Shane Kim, Corporate Vice President for Microsoft Game Studios, goes on to call Viva a "successful" launch title with many gamers measuring it up against Gears of War rather than as a standalone game.
Phil Spencer, head of Studio Development for Microsoft Game Studios goes on to say, "[Viva Pinata] is the beginning of an IP that will be a pillar for Microsoft Game Studios for a long time."
"I think it's fair to say that we're going to continue to invest in that property [Viva Pinata]," Kim said. "Whether that is in the form of a sequel, a product line extension or through merchandising, whatever the case may be, that's something that we're going to stick with."
Every gamer we've spoken to that has picked up Viva Pinata has nothing but great things to say about it. Those that refuse to buy it because it's a "kids game" are missing out on a fun non-FPS game that does indeed broaden the scope of the Microsoft console system.
The problem? One game won't change the consoles perspective, Microsoft and Rare (or others) will need to pickup the pace and release at least five great titles in this series this year in order to tap into the "casual gamer" market, if they plan to revolutionize how we see the system and broaden their audience.
There is a chance, although it may seem odd, that gamers will eventually become bored with the First Person Shooter (FPS) genre and start looking for other genres to expend energy. This has occurred in the past with PC Real Time Strategy (RTS) games, which at one point had at least a dozen Warcraft and Command & Conquer clones flooding the market.
We do not believe FPS games will die out, but at what point do you stand back and notice so many 360 games are FPS oriented games? The hardcore gamer does not make up the gaming market - there are more gamers out there that Microsoft could capture along with the run and gun gamers. Could it hurt to expand their library of games?
The key to success, do not release two exclusive franchise games in the same week and expect them both to be monumental successes. Especially if one is a highly hyped FPS game title.
source: 1up.com
