MoshTMA
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It's absolutely true the fans care the most.
The fans helped make the series what it is. I still own an old magazine from right before Twisted Metal Black came out that had an article mentioning TMAlliance/the fans, and their importance. TMA was originally an anti-989 petition site, unhappy with the direction TM took after the brilliant, well-received TM2 World Tour, and the fans then were able to get the series back through voicing themselves. Yet somehow leading up to TMX the remnants of the original TM team stopped listening to the fans, and it didn't lead to success.
Sure, it is true Sony did not market the game much at all, but we can not blame Sony/Sony Santa Monica for the lack of success TM 2012 had -The game did get some hype pre-release. There were promos and a commercial, and a general excitement for Twisted Metal's return. There were doubters too, of course, since the game did not have a beta when it clearly should've.
Then comes the demo for TMX, released about a week or so before the game. The demo was up for a few days before being taken down because the demo/the server was so damn glitchy and broken - and Sony could see the project was already doomed but it was too late to delay the game's release (but taking the demo down was a good business move on their part). The game comes out, it's broken as fuck, people can't get online, and people who can are complaining about the extreme game imbalances. Despite that, a lot of people did buy the game at the beginning. Some people at TMA who hated the game still got 2 copies (regrettably). Sony knows the hardcore fans of Twisted Metal is what led to its longevity as a series - and they probably knew they weren't going to bank much on a broken and divisive TM game, but they did try. They (Sony Pictures) announced a Twisted Metal movie when TM 2012 was released - they figured it could help with the sales of TMX, which is logical, it makes people think the series is alive and well again. When TMX failed to make a positive impact, the movie was silently cancelled, which probably cost Sony a shit load of money. Sony continued to support TMX despite all that though (while EatSleepPlay abandoned it very quickly). Sony SM could have had the server shut down a long time ago and never bother with server maintenance... and they could have excluded it from the ps4 PS Now service. They could have not bothered even having SweetTooth available for other games... SweetTooth in Rocket League or PS All Stars is a positive thing, because then he's in a popular game... it creates a positive association for non-TM fans. If you think about it - who really cemented SweetTooth as a 'mascot' character? Jaffe? or was it really Sony? Being a 'Sony mascot' had its advantages for the character. TMX was a HUGE failure, but SweetTooth is still popular, even the TMX portrayal, and I don't think that'd be the case without the characters clout, a lot which came through how the character was marketed.
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