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[dvolovets]

True. Before E3 2010, nobody knew about DKCR, Golden Sun or Kirby, right? They all came out within 5 months of announcement.

Exactly. Whether The Last Story or Xenoblade will be localized (I would guess that at least one of them will be), I'm sure there are plenty of unannounced games slated for release this year.

 

[plagiarize]

Thanks to the Wii, sure... but you think a driving sim is the next logical place for Grandpa Joe and 16 year old Cindy to migrate?

thanks to more than the Wii. a game like Cod:Blops sold way more than the number one selling game in 2005. how many games did we have over 1 million in december alone? number 3 for the year in 2005 was a game at 1.5 million.

only six games in the year sold more than 1 million. of the games that sold more than 1 million this year, i bet you that a lot of them aren't Wii titles.

 

[duk]

It charted number 8(?) last month, you know, the month of release?

oh crap i thought this was DEC npd we was talking about, biggest selling month

 

[Shurs]

Bundles, sure why not.

So you're comparing LTD of software that was, over the course of its "life" discounted and bundled on systems with significantly larger player bases to the first two months of a GT5 selling at full price?

 

[Boney]

If you don't find it funny that one of Sony's top 2 highlights of the year is a single game getting good reviews, in a sales-related press release no less, then I can't help you.

And that they were the only ones that had exactly 32% YOY increase.

 

[FrankT]

So you're comparing LTD of software that was, over the course of its "life" discounted and bundled to the first two months of a game selling at full price?

What I said and I was very clear about that. With these sales do I think it's going to get close to an average of 4.5M or even half that in the US.

Nope. Bundles or not. So yes I'm very much comparing those figures.

It may, may get to half that with a whole heck of lot of bundling LTD.

 

[cakefoo]

There sales were so bad they had to reference Metacritic scores as a highlight. How is that not funny?

MS referenced the total number of 80(?)+ games available in their library, and I don't recall them being accused of compensating for anything... Just sayin.

 

[DMeisterJ]

oh crap i thought this was DEC npd we was talking about, biggest selling month

Oh crap, I thought the post I quoted wasn't talking about a specific month, and was replying to a post about the overall sales of GT in America compared to Halo: Reach.

 

[imtehman]

but not low enough to justify all the drama we're seeing here.

although i agree with this sentiment, you really can't blame people for the drama when we've been hearing for years how GT was Sony's biggest and best selling franchise and how THIS is the game that will definitely turn things around

 

[Shurs]

What I said and I was very clear about that. With these sales do I think it's going to get close to an average of 4.5M or even half that in the US.

Nope. Bundles or not. So yes I'm very much comparing those figures.

Seems like an unreasonable comparison.

 

[plagiarize]

You're right. We should compare sales after a year, where GT5 will be slightly below GT4, but not low enough to justify all the drama we're seeing here.

the numbers aren't the important part to me, anyway.

Sony completely avoiding the topic in their PR is the important part.

if they thought these numbers were something that could be spun in a positive way... mightn't they have mentioned them?

you should know that you're probably going a little too far when you're making claims that Sony's PR folks didn't see fit to make.

 

[duk]

Oh crap, I thought the post I quoted wasn't talking about a specific month, and was replying to a post about the overall sales of GT in America compared to Halo: Reach.

D is for Dumbass, M is for Makes terrible posts, J is for JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY

you thought wrong then... look GT5 is unspectacular, not a failure by any means but given the pedigree, it's selling meh in the biggest month of sales and did not chart this month

 

[Metalmurphy]

although i agree with this sentiment, you really can't blame people for the drama when we've been hearing for years how GT was Sony's biggest and best selling franchise and how THIS is the game that will definitely turn things around

It's still is though, and I don't think anyone ever said the latter.

 

[TL4E]

DKCR sold > 1.32m? Fucking excellent. Here's to a healthy future for 2D platformers.

 

[cakefoo]

thanks to more than the Wii. a game like Cod:Blops sold way more than the number one selling game in 2005. how many games did we have over 1 million in december alone? number 3 for the year in 2005 was a game at 1.5 million.

So the shooter genre has grown. The casual markets have grown. The overall market has grown.

But the racing market has shrunken. All the articles I've seen on GT5 projections over the last couple years have predicted that GT5 was going to be a dud because the racing game is fading.

That it's not fading (at least in any apparent way comparing GT4 first year sales to GT5 first 2 months) should say something.

 

[FrankT]

Seems like an unreasonable comparison.

We may never know unless NPD provides those figures long from now. But we can chart the stand alone figures as long as they are provided, which I couldn't say how long that will be.

 

[_Alkaline_]

MS referenced the total number of 80(?)+ games available in their library, and I don't recall them being accused of compensating for anything... Just sayin.

MS also referenced their YoY hardware increase, the success of Kinect, having multiple games charting high, more money spent at retail than other consoles, and their biggest december hardware sales ever.

Sony had a software increase and good reviews for LBP2.

 

[jrricky]

Epic Mickey's sales....

 

[Four_Chamber]

Sony's PR statement had me rolling. Hey man, at least they're trying!

 

[DMeisterJ]

you thought wrong then... look GT5 is unspectacular, not a failure by any means but given the pedigree, it's selling meh in the biggest month of sales and did not chart this month

Why does it matter if it charted this month or not? I'm not getting that. It charted in it's release month. What kind of shitty metric to success is that? You act as if games that don't make the top 10 don't sell.

 

[Hiltz]

My jaw dropped at Epic Mickey's software sales. I suppose the chance for a sequel is looking very good now with those impressive sales in less than two months in North America alone. Heck, it's already surpassed sales of Metroid Prime 3. Apparently, the game sold poorly in the UK.

 

[AniHawk]

Why does it matter if it charted this month or not? I'm not getting that. It charted in it's release month. What kind of shitty metric to success is that? You act as if games that don't make the top 10 don't sell.

Expectations of Sony's biggest franchise are pretty high.

 

[Threi]

MS referenced the total number of 80(?)+ games available in their library, and I don't recall them being accused of compensating for anything... Just sayin.

do you really have to have this explained to you?


really?

 

[Shurs]

We may never know unless NPD provides those figures long from now. But we can chart the stand alone figures as long as they are provided, which I couldn't say how long that will be.

You're not comparing standalone figures, though.

 

[plagiarize]

So the shooter genre has grown. The casual markets have grown. The overall market has grown.

But the racing market has shrunken. All the articles I've seen on GT5 projections over the last couple years have predicted that GT5 was going to be a dud because the racing game is fading.

earlier this year we thought that the arcade racing market was dead because two brilliant arcade racers failed to make a dent on the charts.

but that turned out not to be the case, and Hot Pursuit has been selling rather well.

still, perhaps it's unfair comparing the sales of the best reviewed racing game of the year to the sales of Split/Second, Blur and GT5.

 

[FrankT]

You're not comparing standalone figures, though.

Yea and.....unless we have any other figures released from NPD it doesn't matter either way. My estimate remains.

 

[DMeisterJ]

Expectations of Sony's biggest franchise are pretty high.

And it charted. Why does it matter what specific month it does or doesn't chart? Games outside of the top 10 sell, and especially in a month when the top 10 bottoms out at 900k, games are selling really well outside of the top 10. So I don't get why a game has to make top 10 if sales outside of the top 10 are still pretty f'n good.

 

[Boney]

And it charted. Why does it matter what specific month it does or doesn't chart? Games outside of the top 10 sell, and especially in a month when the top 10 bottoms out at 900k, games are selling really well outside of the top 10. So I don't get why a game has to make top 10 if sales outside of the top 10 are still pretty f'n good.

The best comparison really is NFS.

 

[plagiarize]

Why does it matter if it charted this month or not? I'm not getting that. It charted in it's release month. What kind of shitty metric to success is that? You act as if games that don't make the top 10 don't sell.

i expected GT5 to chart in December since it released in late November and since it is Sony's biggest franchise.

that isn't a shitty metric to success.

did you expect it wouldn't chart?

 

[Shurs]

Yea and.....unless we have any other figures released from NPD it doesn't matter either way. My estimate remains.

But your comparison is flawed.

 

[Metalmurphy]

earlier this year we thought that the arcade racing market was dead because two brilliant arcade racers failed to make a dent on the charts.

but that turned out not to be the case, and Hot Pursuit has been selling rather well.

still, perhaps it's unfair comparing the sales of the best reviewed racing game of the year to the sales of Split/Second, Blur and GT5.

It also had a little thing in the title called "Need for Speed".

 

[chespace]

Wow at GT5 not charting in December.

Am megashocked.

 

[_Alkaline_]

Why does it matter if it charted this month or not? I'm not getting that. It charted in it's release month. What kind of shitty metric to success is that? You act as if games that don't make the top 10 don't sell.

But we know what GT5 sold, and it was pretty fucking underwhelming. 560K in the biggest month of the year for your biggest franchise is not a great result.

I mean look at Donkey Kong. This is essentially a b-tier franchise for Nintendo. It charted similarly to GT5 in its first month and went on to have nearly a million increase in sales the next. GT5, an a-tier frnachise for Sony, only managed 100K more.

It needed a big rise and it didn't get it. How is that anything but underwhelming?

 

[Shurs]

Wow at GT5 not charting in December.

Am megashocked.

Could be worse, right?

 

[Gravijah]

Gran Turismo 5... Whyyyy! Is there a comparison to other Gran Turismo sales that I have missed?

 

[RedSwirl]

Just curious, but anyone got the overall 2010 Japan sales for software and hardware?

 

[cakefoo]

MS also referenced their YoY hardware increase, the success of Kinect, having multiple games charting high, more money spent at retail than other consoles, and their biggest december hardware sales ever.

But there's nothing humorous about LBP2's metacritic, as it's not overcompensating if they're reporting something a platform holder would ordinarily say regardless the month's sales performance.

 

[FrankT]

But your comparison is flawed.

No it's not. My comparison is for total LTD of GT5 sales compared to average of the rest in the US. 4.5 million average in the US for the mainline series. Bundled or not. Those figures would still be very much comparable at the end of the day.

You can bundle, stand alone, whatever else. The end sales. That's it.

 

[Shurs]

Gran Turismo 5... Whyyyy! Is there a comparison to other Gran Turismo sales that I have missed?

We can compare it to the amount shipped to North America, and Latin American countries, which seems indicative of Sony's expectations.

Shipped 1.25 million
Sold (in the US alone) 960k

 

[EagleEyes]

Some of you sure are taking GT5's performance here in NPDland to heart. The bottom line is it underperformed here and nothing can be said or done to make it look like it hasn't. NPD threads are the only sales age threads where all i see are tons of posts bringing up sales in other territories. Why is that?

 

[_Alkaline_]

But there's nothing humorous about LBP2's metacritic, as it's not overcompensating if they're reporting something a platform holder would ordinarily say regardless the month's sales performance.

You don't find it in any way funny that in a press release for the biggest sales month of the year, Sony only had two (yes two) highlights and one of them was concerning reviews for a game that wasn't even released until January?

Sigh. Why am I responding to this?

 

[Kandinsky]

Epic Mickey Fuck Yeah, Holy shit Im so happy, sequel to my goty is def coming now!!!1

 

[chespace]

Could be worse, right?

At this point I'm starting to think releasing it in spring 2011 would have been the better choice given the heavy holiday hitters this year.

 

[Metalmurphy]

I don't understand why people think it would have been obligatory for GT5 to chart in it's second month, just because it's December. It's December for all the other games as well...

Wow at GT5 not charting in December.

Am megashocked.

:lol

Spoiler

Not as shocked as when Forza 3 didn't chart in the Top 20 in it's second month I'm sure.

 

[Shurs]

No it's not. My comparison is for total LTD of GT5 sales compared to average of the rest in the US. 4.5 million average in the US for the mainline series. Bundled or not. Those figures would still be very much comparable at the end of the day.

You can bundle, stand alone, whatever else. The end sales. That's it.

What do you imagine the LTD on GT5 in the US will be?

 

[Jocchan]

I can read the word "Bible".

 

[Unidentified]

we were expecting GT to do GT numbers.

oh, and to chart.

were you expecting it not to chart?

It doesn't seem to be doing any worse than Gran Turismo 4 did.

 

[FrankT]

We can compare it to the amount shipped to North America, and Latin American countries, which seems indicative of Sony's expectations.

Shipped 1.25 million
Sold (in the US alone) 960k

That shipped number should be higher if that was over a month ago PR.

 

[plagiarize]

It also had a little thing in the title called "Need for Speed".

... am i supposed to reply to that sensibly?

i can't imagine what Gran Turismo 5 had in the title to combat the brand name recognition of 'Need for Speed'.

 

[chespace]

:lol

Spoiler

Not as shocked as when Forza 3 didn't chart in the Top 20 in it's second month I'm sure.

You can move the goal post all you want, but the fact is, GT is (was) considered the bigger franchise -- the originator of the franchise, if you will.