General Gaming Sales/Charts Discussion

[Serebii]

The issue is that people just dismiss handheld titles to be of similar quality to the 99p iOS dross that floods the marketplace and thus, just because it's portable, think they should be lower.

 

If Nintendo et al lowered the price of 3DS games to say £20, the business would not be sustainable. Games would have to sell a ridiculous amount just to break even.

 

Lowering the price is such a ridiculous suggestion, often by people who believe sales are sales and that's what matters. Millions of sales at a loss is a far worse situation than moderate sales at a profit overall. Hell, the major reason Nintendo were in the red was largely because the 3DS took off with its new price, where it was being sold at considerable loss.

 

Consoles can be argued for being sold at a loss due to making money back due to software revenue, royalties etc., but software being severely underpriced? No, that's just a ridiculous idea.

Edited December 23, 2013 by Serebii

[Mr-Paul]

Cheap price doesn't necessarily equal sales. The product has to be wanted. I really think you are putting too much emphasis on price. Sure it is a factor, but not the overarching factor. Tearaway was released for cheap. It failed in terms of sales. Yes, Vita is a less popular platform, but would the sales have been much less if it were more expensive? I doubt it.

 

I think one of the factors is there is a lot less software developed for the 3DS than its predecessors, which is why software sales are down. That and the wider 'casual' audience aren't buying it like they did with the DS. I really do disagree that there is a widespread problem with 3DS game pricing stopping people from buying it. In addition, Nintendo software over the years has always stayed at a high price, for better or worse.

 

Btw, I'd be all for a drop in price. I just don't think the price of 3DS games (outside of Game) are that bad and don't think them being a fiver cheaper will make that much of the difference. And if you expect Nintendo to sell their 3DS games for less than they have sold games in previous generations, you're being completely unrealistic.

[liger05]

If Nintendo et al lowered the price of 3DS games to say £20, the business would not be sustainable. Games would have to sell a ridiculous amount just to break even.

 

You have a source for this? You can detail just how much the games are costing to develop and whats required to break even or are you simply just speculating?

 

The issue is that people just dismiss handheld titles to be of similar quality to the 99p iOS dross that floods the marketplace and thus, just because it's portable, think they should be lower.

 

No doubt there is an element of this but thats the reality of the market which Nintendo has to respond to. Lets not forget prior to this generation of handhelds titles on handhelds were always significantly lower than the console games.

 

Lowering the price is such a ridiculous suggestion, often by people who believe sales are sales and that's what matters. Millions of sales at a loss is a far worse situation than moderate sales at a profit overall. Hell, the major reason Nintendo were in the red was largely because the 3DS took off with its new price, where it was being sold at considerable loss.

 

Attachment rates matter. People buying hardware and then just 2 or 3 games isnt good. People will pay the money for the key titles but what about everything else. So while the Pokemons, Mario's, Luigi's etc etc are selling well other games are not. I dont see how that is good.

 

Nintendo messed up themselves by misreading the market and launching the 3DS to high and had to take a huge hit to rectify the situation. I dont see how you can argue reducing the price wasnt the correct thing to do as it clearly was as sales were far too sluggish for a Nintendo handheld prior to the price drop!!

 

Consoles can be argued for being sold at a loss due to making money back due to software revenue, royalties etc., but software being severely underpriced? No, that's just a ridiculous idea.

 

I dont see why you seem to think reducing the price of 3DS software to say RRP £20 - £25 means it will be severely underpriced. Whats your evidence for this?

[Debug Mode]

Serebii, you've not considered one very vital thing with the reduction of margins, most of the time it attracts more people to buy it and can end up earning you more profit.

 

To be honest, the UK market handheld market is clearly taking a beating from mobile gaming. People can argue that "oh, the phone can't replicate this or that", but that's to us, the general gamer. I will prefer a handheld designed for gaming, but mobile gaming is actually reaching a point where you can have a decent, cheap experience.

 

Most people, the casual audience, don't care about all this experiences shit. They want to have fun. I know people who have spent a lot of time of stuff like Candy Crush Saga, rivalling how much I'd spend on a game I'm really in to, without paying a single penny. A lot of people apparently do, but I've yet to meet any one of them (or they're just not admitting it).

 

The reduction of the price of software CAN happen, it'll take more to turn a profit, but you could essentially gain more from an audience who sees new found value in the cheaper software.

[Mr-Paul]

Also, not saying any of you guys aren't parents (I don't know you!) but this "parents won't buy" is pretty anecdotal. Have we got data showing the demographics buying the 3DS, or those not buying? Do we have any comparisons of DS console/software sales relative to the performance of the 3DS and a comparison of the demographics?

 

Yes, I will agree that anecdotally, many kids are now playing games on tablets. But is this really because parents think 3DS software is too expensive, or is this just what kids want to play on nowadays?

[Serebii]

Serebii, you've not considered one very vital thing with the reduction of margins, most of the time it attracts more people to buy it and can end up earning you more profit.

 

To be honest, the UK market handheld market is clearly taking a beating from mobile gaming. People can argue that "oh, the phone can't replicate this or that", but that's to us, the general gamer. I will prefer a handheld designed for gaming, but mobile gaming is actually reaching a point where you can have a decent, cheap experience.

 

Most people, the casual audience, don't care about all this experiences shit. They want to have fun. I know people who have spent a lot of time of stuff like Candy Crush Saga, rivalling how much I'd spend on a game I'm really in to, without paying a single penny. A lot of people apparently do, but I've yet to meet any one of them (or they're just not admitting it).

 

The reduction of the price of software CAN happen, it'll take more to turn a profit, but you could essentially gain more from an audience who sees new found value in the cheaper software.

I agree with hardware it can, but with software I just don't see it...not as a base line. As a game here and there, sure, but absolutely not as the baseline.

[Debug Mode]

I agree with hardware it can, but with software I just don't see it...not as a base line. As a game here and there, sure, but absolutely not as the baseline.

 

I can't fault you for thinking this, the console industry has shown that even by underpricing the console, you can still make your return else where.

 

But how do you measure this for a game? With consoles, we can look at all the factors gone in to constructing, packaging and shipping the product. Wages, materials, distribution etc etc.

 

But with a game, we can't do the same. Especially with Nintendo, who don't publish their budgets for their games, but considering they have a built in audience who would probably buy a cardboard box that has Nintendo written on it, I think it's very hard for them to make a loss on a single piece of software, even with a slight reduction in RRP.

[Sheikah]

The issue is that people just dismiss handheld titles to be of similar quality to the 99p iOS dross that floods the marketplace and thus, just because it's portable, think they should be lower.

 

If Nintendo et al lowered the price of 3DS games to say £20, the business would not be sustainable. Games would have to sell a ridiculous amount just to break even.

 

Lowering the price is such a ridiculous suggestion, often by people who believe sales are sales and that's what matters. Millions of sales at a loss is a far worse situation than moderate sales at a profit overall. Hell, the major reason Nintendo were in the red was largely because the 3DS took off with its new price, where it was being sold at considerable loss.

 

Consoles can be argued for being sold at a loss due to making money back due to software revenue, royalties etc., but software being severely underpriced? No, that's just a ridiculous idea.

 

Beyond Two Souls I just bought today new from ShopTo for about £15, and it's just a couple of months old. Games like Mario Kart /NSMB 3DS/DKC age into the years and still cost £30+ new.

 

They can definitely afford to lower their prices. And if you say they can't, show proof that their games are costing them significantly more to make than other games people are mentioning.

[Goron_3]

For what it's worth, I LOVE my 3DS and I barely buy games for it because they are so expensive. I still haven't got round to Fire Emblem because I just can't afford to spend that much on a handheld game when I could buy a console game for around the same price.

 

In fact, just now I had to decide between Fire Emblem or a bunch of games off of Steam and I chose the latter; much better for me to get Hotline Miami, Mark of the Ninja and The Walking Dead S2 than one single handheld title.

[liger05]

Media Create Sales: Week 51, 2013 (Dec 16 - Dec 22)

 

01./01. [3DS] PazuDora Z: Puzzle & Dragons Z <RPG> (GungHo Online Entertainment) {2013.12.12} (¥4.400) - 256.373 / 800.003 (-53%)

02./02. [3DS] Pokemon X / Y # <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2013.10.12} (¥4.800) - 212.666 / 3.572.829 (+34%)

03./00. [PS3] New Dynasty Warriors: Gundam <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.12.19} (¥7.980) - 126.019 / NEW

04./00. [PS3] Drakengard 3 <RPG> (Square Enix) {2013.12.19} (¥7.980) - 114.024 / NEW

05./03. [WIU] Super Mario 3D World <ACT> (Nintendo) {2013.11.21} (¥5.985) - 86.408 / 327.514 (+49%)

06./00. [PSV] New Dynasty Warriors: Gundam <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.12.19} (¥6.980) - 52.667 / NEW

07./10. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2012.11.08} (¥4.800) - 41.137 / 3.564.124 (+56%)

08./11. [3DS] Friend Collection: New Life # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2013.04.18} (¥4.800) - 38.405 / 1.584.122 (+73%)

09./09. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 # <ACT> (Capcom) {2013.09.14} (¥5.990) - 37.034 / 3.067.313 (+33%)

10./08. [3DS] Inazuma Eleven Go Galaxy: Big Bang / Supernova <RPG> (Level 5) {2013.12.05} (¥5.500) - 33.328 / 155.488 (+9%)

11./05. [3DS] Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind <ACT> (Spike Chunsoft) {2013.12.05} (¥6.090) - 30.363 / 166.145 (-28%)

12./12. [3DS] Aikatsu! 2-nin no My Princess <SLG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.11.21} (¥5.480) - 29.223 / 146.898 (+59%)

13./14. [3DS] Disney Magic Castle: My Happy Life # <ETC> (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.08.01} (¥5.480) - 28.562 / 378.584 (+62%)

14./13. [3DS] One Piece: Unlimited World Red # <ADV> (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.11.21} (¥5.980) - 28.108 / 169.388 (+57%)

15./17. [3DS] Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon <ACT> (Nintendo) {2013.03.20} (¥4.800) - 26.931 / 985.442 (+79%)

16./00. [PSV] Gekijouban Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram # <RPG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.12.19} (¥5.980) - 26.363 / NEW

17./21. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 <RCE> (Nintendo) {2011.12.01} (¥4.800) - 25.082 / 2.205.807

18./22. [3DS] Battle For Money Sentouchuu: Densetsu no Shinobi no Survival Battle! <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2013.10.17} (¥4.980) - 24.842 / 158.239

19./15. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2012.07.28} (¥4.800) - 24.154 / 2.182.408 (+60%)

20./23. [WIU] Wii Party U <ETC> (Nintendo) {2013.10.31} (¥4.935) - 23.972 / 119.100

 

 

Top 20

 

3DS - 14

PS3 - 2

PSV - 2

WIU - 2

 

HARDWARE

Code:

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

|System | This Week | Last Week | Last Year | YTD | Last YTD | LTD |

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| 3DS # | 232.600 | 181.556 | 411.272 | 4.680.337 | 5.247.532 | 14.460.217 |

| WIU | 109.113 | 74.903 | 122.843 | 824.965 | 557.901 | 1.452.252 |

| PSV # | 55.591 | 35.946 | 21.266 | 1.137.390 | 670.347 | 2.268.215 |

| PS3 | 24.573 | 23.959 | 47.626 | 819.269 | 1.170.477 | 9.679.353 |

| PSP # | 9.905 | 6.475 | 65.859 | 429.088 | 857.713 | 20.058.099 |

| WII | 1.711 | 1.197 | 13.049 | 70.367 | 468.874 | 12.709.203 |

| 360 | 763 | 536 | 1.689 | 24.866 | 75.803 | 1.638.700 |

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| ALL | 434.256 | 324.572 | 685.277 | 7.986.282 | 9.173.951 | 62.266.039 |

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

| PSVTV | 5.504 | 5.506 | | 70.213 | | 70.213 |

| PSV | 50.087 | 30.440 | 21.266 | 1.067.177 | 670.347 | 2.198.002 |

| 3DSLL | 164.078 | 130.710 | 251.949 | 3.195.648 | 1.939.790 | 5.286.019 |

| 3DS | 68.522 | 50.846 | 159.323 | 1.484.689 | 3.307.742 | 9.174.198 |

| PSP | 9.905 | 6.475 | 65.859 | 429.088 | 857.713 | 19.882.112 |

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Wii U having a real good holiday season in Japan. 3DS killing it software wise, utter domination!! LM2 on its way to 1 mil very very soon.

 

3DS wont hit 5 mil for the year which is disappointing.

Edited December 25, 2013 by liger05

[Serebii]

This week, in Japan

 

Another climb for Wii U and Mario 3D World in Japan: 109,113 and 86,408 respectively. Rock on!

 

3DS LL 164,078

Wii U 109,113

3DS 68,522

Vita 50,087

PS3 24,573

PSP 9,905

Vita TV 5,504

Wii 1,711

Xbox 360 763

[Wii]

Solid and extremely respectable numbers for Wii U the past few weeks. Long may it continue. Viva La Vida Wii U!

[Debug Mode]

Really impressive Wii U numbers, even though we knew it was going to be a big week for sales, I wasn't expecting it to reach the numbers it did.

 

Nintendo still has time to gain the easy advantage in Japan, it's a little bit harder in the West now that other consoles have attracted all the attention. Heck, even when Sony comes out with the PS4 in Japan, post-launch is probably going to be incredible quiet as there's looking like there will be no big hitters for a good while. Heck, I think PS3 is still in a stupidly strong position and may cannibalise their own market.

[khilafah]

Really impressive Wii U numbers, even though we knew it was going to be a big week for sales, I wasn't expecting it to reach the numbers it did.

 

Nintendo still has time to gain the easy advantage in Japan, it's a little bit harder in the West now that other consoles have attracted all the attention. Heck, even when Sony comes out with the PS4 in Japan, post-launch is probably going to be incredible quiet as there's looking like there will be no big hitters for a good while. Heck, I think PS3 is still in a stupidly strong position and may cannibalise their own market.

 

to be honest even without the PS4/xbox one in the west the wii u would still be in same position.

 

From day 1 the console has had no buzz and even without new consoles that wasn't gonna change.

 

Good to see the holiday numbers in Japan are strong!

 

3DS software is killing them charts.

Edited December 26, 2013 by khilafah

[liger05]

to be honest even without the PS4/xbox one in the west the wii u would still be in same position.

 

From day 1 the console has had no buzz and with out new consoles wasn't gonna change.

 

Good to see the holiday numbers in Japan are strong!

 

3DS software is killing them charts.

 

PS4/XB1 are only a small part of the problem for the wii u in the west. The bigger problem is the 360/PS3. People are more likely to buy those than a wii u. In a sense the wii u is up against the PS4, XB1, PS3, 360, and 3DS. Screwed!!

[Rummy]

That and the wider 'casual' audience aren't buying it like they did with the DS. I really do disagree that there is a widespread problem with 3DS game pricing stopping people from buying it. In addition, Nintendo software over the years has always stayed at a high price, for better or worse.

 

Just to add, for me - I think this is a very apt point in relation to what liger's saying. I think for these people, yes, £5-10 WILL make a difference, and they will buy that cool game for their DS which they otherwise felt they wasn't worth it. I'm not saying prices are an issue per se, but that some of the market HAS shifted to the cheap and easy mobile/smartphone market - as Debug says many might not care as much about the 'quality' or 'experience' as many of us will.

 

Definitely good to see the continuation of Wii U numbers in Japan at the moment!

[liger05]

Week 52, 2013 - Individual Formats (Units)

 

01 (01) 360 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)

02 (03) 360 ASSASSIN'S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG (UBISOFT)

03 (06) 360 GRAND THEFT AUTO V (TAKE 2)

04 (02) 360 FIFA 14 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

05 (05) PS4 FIFA 14 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

06 (10) PS3 GRAND THEFT AUTO V (TAKE 2)

07 (12) PS3 ASSASSIN'S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG (UBISOFT)

08 (11) 360 MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION (MICROSOFT)

09 (13) 360 BATTLEFIELD 4 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

10 (08) PS3 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)

11 (04) WII JUST DANCE 2014 (UBISOFT)

12 (09) PS3 FIFA 14 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

13 (17) PS3 GRAN TURISMO 6 (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)

14 (15) PS4 CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)

15 (16) XBO FIFA 14 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

16 (20) 360 NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

17 (19) PS4 BATTLEFIELD 4 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

18 (18) XBO CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS (ACTIVISION BLIZZARD)

19 (28) XBO BATTLEFIELD 4 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

20 (14) 360 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES (WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE)

21 (24) XBO FORZA MOTORSPORT 5 (MICROSOFT)

22 (21) PS3 BATTLEFIELD 4 (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

23 (07) PS4 KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)

24 (22) PS4 ASSASSIN'S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG (UBISOFT)

25 (25) PS3 NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

26 (32) PS4 KNACK (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)

27 (27) PC FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014 (SEGA)

28 (31) XBO DEAD RISING 3 (MICROSOFT)

29 (29) PS4 NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS (ELECTRONIC ARTS)

30 (26) 3DS ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF (NINTENDO)

31 (36) 360 BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS (WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE)

32 (35) PS3 THE LAST OF US (SONY COMPUTER ENT.)

33 (33) 3DS POKEMON X (NINTENDO)

34 (37) 360 WWE 2K14 (TAKE 2)

35 (38) XBO RYSE: SON OF ROME (MICROSOFT)

36 (34) 3DS POKEMON Y (NINTENDO)

37 (39) PS4 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES (WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE)

38 (23) PS3 LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES (WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE)

39 (__) XBO ASSASSIN'S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG (UBISOFT)

40 (__) 360 SAINTS ROW IV (KOCH MEDIA)

 

360 still going very strong. Next Gen software still doing good. Wii U & Vita bundles clearly having no effect as no game from either platform charts again.

 

Lack of 3DS software is a concern. Will be interesting to see how many 3DS/2DS were shifted over xmas period as not many 3DS games are selling.

[Goron_3]

PS4 has sold just over half a million units in the UK (550K) compared to the XBOne which has now sold 365K units.

 

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ps4-outsold-xbox-one-by-166-000-consoles-in-uk-last-year/0126321

 

Anyone know what the Wii U's LTD is here? Around 150K-200K was the last I heard.

[liger05]

PS4 has sold just over half a million units in the UK (550K) compared to the XBOne which has now sold 365K units.

 

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/ps4-outsold-xbox-one-by-166-000-consoles-in-uk-last-year/0126321

 

Anyone know what the Wii U's LTD is here? Around 150K-200K was the last I heard.

 

Impressive for both and PS4 really doing well. XB1 @ the higher price and awful PR leading up to launch hasnt really suffered because of it.

 

I dont even think the wii u is up to 200k.

 

Remember this time last year some were blaming the Wii U flop on the economy and how consoles were dying and people were not prepared to pay £300 for a games console anymore.

 

These launch numbers for PS4/XB1 really just emphasize just how dead Nintendo home console gaming is in the UK.

 

5 best-selling games of 2013 in the UK:

 

1. Grand Theft Auto V (Take-Two Interactive) - 3,670,234

2. FIFA 14 (Electronic Arts) - 2,656,763

3. Call of Duty: Ghosts (Activision Blizzard) - 1,991,994

4. Battlefield 4 (Electronic Arts) - 838,869

5. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (Ubisoft) - 776,888

 

Source: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/gta-v...o-no-5/0126323

Edited January 1, 2014 by liger05

[khilafah]

I am surprised XB1 is that high. The price is insanely high and MS were getting loads of stick before release day!

 

I think if MS can eventually release a version without kinect for £330 - £350 once more big titles are available they will be on to a real winner.

[liger05]

Titanfall should be big but its also on the 360 so I think MS should look at a soft price cut when that game launches. Get it under that mental block of £400. XB1 with a game for £399 when Titanfall launches should be the aim.

Edited January 1, 2014 by liger05

[Rummy]

The PS4 and the XBone are giving people what they want. More of the PS3 and the 360 - that's what those fans wanted and they knew they'd get it so they bought it. They sell because of the work of their predecessors. Wii U is different, it tried to be different, and it is struggling and will continue to struggle for it. Not that many people really want it, and that's the real problem at the end of the day. Yes, the Wii did different but it got lucky and it's really just that luck. It's not the sort of thing you're going to easily replicate twice, let alone achieve in the first place.

[khilafah]

The PS4 and the XBone are giving people what they want. More of the PS3 and the 360 - that's what those fans wanted and they knew they'd get it so they bought it. They sell because of the work of their predecessors. Wii U is different, it tried to be different, and it is struggling and will continue to struggle for it. Not that many people really want it, and that's the real problem at the end of the day. Yes, the Wii did different but it got lucky and it's really just that luck. It's not the sort of thing you're going to easily replicate twice, let alone achieve in the first place.

 

Nintendo just released the wrong product. Tried to be different with this gamepad but like some have us have already said before, the Gamepad hasnt achieved anything different.

 

3rd parties do not utilize it and nether does Nintendo so just how different is the Wii U to the other consoles?

 

We all have to accept that this gamepad never had a wow factor from day 1.

[Rummy]

It isn't just the Gamepad though really - I mean as far as I know it's not actively putting people off, it's just not roping them in. So why doesn't anyone want it? The things they sacrificed for the Gamepad, I'd imagine. Sadly it's just not a rectifiable situation - they took a big gamble putting their eggs in this basket, and it hasn't paid off.

[Serebii]

It isn't just the Gamepad though really - I mean as far as I know it's not actively putting people off, it's just not roping them in. So why doesn't anyone want it? The things they sacrificed for the Gamepad, I'd imagine. Sadly it's just not a rectifiable situation - they took a big gamble putting their eggs in this basket, and it hasn't paid off.

If Nintendo hadn't have sacrificed it, and went for power, they'd be in the same situation