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April 2012 NPD Sales Results [Up3: Best selling game sold less than 236K, Kid Icarus]

Rad-

Member
These are boring months to release a game. I was really hyped for The Witcher 2 but it's that time of the year when I just don't feel like gaming much so I still haven't actually bought The Witcher 2.
 
I consider it somewhat likely that NPD will delay the results if they are really bad. They delayed May's results a couple of years ago and we got May results in the first week of July and June results the very next week.
Well, hope you're ready to write up two articles in less than a month!!! (you still write those NPD articles, right?)
 

UraMallas

Member
Investers going to inflate that Apple bubble till it burst. Its worth 50 a share at best. Anybody worth there salt knows Apple isnt worth 600 bucks. I keep sayin this.

Sony and Ninty (not so much MS but there included as well) stock droping is damn well founded. Sony has a Movie /TV Production studio and the investers want to see more work on that side and not nessarly Playstation. Ninty is a god damn goner because the wiiu isnt the barn burner. Its a bigger shame for Sony because they finally have a way better product than Adobe when it comes to Video Encoding/Audio until very recently. Investers see the game the rest of the industry is playing and outside of the Privite companies they want nothing to do with EA, nor Activion.

The only reason i havent given up is because X-Com is coming back and Sony has a way stronger studio than Ninty or any of the iOS android boys. Ouside of a few game companies all i see in the east is gambling and icecream (moe/loli bs) and the west facist propaganda (Black Ops) with discredted and disraced milltary folk. but it will sell and sell big.

its a god damn shame and the Investers want out. Im with them too if nothing changes.

This posts sounds like Dick Tracy wrote it.
 
Hasn't April always been an slow month?

I don't find any surprising numbers here.

Games and consoles can't sell gangbusters every month.
 
It's only going to get worse, people. That's what happens in a hit-driven industy, a couple of people make all the money and everyone else starves. Diversification is sorely needed, or else we're heading for a major crash when the next-gen consoles fail to sell in significant numbers.

Oh, and
YWiHU.jpg
 

jvm

Gamasutra.
Well, hope you're ready to write up two articles in less than a month!!! (you still write those NPD articles, right?)
Yes, I do the articles, but they're 1-2 shorter¹ news articles now, not full-blown features.

¹ Not actually shorter. The number of words is generally greater if you add the 2 items each month together.
 

1-D_FTW

Member
Or, maybe just new IP's.

1.) Prototype 2 (sequel)
2.) Kinect Star Wars
3.) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (sequel)
4.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (sequel)
5.) NBA 2K12 (sequel)
6.) The Witcher 2 (sequel)
7.) Mario Party 9 (sequel)
8.) Mass Effect 3 (sequel)
9.) Just Dance 3 (sequel)
10.) MLB 12 (sequel)

This is where you're directed to Binary Domain (20,000) numbers. Sequels are made for a reason. It's what sells (or sells better).
 
BTW anyone remembers what was Uncharted 1 first NPD month ? I recall it was rather pathetic too and then total sales grew together with PS3 to several millions.

Link to where Uncharted 1 sold several millions according to NPD?

You expect a two year old game to crack the top ten? Good luck. There's no excuse for a lack of a near simultaneous releases in this day and age. Nothing kills hype like time.

There are many older Nintendo Wii games that would still crack the top ten in previous NPDs.
 

Pociask

Member
What the hell is this retailer exclusive doesn't get reported NPD rule? Has this ever come up before? Pretty sure Gamestop is one of the stores on the NPD panel, so they should have exact info. Does NPD not want to step on other retailers toes or something?

Short version - I know they're collecting the data, why aren't they reporting it?
 

Polk

Member
Maybe it's been mentioned, but couldn't the large decline in NPDs be because of digital downloads?
It could be the other way around TBH. Not saying Journey, Trials and Minecraft are bad games but they got better chance thanks to shittier retail month.
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
83K for KI is decent.

Sub 83K for Vita is not.

It's so...holy shit. 3DS did 97k in its third month, and that wasn't good at all...we're in the 70k territory in its third month, it's absolutely depressing.
 

Bruno MB

Member
Kid Icarus: Uprising

Japan - 262k
US - 218k

Total - 480k

Including Europe it must have sold 600k units worldwide, it will easily reach the 1 million milestone.
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
Kid Icarus: Uprising

Japan - 262k
US - 218k

Total - 480k

Including Europe it must have sold 600k units worldwide, it will easily reach the 1 million milestone.

It'll have legs, too ( Iwata want it to be a long seller, the European Panini's partnership and the various tournaments go in this direction )
 

alphaNoid

Banned
It's only going to get worse, people. That's what happens in a hit-driven industy, a couple of people make all the money and everyone else starves. Diversification is sorely needed, or else we're heading for a major crash when the next-gen consoles fail to sell in significant numbers.

Oh, and
YWiHU.jpg

I agree, but thats where XBLA/PSN come in and fill some kind of a gap. Not the best solution mind you, but a good stop gap.
 
I agree, but thats where XBLA/PSN come in and fill some kind of a gap. Not the best solution mind you, but a good stop gap.

XBLA and PSN used to be a fill for this gap, but it, along with other indy markets, is also becoming a hit business with higher and higher and higher budgets with more and more and more competition and sequelitis.
And it will happen to the IPad/Iphone market next if we don't learn from our mistakes, if it's not too late.
 
This is where you're directed to Binary Domain (20,000) numbers. Sequels are made for a reason. It's what sells (or sells better).

...as if Binary Domain ever had a chance with that name and level of promotion. It's probably not wise to use that as an example for your point, but I don't disagree with you.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
Or, maybe just new IP's.

1.) Prototype 2 (sequel)
2.) Kinect Star Wars
3.) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (sequel)
4.) Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 (sequel)
5.) NBA 2K12 (sequel)
6.) The Witcher 2 (sequel)
7.) Mario Party 9 (sequel)
8.) Mass Effect 3 (sequel)
9.) Just Dance 3 (sequel)
10.) MLB 12 (sequel)

New IPs come with new hardware. Right now everybody is just waiting for the next Call of Duty, or Assassin's Creed, or whatever annualized junk is out there.

New hardware isn't just a new shiny box. It's a way for the industry to reset itself. New technology, new ideas, customers looking for something new.
 
I think the main reason for low sales is there isn't really anything new and good that came out this month. Most of the high quality titles that did come out don't have mass appeal like the Witcher 2 and Xenoblade.
 
New IPs come with new hardware. Right now everybody is just waiting for the next Call of Duty, or Assassin's Creed, or whatever annualized junk is out there.

New hardware isn't just a new shiny box. It's a way for the industry to reset itself. New technology, new ideas, customers looking for something new.

You and the people that think this are in for a world of disappointment soon enough.
 
...as if Binary Domain ever had a chance with that name and level of promotion. It's probably not wise to use that as an example for your point, but I don't disagree with you.

Having played and beaten BD, I don't see why it's anymore deserving of high game sales than the ones that did sell. It's not great. It's OK. I can't blame people for not wanting to buy it based off the demo.
 

StevieP

Banned
You and the people that think this are in for a world of disappointment soon enough.

Uh, no... the assertion that new hardware often brings "new IP" risks in their launch period is quite accurate.

Game Analyst said:
On to your second point. As long as people continue to only make sequels, the industry will continue declining. Especially in a market when there are so many other forms of entertainment at the finger tips of consumers.

As long as games cost as much as they do to develop, with publishers struggling financially, the 'safe' bet (such as sequels) are the ones that will be greenlit. The risk aversion will grow as the costs rise.
 

Chaplain

Member
This is where you're directed to Binary Domain (20,000) numbers. Sequels are made for a reason. It's what sells (or sells better).

Games like Binary Domain are not advertised correctly anymore.

On to your second point. As long as people continue to only make sequels, the industry will continue declining. Especially in a market when there are so many other forms of entertainment at the finger tips of consumers.
 

diffusionx

Gold Member
You and the people that think this are in for a world of disappointment soon enough.

Maybe. But 4 of the 10 games on that list were from franchises new to this gen (Prototype, Mass Effect, The Witcher, and Just Dance). Two more were certainly around last gen but weren't even close to where they are now (COD and MLB). Kinect Star Wars, for better or worse (worse), was not possible last-gen.

I don't know what will happen with new hardware. But I know this generation has gone on too long and we are seeing exactly what happens with too-long generations. It reminds me of Genesis in 1995.
 

Saty

Member
Witcher 2 is pretty much a new ip for the 360 crowd but it seems they failed in rallying behind it despite the very positive review and being a graphical benchmark.
 

Joni

Member
New IPs come with new hardware. Right now everybody is just waiting for the next Call of Duty, or Assassin's Creed, or whatever annualized junk is out there.
In 2005 Sony launched this little game called God of War, four years after the launch. Kinect Adventures came in 2010. LittleBigPlanet came in 2008. Heavy Rain in 2010. Demon's Souls. Professor Layton. Metal Gear Solid in 1998. Dead Space. Guitar Hero. All million-sellers.

You don't need to launch a new franchise with the launch of a new console. A fantastic new franchise can succeed anytime in a generation. You just need to have companies that realize this.
 

TheKurgan

Member
I agree with the whole generation fatigue effect. I have pretty much stopped buying games for my consoles and have moved solely to PC. Hell my PS3 has a dead dual shock that I refuse to replace so I haven't gamed on it since GT5 came out. Really waiting for E3 to see what the next year holds in store. Hopefully someone shows off some new hardware to get me excited again.

I also have been holding off buying anything simply because Diablo III was coming in May. Diablo III might be the only game I buy (excluding the Steam Summer Sale) until we start getting into the AAA fall releases.
 

Mario007

Member
I'm not asking for an assumption, I'm asking for a link that shows it sold several millions in NPD.

No one actually said it sold several millions in NPD, only that it had abysmal first month in NPD only to go on to sell millions.

But yeah if you won't accept a simple assumption of selling millions based on the fact that the franchise with 3 console games and one launch vita game selling 17 million units, then I can't really do much better than that.
 
Maybe. But 4 of the 10 games on that list were from franchises new to this gen (Prototype, Mass Effect, The Witcher, and Just Dance). Two more were certainly around last gen but weren't even close to where they are now (COD and MLB). Kinect Star Wars, for better or worse (worse), was not possible last-gen.

I don't know what will happen with new hardware. But I know this generation has gone on too long and we are seeing exactly what happens with too-long generations. It reminds me of Genesis in 1995.

But thanks to nostalgia's inability to fade, the nostalgia compounds. Those 4 out of 10 games you mentioned aren't going anywhere, and just compound with the already "rich" amount of nostalgia and IPs in the market that has compounded more and more and more with each year, with each gen, with each relentless "fan."

It's all we have left now, if you haven't noticed...be it nostalgia for things 25 years old and tired or 6 years old and just as tired. New stuff will come, of course, but there is less and less room for it and it's not because of a lack of tech or a lack of new hardware. Hit business is hit business.

If you haven't noticed from Gaf's opinions, there simply aren't ENOUGH sequels to quench their thirst. Why aren't they making a new _____ or a new _____. You know what I miss? ______ and ______. Sequels have actually gotten in the way of more sequels. Too many IPs to make in an 8 year cycle.

We call them IPs now...as if marketers, it's gotten that bad.
 
These are boring months to release a game. I was really hyped for The Witcher 2 but it's that time of the year when I just don't feel like gaming much so I still haven't actually bought The Witcher 2.

Same here, I havent played a console game since Mass Effect 3, just been netflixing on my ps3 and portable gaming a bit.
 
No one actually said it sold several millions in NPD, only that it had abysmal first month in NPD only to go on to sell millions.

But yeah if you won't accept a simple assumption of selling millions based on the fact that the franchise with 3 console games and one launch vita game selling 17 million units, then I can't really do much better than that.

This is an NPD thread. NPD doesn't count bundles and who knows how and why sales numbers are inflated when they come from a first party. I was only asking for a link to an unbiased third party to show the sales of a game in NPD in a NPD thread. While UC1 sold well, I don't see it at all pushing 3 million in the US.
 

1-D_FTW

Member
I'm missing something. So it's confirmed Vita sold less than 83k? Not that I'm surprised. I was expecting last month to be worse. And radio silence from both Sony and Nintendo had me expecting some rather crummy numbers.
 

jett

D-Member
Sony either bites the bullet and cuts the Vita's price aggressively or they let it die a slow death. If they don't announce a pricedrop by E3 it's over for this little handheld.
 
Doesn't sound like this "crash" has hit XBLA (and to a smaller degree, PSN). XBLA games have broken sales records two months in a row.
 
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