Ace Attorney Investigations 2 saw its release in Japan last week, and sold 132,000 units in its first week on the market. Compared to the first Ace Attorney Investigations game, which debuted at 172,000 units, this is a substantially lower figure.
Japanese sales tracker, Media-Create, have some theories as to why this could be.
Media-Create report that Ace Attorney Investigations 2 has had less TV commercials than its predecessor, and that, according to their weekly recognition surveys, the game also has a lower level of recognition amongst consumers as compared to the original Ace Attorney Investigations.
Interestingly, male interest in the game has dropped, while interest from women has increased. The latter point is in line with Capcom’s own statements regarding the rise of female interest in the Ace Attorney Investigations series due to promotional events such as live stage plays. Media-Create, too, observe that marketing was targeted more at women in the case of AAI2.
The problem of lower overall recognition remains, however. Media-Create believe that one way to address this problem could be to market the series with a focus on its characters, rather than its “deduction” aspect.
Capcom’s own statements in a recent media strategy report revealed that they consider Ace Attorney a mid-range franchise (with games like Resident Evil, Street Fighter and Monster Hunter being their top-tier franchises), and will continue to promote it in the future.
