lordfuzzybutt
Member
It's shipped to retailers well. Not sure about sold to customers.
-
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.
Watch Dogs 2 launch massively down from WD1 in UK.
- Thread starter Obliterator
- Start date
It's shipped to retailers well. Not sure about sold to customers.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
It's setting?
Found Vivendi's GAF account.
Triggerhappytel
Member
To be fair, I have also read that the principal element of the gameplay is to gain followers, and you do this by taking selfies with landmarks in the background, or causing anarchy in order to raise the awareness of Dedsec. Is that incorrect then?
AnthonypUK
Member
Timing - it released just before the deluge of AAA games, and not a week before Black Friday - which seems to be getting bigger each year in the UK.
i think if you'd have swapped Mafia 3 and WD2 release dates, they'd perform the same as the other game did in the slot.
Marmaladefire
Member
It makes me sad too, but I can't pretend that it couldn't be a factor. She's not Lara Croft, she's a lone woman in an unknown quantity of a game. I love her from what I've seen. As a #designatedfemalegamer I rarely see women in games who I feel like I actually connect to or see any of myself in, especially in western developed games. It's either a sex toy or a "bad ass checklist girl" or the target in a useless escort mission.
I hope it's the former. The odds of the latter are high enough to make me uncomfortable.
I do have to say though, I felt like Watch Dogs 2 had no hype at all, besides people making fun of it for existing.
CassidyIzABeast
Member
I feel like everything except for UC4 and BF1 were down big over their previous entries this year. That's not good at all.
Bootador83
Member
This is good, sends out the message that a new ip is better than a sequel unless the original was a mega hit (and I liked Watchdogs)
Caipirinha
Member
But even Watch Dogs is a new IP for this gen and it barely does anything that games 5 years older haven't done already.
On top of that I feel like a lot of new IPs this gen have extremely mundane and uninspiring premises.
Look at Horizon, you just know that game is gonna be a hit, it's set in a post-apocalyptic future where robotic dinosaurs rule the planet and you have to find out how it all happened... Just reading that premise has me hungry to know more.
"You play some douchey hackers in SF harassing a big corporation" doesn't exactly press the same buttons.
And on top of all this I feel like this is a terrible homogenising of genres. Perfect example being the new Tomb Raider games, neither of which are actually.. Tomb Raider games, but rather generic third person shooters with some traversal elements thrown in.
Apparently we're not allowed to have a game based primarily on challenging platforming around tombs with a few brief moments of combat, because that's what Tomb Raider really was and it sold fucking gangbusters.
No, in this era everything has to be a reskin of AC, Gears or CoD.
Blackleg-sanji1
Banned
This isn't good at all it's a good game. Commercially the original was a mega hit btw
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
Except Watch Dogs was a big hit.
You don't play as "douchey hackers". It's why a lot of people like the sequel more. Everything you thought was wrong about the first game is fixed.
EventHorizon
Member
Horizon won't be another 1886. It actually has good gameplay. 1886 feels like the developers were more interested in making a movie than a game.
Caipirinha
Member
To be fair I haven't played this one but the damage was probably done by the failures of the first and Ubisoft should have maybe spent that time on an original franchise rather than trying to brute force an annualised replacement for AC.
Donniewahlberg
Banned
Is this really a message that needs sent out? Good game is good, sequel or not. The assumption a new ip is immediately better is always an interesting one. I think it really sends out the message that we (the uk) are still keeping our purse strings tighter for reasons that are probably above my analysis, and that Ubisoft have to try harder to get the IP right the first time in future, or they will do a disservice to a second, better game in the series.
That still sounds like a mostly good (and correct) message actually.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
Also we have to remember there have plenty of games that have had underwhelming debuts and improved with the sequel.
digoutyoursoul
Member
It's in a different league to Watch Dogs IMO. I personally don't think anyone does open world as good as Rockstar.
Not really. Publishers will become even more wary.
Destiny 2 will be HUGE,
To be honest people DID say that about WD2.
Really crowded fall can't be helping any of these games underperforming lately. I would blame this on the lack of "wow" factor. Too many safe sequels that feel too samey and aren't heads and shoulders better graphically (if all else is samey then superb new graphics can help sell the "wow" effect). Releasing sequels isn't automatically safe anymore. It's maybe time to start pushing out them new IPs. Mafia 3 had that whole unique setting going for it. People need to see real evolution or they're just not that interested anymore. Either that or new IP.
Norwegian_Imposter
Member
anyone got the sales figures for anywhere outside of the UK. It seems everything is underperforming.
wapplew
Member
It was a big hit for many reasons but not many WD1 owner want another WD after finish the game.
I guess Ubi misread the market.
EventHorizon
Member
I think what this says is that certain types of games have become a commodity. It's not that people think Watch Dogs 2 is a bad game. It's that it is not interesting enough to buy at release. There is nothing about it to push it to the top of your wish list.
A new game has the potential to give you something different. That's a great incentive to buy it sooner rather than later.
monkeybizz
Member
I am actually not surprised that games sales are falling.
As a 33 year old dad who loves gaming, I stared to notice that in the last gen the biggest games and mind share was with COD and FIFA in the U.K.
If that generation of gamers grow with that mentality and without having experienced other games - which non of there friends used to play. They are less likely to invest in different ips.
I gather most of us gafers like a broad spectrum of games and therefore would appreciate the likes of titanfall and watch dogs2.
I just don't see games performing will at this end of the year when the heavy hitters are out there and all other games maybe look like cheap knock offs to these folk.
Rant over.
As a 33 year old dad who loves gaming, I stared to notice that in the last gen the biggest games and mind share was with COD and FIFA in the U.K.
If that generation of gamers grow with that mentality and without having experienced other games - which non of there friends used to play. They are less likely to invest in different ips.
I gather most of us gafers like a broad spectrum of games and therefore would appreciate the likes of titanfall and watch dogs2.
I just don't see games performing will at this end of the year when the heavy hitters are out there and all other games maybe look like cheap knock offs to these folk.
Rant over.
hemo memo
Gold Member
The first didn't sell because of the serious tone and this didn't bomb becuase of its happy-go-lucky ton. Just different times. Remember the E3 hype and "real next gen game".. This is why the game sold.
Triggerhappytel
Member
It is a bit frustrating that we don't any regular, reliable figures for any other region - and full credit to Bruno for giving us as much info as he can. We get bits and pieces for NPD sales numbers, but not regularly as I recall.
Donniewahlberg
Banned
I definitely think that is one thing we could theorise about this game, yea. I wouldn't disagree with that at all. I just think that is one potential explanation (and at least the first part definitely applies for me) but not something that would make me assume it's broadly applicable with sequels and new IPs in general, as the original post I'd quoted had put forth. Your point is a good one, but doesn't consider the stigma Ubi caused with the first game though, and that hangs me up a bit. People don't always want different, and different doesn't inherently trump iteration in a bubble, it's not that simple for me. It was moreso how black and white the original quote put it that I was questioning, rather than not being able to see the point.
ClosingADoor
Member
I feel like a lot of the recent games are just there. There is little hype for it. There is no buzz surrounding the launch. Nobody is talking much about it. They are just dropped in the stores and good luck. This reflects in the sales.
Yep. The first game release was an event with most expecting an Assassin's Creed level series. Then it disappointed, so the sequel which doesn't look that different reflects this in first-day sales.
CaptainofIndustry
Member
It seems that Day One sales have been down across the board (in UK, at least)......I wonder if this signals a change in buying patterns for gamers. Maybe less preorders? I know for me personally I've become very hesitant to buy anything on day one due to patches, etc.
kruis
Exposing the sinister cartel of retailers who allow companies to pay for advertising space.
That's how I felt. I had no interest in playing games featuring these obnoxious characters. I'm 50 years old but It's not an age thing, I loved playing "Life is Strange", I could relate with those characters. But the hipsters in WD2? Ugh.
BTW I didn't like WD1. That didn't help at all in creating any goodwill for the sequel.
Both Titanfall and WD lost goodwill amongst fans for being overhyped, their sequels payed the price. Same thing happened with Syndicate which was a better game then Unity but sold worse because Unity burnt gamers.
Rocksteady better not make another Batman. Knight is clearly the worst in the franchise but sold really well because of the goodwill generated from the first 2 games. I feel same fate would have befell UC4 if it came out like 2-3 years after UC3. Nd were smart to switch to a new ip which also elevated their status and helped UC4.
Rocksteady better not make another Batman. Knight is clearly the worst in the franchise but sold really well because of the goodwill generated from the first 2 games. I feel same fate would have befell UC4 if it came out like 2-3 years after UC3. Nd were smart to switch to a new ip which also elevated their status and helped UC4.
EventHorizon
Member
GTA is so big that it creates its own hype. I think GTA games are just ok, but I always seem to end up buying it due to the hype. Granted that many people love GTA and the hype is deserved, but I think it's astronomical sales are due to its huge hype pushing it into a larger audience.
Watch Dogs has none of that. The first game was poorly received. Watch Dogs 2 was fighting an uphill battle because of it, and it's concept wasn't unique enough for people to want to give it another look.
AHA-Lambda
Member
Nailed it for me too.
TLG was never going to sell well, in fact it'll probably absolutely crater
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
Scott Pilgrim bombed cuz people thought it was another "hipster" movie starring Micheal Cera.
Donniewahlberg
Banned
PackAPunchedMick
Member
Not surprising.
The first game was absolutely watch_dog shit,
No amount of marketing is saving this franchise, the damage was done in 2013/14
The first game was absolutely watch_dog shit,
No amount of marketing is saving this franchise, the damage was done in 2013/14
CadetMahoney
Member
shit I spilt my drink.
rochellepaws
Member
Perhaps the consumer is getting smarter with where they put their money. I think rockstar were right when they said people are feeling very burnt out on similar types of games releasing every year, in Ubisoft's case there's a lot of overlap in the style of their open world games. The Q4 window every year has become very boring as a result and I'm spending less in it, I wonder if others feel the same.
GTA V, Overwatch and Uncharted 4 sold very well through exciting their audience with fresh ideas and design. I hope they're the examples to follow.
GTA V, Overwatch and Uncharted 4 sold very well through exciting their audience with fresh ideas and design. I hope they're the examples to follow.
Another Batman game would sell just fine.
Chronospherics
Member
People bought Mafia III in the UK in droves.
I don't think the genre is saturated. I don't think people are bored. Mafia III is comparably, a much worse experience than Watch Dogs 2, yet people did not go into it with huge expectations.
If anything this generation has taught us it's how hype and anticipation can harm or help the sales of a game. What do we think the uptake for Destiny 2 is going to look like? Many felt burned by that experience and unless the sequel shows radical change and a concerted effort to appeal to those that were burned by the predecessor I do not see these games performing well.
Perhaps a lesson then, you can't build a franchise on smoke and mirrors. Then again, if a game is good and the studio retains it's quality and promotes its brand, I'm sure that games like Titanfall and Watchdogs 2 will receive most of the successes they deserve in the long-term. For fans of this genre, there's nothing good releasing until Red Dead 2.
It's also true that these UK sales are only for a small period of time which is likely to be where the games performance has been most affected by those looking to 'wait and see' in regards to a games quality.
Where is this info from? 77.6K?
digoutyoursoul
Member
I am in the U.K. and the first WD was a letdown to people from what I saw and read. I obviously can't speak for everyone here but apart from yet another FIFA, there seems to be a bit of a "meh" feeling to a lot of stuff.
I look at the 360 last gen, Xbox did well here and sales were steady despite the early RROD stuff. I look at the brand now and the people I talk to who I know were big fans, especially of Halo are pretty unenthusiastic these days. Maybe just a temporary slump with gaming in general I don't know.
This is tragic, especially because WD2 is an incredible game. I can't really compare it to the first because I skipped it, but in less stacked years it could be a goty contender. These disappointing sales suck, because the game sure as hell didn't deserve it, it's so good.
I hope it does well in other regions at least.
I hope it does well in other regions at least.
Publishers also need to stop releasing games so close to each other in the 4Q. Again I applaud Sony for releasing some of their big games outside of the holiday season. There is no need to cram games like that.
ElBoxyBrown
Banned
EventHorizon
Member
Just compare the likes of Watch Dogs to the new IP of last gen like Gears of War, BioShock, and Mass Effect. Those felt like something new. A new experience, and universe that you just couldn't wait to play. Watch Dogs felt like more of the same, and with the first game not being received very well, there was little incentive to try the sequel. I don't think anyone was pulling for Watch Dogs to succeed because they wanted to play more of its world.
I agree that the stigma of the first game hurt Watch Dogs 2 which is why I think a new game would have done better. There isn't anything unique enough in Watch Dogs to allow it to overcome a bad prior game.