• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

EA Estimates PS4/XB1 sales 103M last year (29.4M/73.6M) UPDATE: Microsoft PR Refutes but doesn't supply numbers

bitbydeath

Member
Update: Microsoft has responded to these estimated sales figures in a statement sent to Variety. According to a spokesperson from the company, these numbers are inaccurate, though they did not specify by what margins or how they were inaccurate.

“The projections are inaccurate,” a spokesperson told Variety. “Regardless, we are focused on delivering amazing gaming experiences to players on all devices and engagement is our measure of progress. We just announced a record start to the year with Xbox Live monthly active users up 13% to 59 million.”

https://mspoweruser.com/ea-suggests...million-xbox-one-consoles-by-the-end-of-2017/

I've been waiting for these estimates to come through as people kept previously throwing around the always incorrect VGChartz numbers.

The publisher expects PS4 and Xbox One to “continue to be strong,” and the combined installed base of the two consoles to grow to 130 million units by the end of the calendar year 2018. We also get an estimate of 103 million by December 31st, 2017.

This means that if EA’s estimate is correct, the Xbox One should have sold 29.4 million units by December 31st, 2017, considering that Sony itself estimates to have sold 73.6 million PS4 units by that same date.

Jorgensen also added that the publisher expects the Nintendo switch to have built an installed base of over 30 million by December 21st, 2018.

https://www.dualshockers.com/ea-est...million-year-switch-expected-pass-30-million/
 
Last edited:

bitbydeath

Member
An estimate is still an estimate, but it's good to know that the market is strong.

Certainly is, but there is a large difference between an estimate from a professional company vs an estimate from VGChartz who are well known to fudge numbers.
 

joe_zazen

Member
EA #s are install base, not units sold so you cant just subtract Sony’s sell through numbers to get xbox. X is prolly around 35.
 
These numbers arent representative of the actual sales of each console.
It's weird because EA said the installed base at the end of calendar 2016 was 79 million. Now they say the installed base is 103 million at the end of 2017.

So if we look at the numbers Sony provided.
PS4 was at 53.4m at the end of 2016. That would put Xbox One around ~25.6m.
PS4 was 73.6m at the end of 2017. That would put Xbox One around ~29.4m

So EA is estimating that Xbox One sold around 3.8m units in 2017. But the Xbox One sold more than that in the US alone.

So the numbers don't add up
. Perhaps they're excluding some territory or maybe Pro/OneX?

As I stated in prior threads, the Xbox One installed base is over 35 million globally.

I'm not sure what the reason is for the discrepancy with EA's estimates.

It could be it excludes Pro/One X numbers.
It could be that EA excludes a territory like Japan (they used to do this last generation)
It could be that EA estimates PS4 at a lower number. (Which would be weird given Sony release the official numbers)
It could be that installed base =/= sell through in EA's eyes. So replacement consoles sold wouldn't count and only people actively using consoles would count?

EA's estimates aren't wrong. I'm just fairly certain one of the above things is true.

Ultimately what we do know is PS4 sell through was 73.6m at the end of 2017. Xbox One is less than half of that total which shows the big gap between the two in terms of sales. But that's something that has been known for a long time.

These are from ZhugeEX on the other forum.
 

toker818

Banned
Damn I bet the ps4 will reach 130 to 150 million units sold in its 10 year life cycle like the ps2 congratulations sony you did it again
 

Mohlman

Neo Member
No wonder Microsoft doesn't release sales figures...

Microsoft have a monumental task ahead of them for next generation.
 
No wonder Microsoft doesn't release sales figures...

Microsoft have a monumental task ahead of them for next generation.
They really dont. The ps4 could be outselling the xbox by 100 right now and all a new generation would mean is that microsoft has a chance to reset. Every ps2 fanboy thought the 360 was gonna flop too. The ps5 wont have the advantage of bad publicity helping win xbox owners over to sony before the xbox one had even launched. The ps5 wont have the advantage of being a more powerful console at a cheaper cost. Really all microsoft needs to do is have a killer launch title to turn some heads while also not stumbling out of the starting gate. If the system is good and microsoft actually has some good games (which people need to remember the xbox one had some decent exclusives early on) the ps5 isnt going to simply run away with next gen like they did this gen.
 
Xbox has to be higher than that. But if you discount any Scorpio's sold it might be closer to true.
 
Last edited:

kyubajin

Member
They really dont. The ps4 could be outselling the xbox by 100 right now and all a new generation would mean is that microsoft has a chance to reset. Every ps2 fanboy thought the 360 was gonna flop too. The ps5 wont have the advantage of bad publicity helping win xbox owners over to sony before the xbox one had even launched. The ps5 wont have the advantage of being a more powerful console at a cheaper cost. Really all microsoft needs to do is have a killer launch title to turn some heads while also not stumbling out of the starting gate. If the system is good and microsoft actually has some good games (which people need to remember the xbox one had some decent exclusives early on) the ps5 isnt going to simply run away with next gen like they did this gen.
And actually have games, PS4 is destroying Xbone in the games department and that has certainly contributed to its undeniable supremacy this generation.
 

thelastword

Banned
Would have assumed XB1 was in the ~35M range...
Shipped vs Sold.....

Damn, at this rate the switch may really outsell the one by this time next year
Just shows that a stellar first party stable is so important to any console doing well. I mean switch launched in March 2017 and it's scheduled to be at 30 million in less than two years on the market come Dec 2018.

Third parties don't dictate the console installbase, neither does console power. Now gamessssss? Yes......
 

N1tr0sOx1d3

Given another chance
They really dont. The ps4 could be outselling the xbox by 100 right now and all a new generation would mean is that microsoft has a chance to reset. Every ps2 fanboy thought the 360 was gonna flop too. The ps5 wont have the advantage of bad publicity helping win xbox owners over to sony before the xbox one had even launched. The ps5 wont have the advantage of being a more powerful console at a cheaper cost. Really all microsoft needs to do is have a killer launch title to turn some heads while also not stumbling out of the starting gate. If the system is good and microsoft actually has some good games (which people need to remember the xbox one had some decent exclusives early on) the ps5 isnt going to simply run away with next gen like they did this gen.

You seem to be forgetting about 1) Brand loyalty 2) Brand ecosystem.

For example, I have mainly bought digital games this gen due to consistent sale pricing. Why would I switch to Xbox next gen when I have spent £100s on digital content which I should be able to enjoy on PS5?
 
And actually have games, PS4 is destroying Xbone in the games department and that has certainly contributed to its undeniable supremacy this generation.
Well yeah. The necessary condition is having games, but if MS can do that, it wouldn't surprise me to see xbox regain a good chunk of ground that they lost this gen. It's all fantasy land at this point, but I don't believe the task is so monumental.
You seem to be forgetting about 1) Brand loyalty 2) Brand ecosystem.

For example, I have mainly bought digital games this gen due to consistent sale pricing. Why would I switch to Xbox next gen when I have spent £100s on digital content which I should be able to enjoy on PS5?
That's fair. We'll have to see what Sony does with the ps5. Personally i don't think there is any way they move forward without BC, but stranger things have happened.
 

mckmas8808

Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
That's the thing, really. Without MS releasing actual sales figures, all we have are estimates. They did release them last gen though - take that however you will.

Hmmmm.....I take that as EA is probably right considering I wouldn't want to release that 29.4 million figure either if I was MS. They are 4 years in and hadn't sold 30 million consoles. Considering they sold over 80 million last gen, I see why they are tracking other measurements for their success.
 

Dabaus

Banned
I don't know if places like gamestop can report on returned consoles or analogues companies like gamestop across the globe but I don't think its hard to believe there could be a lot of returned Xboxes. Like is it hard to believe last year in the spring when the switch and PS4 exclusives like Horizon, Neir, and Persona 5 dropped that a lot of gamers decided to trade in an xbox for a ps4 or switch? Perhaps Most Scorpio sales aren't going towards new owners but rather people just upgrading from regular to Scorpio? So yeah while MS gets the 'sale" of 2 Xboxes from one person the regular xbox is either traded in at gamestop or on a shelf not in use.
 

Codes 208

Member
That's the thing, really. Without MS releasing actual sales figures, all we have are estimates. They did release them last gen though - take that however you will.
Well the 360 hit 30mil in 2009, so that being 4 years off from release, thats not that far off the line with xbox one at around the same in 5. Though its pretty clear that MS hit a lull and they really need to push their first party teams like, yesteryear
 
You seem to be forgetting about 1) Brand loyalty 2) Brand ecosystem.

For example, I have mainly bought digital games this gen due to consistent sale pricing. Why would I switch to Xbox next gen when I have spent £100s on digital content which I should be able to enjoy on PS5?

I won’t put all my eggs in the BC basket for Sony until I see. It seems like it’s too obvious to have it, but you never know. Sony might end up opting for no PS4 compatability with PS5 because of security reasons.
 

Trogdor1123

Gold Member
Wish we got pro and X numbers. I have a pro and love it but it's a shallow comparison to the X.

If they both do well though it means we may get them next gen as well. If that happens, I'll just wait for the refresh myself.
 

bitbydeath

Member
Yeah, it seems like they have been at the 30ish million range for awhile now. So it being under 30 million just seems odd.

The 29M doesn’t include sales from this year. Last year they were in the lower 20’s and most months in America they were hitting around 100,000 and that is their by far biggest performer. At that rate it could take anywhere between 7-9 months to simply reach 1 million.

I think people just overestimate because they see what the US is doing and expect similar numbers everywhere which is not the case.
 

Jigsaah

Gold Member
One thing is for sure. PS4 is in the lead. There is another thing that equally telling. Xbox's overall contribution to Microsoft's revenue. They are making boat loads of cash in the billions despite all this negative press and biased media.

I'm curious about if you compare the 2 systems based on revenue made within the same time period, would it be on a more level playing field. If that's is the case, then that is really telling about Sony's attachment and engagement rate. In the age of GASS this may end up being the more telling measurement of success. While, at least in the beginning of a console generation, both Sony and Microsoft tend to lose money on all console sales for the first couple of years.

Basically, it's not so cut n dry anymore.
 
I'm curious about if you compare the 2 systems based on revenue made within the same time period, would it be on a more level
Xbox makes about 7.4B and Playstation makes about 10.4B in revenue. (dont remember the decimal number but its around that).
Meaning Xbox with about 35M units can and does compete when it comes to revenue vs a system about to hit 80M (I still think the numbers from EA are wrong/not the full thing)

Units sold is very important but how active and how much people spend on those units is way more important (since money is made in software and services) which is why I dont think that when they report engagement and MAU its to mislead and lie to the people reading it. Which I think some people do think that when those type of threads come up.
 

bitbydeath

Member
Lol, Bishop...ok. Yeah he doesn’t know.

Sorry, I’d trust his knowledge more given he works in the industry over Vgchartz who adjusts numbers after each official announcement or random strangers on the internet who feel it should be higher cause reasons.
 
Sorry, I’d trust his knowledge more given he works in the industry over Vgchartz who adjusts numbers after each official announcement or random strangers on the internet who feel it should be higher cause reasons.
it should be higher because those numbers dont make sense.
These numbers arent representative of the actual sales of each console.




These are from ZhugeEX on the other forum.
The same thread as Bishop.
 

AgentP

Thinks mods influence posters politics. Promoted to QAnon Editor.
Xbox makes about 7.4B and Playstation makes about 10.4B in revenue. (dont remember the decimal number but its around that).
Meaning Xbox with about 35M units can and does compete when it comes to revenue vs a system about to hit 80M (I still think the numbers from EA are wrong/not the full thing)

Isn't MS reporting revenue for all of gaming, including Windows and mobile?
 
Isn't MS reporting revenue for all of gaming, including Windows and mobile?
xbox has been considered for some time now to be Console,MS Store/Xbox App and Windows Phone(rip).

You dont "play pc" when you get on Sea of Thieves, you are always playing Xbox. Xbox is the gaming brand which also encompasses and originated from consoles but is not limited to that. Personally really like that.
 

Bolivar687

Banned
I'm real happy about how the generation has performed after a lot of the doom and gloom about the future of dedicated consoles. Nintendo reasserting itself is awesome too. The creativity isn't quite where I'd want it but it's good to know that they've done relatively well.
 
You really expect Zhuge to know more than EA?
Seeing how he said it was inaccurrate and gave his reasons as to why that vould be since he knows it has sold more than that then yeah id rather go by what he says instead of numbers that don't even have all the info.

EA knows, doesn't mean the numbers they gave out don't have a piece missing. Could easily see em not even include x and pro. Hell maybe even countries were left off. The question is more about how it's inaccurate not if it is or isnt
 
Top Bottom