Quality and success

As someone who plays a lot of niche games, I think that success in games doesn't necessarily mean sales. For the ultimate example, look no further than Platinum Games. Few of their games have sold very well, but they have one of the most devout fanbases a studio could have.

Also, just because a company pumps millions upon millions of dollars in to something, that won't make it good. Look at Destiny. It's just bad FPS Phantasy Star Online with a very bored sounding Peter Dinklage as the only character. Destiny is practically the opposite of games by Platinum. While Platinum games are beloved by their target audience, they don't sell (Their past 2 games were Wii U exclusives. NO ONE does that if their goal is cash money). Meanwhile, Destiny sold like 20 kazillion copies over night, and is on the very low end of the 4 point scale.

Couldn't find a fitting picture, so I just made a .gif out of some hype Metal Gear Rising gameplay... Platinum maintains it's luster forever!