Nintendo Business/Sales Discussion

[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.

[Dante]

Nintendo Q3 2009 Earning report: 9-mth profit down 41 pct

 

Nintendo Co Ltd (7974.OS) posted a 41 percent fall in nine-month profit as sales of its DS handheld game player slowed and it cut the price of its Wii console, and the company kept a forecast for a first annual profit slide in four years.

 

 

April-December operating profit at Nintendo, which competes with Sony Corp (6758.T) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), was 296.7 billion yen ($3.3 billion), down from 501.3 billion yen.

 

Demand for the once-mighty DS began to slow as it entered its fifth year of production a year ago, and Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iPhone and other smartphones emerged as alternative portable game machines.

 

Profitability also came under pressure because Nintendo cut the price of the Wii by a fifth in the second half of 2009, responding to similar cuts by Sony and Microsoft, which offer the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360, respectively.

 

For the year to March, Nintendo kept unchanged its operating profit forecast of 370 billion yen, down from 555.3 billion yen a year earlier and versus a consensus of 361.1 billion yen in a poll of 20 analysts by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

 

Shares in Nintendo closed up 2.5 percent at 26,320 yen ahead of the announcement, hitting a six-month high and outperforming the Nikkei average .N225, which rose 1.6 percent.

 

Over the past year, Nintendo shares have lost 17 percent, while Sony gained 68 percent.

 

Hardware: April 2009 - Dec. 2009

NDS - 23.35 million WW

WII - 17.05 million WW

 

Software: April 2009 - Dec. 2009

NDS - 121.38 million WW

WII - 156.64 million WW

 

NDS

Pokemon HG/SS - 3.74 million units LTD

Tomodachi Collection - 2.74 million units in 3Q's

Pokemon Platinum - 3.1 million units WW

TLoZ: Spirit Tracks - 2.45 million units WW

 

WII

NSMBW - 10.55 million units WW

Wii Fit Plus - 10.16 million units WW

WSR - 13.58 million units WW

 

Net sales - 1,182,177 million Yen (~ $13.1b)

 

Operating income - 296,656 million Yen (~ $3.3b)

 

Net income - 192,601 million Yen (~ $2.1b)

 

 

Hardware Shipments:

 

NDS - 23.35m (LTD - 125.13m)

 

Wii - 17.05m (LTD - 67.45m)

 

 

Software Shipments:

 

NDS - 121.38m (LTD - 688.29m)

 

Wii - 156.64m (LTD - 509.66m)

 

Results for their Q3 2009:

 

Net Sales - 634,119 million Yen (-9.4% YoY)

 

Operating Income - 192,296 million Yen (-23% YoY)

 

Net Income - 123,109 million Yen (+82% YoY)

 

 

Hardware Shipments:

 

NDS - 11.65m (-2% YoY)

 

Wii - 11.3m (+8.5% YoY)

 

 

Software Shipments:

 

NDS - 50.23m (-36% YoY)

 

Wii - 80.43m (-2.4% YoY)

 

Edited January 28, 2010 by Dante

[Dante]

[The Lillster]

 

Are those Million Sellers recounted every year, or are they strictly for that year?