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Will any non-COD FPS ever sell as much as Halo 3 on a single console again?

14.5 million, those are the sales Halo 3 gained on a single console, the Xbox 360. Only Call of Duty with a few games has been able to pull numbers larger than that on one console, also on the 360, and I think 1 or 2 COD games on the PS4 achieved this as well..

But no other FPS on consoles has ever been able to replicate such high numbers, in fact with further inspection the majority of console FPS games including big names like Battlefield have not been able to achieve this number on consoles with MORE than one console platform.

What has been missing from FPS games all these years that make it so we don't see these type of sales on consoles again outside COD? FPS games are more popular than ever, but still even the biggest franchises fail to sell 14.5 million on two consoles, let alone just one.
 

elliot5

Member
No, you never will because for a game (that isn't COD) to hit those numbers in current year it needs to be F2P to begin with, so it's irrelevant.
 

Uiki

Member
14.5 million, those are the sales Halo 3 gained on a single console, the Xbox 360. Only Call of Duty with a few games has been able to pull numbers larger than that on one console, also on the 360, and I think 1 or 2 COD games on the PS4 achieved this as well..

But no other FPS on consoles has ever been able to replicate such high numbers, in fact with further inspection the majority of console FPS games including big names like Battlefield have not been able to achieve this number on consoles with MORE than one console platform.

What has been missing from FPS games all these years that make it so we don't see these type of sales on consoles again outside COD? FPS games are more popular than ever, but still even the biggest franchises fail to sell 14.5 million on two consoles, let alone just one.

Because they didn't get the memo that the most played games are f2p.
Console shooters are stuck in 2008. Selling a 60 dollar game with very little post launch support it's not gonna fly anymore.
 

THE DUCK

voted poster of the decade by bots
No, a game like infinate might have had a chance but not on one console. Plus with game pass a ton less sales would happen....
 

BabyYoda

Banned
Sales maybe not, but Halo Infinite will be on Gamepass and for sale on four consoles + PC, the Microsoft Store (eww, but soon to be remade, so potentially less eww, Steam and potentially playable on XCloud on android, iOS and a PC browser, not to mention the mp is completely free. So I think it's safe to assume it will most likely be the most played fps outside of COD, possible most ever, whether it makes that kind of money is another issue, you just know they will microtransaction the heck out of the game, hopefully in a way that isn't too egregious...
 

Mattyp

Gold Member
No one wants to pay retail anymore so it’s never going to happen on shooters, but I believe Infinite will have more players.

I also find it ironic people will spend $60 on a 8 hour story worth one play through and that’s it end of life for the game but spending $60 on a FPS you’ll put 500 hours into multiplayer isn’t a thing anymore because of titles like Fortnite.
 

Tschumi

Member
I'm just spitballing here but maybe a Killzone reboot, considering the swelling confidence in Sony franchises.. maybe Halo: Infinite, riding the console wars.. Maybe Half Life 3, unless it's a VR title like Noah Caldwell Gervais suggested after playing Alyx... Hm
 

EverydayBeast

thinks Halo Infinite is a new graphical benchmark
Battlefield 6 is looking at 15 million which makes sense it’s a fun FPS game experience.
 

Three

Member
What has been missing from FPS games all these years that make it so we don't see these type of sales on consoles again outside COD? FPS games are more popular than ever, but still even the biggest franchises fail to sell 14.5 million on two consoles, let alone just one.
Saturation? Nothing is missing. COD is just the new king of FPS'.
 
You'd be foolish to put a stamp on any statement, just by the natural growth of population and more people to play games in general it almost assuredly will happen, if it hasn't happened already. But Halo 3 was a zeitgeist moment for gaming. It was prime-Xbox-live AND the closing game in a trilogy of games that fundamentally shifted the FPS genre on consoles. A lot of things came into alignment for Halo 3 to be what it was. The cliffhanger ending of Halo-2, the awesome beta that came with a free game(Crackdown) and the expectation that it would just improve on the most popular shooter of the previous generation in Halo 2.
 
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JeremyEtcetera

Unconfirmed Member
I think an actual Killzone 4, while Sony's library is still small at the moment, could do it. The hype of it being a long awaited sequel to a beloved PS3 franchise could work in it's favor too.

It would need great co-op and multiplayer to make it really top the charts.
 
Plenty of games on playstation and Nintendo console have outsold halo, better question is, will we ever get another great halo game like halo 3.
 

Zannegan

Member
In numbers, certainly. I'd almost say it's an inevitability with the population of gamers continuing to grow.

If we talk about a single platform exclusive selling that percentage of the total market though, it becomes much less of a sure thing.

That said, I could still see it happening, though not with with a single entry. Like Halo, it would have to hit hard with the first one, carry that momentum through a second and creating a massive hype storm with the third. I guess we'll see.
 

yurinka

Member
Seeing how insanely successful have been the recent Sony big AAA, I assume their next big FPS. Maybe that MP new IP that the ex-Bungie bosses are making for Sony.
 

REDRZA MWS

Member
I think the MP being f2p will make this not happen. I don't know if the campaign could sell 14.5+M on one console (if the previous Halo is anything to go by).
The only time it matters to consumers whether or not a game sells is how big and active the community is. Halo Infinite will be extremely lively being that it’s on game pass for pc and multiple Xbox consoles, for sale on all of those too.
 

IDKFA

I am Become Bilbo Baggins
Sure.

If Valve released HL1 and HL2 (with ep 1 and 2) on current consoles to build hype, then released HL3 on consoles, then you would see one of the biggest selling FPS games of all time.
 

Three

Member
I mean new compared to back then 😄.
Old FPS like Halo were selling that amount then COD became the new biggest seller doing those numbers and Halo declined. Before Halo it was FPS like Quake, Doom, UnrealT, Turok, Goldeneye etc. Point being asking will FPS ever sell like Halo the answer is yes but that's now COD. Before Halo it was something else. Things come and go.
 
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Sure.

If Valve released HL1 and HL2 (with ep 1 and 2) on current consoles to build hype, then released HL3 on consoles, then you would see one of the biggest selling FPS games of all time.
Does anyone under 30 even know what Half-Life is, let alone give a shit about it?

It will sell sure, but Valve kinda fucked up waiting this long.
 
Sure.

If Valve released HL1 and HL2 (with ep 1 and 2) on current consoles to build hype, then released HL3 on consoles, then you would see one of the biggest selling FPS games of all time.

I really don't think the half life 3 hype would translate to console gamers even if 1 and 2 came out on consoles again. It would be hyped sure. But it wouldn't be as huge as halo 3.
 

Umbasaborne

Banned
No 2007-2011 were a completely different time than the past five years. A games success isn’t measured by its first month sales anymore, its measured by its long term profitability, we dont live in the age of cod or halo supremacy anymore, we live in the age of rainbow six siege, fortnite, cod warzone, and overwatch. Games that are meant to continuously earn income long after they “launch”
 

Griffon

Member
Last I heard Overwatch did sell 20-some millions. Likely more but I never saw hard numbers from Blizzard.
 
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OrionNebula

Member
I think an actual Killzone 4, while Sony's library is still small at the moment, could do it. The hype of it being a long awaited sequel to a beloved PS3 franchise could work in it's favor too.

It would need great co-op and multiplayer to make it really top the charts.
A good game, maybe
But Halo 3 numbers?
No Way Reaction GIF by MOODMAN
 
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JeremyEtcetera

Unconfirmed Member
A good game, maybe
But Halo 3 numbers?
No Way Reaction GIF by MOODMAN

It all depends on the timing. There are millions of PS5 owners starving for games to play. If Killzone 4 were to release this year or the next, it could do it.

tenor.gif
 

OrionNebula

Member
It all depends on the timing. There are millions of PS5 owners starving for games to play. If Killzone 4 were to release this year or the next, it could do it.

tenor.gif
Spider-Man Miles Morales is cross-gen, huge, huge IP, discounted price, and does not reach Halo 3 numbers, will take a few years to reach it

I’m gonna stick to
No GIF
 
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JeremyEtcetera

Unconfirmed Member
Spider-Man Miles Morales is cross-gen, huge, huge IP, discounted price, and does not reach Halo 3 numbers
tenor.gif


Not first person, not a shooter, no online co-op, no online competitive multiplayer.
 

OrionNebula

Member
tenor.gif


Not first person, not a shooter, no online co-op, no online competitive multiplayer.
You are correct. It’s a single-player, can be considered story-driven gaming experience, which is the genre that sells the most on playstation (first party). It wasn’t about comparing the 2 games gameplay-wise. It was about comparing sales and IP importance/reach. Killzone, at it’s peak popularity, never reached Halo 3 numbers, and that is a fact. Not even close. Nostalogia is great, but it doesn’t bring home 15 million players. Otherwise Halo would still sell 15M
 

VAVA Mk2

Member
Do people really get that excited about annual CoD releases anymore? I think they should just continue to focus on Warzone since GaaS are more lucrative and easier to update with content over time and doesn't split the player base. No one cares about CoD single player anymore.
 
J

JeremyEtcetera

Unconfirmed Member
You are correct. It’s a single-player, can be considered story-driven gaming experience, which is the genre that sells the most on playstation (first party). It wasn’t about comparing the 2 games gameplay-wise. It was about comparing sales and IP importance/reach. Killzone, at it’s peak popularity, never reached Halo 3 numbers, and that is a fact. Not even close. Nostalogia is great, but it doesn’t bring home 15 million players. Otherwise Halo would still sell 15M
There are people out there who only like shooters and multiplayer games, and those two groups intersect quite often. It's been a while for Killzone and during this drought I could see it being a bit hit. However, since none of this is happening it's all opinion vs opinion, so we'll have to agree to disagree.
 
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