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[Geo81]

One thing I haven't seen brought up is the baseline increase from August to September. Does Xbox increase without Starfield? I was curious, so I went looking for 2022's stats. I found this article from Chris Dring himself. It states that Xbox Series sales increased 104% in August '22 from September.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/xbox-...-sales-jump-41-in-september-uk-monthly-charts

This is for the entire month, so it's not a direct comparison with a 76% WoW increase. Obviously, Xbox was going to get a bump the week it was released. However, this provides context for that number.

 

[Facism]

that seems more a hop than a jump

 

[twilo99]

Most people who care about this game are on PC so I wasn't really expecting any jump at all..

 

[JTCx]

It’s Christopher Dring.

Same guy who included Gamepass players to show that Starfield is the biggest launch this year.

Yes bigger than Hogwarts and TOTK too when in reality it is worse than FF16 in real sales.

Go figure.

Also the same guy whose duty bound to defend starfield from the injustice of society.

 

[Geo81]

One thing I haven't seen brought up is the baseline increase from August to September. Does Xbox increase without Starfield? I was curious, so I went looking for 2022's stats. I found this article from Chris Dring himself. It states that Xbox Series sales increased 104% in August '22 from September.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/xbox-...-sales-jump-41-in-september-uk-monthly-charts

This is for the entire month, so it's not a direct comparison with a 76% WoW increase. Obviously, Xbox was going to get a bump the week it was released. However, this provides context for that number.

Make that 104% in September '22 compared to August.

 

[Kilau]

Distance selling in the UK is 14 days but most reputable stores match this in stores too.

Accepting returns and giving refunds: the law

When you do and do not have to offer a refund, repair or replacement, unconditional refunds for online purchases, and penalties for deceiving customers

www.gov.uk

Does that cover hair extensions too?

 

[Raonak]

Not bad, but not amazing either. Considering it's the first big game Xbox has had since halo infinite

 

[Woopah]

Have we had any similar articles mentioning WoW of hardware increase comparisons for Sony and Nintendo during a game launch? I'm genuinely curious.

Not that I've seen, but I wouldn't be surprised to see a tweet or article with WoW numbers for the launch of Spiderman 2 or the Mario OLED.

 

[Three]

Does that cover hair extensions too?

Not sure but I assume it does if they're not used

 

[SenkiDala]

Not bad, but not amazing either. Considering it's the first big game Xbox has had since halo infinite

As I said if that or Starfield sells so little Xbox... Yeah I understand why MS is all in with xCloud and Gamepass on TVs, Smartphones etc, they know that consoles are over for them, I don't even know if they'll key release high end consoles like the XSX. Maybe little capable machines like the XSS but I dunno...

And the people I've seen who usually don't like Xbox and bought an XSS for Starfield, dropped the games after less than 10 hours and already sold the console so...

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Future headline: "Xbox Series tradeins spiked 80% in October 2023".

 

[StereoVsn]

A more interesting information would be if GamePass subs increased and at sustainable basis.

Starfield by itself, even if it turned out to be that 95 score Metacritic/Steam reviews, wouldn't lift Xbox by itself.

Since Starfield as other Bethsoft games has a large presence on PC numbers purely on console would look skewed. Plus, a lot of that Bethesda audience is already on Xbox in any case.

Of course MS will never release GamePass numbers, Starfield didn't get amazing reviews, and Steam sales while decent were not that amazing all things considered (technical issues, lower reviews, PC GamePass).

 

[Thirty7ven]

A more interesting information would be if GamePass subs increased and at sustainable basis.

Starfield by itself, even if it turned out to be that 95 score Metacritic/Steam reviews, wouldn't lift Xbox by itself.

Since Starfield as other Bethsoft games has a large presence on PC numbers purely on console would look skewed. Plus, a lot of that Bethesda audience is already on Xbox in any case.

Of course MS will never release GamePass numbers, Starfield didn't get amazing reviews, and Steam sales while decent were not that amazing all things considered (technical issues, lower reviews, PC GamePass).

The increase can only come from PC and new entrants into Xbox.

Starfield is by far their biggest GP selling point on PC, and we will have an idea how it did by how much it sells on Steam.

 

[StereoVsn]

The increase can only come from PC and new entrants into Xbox.

Starfield is by far their biggest GP selling point on PC, and we will have an idea how it did by how much it sells on Steam.

Steam is only small part of it, so it's hard to judge overall performance by sales there due to Gamepass Day 1.

 

[Hudo]

Congratulations to the shareholders.

 

[Thirty7ven]

Steam is only small part of it, so it's hard to judge overall performance by sales there due to Gamepass Day 1.

The less it sells on Steam the bigger the odds they added subscribers on it.

 

[StereoVsn]

The less it sells on Steam the bigger the odds they added subscribers on it.

... or that the game is just not performing as well as expected. Without data you can't just jump on one particular conclusion.

 

[LordCBH]

Huh. Interesting. It’s like good games move systems.

 

[hlm666]

The less it sells on Steam the bigger the odds they added subscribers on it.

They said they hit over 1 million ccu when steam was around 250k ccu, the person in the other thread said pc gamepass subs are niche/minimal or something. So 3/4 of starfields players at that time were not on steam, you can make of that what you will.

 

[Thirty7ven]

... or that the game is just not performing as well as expected. Without data you can't just jump on one particular conclusion.

Of course. It has been ten days and no word of 10 million, or really, 15 to 20 million reached players which for a game this hyped is a massive surprise to me.

 

[Chronicle]

Three games and three consoles sold!

 

[Flutta]

Huh. Interesting. It’s like good games move systems.

Huh. This doesn’t mean much. Xbox has been down YoY only being up 70% for a week is basically insignificant. But what do i know keep pretending i guess.

 

[StereoVsn]

Of course. It has been ten days and no word of 10 million, or really, 15 to 20 million reached players which for a game this hyped is a massive surprise to me.

Yeah, really interesting how it plays out without PlayStation as a platform and with Day 1 GamePass.

I guess the theory is this will boost the subs, but the question is how much and for how long.

 

[FlyyGOD]

That is a nice result.
For all it's flaws, Starfield seems to have managed to fulfil it's goal of being a system seller.

What are all of Starfield's flaws if you don't mind explaining?

 

[MasterCornholio]

What are all of Starfield's flaws if you don't mind explaining?

To be fair no game is perfect. But even games with flaws can still do well.

 

[ahtlas7]

So 76 units then?


J/k put down the green arrows.

 

[Horseganador]

Spain | Week 36, 2023

Hardware:
PS5: ~12,000 /
Switch: 3,300 /
XBS: 1,200 /

PS5 doing a 10:1 to Xbox the week of Starfield, it has not moved hardware.

 

[Gudji]

Spain | Week 36, 2023

Hardware:
PS5: ~12,000 /
Switch: 3,300 /
XBS: 1,200 /

PS5 doing a 10:1 to Xbox the week of Starfield, it has not moved hardware.

Oh dear...

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Strictly speaking as a console gamer, most of those kinds of gamers who have been around the block and enjoyed previous Bethesda games will for sure get a Series X, or even S to play this game. It's an absolute system seller game that I'd be sad to see console gamers miss out on.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Spain | Week 36, 2023

Hardware:
PS5: ~12,000 /
Switch: 3,300 /
XBS: 1,200 /

PS5 doing a 10:1 to Xbox the week of Starfield, it has not moved hardware.

Not surprising.

Xbox has been irrelevant outside of the US/UK since Xbox One.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Strictly speaking as a console gamer, most of those kinds of gamers who have been around the block and enjoyed previous Bethesda games will for sure get a Series X, or even S to play this game. It's an absolute system seller game that I'd be sad to see console gamers miss out on.

I found this opinion a little weird. Back in the older generations only few people had both SNES and Megadrive consoles. Same for the PS2 gen. It may have changed for the PS3 gen, but I doubt it. Now PC is a very valid choice for most games. I do admit that more people have 2 or 3 consoles in recent generations. But it is not a common occurence. One "hd"console+switch is often enough.

My problem is that even if you only look at consoles and forget about PC, buying a console for one game is not something that IMHO all gamers should do. Even for GTA 6 if that game would be exclusive() I would not consider buying a console for it if my console does not have it. It is sad that Starfield exclusivity cost it a lot of players but this is natural in the gaming market. Games like Demons souls or MSG4 too are limited in their audience and could have make a lot of new players happy if they were on xbox consoles. I don't mind it too much as those games will find a way to PC one day.

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

I found this opinion a little weird. Back in the older generations only few people had both SNES and Megadrive consoles. Same for the PS2 gen. It may have changed for the PS3 gen, but I doubt it. Now PC is a very valid choice for most games. I do admit that more people have 2 or 3 consoles in recent generations. But it is not a common occurence. One "hd"console+switch is often enough.

My problem is that even if you only look at consoles and forget about PC, buying a console for one game is not something that IMHO all gamers should do. Even for GTA 6 if that game would be exclusive() I would not consider buying a console for it if my console does not have it. It is sad that Starfield exclusivity cost it a lot of players but this is natural in the gaming market. Games like Demons souls or MSG4 too are limited in their audience and could have make a lot of new players happy if they were on xbox consoles. I don't mind it too much as those games will find a way to PC one day.

Well I'm not talking about every console gamer obviously, just those who are more dedicated to great games than branding alone.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Well I'm not talking about every console gamer obviously, just those who are more dedicated to great games than branding alone.

Buying all consoles is often more due to FOMO.

Especially buying both Xbox and PS5, as the vast majority of games release on both (and with crossplay being a thing, where your friends are at is irrelevant)?
I honestly don't see how buying both is a sign of being more dedicated to great games rather than FOMO or interest in specific exclusives. (No matter the platform)

 

[ShadyAcshuns]

Buying all consoles is often more due to FOMO.

Especially buying both Xbox and PS5, as the vast majority of games release on both (and with crossplay being a thing, where your friends are at is irrelevant)?
I honestly don't see how buying both is a sign of being more dedicated to great games rather than FOMO or interest in specific exclusives. (No matter the platform)

From a dedicated console gamer's point of view, it would suck to miss out on great console exclusives like Metroid Prime, FFX, Tears of the Kingdom, Halo, The Last of Us, Persona, Uncharted etc.

And yes, I'm fully aware most of them are single system owners, but they missed out on a lot of amazing games over time.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

Well I'm not talking about every console gamer obviously, just those who are more dedicated to great games than branding alone.

This is a lot more reasonable. It is a shame that Xbox did not found a way to continue with kinect then. Playing Starfield with voice commands for allies and ship would have been awesome and made the console version more unique. Sadly the series S and X don't have a lot in that regard. I am curious to see if Bethesda will use all the feedback they have to make a DLC or if they will go straight to Elder scrolls 6.

Buying all consoles is often more due to FOMO.

Especially buying both Xbox and PS5, as the vast majority of games release on both (and with crossplay being a thing, where your friends are at is irrelevant)?
I honestly don't see how buying both is a sign of being more dedicated to great games rather than FOMO or interest in specific exclusives. (No matter the platform)

Just this year Hi fi rush, starfield and soon Forza will be out on Xbox. Sony got horizon DLC, PS VR 2, FF16 and soon Spider man 2. Nintendo will have Zelda and mario wonder. Each console do have must have games and a dedicaced gamer can be happy having all 3. This is more a time issue than a FOMO one for me.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Just this year Hi fi rush, starfield and soon Forza will be out on Xbox. Sony got horizon DLC, PS VR 2, FF16 and soon Spider man 2. Nintendo will have Zelda and mario wonder. Each console do have must have games and a dedicaced gamer can be happy having all 3. This is more a time issue than a FOMO one for me.

From a dedicated console gamer's point of view, it would suck to miss out on great console exclusives like Metroid Prime, FFX, Tears of the Kingdom, Halo, The Last of Us, Persona, Uncharted etc.

And yes, I'm fully aware most of them are single system owners, but they missed out on a lot of amazing games over time.

You guys kind of proof my point:

Both of you name games from all kinds of platforms and call yourself dedicated gamers.
I too am a dedicated gamer and I'm fortunate enough to be able to easily buy both Switch and Series X, if I wanted to.

But here's the thing:
Outside of Hellblade 2, there are zero games that I feel I'd miss out on if I don't own Switch and Xbox.
I don't even buy everything Sony releases, because a lot of their games don't interest me.
Buying a Nintendo and Xbox console makes zero sense to me, because if I did, I'd only feel forced to buy games for them because otherwise I'd have wasted a couple hundred bucks on systems I don't actually care about for games I don't really care about either.
Might as well save me the money for other things and spend my time playing games I do like on the consoles I own.

It's just a matter of interest and tbh, both your comments might relate to FOMO as well.

 

[Daneel Elijah]

You guys kind of proof my point:

Both of you name games from all kinds of platforms and call yourself dedicated gamers.
I too am a dedicated gamer and I'm fortunate enough to be able to easily buy both Switch and Series X, if I wanted to.

But here's the thing:
Outside of Hellblade 2, there are zero games that I feel I'd miss out on if I don't own Switch and Xbox.
I don't even buy everything Sony releases, because a lot of their games don't interest me.
Buying a Nintendo and Xbox console makes zero sense to me, because if I did, I'd only feel forced to buy games for them because otherwise I'd have wasted a couple hundred bucks on systems I don't actually care about for games I don't really care about either.
Might as well save me the money for other things and spend my time playing games I do like on the consoles I own.

It's just a matter of interest and tbh, both your comments might relate to FOMO as well.

I don't call myself a dedicaced gamer, and I don't have all 3 consoles this generation. I do agree that at some point FOMO is a part of the equation. But not the only one. Money is another. The time we can have to play can also be a factor.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

I don't call myself a dedicaced gamer, and I don't have all 3 consoles this generation. I do agree that at some point FOMO is a part of the equation. But not the only one. Money is another. The time we can have to play can also be a factor.

True, there are many reasons why someone wouldn't buy multiple platforms, with all of them being equally valid.

That's part of why I never understood why some pretend like it's the true gamer's thing to play on all platforms.

To me that line of thinking is on the same level as fanboyism.

 

[LordCBH]

Do you think next announced Microsoft games can be also system sellers? Even if I want Hellblade 2, I don't see it as a system seller. Same for all the rest of the announced first party titles, except maybe Fable?

I mean, I like them, but they don't seem like a The Last of Us or God of War level of system selling but like a Returnal or Ratchet&Clank level, good games but not system sellers.

Hellblade 2 definitely isn’t a system seller. The first game wasn’t even good.

 

[Heisenberg007]

I don't call myself a dedicaced gamer, and I don't have all 3 consoles this generation. I do agree that at some point FOMO is a part of the equation. But not the only one. Money is another. The time we can have to play can also be a factor.

Time is another big factor.

Most people who can afford to buy multiple consoles (even though they share 95% of the game library) are adults who have good disposable income. In that case, because they're working tough jobs/long hours, they usually don't have enough time to play all games on multiple consoles every day.

They'd be skipping a lot of games anyway. Would make sense for them to not buy one console and just skip those games instead. Unless that other console releases multiple 93+ must-play games and becomes incredibly hard to resist.