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Media Create Sales: Week 12, 2013 (Mar 18 - Mar 24)

Laguna

Banned
KI and SS comparison does make sense. Both are multiplayer-centric games and are new IPs (KI is basically a new IP since its been dormant for so long) but ultimately they both underperformed and failed to make the impact Sony and Nintendo expected from them. Decent sellers but not the evergreens they expected.

This actually was also one of the reasons I did the comparison but didn´t want it to explicitly point it out because some seem to be really sensitive when I´m pointing out some facts about PSV and its software.
 

SmokyDave

Member
Really hate to side with laguna in any way, but Kid Icarus was very, very far from a much loved franchise, and even if it was, Uprising bore little resemblance to it.

Still, his overall point is fatuous, I agree.
Um, not to throw my hat in with Laguna, but there was only one Kid Icarus game in Japan. It's completely different and it came out in the '80s. I don't know if it should be called a "much loved franchise."
Eh, fair enough. I must just know a lot of KI fans. That said, I'm not in Japan. Wasn't the guy in the Nintendo cartoons and in Smash Bros as well though?

It ain't a much loved franchise, but it ain't a new IP either.

This actually was also one of the reasons I did the comparison but didn´t want it to explicitly point it out because some seem to be really sensitive when I´m pointing out some facts about PSV and its software.
You don't point out facts. You make vague allusions and then start calling out people as Vita fanboys when they look at you bemused. You're notorious for creating posts with dangerous levels of thinly concealed salt.
 

Laguna

Banned
4. They both saw big marketing pushes from their respective console manufacturers
5. They both had a big name behind them (Sakurai for KI and Inafune for SS)
6. They were both hyped as selling more than they actually did by some (at least in the inital weeks)

I'm agreeing with you, I think it's a very apt comparison

I agree with those additional points as well.
 

Jamix012

Member
Much loved franchise on larger userbase vs. new IP on smaller userbase?

Cool.

"Much loved" don't BS. A franchise that hadn't seen a release in 20 years can hardly be called loved at all. It didn't resemble the original game(s) in gameplay at all and it's doubtful whether people had heard of the series at all. It was, for all intents an purposes, a new IP.

Edit: An appearance in Smash Bros is pretty much the only thing Kid Icarus had to make itself known to the current gaming generation prior to it's marketing/release.
 
Eh, fair enough. I must just know a lot of KI fans. That said, I'm not in Japan. Wasn't the guy in the Nintendo cartoons and in Smash Bros as well though?

He was in Smash Bros in the same way that, say, Mr. Game and Watch was; people remembered him, but not enough to build a big budget revamp off.

That was an auteur's project for Sakurai rather than a big relaunch of the IP, I'd say in hindsight; there certainly seems to be little enthusiasm for continuing the property without him.
 

Afrit

Member
So Vita's next biggest game opened at 60K.
You really have a weird definition of big game.

No, read again.
I said "it turn out to be decent only"

I was saying that Road original post implied that Namco Bandi & Sony didn't have high hope for it. According to the reports, the estimated shipment for the Vita version was around 100k.

well he is right indeed, it's not the next biggest vita game, but the point that it did help move some vita hardware.
 
I'm really surprised with the Vita increase. I was expecting 15-20K simply due to the price cut having been weeks ago and the lack of a big 100K+ software.
 

Chris1964

Sales-Age Genius
I was saying that Road original post implied that Namco Bandi & Sony didn't have high hope for it. But according to the reports, the estimated shipment for the Vita version was around 100k.

Except there wasn't a breakdown for PS3/Vita nowhere, according to Famitsu maximum Vita shipment is 70k.

Think of it like this. Would Zelda be Nintendo's #2 franchise if it only sold around 600k in each major region like it does in Japan? No, not at all.

It's Nintendo's #2 franchise because of the West.

I can't follow your logic.
 

Road

Member
Not sure. I think it implies that Namco-Bandai and Sony didn't expected OP2 to be big for Vita.

While in reality, I think they might had higher expectation for the overall sales and it turn out to be decent only, but manged to push some Vitas.

Yes, that's what I implied -- that they didn't even ship enough copies for it to be a "big Vita game" (which at this point is anything that sells over 100k) in the first place.

It was not a statement about Vita hardware sales, which was the context of your post. (Although, to be honest, I would not have predicted a hardware sales increase.)

No, read again.
I said "it turn out to be decent only"

I was saying that Road original post implied that Namco Bandi & Sony didn't have high hope for it. But according to the reports, the estimated shipment for the Vita version was around 100k.

Famitsu sell-through is over 75%, so they estimate the shipment wasn't bigger than 73k. Maybe MC will give us the exact number. (edit: beaten by Chris1964 on this one.)
 

DaBoss

Member
Think of it like this. Would Zelda be Nintendo's #2 franchise if it only sold around 600k in each major region like it does in Japan? No, not at all.

It's Nintendo's #2 franchise because of the West.

OK? Zelda is more popular in the west than Japan? That isn't news, its a widely known fact, but that doesn't mean Zelda is hated in Japan...
 
Why are you so angry over my comment saying that Japan doesn't like Zelda (which is true)?

Because it isn't true at all. Only 3D Zelda's are unpopular in Japan. 2D Zelda's and the DS Zelda's were extremely popular in Japan. Just because Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword didn't sell well in Japan doesn't you mean you write off the entire country and say that country doesn't like Zelda. It's just not true. It depends on the style of the Zelda game, whether it is well-received in Japan or not. The same is true with Zelda in NA and EU.
 
Because it isn't true at all. Only 3D Zelda's are unpopular in Japan. 2D Zelda's and the DS Zelda's were extremely popular in Japan. Just because Twilight Princess and Skyward Sword didn't sell well in Japan doesn't you mean you write off the entire country and say that country doesn't like Zelda. It's just not true. It depends on the style of the Zelda game, whether it is well-received in Japan or not. The same is true with Zelda in NA and EU.

Minish Cap sold even worse than SS and OOT3D of course did significantly better than both. This isn't really a 2D vs 3D thing. It's simply that SS was not appealing to the Japanese audience. That's all.
 

Afrit

Member
Except there wasn't a breakdown for PS3/Vita nowhere, according to Famitsu maximum Vita shipment is 70k.

Yes, that's what I implied -- that they didn't even ship enough copies for it to be a "big Vita game" (which at this point is anything that sells over 100k) in the first place.

It was not a statement about Vita hardware sales, which was the context of your post. (Although, to be honest, I would not have predicted a hardware sales increase.)



Famitsu sell-through is over 75%, so they estimate the shipment wasn't bigger than 73k. Maybe MC will give us the exact number. (edit: beaten by Chris1964 on this one.)

Ok I see now, thanks. I wasn't aware about Famitsu 75% sellthrough. I was thinking it was 50%-60% from the previous MC thread. maybe that was for first day sellthrough only.
 

L Thammy

Member
I can understand Laguna's explanation of why Uprising and Soul Sacrifice are similar. I just can't understand why you would want to compare them in the first place.

I have no idea what The Mana Legend is even trying to argue anymore. Zelda is popular in the West, therefore it's not popular in Japan, therefore sales numbers don't matter? What?

Eh, fair enough. I must just know a lot of KI fans. That said, I'm not in Japan. Wasn't the guy in the Nintendo cartoons and in Smash Bros as well though?

It ain't a much loved franchise, but it ain't a new IP either.

I didn't realize that Captain N was big in Japan.
 

SmokyDave

Member
I didn't realize that Captain N was big in Japan.
I don't remember it being big here in England but I still knew who Pit was. Seems he's been in the Wario-Ware games as well as Smash Bros so perhaps that's where I remember him from.

I'm surprised that I remember a Nintendo character that many other people were apparently unaware of. I honestly thought he was far more prominent than he actually is.
 
I just saw Disgaea numbers... Ouch!
If even Disgaea starts to lose sales, I don't know where NI could end up.

Disgaea was not a direct sequel though.

tumblr_m8vp917egt1qzumvbo1_500.gif


Vita has awakened. The MC threads as we know them are coming to an end.

"Much loved" don't BS. A franchise that hadn't seen a release in 20 years can hardly be called loved at all. It didn't resemble the original game(s) in gameplay at all and it's doubtful whether people had heard of the series at all. It was, for all intents an purposes, a new IP.

It does not matter the fact is that Icarus is a much more known IP than SS. SS is anew IP and former is not. Featuring in smash also supports the idea that you cannot treat KIU as a new IP.
 
I can't follow your logic.
He's just trying to backup his claim that Japan hates Zelda. He's right in a way, in that Zelda has diminished quite a bit in Japan, but its far from hated. Zelda, like most AAA games that have lost its prominence, will only sell well if its a good game, bad games will reflect in its sales.
 
I actually do own stock in Nintendo. However I might have a different perspective than some others, because I consider it a long term option. I like the various trump cards Nintendo has in the future to assure certain levels of success.

Nintendo's expectation of $1 billion in profit this year seems to me yet another overzealous prediction that only leads to frustration for me. It's an arbitrary number that's somewhat meaningless to myself and Nintendo, but unfortunately it will likely affect us both negatively, as shareholders sell off their stock when the number falls short, as is usually the case. I like Iwata but am not against change. I especially don't like how much of a debacle Wii U is considering all the obvious opportunities they skipped or fouled up. For example in NA releasing a late bundle for an old game (ZombiU....who does this? really) but not for a new, Nintendo published LEGO game....come on.

Agreed. Not having a $300 Wii U bundle with LEGO City was a miss. For sure. ZombiU bundle has had a negligible impact on hardware sales.

I think it's best they keep Iwata for now. If he falls short of the $1 billion profit next January (which I think is unlikely), then he should be replaced. I mean, it will have been Nintendo's third year in a row of missing forecasts if they can't achieve their goal this coming year. This year will either prove Nintendo's business model is still viable, or it will prove that things need to change.

Iwata has said ten first-party 3DS games are releasing this year. A high mark, for sure. But this signals that he knows it is make or break. If you can't achieve decent profitability with ten big releases on a two year-old platform then you will have to admit that the business model no longer makes sense. Ditto for Wii U. If 3D Mario, Wind Waker, and Mario Kart fail to turn Wii U into at least a modest success come the holiday season, then clearly there is no longer any sense in the business model.

I happen to think they'll reach their profit target and maybe even exceed it. Pokemon X/Y and all of their upcoming Wii U games should turn both of their systems into money printers, provided they don't make a price cut on the Wii U just as a short-term fix. It would destroy any hope of profitability. They can't simply rely on the 3DS half of their business to carry the weight of the entire company. Both system's ecosystems need to be healthy. If they make it through this year, then I think they'll be fine.
 
Twilight Princess sold 550k, OoT3D even more than that. Phantom Hourglass sold nearly a million units, and Spirit Tracks above 700k. Skyward Sword was the only game this gen that underperformed.
 

boingball

Member
Nice to see that Vita sales managed to stay up, though with the release of One Piece and DOA+ not entirely unexpected. The numbers for DOA+ and SS are disappointing though. And One Piece also might not even make it to 100k on the Vita.

The Wii U managed to creep back above 10k without any release though, so good news for Nintendo too (not to mention that the 3DS has established itself back as the top dog in the sales).

Well, apparently the combination of price drop and new games still works, so Wii U still has some hope left for the latter half of the year, when Nintendo might time a price drop with some of the new games coming out.
 
On another note, One Piece Vita sold less than One Piece 3DS on a slightly bigger user base.

One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP: 76,578
3DS: 1,033,333
 

hongcha

Member
Vita rose over 40k, as I predicted in the last thread. Feels good to be right. :)

Also a nice little bump for the Wii U.
 

big youth

Member
Agreed. Not having a $300 Wii U bundle with LEGO City was a miss. For sure. ZombiU bundle has had a negligible impact on hardware sales.

I think it's best they keep Iwata for now. If he falls short of the $1 billion profit next January (which I think is unlikely), then he should be replaced. I mean, it will have been Nintendo's third year in a row of missing forecasts if they can't achieve their goal this coming year. This year will either prove Nintendo's business model is still viable, or it will prove that things need to change.

Iwata has said ten first-party 3DS games are releasing this year. A high mark, for sure. But this signals that he knows it is make or break. If you can't achieve decent profitability with ten big releases on a two year-old platform then you will have to admit that the business model no longer makes sense. Ditto for Wii U. If 3D Mario, Wind Waker, and Mario Kart fail to turn Wii U into at least a modest success come the holiday season, then clearly there is no longer any sense in the business model.

I happen to think they'll reach their profit target and maybe even exceed it. Pokemon X/Y and all of their upcoming Wii U games should turn both of their systems into money printers, provided they don't make a price cut on the Wii U just as a short-term fix. It would destroy any hope of profitability. They can't simply rely on the 3DS half of their business to carry the weight of the entire company. Both system's ecosystems need to be healthy. If they make it through this year, then I think they'll be fine.
It's the same situation I've seen Nintendo in many times before. With the 3DS selling well and set to have an amazing year, stabilize, and have solid 3rd party support for years to come, should Nintendo:

continue to focus on 3DS and make bank
or
shift most (70% or so) developers to Wii U to make it a more popular, viable platform

It's short term vs long term, and in the past I think Nintendo has leaned too heavily towards short term gains over long term success.

Nintendo has a LOT of flexibility with the Wii U pricing. As I said before, I don't see any SKUs retailing for less than $300 this year. They can reformat the Standard/Deluxe models, offer various bundles, provide incentives, have sales (like Vita over the holiday in NA). They have a lot of options and should be in no hurry to officially lower the price. That being said, no one saw the $80 price cut coming to 3DS, so I wouldn't rule anything out.

2 weeks ago so many were saying Vita would be back at its previous baseline of <10k by now. :p
I can only speak for myself, but it may hold true for others as well. 1) I never expected it to be back to sub 10k at this point and 2) ignorance. I had no idea One Piece was releasing last week, nor am I familiar with the series.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
And it was a Wii port, not a new game.
Yep. Although i dont think this is any bigger disadvantage compared to the Vita game. The Wii version was released about 3 years before the 3DS version. It could give reason to revisit the game for those who played the Wii version a long time ago. Being released in a more drought time probably didnt hurt either (although this arguement can be used for Vita as well i think, since the Vita doesnt exactly have tons of games). The disadvantage is that is a game that many have played before on the Wii. With the Vita version, the advantage is that it is a new game, but it has the disadvantage of the PS3 version being available at the same day (as we saw from the sales numbers, most people prefered the PS3 version).


Whether Wii U sells 9k or 11k in a week is completely inconsequential. the 10k barrier has a weird effect on people
Yeah, the 10k barrier is just a physiological thing. Going under 10k means moving to a four figure number instead a five figure number.
 

Laguna

Banned
Why should anyone compare SS and KIU?Just because they came the same month?It makes 0 sense.Why didnt you posted also a PSP or PS2 or PS3 or Wii or DS game that came in March then?

Don´t know why you ignore the other points that have been mentioned like a similar launchtimeframe (15 months compared to 13 months after their respective launches). Also it´s funny how you suggest to compare other systems, while at the same time you seem to have a problem with a comparison with a game on a direct competitor which also is a handheld from the same generation. So it really seems desperate to me to suggest to do comparisons with even less comparable systems like last gen consoles. This just doesn´t make a lot sense.
 

Hsieh

Member
Think of it like this. Would Zelda be Nintendo's #2 franchise if it only sold around 600k in each major region like it does in Japan? No, not at all.

It's Nintendo's #2 franchise because of the West.

Zelda isn't even close to being Nintendo's #2 franchise. Pokemon and the Wii series are both ahead of Zelda by a huge margin. In terms of sales, handheld Animal Crossing is also ahead of Zelda now as well.
 

big youth

Member
I agree that Nintendo had high expectations for Kid Icarus. Anyone else see the constant TV spots during march madness last year? It got quite a push, indicating Nintendo thought it had big sales potential.

But I also agree it was a passion project. I'd be shocked if we get another Kid Icarus game in the next 5 years, with the possible exceptions of an HD release on Wii U (unlikely) or a game in Nintendo Land 2.
 

Celestial

Banned
Don´t know why you ignore the other points that have been mentioned like a similar launchtimeframe (15 months compared to 13 months after their respective launches). Also it´s funny how you suggest to compare other systems, while at the same time you seem to have a problem with a comparison with a game on a direct competitor which also is a handheld from the same generation. So it really seems desperate to me to suggest to do comparisons with even less comparable systems like last gen consoles. This just doesn´t make a lot sense.

ba744d8b983599744b26f578756c614f17cb6c4e_m.gif
 
Disgaea was not a direct sequel though.

Actually, it was a direct sequel of the first one. And since it seemed the new big project from NI, well, it should be worried. NI doesn't have appeal anymore; only Disgaea was left.

Yep. Although i dont think this is any bigger disadvantage compared to the Vita game. The Wii version was released about 3 years before the 3DS version. It could give reason to revisit the game for those who played the Wii version a long time ago. Being released in a more drought time probably didnt hurt either (although this arguement can be used for Vita as well i think, since the Vita doesnt exactly have tons of games). The disadvantage is that is a game that many have played before on the Wii. With the Vita version, the advantage is that it is a new game, but it has the disadvantage of the PS3 version being available at the same day (as we saw from the sales numbers, most people prefered the PS3 version).

Eventually, OP on Vita won't reach half of OP on 3DS sales.
 

test_account

XP-39C²
Given also how poorly Vita is selling, and how in general games on Nintendo hardware have legs.
I also think it has much to do with the game itself. Every game is an unique case afterall. Games that are more interesting/fun have an increased chance for better word to mouth, and a less chance to get traded in (resulting in a less chance for a used copy being sold instead of someone picking up a new copy).
 

GRW810

Member
I agree that Nintendo had high expectations for Kid Icarus. Anyone else see the constant TV spots during march madness last year? It got quite a push, indicating Nintendo thought it had big sales potential.

But I also agree it was a passion project. I'd be shocked if we get another Kid Icarus game in the next 5 years, with the possible exceptions of an HD release on Wii U (unlikely) or a game in Nintendo Land 2.
I felt like KI was the marquee game ahead of the 3DS launch. The hype for it was astounding. If it had been a launch title many would have picked it up along with the console. I for one wouldn't have been relying on Pilotwings (though fun) during a barren spell. Unopposed by other big titles and promoting itself as a showcase of 3D, touch screen, circle pad, AR and online gameplay for the console from day one we'd probably be looking at much higher sales.
 

saichi

Member
So let's pretend that 10% is still the baseline for every vita game, as ridiculous as that is, and that at retail SS is between 166-180k including the double pack, then that would put Soul Sacrifice at around 18-20k units sold digitally and put it at very close or at 200k sold ltd already. Bump that up to 20% just for fun and you are looking at around 200-220k sold thus far. That is why I said looking at this in the absence of digital sales is silly especially on a platform outside of pc that has unprecedented access to digital content.

You are missing the point.

The original post I quoted talked about sale pattern and the only sale pattern we see is the retail one.

It is also silly to just throw random numbers as digital sale numbers to support your point. Why does 20% make more sense than 10%? Why not use 50%? The only thing we know for sure is that it's not zero. If I want to use 10K or 100K as a number for digital sales instead of 20K/30K/50K as you suggested, you have no evidence to prove it wrong. Then what's the point?
 
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