‘Must-have’ Sleeping Dogs can ‘launch a new franchise,’ believes Square Enix

Square Enix believes its chart-topping Sleeping Dogs can be the start of a successful new franchise, UK sales manager Andrew Larcombe has told MCV.

“We are extremely pleased with the opening weekend of Sleeping Dogs and it’s great to see that players are clearly enjoying the fantastic new features it brings to the genre,” said Larcombe.

He added: “The market has been quiet recently, but we’re confident that Sleeping Dogs is a game that you will ‘have to have’ and the buzz it’s generating across the forums is a strong sign that it can continue to stay near the top of the charts through the peak period.

“There’s always at least one new IP every year that catches people off guard and can launch a new franchise and we think this is the one.”

Larcombe concluded: “Big thanks to the incredible talent at United Front Games for creating Sleeping Dogs and to all across Square Enix and the trade for helping it become such a deserved success.”

Sleeping Dogs’ success will be all the sweeter for United Front given that Activision dropped the game early in 2011, back when the game was called True Crime: Hong Kong.