To say publishers were choosey when it came to releasing titles on the GameCube is an understatement. True enough, the system was a much more appealing proposition than the N64, yet sluggish sales post launch, the use of smaller capacity discs than the competition, and the belief that Nintendo fans only buy first-party games all dissuaded publishers.
As it became clear that the PS2 was going to be the dominant system that generation, with the Xbox in second place, it became increasingly harder for developers to secure a GameCube publishing deal. Some games would be announced for GameCube only to never materialize, while others would trail months behind the PS2 and Xbox versions. Many were also only released in a single region, and in a few rare instances – such as Animal Crossing’s European release – gamers even had to demonstrate that there was a demand.
Midway was one company that quickly changed stance on their GameCube output. At least in Europe, where they stopped publishing games entirely less than a year after launch.
It seems they were reasonably confident in the system’s potential at first. The GameCube launched during May 2002 in Europe, accompanied by NHL Hitz 2002. In June there was their popular SpyHunter reboot, while July saw both Gauntlet Dark Legacy and the often-forgotten Redcard – which gave ‘the beautiful game’ the brash Hitz treatment. Then in early 2003 the cubic console saw Kuju’s helicopter shooter Fire Blade, bloody brawler Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance, and their poorly reviewed Defender revival.
And then? Nothing.
In the US, Midway supported the system right up until the launch of the Wii in 2006 but Europe saw no more GameCube titles after early 2003. In fairness, there was a bit of forgettable slop here. They tried to ride the licensed game bandwagon as the Wii approached, resulting in tie-ins for The Ant Bully, Ed, Edd n Eddy, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Happy Feet. Not much of a loss, and a couple did make it to the Wii in Europe as launch games.
It is however very surprising to find that Europe never gained 2004’s Mortal Kombat: Deception on GameCube – with MK being Midway’s most profitable franchise, by some margin. It’s a mystery why Nintendo of Europe didn’t push for the latest Mortal Kombat on their platform. So much for trying to compete with Sony and Microsoft this generation.
Europe also never gained any of the Midway Arcade Treasures retro collections on GameCube. These were big sellers, especially on PS2, and a few games present received conversions on past Nintendo platforms, so it wasn’t as if the contents were irrelevant.
The remaining games released in the US would have been welcome enough additions, helping the GameCube to fill gaps in its catalogue. These included the aerial racer Freaky Flyers, the Twisted Metal inspired RoadKill – which is considered a hidden gem – the reasonably well received 3D platformer Dr. Muto, and the arcade revival Rampage: Total Destruction. While NFL Blitz 2002 probably would have struggled to find an audience, the rest would have definitely appealed to European gamers at the time.
We can only assume that Midway’s first batch of GameCube games sold so poorly when compared to the PS2 and Xbox counterparts that it simply wasn’t worth the effort to continue support in this region. It’s very hard to think of another possible explanation, save perhaps for an internal disagreement. Even to this day Midway’s decision to abandon the system in Europe causes some confusion online, with GameCube collector groups questioning why they can’t find PAL releases of certain titles. The reason for this is simple, the explanation less so.