The next entry in the Ace Attorney series hits North America this fall on 3DS! Check out the full press release and announcement trailer below:

"Capcom, a leading worldwide developer and publisher of video games, today confirmed that Phoenix Wright™: Ace Attorney™ – Dual Destinies will be available to purchase digitally on Nintendo 3DS™ across Europe and North America in Fall 2013.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies, previously announced for the West as Ace Attorney™ 5, sees the return of courtroom hero Phoenix Wright. Set eight years since his last appearance in the courts, the first case in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies sees the action start in a destroyed court room. It’s down to Phoenix Wright and his team at the Wright Anything Agency to discover the cause of the destruction. Players will have to battle it out in court against Gaspen Payne, the younger brother of Winston Payne from previous Ace Attorney™ titles, as they defend the accused.

The much loved gameplay and features from previous titles in the Ace Attorney series return but for the first time with stunning 3D graphics, bringing the courtroom and characters to life and putting players directly in the heart of the action. Players will need to investigate each crime scene with dynamic 3D visuals, making it possible to change views and zoom-in on areas to uncover any hidden evidence or clues. The drama continues in the court room as players present their evidence, challenge witnesses and begin to unravel the truth behind each of the cases in Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies.

Joining Phoenix is the young Attorney Apollo Justice and new Associate Attorney Athena Cykes. Athena’s unique ability to psychoanalyse witnesses introduces a brand new element to proceedings. Using Athena’s ‘Mood Matrix’ players can detect the emotional state of a witness and tell whether they’re surprised, angry, happy or sad. Players can compare these feelings with the statement given by the witness, point out any contradictions between the two and challenge the witness testimony."


What do you think about this digital-only fate? Will it hurt sales? Or is everything just peachy?

Source: Capcom press release

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Bought.

Although Capcom are morons for not putting this out on Cartridge, they'd sell a lot more copies.

Posted by

deathly_hallows

on: 05/13/13, 20:03

Start of a new trend? Im ok with it.

Posted by

anon_mastermind

on: 05/13/13, 20:12

I definitely would prefer to get this as a cartridge, these are the type of games that when I'm playing them, I'm not playing much else, and when I'm done, I never really go back. No need to have it eating up my digital space. Also my brother and I pretty much share all of the games that we buy so... we're going to have to switch 3DS' for a bit?

Still, if this is my only option, I'll go for it.

Seems like a weird move on Capcom's part though. Everyone was so excited for the return of Wright and they're just kind of cutting the sales potential from the start.

Posted by

Zero

on: 05/13/13, 20:54

Edited:

05/13/13, 20:59

Zero said:

Seems like a weird move on Capcom's part though. Everyone was so excited for the return of Wright and they're just kind of cutting the sales potential from the start.

I dunno, depends what it costs on the eShop. If it's priced like, say, Tetris Axis (which retails for $30 but is in the eShop for $10), it will sell well.

Posted by

ludist210

on: 05/13/13, 21:09

@ludist210 I guess, but selling well at $10 a copy on the eShop is still kind of a missed opportunity for something like a brand new Phoenix Wright game. This could sell well at $40, then drop to $10 and sell well again.

I don't expect it to release at $10 anyway.

Posted by

Zero

on: 05/13/13, 21:28

That is awesomesauce. Day flipping one!

Posted by

Deerock69

on: 05/13/13, 21:34

Hmm... Release digital-only to the Phoenix Wright fans who are mostly hardcore Phoenix Wright lovers, or spend literally millions of dollars on cartridges for that same crowd who would've bought it digitally anyway because they've been dying for Phoenix Wright for years?

Yeah, real hard choice, there.

Posted by

Xbob42

on: 05/13/13, 21:40

@Zero

I don't expect it be $10 either, but I also don't expect it to launch at $40 in the eShop. I was just using Tetris Axis as an example.

Xbob42 said:

Hmm... Release digital-only to the Phoenix Wright fans who are mostly hardcore Phoenix Wright lovers, or spend literally millions of dollars on cartridges for that same crowd who would've bought it digitally anyway because they've been dying for Phoenix Wright for years?

Yeah, real hard choice, there.

Couldn't have said it any better. All digital for this one is the best move Capcom could have made to appease fans.

Posted by

ludist210

on: 05/13/13, 21:47

@Xbob42 That might be true if the Phoenix Wright series hadn't broken out into the mainstream the way that it did. This isn't just a game that diehard gamers bought, it was out there in the hands of many casuals as well. And the Nintendo eShop isn't Steam, it still has serious, serious issues with visibility. Putting something on the eShop only is a way to make sure that a large portion of your potential market doesn't even know that it exists. Unless you build a whole marketing push surrounding your eShop release, but no one really does that and I doubt that Capcom will.

Here is Capcom's explanation:

LINK

“Historically it’s been tough to attract long term retail support for Ace Attorney titles. With the release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies we wanted as many people as possible to be able to enjoy the game for as long as possible. With that in mind we have opted for a digital only release via the Nintendo 3DS eShop.

We understand that this decision may upset fans who wanted to have a physical version of the title to add to their collection but we believe this direction is the best to take to ensure that fans are able to enjoy the game at their own leisure.

We will be confirming details on the price point soon so please stay tuned for more information on the latest in the Ace Attorney series.”

This sounds like weird logic to me, because 90% of the explanation is really just explaining why the digital version exists, which no one asked about. People want to know why the digital version is the only one that exists.

Posted by

Zero

on: 05/13/13, 22:14

Edited:

05/13/13, 22:20

As TVandLust said on twitter, the answer as to why the game isn't gonna be sold at retail lies in the space your local Gamestop dedicates to new 3DS releases. It's really that simple: it's a bitch to try and get retailers to give you a prime spot, and then they immediately fill the gap left once they're sold out with used copies you don't make a dime on.

I've seen someone else on twitter argue that both AA5 and SMT4 are niche and yet one is digital only, the other has a special edition full of trinkets. That same person bitched about the retailer-specific DLC, apparently oblivious of the link there.

Posted by

Guillaume

on: 05/13/13, 22:21

@Zero Hmm.

Wikipedia said:

As of December 2011, the series has sold over 4.2 million units.[57]

Worldwide sales of the entire series at 4.2 million isn't exactly what I'd call a mainstream hit, honestly. Obviously it's very profitable compared to what it takes to make the games, but I'm not talking profit here, I'm talking actual sales. It seems like it wouldn't be too hard for this game to approach sales numbers seen with previous installments.

Also, many people played this series for the first time on their smart phones, which of course is digital only for 100% of users, who are mostly quite casual. The concept of downloading games is literally the only way many people know of to obtain a video game.

I think you're seriously downplaying people's understanding of digital markets here.

Yeah, the eShop has some visibility problems, but it's hardly XBL's Indie section where it's just a clusterfuck of nonsense.

Posted by

Xbob42

on: 05/13/13, 22:28

Edited:

05/13/13, 22:28

I honestly see no downside for Capcom with digital only. There will be no used copies, so you're going to have to go to the well to drink. I think Nintendo themselves are demonstrating DD is a successful business model on the 3DS.

Posted by

Deerock69

on: 05/13/13, 22:31

@Xbob42 I don't know too much about specific sales numbers for eShop titles, but I'd be shocked if a digital-only release in NA sold comparatively to past versions. I just don't think the eShop is at the point where it is busting out too many big sellers yet, and I also don't think it is at the point where it is getting the word of what exists on the eShop out to enough 3DS owners (even though this should be pretty SIMPLE really.) Even so though, my argument would be retail + digital should sell even better than just retail or digital.

I think Xbob you're thinking about Steam and don't actually have the fullest sense of how very not like Steam the eShop is yet. It has a long ways to go. I also wouldn't compare the 3DS market to the smartphone market as far as knowledge and visibility of downloadable titles. No one who knows a 3DS "only" knows how to get games through downloading, and many don't really follow the eShop because the only way to know what is on it is to actually enter the shop and dick around in one of the most non-intuitive layouts ever.

It's also been shown that 3DS owners just plain prefer . Fire Emblem is often looked at as having one of the biggest digital to retail ratios on the 3DS, and that still only had 1/3 of the sales coming digitally. It was also sold out hardcore at retail, which is probably why it even got up to that 1/3. You can't tell me that if Nintendo had gone digital-only there the other 2/3 would have all bought a copy.

Guillaume is probably right about one thing though, shelf space is limited and all. But you also have huge online retailers like Amazon and such where shelf space isn't as much of a concern.

Posted by

Zero

on: 05/13/13, 23:07

Edited:

05/13/13, 23:15

Gotta agree with Xbob here, I don't think Phoenix Wright was exactly a big casual impulse buy. ( "A Lawyer game? Really?").

The fans are the audience and they WILL track it down on E-shop, even if they preferred a physical version. Capcom will still get the sales but save a bundle.

I'm just glad we're getting it. Now gimme AA Vs Prof Layton.

Posted by

Shadowlink

on: 05/13/13, 23:13

Edited:

05/13/13, 23:14

@Shadowlink It wasn't a big casual impulse buy, you're right. It was a big casual word-of-mouth buy though.

I think some of you guys have a very black and white view of video game fans, like "if they're fans, they will know!" But a lot of fans are fair-weather fans. As the guy who runs a Nintendo site, I get a lot of messages from friends of mine asking me stuff... ABOUT SYSTEMS THAT THEY OWN. They just plain don't know that much about this thing they bought and sometimes buy games for. I have a friend who just bought a Wii U and has no idea what is actually on it, so he messaged me. The fact that we're entrenched in this stuff doesn't mean that everyone else is.

If it did advertising wouldn't even exist. Like, why even advertise GTA V, everyone will know when it comes out and the fans will all buy it anyway, right?

Posted by

Zero

on: 05/13/13, 23:16

Edited:

05/13/13, 23:19

@Zero

Word of mouth isn't exactly stymied by the E-shop you know.

Posted by

Shadowlink

on: 05/13/13, 23:19

@Shadowlink It is when the visibility on the eShop is so low.

Posted by

Zero

on: 05/13/13, 23:20

@Zero

That doesn't make any sense. Word of mouth tells you a game exists. Then you go looking for it. Visibility only matters if you had no intent of buying it and you just stumbled across it.

That didn't happen in the retail space anymore than it will happen on the E-shop.

Posted by

Shadowlink

on: 05/13/13, 23:25

I have no real problem with this being digital-only, I'm just glad it's coming.

It'd be AWESOME to see all the previously released Ace Attorney games make their way to the eShop as well.

Posted by

OrbitalBeard

on: 05/13/13, 23:42

@Shadowlink I'm saying:

A. If the visibility for a game is smaller to begin with, there is naturally less potential for growth from word-of-mouth, because you're starting with a smaller pool of people who even knows it exists / has played it.

B. Word-of-mouth doesn't always mean you hear about something and then you run out and buy it ASAP. It often means you hear about something, then stumble upon it and think "oh, this is that thing that person A was talking about..." I'd love if more people stumbled upon stuff in the eShop but I don't think we are there yet.

C. Word-of-mouth suffers at any point a link in the chain breaks. This can happen if someone hears about it but finds out it is eShop only and doesn't want to mess with eShop, or tries to and finds out they don't have enough space on their SD card, or this or that and just gives up. This will happen. To what extent, we don't know, but it's insane to think it won't happen at all.

D. Retail word-of-mouth also often depends upon people "lending" games to others. This can be looked at as a lost sale, perhaps. But it does continue the chain of word-of-mouth.

Posted by

Zero

on: 05/13/13, 23:51