14 DAY TRIAL // Enslaved: Odyssey to the West, the third-person action game developed by Ninja Theory and Namco Bandai, might still be turned into a franchise, according an executive from the Japanese company.
Enslaved was released last year and impressed a lot of people through its sharp graphics, great story and believable characters.
Sadly, even if it won critical acclaim and a prestigious 9.5 score in our own review, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West didn't live up to sales expectations.
Namco is still confident, however, that an Enslaved franchise may not be too bad.
Speaking with UK trade magazine MCV, Namco Bandai Marketing Director Lee Kirton explained that the game was still looking good.
“It didn’t perform as well as we hoped it would, but we’re very proud of how it was received by both the media and the gamers who have experienced it,” he said.
“I can’t discuss where we are in terms of a sequel, but we’re looking at reviews and feedback from the press and because of the gameplay and quality that Enslaved delivered, we see it as a great catalog title going forward.”
Enslaved, alongside other titles, will be instrumental in helping Namco Bandai achieve its goal of becoming a top five publisher.
“That’s the ultimate goal," Kirton added. "We can’t go into too much detail about new titles and new business but we are working to a three-to-five year plan. We’re working closely with developers, discussing exciting new projects.”
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West was an adaptation of historical Chinese novel Journey to the West, and saw a young girl, Trip, team up (or rather enslave) a burly fighter named Monkey, as they traveled through a post apocalyptic USA in search of her home.
The game was one of the most visually stunning titles made with the Unreal Engine 3, and showed the talent of UK-based development studio Ninja Theory.
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is still available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.