The Conduit is latest high-profile Sega game to hit low sales ceiling

It’s one of the biggest paradoxes in gaming right now. Hardcore gamers with Nintendo Wiis have clamored that there are no titles released for them. But three Sega titles catering to that niche have met with cool sales so far in 2009. Sega’s first-person shooter The Conduit is the latest high-profile game to miss its target. The game moved only 72,000 titles in June, according to the latest NPD report numbers.

Sega placed a big focus on providing hardcore fare for the Wii, as the trio of MadWorld, House of the Dead: Overkill and The Conduit seemed to be the titles the system needed. But MadWorld and the House of the Dead sequel were met with the kind of lukewarm reception generally reserved for Sonic titles these days.

The Conduit wasn’t the only underachiever in June 2009…