True Crime and Gun sequels stillborn?

  • By thorsen-ink, GameSpot
  • Posted Jan 11, 2006 6:47 pm PT

Source: An anonymous source with close ties to the Southern California game-development community.The official story: Activision did not respond to requests for comment. What we heard: After Activision warned investors that its holiday sales would not meet expectations in December, many wondered...

Source: An anonymous source with close ties to the Southern California game-development community.

The official story: Activision did not respond to requests for comment.

What we heard: After Activision warned investors that its holiday sales would not meet expectations in December, many wondered what went wrong. After all, the second-biggest third-party publisher released four Xbox 360 launch games, including platform top-seller Call of Duty 2. Its Q4 2005 was also stacked with new installments in some of the best-selling series of all time, including Tony Hawk's American Wasteland and Quake 4.

So when a well-placed source told GameSpot News that Gun 2 and True Crime 3 had been canned, it stood to reason that their predecessors must have badly underperformed at retail. So badly, in fact, that Activision reportedly decided to pull the plug on both at an early stage of development rather than sink further resources into series with a less-than-certain future.

A look at the November NPD game-sales report shows that True Crime: New York City did indeed fall far short of Activision's aspirations. Despite a massive marketing blitz hyping its November 15 release, it sold only around 72,000 units on three platforms--PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. Including preorders, it raked in a meager $3.6 million, a fraction of its blockbuster predecessor, True Crime: Streets of LA, which sold a combined 300,000-plus units during its first two weeks in stores in 2003.

During its first month on the, er, street, TC: Streets of LA sold more than 600,000 units. But although Activision spent millions in ad dollars hyping Gun's November 1 launch, the free-range Western action game moved only 240,000 units on five platforms (Xbox 360, Xbox, GC, PC, and PS2), generating $12.2 million during the month. By contrast, LucasArts' Star Wars: Battlefront II, released on the same day, sold more than a million units on four platforms (PC, PS2, PSP, Xbox), generating over $52 million in sales.

So are the two sequels' fates sealed? That question won't be answered for certain until the release of the December 2004 NPD report, which will show whether Gun or True Crime: NYC have any longevity on the charts. So far, the signals aren't clear. Both games got mixed reviews, meaning strong word-of-mouth is unlikely. However, both also reentered the game-rental top 10 in December, meaning that somebody was showing some interest. Also consider that both a PC TC: NYC and a PSP Gun are still on track for an early 2006 release--officially, anyway.

Bogus or not bogus?: True Crime: New York City probably won't get a sequel, but Gun--which was considered promising but unpolished--might.

152 Comments

  • DKHardee

    Posted May 8, 2009 7:14 am PT

    Please come out with Gun II. Its the best western game since Gun Smoke for the NES. Gun was awesome, and putting it on the PS3 would be great!

  • Goku40210

    Posted Aug 28, 2008 12:15 am PT

    WHat happens to Marcus Reed? I must know awww it would be cool if he teamed up with Nick Kang

  • Jshaw71

    Posted Aug 26, 2008 1:35 pm PT

    i say go ahead and let true crimes die, it was getting worse with every game, gun on the otherhand, if given a better dev team/cycle would've been a much better game, and maybe would have seen a better game and a sequel...

  • lethalscorpion

    Posted Aug 11, 2008 12:54 pm PT

    Oh man.It seems to me that the only issue is the lack of money.True Crime and GUN are both cool action games that leave no action fan bored.If I win the lottery,I would give ActiVision and LuxoFlux a helping hand.Man I'm full of ideas.There are many untold stories of the wild west and many legends that nobody knows of.And let's be honest,there is no better karate game than True Crime,except maybe Street Fighter,but street fighter is unrealistic.C'mon,people at ActiVision,don't let true action fans die out.

  • paulpaul11

    Posted Aug 5, 2008 12:00 pm PT

    gun was the best game i ever played i have the game i know every secret and iv beaten the game 4 times

  • iwantasong

    Posted Mar 12, 2008 1:02 pm PT

    i hope they make a GUN sequel, i loved the first one

  • TOOL10000

    Posted May 20, 2007 7:15 am PT

    I love the game GUN I hope they make a sequel.

  • sadisticon_juno

    Posted Oct 15, 2006 12:25 pm PT

    sodafountain I don't think anybody is 'listening' to this forum anymore.

    I like True Crime: New York City only because it's my home and they did Manhattan good. The controls and graphics did not show the necessary technical proficiency that an international corporation should present when delivering a product to market. How sad for them that they will not manage a sequel.

    Gun was fine, but short. I liked that game as well and someone onthis forum mentioned that it needed a livlier world. hear hear. I think TC:NYC suffered from it's glitches as mucha s it's setting ( A great many people hate my city - fancy that!) and if my reckoning f the comments onthis board are correct then Gun is not so much doomed as wounded - suffering from the bad impressions of a lousy port.
    Tell you what, when I winthe lotteery next week we'llget together and fix bad games for a limited audience, okay?

  • sodafountan

    Posted Oct 11, 2006 3:37 pm PT

    i liked both true crime and gun, and i can think of a million ways to make them better. like what if nick kang and markus reed joined together in tc:3 in like chicago or something, or like in gun you could have the girls sister come back and mary the main character or somethin. BOTH have a ton of potential

  • matty8393

    Posted Jul 19, 2006 4:31 pm PT

    I would love a sequel to GUN. The improvements and exspansions they could make are almost unlimited (besides hardware).

  • savage161

    Posted Apr 21, 2006 4:54 am PT

    Gun should defently get a sequal the only reason why it didnt sell is the shortness of the game and thats why it got rented alot. Why would you buy it when you can finish it in the time you rent it and to spend $50 on it when you can buy elders scrolls or graw which are actually next gen games just not ports. If they took the time and made it longner say as long as it took finish san andreas and have lots of replay value and twenty times bigger map and lols of interective items and took adventage of the 360 interms of graphics this will be on many peoples shelves becuase it actually has and excellent story line.

  • Brotherbraak

    Posted Apr 16, 2006 6:38 pm PT

    I don't care what you guys and girls opinions are but TC:NY was a pretty good game that should have gotten more credit

  • comet13

    Posted Apr 10, 2006 12:08 am PT

    Gun definately deserves a sequel.... The game was really fun and enjoyable! Most people are just too hard on games these days.

  • motuway

    Posted Mar 18, 2006 3:50 am PT

    Gun is fun. A lot of effort seemed to have been taken in ensuring accurate movement with the horses and riders within this game. Yes it was a little short and various things needed fixing for it to run smoothly on the pc, but hey full marks for making a western. A sequel would be nice but if it doesn't eventuate I hope more western games are made in the future.

  • sesh_man

    Posted Mar 11, 2006 3:09 pm PT

    Gun has a good storey and good action but its to short and the graphics aren't that great but it still deserves a sequel and by it self is still a good game.

  • double_decker

    Posted Mar 9, 2006 4:37 pm PT

    I thought it was a very good game for it being the first time they have made a western style game, the free roam gave it a depth and reality that Red Dead Revolver's linear story, unfluent horseback riding controls didn't give you, sure if they made a sequel or not necessarily a sequel but another western style game, there are improvements that can be made, but with what game doesn't someone complain about this or that, or some other trivial thing, I thought it was a nice change from the usual stuff out there and I hope Activision makes another western style game whether it be a direct sequel or not, there just is not enough western type games out there and it would be nice to see additions added to that field for gamers to enjoy, as for the TC series, it wasn't bad, but I enjoyed Vice City and San Andraes (probably spelled that wrong) alot more

  • soulitier

    Posted Jan 28, 2006 5:56 am PT

    oh come on gun was not that bad i liked gun i just hated the fact that it was over so soon

  • DarknessOfFate1

    Posted Jan 26, 2006 12:21 pm PT

    Wow a game dev actluy reliszing siomething sucks and stopping it thats something new. Gun will probbly get one tho.

  • bnlwiggins

    Posted Jan 26, 2006 9:10 am PT

    I would like to see a sequel to gun. I think that it has really good potential, but as far as Streets of LA goes, they can just can it.

  • bnlwiggins

    Posted Jan 26, 2006 9:08 am PT

    I would like to see a sequel to gun. I think that it has really good potential, but as far as Streets of LA goes, they can just can it.

  • kicker1200

    Posted Jan 24, 2006 3:50 pm PT

    I dont know about true crime but i do know about gun. I think that gun would have been great if only they could have made it better for sandboxing. More ways to play the game after youve played it. I would like somthing other than just shooting random civilians in Dodge City for all eternity.

  • jusbish

    Posted Jan 24, 2006 11:44 am PT

    "Stand back boys, let 'em burn!!!" Seriously though Gun deserves a sequal, True Crime deserves about as much a sequal as XBX Aqua Man deserved(Both LA & NY)

  • mumotuma_man

    Posted Jan 20, 2006 7:25 am PT

    andrewtyen:
    i've never even heard of those games

    Thank you so much for adding SO much insight to the gaming community.... some people just annoy me when it comes to message boards

  • LordAndrew

    Posted Jan 18, 2006 9:22 am PT

    A Gun sequel has some potential.
    True Crime, on the other hand, would probably flop even if it was greatly improved upon. After the disappointment of TC:NY, I don't think many people will be willing to give the series another try.

  • zymase

    Posted Jan 18, 2006 4:52 am PT

    If the developers can address the criticisms of GUN the way Ubisoft did when making Prince of Persia: Two Thrones, they could turn out a very good game.

  • Buzzcut1989

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 7:19 pm PT

    I never played TC:NY but I played the first one, I didn't like it at all. NY wasn't even needed. Gun was okay, I'm sure people have said this before but I really don't care...Gun is like GTA but i nthe old west. It's okay for the first hour or two then you(or at least I) get bored. I wouldn't buy the sequal.

  • bam29

    Posted Jan 17, 2006 11:03 am PT

    I dont know why you guys are all trashing TC:NYC. I think it has lot of potential, and its not really a GTA rip of because there on different sides of the law, same idea maby but still different game. I do have to admit that the game was kinda glitchy, but it never really messed up me playing it. It just has some minor things that made the game not as polished. But like I said, i think it has alot of potential. Oh and I think that the shooting and fighting is better in TC, and GTA has better driving, and longer story. But even though the story wasn't as long as GTA games, I dont think it was that short ether. All the bonus missions and the random crimes cept me going for a long time( and there is a cool bonus mission when you complet the game 100%). So i hope they keep going on the series, just polish it up and improve the driving and you got a great game. Ok, now im done lol.

  • Oshit_IM_hit

    Posted Jan 16, 2006 10:52 pm PT

    i played GUN and i absolutly hated it. i hate everything about western shooters. TC: NY on the other hand i LOVED i love the fact that ur a cop nd can search trunks, plant evidence on ppl, and go into hundreds of interiors. So what if its a GTA clone, would u rather they come out with another GTA Game? just because gta was the first gun/shooter/fighting game doesnt mean it has to be the only one

  • Jab_Jackal

    Posted Jan 16, 2006 3:56 pm PT

    Lol, why did they make a sequal for true crime anyways? Everyone got it because people said 'its super cool! you play this chinese guy and can arrest people!' and everyone was like 'Cool! u can arrest people!, im buying this' Then they buy it and say 'Cool! u can arrest people!' and after 5 min of arresting people they get into a car and say...'wow the driving really sucks'

  • sskingginyu

    Posted Jan 16, 2006 10:42 am PT

    Both of these games were outstanding and they both deserve sequels. I actually think TCNYC should have gotten a 9 instead of a 4.6. I own both of these games and they are so fun. I would buy the sequels the first day they come out so lets hope they didn't get cancelled.

  • Maquis_UK

    Posted Jan 15, 2006 8:57 pm PT

    i bought true crime NY and it was BRUTAL slowdown like you wouldn't believe. seriously BAD BAD BAD game. shame, as i liked Streets of LA. NEVER TOUCH TRUE CRIME NY - IT WILL MAKE YOUR CONSOLE SICK UP!

  • nzrockdrummer

    Posted Jan 15, 2006 8:39 pm PT

    Gun definately needs a sequel!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • oldhippy71351

    Posted Jan 15, 2006 3:18 pm PT

    i own both games. Of the two, i would rather see a sequel for gun as it had much more potential for being a better game than it was. I would buy both games though.

  • Vornagar

    Posted Jan 15, 2006 1:25 pm PT

    I didn't like gun that much so who cares if it has a sequel.

  • qball1017

    Posted Jan 14, 2006 3:51 pm PT

    blockbuster killed these games, they had a ton of copies from launch and nothing else to rent

  • oppong

    Posted Jan 14, 2006 1:04 pm PT

    i have been waiting to use these dangerous guns that are in true crime

  • TMZ41486

    Posted Jan 14, 2006 10:36 am PT

    TC: NYC on x-box was at first pretty good. But when all the minor glitches started to pop up, i started to like it less. Then when the glitch that caused the game to be impossible to beat came up, i hated the game. It reminded me of the game Turok: Dinosaur Hunter where you got to a certain point and a major glitch kicked in. but yeah, gun 2 sounds okay. Another TC? NOT A GOOD IDEA.

  • Kenzo287

    Posted Jan 14, 2006 8:11 am PT

    Not all sequals are bad take a look at every Zelda game thats ever come out. They've all been brilliant! And for some reason you people keep liking Halo 2, though I don't know why.

  • Cunder

    Posted Jan 13, 2006 9:44 pm PT

    GUN was a great game, it has alot of protential and I bet money if they made it longer, better graphics and put it on PS3, and give even better gameplay you can see this game turn into a franchise.

  • adam_ritchie

    Posted Jan 13, 2006 7:33 pm PT

    To be honest, I really likes True Crime NYC and I am hoping that they do creat another game wwith the Title "True Crime _____" on it. I think that would be great. All they really need to do is not rush on the game to get it out before a big sales day and spend more time fixing the glitches. That would make the game alot better because TC:NYC did really have a good story line!

  • SaMuRaI_Slice

    Posted Jan 13, 2006 5:36 pm PT

    Whaatt?!
    NYC is the most underrated game of the year, yeah it has glitches and goofing voice acting but that's nothing that Grand Theft Auto doesn't have. I want any peron on the gamespot staff and tell me there are no glitches in GTA. if they do say that, they're lying. They only don't like NYC because they're looking for reasons for it to fail, the game is great and really should have a sequel.

  • joeinverted

    Posted Jan 13, 2006 3:21 pm PT

    The "December 2004 NPD report" part of the article should probably refer to "December 2005" instead.

  • joeinverted

    Posted Jan 13, 2006 3:19 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of the original poster]

  • EvilPope2005

    Posted Jan 13, 2006 2:15 pm PT

    True Crime wasn't great but i'm all for a GUN sequal(like alot of other people). There should be a 5 year minimum on game develping, so that when they come out, we can be sure they're done.

  • Swordmaster41

    Posted Jan 13, 2006 2:06 pm PT

    keep true crime,add hookers,more missions. make TC3

  • GreyFoxV1

    Posted Jan 13, 2006 12:02 pm PT

    Good to hear True Crime likely wont get a sequel, both games suck balls.

  • rocksteady2006

    Posted Jan 13, 2006 7:22 am PT

    True Crime can certianly go the way of the Dodo for all I care. But I would like to see Gun 2 come out in the future. Games of that style don't come around too often so it was a refreshing and fun rental. .

  • stokes333

    Posted Jan 12, 2006 9:01 pm PT

    [This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

  • RexxKarz

    Posted Jan 12, 2006 8:19 pm PT

    Before we talk about a sequel for Gun, let's fix the original with a performance patch. This game, as it plays now, is an embarassment.

  • Atarii

    Posted Jan 12, 2006 7:41 pm PT

    From what I hear, True Cime was a terrible game, but Gun was promising. I hope that Activision didn't cut a game short due to a lackluster holiday season sales.... but it's a corporation and they do as they please

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