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NPD Sales Results for February 2015 [Nintendo Numbers, Majora's, MH4, ~XB1]

You're all not looking at it right.

It's part of Sony's plan to sabotage Victory. Two distinct Victorian themed games back to back to make people leery of a 3rd one come Fall.
 
It's why Nintendo tries not to release two 2D platformers at once or how most third parties don't try to release two shooters at the same time.

It's just a dumb little thing that is probably not going to affect the sales of Bloodborne at all, but it's bad scheduling. There are degrees between "This doesn't exist at all" and "This is apocalyptic and will tank the game."
But two platformers and two shooters is different than one TPS and one RPG. Especially given the different direction of the games. As an example, launching two modern military shooters? That'd be terrible. But the presentation of Victorian England is totally different (at least in my eyes). I find it hard to imagine how in most players minds it'll create some negative overlap.
 

Victrix

*beard*
Monster Hunter needs a usability revamp and a home console release if it's going to sell gangbusters in the US.

If they're tied to Nintendo, I don't know that they can go but so high, regardless of the quality of the game (MH4U is really good).

Curious to see what they do with MH5 for sure. They did a lot of work making MH4 more accessible, but it still has a lot of stupidly arcane systems (and that's above and beyond its inherent basic barrier of entry due to controls, challenge, game structure, etc).

The dream would be a multiplatform release, but it may be that they're both tied to Nintendo, and perfectly content to focus on handhelds first with the series... which seems really strange, but who knows. Financials must make sense for them.

All that aside, glad it did well, and glad it's getting a warm welcome here, MH is one of the absolute best game series out there, and not nearly enough people have played it.
 

Christopher

Member
Excuse me what was this GameStop trade in ?

Also PS4 is dominating these charts. I remembered when people were parading because Xbox sold good in what November for one month?
 
Looks like consoles sold a lot more than what folks were predicting in the predictions thread. I think it's about time to retire the console gaming is dead panic people keep panicking about. Console gaming is strong and with great attach rates.

Glad to see Dragonball selling well. Good solid game that could have been a classic with some extra love and features.
 
Dark Souls 1 released in 2011 though when the userbases of both the PS3 and 360 were huge. Think it's a bit different since it's an exclusive on a still pretty young console.

User base means jack for title like Bloodborne, and actually most games. People who want to buy Bloodborne will buy it regardless of how large the user base is. Bloodborne will sell the same amount even if PS4 has 100 million user base.
 
It's why Nintendo tries not to release two 2D platformers at once or how most third parties don't try to release two shooters at the same time.

It's just a dumb little thing that is probably not going to affect the sales of Bloodborne at all, but it's bad scheduling. There are degrees between "This doesn't exist at all" and "This is apocalyptic and will tank the game."

2 2D platformers are different than an RPG and a TPS. I don´t think people will say i had enough of old London i am not buying Bloodborne. Different genre same setting does not make it a strategic mistake.
 

barit

Member
Good that the Order chart. This was clearly not certain after the massive critics from every gaming site and journalist on this planet. I mean even FH2 and SO didn't chart in NPD and both games were the critic's darlings. Just shows again that all those scores means nothing to the average consumer and only the right marketing and platform matters. Hope RAD gets now a second chance with the sequel. And PS4 back on track to dominate the living room for the whole year in Murica. Very good everything else would be disastrous for gaming overall.
 
Microsoft has Halo 5 and CoD, so this Battlefront deal with Sony makes sense.

Even with that I think Sony needs a big exclusive now that Uncharted 4 was delayed. MS is bringing big guns for holidays.

MS can bring all the guns they want and it won't matter. What will matter is how low they can get the price this year. That will determine if they come out ahead. It all depends on what Sony decides to do price wise imo.

If Sony cuts to $299, MS will have to go even lower, perhaps to $199 as the difference between $249 And $299 isn't, I think, perceived as big as the difference between $349 And $399
 
MS can bring all the guns they want and it won't matter. What will matter is how low they can get the price this year. That will determine if they come out ahead. It all depends on what Sony decides to do price wise imo.

If Sony cuts to $299, MS will have to go even lower, perhaps to $199 as the difference between $249 And $299 isn't, I think, perceived as big as the difference between $349 And $399

Not going to happen. Hell they sold the 360 for more than that 7 or 8 years in. I don't think they need to. Just keep making good games and improvements to the system like they have been. Word of mouth will make sure they're successful even if they're not in the #1 spot this gen. They just need to ride out this gen without getting blown out and come back strong next gen with the right guys (Phil Spencer, not Mattrick and Nadella not Ballmer) in charge.
 

Raytow

Member
This is such an elegantly perfect visual metaphor.

Every once in a while, this industry shocks me in a good way. Most certainly would not have expected Majora's Mask -- Majora's Fucking Mask the number-one selling game in February, 2015 -- or Monster Hunter to chart as they did, but it's great to see. Pleasantly surprised that Capcom's insistence on turning Monster Hunter into a North American "thing" seems to be working out, even somewhat.

As for the Wii U, yeah, the numbers are small. But I'm thankful Ninty can say, "look, good games will increase our sales." Because that's really all that has changed since last year. It's a cynical industry, and I'll be real disappointed when that mantra doesn't hold true.
The gif is hilariously wrong, but hey a good month!
 
Not going to happen. Hell they sold the 360 for more than that 7 or 8 years in. I don't think they need to. Just keep making good games and improvements to the system like they have been. Word of mouth will make sure they're successful even if they're not in the #1 spot this gen. They just need to ride out this gen without getting blown out and come back strong next gen with the right guys (Phil Spencer, not Mattrick and Nadella not Ballmer) in charge.

WoM won't do anything. The only reason they did so well the past holidays were the insane price cuts plus bundles. Had both been at $399, the X1 would have been buried. And even now, with it being cheaper it's becoming clear the $50 less is not enough. a $299 PS4 means MS will have to go for $199 if they want to keep up ($250 may help but it won't be as effect as $349 vs $399).

If you had told me a year ago that I'd be able to find the X1 for $150 less with a few free games and an extra controller (talking about the Amazon bundle) in the middle of Feb, I would have called it crazy too. Clearly, MS will do what it takes to win two months in one region
 
Good that the Order chart. This was clearly not certain after the massive critics from every gaming site and journalist on this planet. I mean even FH2 and SO didn't chart in NPD and both games were the critic's darlings. Just shows again that all those scores means nothing to the average consumer and only the right marketing and platform matters. Hope RAD gets now a second chance with the sequel. And PS4 back on track to dominate the living room for the whole year in Murica. Very good everything else would be disastrous for gaming overall.

You're glad that marketing has more of an influence on a game's sales than critical reception does?
 

Welfare

Member
Clearly, MS will do what it takes to win two months in one region

It's not like they're 2 random months though. November and December are holiday months.

Hell, the Xbox One sold 37% more in Nov+Dec than they did the other 10 months of 2014 combined. It closed the gap between it and the PS4 by more than 50%.

Holiday months are very important to MS. They might even extend their "generosity" to October and September if Halo 5 really launches in September.

Now if only they just cared enough for our friends across the pond.
 

Converse

Banned
This isn't talked about enough, but yes, Capcom's producers are very smart to not give up on Monster Hunter in America.

The smart money told them to stop a long time ago, that MH would never succeed in America, that it's a Japanese series with a Japanese mentality that can't find a foothold in this new, modern game industry. And 300k isn't the biggest deal in the world, they're at least at the ballgame, which very few people could have predicted five years ago.

I think one question to consider now is this - what do you do with Monster Hunter in America now? We forget that this is MH4 2nd Edition. We didn't get MH4 The First. Is this the new gameplan for America, wait for the revision and release that? Or release the first one, then release the revision? Is that something that will fly in the west?

It's at the ballgame, now there's a lot more questions that need to be answered about the future of the series outside of Japan.

Yeah, man. It's very surprising to me that Modern Capcom handled this so well. I'll be interested to see what they do next, too. Personally, I'm a Westerner who is just fine getting the "Ultimate" edition rather than the first go-round, but obviously revised editions aren't uncommon or unexpected. It might not be a thunderous success, but building a solid footing for an insanely intricate, grindy, challenging, Japanese-flavored handheld dinosaur hunting game that features dancing cats is remarkable in its own right.

The gif is hilariously wrong, but hey a good month!

Nah. Sony, the high-powered SUV, plowing through Microsoft, another V8 vehicle tear-assing down the road. They're both big, loud power players that speed right past Nintendo on its eco-friendly bike. Meanwhile, Nintendo is left in the dust peddling in the complete opposite direction with its hands off the bars. It's sublime GIF-titude.
 

Apt101

Member
I underestimated how strong the new 3DS numbers would be. Pleasantly surprised to see Zelda games going so strongly.

I think both critical and vocal user reception of games don't correlate consistently with sales numbers for software this gen (or for late last gen). It seems like the deciding factors are more equitable to a formula involving franchise (if it is part of one), platform(s), developer recognition, genre, and finally perceived technical quality. Pretty much in that order. Way down on the list is user reception on the Internet, trailed by critical reception. There are flukes, like LBP3 not doing better despite having pretty much everything going for it.
 

deleted

Member
So Pokemon sold another 200k, Smash Wii U another 100 and Smash 3DS not enough to make another 100k jump. Is that considered healthy enough? I have no idea...

Zelda and Monster Hunter did great though! A pity that they didn't do a Wii U port this time...
 

T.O.P

Banned
Good that the Order chart. This was clearly not certain after the massive critics from every gaming site and journalist on this planet. I mean even FH2 and SO didn't chart in NPD and both games were the critic's darlings. Just shows again that all those scores means nothing to the average consumer and only the right marketing and platform matters. Hope RAD gets now a second chance with the sequel. And PS4 back on track to dominate the living room for the whole year in Murica. Very good everything else would be disastrous for gaming overall.

???
 

Oregano

Member
This isn't talked about enough, but yes, Capcom's producers are very smart to not give up on Monster Hunter in America.

The smart money told them to stop a long time ago, that MH would never succeed in America, that it's a Japanese series with a Japanese mentality that can't find a foothold in this new, modern game industry. And 300k isn't the biggest deal in the world, they're at least at the ballgame, which very few people could have predicted five years ago.

I think one question to consider now is this - what do you do with Monster Hunter in America now? We forget that this is MH4 2nd Edition. We didn't get MH4 The First. Is this the new gameplan for America, wait for the revision and release that? Or release the first one, then release the revision? Is that something that will fly in the west?

It's at the ballgame, now there's a lot more questions that need to be answered about the future of the series outside of Japan.

Conventional wisdom dictates that they ditch Nintendo and the fanbase they have built up on Nintendo systems to make a super high budget PS4 game.
It's probably going to happen too.
 
Bloodborne is going to do gangbusters. 500k in its first month is conservative.

DkS 2 did <350k iirc

500k would be an insane growth and is certainly not conservative. Also I would not call the Souls series niche considering DS and 2 have LTD's exceeding 2 million and perhaps even 3 million.


PS4: 342k
360 : 228k
PS3: 280k
Wii : 432k
PS2 : 416k

2nd March comp:

360 : 199k
PS3: 257k
Wii : 721k
PS2 : 362k

Still amazed at how well DBZ Xenoverse did. This is great news for Naruto UNS4 which sells quite a bit more. Also curious on how skewed XV is to the PS4.
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
PS4 much higher than what I thought - I vastly underestimated the power of Gamestop's trade-in deal. That must have had a huge effect. But it's not just that (see: One numbers for the month). Is that trade-in deal still effective, though?
 

DryvBy

Member
WoM won't do anything. The only reason they did so well the past holidays were the insane price cuts plus bundles. Had both been at $399, the X1 would have been buried. And even now, with it being cheaper it's becoming clear the $50 less is not enough. a $299 PS4 means MS will have to go for $199 if they want to keep up ($250 may help but it won't be as effect as $349 vs $399).

If you had told me a year ago that I'd be able to find the X1 for $150 less with a few free games and an extra controller (talking about the Amazon bundle) in the middle of Feb, I would have called it crazy too. Clearly, MS will do what it takes to win two months in one region

It wasn't just the price cuts though. It was them giving away games like crazy. I saw bundles with up to four games and a price cut. As a company, I can't imagine losing money on every sell would be a wise choice just to revamp your brand. Because how long will you have to do that?
 

Castef

Banned
Lol at the order.

Jesus, that's bad. Ohh well.

tumblr_inline_n3a5hvfoE61rxpsxb.gif
 

Frillen

Member
Good that the Order chart. This was clearly not certain after the massive critics from every gaming site and journalist on this planet. I mean even FH2 and SO didn't chart in NPD and both games were the critic's darlings. Just shows again that all those scores means nothing to the average consumer and only the right marketing and platform matters. Hope RAD gets now a second chance with the sequel. And PS4 back on track to dominate the living room for the whole year in Murica. Very good everything else would be disastrous for gaming overall.

Most fanboish post of the thread?

Anyway, just because The Order charted doesn't mean it's selling well. Review scores usually affect a game's leg, not how much it sells in its opening week.
 
Most fanboish post of the thread?

Anyway, just because The Order charted doesn't mean it's selling well. Review scores usually affect a game's leg, not how much it sells in its opening week.

Its selling mediocrely. Not bad at all but not particularly well. Bearing in minds this is 1st month sales. If it has no legs then that would probably result in a bad LTD.
 

Dynomutt

Member
It's why Nintendo tries not to release two 2D platformers at once or how most third parties don't try to release two shooters at the same time.

It's just a dumb little thing that is probably not going to affect the sales of Bloodborne at all, but it's bad scheduling. There are degrees between "This doesn't exist at all" and "This is apocalyptic and will tank the game."

Might be drifting a bit. The games have a complete lynch different aesthetic. Mature themes ill give you that. The only other similarity is that some of the voice work has an English accent.
 

Bgamer90

Banned
User base means jack for title like Bloodborne, and actually most games. People who want to buy Bloodborne will buy it regardless of how large the user base is. Bloodborne will sell the same amount even if PS4 has 100 million user base.

Was speaking more for Dark Souls (and the post I was replying to) -- not Bloodborne.
 

AniHawk

Member
Its selling mediocrely. Not bad at all but not particularly well. Bearing in minds this is 1st month sales. If it has no legs then that would probably result in a bad LTD.

is it having good word of mouth like destiny did, and does it have multiplayer at all? those things will help. if not, we know what one of sony's giveaways will be this year.
 
If Sony cuts to $299, MS will have to go even lower, perhaps to $199 as the difference between $249 And $299 isn't, I think, perceived as big as the difference between $349 And $399

How does that make sense in any way? How can 16.7 % not be perceived as more than 12.5 %

Good that the Order chart. This was clearly not certain after the massive critics from every gaming site and journalist on this planet. I mean even FH2 and SO didn't chart in NPD and both games were the critic's darlings. Just shows again that all those scores means nothing to the average consumer and only the right marketing and platform matters. Hope RAD gets now a second chance with the sequel. And PS4 back on track to dominate the living room for the whole year in Murica. Very good everything else would be disastrous for gaming overall.

A more realistic interpretation of the data would be that it shows how games overall sell less in February than in September and October, making it more easy for mediocre games to chart in the top ten, due to easier competition.
 
is it having good word of mouth like destiny did, and does it have multiplayer at all? those things will help. if not, we know what one of sony's giveaways will be this year.

Don't know about WoM, doubt its great considering the reviews but who knows. There's no MP either.

Looking at people talking about FF Type 0 HD so I looked at Amazon March best sellers:

FF T0 PS4 : 8 (1st game on the list as well)
FF T0 XB1 : >100
 
It's not like they're 2 random months though. November and December are holiday months.

Hell, the Xbox One sold 37% more in Nov+Dec than they did the other 10 months of 2014 combined. It closed the gap between it and the PS4 by more than 50%.

Holiday months are very important to MS. They might even extend their "generosity" to October and September if Halo 5 really launches in September.

Now if only they just cared enough for our friends across the pond.

Answer me this
Which is better
1- MS playing catch up 2 month of the year and not even surpassing or catching up the PS4 in the US
2- Taking the initiative and start releasing games all year, reduce the price, and gaining the momentum or even start leading in that market.

Because what you are saying is that MS is satisfied with playing catch up for 2 month of the year, without stopping the momentum of the PS4. The Xbone will never leads the US market with the strategy that they are doing now.
 

Bgamer90

Banned
Good that the Order chart. This was clearly not certain after the massive critics from every gaming site and journalist on this planet. I mean even FH2 and SO didn't chart in NPD and both games were the critic's darlings. Just shows again that all those scores means nothing to the average consumer and only the right marketing and platform matters.

...Or possibly that it's harder for more niche exclusive games to chart during months that are packed with new games from popular multiplatform franchises. Not sure what XB1 exclusives have to do with The Order.

Hope RAD gets now a second chance with the sequel. And PS4 back on track to dominate the living room for the whole year in Murica. Very good everything else would be disastrous for gaming overall.

Haha, wow.
 
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