Are you sure it wasn't the poor price point and sales that made Nintendo do that? I'm pretty sure it was, considering the Vita wasn't even out at the time.
I think it was trying to get across the scope of the combat. It's not just a small group of people trying to survive. That's what I took away from it anyway.
But will it succeed? Depends on how much of a house name "John Carter" truly is. Oh, and if enough people think this is Prince of Persia in Space then it'll at least make more money that way.