously saw Black Isle’s creative ability early on with Fallout, success post-GURPS was also a clear sign of this. Fallout was more of an asset than anything using D&D could ever be, long-term.

As for PST, despite selling well, perhaps choosing Forgotten Realms was easier to manage overall - maybe both teams had stronger familiarity with it? The amount of games they made with FR highlight this if nothing else...

 

[Makabb]

Enhanced Edition will not be a commerial failure

 

[luj1]

Being a commercial success is very relative nowadays and needs to have a defined meaning before any serious discussion.

I love to take The Dwarves (2016) as an example, just because it's such a degenerate snoozefest/movie. Only 30.000 copies were sold but the price was jacked (40e), so in the end, it paid off for the company, possibly enough to do a sequel. Most released games produce a financial suficit sooner or later, one way or the other. Financial success is not quite the same as commercial success mind you. That said, I think it's a lot harder today for video games to flop than it is for movies.

What's more important is leaving a lasting mark with gameplay/IP and possibly achieving cult status. Very often traditional value is inversely related to big budgets.

 

[Severian Silk]

If Baldur's Gate had never been released, PST would not have been considered a failure. It was all psychological.

 

[MRY]

If Baldur's Gate had never been released, PST would not have been considered a failure. It was all psychological.

This is a very weird hypothetical, since there is no way PS:T would've gotten made without BG, and if BIS had tried to make PS:T from scratch (i.e., without IE), PS:T would've been vastly more expensive and thus might not have been profitable at all. Of course it might also have sold many more copies because it would've been a groundbreaking engine....

 

[Severian Silk]

Still, they got greedy after BG became so successful. Pre BG Interplay would have been satisfied with less success. They suffered as a result of their own hubris.

 

[Infinitron]

Our new interview resolves this question. It turns out the premise was false - Fallout sold more copies than Planescape: Torment:

How well did Planescape: Torment sell? The Codex believes it sold in the area of 400,000 copies.

Brian: 400,000 sounds about right. I remember Fallout 1 sold 600,000 units, and Planescape sold less than that.

 

[turkishronin]

Could PS:T sell more and save MCA from future sexual assault allegations if they put Annah on cover?

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

Could PS:T sell more and save MCA from future sexual assault allegations if they put Annah on cover?

 

[MerchantKing]

Could PS:T sell more and save MCA from future sexual assault allegations if they put Annah on cover?

I'd prefer the redeemed succubus over the Tiefling. Being a brothel hostess means she would be much better at paperwork, cooking, and managing a household which is great for profits! Plus she has wings so she can fly me to wherever I need to go! She's the perfect wife! The Tiefling girl is just trouble... Definitely more trouble than she's worth.

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

Infinitron already pointed out what's likely the most accurate element here -- licensing. It's a crutch in all ways. Financial, creative, managerial, etc. Fallout was their thing, and born out of wanting to do something with Wasteland.

PST's development cycle was atrocious so I'm pretty sure nobody wanted to go through that again.

 

[Roguey]

Infinitron already pointed out what's likely the most accurate element here -- licensing. It's a crutch in all ways. Financial, creative, managerial, etc. Fallout was their thing, and born out of wanting to do something with Wasteland.

PST's development cycle was atrocious so I'm pretty sure nobody wanted to go through that again.

Scroll up, we got our definitive answer, the thread title is wrong https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...r-copies-but-got-a-sequel.114344/post-5062086

 

[Cat Headed Eagle]

"Remember". Still relevant, though. Back in the day, there was a sense of worry about PST, especially considering it was half as long as BG1 and it was absolutely linear. People thought it wouldn't measure up to it considering those two key elements.

 

[koyota]

Could PS:T sell more and save MCA from future sexual assault allegations if they put Annah on cover?

Heh, Got to love codex for always going beyond expectations:

Other Forums: old PS:T sales thread gets bumped because someone wants to talk about possible sequels in light of BG3 being sells success of FOREVER.

Codex: 6 Year old PS:T sales thread gets bumped to sheetpost about 3 year old news.