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NPD Sales Results for March 2009

Man... if Madworld needed to sell 2 million to make a profit, how many copies would KZ2 have to sell to break even?

Also.. wheres WANTED? remember industry analysts like YOOPOO Pachter predicted 8 million units sold.

Blu_LED said:
How is it not? Madworld is an amazing game, and from what I have heard GTA in one of the best handheld games ever made. Neither of them could sell more then 200K? Thats awful.

quality = sales.. that's why The Wire and Arrested Development are still around.
Dumb post.
 

spwolf

Member
schuelma said:
There are a lot of amazing games that don't sell 200K + during its first month. MadWorld had a lot going against it. But let's see just how much it sold before going crazy.

:)

we know how it sold in UK, i dont see why would USA be any different.

as to your comment about Wii - it had to go lower at some point in time. If people expected it to sell 1 million in march, their bad.
 
schuelma said:
Remember we had Smash Bros. last year.


alright, well throw out RE5 and Smash and we get a slight increase this year, say 200,000

but shouldnt the software numbers be growing by more than this, considering they have a years worth of new systems to attach to?
 

Cheech

Member
Mamesj said:
Puny earthlings, KZ2 was not the real savior. Just wait for Heavy Rain. The world is ready for a spiritual successor to Dragon's Lair.

LOL, this is exactly what I thought when I caught a gameplay preview.
 

Zzoram

Member
knitoe said:
KZ 2 and Resistance 2, along the same line, sold pretty well. The problem is that Sony and others made it out to be their answer to Halo and Gears of War. In that context, no where close and can only be seen as failures.

It was completely reasonable for Sony to think of Killzone 2 as a Gears level game. It's got the best graphics on it's respective console and is a flagship first party space marine game. If Killzone 2 was on Xbox 360, you can bet it would've sold 1 million in it's first month like Gears of War did.
 
.GqueB. said:
PS3 exclusive software is ALWAYS a slow burn no matter how much hype, good scores and advertising.

Why is PS3 software a slow burn compared to any other software?

As far as your other points I don't disagree. It's too expensive. It's always been too expensive. That's the joke.

When some of us said that though from day one we were told either that isn't true or that it will magically explode whenever a price drop happens.
 
schuelma said:
There are a lot of amazing games that don't sell 200K + during its first month. MadWorld had a lot going against it. But let's see just how much it sold before going crazy.
I guess, but what about GTA? That game had the fucking Grand Theft Auto name attached to it. It blows my mind it didn't go over 200K.
 

Owzers

Member
[Nintex] said:
I think it started with Virtua Fighter or Folklore in Japan, I'm not sure.


imo it started before PS3 even released. Xbox 360 was selling 200-300k units a month or whatever in the U.S. and many Sony fans proclaimed that those were poor sales and we'll have to wait till PS3 releases to see what good next-gen monthly sales will be. Then...well...the PS3 released in the U.S. and every month it was a different " wait till" excuse as to why PS3 sales weren't rising to heaven. And then when it DID outsell 360 for those few months over the last couple years it changed to " PS3 will outsell 360 for the next several years etc etc etc" until it didnt....and the "wait till" was born anew.
 

Tom Penny

Member
knitoe said:
KZ 2 and Resistance 2, along the same line, sold pretty well. The problem is that Sony and others made it out to be their answer to Halo and Gears of War. In that context, no where close and can only be seen as failures.

It doesn't help that neither game is good as the other 2 franchises. KZ2 could have definitely made a splash but it's MP wasn't good enough.
 
Depressing NPDs

Lots of Wii consoles sold, no madworld.
Lots of DS systems sold, no GTA Chinatown wars.
Halo Wars sells well, but no Ensemble to reap the benefits of a popular game
KZ2...yeah

At least the best baseball game, MLB 09 The Show, did good...right? (I really don't know, but I see people cheering, so I guess it did well). RE5 selling well is also great
 

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
Blu_LED said:
I guess, but what about GTA? That game had the fucking Grand Theft Auto name attached to it. It blows my mind it didn't go over 200K.


Yeah I think GTA is a better point.
 

clashfan

Member
Psychotext said:
It's actually worse than that. March 09 is a 5 week month so vs Feb the sales are around a third down.

(Edit - Beaten by post above)

I think we are seeing the signs of the recession hitting the gaming market.
 
spwolf said:
you mean fanboys? wouldnt confuse sony with sony fanboys... hey we thought VF is going to be next big thing on PS3.
VF at least had a right to be the next big thing, I don't know what you guys were thinking with Lair.

Nintendo fans were even telling some of you "Be careful guys, Factor 5 can make quite a pretty game, but anytime they deviate from the skies they blow it."

To bad VF5 didn't save the PS3.
 

DMeisterJ

Banned
http://www.gamasutra.com/newswire?story=23242

Microsoft's Press said:
In its monthly NPD U.S. game sales reaction email, Microsoft has trumpeted that its console is the only one on the market to experience year-on-year growth, while noting that Xbox Live downloads have more than doubled from the same period a year ago.

The console sold 330,000 units in the U.S. in March 2009 -- a 25% year-over-year increase, and according to Microsoft, one that flies in the face of its competitors' "double-digit declines".

The company has also revealed that the number of Xbox Live users paying for content on the service has more than doubled since this time last year, with 128% growth in unique users purchasing XBL content -- be it use of Netflix, other video, games, or DLC.

Microsoft has also revealed that the first three months of the year have seen 220% increase in DLC purchases, led by Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3, as well as its own shooter titles Gears of War 2 and Halo 3.

According to its internal numbers, there has been a 62% increase in downloadable game add-ons compared to the same period last year, with 516 pieces of game content released via Xbox Live for 63 titles.

Microsoft can claim three of the top 10 games of the month -- with the overall number one game Resident Evil 5 on its platform; the title's PlayStation 3 version placed fourth. Platform-exclusive first-party RTS Halo Wars placed third, while 2K Sports' Major League Baseball 2K9 placed 10th overall, notably behind Sony's MLB '09: The Show, which slotted in at sixth.

In its email, Microsoft also claims a top 10 appearance with Guitar Hero Metallica, which disagrees with the official chart as released by the NPD Group -- the game does not appear in its official top 10 at all. Microsoft has clarified with Gamasutra that it disregards sales of handheld games to formulate its top 10 -- which strips out third-placed Pokemon Platinum and slots in GH: Metallica at #10.

So GH: Metallica (360) is number 11 on the charts.
 
Wasn't that dismal for PS3, their numbers have tracked at 60-70% of 360 since the price drop, this was in line with expectations. What's strange is that everything was lower then expected. Wii @ 600k is low. 360 @ 300k is low. PS3 @ 200k is low. PS2 @ 100k is low.

Recession finally causing a pinch?

KZ2 seems about right. RE5 is better then expected... which disappointments me.

And lastly I predict many a Halo fan received an unhappy surprise last month. But HW will still break a million in the US because people buy it based on the cover art.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
DevelopmentArrested said:
Man... if Madworld needed to sell 2 million to make a profit, how many copies would KZ2 have to sell to break even?

Also.. wheres WANTED? remember industry analysts like YOOPOO Pachter predicted 8 million units sold.



quality = sales.. that's why The Wire and Arrested Development are still around.
Dumb post.
Wanted moved from the store shelves so quickly that our human technology was unable to track it leaving the building. 6-8 million obviously.

Microsoft has clarified with Gamasutra that it disregards sales of handheld games to formulate its top 10

haha
 

Chrange

Banned
chubigans said:
...what are you talking about?

You were the one talking about how Killzone 2 was rushed to market without advertising.

I mean honestly - "Why would it move PS3s when PS3 owners aren't even aware of the game?"

This one too - "There's no way to ever get that back, and the massive sales that would have benefited from it."

MASSIVE. SALES.

Come on, man. Just move on to talking about how InFamous is going to destroy Prototype and kick start sales.
 

Barrett2

Member
Originally Posted by chubigans:
There were no Killzone 2 slurpees, no Killzone 2 banners and merchandising, no Killzone 2 brandings on sodas and chips, no Killzone 2 commercials two weeks before launch, nothing. I'm surprised it's doing as well as it is. SCEA completely failed the game from a hype machine perspective. Halo 3 is the only game I've seen that's had a massive ad rollout like KZ2 should have had.

Why would it move PS3s when PS3 owners aren't even aware of the game?

I find im' torn on this argument. On one hand I agree Sony continually screws themself with their shitty PS3 marketing... but on the other hand, how do so many 360 owners know to buy L4D? How do so many 360 owners know to buy Fable, Gears, etc...??

Ultimately the PS3 warriors argue themselves into a corner. PS3 owners are apparently closet-bound retards who only learn about a game when they see 10 commercials for it during the evening news.... if 360 owners are sophisticated enough to pick up on new games, WTF is wrong with PS3 owners?
 

adelante

Member
Interesting turn of events..People are surprised KZ2 got outsold by an rts but the argument was that the latter had the Halo brand attached to it....so now people are bringing how KZ2 sales are weak in general and that gets debated upon because of how the game didn't get the marketing it deserves?
 

Magik

Member
DevelopmentArrested said:
Man... if Madworld needed to sell 2 million to make a profit, how many copies would KZ2 have to sell to break even?

Whoa, what? Madworld needs 2 million to make a profit? That can't be right...
 

TTP

Have a fun! Enjoy!
I have no idea how much it might have affected them, but I'm thinking Killzone 2 demo did more bad than good to sales.
 
Zzoram said:
It was completely reasonable for Sony to think of Killzone 2 as a Gears level game. It's got the best graphics on it's respective console and is a flagship first party space marine game. If Killzone 2 was on Xbox 360, you can bet it would've sold 1 million in it's first month like Gears of War did.

The best comparison indeed for Killzone 2 is the Gears of War franchise. It should definitely be around that level of sales relative to the PS3 base.
 
Ugh first Metal Gear Solid 4 and now Resident Evil 5? I really do hate Japanese games being rewarded by gutting their formula for a more generic American gameplay design.

That saying I also kind of am happy that this game is selling well as Capcom is being rewarded by being the only Japanese developer/publisher that is living up to their ego.

Kusagari said:
People are ridiculous with Killzone 2. Comparing it's sales to CoD, the biggest franchise in gaming right now? The game was a sequel to a hyped disappointment considered mediocre at best on PS2. People talk of all this hype, but it didn't exist off the internet at any point. The slow motion commercials they're airing right now aren't exactly amazing either.

Pretty much. It seems that if a game doesn't scruff a quarter million it "bombed". The game is a follow up toward a mediocre title and had it's "big opening" last month. It has so far sold over half a million copies in North America alone which isn't too shabby. As I've said before people REALLY need to get their expectations in gear. Madworld making the top 10? :lol
 

adamsapple

Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
P1010153.jpg



The right to be a god...
 

chubigans

y'all should be ashamed
lawblob said:
I find im' torn on this argument. On one hand I agree Sony continually screws themself with their shitty PS3 marketing... but on the other hand, how do so many 360 owners know to buy L4D? How do so many 360 owners know to buy Fable, Gears, etc...??
360 owners are a much more hardcore group of consumers than PS3 owners, perhaps due to the whole Xbox Live networking base. That's why most 360 games are heavily frontloaded for awesome sales (BioShock) while PS3 software can be lethargic in comparison.
 
Magik said:
Whoa, what? Madworld needs 2 million to make a profit? That can't be right...


It was a joke, because some crazy developer said that Madworld had to sell 2-3 million to prove that games on the Wii were worth making.
 

Y2Kev

TLG Fan Caretaker Est. 2009
lawblob said:
Originally Posted by chubigans:


I find im' torn on this argument. On one hand I agree Sony continually screws themself with their shitty PS3 marketing... but on the other hand, how do so many 360 owners know to buy L4D?

Well, valve spent $10 million on marketing it. Just for that particular note. :D
 
Flying_Phoenix said:
Ugh first Metal Gear Solid 4 and now Resident Evil 5? I really do hate Japanese games being rewarded by gutting their formula for a more generic American gameplay design.

Those fuckers, screw them for being relevant!
 

andthebeatgoeson

Junior Member
spwolf said:
i kind of cant believe some people are claiming 600k for Wii is "bad"... thats like PS2, PS3 and 360 combined... if people expect Wii to sell 1 million in slow months, oh well.
?

spwolf
If this poster agrees with you, you're doing something very wrong.
(Today, 07:30 PM)
Reply | Quote

Aw, fuck.
 

Cruzader

Banned
Chrange said:
It's one thing to hype a game before it comes out and talk it up when it launches - fans do that kind of thing. You're excited about the game, so it's natural.

But to start making excuses for why it didn't sell? Is that being a 'fan' anymore? Just move on to hyping the next game.

Are you saying Sony did infact market KZ2 well? Because thats an are they fail at, they have done it with previous games and KZ2 was the latest one. One thing that I like from MS over Sony is that they can market their games.
 

cedric69

Member
TTP said:
I have no idea how much it might have affected them, but I'm thinking Killzone 2 demo did more bad than good to sales.
In my case it did for sure. I planned on buying the game. Played the demo. Changed my mind.
 
Blu_LED said:
How is it not? Madworld is an amazing game, and from what I have heard GTA in one of the best handheld games ever made. Neither of them could sell more then 200K? Thats awful.

Has there ever been an M rated DS or Wii game that got into the top 10?

You have a point with GTA DS (though that could sell on a legs basis) but Madworld? That game is niche as all hell (black and white? beat-em-up? new IP?). It's ridiculous to expect the game to get on the top 10.

And again top 10 doesn't mean shit worth of anything in game sales. We see this every year with the Top 100 games release list. And your answer is Resident Evil 4.
 

joey_z

Banned
Blu_LED said:
I guess, but what about GTA? That game had the fucking Grand Theft Auto name attached to it. It blows my mind it didn't go over 200K.

Didn't Microsoft pay Rockstar $50 million for extra content? Ouch.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
lawblob said:
Originally Posted by chubigans:


I find im' torn on this argument. On one hand I agree Sony continually screws themself with their shitty PS3 marketing... but on the other hand, how do so many 360 owners know to buy L4D? How do so many 360 owners know to buy Fable, Gears, etc...??

Ultimately the PS3 warriors argue themselves into a corner. PS3 owners are apparently closet-bound retards who only learn about a game when they see 10 commercials for it during the evening news.... if 360 owners are sophisticated enough to pick up on new games, WTF is wrong with PS3 owners?
Well, in all fairness, Left 4 Dead did have a $10 million advertising campaign and Fable II was the follow up to a game that sold three million copies.

But yeah, I still see your point. I don't think it's a lack of awareness so much as Sony's creating bad awareness for their games. I know several people who were turned off of Killzone 2 by the demo because they thought it was a sci-fi CoD clone. My friend also knew someone who saw their commercial and got the impression that the game was going to "play like shit". So really, I don't think the solution Sony needs is to throw more money at advertising, but spend the money they do throw in a much better way.
 
Mama Robotnik said:
Sorry, circumstances prevented me from making a new GIF for today's NPD. Its the first time this has happened in nearly a year of NPDs since I became a member. Will try and have something ready for next month.

On topic, some low results all round. Maybe a re-run gif is appropriate:

gafunerals.gif
:lol, oh how I miss the good ol' days.
 

scitek

Member
Zzoram said:
It was completely reasonable for Sony to think of Killzone 2 as a Gears level game. It's got the best graphics on it's respective console and is a flagship first party space marine game. If Killzone 2 was on Xbox 360, you can bet it would've sold 1 million in it's first month like Gears of War did.

Gears of War was released in November.
 
Cruzader said:
Are you saying Sony did infact market KZ2 well? Because thats an are they fail at, they have done it with previous games and KZ2 was the latest one. One thing that I like from MS over Sony is that they can market their games.

Seems like an odd thing to really give a shit over.
 

Barrett2

Member
TTP said:
I have no idea how much it might have affected them, but I'm thinking Killzone 2 demo did more bad than good to sales.

I agree. I thought the game was great, I thought the demo was boring and ugly.
 
Warm Machine said:
How is that even possible?

People GROSSLY underestimate development and marketing costs.

100 people * $100K/year * 4 years = $40M right there
and for big budget titles marketing matches development costs.
 

JudgeN

Member
lawblob said:
I find im' torn on this argument. On one hand I agree Sony continually screws themself with their shitty PS3 marketing... but on the other hand, how do so many 360 owners know to buy L4D? How do so many 360 owners know to buy Fable, Gears, etc...??

Ultimately the PS3 warriors argue themselves into a corner. PS3 owners are apparently closet-bound retards who only learn about a game when they see 10 commercials for it during the evening news.... if 360 owners are sophisticated enough to pick up on new games, WTF is wrong with PS3 owners?

You know PS3 is the second class citizen next to the 360 and we also know that unlike the 360 there are tons of PS3 that were bought just for blue-ray.
 

Chichikov

Member
DevelopmentArrested said:
quality = sales.. that's why The Wire and Arrested Development are still around.
Dumb post.
The Wire was not canceled due to low ratings.
It ran its course, finished it stories and ended.

(I always wanted to post on an NPD thread, but fuck if I get down and dirty with the fanboys).
 
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