to developers: how to boost sales

[Cwl]

well glad to see someone agrees with me.

this is damn fine game (aside from a couple of issues) but nobody on my friends list has it and few people have heard of it.

the demo did reasonably well but the game needs more marketing and a name change

[manintrees]

When I first heard about the the two games (IL-2 & Heroes over europe) I instantly decided to go with Heroes because the name was something I could identify with. They both had cool art. Only because I quickly became very interested in ww2 planes and scoured the internet for info did I realize that BOP was going to be the superior choice. IL-2 has a rich history in combat sim and I don't think they should change the name but I do believe it is going to hurt sales. If they had just called it "Birds of Prey" and used IL-2 Sturmovic as a sub name it could have had a better shot from the beginning. I swear the people at my local EB Games only know of BOP because I have called so many frikin' times. To be honest I don't really think 'Birds of Prey' is that great of a name.

[Lexandro]

Its a FRANCHISE, you dont go changing the name of a franchise when you already have a core fanbase. This is evident by the new Halo franchise titles that have bugger all to do with the master chief.

And a name change now would be totally idiotic. The games on sale, the reviews are written, and the public are buying it. It would take a MASSIVE amount of cash to do a "re-run" of production with a new name to the game.

Please CWL stop suggesting dumb ideas, your only making yourself look foolish.

[nudger1964]

vgchartz says its sales are 50,000 in the two weeks sinse its first region release. usa was a week later than most of europe, and canada by the sounds even later. i have no idea if that is good, bad or indifferent.... i would imagine it will get steady if not spectacular sales.

[manintrees]

It's a PC franchise and the core fanbase are PC gamers. The name is forgettable for those who don't know the game and unfortunatly many are going to miss out because of it. If there is to be a sequel I think we will see IL-2 as a sub name only.

[fuzzychickens]

Originally Posted by Cwl

If they want this game to sell they need to change the name.

the IL2 Sturmovik may be known in Russia and the Former Soviet Union but that isn't a huge games market- at least not for Xbox 360 or PS3. apart from plane buffs few people know what a Sturmovik was.


If they want to sell this game they need to capitalise on the brand power of the Spitfire in Great Britain and Commonwealth countries such as South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

In America they need to capitalise on the P51 Mustang .

If they did this I guarantee it would boost sales 10x.

Answer me this:

What plane destroyed more tanks, vehicles, and troops on the ground and had a bigger impact in destroying the German military?

Which plane was produced the most?

What plane did German ground troops fear the most?

The answer to all of these is the IL2 Sturmovik. This game isn't about the P-51 or the Spitfire or even just the IL2 for that matter - but the IL2 is certainly the more fitting name and the plane with a bigger impact in the WWII theaters covered in the game.

Changing it would, like others have said, mean the solid base of long time IL2 fans would not have a clue about this game. These fans are a more reliable base than the average uniformed, ignorant, and impatient typical gamer who would see the P-51 name, buy the game and expect the P-51 to out turn everything and fire laser beams from freaking steroid pumped sharks mounted under the wings and take out the entire German airforce single handedly while they chug a mountain dew and play on a gamepad with the other hand.

I'd rather the uninformed retards play Heroes Over Europe. So, request denied.

[Robotic Pope]

This whole thread is pointless and should be locked.

[Cwl]

my suggestion is valid just most of you guys have your heads in the sand.

nobody cares how good a plane the ilyushin 2 was in ww2.

this is all about sales, and the reason so few people have this game is partly due to lack of marketing and partly due to the bad name.

disagree if you want but this game has struggled to sell considering how good it is. you gotta at least concede that IL2 STURMOVIK: Birds of Prey isnt the most catchy titles is it now?

[Lexandro]

No it is you who has his head in the sand. A name change is NEVER going to happen with this game so give up already. You have already been given multiple reasons why your wrong, you just refuse to accept the fact.

[Revvin]

IL-2 Sturmovik is a recognised brand, its sold extremely well on the PC format and has been the best WWII flight sim for the last 8 years. The suggestions you put forth make it sound like completely different games and would only cause more confusion with people wondering if 'Spitfire: Birds of Prey' is compatible with 'P51: Birds of Prey' and 'Messerschmitt: Birds of Prey' and 'Ilyushin: Birds of Prey' etc etc. Birds of Prey is also probably still a trademark owned by Activision so likely rules that out as the main title with a plane name after it which would still cause confusion amongst the buying public. These kinds of thread really are quite insulting that you think an idea pulled out of thin air is better than the market research and surveys done by marketeers in the 1C Company.