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[AniHawk]

Wow, this "apparent, annoying, and smug" thing really had some life to it. Not sure if certain people have room to talk but whatever.

Me? I know I'm annoying. Hell, I go out of my way to try and annoy people sometimes. Although sometimes it just happens involuntarily. Like Metroid Prime bashing. It just sorta happens. Jak II hate runs deeper so there's a longer winding-up period for those rants and they never really get off the ground. God that game is so objectively terrible.

 

[gogogow]

Nice pics cvxfreak. I'm sure BIC sold loads of Lightning bundles, but they still have loads available. I think 200k is a bit overkill. That would be enough for 2 weeks, if it sells consistently AND without taking into consideration that there are a bunch of people that only wants a standard PS3. S-E shipping around 100k would have been sufficient. They thought that there were lots of people buying a PS3 for FFXIII on Dec 17th. But I think since the launch of the PS3 Slim people were already buying them in preparation for FF.

 

[Cygnus X-1]

Just a question: the number of bundles was max. 200k, right? Because if it is so, sold-out has to be expected and thus, we can safely say that first day sales sales were 1.2M after all.

 

[Chris1964]

Just a question: the number of bundles was max. 200k, right? Because if it is so, sold-out has to be expected and thus, we can safely say that first day sales sales were 1.2M after all.

How could the bundle be sold out the first day when there are today pictures showing them?

 

[gogogow]

Just a question: the number of bundles was max. 200k, right? Because if it is so, sold-out has to be expected and thus, we can safely say that first day sales sales were 1.2M after all.

But they are not sold out at all.

 

[EDarkness]

EDarkness, are there still stacks of FFXIII bundles? Can't see it from your pics (nice pics btw!)

At all the stores I went to, except the local mom and pop place near my house, they still had bundles. I'm not sure how many, though and I didn't see any stack like Cvx posted in his pics. Though, that could be all they had stacked up and there were more in the back.

On a side note, I saw a few people buy the Graces bundle as well, but I have no idea how many they had since they were behind a curtain.

 

[Parl]

Wow, this "apparent, annoying, and smug" thing really had some life to it. Not sure if certain people have room to talk but whatever.

Me? I know I'm annoying. Hell, I go out of my way to try and annoy people sometimes. Although sometimes it just happens involuntarily. Like Metroid Prime bashing. It just sorta happens. Jak II hate runs deeper so there's a longer winding-up period for those rants and they never really get off the ground. God that game is so objectively terrible.

I find you funny rather than annoying, but I also dislike Metroid Prime.

I find cvxfreak cool. Pictures and careful anecdotes do nothing but add value to MC threads.

 

[Cygnus X-1]

How could the bundle be sold out the first day when there are today pictures showing them?

Right, but I did not expect bundles to remain unsold. Maybe the vast majority of the fanbase already had a PS3. But also this it's quite unusual, since the Final Fantasy fanbase had not many reasons to already have a PS3, before this week.

Bah. Maybe I just think too much.

 

[cvxfreak]

I think it's only a matter of time before the bundles sell out.

In Japanese, the sign said 緊急入荷 which literally translates to "emergency stock" or "urgent stock". I can't figure out a more proper English translation myself. They usually use the word 限定 to speak of limited stock.

My Chinese friend just told me that the word 緊急　is used to denote situations where they have managed to avert a sell out by having this emergency stock. Those bundles will not be there after the new year.

 

[gogogow]

I think it's only a matter of time before the bundles sell out.

In Japanese, the sign said 緊急入荷 which literally translates to "emergency stock" or "urgent stock". I can't figure out a more proper English translation myself. They usually use the word 限定 to speak of limited stock.

My Chinese friend just told me that the word 緊急　is used to denote situations where they have managed to avert a sell out by having this emergency stock. Those bundles will not be there after the new year.

I hope so for S-E's sake, but having at least 50+ instock doesn't make it a "emergency stock". Maybe they had 500 for launch and 50+ are left, so that would make sense.
You should do your observation next week, then we will have a much better picture on what's gonna happen with the bundles.

Did you actually see people buy the bundle when you did your round?

 

[duckroll]

So, what are the odds that S-E will actually be able to sell out the 1.8 million shipment AND restock? Or are we looking at a new strategy here, along with MH3, where the publisher takes advantage of early growing demand to leverage a high first shipment to retailers, and just sits back and never ships another copy out again? Will shipments of FFXIII in Japan ever hit 2 million?

 

[mujun]

It was sarcasm. Look at post #457.

I thought that might be a possibility, I looked through the thread but couldn't pinpoint exactly where the controversy was.

My mistake. Sorry for the harsh words!

 

[gogogow]

So, what are the odds that S-E will actually be able to sell out the 1.8 million shipment AND restock? Or are we looking at a new strategy here, along with MH3, where the publisher takes advantage of early growing demand to leverage a high first shipment to retailers, and just sits back and never ships another copy out again? Will shipments of FFXIII in Japan ever hit 2 million?

With reports of used copies already, I think retailers won't need another shipment for the time being. I think we need FW sales first before we know where the sales of FFXIII is heading.

 

[noobie]

So, what are the odds that S-E will actually be able to sell out the 1.8 million shipment AND restock? Or are we looking at a new strategy here, along with MH3, where the publisher takes advantage of early growing demand to leverage a high first shipment to retailers, and just sits back and never ships another copy out again? Will shipments of FFXIII in Japan ever hit 2 million?

How can we know without knowing first week number n second week numbers.. 1.8 million is a lot of copies n some ppl r definitely going to return it soon.. but if the game is good n with help of some good word of mouth it should be able to do 2 million.. But if game is not so good than maybe not..

 

[Sohter.Nura]

With reports of used copies already, I think retailers won't need another shipment for the time being. I think we need FW sales first before we know where the sales of FFXIII is heading.

Used.... copies....?!

The game was out YESTERDAY for Christ's sake!

 

[gogogow]

Used.... copies....?!

The game was out YESTERDAY for Christ's sake!

check EDarkness' post last page and the game was released 2 days ago and didn't some shops broke the streetdate.

 

[test_account]

Used.... copies....?!

The game was out YESTERDAY for Christ's sake!

FFXIII has actually been out for 3 days if you count today (Thursday, Friday and Saturday), but is it possible to finish FFXIII this fast? I thought it was a ~50 hour game or so? Maybe someone didnt like the game at all and traded it in fast though.

EDIT: And as gogogow said, maybe some stores broke the street date and sold the game early.

 

[gogogow]

Check the FFXIII import thread, apparently it can be finished in 13 hours, as someone posted.

 

[Relaxed Muscle]

Used.... copies....?!

The game was out YESTERDAY for Christ's sake!

Some shops were offering high refunds for the first week.

FFXIII will probably be the game a lot of new PS3 users will buy in the next weeks, but probably used copies will make that less apparent and lower the sales.

So I really think it's not gonna reach 2m, althought when the FW sales comes up that could change my perception...

 

[Acosta]

What do you mean?

Maybe not posting at all?

Or should I only post when I have positive spin?

Fuck you, I was just trying to help, I could care less whether it succeeds or fails.

For prosperity's sake I bought the game and I think it's a bit of a snooze fest four or so hours in. Maybe this info will help you label me a fanboy or something so I thought I'd share.

:lol

Cut down the sugar.

Well, damn me for what I've caused.

I don't have the heart to disappoint this many people. Indeed, I sure as hell didn't expect this kind of reaction. Impressions will live to fight another day.

I love having your feedback and pics, don't think it would be useful to say thanks everytime you do it, but I assure you I appreciate them. So thanks

 

[Defuser]

I can never understand people buying the game and trade them in 2 days later after finishing it. Might as well rent the game instead. :|

 

[Kurosaki Ichigo]

So, what are the odds that S-E will actually be able to sell out the 1.8 million shipment AND restock? Or are we looking at a new strategy here, along with MH3, where the publisher takes advantage of early growing demand to leverage a high first shipment to retailers, and just sits back and never ships another copy out again? Will shipments of FFXIII in Japan ever hit 2 million?

It needs better legs than X and XII to get a restock. Similar legs would translate into ~1,8m LTD, so the current shipment sells without problems. If it has worse legs, then it would have trouble to sell that shipment.

Similar to MH3 in terms of one-shipment-and-thats-it, but not the sellthrough. FF13 rounded 1st day and excluding bundles sales (1m out of 1,8m) is about the same sellthrough as MH3 had in its first week (583k of a Capcom 1,1m shipment). FF doesn't have legs, so despite a higher sellthrough when we get its first week figure, it could still have problems selling its remaining stock.

 

[test_account]

It's not your fault if he's got an unspellable nick!

Spoiler

j/k spr0sk

Hehe, it was just a simple typo from my side when i wrote "ks" instead of "sk" at the end of his nick

Check the FFXIII import thread, apparently it can be finished in 13 hours, as someone posted.

Ah ok, thanks for the info! 13 hours sounds short. I guess there are side quests etc. that makes the game longer?

I can never understand people buying the game and trade them in 2 days later after finishing it. Might as well rent the game instead. :|

Is it possible to rent games in Japan? I mean i heard something that it wasnt possible to rent games in Japan, or at least that it was uncommon to rent games.

 

[Majmun]

Check the FFXIII import thread, apparently it can be finished in 13 hours, as someone posted.

I thought the same when I read Zefah's post. But he was only talking about a chapter. It took hem 13 hours to reach chapter 8.

And thanks for the pics guys.

 

[cvxfreak]

I can never understand people buying the game and trade them in 2 days later after finishing it. Might as well rent the game instead. :|

Not allowed in Japan by law.

Personally I like it this way... I can get Club Nintendo points and store points at least.

I hope so for S-E's sake, but having at least 50+ instock doesn't make it a "emergency stock". Maybe they had 500 for launch and 50+ are left, so that would make sense.
You should do your observation next week, then we will have a much better picture on what's gonna happen with the bundles.

Did you actually see people buy the bundle when you did your round?

Yes, I saw quite a few getting sold, but it's still outnumbered by the regular system.

Speaking of next week... going back to the U.S. for two weeks starting Wednesday. :lol

 

[jay]

I think it's only a matter of time before the bundles sell out.

In Japanese, the sign said 緊急入荷 which literally translates to "emergency stock" or "urgent stock". I can't figure out a more proper English translation myself. They usually use the word 限定 to speak of limited stock.

My Chinese friend just told me that the word 緊急　is used to denote situations where they have managed to avert a sell out by having this emergency stock. Those bundles will not be there after the new year.

No offense but an emergency stock sounds like marketing and nothing more. It's not like canned food you store in the basement for years in case of nuclear war. If a store got 100 bundles they can feel free to call the last 10 an emergency stock but unless they've been hoarding them for a long time just in case something like this event happens (you know, the game's launch) it sounds like marketese to me.

Maybe this idea of an emergency stock makes sense in Japan, though.

 

[test_account]

By the way, how much does it mean at this point that there are used copies of FFXIII for sale now? As EDarkness said, a used copy is only a few yen less than a brand new copy. I can only speak for myself, but if i had the choice to buy a brand new game for like $60 or a used game for like $55, then i would most likely had bought the brand new game for $60. I dont mind used games at all, but i prefer brand new games over used games at least

I am sure that several of people would have bought a used game to save some money though, but would people in general do this or would they buy the brand new game instead? Honest question, i am wondering if there is some info or statistic on this, if people in general would have bought a used game instead of a new game if the used game is a bit cheaper compared to the new game.


Since it has been reported that FFXIII has sold over 1 million copies so far, i guess that there are a bigger chance that someone is trading in their copy for various reason(s) compared to other games that sells less? I guess that it isnt very uncommon to see used copies of big selling games rather quick after they have been released? Or am i wrong?

If many stores starts to get many used copies of FFXIII in like 1-3 weeks and if these used copies are sold at a noticably lower price compared to a brand new copy of the game, then things might not look too good in regards of selling out the first FFXIII shipment. But FFXIII has only officially been out for 3 days now and the sales impression i read in this thread tells that FFXIII is still selling well. I guess that we will know more after 2-3 weeks or so and then see how many used copies of FFXII that are for sale and how much these used copies are sold for

I thought the same when I read Zefah's post. But he was only talking about a chapter. It took hem 13 hours to reach chapter 8.

And thanks for the pics guys.

Ok, thanks for the info! 13 hours for a Final Fantasy game sounded short to me, but on the other hand, i have hardly played any Final Fantasy games, so for all that i knew, maybe it was/is possible to finish a Final Fantasy game quickly.

EDIT: I added some text.

EDIT 2: I added some more text that i forgot to write earlier.

 

[Brofist]

I hope so for S-E's sake, but having at least 50+ instock doesn't make it a "emergency stock". Maybe they had 500 for launch and 50+ are left, so that would make sense.
You should do your observation next week, then we will have a much better picture on what's gonna happen with the bundles.

Did you actually see people buy the bundle when you did your round?

In a large Japanese electronics store 50 units is peanuts. You can't equate the volume of sales a store like Yodobashi Camera with a Gamestop store where 50 units would be quite a few.

 

[gogogow]

I thought the same when I read Zefah's post. But he was only talking about a chapter. It took hem 13 hours to reach chapter 8.

And thanks for the pics guys.

Puppetmaster's post with "most games would be finished by now" followed with Zefah's post "I just finished it in 13 hours" was really confusing lol.

Yes, I saw quite a few getting sold, but it's still outnumbered by the regular system.

Speaking of next week... going back to the U.S. for two weeks starting Wednesday. :lol

I see, someone else needs to check lol.

 

[Brofist]

With reports of used copies already, I think retailers won't need another shipment for the time being. I think we need FW sales first before we know where the sales of FFXIII is heading.

I haven't seen really any used copies yet. Many stores have a placeholder used copy box with a price, but no actual stock.

 

[gogogow]

I haven't seen really any used copies yet. Many stores have a placeholder used copy box with a price, but no actual stock.

Unless you went to the same store as EDarkness, you won't see the same things.

In a large Japanese electronics store 50 units is peanuts. You can't equate the volume of sales a store like Yodobashi Camera with a Gamestop store where 50 units would be quite a few.

3 days in and it's supposed to be limited and SE not reporting how many bundles were sold.
And that's just one store with at least 50+ left. Like I said, maybe they had 500/hundreds bundles and only 50+ are left, which is pretty impressive imo since it's 40,000+ yen and like cvxfreak reported, people are still buying. I'm only saying 200k is a lot, seeing shops still having quite a bit of stock of a "limited edition" PS3 isn't surprsing. 200k is 14% of what the PS3 sold this year.

 

[toypop]

Is it possible to rent games in Japan? I mean i heard something that it wasnt possible to rent games in Japan, or at least that it was uncommon to rent games.

Basically You can't rent games in Japan. (Koei once tried to build rental franchise and failed.)
Used business have been popular among small shops in town when it was NES and SNES era, at that time those big retailers didn't part since it was still considered as "gray market".
But when CESA and Industries sued those shops and completely lost in court in 2002. Used business was officially legitimated and big retailers joined in.
Their pricing is implemented systematically and applied countrywide in daily basis. So some people tend to rush to sell their brand new games right after finishing or finding its worthless before you guy's beloved "Price collapse" and get some money back to buy another game.

One of the reasons why "Club Nintendo" works well and PSP GO sales sucks so bad here.

And usually 緊急入荷 is nothing but a marketing word.
But sometimes first shipments of these giant software are shipped separately(In Japanese 分納 Nintendo is notoriously known for that) like 50% in 1st day, 20% for 2nd day, another 30% for weekend or next week per shops.
I think this 緊急入荷 means their "We've got another shipment for weekend, so get it while it's hot" advertising.

 

[Brofist]

Unless you went to the same store as EDarkness, you won't see the same things.


3 days in and it's supposed to be limited and SE not reporting how many bundles were sold.
And that's just one store with at least 50+ left. Like I said, maybe they had 500/hundreds bundles and only 50+ are left, which is pretty impressive imo since it's 40,000+ yen and like cvxfreak reported, people are still buying. I'm only saying 200k is a lot, seeing shops still having quite a bit of stock of a "limited edition" PS3 isn't surprsing. 200k is 14% of what the PS3 sold this year.

I don't know what stores EDarkness went to. I went to Den Den town today to some stores that usually do a very high volume of used game sales. Many of them had boxes that said used copy for such and such price, and it would have been easy to think they had that many used copies for sale, but they weren't actually in stock.

I agree with you about the FFXIII bundle not being very limited at all. I'm simply saying a stack of 50 PS3s in a store like Yodobashi Camera is nothing.

 

[Y2Kev]

You are apparent. How many children do you have, like 60? You are such apparent.

 

[JudgeN]

Do alot of stores do this "buy back your games in a week for 95% value" for all games? Or is it before its FF, they want to cannibalize its sales?

 

[zeroshiki]

I don't like getting into anecdotal evidence.

That said, I was in Akihabara today and went through a lot of shops (the standards like Traders and stuff). No used copies at all. Yodobashi Akiba, which is humongous, also had a sign that said all Lightning bundles were sold out.

 

[dolemite]

Are the crowds being reported, your typical pre-holiday weekend crowds?

 

[Segata Sanshiro]

Used copies on day one or day two is nothing unusual for Japan. Even the hottest game will get traded in. It's when stacks start forming that it becomes poisonous to new sales. Unless there's some serious extra content in FFXIII, we probably will start seeing the "stacks" in used stores in about a week or so.

 

[mujun]

Do alot of stores do this "buy back your games in a week for 95% value" for all games? Or is it before its FF, they want to cannibalize its sales?

It's standard practice in Japan. You are pretty much guaranteed about 70% of what you pay for a game (depending on projected demand that percentage seems to vary) for the first month or so after a game comes out.

 

[EDarkness]

I don't know what stores EDarkness went to. I went to Den Den town today to some stores that usually do a very high volume of used game sales. Many of them had boxes that said used copy for such and such price, and it would have been easy to think they had that many used copies for sale, but they weren't actually in stock.

I agree with you about the FFXIII bundle not being very limited at all. I'm simply saying a stack of 50 PS3s in a store like Yodobashi Camera is nothing.

Near my house is a Shita and another big game shop that sells games and comic books. Both stores had used copies in. I'll see if I can get some photos tomorrow after work just in case people have any doubts. One guy was trading in a copy when I walked upstairs to the used game section at Shita and I figured I'd see if one was on the shelf and there it was along with a few copies of Modern Warfare 2 for the PS3.

 

[schuelma]

So, what are the odds that S-E will actually be able to sell out the 1.8 million shipment AND restock? Or are we looking at a new strategy here, along with MH3, where the publisher takes advantage of early growing demand to leverage a high first shipment to retailers, and just sits back and never ships another copy out again? Will shipments of FFXIII in Japan ever hit 2 million?

Unless the the actual 1st day number was like 1.25M, I think the 1.8M will be plenty, unless it shows amazing legs compared to the most recent installments.

 

[schuelma]

I think the most interesting question for next week is clearly PS3 hardware. I think we can generally pencil in FF13 (1.4-1.5M) and Wii hardware (180K-190K or so)..but I really have no clue on PS3 with the apparent huge bundle shipment. I would have laughed at anyone predicting 250K a week ago, but if the majority of the bundles sell out then who knows.

 

[gogogow]

I think the most interesting question for next week is clearly PS3 hardware. I think we can generally pencil in FF13 (1.4-1.5M) and Wii hardware (180K-190K or so)..but I really have no clue on PS3 with the apparent huge bundle shipment. I would have laughed at anyone predicting 250K a week ago, but if the majority of the bundles sell out then who knows.

I think the PS3 HW sales are gonna be huge. Even if the bundles doesn't sell out, there are still loads of standard slims being sold (as reported by cvxfreak). The PS3 sales will be pushed by the holiday bump, FFXIII game and the FFXIII bundle.
Software sales are gonna pretty close to what I predicted a month ago, which was 1.3-1.5m FW.

 

[7Th]

Eh... the guy wasn't saying he finished FFXIII in 13 hours. He said he got to chapter 7 in 13 hours. :lol

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

So, what are the odds that S-E will actually be able to sell out the 1.8 million shipment AND restock? Or are we looking at a new strategy here, along with MH3, where the publisher takes advantage of early growing demand to leverage a high first shipment to retailers, and just sits back and never ships another copy out again? Will shipments of FFXIII in Japan ever hit 2 million?

Wouldn't such a strategy come back to burn them in the future? Not that companies always shy away from a benefit now to avoid a future burn.

 

[jcm]

3 days in and it's supposed to be limited and SE not reporting how many bundles were sold.
And that's just one store with at least 50+ left. Like I said, maybe they had 500/hundreds bundles and only 50+ are left, which is pretty impressive imo since it's 40,000+ yen and like cvxfreak reported, people are still buying. I'm only saying 200k is a lot, seeing shops still having quite a bit of stock of a "limited edition" PS3 isn't surprsing. 200k is 14% of what the PS3 sold this year.

If it's true that SE was offering 4 bundles per 100 games ordered, and the initial software shipment was quite a bit higher than expected, then I'd say the bundle strategy did exactly what it was supposed to.

 

[charlequin]

No I don't mean in its launch window, I mean an uptick in overall PS3 software development.

I think the Slim will have a much larger effect on this than FFXIII. It was always guaranteed that Final Fantasy would be somewhere between relatively and very successful on PS3, but it wasn't always guaranteed that the platform's weekly sales would triple (see what I did there) or that subsidiary games like Vesperia would benefit from that gain.

Because if it is so, sold-out has to be expected

Beyond our reports that there are clearly still bundles floating around, I think 200k is clearly above the level at which bundles could've been expected to sell out immediately.

Generally speaking, bundles can constitute a "free" hardware boost simply by drawing in an additional audience ("collectors" who will buy an extra system out of a limited lot) on top of all the people buying a system to actually play on any given week, but this effect is limited both by the number of potential collectors who exist and by the perceived rarity and limitedness of the bundle in question.

When we were looking at what we thought was only 40k bundles, it was essentially impossible that they wouldn't all sell out immediately, but I think the ceiling for that is probably at most like 120k bundles. At this point I expect the rest of them to sell over the course of the next week or two or so as substitutiary sales to people who already wanted a PS3 + FF13 rather than to collectors who already own a PS3.

So, what are the odds that S-E will actually be able to sell out the 1.8 million shipment AND restock? Or are we looking at a new strategy here, along with MH3, where the publisher takes advantage of early growing demand to leverage a high first shipment to retailers, and just sits back and never ships another copy out again? Will shipments of FFXIII in Japan ever hit 2 million?

It depends a lot on what we see first week, but this looks like a hedged bet to me. If you're SE, and you're looking at a LTD sales figure that's floating somewhere between 1.5 and 2 million, I can see the decision where you decide "okay, we'll try to push out a 1.8m shipment even if that means we definitely won't get a second shipment." That way if demand is low you earn yourself a 200k margin or so, if sales are a little strong you only lose out on maybe 100k sales, and if sales are really strong people will reorder anyway.

So basically, yeah, I think this is a new strategy where big publishers stick it to the little guy. :lol

Wouldn't such a strategy come back to burn them in the future?

Yes, this is a good point: gaming is certainly a field where large companies strenuously avoid short-term strategies which will have negative long-term consequences.

I would have laughed at anyone predicting 250K a week ago, but if the majority of the bundles sell out then who knows.

I think over 200k is basically a lock now, whereas it was basically laughable in the world where we expected a 40k shipment of bundles.

Again, I doubt very much that close to all the bundles sold this week, but my prediction was like 180k PS3s with 40k bundles, so I wouldn't be surprised at all by a crazy number like 270k at this point.

 

[velvet_nitemare]

Check the FFXIII import thread, apparently it can be finished in 13 hours, as someone posted.

Wtf, this better not be true.

Edit: Ok, false alarm.

 

[schuelma]

I think over 200k is basically a lock now, whereas it was basically laughable in the world where we expected a 40k shipment of bundles.

Again, I doubt very much that close to all the bundles sold this week, but my prediction was like 180k PS3s with 40k bundles, so I wouldn't be surprised at all by a crazy number like 270k at this point.

Yeah. Even if they "only" sold 125K that's probably good enough for 250K or so.

 

[onken]

It was sarcasm. Look at post #457.

Fake posting sure is hilarious and worthwhile, isn't it?

If it's true that SE was offering 4 bundles per 100 games ordered, and the initial software shipment was quite a bit higher than expected, then I'd say the bundle strategy did exactly what it was supposed to.

That rumour had to be bullshit if 200k bundles were sent out, 5m copies of the game would have had to have been ordered.