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Lost Planet 2, Super Street Fighter IV, Monster Hunter Tri pushed past March

Capcom delays trio of anticipated titles to avoid unusually strong first-quarter competition, lowers financial forecast as a result.

Capcom was one of the first publishers to reap significant rewards from releasing blockbuster games in the first quarter of the year, when the competition is traditionally sparse. Since 2005, the publisher has chosen the first three months of the year as prime launch windows for heavy hitters like Resident Evil 4, Lost Planet: Extreme Condition, Devil May Cry 4, Street Fighter IV, and Resident Evil 5.

Super Street Fighter IV's Cody will have to cool his heels a little while longer.

Super Street Fighter IV's Cody will have to cool his heels a little while longer.

While the publisher planned to follow form in 2010, Capcom of Japan today delayed Lost Planet 2, Super Street Fighter IV, and international launches of Monster Hunter Tri for the Wii out past March. The move was made in an attempt to avoid competition with other publishers' major titles set for the first quarter of the year.

Capcom hasn't abandoned the first quarter entirely. A representative confirmed for GameSpot that two of its announced titles, Dark Void for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC, and Capcom vs. Tatsunoko for the Wii, are still set for launch January 19 and January 26, respectively.

Capcom's trepidation is understandable, as the first three months of 2010 are set to host a parade of highly anticipated titles, many of them delayed from originally planned holiday 2009 launches. Beyond Dark Void and Tatsunoko, the first quarter will also see releases for Mass Effect 2, God of War III, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Final Fantasy XIII, Dante's Inferno, BioShock 2, Army of Two: The 40th Day, MAG, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, and plenty more.

The delays were announced alongside a reduction in Capcom's forecast for its current fiscal year, ending March 31, 2010. The publisher had been expecting to bring in ¥95 billion ($1.04 billion) for the full year, but slashed that number 32 percent to ¥65 billion ($709 million) in light of the delays. Going forward, Capcom said it would spread its new releases throughout the year "to prevent an excessive contribution from new titles in the [January-March] quarter."

Capcom had been expecting to sell more than 4.8 million copies this year among the three games (3.7 million for Lost Planet 2, 1.1 million for Super Street Fighter IV, and 500,000 copies of the international edition of Monster Hunter Tri). The publisher also reduced its expectations for Dark Void by more than half, revising its previous forecast of 1.3 million copies sold through March to just 600,000. No reason was given for the lowered expectations for Dark Void.

215 Comments

  • ExplodingCactus

    Posted Mar 26, 2010 11:18 pm GMT

    This article is from Dec, 22. How is this new news? Wtf gamespot.

  • mbashour

    Posted Jan 13, 2010 8:23 am GMT

    i wonder why they dropped the expectations of dark void...maybe the reactions to the demo? i was super pumped for dark void, but the ps3 demo was pretty weak...i'm just hoping the PC version is better

  • RitterXplode

    Posted Jan 4, 2010 5:51 pm GMT

    Very well done! Thou are wise, my young padawan.

  • Zacek1000

    Posted Jan 4, 2010 7:01 am GMT

    Good job Capcom, you can wait. Intelligent decission.

  • ha2e04

    Posted Jan 4, 2010 3:22 am GMT

    sometimes it pays to wait, i was put off re5 by the forced co op and the whole 'sun' thing. im gonna buy it now though for less than half its launch price. still gutted i paid top dollar for sf4 only to find streetfighter + 360 d-pad = fail.

  • geedotherodian

    Posted Jan 4, 2010 3:05 am GMT

    Good job for capcom because I have asolutely no interest in those games especially when compared to Mass Effect 2/Splinter Cell.

  • Sablicious

    Posted Jan 3, 2010 9:32 pm GMT

    Smart move on Capcom's part. They don't want their paltry, DLC-esque Super SFIV up against any heavy weights. Release it later, when peeps are trading the A-titles, that way you get 'rebound sales'.

    Too bad the Capcom aren't more confident in the QUALITY of their titles as a selling point, rather than worrying about their competition. -_-

  • gtaking40

    Posted Jan 3, 2010 9:12 pm GMT

    Lost Planet 1's campaign was weak, so I think I'll pass on the second.

  • JJB03

    Posted Jan 3, 2010 3:58 pm GMT

    lost planet looks amazing can too bad the old storie line and charecters have been scrapped though

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Jan 3, 2010 2:33 pm GMT

    I buy all my Capcom games second hand. That is their punishment for expoliting fans like me. DLC is supposed to help expand a game long after its release, not a way for you to hold back content from the full version and then release it later at a charge! Great developer, sh***y company though.

  • kavadias1981

    Posted Jan 3, 2010 2:28 pm GMT

    @VenomRitual

    One of the most honest and accurate posts I have read in a long time.

  • 007devilmaycry

    Posted Jan 3, 2010 8:26 am GMT

    nice...

  • nohabs

    Posted Jan 3, 2010 7:50 am GMT

    Nice video for lost planet

  • BloomerNYC

    Posted Jan 2, 2010 11:23 pm GMT

    LP2 looks absolutely stunning.

  • Trogeton

    Posted Jan 2, 2010 5:42 pm GMT

    Hopefully Lost Planet 2 will be better than the first one, the online was good but lame campaign

  • TheoleDominion

    Posted Jan 2, 2010 3:29 pm GMT

    Very Good. Lost Planet 2 seems to involve a bit more strategy than just stayin in cover while shooting the biggest gun..

  • Cruse34

    Posted Jan 2, 2010 2:50 pm GMT

    To bad I got to wait longer for Monster Hunter Tri it looks sweet

  • Darkmoone1

    Posted Jan 2, 2010 6:34 am GMT

    Good move Capcom.

  • MadMan117

    Posted Jan 1, 2010 7:23 pm GMT

    They forgot about Dead Rising 2...it's like that game doesn't even exist...

  • eastcoasteric

    Posted Jan 1, 2010 5:37 pm GMT

    good move on Lost Planet 2, but I hope they spend this "extra" time to do more testing on the game!
    Instead of just having a finished game sitting around for a extra month or two then shipping it out!

  • Alijagic

    Posted Jan 1, 2010 3:37 pm GMT

    why dont they make a resident evil sequel or devil may cry?

  • Trogeton posted Jan 1, 2010 3:07 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Trogeton

    Posted Jan 1, 2010 3:07 pm GMT (hide)

    Lost Planet 2 = Fail

  • Ric_SlayeR

    Posted Jan 1, 2010 9:20 am GMT

    3 words. *Too much expensive.*

  • VenomRitual

    Posted Dec 31, 2009 7:28 pm GMT

    whats the point of buying games nowadays. goty editions, hardcore editions, collectors editions. im punished if i preorder(fallout 3 goty versus the $100 we paid b4 that) and punished if i don't(i don't get these levels because i didn't want to slap $5 down b4 reviews came in). and what a joke capcom is. resident evil 5 "alternate edition", multiplayer as a DLC a week after the game releases, and a "super" street fighter IV. hell alternate skins used to be something you can unlock. now it's $5 for them. its a JOKE of a company.

  • Balo_the_Gamer

    Posted Dec 31, 2009 3:51 pm GMT

    I think Capcom is the only smart publisher left from the old days. They at least want to give their games a chance in the market place, instead of sending them out into the minefield.

  • zero_124

    Posted Dec 31, 2009 8:12 am GMT

    nice tactic capcom!!!!

  • khayaal

    Posted Dec 31, 2009 3:51 am GMT

    Thats Good!! So, we have a good 2010....

  • Gblazer01

    Posted Dec 31, 2009 1:34 am GMT

    go capcom, woot woot! lol

  • MonkeyShow20

    Posted Dec 30, 2009 9:50 pm GMT

    Not too big a deal. Just as long as they don't get pushed back to Fall 2010 or later.

  • wizard617

    Posted Dec 30, 2009 6:53 pm GMT

    capcom is one of the best companies. its probably for a good reason

  • jadefury27

    Posted Dec 30, 2009 7:54 am GMT

    Super Sf IV is a rip off to me. aside from new fighters its not offering anything to warrant more than a 19.99 price tag. if it offered almost a completely different roster( SF III), or in addition to the current roster then yes i'd pay full price for a sequel. They need to make these sequels connect to each other. You can knock Mortal Kombat for becoming craptastic, but at least they have continuity.

  • SadPSPAddict

    Posted Dec 30, 2009 6:00 am GMT

    Afraid of the competition! Does this mean they think the games are poor??

  • xepherian

    Posted Dec 30, 2009 12:48 am GMT

    I think it's time to give Lost Planet some of my time.
    Because Lost Planet 2 looks promising.

  • AncientDozer

    Posted Dec 29, 2009 8:47 pm GMT

    Can't wait for Lost Planet 2.

  • Jericho66

    Posted Dec 29, 2009 6:10 pm GMT

    I have no time for Capcom personally after the Resident Evil 5 paid - dlc multiplayer screw - job...

  • WestSideAzn

    Posted Dec 29, 2009 1:55 am GMT

    Hopefully, more time is spent to make sure that the game lives up to its $60 price tag.

  • legenderysoldie

    Posted Dec 28, 2009 6:59 pm GMT

    very smart move for capcom

  • wonzan

    Posted Dec 28, 2009 4:38 pm GMT

    Normally I don't mind delays but this time its clearly because Capcom is afraid of the competition. =[
    I want LP2 and SSF4!!! (but mostly LP2 =P)

  • Osnic

    Posted Dec 28, 2009 2:56 pm GMT

    So many great games comming ouy in Q1. But the only one I'm going to get on the release is FFXIII. so awesome! The rest can wait until the price is lower.
    But I might get LP2, I like the first game!

  • wizo59mt

    Posted Dec 28, 2009 12:47 pm GMT

    shoulda took the developement dollars from dark void to make a PS3 version of MH tri...imo

  • dynomitemasta

    Posted Dec 28, 2009 8:02 am GMT

    I just looked at all the comments and not one mentioned Dark Void.... there you go.

  • dynomitemasta

    Posted Dec 28, 2009 8:00 am GMT

    I'm sorry to say, but I really think that Dark Void is going to tank... HARD. It's just a feeling I get when I watch previews or see screen shots.... it just doesn't have that magnetic pull that many new games have when you see the first screen shot.
    It seems like the only buzz going on about this game is coming from the publisher itself, and I am seeing virtually NO fan based excitement or buzz. Then prematurely tying actors to a big screen version of a game that's not even out yet is usually the Kiss of Death.

    I hope I'm wrong.

  • NoLifeGamin

    Posted Dec 27, 2009 7:42 pm GMT

    all i know is that i'll be that one guy camping outside Gamestop for who knows how many days just to get FFXIII

  • lennygundam14

    Posted Dec 27, 2009 7:39 pm GMT

    Thank the gaming gods, too many games to get Q1 2010.

  • ElvesOnEcstacy posted Dec 27, 2009 6:37 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    ElvesOnEcstacy

    Posted Dec 27, 2009 6:37 am GMT (hide)

    I played the Lost Planet 2 demo and the only interesting and fun thing about it was the huge salamander like boss fight. .

    If the only decent moments in this game are the boss fights and nothing else, well that's a pass for me.

  • Gammet25

    Posted Dec 26, 2009 11:53 pm GMT

    Game companies these days all have their troubles. Especially Square Enix.

  • spyroiskool

    Posted Dec 26, 2009 7:49 pm GMT

    You know what? I can hold off on street fighter. Damn you capcom you said you would only make one street fighter IV

  • kbempoleon

    Posted Dec 26, 2009 11:49 am GMT

    How long must i wait for Lost planet 2

  • AndyAlfredo

    Posted Dec 25, 2009 8:24 pm GMT

    @spike6958
    Pretty certain Tri is free to play online. I think they know not as many people would buy it. Also, every MH in Japan has pay to play online, but no MH outside of Japan does.

  • yeastori

    Posted Dec 25, 2009 3:34 pm GMT

    well at least now we will remember to buy them instead of GOW3 or BF:BC 2 and not have the cash.

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