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[Jaybe]

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/dead-...er-than-the-callisto-protocol-uk-boxed-charts

It was a busy week for game releases last week, with Dead Space, Forspoken, Goldeneye and Hi-Fi Rush all available.

Hi-Fi Rush was digital-only and available via Game Pass, while Goldeneye was (primarily) limited to subscription services. As a result, these physical retail charts can only tell us so much (digital data comes later in the week, and doesn't include subscription).

EA's Dead Space remake was easily the best-selling game. However, it sold less than half of what The Callisto Protocol managed in its first week back in December (The Callisto Protocol is a very similar game made by some of the original developers of Dead Space). A few key differences is The Callisto Protocol had a lower price point than Dead Space (average selling price of £47 vs £63), and was released during the Christmas window when physical games tend to perform better (due to them being bought as Christmas presents). It was also available on more platforms, as The Callisto Protocol received a PS4 and Xbox One version.

We'll be able to have a better comparison between the two games once the digital data arrives later in the week. Especially as EA had a series of eye-catching digital offers around Dead Space, including PC gamers getting Dead Space 2 for free. Furthermore, Dead Space 2's physical release appears to be limited, with low stock reported across UK stores.

80% of Dead Space's physical sales were on PS5, with the remainder on Xbox. Again, this will likely change once the digital data is in as Xbox gamers tend to download more.

The other new release was Forspoken. The new IP from Square Enix, which is exclusive to PS5, has got off to a relatively slow start and manages No.4.

Last week's No.1, Fire Emblem Engage, drops to No.7 after a 76% sales slide. And those who are keeping an eye on The Last of Us due to the popularity of the TV show, you might be interested to see that the PS5 game - The Last of Us: Part 1 - is up five places to No.15 following a 32% sales increase. The Last of Us Remastered (the PS4 game) is up a place to No.31 after a 27% sales increase.

One other new release this week is the Complete Edition for The Witcher 3, which makes No.27.

Here is the GfK UK Boxed Top Ten for the week ending January 28, 2023:

Last Week	This Week	Title
New Entry	1	Dead Space
2	2	FIFA 23
3	3	God of War Ragnarok
New Entry	4	Forspoken
4	5	Mario Kart 8: Deluxe
5	6	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
1	7	Fire Emblem Engage
7	8	Nintendo Switch Sports
6	9	Pokémon Violet
8	10	Minecraft (Switch)

 

[DenchDeckard]

Ouch, not what was expected I'm sure. I suppose callisto launched before Xmas though right?

 

[Jaybe]

The Last of Us bumps and the Dead Space console split are some interesting parts in the article.

 

[feynoob]

This has higher digital sales written on it.

 

[Thief1987]

Ouch, not what was expected I'm sure. I suppose callisto launched before Xmas though right?

Dec 2

This has higher digital sales written on it.

Even if it's right it won't compensate more than 2x lower retail sales

 

[feynoob]

The Last of Us bumps and the Dead Space console split are some interesting parts in the article.

Physical sales is almost dead on Xbox at this point.

 

[lh032]

The power of marketing.

 

[Spukc]

Guess callisto is the better game

 

[OuterLimits]

If this is true in other markets, the revival of this franchise by EA will be extremely short lived. Callisto didn't exactly sell a ton either, so less than that is disappointing. Hopefully the good reviews will give it decent legs though.

 

[feynoob]

Even if it's right it won't compensate more than 2x lower retail sales

It will.
Most physical sales aren't higher than 20k copies. While it's easy to buy digital.

You also have Xbox users who will buy digital, compared to the physical.

The only issue however is this is a remake. don't know how much copies remakes sell.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Forspoken debuting behind Ragnarok is…something.
This will be out of the top 10 next week

 

[Edder1]

Hopefully it doesn't sell well enough for Motive to mess with DS2. Unlike the original DS2 gameplay holds up really well and isn't in need of a shake up Luke the original was. Last thing we need is for Motive to completely rewrite the dialogue and mess with the story of the game that is regarded as perfect. There's also always a chance that they will gender/race swap characters and change their personalities like they did with DS remake. DS remake is a game that plays really well and is a massive improvement in gameplay and atmosphere over original, but it's a game that stands on its own and isn't a 1:1 remake of the first, especially in story telling and character development. Last thing we need is for Motive to mess with artistic vision of DS2, a game that by many is regarded as near perfect and one of the best in the genre to this day.

 

[Three]

It will.
Most physical sales aren't higher than 20k copies. While it's easy to buy digital.

You also have Xbox users who will buy digital, compared to the physical.

The only issue however is this is a remake. don't know how much copies remakes sell.

You would have to come up with a reason why you think one games physical vs digital ratio is higher though. Why is it not easy to buy digital for the other game? Why would xbox users buy digital Dead space but physical CP?

I think it might be more the fact that PS and Xbox users are waiting for EA Play on this game because what you said doesn't really make sense.

 

[Jaybe]

This is the global boxed 28% to digital 72% for console numbers. I’d expect the digital includes counts all the MTX, so it’s not exactly looking at full game purchases.

 

[feynoob]

You would have to come up with a reason why you think one games physical vs digital ratio is higher though. Why is it not easy to buy digital for the other game? Why would xbox users buy digital Dead space but physical CP?

I think it might be more the fact that PS and Xbox users are waiting for EA Play on this game because what you said doesn't really make sense.

It's states clearly in the article that Xbox users buy more digital.
This is a remake, not a new game. So most people will buy digital.

 

[Pelta88]

Forspoken debuting behind Ragnarok is…something.
This will be out of the top 10 next week

#4 without digital, given what digital is here in the UK. Not a behemoth but definitely picking up some actual sales.

 

[OsirisBlack]

Good lord Mario Kart 8 never stops selling.

 

[Thief1987]

This is a remake, not a new game. So most people will buy digital.

This is some galaxy brain logic right here

 

[Ghost of Caelid]

Games buzz was pretty low. Anecdotally no one I know is buying it but one friend and I. Sucks because great games should be rewarded. Hopefully the vaaaaast majority of sales are digital.

 

[OuterLimits]

#4 without digital, given what digital is here in the UK. Not a behemoth but definitely picking up some actual sales.

With the negative word of mouth/ reviews, sales are likely to plummet quickly. Square is going to have to slash the price significantly in the next few months. I doubt this is the result they were hoping for on a $70 AAA game that probably had a somewhat significant budget.

 

[T4keD0wN]

Physical copies as a metric are pretty irrelevant, especially when they are from a single country.
Why not use steamdb, the biggest game store tracker behind apple app and google play stores?

 

[feynoob]

Physical copies as a metric are pretty irrelevant, especially when they are from a single country.
Why not use steamdb, the biggest game store tracker behind apple app and google play stores?

EA store exist. So steam is unreliable.

 

[Pelta88]

With the negative word of mouth

90% of the broad gaming audience wont know a thing about negative reviews or negative word of mouth. I understand that gaf in particular really dislikes this game, and that's ok. The issue arises when some forum members think that the prevailing forum opinion, is indicative and represents the wider gaming market.

It is not.

 

[Mr Moose]

Physical copies as a metric are pretty irrelevant, especially when they are from a single country.
Why not use steamdb, the biggest game store tracker behind apple app and google play stores?

UK is the biggest video games market in Europe.

 

[demigod]

It will.
Most physical sales aren't higher than 20k copies. While it's easy to buy digital.

You also have Xbox users who will buy digital, compared to the physical.

The only issue however is this is a remake. don't know how much copies remakes sell.

Xbox users must be hella rich buying up all those $400 proprietary SSDs. How many games can xss even fit?

 

[feynoob]

Xbox users must be hella rich buying up all those $400 proprietary SSDs. How many games can xss even fit?

What does that have to do with fact they are digital users?

 

[feynoob]

90% of the broad gaming audience wont know a thing about negative reviews or negative word of mouth. I understand that gaf in particular really dislikes this game, and that's ok. The issue arises when some forum members think that the prevailing forum opinion, is indicative and represents the wider gaming market.

It is not.

Spot on.
People buy news games and don't pay attention to social media. Not even the score of the game.

 

[Rac3r]

I’m guessing people who bought Callisto aren’t in a rush to buy Dead Space. Very similar games (DS obv better) releasing back to back.

 

[brian0057]

I mean, when your options are: A Dead Space remake brought to you by EA and a spiritual successor to Dead Space made by the OG devs, on paper, you're gonna choose the latter.

 

[Spukc]

Hopefully it doesn't sell well enough for Motive to mess with DS2. Unlike the original DS2 gameplay holds up really well and isn't in need of a shake up Luke the original was. Last thing we need is for Motive to completely rewrite the dialogue and mess with the story of the game that is regarded as perfect. There's also always a chance that they will gender/race swap characters and change their personalities like they did with DS remake. DS remake is a game that plays really well and is a massive improvement in gameplay and atmosphere over original, but it's a game that stands on its own and isn't a 1:1 remake of the first, especially in story telling and character development. Last thing we need is for Motive to mess with artistic vision of DS2, a game that by many is regarded as near perfect and one of the best in the genre to this day.

Nice bait

 

[T4keD0wN]

UK is the biggest video games market in Europe.

UK still represent less than 1% of earth population and only counting physical pretty much ignores the entire pc market which is pretty big. Not very indicative of anything. Look up how many accounts are on Steam and how big is the population of UK.

EA store exist. So steam is unreliable.

So does epic store, but i assume both of those are far less popular. Both are available on that store (Callisto is on Epic, Steam and Dead Space is on Steam, Epic and Origin/EA app so the steam comparison should favour Callisto Protocol, but Dead Space still has better concurent users) and there is no way to track origin/epic charts.
Not that steamdb and steamcharts were super reliable, but they are still a better way to measure this.

 

[feynoob]

So does epic store, but i assume both of those are far less popular. Both are available on that store (Callisto is on Epic, Steam and Dead Space is on Steam, Epic and Origin/EA app so the steam comparison should favour Callisto Protocol, but Dead Space still has better concurent users) and there is no way to track origin/epic charts.
Not that steamdb and steamcharts were super reliable, but they are still a better way to measure this.

EA store has EA premium. You can get the game, if you have the sub.

 

[Jaybe]

Physical copies as a metric are pretty irrelevant, especially when they are from a single country.
Why not use steamdb, the biggest game store tracker behind apple app and google play stores?

Do you walk into a furniture stores and ask them to make you tacos? It’s clearly UK console market report for the thread title, so why you wading in on about Steam and app stores?

 

[Edder1]

Nice bait

 

[Arun1910]

This is a remake, not a new game. So most people will buy digital.

What kind of logic are you applying here?

 

[T4keD0wN]

EA store has EA premium. You can get the game, if you have the sub.

You mean EA Play? Pretty good thing. I am going to wait 12 months for it be added to the basic tier and play it at no extra cost with gamepass myself. Already done with Callisto and i want a break from the genre.

Do you walk into a furniture stores and ask them to make you tacos? It’s clearly UK console market report for the thread title, so why you wading in on about Steam and app stores?

Because its a very poor way to measure things and shouldnt be taken as definitive facts as it only tells a small portion of the story, if we didnt have much better ways to measure this i obviously wouldnt mention any of this.
Why do you have to drag tacos into this? They are cool and innocent.
And no, its clearly not a UK console market report based on the thread title as the thread title doesnt specify the platforms in any way, its clearly a UK physical console report based on the articles content, but it isnt limited to that as they talk about digital and PC in the very article.

I recommend checking out reading comprehension courses, i am sure some of them are free on udemy or other online schools.

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

This is a remake, not a new game. So most people will buy digital.

 

[sainraja]

Gamers just like to hate on games sometimes. Callisto isn't that bad people!

 

[Ozriel]

90% of the broad gaming audience wont know a thing about negative reviews or negative word of mouth. I understand that gaf in particular really dislikes this game, and that's ok. The issue arises when some forum members think that the prevailing forum opinion, is indicative and represents the wider gaming market.

It is not.

We already know from official sources that the game significantly underperformed expectations

You also underestimate the large reach and dissemination of review scores via MC. Especially for a game where adults will make up the bulk of its audience

 

[Jaybe]

And no, its clearly not a UK console market report based on the thread title as the thread title doesnt specify the platforms in any way, its clearly a UK physical console report based on the articles content, but it isnt limited to that as they talk about digital and PC in the very article.

I recommend checking out reading comprehension courses, i am sure some of them are free on udemy or other online schools.

It’s measuring “UK Boxed” games sales, what part did you miss? Were you expected mobile app boxed sales? Cereal box sales? Take your own advice on the courses, bud.

 

[feynoob]

We already know from official sources that the game significantly underperformed expectations

You also underestimate the large reach and dissemination of review scores via MC. Especially for a game where adults will make up the bulk of its audience

Expectations=/=bad sales.
You can sell 5m copies and still be below expectations.

 

[gow3isben]

Did Ragnarok just outsell Forspoken in its debut week?

Lol

 

[Halo2redvsblue]

Yet Dead Space had almost Double the players compared to The Callisto Protocol on Steam. This is proof right here shows that Physical is dying.

 

[feynoob]

Yet Dead Space had almost Double the players compared to The Callisto Protocol on Steam. This is proof right here shows that Physical is dying.

That doesnt tell you the sales. Only how many people logged in at the same time.

 

[Mr Moose]

UK still represent less than 1% of earth population and only counting physical pretty much ignores the entire pc market which is pretty big. Not very indicative of anything. Look up how many accounts are on Steam and how big is the population of UK.

So does epic store, but i assume both of those are far less popular. Both are available on that store (Callisto is on Epic, Steam and Dead Space is on Steam, Epic and Origin/EA app so the steam comparison should favour Callisto Protocol, but Dead Space still has better concurent users) and there is no way to track origin/epic charts.
Not that steamdb and steamcharts were super reliable, but they are still a better way to measure this.

Don't like it? Don't go into a UK physical sales thread. Simple.

 

[sandbood]

#4 without digital, given what digital is here in the UK. Not a behemoth but definitely picking up some actual sales.

Picking up? That game straight up bomba for AAA standard despite having more days than DSR in its launch week. Launching below 10K for a new AAA game has cemented a bomba status for Forspoken.

In Japan based on multiple big retailers(Geo, Tsutaya, and ComG), Forspoken was outsold by this budget title

Even on Steam, Forspoken CCU is below Monster Hunter Stories 2 and already left steam top sellers list. This game is going to struggle to sell the first batch of shipment copies and price cut is imminent based on that.

Imagine spending AAA budget with 6 years on development time only to be outsold by low budget game.

 

[OuterLimits]

90% of the broad gaming audience wont know a thing about negative reviews or negative word of mouth. I understand that gaf in particular really dislikes this game, and that's ok. The issue arises when some forum members think that the prevailing forum opinion, is indicative and represents the wider gaming market.

It is not.

90% of the broad gaming audience is largely playing games on mobile devices, Minecraft, Fortnite, etc, and not games like Forspoken.

Negative reviews(and more importantly negative impressions on social media/youtube) absolutely impact games that cost $70, particularly ones that aren't part of an already popular established series.

 

[Halo2redvsblue]

That doesnt tell you the sales. Only how many people logged in at the same time.

This can also be used as a gross estimate as well. The fact that Dead Space had almost Double in player counts shows that CP didn't sell as much.

 

[Efe]

I'm sure a lot of people have subbed to EA Play Pro just for the DS remake, so no sales data from those but still $15>$0.

 

[BabyYoda]

Shame on EA for charging that much for a woke and admittedly pretty reskin, hope Calisto Protocol sells better in the long term as well.