Those who argue against so-called “hardcore” games on the Wii have some fresh justification,with newsthatThe Conduitfailed to break into the top five Wii games for June and shifted a mere 72,000 copies. While some in our comments argue that the game was only released on June 23 (a fair point), it’s still not a glowing success for the game’s launch week.

“In terms of top SKUs,The Conduitplaced at number 25,” said a spokesman for NPD. Looks likeThe Conduitwill share a similar fate toHouse of the Dead: OverkillandMadWorld, as Sega continues to find that special something and create a “hardcore” title that will actually sell on the Wii.

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This is Sega’s third attempt to put a more traditional videogame on the Wii, and so far the results have been less than impressive. Sega maintains thatits strategy is working, with its games making back money with a slow burn rather than a quick burst, but it still has to be discouraging for publishers and studios to see these games hit the ground with a stumble rather than a dash.

Still,Capcom’s doing alright, so we know that these “mature” games have an audience. Maybe Sega needs to dig deep into its pockets and actually market these things?

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