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NPD Sales Results for April 2014 [Up2: XB1/360 hardware, PS4 #1/XB1 #2 best selling]

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven
Why would it be hysterical?

Do you find it hysterical when the Wii U doesn't sell well?

Did you find it hysterical when the PS3 was outsold 3:1 or 5-6:1?

I don't think any of that is funny.

I'm not sure the X1 will ever beat the PS4 in the NPD, I doubt it will happen much if at all.

Well the X1 beat it once in Dec 2013 thanks to PS4 supply constraints. While it may not happen frequently, I wouldn't bet on it never happening again just yet.
 
I obviously meant the big name Nintendo mp titles like MK8 and Smash but I'm sure you knew that already.
I don't know how one would discern that from what you wrote.

If you were only referring to Nintendo's first party output then the subscription required for PSN and XBL online multiplayer is even more irrelevant.
That content can't be had anywhere but the Wii U in the first place.
 

CCIE

Banned
Why would it be hysterical?

Do you find it hysterical when the Wii U doesn't sell well?

Did you find it hysterical when the PS3 was outsold 3:1 or 5-6:1?

I don't think any of that is funny.

I'm not sure the X1 will ever beat the PS4 in the NPD, I doubt it will happen much if at all.

Actually, the monthly meltdown on these threads is hysterical. I've been working the past few days and STILL got plenty of enjoyment out of the thread.
 

Game Guru

Member
I wouldn't go as far as to say "irrelevant" but I don't think it's the main cause at all. WiiU has had the last two Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty games, Batman Arkham Origins and Splinter Cell Blacklist and they have all "bombed".

Families / Children (who are Nintendo's primary customers) do not care if WiiU has the latest third party releases because the fact is that the majority of those games are aimed at a completely different consumer than Nintendo consoles are.

There are of course exceptions with the likes of Sonic Racing Transformed and Rayman Legends (I believe both of those games sold better on WiiU than they did on PS360) but the reason for that is because those games are very similar to Nintendo's usual releases.

Pricepoint and marketing are the main two reasons why WiiU has failed imo, you could blame the Gamepad aswell because the price point is what it is because of it.

The biggest lesson of WiiU for Nintendo is that they absolutely cannot release a console that is North of $249 in the future. Two of the reasons Wii was as successful as it was was because it was available at the $249 "impulse buy" price point and because the marketing was spot on. No one gave a flying fuck that it ran in SD, was 20x weaker than PS360 or didn't have all the latest and greatest core third party releases.

Games and price are what really matter, people love Nintendo games but are not willing to spend $300+ on a console to play them. That really is the top and bottom of WiiU's failure to me.

If Nintendo are not going to battle Sony and MS with on par hardware / full third party support then they must go for an extremely cheap MSRP. I would aim for $199 for the next console / $149 for the handheld at launch.

To put it another way... A Nintendo console for $199 that has the exact same support as the Wii U has for Indie Games and Apps would be a better deal than stuff like the Ouya or the MOJO or perhaps even the Fire TV because it has Mario and Zelda which does sell systems to people and fits with the intended market that compete on that level.
 
I don't know how one would discern that from what you wrote.

If you were only referring to Nintendo's first party output then the subscription required for PSN and XBL online multiplayer is even more irrelevant.
That content can't be had anywhere but the Wii U in the first place.

Online mp for their respective big name titles is free on WiiU and behind a paywall on PS4 and XBone, I don't really know how to simplify it for you any more than that.
 

Log4Girlz

Member
To put it another way... A Nintendo console for $199 that has the exact same support as the Wii U has for Indie Games and Apps would be a better deal than stuff like the Ouya or the MOJO or perhaps even the Fire TV because it has Mario and Zelda which does sell systems to people and fits with the intended market that compete on that level.

Next console needs to be $199 or lower. Wii got away with the $249 because of the great novelty of the motion controls.
 

AniHawk

Member
Next console needs to be $199 or lower. Wii got away with the $249 because of the great novelty of the motion controls.

it got away with it because it had the right software bundled with it too. i don't think a $200 wii u successor is going to sell on its own. honestly, it probably needs to be cheaper- like $149.99 (with a handheld priced around the same).
 

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven
It also got away with it because it was marketed brilliantly. Those early Wii commercials were genius.

Look at how many third party games were shown there. If you don't care to watch it, A LOT were shown. You had Red Steel, Madden, and a skateboarding game for some. You also had Wii Sports, Zelda, and Metroid. It basically was trying to tell "we've covered all the bases this time". Mario wasn't even in the ad at all actually.
 

On Demand

Banned
Why would it be hysterical?

Do you find it hysterical when the Wii U doesn't sell well?

Did you find it hysterical when the PS3 was outsold 3:1 or 5-6:1?

I don't think any of that is funny.

I'm not sure the X1 will ever beat the PS4 in the NPD, I doubt it will happen much if at all.

Even the PS2 got outsold by the Xbox a few times i think.

XB1 selling more than PS4 some months shouldn't matter as long as it maintains its lead.
 

Log4Girlz

Member
it got away with it because it had the right software bundled with it too. i don't think a $200 wii u successor is going to sell on its own. honestly, it probably needs to be cheaper- like $149.99 (with a handheld priced around the same).

The cheaper the better honestly. But it also does indeed require to have a pack in.
 

legend166

Member
There's simply not enough games being released for the Wii U to gather any sort of lasting momentum, no matter how successful Mario Kart 8 will be.
 
Online mp for their respective big name titles is free on WiiU and behind a paywall on PS4 and XBone, I don't really know how to simplify it for you any more than that.
For a given consumer the point of differentiation is the respective "big name titles," not the further outlay for online multiplayer.

If they're after a console with Mario Kart, then the Wii U is the only game in town.

If they're after a console with Madden, then the Wii U is automatically disqualified.

It doesn't matter that one can play online for free on the Wii U, if they want a system that has Madden.
And it's irrelevant that one has to pay to play FIFA online, if they need Smash Bros as part of their purchase decision.

The point where it becomes a major differentiator is if the consumer either:
a) doesn't care what games they're playing online, provided that play is free.
or
b) the game in question that they want their system to have is on both prospective platforms.

I don't really know in what quantity the former amount to. And even given scenario B, which at this stage is a rarity, the perceived value of the respective network services comes into play.
 

RE_Player

Member
There's simply not enough games being released for the Wii U to gather any sort of lasting momentum, no matter how successful Mario Kart 8 will be.
Yup. No matter what the Wii U will at best tread water. As an owner of a Wii U I want great games to be released for the platform but in reality it will get very little. Nintendo is going to keep it's head down, release the bare minimum of first party games to not show complete weakness and try not burn hardcore fans. I wouldn't be surprised if we see new hardware released by them in 2016.
 

prag16

Banned
Yup. No matter what the Wii U will at best tread water. As an owner of a Wii U I want great games to be released for the platform but in reality it will get very little. Nintendo is going to keep it's head down, release the bare minimum of first party games to not show complete weakness and try not burn hardcore fans. I wouldn't be surprised if we see new hardware released by them in 2016.
The problem is, what the hell would they release? (If those clamoring for sub $200 hardware get their way). The Wii U may barely go sub $200 by then. If they go super cheap it could end up barely seeming like any upgrade at all.

Unless they go the hybrid route.
 
In fairness the first one hit the hugely successful wave of Kinect. Kinect 2 as an integrated platform doesn't have the recognition or good will anymore

... Down 80% or so


Hmm....


http://seattletimes.com/html/techno...013640686_xbox_kinect_push_game_sales_to.html


When games are ranked individually by platform, two Kinect titles almost made the top 10. "Dance Central" and "Kinect Sports" were number 11 and 12, according to David Dennis, Xbox group product manager.




November 2010 Individual SKUs:

1) Black Ops 360 - 4.61 million

2) Black Ops PS3 - 2.92 million

3) Just Dance 2 Wii - 0.66 million

4) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 360 - 0.66 million

5) Fable III 360 - 0.54 million

6) Donkey Kong Country Returns Wii - 0.43 million

7) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood PS3 - 0.38 million

8) Gran Turismo 5 PS3 - 0.36 million

9) Wii Fit Plus w/ Balance Board Wii - 0.35 million

10) Dance Central 360 - 0.35 million


wait what am i doing
 

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven
Hmm....


http://seattletimes.com/html/techno...013640686_xbox_kinect_push_game_sales_to.html


When games are ranked individually by platform, two Kinect titles almost made the top 10. "Dance Central" and "Kinect Sports" were number 11 and 12, according to David Dennis, Xbox group product manager.




November 2010 Individual SKUs:

1) Black Ops 360 - 4.61 million

2) Black Ops PS3 - 2.92 million

3) Just Dance 2 Wii - 0.66 million

4) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood 360 - 0.66 million

5) Fable III 360 - 0.54 million

6) Donkey Kong Country Returns Wii - 0.43 million

7) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood PS3 - 0.38 million

8) Gran Turismo 5 PS3 - 0.36 million

9) Wii Fit Plus w/ Balance Board Wii - 0.35 million

10) Dance Central 360 - 0.35 million


wait what am i doing

Thanks Aqua =). So Kinect Sports Rivals < 70K.
 
Ah well that seems to signal whether or not there was some pent-up demand by the likely core gamer dominated XB1 US install base for a kinect title.

And that signal is a big no
 

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven
Ah well that seems to signal whether or not there was some pent-up demand by the likely core gamer dominated XB1 US install base for a kinect title.

And that signal is a big no

Well typically these titles sell over the long-term so we'll see. Maybe it'll have legs. Clearly there wasn't pent-up demand though.
 
Mario Kart is at this point Nintendo's biggest franchise and perhaps the title they possess that appeals to the largest spectrum of consumers. Asking for 150k console sales every month for three months from a title like that isn't at all unreasonable imo....
That absolute number isn't unreasonable--plenty of consoles have sold over 150k each month during the summer, regardless of games released. But when you're starting from a baseline of ~50-60k per month, suddenly the sustained increase does become unreasonable. Almost no game, by itself, can nearly triple a console's sales three months in a row.
 

allan-bh

Member
Kinect Sports sold 323k on nov 2010 (Gametrailers Invisible Walls disclosed NPD numbers back then).

ps: Someone please tell me if 560k for Titanfall is 360 only. Until now is not clear to me.
 
Look for at LEAST a 3:1 or 4:1 shellacking next month of the PS4 to the XB1 - forgot about Watch Dogs being released. What will be hysterical is if XB1 cannot win June either, after the price cut.

As for the Wii U - come on price drop! Some excellent games I want to play

If XB1 can't outsell PS4 in June, the month of its price cut.....its over. The NPD thread would be even more reactive than March's. Time for the bunker.
 

Shiggy

Member
it got away with it because it had the right software bundled with it too. i don't think a $200 wii u successor is going to sell on its own. honestly, it probably needs to be cheaper- like $149.99 (with a handheld priced around the same).

I really think that even the Wii U could see some better sales if it was priced at 149.99 € or even 99.99 € right now. The current 249.99€ (or even the 199.99 € some retailers have) is just too much for what is offered.
 

Cosmozone

Member
No idea where to post unimportant stuff like this so I might as well post it here. The day before yesterday was actually the first day I saw a PS4 in stock at a retail store. Three of them to be exact. They were Killzone bundles for 449€. (Or 499€? I don't remember).
 

heidern

Junior Member
You guys are both close. Wii U sold 94.6K in September 2013. That was the closest it ever got to 100K outside of the holidays.

Yes I do. Can't get around to it this second, but I'll do it when I have some free time.

Thanks Aqua.

Profits improve as a cycle continues because the install base is larger, leading to more software being sold for the system and more third party titles being released on the system, generating more royalties as additional revenue.

The install base is getting larger. US Software sales on Wii U were up 26% in January, 180% in February and 80% in April. If software sales go up and there's no 3rd party games then that benefits Nintendo since they make 3-4x more profit on 1st party games than 3rd party games. The average console owner only purchases 2-3 games a year, you don't actually need too many games to create a viable product. 10-20 games a year is all they need. That's why N64 did ok despite going many months without new releases. At the start of next year the Wii U should be between 8-10M which is close to double where it was this year. It won't give them giant profits overall but it will make up for a lot of the damage that has already been done.

They aren't even managing to move enough units for economics of scale to kick in and bring their production costs down significantly
B. Prices drop pretty directly as a result of economies of scale (driving technological advancement). This is never going to happen with the Wii U.

I don't think you guys fully understand how economies of scale work. Economies of scale apply to every single unit manufactured. There is also diminishing returns and most economies of scale are gained early in the life cycle. Iwata has already stated that the projected Wii U sales will mean they don't lose much if any money on the hardware this year since they already accounted for that last year.
 

shandy706

Member
Why would the XB1 have to outsell the PS4 to sell well?

Why are you asking me that? Nothing has to outsell anything to sell well. I'm not one of the "Everything is a failure if it's not #1" people.

I don't care if the PS4 outsells the X1 or if the X1 outsells the PS4. I'm not aligned with either side, I like both companies.

I didn't allude to anything related to your question. I'm guessing you misread/misinterpreted it. ;)
 
@Harker/aqua any numbers for the Lego games? I'm personally curious about the LTDs of the 4 on Wii U, but it's just interesting to see 3 of them show up on the NPD charts this month.

LEGO The Hobbit didn't do very well at all. Like, below expectations quite significantly.

Like below 150K.
 

prag16

Banned
so #5 is <150k, #9 is 100k?

LOL

ok, if that's the case let's open bets on Mario Kart 8's chart position, in addition to its sales

1. Watch_Dogs
2. The Show
3. MK8

Maybe. Watch_Dogs should be #1, but MK8 only being tracked for 2 days makes it a little tough to predict.
 
so #5 is <150k, #9 is 100k?

LOL


ok, if that's the case let's open bets on Mario Kart 8's chart position, in addition to its sales

It's not that strange...

Last April:

1368739565123ujc.jpg


Nintendo reported that Luigi's Mansion (#6) sold 140K physical + digital sales, and that LEGO City Undercover 3DS (#9) sold 94K physical + digital.

And you know with Nintendo digital sales that at least 20K of those two figures had to be exclusively digital.
 
Why are you asking me that? Nothing has to outsell anything to sell well. I'm not one of the "Everything is a failure if it's not #1" people.

I don't care if the PS4 outsells the X1 or if the X1 outsells the PS4. I'm not aligned with either side, I like both companies.

I didn't allude to anything related to your question. I'm guessing you misread/misinterpreted it. ;)

Always a distinct possibility

I read it as you were responding to someone finding PS4 outselling XB1 in June being funny and you asking if Wii U not selling well was funny so then Wii U not selling well = not outselling XB1 or PS4 any months -> XB1 not selling well = not outselling PS4

Probably like 2 logical leaps too far I suppose lol
 
It's not that strange...

Last April:

1368739565123ujc.jpg


Nintendo reported that Luigi's Mansion (#6) sold 140K physical + digital sales, and that LEGO City Undercover 3DS (#9) sold 94K physical + digital.

And you know with Nintendo digital sales that at least 20K of those two figures had to be exclusively digital.

yeah but since those were 3DS only it was more or less expected :p
(are there numbers for some of last May's top 10)
 
I don't think you guys fully understand how economies of scale work. Economies of scale apply to every single unit manufactured. There is also diminishing returns and most economies of scale are gained early in the life cycle. Iwata has already stated that the projected Wii U sales will mean they don't lose much if any money on the hardware this year since they already accounted for that last year.

Economics of scale apply not only to manufacturing, but also to shipping and, in the context of video games, advertising. At this point shipping is a tremendously bad situation for Nintendo since they pushed retailers to overstock and actually had to accept returns of some shipments, and haven't been able to maintain high enough shipping levels to enjoy price breaks on the highest bulk rates.

And while yes, every unit manufactured does effectively reduce the average cost of every unit manufactured, one of the things that drives that number back through the roof is having to halt or significantly draw down manufacturing for a protracted period of time. Do you think Nintendo's still cranking out half a million Wii-U's a month or more? I don't, because that would mean they're sitting on a stockpile of units larger than the number they've sold, which would have its own attendant costs.

As far as them reaping the massive rewards of first party sales goes, you're somehow managing to ignore the fact that first party games cost them money to make, while third party games don't. That means when a first party game sells like Wonderful 101 did, they actually lose money because of it. They don't employ slave labor, if they self-publish games that sell poorly because of an abysmal install base it costs them money, especially in instances where they ramped up HD development due to the expectation of selling dramatically more units coming off the Wii's numbers.

Honestly, I have no idea why you're trying to spin this. Assuming you're not being willfully obtuse about this, I can make it super simple:

How many years has Nintendo posted financial losses?

How many of those years have been after the release of the Wii-U?

Occham's razor to the rescue.
 
yeah but since those were 3DS only it was more or less expected :p
(are there numbers for some of last May's top 10)

If you think LEGO The Hobbit selling <150K at #5 is bad, just wait until you see May 2013 NPD:



1. Injustice: Gods Among Us (360, PS3, NWU)** - <200K
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, PC, NWU)** - <150K
3. Donkey Kong Country Returns (3DS, WII)
4. Dead Island: Riptide (360, PS3, PC)**
5. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS) - 97K
6. Metro: Last Light (360, PS3, PC)
7. NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, WII, NWU, PSP, PC)**
8. Bioshock Infinite (360, PS3, PC)**
9. Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)**
10. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (360, WII, NDS, PS3, 3DS, NWU, PSV, PC)
 

The Llama

Member
If you think LEGO The Hobbit selling <150K at #5 is bad, just wait until you see May 2013 NPD:



1. Injustice: Gods Among Us (360, PS3, NWU)** -
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, PC, NWU)** - <150K
3. Donkey Kong Country Returns (3DS, WII)
4. Dead Island: Riptide (360, PS3, PC)**
5. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS)
6. Metro: Last Light (360, PS3, PC)
7. NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, WII, NWU, PSP, PC)**
8. Bioshock Infinite (360, PS3, PC)**
9. Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)**
10. Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes (360, WII, NDS, PS3, 3DS, NWU, PSV, PC)

Funnily enough, I was just wondering when the last time a game sold more on PC (at retail) than on one of the consoles. I figured it woulda been to have been years ago. Well, turns out it was (at most) a year ago.
 

rokkerkory

Member
Actually, the monthly meltdown on these threads is hysterical. I've been working the past few days and STILL got plenty of enjoyment out of the thread.

Agreed... Meltdowns are always funny however poor sales is not funny for the industry. PS4 alone cannot hold up next-gen and will hurt gamers in general.
 

donny2112

Member
LEGO The Hobbit didn't do very well at all. Like, below expectations quite significantly.

Like below 150K.

I really liked LEGO LOTR, but it dropped to $20 super quickly. Planning on getting LEGO Hobbit, too, but waiting for $20 this time, especially with DLC for the final movie coming later.
 

prag16

Banned
Agreed... Meltdowns are always funny however poor sales is not funny for the industry. PS4 alone cannot hold up next-gen and will hurt gamers in general.

Yeah, that's what console warriors everywhere don't understand. Three healthy entities competing is much better for the industry than two or especially one. During PS1/PS2 days there was enough competition to keep them honest. We certainly don't want to be going to any situation worse than that one for this gen.
 

x-Lundz-x

Member
Yeah, that's what console warriors everywhere don't understand. Three healthy entities competing is much better for the industry than two or especially one. During PS1/PS2 days there was enough competition to keep them honest. We certainly don't want to be going to any situation worse than that one for this gen.

Personally I don't think the industry wants nor can support three major consoles anymore. I'm hard pressed to buy two, I'm certainly not going to buy three.
 
D

Deleted member 752119

Unconfirmed Member
I have a sneaking suspicious xbone will lose June as well. We'll see what happens at E3 though.

Could definitely happen. Especially if the Last of Us remake launches in June.
 
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