LittleBigAgendas: Why didn't the mass market overlook LBP?

[CowGirl]

Whilst LittleBigPlanet has been a hit critically and with the existing fanbase, it seems to be having problems reaching the extended audience.

In simple commercial terms the game is a success for Media Molecule (a team of only 25 people), but it is failing to reach other goals set for it.

Shuhei Yoshida, Sony worldwide studio boss, said: “LittleBigPlanet is going to be the biggest title for Sony in all markets this year” and producer Eric Fong stated it was "going to be a hardware seller".

Looking at its first month's performance, it is simply not hitting these targets.

It positioned 8th in october NPD selling just ~215k copies - not terrible, but not "biggest title" of the year territory.
In Japan it has sold ~80k (still a way from getting through its initial shipment of 130k) and is already out of the top 20.
In its European homeland it crashed out of the top ten in just its second week, and has subsequently slipped further down the charts.

There is no sign that LBP has significantly contributed to hardware sales either.
PS3 sold just 190k in october NPD, way behind 360 (370K) and Wii (800k).
The PS3 is now even being outsold across Europe by the 360 (a reversal of trends here).

Whilst the title might have legs, weekly sales in Japan and Europe show no evidence of this (sales have declined substantially every week, whilst even a struggling mass market game like WiiMusic managed to go back up into the uk top ten this week). It is very unlikely it will appear in next months NPD top ten.

So what went wrong?

Potential factors:

- Sony marketing have been unable to explain the concept of this game to the masses
- People would rather be spoonfed a linear entertainment experience rather than create/search for it
- Excessive moderation and launch problems soured word of mouth
- This is really a hardcore game hiding under a cute graphical exterior
- Platformers are no longer such an appealing genre
- Appears too childish
- Demographics on PS3 are wrong for this title
- Level creation is too complex for the masses


Is this title destined to be just loved by the hardcore and overlooked by the masses? Is there any way that Sony can actually reach the mass market with this title?

 

[Digital Limit]

The core gameplay isn't actually all that fun, despite it's amazing creative elements.

 

[Zen]

4 days of sales.

 

[Full Recovery]

I haven't bought it yet, too many other games? :S

 

[Apollo]

I never seen any game advertisement for it in my area. I didn't know the game was released until a week ago.

 

[VOOK]

Because it's on the PS3

 

[Blimblim]

The core gameplay isn't actually all that fun, despite it's amazing creative elements.

I'm sorry to say I have to agree with that, but I doubt it's the reason why the game doesn't sell. It's still a little too early to say that the game bombed, let's wait for the November NPD first.

 

[Brashnir]

LittleBigPlanet is a hardcore gamer's wet dream. Aside from the aesthetic, I never really though it had much mass appeal. Pretty much all of GAF has been fawning over it for 18 months. GAF is the antithesis of mass market gaming.

 

[Wollan]

- People would rather be spoonfed a linear entertainment experience rather than create/search for it

It comes with a straight forward adventure.

Also, can we have the patience to at least wait until this year is over before declaring anything? (Also, isn't this the game that should sidestep day 1 sales nonsense?)

 

[Nathan Rain]

I still don't understand why people care about sales if they didn't make the game.

I think the main problem behind LBP is that Sony's marketing isn't up to task. They're all hype and when they FINALLY deliver a quality title (like LBP) they move onto the next project (Killzone 2).

What they need to do is spend less time on 2 year long hype, more time and money on advertising (especially when it counts like around November-December) for games like LBP that deserve to be a hit.

 

[MidiSurf]

Amazing level editor but poor platformer. Beta was enough for me.

4 days of sales.

Doesn't really matter. Fallout 3 outsold LBP and it also had 4 days of sales.

 

[Templar Wizard]

needs the fun patch.

 

[Regulus Tera]

4 days of sales.

THIS.

Wait until the next NPD before declaring it a bomb.

 

[miyamotofreak]

Potential factors:

- Sony marketing have been unable to explain the concept of this game to the masses- Yup.
- People would rather be spoonfed a linear entertainment experience rather than create/search for it- Yes, but I don't think that's necessarily holding back sales.
- Excessive moderation and launch problems soured word of mouth- Doubt it. Moderation hasn't been excessive and pretty much every online game has launch problems.
- This is really a hardcore game hiding under a cute graphical exterior- It kinda is but that's not holding back sales. It's still casual friendly.
- Platformers are no longer such an appealing genre.- Yup. Especially 2D on consoles.
- Appears too childish- YUP
- Demographics on PS3 are wrong for this title- YUP
- Level creation is too complex for the masses- No affect on sales.


Is this title destined to be just loved by the hardcore and overlooked by the masses? Is there any way that Sony can actually reach the mass market with this title?

I think it'll creep into the masses with bundles.

 

[miyamotofreak]

Amazing level editor but poor platformer. Beta was enough for me.



Doesn't really matter. Fallout 3 outsold LBP and it also had 4 days of sales.

WAT. It's the best 2D platformer ever.

 

[Mistouze]

LittleBigPlanet is a hardcore gamer's wet dream. Aside from the aesthetic, I never really though it had much mass appeal. Pretty much all of GAF has been fawning over it for 18 months. GAF is the antithesis of mass market gaming.

This plus it's a PS3 game plus 4 days of sales. I'm sure the game will have legs sales wise, but the all paying DLC aren't going to help the image of the game.

Just look at Burnout Paradise, after one year of game changing free DLC they are re-releasing the game on DLC and soon in retail. Says alot about what good word of mouth can do to a game.

All in all it's a great game.

 

[Philanthropist]

Deliberately early pessimistic thread is early and pessimistic deliberately.

 

[Keyser Soze]

The discussion in this thread is far too serious for a probalem that is non-existent...

 

[CrushDance]

Did the game not get that many days of sale on NPD? And secondly: Sony has the worst marketing I have EVER seen from any of the 3 companies. Anytime I see a 360 commercial it showcases the games, price(now), and people having fun together.

Even Nintendo has a this new commercial for animal crossing where two girls are sitting and just playing, it's simple but it totally grabbed my attention. Seriously, the advertising from Sony is just terrible, what happened to the PSP ad they had when it launched? Showing people doing various things to the Franz Ferdinand song?

Ball dropped.

Anyway I'm sure LBP will do well this NPD.

 

[miyamotofreak]

This plus it's a PS3 game plus 4 days of sales. I'm sure the game will have legs sales wise, but the all paying DLC aren't going to help the image of the game.

Just look at Burnout Paradise, after one year of game changing free DLC they are re-releasing the game on DLC and soon in retail. Says alot about what good word of mouth can do to a game.

All in all it's a great game.

There is nothing wrong with the game's DLC model. They give free DLC every week AND paid DLC. And the DLC is just costumes anyway.

 

[MidiSurf]

WAT. It's the best 2D platformer ever.

No it isn't. It's not even in the top50.

 

[VOOK]

Wait until...

Haven't heard this one before.

 

[McBradders]

Oh dear lord let it end.

Doesn't really matter. Fallout 3 outsold LBP and it also had 4 days of sales.

Fallout 3 was on 3 platforms. Whut?

 

[miyamotofreak]

No it isn't. It's not even in the top50.

:lol

 

[supermackem]

Alot of online retailers in the uk have cut the price on this a couple of weeks after launch. I agree alough the premise is great it looks great it just doesnt play that well and mass market dont seem to want a level maker.

 

[Andvary]

No it isn't. It's not even in the top50.

:lol

And you're saying that just for the beta, yeah... totally fair.

Looks like the thread title is atracting the trolls.

 

[Infernal Monkey]

Dunno about the rest of the world, but the marketing for this game has been dreadful in Australia. TV ads where a bunch of stoners show off shitty looking levels while talking about killing their girlfriends or something, bus adverts based around fart jokes.

Shouldn't be that difficult to advertise a 2D platformer!

 

[Cheesemeister]

LBP was delayed for stating the obvious: that every living thing on the Earth shall perish.

 

[Regulus Tera]

Haven't heard this one before.

Okay, you got me there. :lol

I don't even have a PS3. I don't know why I'm defending the game. :/

 

[[Nintex]]

This is what you get when you feed your userbase shooters and racing games. MM is like RARE on 360, they made a brilliant game but there's just no audience for it.

I also think it's a bit too hard, the one hit kill mechanic for instance. It's a hardcore game aimed at casuals.

 

[miyamotofreak]

Dunno about the rest of the world, but the marketing for this game has been dreadful in Australia. TV ads where a bunch of stoners show off shitty looking levels while talking about killing their girlfriends or something, bus adverts based around fart jokes.

Shouldn't be that difficult to advertise a 2D platformer!

:lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol :lol

:lol :lol :lol :lol

 

[Busty]

No it isn't. It's not even in the top50.

 

[Nathan Rain]

^^^

WTF?

 

[duk]

It's a hardcore game with non hardcore asthetics, the mass market is confused.

The lack of marketing also hurts it.

 

[wsippel]

It's charming, sure, but the game itself has not that much mass market appeal. It's way too complex and demanding. The comparisons with Youtube and MySpace (the community aspect), both very successful and "casual", are invalid as well, because the level sharing is nothing like MySpace. It's a great concept and very well made, but it isn't Guitar Hero, let alone WiiSports.

 

[DrXym]

I was expecting a huge marketing push on this title, but I don't recall seeing a single Irish or UK advertisement for LBP. That coupled with the release date fuckup didn't help any. On top of that, at least in Ireland, stores were scalping on this title - I never saw any price less than €65 retail at a time when Gears of War 2 was selling for €50.

At least Sony can take solace in packing these things in with the console. They'll probably "sell" a million of them. But someone, somewhere really screwed up to manage to completely miss on a surefire title.

 

[Haunted]

I derive no enjoyment from seeing an ambitious game bomb. Especially if done by a small dev house like Media Molecule. That said, maybe it'll defy the usual frontloaded PS3 sales pattern and keeps on selling. Maybe?

I will say that the German TV ads I've seen for the game - which were quite a few, actually, probably the most advertised PS3 game I've seen so far (which surely has to do with the type of TV channel I watch) - were pretty shit, but I have no fucking clue how it sold here, so that's besides the point anyway.

This is what you get when you feed your userbase shooters and racing games. MM is like RARE on 360, they made a brilliant game but there's just no audience for it.

I also think it's a bit too hard, the one hit kill mechanic for instance. It's a hardcore game aimed at casuals.

I said this from day one and I'll say it again even if people don't want to hear it. It has the same problems Viva Pinata had in that regard. Perception, and demographic.

 

[miyamotofreak]

I don't get everyone who says the game is too complex. You don't ever need to touch Create mod (I haven't). And the base gameplay is just two buttons.

 

[Oliver.S]

WAT. It's the best 2D platformer ever.

Thank god, no.^^
In germany, there are more than five different tv spots for LBP on air.

 

[Kill Your Masters]

This is what you get when you feed your userbase shooters and racing games. MM is like RARE on 360, they made a brilliant game but there's just no audience for it.

I also think it's a bit too hard, the one hit kill mechanic for instance. It's a hardcore game aimed at casuals.

True. But Banjo 3 is also too hardcore for casuals. Just like Viva Pinata. Making a game just look cute and casual (while it's actually still pretty hardcore) doesn't make it appealing to the mass market.

 

[STG]

the Stig?

 

[vicissitudes]

I never thought LBP had as great of a mass market appeal as some people think. It's casual enough that the casual would not mind playing it, but casuals will not go out and buy a PS3 for it like they would Wii Sports or a Pokemon.

It has a few things going against it:

1. It's on an expensive, hi-tech console
2. The core gameplay isn't that fun (as someone else mentioned)
3. It's too smart for the average consumer
4. Much of the focus is on the online/community which does not resonate well with casuals

For all that it's sold pretty well in the first month. I would be surprised to see it in the top 10 again in next month's NPD. I think it'll have solid legs, but let's be honest here: it's not a big system seller, and it's not PS3's biggest game of the year. Both titles belong to MGS4.

 

[Awntawn]

4 days of wait, so is it out yet or not? Huh? So if I go to the store today... Yes? No? What? Last week? Tomorrow? But Ashley said... Ah fuck you!

fixed

 

[jump_button]

the delay over the music just the same week it was about to come out i see no add on tv

 

[mr_bishiuk]

Can any retail workers chip in with how the game is doing?

 

[CrushDance]

This is what you get when you feed your userbase shooters and racing games. MM is like RARE on 360, they made a brilliant game but there's just no audience for it.

I also think it's a bit too hard, the one hit kill mechanic for instance. It's a hardcore game aimed at casuals.

LOL, please play the game!

 

[Woo-Fu]

A. The mass market has not overlooked LBP.
B. You're incorrect in your base assumption that the PS3 is a mass market product.

At $600 it isn't.
At any of the other prices it has been at, it isn't.

99% of all of the fanboy wars and arguments can be boiled down to this: THE PS3 COSTS TOO MUCH MONEY.

It could be a mercedes---in terms of reliability maybe it is----but the pricepoint makes it almost an obscene luxury, not a game console.

 

[Busty]

the Stig?

Yup. Shamelessly stolen from the Top Gear thread in the OT section.

 

[nofi]

Good God the ignorance in this thread is amazing. My head hurts.

 

[wolfmat]

Although I'd say it's really too early to judge sales, I'd guess that if it actually bombs, it's because people nowadays don't care for cute platformers with floaty physics and a 'selfmade' graphics design..

Also, it could be that the creation feature doesn't speak to many people. I mean, if I had a PS3, I'd be all over LBP, but the fact I don't have access to it doesn't kill me either. And I'm one of those guys who'd love to own LBP just for making levels and stuff.

I'll say though, LBP bombing would make me sad.