mcj metroid Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 I came across this interesting piece on comparing how big budget titles sale in the Us compared to Europe http://www.forbes.com/technology/2008/06/18/games-europe-loves-tech-innovationeu08-cx_mji_0618games.html Burlingame, Calif. - Europeans are known for their appreciation of everyday life. Their taste in videogames is no different. Across the pond, consumers prefer racing and soccer games to blockbuster action, adventure and first-person shooter games that are the staple of the U.S. diet. Indeed, Europeans view such games as "evil," says Cevat Yerli, chief executive of Crytek, a German game developer that specializes in first-person shooters. Guns and gore also don't sell as well in Europe because Europeans like short, so-called casual games, rather than the long, epic tales that keep gamers pounding on their consoles for hours at a stretch. Casual games also fit the European lifestyle better: People can play these short games on trains and subways on their way to work. In Pictures: Europe's Top 10 Games Since Europeans tend to be casual gamers, older versions of consoles sell well there. For instance, the prior iteration of Sony's PlayStation, the PlayStation 2, is widely used for casual games and grabbed a 47% market share in Europe in 2007, according to International Development Group. Nintendo DS, another good console for casual games, claimed second place with 25% of the market. Nintendo's Wii, however, commands a mere 7%. And Microsoft's (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) Xbox 360 has only a 5% market share in Europe. Because the European console market is skewed toward older consoles, major game titles, such as "Halo 3" and "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare," that sell briskly in the U.S. don't sell nearly as well across the pond. Last year, "Halo 3" sold 900,000 copies in Europe, compared with 4.8 million sold in the U.S., according to IDG. Meanwhile, about 1 million copies of "Call of Duty 4" sold in Europe in 2007, vs. 3 million in the U.S. The best-selling console game in Europe in 2007 was "Brain Training" for the DS. It sold over 2.8 million units. Runner up was Electronic Arts' (nasdaq: ERTS - news - people ) soccer entry "FIFA 2008," which scored 2.3 million unit sales. Perhaps the biggest difference between the European and U.S. game markets is size: Sales of games in the two markets are nearly the same; both generated about $18 billion in revenues in 2007, despite the fact that Europe's potential market is twice as large. So look for game publishers to travel across the Atlantic in hopes of exploiting an untapped market. They also compile our top ten games. Which are: (in order) Brain Training Fifa 2008 wii play Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 New super mario bros Need for speed pro street Assassin's Creed Call of duty 4 Big brain academy The simpsons game Doesn't it always make you sick to see fifa beating pro evo? Older console doing better in europe.
Zero Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Out of those 10 games listed I only have 3 of them and one was because of the free wiimote. In all honesty I think they should bring out some half decent games in EU instead of all the cheap mini-game bundles that are going about and then see how the sales go.
Gaijin von Snikbah Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Lets hope UbiSoft doesnt read this... On the other hand, World of Warcraft has 2 million subscribers in Europe and 2.5 million in the USA.
ShadowV7 Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 I've got 4 of those games if you count Big Brain Academy for the Wii. Though I don't like racers too much, barely buy FPS's, generic crap or casual games. And I prefer big long epic games (RPGs/Adventure) the most. I seem to like the same kind of games as Japanese folk But European gamers who like generic stuff have a crap taste in games anyway and don't know a good game when they see one and just get the latest game because it's the new thing. Also Europe is the second biggest market now i'm sure anyway. Japan, Europe then the US.
Konfucius Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 It seems I'm an American Gamer then and I know quite a few people in my age group that also prefer these kinds of games to the casual stuff. But I guess kids also make up a large part of this and I know quite a few parents who are very concerned about what they play.
Fierce_LiNk Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Doesn't it always make you sick to see fifa beating pro evo? Nope, because Fifa isn't the scum of the Earth. The only reason it gets criticised is because of the yearly updates. Ironically, the Pro Evo series has been going this way. I've racked up countless hours on Fifa08, and EA really did well with the Wii version. I haven't managed to play the new Pro Evo for the Wii, but I think EA's "old" reputation is coming before them. They've improved immensly over the last few years. Besides, it's the same reason why there's so many "rom-coms" that get released in the cinema nowadays. If there's a market for it, it'll sell. If it's one for the minority, then it's not going to do well. This shouldn't be a surprise for anybody, as it's all part and parcel of gaming hitting the mainstream. What has changed in the last 10-15 years is that the hardcore gamers are now becoming the minority, and it's been heading that way since the PlayStation days.
Zero Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 This shouldn't be a surprise for anybody, as it's all part and parcel of gaming hitting the mainstream. What has changed in the last 10-15 years is that the hardcore gamers are now becoming the minority, and it's been heading that way since the PlayStation days. Truer words have not been spoken.
tapedeck Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Don't they know that Americans are a culturally and historically violent nation? Guns are accepted far more than in Europe and the glorification of death and violence is seen as a far greater normality than in Europe. Look at Manhunt2...It's in the US, as is the altered version of No More Heroes. I could go on with references from Bowling for Columbine etc but really, it's obvious. Americans are primarily egotistical as they were "born on the greatest country on earth" (sigh) and so they believe that materialistic goods which make them appear greater than their fellow man to be the way forward. Fast cars/big guns and winning at all costs is the American dream... Sounds bitter no? On the FIFA debate: Fifa is massively improved yet still pales in comparison to PES. However, I personally feel that PES08 was horrific on all platforms apart from Wii. And so EA have pushed on ahead. PES6 will always be my favourite footy game. Even with it's noticeable flaws.
mcj metroid Posted June 19, 2008 Author Posted June 19, 2008 Nope, because Fifa isn't the scum of the Earth. The only reason it gets criticised is because of the yearly updates. Ironically, the Pro Evo series has been going this way. I've racked up countless hours on Fifa08, and EA really did well with the Wii version. I haven't managed to play the new Pro Evo for the Wii, but I think EA's "old" reputation is coming before them. They've improved immensly over the last few years. Besides, it's the same reason why there's so many "rom-coms" that get released in the cinema nowadays. If there's a market for it, it'll sell. If it's one for the minority, then it's not going to do well. This shouldn't be a surprise for anybody, as it's all part and parcel of gaming hitting the mainstream. What has changed in the last 10-15 years is that the hardcore gamers are now becoming the minority, and it's been heading that way since the PlayStation days. Fifa only wins because people don't know any better. I'm not saying fifa games are bad, no just not as good as the best. Pro evolution is a far better game on any platform(except probably ds) look at the job on wii. Sorry but i'd prefer the better game selling overall. I could say this for anything. I;m pretty sure mario party on wii outsold super mario galaxy. I'm not that passionate about sport games mind you but I always hated fifa games. very far back i preferred sensible soccer, on early ps1 i preferred actua soccer. Now i prefer pro evo. the hardcore was always in the minority, just it's not as obvous because there wernt enough casual games to be fair. But it just so happened that many games based on licenses were actually very good. like the lion king,toy story.alladin,robocop vs terminator,tmnt. But crap games like the simpsons still became some of the snes best selling titles. We were casual once but we lived in a great time where quality games were usually recognised. Original titles had a far better chance and there wern't many ads around for games so we only had the word of mouth. There will NEVER be another mario and another sonic in my opinion ever again due to people's reaction to original ips these days.
Fierce_LiNk Posted June 19, 2008 Posted June 19, 2008 Sounds bitter no? On the FIFA debate: Fifa is massively improved yet still pales in comparison to PES. However, I personally feel that PES08 was horrific on all platforms apart from Wii. And so EA have pushed on ahead. PES6 will always be my favourite footy game. Even with it's noticeable flaws. It has massively improved aye, but I've always found myself to be more "in tune" with Fifa than the Pro Evo series. There's just something about the games I don't feel natural with. Fifa only wins because people don't know any better. I'm not saying fifa games are bad, no just not as good as the best.Pro evolution is a far better game on any platform(except probably ds) look at the job on wii. Sorry but i'd prefer the better game selling overall. I could say this for anything. I;m pretty sure mario party on wii outsold super mario galaxy. But Mario Party and Mario Galaxy are two different types of games. With Pro Evo and Fifa, they do focus on different aspects of football. Part of the reason why Fifa always stayed on top was partly because of the roster. You could always play as your favourite footballers. Just playing on an older edition of Pro Evo, and you can't deny that there's something not quite right with playing a Wales team that comprises of "Biggs" instead of Giggs. Or the like. The presentation in Fifa has always been pretty sound. The options are always there, as are the wealth of teams. Before you even get into a game, you have all that waiting for you. Pro Evo may do a very good job at recreating the beautiful game on a console, but as far as the little touches go, and presentation, it has made very, very little progress in the last few years. I'm not that passionate about sport games mind you but I always hated fifa games. very far back i preferred sensible soccer, on early ps1 i preferred actua soccer. Now i prefer pro evo. Maybe your judgement is clouded then if you've always hated Fifa? Maybe Pro Evo is just the next logical step for you to take? the hardcore was always in the minority, just it's not as obvous because there wernt enough casual games to be fair. But it just so happened that many games based on licenses were actually very good. like the lion king,toy story.alladin,robocop vs terminator,tmnt. But crap games like the simpsons still became some of the snes best selling titles. We were casual once but we lived in a great time where quality games were usually recognised. Original titles had a far better chance and there wern't many ads around for games so we only had the word of mouth. There will NEVER be another mario and another sonic in my opinion ever again due to people's reaction to original ips these days. You're right, older licensed games like Alladin were pretty great. But, that's all changed with time. Here's a thought, what if the new Disney titles are actually great for younger gamers like Alladin was for us. They could be, we don't know because we don't play them, because we've got older. Things have changed, society for one thing. Just like film and music has changed, games have, too. Quality has been sacrificed, but then what is a good quality game?
mcj metroid Posted June 20, 2008 Author Posted June 20, 2008 You're right, older licensed games like Alladin were pretty great. But, that's all changed with time. Here's a thought, what if the new Disney titles are actually great for younger gamers like Alladin was for us. They could be, we don't know because we don't play them, because we've got older. Things have changed, society for one thing. Just like film and music has changed, games have, too. Quality has been sacrificed, but then what is a good quality game? Maybe it was unfair of me to compare mario party to mario galaxy but i coulnt really think of another example.. I suppose you could use something like medal of honour games outselling something like timesplitters as a better one but even they are different games. anyway there are some very good quality kids games even now.. like daxter and ratchet and clank and mario games even. They are as good as the games in the past.. I;m not sure if the quality of games has decreased. I just think there are far more games based on movies and more advertisements to cloud people's views on what a quality game is. The games we mention got great reviews at the time and people our age still love them now.. there were awful kids games back on the megadrive like bubsy and the like and likewise look at the petz games.. Clearly not good quality no matter what age you are. yes young people may get enjoyment and people who have never seen a videogame before will get enjoyment but thats not the point. yes people's definition of what a quality game is is different. Your view of team names and player names being different from reality means "nothing" to me but I can see where you are coming from. Music for instance plays A massive part in games for me. if the music is annoying or meh then usually I hate playing this level or game is it's consistent. the other thing i've noticed is that nobody seems to love split-screen gaming as much as I do.These are things usually people can get over.
Domstercool Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 This year it doesn't make me sick to see Fifa 08 over PES 2008. PES 2008 was just a pointless release, nothing really done to it, atleast Fifa changed for the better. Hopefully PES 2009 will be a much better game than 08.
Shino Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 Its in the marketing, the amount of marketing for Halo in the US was insane, much more for a single game than the marketing for every game here. If they invest that kind of money over here I'm sure not only would hardcore games sell more, the sales would sky rocket.
Calza Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 Also Europe is the second biggest market now i'm sure anyway. Japan, Europe then the US. First half of that is right is right, second half is completely the wrong way round.
Hellfire Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 I always love to see what Americans think of Europe, it's lol-worthy. Also Calza, you're wrong :P It's Asia->Europe->USA
Calza Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 But I'm right. USA > Europe > Japan. Asia wasn't even in that so I don't know what your playing at. And actually going by VGChartz I would still say USA is a bigger market than Asia.
Hellfire Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 But I'm right. USA > Europe > Japan. Asia wasn't even in that so I don't know what your playing at. And actually going by VGChartz I would still say USA is a bigger market than Asia. Because Europe is a continent, you don't compare it to just Japan you compare it with Asia, USA is in there because it's huge and the rest of America hardly has a game market. Just google it. http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/eu-is-second-largest-videogaming-territory "Gaming generated EUR 7.3 billion (USD 11.4 billion) in the European Union during 2007, compared with EUR 7.4 billion (USD 11.5 billion) in Asia and EUR 6.9 billion (USD 10.7 billion) in the United States."
Calza Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 I know what you mean and I'm not saying your wrong but thats how ShadowV7 had his list... Fair enough though about the list but just wondering where does Canada fit in to all of this? They just get shunned like they always do when it comes to stuff like this as well?
tapedeck Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 Back onto the PES/FIFA debate... I always found that EA's motion capture was too slow in responding to button presses. The 2D FIFA's were pretty special (and I actually preferred them over the ISS series). Then when everything went 3D (all hail Actua Soccer!) ISS was awesome whilst FIFA took a good few years to get into the groove. I feel that in 2003 FIFA finally took great srtrides to being competitive with Pro Evo. Konami obviously made some duffers in the meantime as the ISS 2/3 games were terrible (2 was just about bearable) yet the PES series was feeling milked at about number 3-4. 5 was also a little too sensitive to fouls and I found that PES6 finally got it right (apart from keepers being amazing in the air/too weak on higher settings and other various nitpicks). Then Konami went next gen and it wasn't as slick and suffered technically. Only PES '08 on Wii and PS2 were decent. Wii being awesomely innovative - obviously. Meanwhile FIFA has felt like technology has finally caught up with it's mo-cap feaures/razzmataz. The processing power of next gen consoles seems to suit EA's game much more than Konami's. Time will tell but whereas FIFA was once the (post pub) title you could play pissed, at times it now feels the other way around. Possibly as PES hasn't radically changed and so more people are familiar with it's control set-up. Anyone agree? That's my take on it
DomJcg Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 I love how they think we can be compared to the US, europe? well, do games sell well in the far eastern side? Britian ourselves must command a large share of the games market, and there are states in the US the size of us blighters!
darksnowman Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 I always thought that Europe and the US would be similar. Maybe the UK itself is closer to the US? We have Fifa that stays in the charts and they would have Madden I imagine... so apart from that I thought the top stereotypical games would be the same- Halo, GTA, CoD4, wtvr. P.S, I haven't played Fifa on the Wii, but Pro Evo rocks!
Emasher Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 Fair enough though about the list but just wondering where does Canada fit in to all of this? They just get shunned like they always do when it comes to stuff like this as well? Although it may not be as big as the market in the US, there are quite a few gamers here. I don't have the actual numbers though. I think that people will buy games that they think are for people like them. And how do you make people think games are for people like them? You highlight gameplay aspects and features that will interest multiple groups in advertising. People who buy casual games buy them because they portray to their interests (for instance Nintendogs is bought by kids who want a dog or like dogs. Games like Metroid and smash bros are generally bought by hardcore gamers because they're the ones who know about them and know that they are good games.) You just need to make the game well known, and also make it well known as a game that everyone will enjoy. I'm sure casuals wouldn't be as put off by games like Metroid if they knew what they were like and actually played them long enough to enjoy them. You just have to make them want to. We were casual once but we lived in a great time where quality games were usually recognised. Original titles had a far better chance and there wern't many ads around for games so we only had the word of mouth. There will NEVER be another mario and another sonic in my opinion ever again due to people's reaction to original ips these days. There could easily be another Mario and Sonic. That whole "war" started because Mario was popular and sonic was similar and could compete with it. There will always be some incredibly popular hardcore games and if another company makes a game like it on another console... If Nintendo could make a Metroid game compete with Halo, I think we could see that whole thing happen again. The "problem" with Metroid is its mainly a single player game and really the two games aren't that alike and alot of people play it for the first time expecting something like Halo but really its an entirely different concept. If Nintendo made Metroid more like Halo (and I'm not saying I want that, I hate the idea of it) It would be Mario and Sonic all over again.
Hellfire Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 I know what you mean and I'm not saying your wrong but thats how ShadowV7 had his list... Fair enough though about the list but just wondering where does Canada fit in to all of this? They just get shunned like they always do when it comes to stuff like this as well? And Australia and New Zealand. Either way, EU>USA :P (sorry to de-rail again)
Jonnas Posted June 21, 2008 Posted June 21, 2008 If Nintendo could make a Metroid game compete with Halo, I think we could see that whole thing happen again. The "problem" with Metroid is its mainly a single player game and really the two games aren't that alike and alot of people play it for the first time expecting something like Halo but really its an entirely different concept. If Nintendo made Metroid more like Halo (and I'm not saying I want that, I hate the idea of it) It would be Mario and Sonic all over again. I find it funny that, whenever someone talks about this possibility, the scenario everyone finds more likely is Metroid becoming Halo. Nobody ever poses the possibility of Halo becoming Metroid. Is it because of the popularity...or something else?
Hellfire Posted June 21, 2008 Posted June 21, 2008 Microsoft did a tremendous marketing job with Halo an XBox, despite the 1st one selling a little more than GC it was a failure on a lot of fronts, yet, when its body was cold and buried awaiting the birth of 360, you saw viral marketing everywhere. Suddenly, XBox was viewed a success, in every american movie and show you saw people playing XBox and Halo and talking about it. They saw that the "american" factor helped them and they sticked to it, while Halo, which is of course a good game (don't like the 1st one and don't think it deserves nearly the attention it gets, but regardless), but something that was for the most part a PC game, and something that has been played by PC gamers for years, turned into some sort of hallmark. Every game with dual wielding, melee attacks, shield, etc is now copying Halo, every good FPS must be a Halo killer. There are even parts in Halo 3 (the flood!) that feel like Bungie is trying to mimmick the isolation feeling and the organic environments. What other people might mean by Metroid competing with Halo, it could be sales-wise, but let's face it, that's not Metroid and that's not Nintendo and it will never happen, because let's face it, Metroid isn't exactly mainstream.
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