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Media Create Sales: Week 37, 2013 (Sep 09 - Sep 15)

Chris1964

Sales-Age Genius
PSP Monster Hunter Portable 3rd 10/12/01 1,955,239 5,057,751

Superior tracker confirmed

The game is probably >5M counting sales from the other trackers + download anyway.

Media Create and Famitsu have it both 200k less.

Famitsu
Monster Hunter Freedom 3 - 4.502.446
Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (PSP the Best) - 324.206

Media Create
Monster Hunter Freedom 3 - 4.532.557
Monster Hunter Freedom 3 (PSP the Best) - 317.793
 

Kandinsky

Member
So no 3DS announcements at TGS so far.... I guess I just don't get it. I mean shouldn't this be about the time that we see the games that started development back when the holy trinity released? There hasn't even been anything small?

The region free handheld is getting them all, and you should be happy about it, I know I am!.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
The biggest blow is that some of these projects are actually headed by renowned producers and directors. It shows how serious they are about the smartphone market.

Right.

I feel the market size results we saw pretty much sealed the deal with projecting where Japan was headed, and Japanese companies would be aware of that ahead of time as they were experiencing the growth themselves.

Now, I don't mean to imply there won't be anything but smartphone games, but I don't think it will be surprising if we see a trend that mirrors this generation where there was a gradual shift of resources from home consoles to handhelds, except here it will be home consoles/handhelds to phones/tablets.

The biggest games (mainline FF, Metal Gear, Resident Evil) and the smallest games (Nippon Ichi, Gust) were the majority of exceptions to that, and I expect the same to happen here. We did see some major titles shift over to handhelds like Dragon Quest though, namely if they felt the handheld audience made more sense for them than the console audience. It's possible we will see some larger franchises that fit really well with phones make the plunge, but I don't expect that until another year or two once the current crop of phone games with high end staff come out and the companies making them see the results and work from there.

So far the trend has obviously been positive sales feedback given the ever increasing amount and quality of resources getting poured into phones.

iPhones are region-free?

If you change your account, yes.
 

Chris1964

Sales-Age Genius
Doesn't Nintendo always have a conference/big Direct in September? They have for the last few years, at least.

Nintendo had this year's September Direct a few months earlier. I wouldn't expect another important one with new (first party) titles soon since they have revealed almost everything they have for this and next year. Next Directs will focus on the upcoming titles.
 
Black / White didn't have big supply problems at launch. If Nintendo does the same again maybe X / Y will come close to its opening.

The big spanner in the works is the simultaneous worldwide launch. I struggle to imagine Nintendo having 2.5 million copies in the first shipment with the rest of the world needing them too.

X and Y are absolutely amongst the biggest launches that Nintendo have ever had to plan. I can see major supply problems.

Nintendo had this year's September Direct a few months earlier. I wouldn't expect another important one with new (first party) titles soon since they have revealed almost everything they have for this and next year. Next Directs will focus on the upcoming titles.

The E3 Direct is the only one that even remotely fits that description, and that hardly counts. Nintendo have been perfectly capable of having a E3 conference and an autumn conference in previous years.

3DS's 2014 lineup is a big question mark for Japan. We have possible Smash, ALTTP2 and Yoshi. What else? I agree that it's unlikely that we see major Wii U reveals, but big reveals of 3DS Kirby, Rhythm Tengoku, Fire Emblem sequel and whatever else are worthy of the big showcase.
 
Degeki numbers so no

So it could be even higher. Thats pretty insane.

Nintendo had this year's September Direct a few months earlier. I wouldn't expect another important one with new (first party) titles soon since they have revealed almost everything they have for this and next year. Next Directs will focus on the upcoming titles.

If this is true then that is very disappointing
for the WiiU
. What about Monolith's 3DS game?
 

Oregano

Member
The region free handheld is getting them all, and you should be happy about it, I know I am!.

I don't know Japanese and really don't have the drive to learn it so it means nothing to me.

I'm very happy with my 3DS(although it could do with more RPGs) I'm just utterly shocked at how little support it is getting considering how dominant it is. Imagine if the Gamecube got nearly the same amount of support as the PS2, only missing the very biggest brands; that is basically what is happening.
 
I do wonder if we'll be seeing more original "traditional" gaming experiences popping up on mobiles starting next year. For all the talent and all the new IP being invested into the currently announced batch of titles they're all still pretty much IAP black holes.
 

Busaiku

Member
Didn't ArcSys announce like 3 3DS RPGs for TGS?
Yes, technically it was before TGS, but they were announced with that in mind.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Didn't ArcSys announce like 3 3DS RPGs for TGS?
Yes, technically it was before TGS, but they were announced with that in mind.

When I make my list I intend to include everything in the TGS window, including things like this, since I think it's totally fair to consider things announced and then primarily revealed at TGS as TGS reveals.
 
I don't know Japanese and really don't have the drive to learn it so it means nothing to me.

I'm very happy with my 3DS(although it could do with more RPGs) I'm just utterly shocked at how little support it is getting considering how dominant it is. Imagine if the Gamecube got nearly the same amount of support as the PS2, only missing the very biggest brands; that is basically what is happening.

I don't get this. Its not like Vita is getting tons of third party support.
 

Chris1964

Sales-Age Genius
The E3 Direct is the only one that even remotely fits that description, and that hardly counts. Nintendo have been perfectly capable of having a E3 conference and an autumn conference in previous years.

3DS's 2014 lineup is a big question mark for Japan. We have possible Smash, ALTTP2 and Yoshi. What else? I agree that it's unlikely that we see major Wii U reveals, but big reveals of 3DS Kirby, Rhythm Tengoku, Fire Emblem sequel and whatever else are worthy of the big showcase.

Most important 3DS Direct was at April.

Bottom line Nintendo uses random Directs to reveal new titles. Retailer meetings have zero value anymore and Fall / E3 conferences have taken the same route.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
The Vita has a lot of third party support in terms of volume, but not much in terms of profile (especially for exclusives).
 
Right.

I feel the market size results we saw pretty much sealed the deal with projecting where Japan was headed, and Japanese companies would be aware of that ahead of time as they were experiencing the growth themselves.

Now, I don't mean to imply there won't be anything but smartphone games, but I don't think it will be surprising if we see a trend that mirrors this generation where there was a gradual shift of resources from home consoles to handhelds, except here it will be home consoles/handhelds to phones/tablets.

The biggest games (mainline FF, Metal Gear, Resident Evil) and the smallest games (Nippon Ichi, Gust) were the majority of exceptions to that, and I expect the same to happen here. We did see some major titles shift over to handhelds like Dragon Quest though, namely if they felt the handheld audience made more sense for them than the console audience. It's possible we will see some larger franchises that fit really well with phones make the plunge, but I don't expect that until another year or two once the current crop of phone games with high end staff come out and the companies making them see the results and work from there.

So far the trend has obviously been positive sales feedback given the ever increasing amount and quality of resources getting poured into phones.

Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how this pans out. A year ago I fully expected publishers to overcrowd the market with cheap social, f2p cash-ins but they seem to have realized that it's not a sustainable business model. I wonder how the smartphone userbase will react to these higher quality releases and how high publishers can go with them. Needless to say, a lot of staff who has previously worked on traditional games will have to adjust to the smartphone market and I can't help but feel that it won't be a smooth transition.
 

allan-bh

Member
So from my perspective, it looks like Media Create undertracked, because if MH4 had a very high sell-through, 1.71 million looks a tad too low to mesh nicely with Capcom's "2 million shipments (+ eShop sales)" figure.

But Media Create don't include download cards, so it's normal the number be lower.
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how this pans out. A year ago I fully expected publishers to overcrowd the market with cheap social, f2p cash-ins but they seem to have realized that it's not a sustainable business model. I wonder how the smartphone userbase will react to these higher quality releases and how high publishers can go with them. Needless to say, a lot of staff who has previously worked on traditional games will have to adjust to the smartphone market and I can't help but feel that it won't be a smooth transition.

I don't know, I'm still seeing lots and lots of f2p IAP poisoned titles being announced for mobile devices so far. Look at Agito, just to say. If things like Matsuno's SRPG will start appearing more and more, then I'll say things are seriously changing. The amount of titles has increased for sure, but social crap / IAP perversions as well, while seriously good titles not that much.
 

Nibel

Member
There is still the second summer update for Wii U coming (lol) which is why I think there should be a small Direct at least

But I don't expect any new first-party announcements for now
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Yeah, it'll be interesting to see how this pans out. A year ago I fully expected publishers to overcrowd the market with cheap social, f2p cash-ins but they seem to have realized that it's not a sustainable business model. I wonder how the smartphone userbase will react to these higher quality releases and how high publishers can go with them. Needless to say, a lot of staff who has previously worked on traditional games will have to adjust to the smartphone market and I can't help but feel that it won't be a smooth transition.
Oh for sure. I don't think transitions are ever easy. I would point to early attempts (and even attempts after a few years) at moving console games to handhelds and a lot of them ended either pretty poorly or didn't live up to expectations, even if the developers had great intentions.

Phantasy Star Zero, Portable Ops, Valkyria Chronicles 2, Kingdom Hearts 385/2 are just a few off the top of my head.

If SMT4 had been announced for DS or PSP in 2009 the forum would have a gigantic fit. By the time it was announced for 3DS it was largely met with open arms.

I don't know, I'm still seeing lots and lots of f2p IAP poisoned titles being announced for mobile devices so far. Look at Agito, just to say. If things like Matsuno's SRPG will start appearing more and more, then I'll say things are seriously changing. The amount of titles has increased for sure, but social crap / IAP perversions as well, while seriously good titles not that much.

I'd cite a lot of this as transitional issues. Most developers and publishers don't know how to adapt their series to mobile in a way that both suits the series well and makes sense financially.

I expect this will take at least several more years to work to a better place.

So why doesn't 3DS have that volume? Quantity helps too.

I suspect Sony is heavily subsidizing Vita development whereas with the 3DS you only launch what you think you will make money on.

That said, the 3DS has a lot of games overall. It just doesn't seem as many as you would expect given its stature as opposed to absolutes.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
I think one of the reason Vita is getting a bigger volume of third party titles is that Sony has left a space wide open for it. 3DS is kind of a 1st/2nd party + monster hunter machine (with exceptions).
 

Busaiku

Member
I'm curious as to why Sega won't develop another Phantasy Star title with both online and offline in mind.
I don't understand why Phantasy Star Online 2 and Phantasy Star Nova are separating them again, when others are creating games with both communities in mind.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
I'm curious as to why Sega won't develop another Phantasy Star title with both online and offline in mind.
I don't understand why Phantasy Star Online 2 and Phantasy Star Nova are separating them again, when others are creating games with both communities in mind.

My theory is they want to use PSN to attract people who don't normally play online and upsell them to PSO2.
 
There is still the second summer update for Wii U coming (lol) which is why I think there should be a small Direct at least

But I don't expect any new first-party announcements for now

didn't we get a whole direct for the last one? and isn't the next one due within the next 11 days?
 

Busaiku

Member
My theory is they want to use PSN to attract people who don't normally play online and upsell them to PSO2.

It just seems to me they'll lose a good base if they have to split them up though.
They could've implemented the F2P features into the online mode, and kept the offline game as is.
But now you'll have to go through the hurdle of creating multiple characters and playing through on both.
By the time Phantasy Star Nova hits, there'll be tons of other hunting action games on both platforms where people don't have to make the extra effort.

It's not like I believe online would be the main draw of these, offline is still definitely the system seller, but when everyone else is doing both, it just seems like they're needlessly adding more competition (with themselves even).
 

Nibel

Member
didn't we get a whole direct for the last one? and isn't the next one due within the next 11 days?

Well, they announced it as "Summer Update", and summer is about to end in several days - so yeah, if they fuck this up again..

I mean delaying games is one thing, delaying necessary updates though?
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
I'd cite a lot of this as transitional issues. Most developers and publishers don't know how to adapt their series to mobile in a way that both suits the series well and makes sense financially.

I expect this will take at least several more years to work to a better place.

Heh, I'd say the main problem is that mobile devices...don't have buttons and analogues. DS and PSP had buttons and analogues, so traditional games had possibility of being transported without losing their roots too much. This doesn't happen on mobile platforms.

And yeah, I know controller adapters will come, but I just can't see the iPhone audience so keen on bringing them everywhere, and for playing 5-10 minutes. Yeah, I feel the current mobile audience, especially after how it has been cultivated, is not that ready for the transation. I have many doubts, both mechanics-wise and audience-wise.

However, I still maintain next gen Nintendo handheld console must have still two screens, but this time both touch, equal in size and not separated; so, the console fully opened becomes a tablet. This + Web Framework + Unity = many, many iOS / Android games that can be very easily ported on the platform without almost any hurdle at all (if they want, just implementing optional buttons / analogs control)...but without the whole gigantic amount of pure crap that pollutes both iOS and Android stores.

And being still on the matter of the next Nintendo handheld, looking at how Vita can get day and date multi releases of quite important / mid-sized PS3 titles too, I think it needs to have the right tools for PS3/PS4 ports, as well as being quite powerful. Not too much, but enough to allowing even more home-like experiences for the Japanese audience, or even more. A Holiday 2016 release should allow to have things like a 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, with 70GB/s as highest value possible with still a 199.99 / 19,900 Yen price in mind. I'm so much convinced power is important, as well as the entering price, that...I'll say I'm even ready to see them throw away the stereostopic 3D. And I'm saying this as one big estimator of 3DS' 3D, but if that can help the platform in being powerful and not expensive, then... ;_;
 
didn't we get a whole direct for the last one? and isn't the next one due within the next 11 days?

Emily Rogers said a while ago it was basically now the Fall Update, so I do not expect it within 11 days. Now early next month? Depends. The Direct yet, hopefully in the first half of October mirroring 2007 and 2008's Fall Conferences, the update, I don't know, they could release it after the Direct is done or a week after (ala the Spring one? I forget).

All I have going for the Fall Direct being in October is Shin'en comments on their Wii U game(s) being unveiled in the next quarter which starts Oct 1st. Since Nano Assault NEO was announced at last year's fall conference for the time-frame estimate.

Nintendo's NEVER had a Fall Conference in Nov or Dec (to my knowledge), and I would certainly expect a Jan Direct ala this year's where X and Wind Waker (and Yarn Yoshi plus SMTxFE). So naturally the Fall Direct would have to be a couple of months or so prior.

Hell, what if the Direct is next week? Considering Nintendo's been game-specific Direct crazy, maybe they will end the month the the BIG ONE.
 

Kandinsky

Member
I'm pretty sure we wont get a fall conference/direct this year, else we would've heard something about it already. At most expect a dedicated Mario and DK direct, I'm even expecting that the so called summer update to get delayed to Dec haha.
 
Well, they announced it as "Summer Update", and summer is about to end in several days - so yeah, if they fuck this up again..

I mean delaying games is one thing, delaying necessary updates though?

I think it got delayed from summer (which ends in 2 days) to by the end of September (11 days)
 
I'm pretty sure we wont get a fall conference/direct this year, else we would've heard something about it already. At most expect a dedicated Mario and DK direct, I'm even expecting that the so called summer update to get delayed to Dec haha.

Nintendo directs are usually done at a day or two's notice at most
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Heh, I'd say the main problem is that mobile devices...don't have buttons and analogues. DS and PSP had buttons and analogues, so traditional games had possibility of being transported without losing their roots too much. This doesn't happen on mobile platforms.
I would point to the few (often really awful) instances of developers trying to make games fit for dual analogs on the DS and the many (often problematic) attempts to put dual analog games on the PSP.

Eventually developers started building games and mechanics that made this make more sense.

And yeah, I know controller adapters will come, but I just can't see the iPhone audience so keen on bringing them everywhere, and for playing 5-10 minutes. Yeah, I feel the current mobile audience, especially after how it has been cultivated, is not that ready for the transation. I have many doubts, both mechanics-wise and audience-wise.
A lot of the PSP games that were rebuilt to a short mission to mirror structure the ideals of portable game often didn't work unless a lot of care was taken.

Eventually developers either figured out a good way to do it or realized that it was okay to target a smaller audience that is interested in playing long games on a portable device, and just accommodating them with systems like save anywhere instead of the 1+ hour apart save points of the PS2 era.

However, I still maintain next gen Nintendo handheld console must have still two screens, but this time both touch, equal in size and not separated; so, the console fully opened becomes a tablet. This + Web Framework + Unity = many, many iOS / Android games that can be very easily ported on the platform without almost any hurdle at all (if they want, just implementing optional buttons / analogs control)...but without the whole gigantic amount of pure crap that pollutes both iOS and Android stores.
I think taking what was unique about the DS (primary screen touchscreen + buttons) and turning it into a PSP with a second screen for map and inventory utilities probably wasn't the best idea for maintaining their identity.

I feel making the internal hardware based on the same parts almost all smartphones and the Vita uses will help them notably in getting ports because everyone can use the exact same technology they do on other platforms, and it's also incredibly cheap, powerful, and power efficient, which are all things that would work well for Nintendo.

As for the actual design of the handheld, I'm a bit more open, as long as it's ultimately designed to offer a quality experience designed to accommodate many forms of modern gaming, has a strong digital connection, variable software pricing, and an attractive hardware price point.

And being still on the matter of the next Nintendo handheld, looking at how Vita can get day and date multi releases of quite important / mid-sized PS3 titles too, I think it needs to have the right tools for PS3/PS4 ports, as well as being quite powerful. Not too much, but enough to allowing even more home-like experiences for the Japanese audience, or even more. A Holiday 2016 release should allow to have things like a 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, with 70GB/s as highest value possible with still a 199.99 / 19,900 Yen price in mind. I'm so much convinced power is important, as well as the entering price, that...I'll say I'm even ready to see them throw away the stereostopic 3D. And I'm saying this as one big estimator of 3DS' 3D, but if that can help the platform in being powerful and not expensive, then... ;_;
Yes, using modern mobile parts would get them very far down this road, simply because almost everyone on earth (including tons of Japanese third parties and even Sony's platform that's receiving lots of ports right now) makes games for that technology, and thus would be very familiar and happy working with it.
 

Oregano

Member
I suspect Sony is heavily subsidizing Vita development whereas with the 3DS you only launch what you think you will make money on.

That said, the 3DS has a lot of games overall. It just doesn't seem as many as you would expect given its stature as opposed to absolutes.

That is probably true. I think whats missing on 3DS is the follow ups after the successes. Life sims and cross media franchises seem to be the two genres where publishers have followed the leaders but I defiinitely would have thought we would see hunting action games after MonHun, SRPGs afer Fire Emblem and traditional RPGs after Dragon Quest and Bravely Default.

It is weird, I think the 3DS has the clear genre king of most genres but tends to be weak overall.
 
The majority are ports. Its definitely building a decent library slowly.

Most Vita ports tend to include additional content or are the most polished version, from what I've seen. Atelier series, Disgaea, Persona 4 Golden, etc.

I like playing certain types of games even better on a handheld.
 
a guy i know told me that MH is nintendo exclusive till march 2014, i called BS since they released and announced games already. he swore by it and was convinced that after MH4 there won't be any MH games on nintendo platforms anymore. lol.
 
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