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[schuelma]

I wouldn't discount Dragon Quest X as being a big budget AAA project as well.

I was just speaking of Western Developers.

 

[Tobor]

We have the following information:

1) Retail Sales. These were poor.

2) Voucher sales. These were extremely poor.

3) w\We have the fact that the PSP Go has only been out for a few days. DD should be an even smaller portion than it could be at some point when the PSP Go has had more time on the market.

4) We have the sound logic that if sales were strong, Sony would be trumpeting it on the rooftops

5) And of course we have common sense which dictates sales of direct, digitally distributed games are still going to be a small minority of total sales.

Is there any evidence -- of any kind -- to support the opposite conclusion? As far as I can tell, the argument is simply: "Because we don't have all data, it's technically possible it did well." That's classic contrarian argumentation.

We have 2 days of Go sales, which means hardcore gamers who understand how to download games on PSN. It stands to reason all of those new Go owners will buy software on their new machines.

SCEA also tells us the launch of the PSP Go has generated a "significant increase" in North American PlayStation Network revenue -- the company tells us PSP game downloads purchased from the PlayStation Store are up 200 percent in the region.

Is this enough to turn flops into huge successes? Probably not. But it's enough to guarantee we don't have an accurate picture of PSP software sales for the month.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25562

 

[Nirolak]

I was just speaking of Western Developers.

Yeah, in that case, I can't think of anything else either.

 

[jeremy1456]

I wouldn't discount Dragon Quest X as being a big budget AAA project as well.

Dragon Quest X and Monster Hunter 3 are two games Nintendo has come out and said they are going to help advertise in the West.

With that alone I'm expecting them to sell better than past incarnations of both series. Nintendo certainly knows how to advertise games.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

I was just speaking of Western Developers.

I really wouldn't discount DQX being moved back to DS again at the way things have been going in Japan.

 

[CadetMahoney]

How did Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 do?

<38k

I'm too lazy to research, how is this in context with ng2?

Forza 3 numbers are going to be downright awful next month.

That's quite a prediction there. :lol

 

[Curufinwe]

I read the quote. Sounds like more than you did.

That "4-1 in the US, 9-1 in Europe" figure is something they've been throwing around for ages, before Beatles and GH5 even came out. G4's shitty headline doesn't make them right.

Dan Rosensweig, head of the Guitar Hero division at Activision, told the Financial Times it had seen no impact from the heavily-marketed Beatles game. “It did not affect our sales”. He added that Guitar Hero outsold Rock Band by four to one in the US and nine to one in other markets.

Directly from the FT. If Rosensweig wasn't trying to give the impression that he was talking about GH 5 outselling TB:RB, he could have added the word franchise. He choose not to for a reason.

Did not affect our sales... lol.

 

[Scrow]

PlayStation 2 146.0K
PlayStation 3 491.8K
PSP 190.4K
Xbox 360 352.6K
Wii 462.8K
Nintendo DS 524.2K

what the hell... the DS is a monster! it's still selling like that after all these years? it's not natural...

 

[schuelma]

I really wouldn't discount DQX being moved back to DS again at the way things have been going in Japan.

Anything is possible. If we don't hear about any DQ Wii projects soon then maybe that is indeed the case.

 

[jeremy1456]

I really wouldn't discount DQX being moved back to DS again at the way things have been going in Japan.

Stop it. You're scaring me.

Not that I'd have a big problem with it, but I would rather have a console iteration.

 

[lordoftherink]

I wasn't even aware it was ported to the Ps2.

The PS2 version comes out tomorrow.

 

[Nirolak]

I really wouldn't discount DQX being moved back to DS again at the way things have been going in Japan.

Perhaps it might be on both the DS and the DS2 if it actually comes out soon.

That way Nintendo could still get at least some platform sales benefit from it if they signed a contract for the game.

 

[TheGreatDave]

Directly from the FT. If Rosensweig wasn't trying to give the impression that he was talking about GH 5 outselling TB:RB, he could have added the word franchise. He choose not to for a reason.

Did not affect our sales... lol.

I've read the same quote as you, man. Doesn't change what I said.

 

[TheKingsCrown]

I really wouldn't discount DQX being moved back to DS again at the way things have been going in Japan.

I really doubt Square cares about console sales enough to worry about it. Its going to sell regardless of platform between DS and Wii I think.

 

[elrechazado]

I've read the same quote as you, man. Doesn't change what I said.

Wait, so because they use that number as an empty pr answer in the past, using it now as it relates to beatles sales is ok, even though it's clearly a lie ? Cmon dude.

 

[Sean]

Yikes at those PSP game sales. When a huge franchise like Gran Turismo isn't even breaking 20k copies out of the gate, something is seriously wrong.

I don't understand how these PSP games are selling so poorly when there are nearly 16 million PSP's out there in the US. You can't just blame it on piracy either because it's not like 100% of PSP users are doing that.

The last time I remember a PSP game charting in NPD was Chains of Olympus which was nearly two years ago. It seems as though the PSP userbase is increasing, the software sales are getting worse.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

We have 2 days of Go sales, which means hardcore gamers who understand how to download games on PSN. It stands to reason all of those new Go owners will buy software on their new machines.



Is this enough to turn flops into huge successes? Probably not. But it's enough to guarantee we don't have an accurate picture of PSP software sales for the month.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25562

If you don't stop spinning these things, you're going to get yourself banned.

 

[Nirolak]

I really doubt Square cares about console sales enough to worry about it. Its going to sell regardless of platform between DS and Wii I think.

It's about to break 4 million units on the DS.

It'd have to sell to over 40% of the Wii audience in Japan by the time it launches to do that again.

 

[Arpharmd B]

Wow those GT numbers are horrible. But it's a portable version that wasn't well received. People are waiting for GT5 for their sim experiences.

Forza 3 numbers are going to be downright awful next month. I hope Microsoft doesn't get rid of Turn 10 like they did Ensemble studios. Ensemble's Halo Wars sold like 700+k in the US, great sales, and Microsoft ditched them for whatever reason. Forza 3 will do much worse than Halo Wars and probably cost a whole lot more to produce.

What does Forza 3 on 360 have to do with GT on PSP?

Forza 3 will do just fine.

And Ensemble was dismembered before Halo Wars even came out. Had nothing to do with the games performance.

 

[BattleMonkey]

I really doubt Square cares about console sales enough to worry about it. Its going to sell regardless of platform between DS and Wii I think.

But change in platform is a big change in development costs. Much lower development costs on DS just means easier money for Square.

 

[KuwabaraTheMan]

Yikes at those PSP game sales. When a huge franchise like Gran Turismo isn't even breaking 20k copies out of the gate, something is seriously wrong.

I don't understand how these PSP games are selling so poorly when there are nearly 16 million PSP's out there in the US. You can't just blame it on piracy either because it's not like 100% of PSP users are doing that.

The last time I remember a PSP game charting in NPD was Chains of Olympus which was nearly two years ago. It seems as though the PSP userbase is increasing, the software sales are getting worse.

Dissidia charted last month. Aside from that, you're right that the last time a game charted was the month where both Crisis Core and Chains of Olympus did.

 

[jeremy1456]

But change in platform is a big change in development costs. Much lower development costs on DS just means easier money for Square.

Then why didn't Square-Enix move FFXIII to Wii?

I would be surprised to see DQX on DS.

 

[schuelma]

It'd have to sell to over 40% of the Wii audience in Japan by the time it launches to do that again.

If it indeed stays on the Wii, by the time it comes out the Wii userbase should be plenty big enough.

 

[Curufinwe]

More ratios from Rosensweig:

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/everyones-a-hero-part-two-interview

Dan Rosensweig: I don't think we've released the numbers, but what I can tell you is that in addition to being extremely pleased - particularly here in Europe - the public report suggests that we've outsold 2/2.5/3-to-1 over Rock Band... and we've probably sold more copies of Guitar Hero 5 than any other Guitar Hero game at launch.

It's not totally clear, but the way the ratio comes after "particularly here in Europe" gives the impression that the 2 or 3 to 1 ratio is being claimed for worldwide sales. Given that we now know The Beatles: Rock Band outsold GH 5 in the US, it smells like (more) bullshit to me.

Also, his claim that GH 5 sold more than GH 3 at launch has to be untrue. In October 2007, GH 3 sold an amazing 1.4 million units in only 6 days.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16270

If Dan's been promising his boss Bobby that GH 5 has sold better than any other Guitar Hero game at launch, he might be feeling a little worried about his job right now. :lol

 

[FrankT]

I'm too lazy to research, how is this in context with ng2?

373k first month.

That it did. Forza still on the cards for a potential top 5 oct npd, then theres l4d2 in nov, but I don't think that will be top5 as many ppl prefer the pc version.

In preference to what exactly. 360 Left4Dead sold a crapton.

This is true. I think Microsoft is pretty content with their ongoing 3rd place position now globally. There's really nothing they can do about it, so they might as well just suck it up. Price cuts won't save it.

Natal has a chance. That's really their only hope. They're banking the next 4+ years on NATAL, which is a pretty risky move...one that paid off for Nintendo, and one that Microsoft looks at in envy.

I think NATAL is going to be a pretty epic failure though. RARE is apparently creating the bulk of the initial software for it, and every single Rare title this gen has been a huge sales bomb and hasn't managed to be popular with a broader demographic. I don't expect NATAL to change their fortunes. I also don't ever see the Xbox 360 as being a 'casual' machine catering to people other than the ~12-16 year old male demographic.

Are you on crack or something. Not only are they in 2nd place globally they have grown their lead by leaps in bounds in the last year post price cut. They likely will never leave that position either and especially so in the US. This 139k Sony just cut off the lead in the US is a drop in the bucket compared to the 2.2 million the 360 has added over the PS3 in the US in the last year alone.

What kind of logic is this.

Forza 3 numbers are going to be downright awful next month.

Oh I see. Nevermind then. Carry on.

 

[Man God]

A DS is far easier to hack and run pirated games on than a PSP.

Indeed, however that system had one game in the top ten and two right on the outside. Stuff sells on the DS and not on the PSP. Not because honest people are using flash card readers to upload all their legally purchased games onto one big card but because the system is a hell of a lot more popular and most people are either too dumb or too honest to pirate.

DS homebrew is ok, but the benefit to having all your games on you at once is minimal compared to the faster loads and better battery life offered by PSP CFW.

 

[Nirolak]

If it indeed stays on the Wii, by the time it comes out the Wii userbase should be plenty big enough.

I was making that guess based upon a 10 million userbase, but now that I think about it, that'd probably happen a lot faster than a normal Dragon Quest development cycle. :lol

Then why didn't Square-Enix move FFXIII to Wii?

I would be surprised to see DQX on DS.

You have to consider that FFXIII appeals to a worldwide audience that tends to buy games on the PS3 and 360 more so than the Wii.

Dragon Quest's main audience owns the DS though.

 

[Accident]

I'm too lazy to research, how is this in context with ng2?

June 2008:
Ninja Gaiden II (X360) - 372.7K

 

[lowrider007]

I wonder how well 'Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' will sell on the PSP, that should be quite telling tbh being as it is normally quite a poplar franchise on the PSP.

 

[WickedLaharl]

<38k for sigma 2?!

why do devs even bother releasing late ports...

 

[gkryhewy]

We have 2 days of Go sales, which means hardcore gamers who understand how to download games on PSN. It stands to reason all of those new Go owners will buy software on their new machines.



Is this enough to turn flops into huge successes? Probably not. But it's enough to guarantee we don't have an accurate picture of PSP software sales for the month.

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=25562

What is it with you and the go? They should pay you.

 

[Gribbix]

The last time I remember a PSP game charting in NPD was Chains of Olympus which was nearly two years ago. It seems as though the PSP userbase is increasing, the software sales are getting worse.

Dissidia charted last month in the August NPD (although last month's numbers were really low so there wasn't exactly a high barrier of entrance).

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Indeed, however that system had one game in the top ten and two right on the outside. Stuff sells on the DS and not on the PSP. Not because honest people are using flash card readers to upload all their legally purchased games onto one big card but because the system is a hell of a lot more popular and most people are either too dumb or too honest to pirate.

DS homebrew is ok, but the benefit to having all your games on you at once is minimal compared to the faster loads and better battery life offered by PSP CFW.

Which is exactly my point. It's so much infinitely easier to pirate on the DS than it is on the PSP. Games are smaller, you can get the entire DS library for under like what? 3 GB?

Piracy isn't the answer for poor PSP software sales.

 

[CadetMahoney]

Those PSP software numbers are so bad that you can't even laugh at them.

That bad huh?

If those PSP numbers are legit... I don't even know what to say. Its not a viable gaming platform, period. PSPGo has to be the biggest trainwreck since... I don't even know what.

Patcher (yes I know his real name but I refuse to use it) was bang on with the PSP Go in so many ways. Overpriced. Awkward. Confused. Misguided. Mess. Disaster. Stillborn. Hated by retailers.

They should've scheduled the GO two days later to maximise npd tracking results. . . but if things are as bad for Sony as the numbers suggest it looks like it won't make much of a difference.

 

[Tobor]

If you don't stop spinning these things, you're going to get yourself banned.

I'm not sure how to respond to this, so I'll say say "Duly noted" and bow out.

 

[Grecco]

Which is exactly my point. It's so much infinitely easier to pirate on the DS than it is on the PSP. Games are smaller, you can get the entire DS library for under like what? 3 GB?

Piracy isn't the answer for poor PSP software sales.

Well. The majority of Ds owners skew younger, and arent as likely to pirate even if its "Easyer to pirate" Wouldnt you say?

 

[Dragona Akehi]

Well. The majority of Ds owners skew younger, and arent as likely to pirate even if its "Easyer to pirate" Wouldnt you say?

Lots of parents buy R4s so they don't have to "spend more money on games."

Plus the "lol ds is for kiddiez" is really not an argument anymore...

 

[jett]

According to that guy's twitter....Dead Space Extraction > 9K.

that's it for the hardcore experiment on the wii

 

[FrankT]

<38k for sigma 2?!

why do devs even bother releasing late ports...

It's a legit question to be perfectly honest. Same thing with Bioshock and it will be the same thing going forward until the next generation.

 

[DevelopmentArrested]

<38k for sigma 2?!

why do devs even bother releasing late ports...

the fact that its full price is far more egregious

 

[Man God]

Which is exactly my point. It's so much infinitely easier to pirate on the DS than it is on the PSP. Games are smaller, you can get the entire DS library for under like what? 3 GB?

Piracy isn't the answer for poor PSP software sales.

I pretty much agree and I don't get why you think I don't! :lol

I mean the only way I could see piracy being a sales issue if you somehow buy into the idea that PSP users are more tech savvy as a whole while DS owners are six year olds and aging widowers who don't know how to turn on a pc let alone download a gigantic torrent with every single DS game in it.

My original point was that Motorstorm is a mediocre title on a mediocre platform and that most pirates wouldn't waste the time to pirate it even if they could, and that the majority of legitimate CFW users who held out because it was unplayable early on last month has to be a REALLY small number. Not just because they are legitimate but because who wants to play Motorstorm?

 

[VanMardigan]

So does that mean Beatles RB was a failure? I mean, I'm sure they spent a ton of money to get the Beatles license, a lot of money on marketing, and they sold just over 500k across three consoles...that can't be what they expected.

I'm getting my copy this week, and I'm a little bummed it wasn't a bigger seller.

 

[Dragona Akehi]

I pretty much agree and I don't get why you think I don't! :lol

I mean the only way I could see piracy being a sales issue if you somehow buy into the idea that PSP users are more tech savvy as a whole while DS owners are six year olds and aging widowers who don't know how to turn on a pc let alone download a gigantic torrent with every single DS game in it.

My original point was that Motorstorm is a mediocre title on a mediocre platform and that most pirates wouldn't waste the time to pirate it even if they could, and that the majority of legitimate CFW users who held out because it was unplayable early on last month has to be a REALLY small number. Not just because they are legitimate but because who wants to play Motorstorm?

Sorry, I'm not with it today. I'm too used to the whole whinging about "CFW pirates" these days.

 

[Flying_Phoenix]

MURAMASA > 35K

And this is why Vanillaware shouldn't have left Atlus USA. Hopefully it has legs.

Scribblenauts > 193K
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days > 201K

Impressive. Possible indicator that handhelds can be viable for production valued third party software in the West?

GT > 18K
Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny > 26K

:lol


I guess GT kinda deserves it for taking out it's primary feature.

I'd say that's pretty good for what a niche game usually sells. Many Atlus titles only do about 50-70k LTD... Course it depends on how much Ignition spent on the game...

The thing is though that Odin Sphere sold phenomenally well. It wasn't too far from chipping 250,000 and it even became a greatest hits title.

Then again I am comparing Atlus USA (a company with a well developed fanbase and some significant amount of money for advertising) and Ignition (a relatively new company trying to make a name for themselves).

Dead Space Extraction >9K

Motorstorm Arctic Edge <3k

These PSP software sales don't end. :lol


:lol Looks like Wii can't sell rail-shooters.

200k isn't flying, it's barely breaking even.

:lol

 

[lordoftherink]

I wonder how well 'Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' will sell on the PSP...it is normally quite a popular franchise on the PSP.

However, it is top down, where the more popular GTAs are third person. Also, although it won't be a large number, some people that own a PSP already bought it for DS.

 

[timetokill]

Piracy isn't the answer for poor PSP software sales.

Exactly.

It's the fact that it doesn't offer much of value to its target audience. PSP owners are constantly measuring a potential PSP game purchase against a console game purchase. It doesn't have a clear message of what the PSP is "about." It plays games, or music, or... what am I buying it for? don't I have an iPod already? Etc. This lack of identity is something that has haunted it from the beginning. Same with the PS3 at the beginning -- is it a game console? A crying baby machine? A computer? Blu-ray player?

The DS doesn't have this problem. It has a clear message and a clear distinction from console games. It offers games you can't find on other platforms, and offers them in a format you do not find on consoles. And it offers these games at $30-$35, not $40 -- those dollars may be few but they represent a significant psychological difference.

There is really no reason for most of the PSPs apparent target market -- young males who probably own a PS3/360 -- a reason to purchase a PSP game over a console game. By the time you're at the age where you afford a PSP, you're usually driving yourself. And if you're going to play God of War at home, why not just get the one with the better graphics that you can play on your big screen TV?

A lot of jokes are made about the Wii being "left in the closet," but I think that title really belongs to the PSP. I have a strong feeling that the active PSP market is a tiny fraction of that 16 million base... there are probably fewer than a million active users of the PSP. ("Active" means I'm not including the people who buy their one game (Final Fantasy) and then never buy a PSP game again.)

 

[Nirolak]

Which is exactly my point. It's so much infinitely easier to pirate on the DS than it is on the PSP. Games are smaller, you can get the entire DS library for under like what? 3 GB?

Piracy isn't the answer for poor PSP software sales.

I think the answer is honestly in a new handheld.

The PSP seems beyond salvageable in the US and Europe.

At least then they can completely change anything they want about the device, and possibly even rebrand it if needed.

 

[HappyDad]

1.5 mill for ODST

dang

Yeah, I don't think it's 1.5 mil good...

 

[Dragona Akehi]

I think the answer is honestly in a new handheld.

The PSP seems beyond salvageable in the US and Europe.

At least then they can completely change anything they want about the device, and possibly even rebrand it if needed.

The PSPGo should have been the PSP2, not this abortion of a halfsies-game.

 

[boiled goose]

My post from Dead space extraction thread...

Of course this game was not gonna sell.


Who the fuck is the target audience of this game?

360 or PS3 or PC owners who happened to buy Dead Space, who happened to like it, who happen to also own a wii, who happen to like Rail shooters, who are willing to spend 50 bucks on one that is 6 hours long with near zero replay value?

The size of that audience is 9k. At most I would expect 20k.


Wii owners could not beat this test...

If it sold well, Wii owners love guided-FPS adventures! More on rails! see example: success of umbrella chronicles

If it fails, Wii owners don't want mature games!

Fuck these retarded tests.

Spoiler

will gladly buy extraction when it hits 20 bucks