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August 2008 NPD Article (Edge Online)
- Thread starter jvm
- Start date
I used the word painful because that's how I feel about Sony's situation. I want all three companies to do well, and I think they have good products to sell. But Sony's in a waiting game that's going to be painful to sit through.PSGames said:
If they stick to their guns, they will be castigated for letting the Xbox 360 and Wii walk all over them during Holiday 2008. It doesn't matter that Sony may be focused on Holiday 2009, 2010, etc. because during the next few months we will likely see all kinds of talk about their refusal to cut prices.
If they cut the price, they'll have a better PR image, but you guys are exactly right that they will pay when the quarterly and annual figures are tallied up. Even though a price cut might have helped them do well during Holiday 2008, watching them get roasted alive when they report their annual figures in the spring will be... painful!
That's what I meant. I don't necessarily favor one path over the other, but either way: pain.
Slightly Live
Dirty tag dodger
Guled said:
Well?
Chumly said:
Yeah, in the simsexchange it didn't show in January http://www.thesimexchange.com/blogpost.php?post_id=474
That's why i didn't know the numbers. I think Vesperia can reach the 100k.
Imo Infinite Undiscovery will eat away its sales.
Its in the GAF sales threads if you want to go back and look.WrikaWrek said:
EDIT: Heres easiest place to find
Its in the OP for January. Feb numbers are later in the thread
ToV won't have noticeable legs but it should do well as the price drops.
I actually own just about every 360 RPG even though I don't own the system itself because the market price for them collapses so fast.
I got Enchanted Arms and Blue Dragon for less than $10 and ES and LO for less than $20. I will get ToV and Fable 2 when I find them for cheap too.
I actually own just about every 360 RPG even though I don't own the system itself because the market price for them collapses so fast.
I got Enchanted Arms and Blue Dragon for less than $10 and ES and LO for less than $20. I will get ToV and Fable 2 when I find them for cheap too.
Grecco said:
Personally, i think they should bet on spring releases for these games in the west. I don't see anything good coming from releasing a JRPG close to a Mercenaries 2 and a Star Wars force unleashed, here at least.
I think the genre might have less appeal now, but i also think these release dates aren't helping.
Zombie James
Banned
So past PS2 owners = current 360/PS3 owners? And that makes Wii owners...?
OldJadedGamer
Banned
The Faceless Master said:
D'oh!!! After the NPD thread and correcting so many people over and over about the "price cut" I thought they made the same mistake.
Reading FTW.
Yes. People who played Madden on the PS2/Xbox are quite likely to play it again on the PS3/X360. I am not sure I would believe that the 400,000 extra PS3/X360 Madden owners this year are completely new to consoles, but I would believe they were previously PS2/Xbox owners._leech_ said:
But, hey, tell me where you think those 400,000 new Madden HD owners came from. :^)
The Faceless Master
Member
also, people always say X game "only had X days" to sell. come on, how often has this actually mattered? almost never.
jj984jj said:Really? Dramatically? I guess I don't know how well S-E is promoting IU in the US but reception will definitely hurt sales.
Theres already a tremendous amount of TV commercials for IU in the US. I dont think reception will hurt it. Well maybe. I was at Gamestop the other day and the clerk told me it was garbage and that TOV was way better.
FateBreaker
Member
Vesperia 
why don't people like great games.
why don't people like great games.
Jamesfrom818
Banned
Poor Vesperia. I love you nonetheless.
So much for America saving JRPG sales, which is probably what Namco was banking on. They knew damn well sales are severaly limited in Japan with the 360's userbase. But holy crap, 33k with 11 million consoles, might as well pretend the market never existed in the first place. Seriously, if the market for JRPGs keeps dropping like this, pretty soon we are going to have a lot of "JRPG for Japan Only".
BishopLamont
Banned
Sorry Microsoft, you can't buy love with money.
The fanbase just isn't there.
You can fool people into thinking the game is of a different genre (see Mass Effect, Oblivion, Post Apocalypse Oblivion, Lost Odyssey ads) but you can't get the core Xbox audience to play themselves some RPG. Too busy with shooter/action game of the month or Madden.
You can fool people into thinking the game is of a different genre (see Mass Effect, Oblivion, Post Apocalypse Oblivion, Lost Odyssey ads) but you can't get the core Xbox audience to play themselves some RPG. Too busy with shooter/action game of the month or Madden.
when has any of that mattered to people who walk into a shop and buy games without doing research on the internet/through magazines? Advertising > all. Doesn't matter if you make the greatest game in the world, if you don't tell anyone, it won't sell. Scamco should be shot for not advertising Vesperia betterCase said:Yea, Abyss is a better game if you like endless back tracking, horrible pacing, and annoying ass terminology being shoved down your throat at all times
PantherLotus
Professional Schmuck
Awesome work as always, Matt.
Regarding Madden sales, would you contend that the market (males 18-25) determined its lack of Wii sales, or do you think EA's casual focus may have fallen flat with potential Wii buyers? In short, do you think it says more about the Wii audience or about 3rd party thoughts about the Wii audience? I'd love to read a deeper analysis about this.
Regarding console pricing, would you suggest that MS' pricing structure for its lowest-tier unit has worked, and do you think that Sony should have sold a similarly-gutted version of the PS3? I'm not sure it would have been possible, but if --as most of us contend-- Sony's vision for the PS3 was a trojan horse for blue ray, then shouldn't they have been willing to take an even bigger loss to insure success? I would have started at $399 from day one.
Regarding Madden sales, would you contend that the market (males 18-25) determined its lack of Wii sales, or do you think EA's casual focus may have fallen flat with potential Wii buyers? In short, do you think it says more about the Wii audience or about 3rd party thoughts about the Wii audience? I'd love to read a deeper analysis about this.
Regarding console pricing, would you suggest that MS' pricing structure for its lowest-tier unit has worked, and do you think that Sony should have sold a similarly-gutted version of the PS3? I'm not sure it would have been possible, but if --as most of us contend-- Sony's vision for the PS3 was a trojan horse for blue ray, then shouldn't they have been willing to take an even bigger loss to insure success? I would have started at $399 from day one.
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
Maybe if Namco actually advertised ToV once in awhile they would have seen some decent results. I mean good lord if anything it would have spared me from seeing that awful SC4 ad every five minutes.
titiklabingapat
Member
Re: 4 days
People really expect this one to have legs? JRPGs are probably one of the most front loaded genres out there.
People really expect this one to have legs? JRPGs are probably one of the most front loaded genres out there.
PantherLotus said:
Considering how low production was on the 20 GB you'd be asking for what, 200 dollars of loss over 4 million plus systems? Almost another billion on top of what they already sunk into it by keeping it at $599?
Not doable. That's crazy.
I don't they could have swung it even if they cut the card readers, wifi, BC, bluetooth controllers, usb ports, and anything else you can think of.
B-Rad Lascelle
Banned
By all accounts, ToV has sold incredibly well. Blame the low numbers on Namco undershipping the title and not saving 1/20th of Soul Calibur IV's advertising budget for it.
B-Rad Lascelle
Banned
90% Soccer Moms... 10% Prior Gamecube Owners_leech_ said:
Man God said:
It's probably not a console-specific issue, but more of region-wide problem. On the western front, PS3 typically pulls in half of the 360 numbers, so for Vesperia, that'd be like half of 33k...so basically nothing. But hey, 300-400k sales are very possible for popular titles on the PS3 in Japan alone. That could be worth some sort of consolation. Eh, wouldn't surprise me one bit if Trusty Bell in PS3 alone ends up passing Vesperia worldwide sales...
By all accounts, it sold 33k in 4 days.
It's very hard to say what exactly that means.
4 days isn't very long.
However for a niche rpg with a rabid following the front is very loaded.
It's not going to rank in September, so hopefully someone will ask and the number will be posted. So maybe it will do pretty well.
I see it as a Tales game, on a shooter box, with zero advertising. Even the GCN game had the justification of being a very hyped game on an RPG starved box that also did fairly well among critics. 360 isn't quite so starved, the game had no advertising, but it does at least have some critical acclaim.
I wouldn't expect much.
It is a regional/perception issue. Sony thought they had the eastern market all wrapped up so they focused all their development on western style games. The tech savvy crowd that they courted with the PS3 wants the big high def explosions and sports games, so they are basically horning in on the Xbox's territory from last gen. But now they are stuck between two sides. They want to compete and beat MS at their own game, but are losing turf when it comes to courting their eastern buddies who just decided to stay it out with the PS2 or go for some quick and reasonable DS cash.
So yeah, PS3 RPGs are going to still do pretty damn well at home and will continue to lose out to MS in the west because MS actively courted these folks at the beginning of the generation.
FF XIII might suck. It might be awesome. But I for one can't wait to see what the US numbers turn up. How many JRPG diehards have been waiting out this gen? How many will come "home" to the PS3? How many will say that $199 is much better than $399 and decide hell, if they are only in it for one game, why not go for a 360?
It's very hard to say what exactly that means.
4 days isn't very long.
However for a niche rpg with a rabid following the front is very loaded.
It's not going to rank in September, so hopefully someone will ask and the number will be posted. So maybe it will do pretty well.
I see it as a Tales game, on a shooter box, with zero advertising. Even the GCN game had the justification of being a very hyped game on an RPG starved box that also did fairly well among critics. 360 isn't quite so starved, the game had no advertising, but it does at least have some critical acclaim.
I wouldn't expect much.
Syntek said:
It is a regional/perception issue. Sony thought they had the eastern market all wrapped up so they focused all their development on western style games. The tech savvy crowd that they courted with the PS3 wants the big high def explosions and sports games, so they are basically horning in on the Xbox's territory from last gen. But now they are stuck between two sides. They want to compete and beat MS at their own game, but are losing turf when it comes to courting their eastern buddies who just decided to stay it out with the PS2 or go for some quick and reasonable DS cash.
So yeah, PS3 RPGs are going to still do pretty damn well at home and will continue to lose out to MS in the west because MS actively courted these folks at the beginning of the generation.
FF XIII might suck. It might be awesome. But I for one can't wait to see what the US numbers turn up. How many JRPG diehards have been waiting out this gen? How many will come "home" to the PS3? How many will say that $199 is much better than $399 and decide hell, if they are only in it for one game, why not go for a 360?
Eteric Rice
Member
Will be interesting to see what happens when the Wii gets the main Tales game. Probably won't do much better in the US, but it'll probably fare much better in Japan.
I could see a lot of RPGs hitting the Wii in 09.
I could see a lot of RPGs hitting the Wii in 09.
BishopLamont
Banned
A nice userbase in America, that totally makes everything fine and dandy!Angelus said:
Angelus said:
I think he was talking about JRPG fans. They've tried massive ad campaigns for Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey and got a few people to pony up the cash. When a company doesn't push a good game (I like ToV better than the other two mentioned) it gets rather more usual numbers. The fans for that game are so far by and large sitting this gen out or going portable.
