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NPD Sales Results for April 2016 [Sony, MS, & Nintendo refuse to comment on hardware]

Loudninja

Member
I believe the highest first month for a resistance title was Resistance 2 at 385k.

So right now, nobody knows.

But given that R&C was developed at their North Carolina studio, it probably had a very small budget relative to their Burbank studio titles.

I think the great thing of all of this is that these sorts of titles can do well at a lower price point and lower budget...they just need to get made. I hope Sony keeps funding them.
Yeah I think they said here it had a small budget.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9GXxgh__3Q&feature=youtu.be
 

Ryng_tolu

Banned
Just based off these numbers Ratchet and Clank should be around 260k just with US and UK.

Why "around" ?
We know it sold over 207,000 in USA, but not how much more. Can be even 300K for what we know.

So, more like at least 260k from US and UK.

Also, it sold over 22,000 in Spain.
 
Expand. Not sure of the point.

You're speaking as if you know what was said, who came up with the strategy, what the motivations were.

"Obviously" in this case is anything but, unless you have some insider knowledge?

the time and money needed to tie in tv segments with the game must have played a huge role in its eventual shape and eventual performance. If all of those resources were focused purely on the game itself it would have been a better product.

Agreed. But why are you so certain this was MS forcing down this decision and not Remedy's choice to lean into the concept?
 
1) I think that would make 0 difference to how it sold. I would argue, strongly, that the TV segments' inclusion or exclusion would make a very negligible impact on sales. The MUCH stronger variables affecting QB sales are the XB1's overall performance and its mindshare in the gaming world right now.

2) Perhaps - although I really enjoyed everything about QB, so I'm glad they did what they did. It is unfortunate that it was so expensive, though.

Does anyone have the numbers for Alan Wake's opening for comparison? Also, anyone have any idea how it did digitally? "90% digital!!!" jokes aside, I do wonder if digital made up a larger chunk of sales than normal since the incentive to buy digital was pretty big (at least for me) with the cross-buy with W10.

Agreed to some extent, but the time and money needed to tie in tv segments with the game must have played a huge role in its eventual shape and eventual performance. If all of those resources were focused purely on the game itself it would have been a better product. Not saying it would have been an amazing difference but to say it would have none at all im not so sure.
 
HKu1qpT.jpg
 

prwxv3

Member
If they are working on Knack 2 they are simply taking the piss, terrible game with no clear target audience or reason for existing.

Those resources are better served elsewhere.

I disagree though I am in the minority that thinks knack is a decent game. Like I said a $60 knack 2 would not sell nearly as well as the first game. So a budget $40 sequel could do well. As long as the budget is small it could be a worth while investment.
 
You're speaking as if you know what was said, who came up with the strategy, what the motivations were.

"Obviously" in this case is anything but, unless you have some insider knowledge?

Nope absolutely not, just someone who watches and reads and listens to podcasts etc more than the average person , like you would expect anyone who posts on GAF would do. All I was saying was that they released a game with tv segments because they knew that was the was Microsoft wanted to go , pretty obvious to anyone who watches trends, wasnt saying anything crazy.
 
Nope absolutely not, just someone who watches and reads and listens to podcasts etc more than the average person , like you would expect anyone who posts on GAF would do. All I was saying was that they released a game with tv segments because they knew that was the was Microsoft wanted to go , pretty obvious to anyone who watches trends, wasnt saying anything crazy.

Glad you have it all figured out.
 

sense

Member
Uncharted 1 wasn't a masterpiece either. Second part always is the best.
The Empire strikes Knack

you are right with uncharted 2, god of war 2, killzone 2, mass effect 2 etc...
you are wrong with resistance 2, infamous 2, mgs 2, bioshock 2 etc....

what will the legend say for the almighty KNACK 2!!
 

Kill3r7

Member
1) I think that would make 0 difference to how it sold. I would argue, strongly, that the TV segments' inclusion or exclusion would make a very negligible impact on sales. The MUCH stronger variables affecting QB sales are the XB1's overall performance and its mindshare in the gaming world right now.

How do you explain the fact that third party AAA games sell pretty well on X1? Heck occasionally even better than on the PS4, at least in the US and UK. Maybe the issue is with the games which do not appear to cater to the X1 user base rather than mind/market share.
 

hawk2025

Member
I can believe that Remedy wanted to do the TV stuff themselves, especially since they've always mixed in some live action into their games.



But man, was that a misfire.
 
I can believe that Remedy wanted to do the TV stuff themselves, especially since they've always mixed in some live action into their games.



But man, was that a misfire.

It really was.

I actually really like QB, but the TV show element was completely and utterly unnecessary.
 

Welfare

Member
Quantum Break should've had a co-op/multiplayer mode. A single player only game is basically a relic of pre 8th gen, especially for the multiplayer centric player base of Xbox, and almost 3 years into the gen is pretty late for this type of release.
 
Quantum Break should've had a co-op/multiplayer mode. A single player only game is basically a relic of pre 8th gen, and almost 3 years into the gen is pretty late for this type of release.

Ratchet & Clank is single-player only.

I don't think a game needs MP to be successful. Maybe an XB1 game does though, I dunno'.

Edit - Yeah, I probably agree with your revised post.
 

sense

Member
If youre saying that remedy decided to include tv segments in there game without prior knowledge of what Microsoft wanted to do with there tv tv tv reveal then urmmm ok.

i believe the issue is the use of the word "obvious". It is possible remedy wanted to include the tv stuff anyways even if MS wasn't all tv tv tv. you made it sound like the only reason the tv stuff is in there is because MS wanted it.
 

hawk2025

Member
It really was.

I actually really like QB, but the TV show element was completely and utterly unnecessary.

I really liked the main bits of gameplay, it just... I dunno. Lost steam by the end.

I was totally into it somewhere around chapters 2 and 3 of the game, the gameplay was super punchy. But then you just realize there's not much more to it, and all the set pieces are just these... super straightforward platforming sections, and then you get a room with quite literally 10 collectibles because the levels aren't even designed to have hidden spots and secrets in the first place.

And you go back to the swimming pool.

Again. And one more time.

And the campus.

Again.

It suffers just like American Nightmare did by harming the game design itself due to its inherent "time adventure" approach.

At the end of the game I felt like I played through maybe three or four proper-unique areas in Quantum Break.
College, Pier, Evil corporation HQ, Swimming Pool.
Everything else is a blur.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
I thought the game felt a little content starved. I felt this way about Alan Wake too, though. There is so little variety in the environments. Alan Wake was just terrible. At least Quantum Break had fun shootbang.
 
I really liked the main bits of gameplay, it just... I dunno. Lost steam by the end.

I was totally into it somewhere around chapters 2 and 3 of the game, the gameplay was super punchy. But then you just realize there's not much more to it, and all the set pieces are just these... super straightforward platforming sections, and then you get a room with quite literally 10 collectibles because the levels aren't even designed to have hidden spots and secrets in the first place.

And you go back to the swimming pool.

Again. And one more time.

And the campus.

Again.

It suffers just like American Nightmare did by harming the game design itself due to its inherent "time adventure" approach.

At the end of the game I felt like I played through maybe three or four proper-unique areas in Quantum Break.
College, Pier, Evil corporation HQ, Swimming Pool.
Everything else is a blur.

You're absolutely right. There is very little variety in this game, both location-wise and in terms of game mechanics.

I think the game resonated with me because I really enjoyed the time powers, as limited as they were. The gunplay was solid as well. And I really liked the story-bits in Acts 4 and 5.

The game definitely has issues though, as you pointed out. And the TV show, for me, was a pretty big misfire.
 
i believe the issue is the use of the word "obvious". It is possible remedy wanted to include the tv stuff anyways even if MS wasn't all tv tv tv. you made it sound like the only reason the tv stuff is in there is because MS wanted it.

Remedy worked with Microsoft on alan wake and obviously have longstanding ties, if you think the converstation about them wanting to head in the tv direction hadn't taken place then fine. But it clearly had to some extent , otherwise why would you do something so expensive and risky.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
Remedy worked with Microsoft on alan wake and obviously have longstanding ties, if you think the converstation about them wanting to head in the tv direction hadn't taken place then fine. But it clearly had to some extent , otherwise why would you do something so expensive and risky.

Well they totally did have like at least 2 years since Microsoft dropped the TV stuff to, you know, axe it. Sort of evidence they wanted to do it. They actually recast all the actors too years after we first saw the game. They went very seriously into this whole shebang.
 
Have any of you guys ever considered that Quantum Break simply didn't look all that interesting to a mainstream audience?

I haven't played the game and I know a lot of people feel incredibly passionate about it so you're free to disagree with me as much as you like, but without paying particularly close attention to it, I always thought the game looked bland from top to bottom.

Boring main character, tired enemy designs (of the few I saw), the whole "time" thing has been done to death across so many different forms of media. The marketing wasn't very good either - I believe the commercial they used here in the UK was a terrible Nirvana cover, which to be frank is the only reason I remember it. I appreciate this ad may not have run overseas.

I'm not surprised that it failed to catch on to be honest. I'm sure there's a great game there, but it just never looked interesting to me, and if it wasn't for seeing it mentioned so regularly on NeoGAF, I would have hardly knew it existed... I can't be the only one. :\
 
Have any of you guys ever considered that Quantum Break simply didn't look all that interesting to a mainstream audience?

I haven't played the game and I know a lot of people feel incredibly passionate about it so you're free to disagree with me as much as you like, but without paying particularly close attention to it, I always thought the game looked bland from top to bottom.

Boring main character, tired enemy designs (of the few I saw), the whole "time" thing has been done to death across so many different forms of media. The marketing wasn't very good either - I believe the commercial they used here in the UK was a terrible Nirvana cover, which to be frank is the only reason I remember it. I appreciate this ad may not have run overseas.

I'm not surprised that it failed to catch on to be honest. I'm sure there's a great game there, but it just never looked interesting to me, and if it wasn't for seeing it mentioned so regularly on NeoGAF, I would have hardly knew it existed... I can't be the only one. :\

Well, clearly it didn't look interesting to the average XB1 consumer. The sales results are proof of that!

MS bundled Alan Wake with the game. They offered a free Windows 10 version to digital buyers. They tried to get people to bite. People just didn't want to, unfortunately.
 
amazing that pokken on Wii u outsold SFV on PS4 , I guess with sales and more content added for Street Fighter and NX coming killing games on Wii U , SFV is going to sell more in the long run.
 

Ryng_tolu

Banned
amazing that pokken on Wii u outsold SFV on PS4 , I guess with sales and more content added for Street Fighter and NX coming killing games on Wii U , SFV is going to sell more in the long run.

Naaaaaaaaaaaaah... unless there will be an NX version then yes, but i doubt will happen.

If not, Pokkén will sell more.
 
Well they totally did have like at least 2 years since Microsoft dropped the TV stuff to, you know, axe it. Sort of evidence they wanted to do it. They actually recast all the actors too years after we first saw the game. They went very seriously into this whole shebang.

Possibly, but to stop something which already had a pre determined course is like turning a huge ship. Im guessing at some point the the plan was to far gone to reverse and the decision was made just to kick on and finish it.
 

Ryng_tolu

Banned
Guys, sorry, but i don't understand a think.

How much the total hardware sales is declined YOY?

I mean hardware sales, not hardware revenues.
 
There is a line that exists between speculation and fact.

Somehow, your posts blend the two to where no line exists.

You don't know what happened. Add a "perhaps" or a "it's possible that" or "maybe" to your posts to help readers understand that what you're posting isn't some fact that you read or heard but is something that you're speculating on.

It's confusing to read "X happened" when what you're saying is actually "I think X may have happened".

It would help people understand better what you are saying and to offer agreement or alternative points of view.

Nowhere have I stated anything as fact, just reasonably informed opinion, where have I said something factually happened , ive said obviously but that is not factually do I have to argue semantics .
 

Shadoken

Member
Naaaaaaaaaaaaah... unless there will be an NX version then yes, but i doubt will happen.

If not, Pokkén will sell more.

SF4 series had some pretty long legs. And this one launched very barebones. You can bet a lot of casuals are going to pick it up down the line once more stuff is added.
USF4 on PC is has currently sold 5x that of SFV. Still a lot of potential players who aren't on it yet because of lack of content.
 
Quantum Break should've had a co-op/multiplayer mode. A single player only game is basically a relic of pre 8th gen, especially for the multiplayer centric player base of Xbox, and almost 3 years into the gen is pretty late for this type of release.

Eh. I feel like there are enough examples of this sort of game doing 'okay' given a few different caveats. I just don't think the sort of game Remedy makes meshes well with the Xbox audience. Now that MS has a vested interest in pushin Win10, i'm hoping any of their future deals are focused on pushing titles on PC/Win10 first, then possibly porting to console afterward.

I think gamers on Sony platforms are more willing to give a SP game like QB a shot over the MS crowd. A few games, like R&C & Until Dawn have done well on the PS4. I think one of the important things going into this is to keep the budget at a reasonable level, something that we know both of the titles I used as examples managed to do. QB seemed to have a bit of scope creep (wasn't the game originally supposed to feature 4 playable characters & multiple endings?), as well as a major marketing retooling (getting famous actors to replace character we'd already seen in order to increase the game's sellability), and both of these things aren't really great signs of a game being light in budget.

Edit: Also, considering how closely tied the Xbox Live service is onto the Xbox Platform, I imagine that having some MP featureset is more important to Xbox games than they are PS games. I think you're onto something here.
 

harSon

Banned
Huh? What rumor are you talking about? Phil saying he wants to go big with a next console instead of the iterative approach despite the fact that there are also rumors of the iterative approach.

Point is you really think this dude would give any indication of them exiting the console business with a viable product out?

What are you talking about.

During the Spring Event, he hinted towards an iterative approach. FCC findings hint towards an XB1 redesign, and a possible Xbox 1.5 device.

Phil never said he was against an iterative approach. He said:

"I'm not a big fan of Xbox One and a half. If we're going to move forward, I want to move forward in big numbers," Spencer said, during a roundtable discussion with Gameinformer. "If we're going to go forward with anything, like I said, I want it to be a really substantial change for people —€” an upgrade."

meaning that he's against the notion of an XB1.5, or anything that could be classified as a half-measure. An iterative approach does not have to be a small step forward, which is the only thing he pushed back on...
 
How do you explain the fact that third party AAA games sell pretty well on X1? Heck occasionally even better than on the PS4, at least in the US and UK. Maybe the issue is with the games which do not appear to cater to the X1 user base rather than mind/market share.

That is a good point. I think part of what I meant was that the type of gamers that might have bought a QB-type game during the 360 era have either moved to the PS4 or aren't gaming on the XBOX platform anymore. This was one reason I wanted to compare sales against Alan Wake - to see what kind of changes differences could be seen there.

Some games still do very well on the Xbox platform - as you point out. So it's not the ONLY variable, that's for sure.

Also, there could be a "word of mouth"/"reviews" thing going on here, but I'm not sure what kind of factor that played in the sales of QB.
 

DC1

Member
It went up against an established Ip with Souls, carry over of the Division, and a $40 remake.
In addition, one could also argue that R&C had a higher digital adoption rate than Souls or Division.

Purely pulled from my ass, but I feel good about it.
 
This wouldn't be the first time Remedy got beat badly. Alan Wake came out on the same day Red Dead, which ate up a lot of it's launch sales.
 
Quantum Break should've had a co-op/multiplayer mode. A single player only game is basically a relic of pre 8th gen, especially for the multiplayer centric player base of Xbox, and almost 3 years into the gen is pretty late for this type of release.
Yep, I think it definitely would have helped to have a MP aspect.
 

DC1

Member
Guys, this is just one game under perform, a little premature with all the MS exit console business talk, at worst this just make MS back to release everything in holiday mode.

There are plenty of reason QB didn't do well, short campaign, no replay value, single player linear TPS a little out dated, bad marketing etc, none of that show MS going to quit console.
This can never be an excuse. Let's watch how Nathan Drake burp in the ear holes of TPS disapprovers.
 

Schnauzer

Member
SF4 series had some pretty long legs. And this one launched very barebones. You can bet a lot of casuals are going to pick it up down the line once more stuff is added.
USF4 on PC is has currently sold 5x that of SFV. Still a lot of potential players who aren't on it yet because of lack of content.

How much of that is because of Humble Bundles?
 
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