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NPD August 2011 Sales Results [Update 4: OoT 3D]

test_account

XP-39C²
Not that strong 3DS numbers in my opinion concidering the big pricedrop and that the tracking period for the pricedrop was almost 3 weeks. But i wont talk too much about the success of the 3DS until next year, i must see how it does this holiday season first. If the PS3 can gain sales again after a slow start, then i see no reason for why the 3DS couldnt do it as well :)

I also find it a bit "funny/weird" to see that the successors to the two most succesful gaming systems in gaming history both started of pretty weak compared to their predecessors.
 
test_account said:
Not that strong 3DS numbers in my opinion concidering the big pricedrop and that the tracking period for the pricedrop was almost 3 weeks. But i wont talk too much about the success of the 3DS until next year, i must see how it does this holiday season first. If the PS3 can gain sales again after a slow start, then i see no reason for why the 3DS couldnt do it as well :)

I also find it a bit "funny/weird" to see that the successors to the two most succesful gaming systems in gaming history both started of pretty weak compared to their predecessors.
PS3 was weak compared to PS2 in the equivalent period. 3DS is not weak compared to DS in the same period.

doesn't mean much, but facts is facts.
 

Rolf NB

Member
Kyoufu said:
Deus Ex did poorly because it's a stealth game that isn't called Metal Gear Solid.
Fixed.

Seriously. That's kind of low. The tingling in my hype sensors made me think it'll sell more. A lot more.

And yeah, I know, five days. Doesn't mean much. Everything is frontloaded.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
plagiarize said:
PS3 was weak compared to PS2 in the equivalent period. 3DS is not weak compared to DS in the same period.

doesn't mean much, but facts is facts.
That might very well be, but i was just doing a comparison that both systems have underpreformed much compared to what people in general thought they would sell seeing how succesful their predecessors were :)

I think that what matters the most is how succesful the predessor is when the successor is released. I.e if the PS2 had sold 1 million units in its first year, and then exploded in sales the next 5 years, selling 10 million units each year. I dont think many would have said that the PS3 would have been really successful if it sold 2 million units in its first year because the PS2 only sold 1 million units in its first year. I think most people would have that 10 million number in mind instead. It can be interesting to compare how the systems did at launch though, but i agree that it doesnt mean much in this sense.
 
soundscream said:
How could he be wrong....

Adam Blade said:
Okay, this is why I don't post on the Gaming side anymore.

Every time a new NPD thread pops up, it's all 'doom and gloom' for the PS3 when in reality, the console that is doomed is the Xbox 360. The temporary increase in sales is most likely secondary to two factors. Firstly, buyers are being sucked into the novelty of buying what basically is a re-badged (almost) obsolescent system. As such, once the novelty wears off, people will realize that the Slim is nothing more than a shiny coat of paint on an old jalopy and stop buying. Secondly, a majority of people are buying the discount fire-sale 360 arcades for $150, which have been artificially inflating sales numbers. Since it's not like the Slim is wanted or anything, once the out-of-production models have run dry, I expect sales to drop heavily with each successive month after this plateau month.

...again.

Wow, that was... yeah :p

Anyway, NPD doesn't include every physical location right? Like Walmart for instance? Anyone know what kind of numbers these chains sell? Do they ever release any info?
 
test_account said:
That might very well be, but i was just doing a comparison that both systems have underpreformed much compared to what people in general thought they would sell seeing how succesful their predecessors were :)

I think that what matters the most is how succesful the predessor is when the successor is released. I.e if the PS2 had sold 1 million units in its first year, and then exploded in sales the next 5 years, selling 10 million units each year. I dont think many would have said that the PS3 would have been really successful if it sold 2 million units in its first year because the PS2 only sold 1 million units in its first year. I think most people would have that 10 million number in mind instead. It can be interesting to compare how the systems did at launch though, but i agree that it doesnt mean much in this sense.
DS also vastly underperformed compared to it's predecessor upfront (GBA). More than either PS3 or 3DS have actually, GBA was outperforming PS2 even launch aligned, it was a total beast.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Roland Deschain said:
Anyway, NPD doesn't include every physical location right? Like Walmart for instance? Anyone know what kind of numbers these chains sell? Do they ever release any info?

NPD included Wal-Mart once upon a time. Wal-Mart later closed their POS data to all vendors. Just recently they've been opening up again. NPD does extrapolate for Wal-Mart and always has--the numbers presented by NPD are intended to represent the entire new, physical market.
 

Averon

Member
DE:HR is disappointingly low. And as many suspected, a $50 price cut for the PS3 was too low after 2 years at $299.
 

Ushojax

Should probably not trust the 7-11 security cameras quite so much
Rolf NB said:
Fixed.

Seriously. That's kind of low. The tingling in my hype sensors made me think it'll sell more. A lot more.

The numbers look about right to me for a game following a complete shitfest like Invisible War. I'm sure that game put a lot of people off the franchise altogether. They basically have to rebuild the franchise from scratch.
 

Zeppelin

Member
Those Deux Ex numbers are pretty weak, no? I hope it has some legs. For some reason a prequel to a decade old game feels fresh compared to a lot of the other things that are coming out.

And I guess those 3DS numbers ain't so bad?
 

Luckyman

Banned
Averon said:
a $50 price cut for the PS3 was too low after 2 years at $299.

Depends how much it sold after the price cut for 10 days vs rest of the month. Might have been lower than Wii without
 
Stumpokapow said:
NPD included Wal-Mart once upon a time. Wal-Mart later closed their POS data to all vendors. Just recently they've been opening up again. NPD does extrapolate for Wal-Mart and always has--the numbers presented by NPD are intended to represent the entire new, physical market.

Ah, good to know. I always thought the numbers were incomplete. Now to get a handle on digital sales numbers...
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Roland Deschain said:
Ah, good to know. I always thought the numbers were incomplete. Now to get a handle on digital sales numbers...

NPD now offers a separate report to analyze digital sales, but their access to data is very incomplete and the report isn't really public-facing. One trouble with digital sales is that there's essentially no incentive for major vendors to release data publicly.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
lunchwithyuzo said:
DS also vastly underperformed compared to it's predecessor upfront (GBA). More than either PS3 or 3DS have actually, GBA was outperforming PS2 even launch aligned, it was a total beast.
One might argue that the DS was something relatively new and unproven back in 2004. It also saw more competition from the PSP, which many thought would be very succesful due to the PS2 success. Today touch screen gaming is more than proven, so that isnt a factor anymore. The competition from PS Vita might still be a factor though (if people are waiting for it and not buying a 3DS now).

But yes, this is the reason why i dont want to talk much now about how the 3DS will do in the long run because it can go both ways. There are several of examples where systems have seen sales increase later on in their lifecycle. I will wait at least until early next year.
 

raphier

Banned
BruiserBear said:
I don't know why anyone is surprised. It's not like that franchise is a known quantity outside of the hardcore community.
Guys, don't forget that these numbers aren't worldwide and the game just got released, for god's sake.
 
Stumpokapow said:
NPD now offers a separate report to analyze digital sales, but their access to data is very incomplete and the report isn't really public-facing. One trouble with digital sales is that there's essentially no incentive for major vendors to release data publicly.

Too bad really. I'd like to see some solid numbers for Steam, Xbox live and PSN. I mean, if an xbla title outsold the same one on PSN, you'd think that's something to boast about in their monthly reports.

Also a followup question. I'm haven't bought a game in a store for years. It's all been Amazon or other online stores. Are these also extrapolated in NPD's report? I'm don't live in the US, but still curious.
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Roland Deschain said:
Too bad really. I'd like to see some solid numbers for Steam, Xbox live and PSN. I mean, if an xbla title outsold the same one on PSN, you'd think that's something to boast about in their monthly reports.

GAF member Rlan (Ryan Langley) wrote a blog called Gamerbytes for Gamasutra. It's since been rolled into the main Gamasutra blog. One of the things he covers is XBLA Leaderboards. Of course these are worldwide rather than US and don't match 1:1 with sales (some XBLA games are likely to be played in local co-op like Castle Crashers, and so have more leaderboard entries than sales. Other XBLA games require you to play a specific mode to get on the leaderboards, and so have fewer leaderboard entries than sales), but they're a start.

Here's his 2010 recap:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/32659/InDepth_Xbox_Live_Arcades_2010_Sales_Revealed.php

Here's his most recent 2011 monthly column:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/35958/InDepth_Xbox_Live_Arcade_Sales_Analysis_July_2011.php

He also does similar columns for PSN but there's a lot less data in them and I don't personally follow them.

Also a followup question. I'm haven't bought a game in a store for years. It's all been Amazon or other online stores. Are these also extrapolated in NPD's report? I'm don't live in the US, but still curious.

In 2007 Amazon got added to their tracking, Toys R Us got dropped from their tracking.
 

george_us

Member
BruiserBear said:
I don't know why anyone is surprised. It's not like that franchise is a known quantity outside of the hardcore community.
The game had a pretty decent ad campaign so I was thinking it'd do 500K+.
 
Luckyman said:
Software sales have hit the rock bottom. Deus Ex numbers would be acceptable for one platform
As stated this is for physical copies only. If you include digital distribution, I'm sure the number would be significantly larger.
 

Zen

Banned
Averon said:
DE:HR is disappointingly low. And as many suspected, a $50 price cut for the PS3 was too low after 2 years at $299.

To be fair, NA August 23, 2011 was the release date. It only had a few days of sales. It will very likely put up respectable numbers next month as well.
 
Where are these Adam Blade gems coming from? I can't find the originals. "Gold Jerry, GOLD!".
Am I crazy to think that Gears could triple R3 sales in September even though it's shipping much later?
 

CrunchinJelly

formerly cjelly
antonz said:
There really is no reason at all to keep the DS alive. 3DS does everything the DSi line does and more for basically the same price. Nintendo allowing the GBA to live on even after the PS3 launched was a disaster for the DS's early years as the GBA just would not die.
Nintendo are obviously listening to you... What with them just announcing a pink DSi XL for NA launch this month.
 
DS success is still impeding on 3DS. Once mainstream consumers wake up to the pricepoint and functionality of the newer system, you'll see the transition in sales from one console to the other.
 

Ermac

Proudly debt free. If you need a couple bucks, just ask.
jensen showing em how it's done

deus-ex-takedowns.jpg
 
test_account said:
I also find it a bit "funny/weird" to see that the successors to the two most succesful gaming systems in gaming history both started of pretty weak compared to their predecessors.

Well they both share one common theme... they were way overpriced at launch.
 

Concept17

Member
dragonfart28 said:
DS success is still impeding on 3DS. Once mainstream consumers wake up to the pricepoint and functionality of the newer system, you'll see the transition in sales from one console to the other.

Glad we can all move on to this ray of hope instead now.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
OldJadedGamer said:
Well they both share one common theme... they were way overpriced at launch.
Indeed. Same with the game selection as well to some degree. But i was mostly thinking about that it is "funny/weird" that it happens to both of the best selling gaming system in history with a relatively short period of time between the two systems, eventhough there are legit reasons for why it happened :) Both Nintendo and Sony took a gamble, but it didnt turn out how they wanted they hoped it would be.
 
Technosteve said:
free 360's is counted as a sale? really?
Yes, you go into the store and pick up both a computer and a 360 and both are rung up at the register and you get an instant rebate for the price of the 360. But since it was rung up it still counts as a sale.


user_nat said:
Yup. I'm sure there are millions of students who are willing to spend $700 on a laptop in order to get a 360.
Puppet Shadow said:
Same as the PS3's that came with Bravia TV's and the Vaio laptops.
Yes it's the same idea but an incomparable execution. If Sony started giving away 360s with every TV $700 and up, not just Bravias, during a season where everyone is buying new TVs, then it would be comparable.
 

pvpness

Member
Kinda impressed the Wii is chugging along without any help save the back catalog. Also disappointed that the PS3 is in weird territory right now.

I've got my eye on you HR. Show me more next month.
 
Metal Gear?! said:
Yes, you go into the store and pick up both a computer and a 360 and both are rung up at the register and you get an instant rebate for the price of the 360. But since it was rung up it still counts as a sale.

.

No, nobody knows if NPD counts it or not. Mr usually wrong Pachter implied it was based on hearsay, which means it isn't because Pachters wrong LOL.

Cant believe people are acting like this matters. Are you anticipating some big slowdown of 360 sales when the deal ends in September then? It's not going to happen.

360 was selling more before this supposed deal was counted if anything, proving imo they arent counted. You wouldn't expect sales to decrease if you have a huge deal going on.
 

Chris R

Member
Cool to see OoT chart. I'm loving it so far, even though I haven't gotten around to finishing it just yet. As for the other games that charted... bring on the winter months!
 
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