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Beyond: Two Souls sells over 1 million copies worldwide

Zen

Banned
I don't know why Halo gets a free pass either, while everyone rags on Aliens: Colonial Marines.
It *might* be because Halo isn't a complete and utter piece of fucking shit, but I could be wrong, who knows?

Yet you have an Alan Wake avatar. :p
 
Great news!

Of course we will :D The PS4 game is already in full-production. Everybody working on it seems quite excited about it and if it is really loosely based on the Kara tech demo as rumoured and goes into a Bladerunner sci-fi direction.....my god....can you imagine the graphics and atmosphere!?

Agreed, that kind of setting with their graphics and atmosphere would be drool worthy. Would love to see it.
 

-Cwalat-

Member
If Playstation Now renting options are any good i'll play Beyond Two Souls, since i don't have a PS3.

What i truly want, though, is a Kara game for the PS4. When i saw that tech demo i thought it would make for a great story. The conversion of human morals and intelligence into robotic beings interests me quite a bit, and that game would've been amazing i'm sure of it interms of choices and what those choices mean comparing robots and humans.
 

Phamit

Member
Thought it would be more, because of the very large advertising campaign. Even The Last of us didnt have this many Tv ads on german television
 

Lime

Member
I am surprised that the sort of audience that likes art-games, personal games, emancipatory games that try to tell personal or human stories did not like Beyond more

Incredibly terrible writing tends to do that in the case of games emphasizing their narrative.
 
I wonder how many people that come and shit in this thread with 'shouldn't have done that well' have even played the game.

Anyway, good, I remember their budget being around $27m so they've almost tripled that really.

Good.
 

rdrr gnr

Member
Not really a fan but broadening the genres is always good...
So broad that it now includes games that aren't games.

kttcolimjpls
 

Lime

Member
The lack of narrative quality aside in this game, I'm at least glad that it did decently sales-wise, as more games that aren't shooters need to exist and prove financially viable.
 
I wonder how many people that come and shit in this thread with 'shouldn't have done that well' have even played the game.

Anyway, good, I remember their budget being around $27m so they've almost tripled that really.

Good.

I don't get your math. Even if they sold 1 million copies at $60 that would be 60 million which isn't even close to triple not to mention that not even half of that is actually profit.
Then there's the fact that a significant number of that was sold below half price, the game was heavily discounted in a lot of places less than 2 months after release. You can pick it up at zavvi for 22 euros for example or around 25 at amazon.co.uk and it has been like that for a while. Playasia did a daily on it before christmas where they shipped over 10000 copies at 18 euros. These are just some examples. Some people need to realize that this isn't as straightforward as they seem to think.

Does the 27 million figure include marketing? If yes that's very impressive. Considering the difference in production values between both games a 4 million increase over HR is pretty damn good. Going literally from nobodies to big hollywood talent for the voice acting for example should have increased costs significantly. Marketing seems to have been significant at least in some countries. I can't help but feel that sony expected more from this. We have access to weekly sales charts for all regions and the game was pretty much a no show.
I hope they managed to at least break even though, it's a very talented studio. David Cage just needs to swollow his pride and hire a writer, these games live and die by their story.
 

bhlaab

Member
1 million copies worldwide isn't really that successful for a AAA game in 2013, especially when the budget includes Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe
 

Bundy

Banned
1 million copies worldwide isn't really that successful for a AAA game in 2013, especially when the budget includes Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe
Heavy Rain:
$21.8 million to make
$52.2 million with Sony's marketing budget added in
--> sold 2 million copies after 2 years ------> made good profit

Beyond - Two Souls:
$27 million to make
? million with Sony's marketing budget added in
--> over 1 million sales after 3 months ------> gonna make good profit again
 

QaaQer

Member
Sometimes I feel that there are only a tiny handful of us on here that can manage the sentiment "hmm, I didn't care for this" rather than the always-popular "this shouldn't even exist and the creators should feel bad and lose their jobs".

I can't stand Bayonetta. At all. Know what I don't do? Shit up Bayonetta threads. I even recognize that the game is probably even good, just not for me.

Yeah, I wonder what need shitting up threads fulfills for some, or why people get angry when others like what they don't.
 

NeoGash

Member
Yet you have an Alan Wake avatar. :p

That's irrelevant, but at least Alan Wake can hide its storytelling flaws behind supernatural elements and the unknown, which is a privilege Heavy Rain cannot be afforded, as it tries so hard to be grounded in reality yet goes so over the top and just plain retarded all the time. Plus it had atmosphere and gameplay, and more open environments I could explore (in comparison to TWD and HR anyway).

EDIT: It's probably confusing why I'm'mentioing Heavy Rain, but it was mostly because I was comparing Telltale to Quantic Dream, and the explanation/example you quoted was me explaining the difference between the two.
 
I don't get your math. Even if they sold 1 million copies at $60 that would be 60 million which isn't even close to triple not to mention that not even half of that is actually profit.
Then there's the fact that a significant number of that was sold below half price, the game was heavily discounted in a lot of places less than 2 months after release. You can pick it up at zavvi for 22 euros for example or around 25 at amazon.co.uk and it has been like that for a while. Playasia did a daily on it before christmas where they shipped over 10000 copies at 18 euros. These are just some examples. Some people need to realize that this isn't as straightforward as they seem to think.

Does the 27 million figure include marketing? If yes that's very impressive. Considering the difference in production values between both games a 4 million increase over HR is pretty damn good. Going literally from nobodies to big hollywood talent for the voice acting for example should have increased costs significantly. Marketing seems to have been significant at least in some countries. I can't help but feel that sony expected more from this. We have access to weekly sales charts for all regions and the game was pretty much a no show.
I hope they managed to at least break even though, it's a very talented studio. David Cage just needs to swollow his pride and hire a writer, these games live and die by their story.
$60 would be the US value, yes. The game was around £40 in the UK when it released ($66 dollars) and according to Amazon.fr the European RRP was €70 ($96). However seeing as we don't know where the sales came from geographically or when they were made (reductions, etc...) it's impossible to gauge it.

I'm not sure about the marketing, not entirely sure why you would ask me. Either that or you're just trying to put that idea forward. The tripled statement wasn't merely profit though, I didn't mean that they've made around $70m profit from the game.
Also, I know this is anecdotal but at my place of work we did sell quite a lot of Beyond when it came out but haven't really sold any since we cut the price of it to the point where I don't think we're restocking after we sell the last few.

I do agree that Sony expected more but I've been in the Beyond: Two Souls threads and they're filled with people joking and pissing on the game without so much as playing it (or at times even owning a PS3) and perhaps this has been part of the problem. More casual folks just hear things and assume they're true.

I heard from friends who are casual that it's 'just a movie and you don't even play it, just choose what happens' just like I've also heard 'I'm buying the Xbox One because the Playstation 4 is so powerful that it'll just blow itself up over time'. Casual gamers are so easily swayed by nonsense information that I think Beyond's sales were maybe part of this.

Which is a shame. I did enjoy the game and it was definitely refreshing.
 

breakfuss

Member
Yeah, I wonder what need shitting up threads fulfills for some, or why people get angry when others like what they don't.

I don't appreciate the drive-by quips either, but not all dissenting opinion = shitting up a thread. This game was pretty polarizing from day 1, so it shouldn't come as a surprise people from both sides have something to say about these impressive numbers. As I said earlier, I'm glad QD is staying committed to this form of storytelling, but I'm also hoping they'll finally move past the novelty of it and give us something truly incredible.
 

QaaQer

Member
I don't appreciate the drive-by quips either, but not all dissenting opinion = shitting up a thread. This game was pretty polarizing from day 1, so it shouldn't come as a surprise people from both sides have something to say about these impressive numbers. As I said earlier, I'm glad QD is staying committed to this form of storytelling, but I'm also hoping they'll finally move past the novelty of it and give us something truly incredible.

Discussing the numbers is great and interesting.

What is not interesting is seeing those coming into a "[blank] passes 1 million in sales" thread to explain to others how and why [blank] game is trash and how nobody should like it, as if game/story quality is a quantifiable measurable scientific fact, and why the game makers are terrible people. It is annoying and odd.

to wit:

1 million of people fooled.

Good job, David.
 

derExperte

Member
Discussing the numbers is great and interesting.

What is not interesting is seeing those coming into a "[blank] passes 1 million in sales" thread to explain to others how and why [blank] game is trash and how nobody should like it, as if game/story quality is a quantifiable measurable scientific fact, and why the game makers are terrible people. It is annoying and odd.

to wit:

The OT had a nice list of things not to write. Like how much you hate David Cage. Too bad something like that is necessary.
 

RoboPlato

I'd be in the dick
So broad that it now includes games that aren't games.

kttcolimjpls

Drive by posts like this are so fucking dumb. Tons of people say it, it's far from an original idea, and it serves no purpose in discussion. One of the most tiresome opinions I've encountered in a long time.
 
1 million copies worldwide isn't really that successful for a AAA game in 2013, especially when the budget includes Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe

Yeah if you're expecting delusional sales like SquareEnix. Even with Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe included, the budget is only 4 million dollars more than Heavy Rain. QD is happy with the sales, I don't know what else you can consider a success. Small AAA games can make profit, Heavy Rain made over 100 million dollars. Not bad for a game with a special kind of gameplay. QD obviously found its audience.
 

yurinka

Member
Well deserved, even if the game had some flaws it was very good and refreshing. Gaming needs more things in AAA other than shooters and space marines on steroids, and it's better to get new mainstream users with this kind of game than with certain casual cheap garbage :)

The game bombed spectacularly, France is probably the only country where it did well relatively to the size of the market.
Sony must've lost a ton of money with this one.
No, if Heavy Rain sold 3 million, to sell 1 million that early (before sales, platinum, essentials etc) is good. Their budget isn't 300 million like GTAV, so they will be clearly profitable.
 
Well deserved, even if the game had some flaws it was very good and refreshing :)


No, if Heavy Rain sold 3 million, to sell 1 million that early (before sales, platinum, essentials etc) is good. Their budget isn't 300 million like GTAV.

When a game with this budget is nowhere to be seen on the charts and can be bought at half price less than 2 months after release then it's a bomb, no way around it. You say before sales when the game has been going for 20 euros for weeks now lol.
 

maverick40

Junior Member
When a game with this budget is nowhere to be seen on the charts and can be bought at half price less than 2 months after release then it's a bomb, no way around it. You say before sales when the game has been going for 20 euros for weeks now lol.

If it is a "bomb" why would the devs even bother to comment about selling a million?

People on here are trying way too hard to shit on this game. Get over it, the game sold well and the devs are happy.
 

Carl

Member
When a game with this budget is nowhere to be seen on the charts and can be bought at half price less than 2 months after release then it's a bomb, no way around it. You say before sales when the game has been going for 20 euros for weeks now lol.

Uh yeah no. If a game makes back its budget and met the developer/publisher expectations then guess what? It isn't a bomb
 
If it is a "bomb" why would the devs even bother to comment about selling a million?

People on here are trying way too hard to shit on this game. Get over it, the game sold well and the devs are happy.

I have nothing to get over unlike you since you're obviously way too defensive about this. I already said that I'm glad they're happy with the results but I don't buy that the game performed according to sony's expectations which is the point I'm trying to make. Go through my entire post history if you want, I've never made a single negative comment about this game or the genre, quite the contrary in fact, I'm just talking about facts but like always people here are too emotionaly invested either way to get a conversation going.
 

MightyKAC

Member
Came to the thread for awesome sales news....

Stayed in the thread for the delicious salty tears.

Great news QD, the game was awesome and here's to it selling a million more. Can't wait to see what they make on the PS4.
 
That's good, didn't necessarily expect it to hit 1m this year!

Don't think highly of the narrative or execution, but it's cool it might still be profitable.
 

QaaQer

Member
I have nothing to get over unlike you since you're obviously way too defensive about this. I already said that I'm glad they're happy with the results but I don't buy that the game performed according to sony's expectations which is the point I'm trying to make. Go through my entire post history if you want, I've never made a single negative comment about this game or the genre, quite the contrary in fact, I'm just talking about facts but like always people here are too emotionaly invested either way to get a conversation going.

Could you post Sony expectations?
 

antipod

Member
Sill have my steelbox version laying around unopened. Was finishing Amalur when it was released and then the PS4 came. Guess I have to find some time soon to play through it... :)

Good for Quantic Dream. Looking forward to whatever they release for the PS4.
 
When a game with this budget is nowhere to be seen on the charts and can be bought at half price less than 2 months after release then it's a bomb, no way around it. You say before sales when the game has been going for 20 euros for weeks now lol.
No. The quick budget price also happened to Tomb Raider and it also wasn't a bomb. It didn't meet the insane expectations by SE by a long shot, but it is profitable at this point. Is Beyond profitable already? Very likely or it will happen soon enough. I've seen no dev celebrating sales numbers if the game is not going to be profitable. Did it meet Sony's expectations? Probably not, you are right, but Beyond came a lot closer than Tomb Raider did for sure. Sony has modest expectations most of the time and is not too unhappy missing them as long as the game at least makes its budget back. Tearaway, Puppeteer and GoW:A likely all missed expectations this year. Does it matter? Not really. You never see Sony complaining unlike SE, because for better or worse, as a platform holder, Sony doesn't care as much. They have to push their consoles and broaden their line-up. That's what primarily matters.

So, since missing expectations and just breaking even on this very likely won't have any consequences whatsoever for Quantic Dream or their relationship with Sony, I'm not sure why you are so invested in calling this game a bomb?

Considering the difference in production values between both games a 4 million increase over HR is pretty damn good.
We already know that QD is extremely efficient at spending and always finishes on time and on budget. Lots of outsourcing, French tax break law, government funding and additional revenue earned by providing mo-cap services to clients like Coca Cola, Ubisoft and Bethesda all help bringing the costs down. Also Page and Dafoe had a rather modest salary and took the job out of interest. Just 3 years ago Page acted in an indie movie that had a total budget of like $10k. You can imagine that money is not primarily motivating her.

David Cage just needs to swollow his pride and hire a writer, these games live and die by their story.
If you read the thread you would know that he already did. In 2012. Two of them.
 
When a game with this budget is nowhere to be seen on the charts and can be bought at half price less than 2 months after release then it's a bomb, no way around it. You say before sales when the game has been going for 20 euros for weeks now lol.

Unless you know for sure that the game will not end up being profitable, you cannot call it a bomb.
 

Chev

Member
But heavy rain is all about rainy setting. Where did you get that from?

Omikron -> dome city on frozen earth
Fahrenheit -> game-wide snow storm, actually the earth freezing
Beyond -> some snowy parts I guess?

Three out of four ain't bad.
 
Have yet to try the game besides the demo and I liked Heavy Rain hopefully I'll give it a try eventually. I still got a ton of other games to play though.
 
1 million copies worldwide isn't really that successful for a AAA game in 2013, especially when the budget includes Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe

Hope it's still a profitable game since i don't know how much money they lost hiring william & elen.
Page and Dafoe had a modest salary. They took the job out of interest.


Incredibly terrible writing tends to do that in the case of games emphasizing their narrative.
Yet you still got enjoyment out if it. At least that's what I thought when I read your review ;)
 

Marc

Member
Quite enjoyed the game, liked Heavy Rain better, but on technical merit alone this game deserves to be played. Its the best looking game available right now in my opinion, never seen anything like it.

Congrats to them, looking forward to their next gen games. Although I do hope they add more gaming elements, puzzle elements would suit them well like The Swapper without it being the focus.
 

Imbarkus

As Sartre noted in his contemplation on Hell in No Exit, the true horror is other members.
What was Heavy Rain's number after six month? Was it long tail that got them the 2.5m on that title?

I always was disappointed we didn't get more downloadable episodes from Heavy Rain because of how QD had to direct all its effort to Move integration.
 
D

Deleted member 80556

Unconfirmed Member
Just speculating. It will take a while before PS Now launches worldwide, so who really knows. Maybe they do both, maybe they don't. I hope for something new from QD at E3 regardless.

Well they did say they were launching in summer.

Though it's possible that they might be compassionate and realize that there are people outside of NA that won't be included in PS Now or that have terrible internet connection and just want the game on PS4.
 

Kuro

Member
Heavy Rain:
$21.8 million to make
$52.2 million with Sony's marketing budget added in
--> sold 2 million copies after 2 years ------> made good profit

Beyond - Two Souls:
$27 million to make
? million with Sony's marketing budget added in
--> over 1 million sales after 3 months ------> gonna make good profit again

There is no way Sony spent that much money marketing Heavy Rain
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Incredibly terrible writing tends to do that in the case of games emphasizing their narrative.

I did not feel that the writing was incredibly terrible. There were definitely moments where it was overwrought or trite, but in general it was clear and lucid and not particularly remarkable in any way on a line-by-line basis. What did you feel was terrible about the writing?
 

KungFucius

King Snowflake
Shit. That means we will get another QTE + Movie from these guys. I would be fine with this as a lower budget indie title, but it's only worth a rental if they want 60 bucks for it.
 
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