[quote name='blandstalker']It could be the publisher decided it was going to be a niche title or would get overlooked. Clearly, most people here had no idea what it was until they clicked on the thread, so this is one way of raising the visibility of a game that probably would have gotten ignored upon release.
Chulip and Taito Legends 2 (other EB/GS exclusives) were fine for their intended audiences. Tenchu DS, from all reports, was absolutely awful. Hopefully The Settlers will be more like the former.
Also, so far with EB/GS exclusives, they seem to order/create enough of them that they don't become teh rarez, at least not for awhile. There was enough Tenchu going around that even Gamefly couldn't give it away.[/QUOTE]
I agree with your points, it's not that the publisher thought it wouldn't sell, it's also Gamestop giving them money to make it exclusive, to get the hardcore gamer to come in - Settlers appeals to that type of person. Why bother stocking it at Best Buy / Circuit City when the type of people who buys games there have no interest in it?
It was a fantastic game back in the day, and this should be a fantastic port - for those who don't want to go in the store, just order it online and use the code SAVER for free shipping, it's what I did for Taito Legends 2.
There was some interest in this game awhile ago on CAG, but I guess not so much anymore, which is a shame... it's also a shame most people have never played Settlers, ever.