Strong Bad doubles sales with Wii storage solution, duh
Good news for episodic point-and-click adventure games: Since the Wii finally announced its storage solution at GDC (Game Developer's Conference) last month, sales of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People have doubled. Telltale Games' CEO, Dan Connors, was probably so ecstatic that he no longer has to bang his head against a wall for a storage solution to his WiiWare-distributed game, that he made the curiously overstated exclamation that "This is a major step forward for episodic gaming."No, Mr. Connors. Sorry. This may be a major step forward for episodic gaming on the Wii, but every single other platform has already had their act together when it comes to storage solutions. Heck, if you would've released Strong Bad on the PS2 you would've doubled your sales back in August 2008 when you launched. Aside from the PC, your audience may have been on the Wii, but their ability to be realized as your audience wasn't possible until Nintendo took this horrendously lagged step in their console's development.
You can read into all five episodes of Strong Bad's Cool Game here at GamingNexus (just search for "strong bad"), but I'd recommend you start with Episode 2: Strong Badia the Free or Episode 4: Dangeresque 3.
WiiWare Sales of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People Double with New Wii Storage Solution
Telltale CEO: "This is a major step forward for episodic gaming."
SAN RAFAEL, April 9, 2009 – Telltale has announced that WiiWare™ sales of Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, the first monthly episodic series on a console, have more than doubled since Nintendo's new storage solution was unveiled at the Game Developer's Conference in March. The Strong Bad series began releasing episodically on WiiWare in August 2008.
"Nintendo's new solution really opens the door for players to add to their collection of downloadable games, which is critical for a series with multiple installments," says Telltale CEO Dan Connors. "This is a major step forward for episodic gaming. We're looking forward to even greater success on WiiWare with Strong Bad, as well as other projects."
Like a TV series, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People is best enjoyed when the full five episode "season" is played in its entirety. Nintendo's new option to play WiiWare games directly from high-density SD cards gives customers a convenient way to enjoy this full-season experience.
Starring Strong Bad, the self-proclaimed "coolest person ever," and the rest of the characters from the popular Homestarrunner.com website, Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People is a series of comedy games that play like interactive cartoons. Each episode features a unique storyline penned by series creators Mike and Matt Chapman and the writers of Telltale's award-winning Sam & Max series. Arcade-style mini games, achievements, and the ability to email Wii™ friends from Strong Bad's laptop complete the experience.
The Strong Bad games can be downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel for 1,000 points each. For more information on Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People on WiiWare, visit http://www.telltalegames.com/
Telltale's episodic offerings are expanding to Xbox LIVE® Arcade this spring with Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures.
About Telltale, Inc.
Telltale is the first and only studio to release interactive episodic content on a monthly schedule. The studio's landmark Sam & Max series, based on the independent comics by Steve Purcell, paved the way for episodic gaming with two award-winning seasons available on PC and Wii, and coming soon to Xbox LIVE® Arcade. Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, based on the Homestarrunner.com web cartoons, soon followed as the first episodic series for WiiWare™. Telltale's latest series, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures, is now releasing monthly on PC and will debut this spring on Xbox LIVE Arcade.
Telltale's other games include two installments in Ubisoft's CSI series, based on the most popular television franchise in the United States, and two games based on the best-selling Bone comics by Jeff Smith. Telltale's games have won numerous awards, including Adventure Game of the Year accolades from publications such as IGN, PC Gamer, GameSpy, and Adventure Gamers, and have been recognized by mainstream outlets ranging from The New York Times to Variety to Playboy. USA Today ranked Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures among five downloadable games to watch for in 2009.
Telltale currently develops and publishes episodic series on PC, Wii, and Xbox 360, with plans to expand to additional platforms and channels in the coming year. For more information, visit http://www.telltalegames.com.
About Homestarrunner.com
Homestar Runner was conceived in 1996 by Mike Chapman and friend Craig Zobel as an idea for a weird kids' book they would only make a few photocopies of for friends. In 2000, Mike and brother Matt dusted off the idea and launched HomestarRunner.com, featuring the Flash-animated exploits of the characters. Since 2002, they have updated with new cartoons almost every week including the popular feature 'Strong Bad Email' in which fans get their emails answered by the cartoon's charming antagonist, Strong Bad. Mike and Matt write and animate the cartoons with Matt and Missy Palmer providing voices for the characters. The site has been featured and mentioned in the New York Times, Wired Magazine, Entertainment Weekly, Time, The Wall Street Journal, and, most importantly, two songs from the site were featured in the Guitar Hero series.
