Bayonetta 2 off to a slow start in Japan [Update: Week 2 sales]

Bayonetta 2 is probably going to be a critical darling, loved by fans and most likely a giant commercial failure, moreso because of the port work done for the free copy of Bayonetta 1 they're bundling with Bayo2.

I can't wait to buy it but it's going to be a bomb.
 
Dicer said:
4 days...
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It's only a two day difference in tracking periods. I really don't think it's all that relevant given the nature of Japanese launch trajectories. The good majority of sales would be realised in the first two days of sales and opening night...not so much on the 3rd and 4th days. It wouldn't create enough of a difference that would make the existing first-week comparison inaccurate.

See this:

Aquamarine said:
Bayonetta

Released 2009-10-29 on the Xbox 360

Sold 66,211 copies in the 2009-10-26 through 2009-11-01 reporting week (4 days of tracking)

The Xbox 360 installbase was 1,154,538, so first week attach rate was 5.73%.



Bayonetta 1 + 2

Released 2014-09-20 on the Wii U

Sold 33,114 copies in the 2014-09-15 through 2014-09-21 reporting week (2 days of tracking)

The Wii U installbase was 1,911,205, so first week attach rate was 1.73%.



Although, I'm not sure how much of a difference an extra two days would make. The sales are very front-loaded for opening day.
Click to expand...


Do you think Famitsu doesn't realise the 2-day / 4-day discrepancy? They're compared regardless because the difference is relatively immaterial for business decisions.
 
Koppai said:
As usual.

GAF we should start a campaign for this game to get more notice. I mean I don't even know if Nintendo is gonna advertise it, I sure as hell hope they do. Bayonetta 1 & Bayonetta 2 for $60 is a hell of a deal.
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If they advertise for it, I think their main point SHOULD be that it's "two games in one".

When more glowing reviews hit, people on the fence will likely be swayed when they see what a value it is.
 
SneakyStephan said:
Play what you want when you want it and because you want it and accept that like a pet your favorite devs are not going to be around forever.
You have absolutely no obligation to buy anything just for the sake of trying to keep something alive. If you want to turn it into a charity or a guilt thing there are ten thousand more noble and important causes to support.

The amount of consumer guilt on these forums is mindboggling.
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Nothing wrong with showing some affection to a loyal pet, is there? But I wouldn't call a group of human beings who share the same passion I do "pets", I would call them friends. Platinum cares about its fans, in return I care about them.

I support them and spread the good word about their games. I can't feel guilt if a game flops because I did my part.
 
I can't wait for my copy. I haven't been this excited for a game in a long time. I'm not trying to be hipster it's just that the Bayo 2 Nintendo direct made me salivate for this game.
 
Bayonetta 2 was never going to light the charts or move hardware. But like the first one it'll be a love letter to anyone that likes fun video games. I'm sure Nintendo knew this.
 
Kagari said:
Yeah, I don't doubt that. Platinum seems to keep existing because other companies pay them to make games.
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It's almost "cool" to be under appreciated, not selling, flying totally under the radar, yet making what seems crazy good games. Platinum is the new underground gaming movement? :3 lol sigh...I wish them better though...
 
Bayonetta 2 as an exclusive to Wii U was a pretty fruitless idea..

Then they charge $85 for it in Japanese stores. I went from zero interest in Bayonetta, to actually wanting to pick this game up.. but I wouldn't pay more than 30 bucks for it, I'm sorry.

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm buying less games these days and am willing to pay less for them. I have a shit ton of games I need to play as is.

I'm sure the game is great.. but is buyer it later, at a discount, really taking away from its profits?
 
cool, more than I was expecting. Congrats on the launch!

The only bummer to me is the lack of a higher console sales "bump," but that is primarily Smash's job this season now.
 
TheBaronOfNA said:
To me it seems that stubbornness is interpreted as some sort of "stand against" than simple management incompetence.
Click to expand...

Honestly, it's probably both. Nintendo's EAD groups certainly don't follow industry standards in their games, and I wouldn't say it's due to incompetence. Nintendo's 3rd party troubles on the other hand? Now THAT's incompetence!
 
RiverBed said:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=21429&page=13

sorry, but i feel a port of some kind coming-unless this is a Ninty project (ala Sony's MGS4).
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Not this shit again.

ir6UTPWcmEHpn.gif
 
fedexpeon said:
It makes the game becomes less well-known, and the series will die due to the majority will forget about it, and will not buy the future installment.

Oh well, this is like watching Old Yeller or Bambi's mom scene in slow motion...We still have the West!
Please get up Mother...
Click to expand...

Neither the other two manufacturers were interest so instead of dying on the first game it will die on the second one.
 
FlamingHawk said:
Wii U is dead for me, I have no hopes in the Wii U getting anymore "hardcore" games. I don't think Nintendo expected low sales like these. I mean come on Destiny on PS4 sold 3 times as much and its a god damn FPS in Japan, not to mention Wii U has 3 times the install base than PS4. And by hardcore games I mean like Xenoblade, Bayonetta 2, and Fatal Frame. From now on all we'll see is Mario, Mario, Mario, and Zelda on the Wii U. I'm just going to stick with 3ds for Nintendo platforms.
Click to expand...

You dont think Zelda is a hardcore game?
And the best games for Wii U are yet to come, they even announced Devils Third(yeah i know, but it could be good) and Fatal Frame recently,also the best version of Smash, surely it should not matter if Destiny sold more than Bayonetta if you are interested in the game, i mean, Destiny is the BEST selling new ip and that doesnt speak about its quality :P just saying you could give it a chance,for a reasonable price.
 
SolidSnakex said:
Why are you expecting people to pay $300 to play one game? They may very well love Bayonetta, but not enough to buy a console that they don't want to play the sequel.
Click to expand...

Yep. It's not the customer's job to go to the ends of the Earth for a series/developer. I'll never understand why so many Gaffers expect them to.

I've been a fan of Insomniac since Spyro in 1998, but I'm not going to run out and instantly buy a $400 console for one game (or just buy the game without the console) just for the sake of supporting them. That's a ridiculous expectation, and the same would apply here.
 
SolidSnakex said:
The one good thing about him linking to that thread is that it has this picture of Kamiya posing from the Capcom 5 announcement

capcomevent_021115_piwnu58.jpg
Click to expand...

Kamiya is a fucking rock star.
 
SwiftDeath said:
Versus 2 days for what is clearly a niche game on a niche platform. You really think those extra 2 days of tracking is going to double its sales with how front-loaded games are in general?
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I missed any mention of an attach rate in this thread, sorry for that. However, maybe the double of days won't double the sales, but it should make it close enough that the game couldn't be considered a failure when compared with the first one, especially the PS3 version.
 
Polioliolio said:
Bayonetta 2 as an exclusive to Wii U was a pretty fruitless idea..

Then they charge $85 for it in Japanese stores. I went from zero interest in Bayonetta, to actually wanting to pick this game up.. but I wouldn't pay more than 30 bucks for it, I'm sorry.

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm buying less games these days and am willing to pay less for them. I have a shit ton of games I need to play as is.

I'm sure the game is great.. but is buyer it later, at a discount, really taking away from its profits?
Click to expand...

Come on, son....
 
johnbone said:
Honestly, it's probably both. Nintendo's EAD groups certainly don't follow industry standards in their games, and I wouldn't say it's due to incompetence. Nintendo's 3rd party troubles on the other hand? Now THAT's incompetence!
Click to expand...

What about HD development and the resources that takes?

What about Network Infraestructure that is essential for many third party titles?

What about the insistence of a family friendly image when their country has a disastrous birth rate and worldwide family and kid tastes have move on?
 
Aquamarine said:
Here is the comparison using Famitsu data (the better tracker):



First week sales (Famitsu data):


Bayonetta (PS3) - 138,430 copies

Bayonetta (360) - 66,211 copies

Bayonetta 1 + 2 (Wii U) - 33,114 copies



It's striking that Bayonetta 2 is underperforming the 360 version of the original Bayonetta, considering how poorly the 360 has performed in Japan.
Click to expand...

This means little considering the Japanese market keeps doing less and less console sales. Have you seen ps4 sales?
 
Polioliolio said:
Bayonetta 2 as an exclusive to Wii U was a pretty fruitless idea..

Then they charge $85 for it in Japanese stores. I went from zero interest in Bayonetta, to actually wanting to pick this game up.. but I wouldn't pay more than 30 bucks for it, I'm sorry.

I don't know if it's just me, but I'm buying less games these days and am willing to pay less for them. I have a shit ton of games I need to play as is.

I'm sure the game is great.. but is buyer it later, at a discount, really taking away from its profits?
Click to expand...

Short answer? Yes.
 
Poor Bayo. We all knew it was coming. :(

As an aside, I would really like to know why this genre is dying and what exactly is so unappealing about Bayo in the first place. I only have personal anecdotes and all but one are negative. The one that stuck out to me the most was some dude returning the game at GameStop. He was talking about it to the clerk and he mentioned that he didn't want to be playing a game where you're killing angels. That's something I never thought would be a turn off. Other people I've talked to name the gameplay as the reason calling it repetitive but these same people can play Halo and Destiny for hours so I don't really understand. I'm not trying to call out anyone's tastes but this genre, I feel, was once seen as cutting edge and now...what the hell happened?


ViewtifulJC said:
buy or sell: Devil's Third's first week sales < Wonderful 101's first week sales

he just wants his trash ass game to come out
Click to expand...
Sell. I think Itagaki's name and the fact that it's a shooter will nab the gun-nut market in Japan. They've been waiting all their lives for this game.
 
Did the Sarah Palin lookalike fetishism not take off in Japan like it did here that the game is off to such a slow start?
 
johnbone said:
Dead and buried, just like, you know, it WAS BEFORE THEY SAVED IT!

Also, past performance certainly doesn't guarantee success, but it certainly increases the odds imo. It shows that the people there know how to be successful-it's not like 125 years is just lightning in a bottle.
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They might have been successful for the past 125 years, but they've been doing poorly in recent times. I imagine that's because the successful leaders of Nintendo have all passed on, and the Nintendo of today seems to be stuck in an insular thinking bubble.

Honestly, as much as I like Bayonetta, they should have left the franchise dead. I don't think it's going to make them money, and I doubt it's going to expand the Wii U user base by any meaningful number.

I know I should just be happy as a consumer that I'm getting more games, but it just makes me wonder what's going on at Nintendo.
 
DevilFox said:
It is.
Side note, Mikami still has its head but he left Capcom after that "betrayal". Man of honor :)
Click to expand...

yeah, i don't think that's why he left or if he even wanted to leave Capcom in the first place.
As for B2, bias aside: we don't know the publishing agreement.

and just to elaborate for those churning in their seats, i don't give a damn what happens since it doesn't matter in the long run anyway. i simply learn more about the business practices of the industry with such occasions.
 
TheBaronOfNA said:
What about HD development and the resources that takes?

What about Network Infraestructure that is essential for many third party titles?

What about the insistence of a family friendly image when their country has a disastrous birth rate and worldwide family and kid tastes have move on?
Click to expand...

The fact that kids have moved away from Nintendo (and then later "graduating" to a ps/xb) means bad things for the other manufacturers as well. Selling a kid/family into the traditional market means that you have a future for the traditional market. A kid that grows up with free games on an old phone/tablet isn't going to suddenly get a play station either. Consolidation of the market will continue and anything other than top shelf AAA with doubled to tripled monetization and small indie won't be feasible. It's already mostly there. Niche medium projects like these are going to be a thing of the past
 
TheBaronOfNA said:
What about HD development and the resources that takes?
Click to expand...
Pretty much every developer struggled with HD, Nintendo was just late to the party. (by their choice, I wouldn't say the Wii was a bad decision)
What about Network Infraestructure that is essential for many third party titles?
Click to expand...
Again, yeah, that's some incompetence.
What about the insistence of a family friendly image when their country has a disastrous birth rate and worldwide family and kid tastes have move on?
Click to expand...
The family-friendly image is VITAL to them-it's the main thing that separates them from the competition at this point! Apple is slowly changing the game, though...

Honestly, I find their image refreshing, so I may be the wrong person to discuss that with.
 
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