Nintendo Business/Sales Discussion

[Shino]

 

I wonder what week FFXIII came out...

 

:p

 

Fortunately even Japanese gamers seem to be coming to their senses when it comes to FF games (if the reviews are anything to go about).

[Daft]

A lot of the testers I talked to were...unimpressed, to put it kindly. I've never been a fan.

[Dante]

2009 Chart Track Numbers For UK

2009 All Formats Chart

01. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

02. FIFA 10

03. Wii Sports Resort

04. Wii Fit

05. Wii Fit Plus

06. Assassin's Creed II

07. Mario Kart Wii

08. Mario & Sonic At The Olympic Winter Games

09. Call Of Duty: World At War

10. FIFA 09

11. New Super Mario Bros. Wii

12. Wii Play

13. Professor Layton And The Curious Village

14. Forza Motorsport 3

15. Lego Batman: The Videogame

16. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

17. Need For Speed: Shift

18. Resident Evil 5

19. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training

20. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

 

2009 Nintendo Wii Chart

01. Wii Sports Resort

02. Wii Fit

03. Wii Fit Plus

04. Mario Kart Wii

05. New Super Mario Bros. Wii

06. Wii Play

07. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

08. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

09. My Fitness Coach: Get In Shape

10. EA Sports Active

11. Carnival: Funfair Games

12. Just Dance

13. Big Beach Sports

14. Monopoly

15. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga

16. F1 2009

17. Super Smash Bros: Brawl

18. Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party

19. Guitar Hero: World Tour

20. Animal Crossing: Let's Go To The City

 

2009 Sony PlayStation 3 Chart

01. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

02. FIFA 10

03. Assassin's Creed II

04. Killzone 2

05. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

06. Need For Speed: Shift

07. Littlebigplanet

08. Call Of Duty: World At War

09. Resident Evil 5

10. Batman: Arkham Asylum

11. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

12. Pro Evolution Soccer 2010

13. FIFA 09

14. UFC 2009: Undisputed

15. Grand Theft Auto IV

16. Street Fighter IV

17. Infamous

18. Fight Night Round 4

19. Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection

20. Resistance 2

 

2009 Xbox 360 Chart

01. Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

02. FIFA 10

03. Forza Motorsport 3

04. Assassin's Creed II

05. Halo 3: ODST

06. Call Of Duty: World At War

07. Resident Evil 5

08. Lego Batman: The Videogame

09. Grand Theft Auto Episodes - Liberty City

10. Left 4 Dead 2

11. Pure

12. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

13. Need For Speed: Shift

14. Gears Of War 2

15. Halo Wars

16. FIFA 09

17. Batman: Arkham Asylum

18. UFC 2009: Undisputed

19. Grand Theft Auto IV

20. Halo 3

 

2009 Nintendo DS Chart

01. Professor Layton And The Curious Village

02. Dr Kawashima's Brain Training

03. Professor Layton And Pandora's Box

04. Mario Kart DS

05. New Super Mario Bros.

06. Pokémon Platinum

07. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games

08. Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force

09. More Brain Training From Dr Kawashima

10. Carnival: Funfair Games

11. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games

12. Puzzler Collection

13. Mystery Case Files: Millionheir

14. Peppa Pig: The Game

15. Big Brain Academy

16. 42 All-Time Classics

17. Nintendogs: Lab & Friends

18. 100 Classic Book Collection

19. Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

20. Rhythm Paradise

 

2009 Sony PSP Chart

01. FIFA 10

02. FIFA 09

03. Gran Turismo

04. Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters

05. Littlebigplanet

06. Tekken: Dark Resurrection

07. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

08. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

09. Invizimals

10. God Of War: Chains Of Olympus

11. Need For Speed: Undercover

12. Ben 10: Alien Force

13. Daxter

14. Call Of Duty: Roads To Victory

15. Medal of Honor: Heroes

16. Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition

17. Dissidia: Final Fantasy

18. Resistance: Retribution

19. Football Manager 2009

20. Monster Hunter: Freedom Unite

 

 

 

Famitsu Top 100 Sales 2009

1. [NDS] Dragon Quest IX (Square Enix) - 4,100,968

2. [NDS] Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver (Pokemon) - 3,382,597

3. [WII] New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo) - 2,485,150

4. [NDS] Tomodachi Collection (Nintendo) - 2,311,948

5. [PS3] Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix) - 1,698,256

6. [WII] Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo) - 1,542,806

7. [WII] Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo) - 1,298,533

8. [WII] Monster Hunter 3 (Capcom) - 968,033

9. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven 2 Fire/Blizzard (Level 5) - 943,615

10. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G PSP The Best (Capcom) - 911,497 / 1,110,614

 

11. [NDS] Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story (Nintendo) - 717,940

12. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo) - 588,258 / 3,555,555

13. [NDS] Professor Leyton and the Flute of Malevolent Destiny (Level 5) - 552,085

14. [NDS] Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days (Square Enix) - 522,260

15. [PS3] Yakuza 3 (Sega) - 509,223

16. [PS3] Biohazard 5 (Capcom) - 508,959

17. [NDS] Rhythm Heaven (Nintendo) - 480,326 / 1,830,997

18. [WII] Mario Kart wii (Nintendo) - 446,447 / 2,449,762

19. [PSP] Phantasy Star Portable 2 (Sega) - 443,216

20. [NDS] Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorer of Skies (Pokemon) - 417,226

 

21. [WII] Taiko Drum Master Wii (Namco) - 390,416 / 641,599

22. [PSP] Dynasty Warriors MULTI RAID (Koei) - 384,336

23. [PS3] World Soccer Winning Eleven 2010 (Konami) - 377,340

24. [PSP] Mobile Suit Gundam: Gundam vs. Gundam Next Plus (Bandai Namco) - 339,034

25. [PS3] Tales of Vesperia (Bandai Namco) - 337,783

26. [NDS] Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (Nintendo) - 330,079 / 879,427

27. [NDS] Pokemon Platinum (Pokemon) - 328,490 / 2,515,827

28. [NDS] The Legend of Zeldas: Spirit Tracks (Nintendo) - 320,940

29. [NDS] Kirby Ultra Super Deluxe (Nintendo) - 319,422 / 1,174,849

30. [PSP] Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology 2 (Bandai Namco) - 317,730

 

31. [WII] Animal Crossing City Folk (Nintendo) - 311,261 / 1,206,563

32. [PS2] SD Gundam G Generation Wars (Bandai Namco) - 307,754

33. [NDS] Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth (Capcom) - 303,445

34. [NDS] New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) - 287,399 / 5,659,586

35. [WII] Wii Sports (Nintendo) - 286,634 / 3,592,834

36. [NDS] Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (Square Enix) - 259,705

37. [NDS] Animal Crossing Wild World (Nintendo) - 258,996 / 5,111,049

38. [PSP] World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 (Konami) - 250,204

39. [PSP] Gran Turismo (SCE) - 247,869

40. [NDS] Mario Kart DS (Nintendo) - 246,192 / 3,563,510

 

41. [WII] Poke Park Wii: Pikachu's Big Adventure (Pokemon) - 243,075

42. [PSP] Dissidia: Final Fantasy (Square Enix) - 242,136 / 902,398

43. [PS2] World Soccer Winning Eleven 2009 (Konami) - 239,928

44. [WII] Monster Hunter G (Capcom) - 236,020

45. [PSP] Jikkyou Powerful Pro Portable 4 (Konami) - 233,864

46. [PS3] Mobile Suit Gundam Senki (Bandai Namco) - 233,473

47. [PSP] Tales of Versus (Bandai Namco) - 231,351

48. [PS3] Warriors Orochi Z (Koei) - 221,718

49. [NDS] Momotarou Dentetsu 20th Anniversary (Hudson) - 218,856 / 340,996

50. [NDS] Tongari Boushi: and the 365 Days of Magic (Konami) - 218,139 / 451,588

 

51. [WII] New Play Control: Mario Power Tennis (Nintendo) - 216,069

52. [NDS] Professor Leyton and the Last Time Travel (Level 5) - 214,474 / 842,617

53. [NDS] Super Robot Wars K (Bandai Namco) - 213,454

54. [NDS] Puyo Puyo 7 (Sega) - 210,056

55. [WII] Taiko Drum Master Wii 2 (Bandai Namco) - 209,083

56. [360] Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope (Square Enix) - 208,521

57. [NDS] Taiko Drum Master DS: Big Adventure of 7 Islands (Bandai Namco) - 206,780 / 650,913

58. [WII] Samurai Warriors 3 (Koei) - 205,370

59. [NDS] Sloane and McHale's Mystery Story (Level 5) - 201,043

60. [PSP] Sengoku BASARA Battle Heroes (Capcom) - 198,799

 

61. [PS3] BAYONETTA (Sega) - 196,150

62. [NDS] Love Plus (Konami) - 192,207

63. [NDS] Dragon Ball Kai (Bandai Namco) - 192,200

64. [NDS] The 4 Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden (Square Enix) - 191,020

65. [PSP] Idol Master SP Perfect Sun/Missing Moon/Wandering Star (Bandai Namco) - 189,568

66. [NDS] Wario Ware DIY (Nintendo) - 187,404

67. [NDS] Power Pro Kun Pocket 11 (Konami) - 185,644 / 284,720

68. [PSP] Persona 3 Portable (Atlus) - 183,283

69. [PSP] Mobile Suit Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna Portable (Bandai Namco) - 181,888

70. [WII] Tales of Graces (Bandai Namco) - 177,925

 

71. [PSP] Hatsune Miku: Project Diva (Sega) - 173,834

72. [NDS] Penguin no Mondai X: 7 Soldiers of Heaven (Konami) - 171,790

73. [PS3] Tekken 6 (Bandai Namco) - 170,150

74. [NDS] Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games (Nintendo) - 169,538

75. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven (NDS) - 167,273 / 396,284

76. [PS2] Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2009 (Konami) - 166,085

77. [PS3] Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 (Square Enix) - 164,619

78. [NDS] SaGa 2: Goddess of Destiny (Square Enix) - 164,352

79. [NDS] Rittai Picross (Nintendo) - 161,690

80. [PS3] Demon Souls (SCE) - 159,278

 

81. [PS3] Street Fighter IV (Capcom) - 157,704

82. [PSP] Persona (Atlus) - 149,740

83. [WII] Wii Play (Nintendo) - 149,555 / 2,742,849

84. [PSP] Macross Ultimate Frontier (Bandai Namco) - 149,541

85. [PS3] Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires (Koei) - 146,520

86. [PSP] Let's Make a J. League Pro Soccer Club! 6 Pride of J (Sega) - 146,371

87. [WII] New Play Control: Pikmin 2 (Nintendo) - 139,560

88. [WII] Karaoke Joysound Wii (Hudson) - 139,093 / 254,144

89. [NDS] Seventh Dragon (Sega) - 137,857

90. [PSP] Boku no Natsuyasumi 4: seitouchi Shounen Tanteidan, Boku to Himitsu no Chizu (SCE) - 137,785

 

91. [PS3] White Knight Chronicles (SCE) - 136,657 / 339,690

92. [NDS] Beautiful Letter Training (Nintendo) - 139,619 / 561,891

93. [PS3] Pro Baseball Spirits 6 (Konami) - 134,910

94. [WII] Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Nintendo) - 133,725 / 1,880,838

95. [NDS] Penguin no Mondai: Legend of the Strongest Penguin (Konami) - 132,515 / 287,502

96. [NDS] Welcome Back Chibi Robo! (Nintendo) - 130,092

97. [NDS] Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (Atlus) - 127,946

98. [NDS] Pokemon Diamond/Pearl (Pokemon) - 127,567 / 5,751,997

99. [WII] Momotarou Dentetsu 2010 (Hudson) - 125,494

100. [360] Biohazard 5 (Capcom) - 123,817

 

Company Software Sales Breakdown:

 

1. Nintendo: 14,400,000

2. Square Enix: 8,590,000

3. Bandai Namco: 7,590,000

4. Pokemon: 4,730,000

5. Konami: 4,660,000

 

Company Top 100 Ranking:

 

1. Nintendo: 25 Titles

2. Bandai Namco: 16 Titles

3. Konami: 11 Titles

4. Square Enix: 9 Titles

5. Capcom: 8 Titles

 

Top 10 Budget Games:

 

1. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G PSP The Best (Capcom) - 911,497 / 1,110,614

2. [PS3] Call of Duty 4 (Square Enix) - 96,913

3. [PS3] Hot Shots Golf 5 PS3 The Best (SCE) - 92,580 / 101,201

4. [360] Ace Combat 6 Platinum Collection (Bandai Namco) - 89,300 / 131,180

5. [PS3] Valkyria Chronicles PS3 The Best (Sega) - 82,744

6. [PSP] Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories Best Price (Capcom) - 76,800

7. [360] Beautiful Katamari Platinum Collection (Bandai Namco) - 74,166 / 115,658

8. [PSP] Hot Shots Golf Portable 2 PSP The Best (SCE) - 71,623

9. [PS3] Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots PS3 The Best (Konami) - 64,714

10. [NDS] Puyo Puyo! Special Price (Sega) - 62,416 / 143,404

 

 

Edited January 17, 2010 by Dante

[lostmario]

Not working for me...

[Hero-of-Time]

From GoNintendo

 

Here's some more encouraging numbers for core-oriented titles on the Wii. Some leaked NPD numbers are coming in, and it looks like Konami and Square-Enix have good reason to be upset with their latest Wii offerings. According to inside sources, Silent Hill: Shattered Memories has sold less than 50,000, which is abysmal for the franchise. Even worse, FFCC: The Crystal Bearers has come in under 40,000 sold. I've seen a ton of advertisements for The Crystal Bearers...what happened?!

 

I guess you could technically say that The Crystal Bearers still could be doing well. It was officially released on Dec. 26th, even though GameStop sold it a week prior to that.

[D_prOdigy]

Konami fucked up. No advertising, massive understocking. No sympathy.

[Goron_3]

Konami fucked up. No advertising, massive understocking. No sympathy.

 

Oh ffs there's always an excuse for like EVERY game. Silent Hill got some fantastic reviews and there are a lot of series fans out there so for it to sell as it did is pretty shocking imo.

 

Crystal Bearers is laughable.

[mcj metroid]

this really isn't looking good.

I'm sure crystal bearers didnt sell too well because of it's poor timing though..

 

 

But it's all excuses here.

[LostOverThere]

GoNintendo Comment[/url]"]LTD sales of Silent Hill 5 through January '09 (Release Date: September 30, 2008)

 

360 73k

PS3 84k

 

If the official number is close to 50,000 as suggested Shattered Memories wii is in an easy position to outsell the PS3 version's LTD and an easier opportunity to outsell the 360 version. The PSP and PS2 versions give Shattered Memories an easy position to outsell Homecoming's multplatform sales as well. Isn't putting things into perspective fun?

 

I've personally still got hope for Shattered Memories. Crystal Bearers isn't looking good at all, unfortunately.

[Retro_Link]

Crystal Bearers rarely looked like a good game past the 10 secs of video we had 4 years ago. S-E should have done a better job with that game as it looks like a rush job even all the years on!

 

Would be nice if Silent Hill did better, I'll most likely get it at some point.

 

Thing is there's a bit of a wierd thing happening with Wii games at the moment, whereby everyone seems to know that if they just wait a few months after launch they'll be able to get the game far cheaper... I know that's how I feel anyway.

[LostOverThere]

Thing is there's a bit of a wierd thing happening with Wii games at the moment, whereby everyone seems to know that if they just wait a few months after launch they'll be able to get the game far cheaper... I know that's how I feel anyway.

This, probably the reason games like Madworld and Little King's Story have such a long tail.

[D_prOdigy]

Oh ffs there's always an excuse for like EVERY game. Silent Hill got some fantastic reviews and there are a lot of series fans out there so for it to sell as it did is pretty shocking imo.

 

So... what about the reports of genuine massive understocking? Stories of people going into stores and not finding it?

 

And there was no real advertising.

 

I'm not making these up as excuses, these are hard facts.

 

It's pre-school... a product that isn't marketed won't sell to its full potential. Why are you trying to reprimand me for claiming that?

 

Oh, and if you want to claim Silent Hill is this hugely popular series whose fanbase alone should justify what you'd deem as suitable sales, then why did Homecoming do so meh?

Edited January 18, 2010 by D_prOdigy

[mcj metroid]

So... what about the reports of genuine massive understocking? Stories of people going into stores and not finding it?

 

And there was no real advertising.

 

I'm not making these up as excuses, these are hard facts.

 

It's pre-school... a product that isn't marketed won't sell to its full potential. Why are you trying to reprimand me for claiming that?

 

Oh, and if you want to claim Silent Hill is this hugely popular series whose fanbase alone should justify what you'd deem as suitable sales, then why did Homecoming do so meh?

 

how could you know whether there is advertising or not the game isn't even out here yet?

 

still though you're probably right but let's not judge it until at least february when they might give it a chance in europe.

Edited January 18, 2010 by mcj metroid

[Fierce_LiNk]

I feel sorry for the Wii. It's the Nintendo curse. Gamers only buy the Nintendo games on the system. Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart. That's it. I reqd Iun's review for this and it pretty much summed up why I'm looking forward to this game. But, why aren't others?

 

Gamers cry for these "mature" games. This is that.

We want games with good Wii controls and a good experience. This is also, that.

 

So, why aren't gamers jizzing their pants at the sight of games such as this? I know I am. If the main character was replaced by Link, this would be a million seller.

 

Yes, the games need to be advertised. That's a fact. It's no longer enough to just put a game on the shelves and expect it to sell. The market is saturated now. There's 3 leading games consoles, so many, many different games in different genres. People feel overwhelmed when they go shopping for games, and as consumers we really are spoiled for choice. To make your game stand out from the crowd, you need to market it. What do Mario Kart and WiiFit have in common? They were heavily marketed by Nintendo and are still selling. I turn the TV on and still see adverts for these games. STILL. How long has it been since the release of those games?! These sales didn't just happen by chance. If you aren't being made aware of something, then you simply do not know that it is there.

 

The Wii Console is only at fault for certain aspects of this puzzle. The online system is not as diverse as the 360 or PS3, that is a problem. The system is at fault there. However, the system is not at fault for the sales of this game. The system doesn't dictate what games you choose to go out and buy. The gamers do that. The simple fact here is that people either did not know the game existed (due to lack of marketing) or they simply saw the game and thought "no thanks." This is, by all reports, a great game. It's not shovelware. This deserves to do better.

[mcj metroid]

I feel sorry for the Wii. It's the Nintendo curse. Gamers only buy the Nintendo games on the system. Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart. That's it. I reqd Iun's review for this and it pretty much summed up why I'm looking forward to this game. But, why aren't others?

 

Gamers cry for these "mature" games. This is that.

We want games with good Wii controls and a good experience. This is also, that.

 

So, why aren't gamers jizzing their pants at the sight of games such as this? I know I am. If the main character was replaced by Link, this would be a million seller.

 

Yes, the games need to be advertised. That's a fact. It's no longer enough to just put a game on the shelves and expect it to sell. The market is saturated now. There's 3 leading games consoles, so many, many different games in different genres. People feel overwhelmed when they go shopping for games, and as consumers we really are spoiled for choice. To make your game stand out from the crowd, you need to market it. What do Mario Kart and WiiFit have in common? They were heavily marketed by Nintendo and are still selling. I turn the TV on and still see adverts for these games. STILL. How long has it been since the release of those games?! These sales didn't just happen by chance. If you aren't being made aware of something, then you simply do not know that it is there.

 

The Wii Console is only at fault for certain aspects of this puzzle. The online system is not as diverse as the 360 or PS3, that is a problem. The system is at fault there. However, the system is not at fault for the sales of this game. The system doesn't dictate what games you choose to go out and buy. The gamers do that. The simple fact here is that people either did not know the game existed (due to lack of marketing) or they simply saw the game and thought "no thanks." This is, by all reports, a great game. It's not shovelware. This deserves to do better.

 

 

I believe that if this game came out in the first year of the wii it would have sold an awful lot more.

 

I feel most serious gamers have grown tried of the wii.

[Dante]

I feel sorry for the Wii. It's the Nintendo curse. Gamers only buy the Nintendo games on the system. Mario, Zelda, Mario Kart. ?!

 

This week UK sales.

[Fierce_LiNk]

I believe that if this game came out in the first year of the wii it would have sold an awful lot more.

 

I feel most serious gamers have grown tried of the wii.

 

It depends what you mean by most serious gamers. I hate this notion that most serious simply refers to the "clan" crowd who play first person shooters. It's a crap notion. Honestly, I don't think the Wii has been given a fair chance. If people gave it more of a fair shot, they'd see that.

[mcj metroid]

It depends what you mean by most serious gamers. I hate this notion that most serious simply refers to the "clan" crowd who play first person shooters. It's a crap notion. Honestly, I don't think the Wii has been given a fair chance. If people gave it more of a fair shot, they'd see that.

 

hm ya I thought you'd pick up on that. I was meant to say it in a "serious" gamers sort of way.

 

My personal impression of a serious gamer is someone who plays everything after all isn't that what a REAL hardcore gamer would do? Play lots of games not just stick to the gritty?

[Fierce_LiNk]

hm ya I thought you'd pick up on that. I was meant to say it in a "serious" gamers sort of way.

 

My personal impression of a serious gamer is someone who plays everything after all isn't that what a REAL hardcore gamer would do? Play lots of games not just stick to the gritty?

 

You'd also have to take money into account, though. Gaming is expensive. £25-40 quid for a new game? 10 games a year. 400 quid! That's probably got to be taken into account, too. Maybe that's partly why gamers buy the Nintendo consoles and only go for the "safe" games. Could also explain why many (non-Silent Hill fans) don't take a gamble on games such as this.

 

I wish there was a way of knowing how many Wii games have been bought when the price of the games has been slashed.

[mcj metroid]

You'd also have to take money into account, though. Gaming is expensive. £25-40 quid for a new game? 10 games a year. 400 quid! That's probably got to be taken into account, too. Maybe that's partly why gamers buy the Nintendo consoles and only go for the "safe" games. Could also explain why many (non-Silent Hill fans) don't take a gamble on games such as this.

 

I wish there was a way of knowing how many Wii games have been bought when the price of the games has been slashed.

 

Ya I think you're right. It's a niche title. See COD: reflex edition sold quite well considering it's a port of the first game. but gamers knew what to expect though. It's not a spinoff its not anything weird. Even though silent hill is a well known brand(or sort of) its... different this time.

 

I'm in shock when I hear devs talk about poor sales of games like dead space extraction, resident evil darkside and madworld. Spinoffs feel cheaper and for the same price as a main entry?

 

I don't think gamers like to take chances on the unknown. I certainly don't anyway so I wait for the price to get cheaper.

[Will]

I wish there was a way of knowing how many Wii games have been bought when the price of the games has been slashed.

 

A lot, the average selling price of Wii games is pretty low nowadays.

 

Of course on the flipside of that a top quality game can hold it's value years after launch (Mario Kart et al) and carry on selling well, something that just doesn't happen on other consoles.

[killer kirby]

So... what about the reports of genuine massive understocking? Stories of people going into stores and not finding it?

 

And there was no real advertising.

 

I'm not making these up as excuses, these are hard facts.

 

It's pre-school... a product that isn't marketed won't sell to its full potential. Why are you trying to reprimand me for claiming that?

 

Also the fact that the Crystal Chronicle series had a fanbase originally already, sales of all the Crystal Chronicle games have done fairly well. Because the style of gameplay has rarely changed.

Now you have the big bosses of S-E who think because the Wii have a different audience, that they want a completely different game. So in the end, with what they did, they lost the fanbase behind the series, but also no one wanted to pay much attention to it since it looked like a meh game, I am surprised how excited I was about this game, only to have it taken away so drastically.

I think even the creator of the game said it was going to bomb. Next time Square...give us the Chrystal Chronicle games that most people know and love.

[jammy2211]

Also the fact that the Crystal Chronicle series had a fanbase originally already, sales of all the Crystal Chronicle games have done fairly well. Because the style of gameplay has rarely changed.

Now you have the big bosses of S-E who think because the Wii have a different audience, that they want a completely different game. So in the end, with what they did, they lost the fanbase behind the series, but also no one wanted to pay much attention to it since it looked like a meh game, I am surprised how excited I was about this game, only to have it taken away so drastically.

I think even the creator of the game said it was going to bomb. Next time Square...give us the Chrystal Chronicle games that most people know and love.

 

People complained about FF:CC being too different, and were pissed the GameCube one was like a multiplayer FF when all we wanted was an epic single player.

 

Now we've gone full circle .

[Dante]

Sony Sees Billion-Dollar Platform Revenue Drop In 2009

 

Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews has been examining 2009's console hardware results, revealing year-on-year revenue drops for all three firms' consoles, but a major $1.3 billion decline for Sony.]

 

In press releases last week, both Microsoft and Sony touted total platform revenues for 2009 -- including first-party hardware and software sales and third-party games, plus accessories -- based on figures provided by the NPD Group.

 

We have combined those figures with analogous figures obtained in 2007 and 2008 to obtain a better picture of how fortunes of these platform stakeholders have shifted over time.

 

As the figure below shows, the total revenue for each stakeholder's platforms dropped. For Microsoft, whose only platform is the Xbox 360, this is the second decline in a row.

 

We will show later that Microsoft sold more hardware and software on its platform in 2009 than it did in 2008, so we expect that Xbox 360 hardware price cuts drove most of that drop in revenue.

 

Similarly, the Wii price cut no doubt explains most of the fall in Nintendo's revenue, which also includes DS hardware, software, and accessory numbers.

 

The truly alarming figure here is the $1.3 billion drop in Sony's revenues from its line of PlayStation systems.

 

Here's overall first and third party game industry revenue by hardware manufacturer for 2007 through 2009:

According to comments made by Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, we estimate that PlayStation 2 software revenues dropped by around $700 million in 2009, compared to 2008. That decline alone would explain more than half of Sony's loss. The PlayStation 2 hardware also received a price cut in 2009, which could have contributed another $150 million in lost revenue.

 

Another $225 million or more have come from the annual loss of 1.3 million PSP system sales. According to Creutz of Cowen & Company, the handheld software segment shed $200 million in annual revenue from 2008 to 2009, and we estimate at least half of that loss can be attributed to declining PSP software sales.

 

Without more precise figures, we cannot illuminate the situation further. However, the general outline is clear: The PlayStation 3 platform -- albeit the subject of a recent price cut -- is still growing, but the contraction in Sony's legacy and handheld segments has overwhelmed those gains.

 

Sony cannot revive the PlayStation 2, and that system's revenue contribution is on a terminal trajectory. (To use Pachter's terms, the PlayStation 2 will “cease being relevant in 2010.”) We furthermore remain skeptical that Sony can reverse the fortunes of the PSP, at least at retail.

 

By mid-2010 we should know more about whether Sony will continue to back the PSP platform, and in particular the premium PSP Go model.

 

We would not be surprised to hear of a successor to the PSP in 2010, especially if it provides backward compatibility to first-generation PSP software and network integration comparable to modern mobile devices.

 

Not working for me...

 

Press the spoiler button.

 

US NPD's Top 10 Games Of All Time

With the recent year-end NPD sales figures, the data trackers unveiled the top 10 games of 2009, but IndustryGamers has taken it a step farther and acquired the top 10 best selling games chart for all time. NPD notes that the list was compiled at the title level, not SKU level, meaning sales for all platforms are included on multiplatform titles. Also, this chart does not include PC games and is focused on console/handheld titles. Finally, it should be noted that "all time" means since 1995, since that's how far back NPD's tracking data goes.

 

Here's the top 10, ranked according to unit sales (NPD declined to provide the units):

Wii Play

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Wii Fit

Mario Kart w/ Wheel

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Madden NFL '07

Call of Duty: World at War

Namco Museum

 

Activision's dominance of this list is quite remarkable, and it shows you why the publisher has seen such tremendous revenue growth in the last 15 years. The fact that the chart is at the title level also makes individual SKUs like Wii Play or Wii Fit that much more impressive. NPD industry analyst Anita Frazier notes that the chart is indicative of the recent expansion of non-traditional games. "I like the number of non-traditional games on the list. It shows that non-traditional content can be lucrative and have wide appeal. From Wii Play to Wii Fit to Guitar Hero, these are all games that don't fit in the traditional gaming 'box' yet have enjoyed great success," she said.

[killer kirby]

People complained about FF:CC being too different, and were pissed the GameCube one was like a multiplayer FF when all we wanted was an epic single player.

 

Now we've gone full circle .

 

The original one got complaints because people wanted it to be turn based and having such a dramatic story like FFX (Which I am grateful they didn't).

 

Only when people played it did they soon realize that it's perhaps the closest thing we will ever get to a Secret Of Mana game ever again. Plus it had the charm which FFIX had that FFVIII and FFX didn't have.

In the end, the only compliant was really the whole GBA 4 play connectivity. Today I wouldn't mind them going back and doing something like a DS connectivity. To be honest, that game was the closest thing too what I loved about Final Fantasy series I enjoyed it greatly.