[Chris1964]

Could these numbers be skewed due to it adding the rating of a demo to the full purchase? I've noticed this occurring on the US store.

If I understand what you say I don't know if this possible, the ratings are supposed to be only from online purchases.

[duckroll]

Could these numbers be skewed due to it adding the rating of a demo to the full purchase? I've noticed this occurring on the US store.

No? The demo is a different download with its own rating.

[pharmboy044]

No? The demo is a different download with its own rating.

Oh okay that's good. This game deserves all the sales it can get.

[DCharlie]

rating the game is also not mandatory right?

It would be nice for Sony to publish some download figures for Sales Age clarity purposes.

[Pureauthor]

rating the game is also not mandatory right? It would be nice for Sony to publish some download figures for Sales Age clarity purposes.

Sony has always been the publisher (of the big three) most reluctant to ever reveal sales numbers, hasn't it?

[pieatorium]

rating the game is also not mandatory right? It would be nice for Sony to publish some download figures for Sales Age clarity purposes.

Yeah rating isn't mandatory, somone (I think maybe Road?) posted a psn chart from last year where there were games with not many ratings higher in sales position than ones with alot of ratings. I'm not sure if it was earlier in this thread or last week.

[extralite]

The theory that a franchise needs a large install base to get ideal sales is faulty and was disproved in this very thread. People who are avid fans of a certain series will simply buy the system when the game they want comes out if they don't have it already. Install base is nearly irrelevant regarding a game's sales potential. Therefore, it won't factor into Capcom's decision as to when MH4 should be released.

There is a thing such as attach rate. No unbundled game ever exceeds certain attach rates which is why the system needs to be affordable and ideally have a good install base already when the game releases.

MGS series sales have been very stable but at the time of release each system allowed for those stable numbers. You could also say higher install base doesn't help MGS reach a casual audience but it's apparently the same people who will buy each new installment.

For big franchises like DQ or FF, which sell to casual audiences and benefit from word of mouth and such, sales will be capped if they near a certain attach rate. This isn't a problem for DQ since it releases on systems that already have the install base (which is the reason why it releases there in the first place) but it was for FFXIII. There is a reason why it released just after the price drop and a month of increased sales of the PS3.

For example FFXIII sales were lower than those of FFX because basically it maxed out what was reasonably possible given consoles on the market before the circulating used games killed further new games sales.

This won't be a problem for MH of course since multiplayer ensures people keep their game and it will sell for a long time along with the hardware. Which also is quite affordable and is constantly building its installed base.

But for big front loaded franchises install base is anything but irrelevant.

[test_account]

Yeah rating isn't mandatory, somone (I think maybe Road?) posted a psn chart from last year where there were games with not many ratings higher in sales position than ones with alot of ratings. I'm not sure if it was earlier in this thread or last week.

Not that it matter much, but i just wanted to mention that i posted that =) Maybe Road posted it too though, i didnt see it. It was from the european PS Store, i dont know if the US one has different rankings.

[pieatorium]

Not that it matter much, but i just wanted to mention that i posted that =) Maybe Road posted it too though, i didnt see it. It was from the european PS Store, i dont know if the US one has different rankings.

eh close enough :P

[Furoba]

Could these numbers be skewed due to it adding the rating of a demo to the full purchase? I've noticed this occurring on the US store.

Given only a small numbers of users give feedback (or am I wrong here?), digital sales could be pretty big, if the demo is excluded that is.

30% user feedback would mean about 10K sales, 20% 15K. If sales are stable compared to the previous week, Gravity Daze could've hit 75K+ now.

[Mpl90]

One question: how's Theatrhythm situation now? Will new shipments come this week?

[electroplankton]

Good numbers for Harvest Moon: The Land Of Origin?

We won’t see the weekly software sales chart for Japan until Wednesday, but seeing as how last week marked the release of Harvest Moon: The Land of Origin, we decided to sniff around on the blogs of a few Japanese retailers to see what we could gather before the actual numbers came in. Note that most of the retailer posts we read were penned on February 23rd, which is the day of the game’s release, so they only account for its first day. “Did Harvest Moon always sell this much on the first day?” one retailer wondered on his blog, adding that the game had seen solid first-day sales at the store he works at. “A rare occasion, more than half the customers were female, so it seems like the sales at this store will reach great numbers.” This retailer also pointed out that a new shipment of The Land of Origin won’t be sent out by Marvelous AQL until sometime during the first ten days of March, so if the game sells out, there will be a two-week wait before new stock arrives. First-day sales weren’t quite as strong at another retailer. “Harvest Moon sells well as usual, even after moving to the 3DS,” he says. “Although, it’s a slow start as usual. (lol)” This isn’t a rare occurrence, as the Harvest Moon games do usually tend to sell well over time, rather than all at once. A third retailer says that The Land of Origin’s special edition with the alpaca strap sold out at his store. “Perhaps it’s because the commercials were very effective, but after we sold out, many more people asked for it right up until store closing time,” he shares. He adds that he wanted to buy one himself, but unfortunately, they were all sold out. Finally, a fourth retail store worker stated that sales were in line with what he expected, adding after that: “Pre-orders included, ultimately the game with the best customer reaction was Harvest Moon.” Note that this one retailer’s experience shouldn’t be taken as an indicator of everyone else’s.

http://www.siliconera.com/2012/02/28...and-of-origin/

[Furoba]

I saw that 3DS Final Fantasy musical game sold out in a number of shops. Selling big ?

[Sammy Samusu]

Siliconera posting retail impressions, nice.

And what's up with those 3DS cards? Looks like Nintendo is going through manufacturing problems.

[Erethian]

Siliconera posting retail impressions, nice. And what's up with those 3DS cards? Looks like Nintendo is going through manufacturing problems.

Not necessarily.

There's a turnaround for any manufacturing process, so it could be a case of publishers underestimating demand and being caught short on ordering new copies.

[BorkBork]

Alpaca power!

[Sammy Samusu]

Not necessarily. There's a turnaround for any manufacturing process, so it could be a case of publishers underestimating demand and being caught short on ordering new copies.

Well, I don't know how long it takes to get a new order ready, but Square-Enix knew in advance that demand for Theatrhythm would be high, thanks to digital and retail demos.

Game sold through 90% of its initial stock and many retailers, including Amazon (sold-out yet again), said the next shipment would arrive in March, lol. That's not right and I think it's unusual.

[RurouniZel]

Good numbers for Harvest Moon: The Land Of Origin? http://www.siliconera.com/2012/02/28...and-of-origin/

Very nice! :D I have a few friends who love Harvest Moon, so if this is true they'll be quite happy it's doing well. ^_^

[king zell]

GUILD 01 5\17

Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry no Wonderland 3D 5\31

[Pureauthor]

Metal Slimes!

KILLITKILLITKILLITKILLIT

[Tenbatsu]

That's a cool looking 3DS!

[Truth101]

GUILD 01 5\17 Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry no Wonderland 3D 5\31

Want so bad. =C

[duckroll]

That's a very nice design. Is it a cover or an actual 3DS they're releasing?

[donny2112]

So what we have here is game design and systems targeting older core gamers, and presentation and art which appeals to younger kids.

So you're saying it's like Jet Force Gemini, probably with the same good and bad (sales) qualities tied to it. At least it gets some of those asking for a Kid Icarus sequel to stop asking for one!

It's almost like Sony treats portables like... wait for it... a gaming ghetto!

This deserved to be requoted.

I still maintain that releasing a new Pokemon game on DS at this stage is extraordinarily foolish. Regardless of how well it sells in units, it's not doing the job of moving 3DS units and it's punting on the single most relevant franchise to drive US sales for another 2-3 years. Whatever criticisms people offered up of Sony releasing God of War 2 on PS2 a whole year into the PS3's lifespan have to apply double to this.

3DS is in a much better position than PS3 at the same point. For the U.S., DS sales are dead, mainly due to the cheapest readily available DS being the same price as a 3DS. No strong reason to get DS over the 3DS. In that same case with a Pokemon Black & White 2 on DS, if you don't already have a system that can play it (ReggieWhat'sWrongWithYou.gif), you'd probably end up buying a 3DS to do so instead of the equally priced DSi. Therefore in the U.S., a Pokemon Black & White 2 actually could end up driving 3DS sales. (The equivalent situation is if the only version of PS2 available was the same price as a PS3 when God of War 2 was released.)

In Japan, DS is even more dead, and 3DS needs even less of a jumpstart. In other words, this isn't so "crazy" for the 3DS as it appeared at first glance. Unless DSi gets a price drop before Black & White 2, 3DS will probably still get an increase when Black & White 2 come out in the U.S. It's a 3DS Pokemon for new buyers without losing the DS owners buying the game, too.

Weird. :lol

[Cipherr]

Err maybe I shouldnt bring that up.

[LOCK]

And with those release dates, there really isn't any lull with 3DS releases.

[nordique]

That's a very nice design. Is it a cover or an actual 3DS they're releasing?

It looks to be printed on the actual system

3DS is in a much better position than PS3 at the same point. For the U.S., DS sales are dead, mainly due to the cheapest readily available DS being the same price as a 3DS. No strong reason to get DS over the 3DS. In that same case with a Pokemon Black & White 2 on DS, if you don't already have a system that can play it (ReggieWhat'sWrongWithYou.gif), you'd probably end up buying a 3DS to do so instead of the equally priced DSi. Therefore in the U.S., a Pokemon Black & White 2 actually could end up driving 3DS sales. (The equivalent situation is if the only version of PS2 available was the same price as a PS3 when God of War 2 was released.) In Japan, DS is even more dead, and 3DS needs even less of a jumpstart. In other words, this isn't so "crazy" for the 3DS as it appeared at first glance. Unless DSi gets a price drop before Black & White 2, 3DS will probably still get an increase when Black & White 2 come out in the U.S. It's a 3DS Pokemon for new buyers without losing the DS owners buying the game, too. Weird. :lol

This is a great point, and its akin to people picking up Pokemon Crystal with the GameBoy Advance, which did come out after the GBA was launched (though it was within a few months of the launch....but still :P)

[thestopsign]

Yea, 3DS has a strong release schedule through the late Spring now with Kingdom Hearts 3D, Fire Emblem, Mario Tennis, Guild 01, Dragon Quest Monsters.

It should also be a much stronger H1 of the calendar year for overall software sales with multiple million sellers in the cards.

[Man God]

It makes me wonder what their holiday JPN lineup will be. Animal Crossing is a safe guess, but what else?

[AceBandage]

It makes me wonder what their holiday JPN lineup will be. Animal Crossing is a safe guess, but what else?

Mario for sure.
Maybe Tomadachi.

[udivision]

Mario for sure. Maybe Tomadachi.

2D Mario is gonna be a "multiplatform" release, i bet.

[lordfroakie]

Mario for sure. Maybe Tomadachi.

I see Paper Mario becoming a fall title.

[AranhaHunter]

More like Nintendo isn't in control of which system(s) the games are developed for.

Don't they own the IP? How are they not in control which system the games are developed for?

rating the game is also not mandatory right? It would be nice for Sony to publish some download figures for Sales Age clarity purposes.

Not gonna happen.

I've been wanting to know Steam, XBL, PSN numbers for awhile now and besides some random numbers here and there (usually from the devs/publishers), we don't get a damn thing.

GUILD 01 5\17 Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry no Wonderland 3D 5\31

This is gonna sell....a lot.

[udivision]

Don't they own the IP? How are they not in control which system the games are developed for?

Nintendo doesn't fully own Game Freak.

[AranhaHunter]

Nintendo doesn't fully own Game Freak.

But don't they fully own the Pokemon IP?

[Fantastical]

I get so confused over the GameFreak/Pokemon/Nintendo stuff. How much power does Nintendo have over Pokemon?

[Erethian]

I get so confused over the GameFreak/Pokemon/Nintendo stuff. How much power does Nintendo have over Pokemon?

Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and Nintendo each own a third of the Pokemon IP. Creatures Inc is a subsidiary of Nintendo, Game Freak isn't. I think.

Then there's the Pokemon Company, which handles the marketing of the franchise and its licensing to third parties. That, as I understand it, is owned by Nintendo.

Edit: Basically while Nintendo could exert direct control over Pokemon, and you're never really going to see the series be released on a non-Nintendo platform, the corporate structure is such that Game Freak and the Pokemon Company handle the day to day running of the franchise.

[LOCK]

^Yes Nintendo owns controlling interest in the brand since they own controlling interest in Creatures Inc.

[idwl]

Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and Nintendo each own a third of the Pokemon IP. Creatures Inc is a subsidiary of Nintendo, Game Freak isn't. I think. Then there's the Pokemon Company, which handles the marketing of the franchise and its licensing to third parties. That, as I understand it, is owned by Nintendo. Edit: Basically while Nintendo could exert direct control over Pokemon, and you're never really going to see the series be released on a non-Nintendo platform, the corporate structure is such that Game Freak and the Pokemon Company handle the day to day running of the franchise.

why did nintendo never buy out the remainder?

[DXB-KNIGHT]

why did nintendo never buy out the remainder?

Maybe they are like HAL, since I've heard that they are not owned by Nintendo.

[cw_sasuke]

They should have spaced the releases a lil bit - DQM at the end of Mai and B/W 2 in June ? Yes, they are on different platforms but still. Terrys Wonderland 3D will likely be the plattforms next Mio Seller.

[D_prOdigy]

why did nintendo never buy out the remainder?

Perhaps I'm naive but I always got the impression that it was just because there's a mutual understanding that the franchise has always worked perfectly well with Game Freak having that level of autonomy.

[electroplankton]

They should have spaced the releases a lil bit - DQM at the end of Mai and B/W 2 in June ? Yes, they are on different platforms but still. Terrys Wonderland 3D will likely be the plattforms next Mio Seller.

I'm not quite sure.
It's still a remake, it could sell well but more in the range 500-600k imo. But who knows, Joker was a breakthrough success.

[Datschge]

Sharing copyright ownership with the developers is Nintendo's usual modus operandi, nothing specific to Pokemon at all. Such an arrangement makes it impossible for one side to proceed without consent from the other side, but as Nintendo does that all the time it seems to work fine enough for them (and should be confidence-building for the developer). One notable case where this approach apparently caused issues in the past is Super Mario RPG and its Square owned original character.

[idwl]

Perhaps I'm naive but I always got the impression that it was just because there's a mutual understanding that the franchise has always worked perfectly well with Game Freak having that level of autonomy.

but they basically threw away so much profit by not buying them early on

[Aostia]

I'm not quite sure. It's still a remake, it could sell well but more in the range 500-600k imo. But who knows, Joker was a breakthrough success.

I agree with you, also looking at Mori Mori 3 lower perfomace compared to the DS one.

[Sammy Samusu]

Mario for sure. Maybe Tomadachi.

Animal Crossing AND Tomodachi Collection? That would be a waste.

[John Dunbar]

but they basically threw away so much profit by not buying them early on

Isn't Game Freak a privately owned company? If the owners, whoever they are, weren't willing to sell there's not much that could have been done.

[Aostia]

Animal Crossing AND Tomodachi Collection? That would be a waste.

Well, we saw that recently tomodatchi was listed as 2012 title, while Animal Crossing was indicated as TBA (previously also AC was 2012 ).
So, we can imagine:

March: Mario&Sonic (distributed by Nintendo in Japan); Kid Icarus
April: Fire Emblem
May: Mario Tennis
June: Pokemon BW2
July: Calciobit (is it Nintendo? not sure...)
Summer: Brain Training (the new one with Devil Kawashima)
Autumn: Tomodatchi
Xmas: Mario 2d

I'm still hoping for Luigi's mansion 2 for this year...

AC for 2013 golden week :p

[Mockingbird]

^Yes Nintendo owns controlling interest in the brand since they own controlling interest in Creatures Inc.

and right now, they're interested in the Nintendo DS =)