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[StrongBlackVine]

Is this for real? Persona 5 not making the top20, is this some kind of bait I'm not seeing through?

If NieR made the top 10 this month then Persona 5 will next month.

 

[Chobel]

most likely due to exposure. Steam is a 3rd party client (store) whereas Origin and Uplay are publisher stores and so obviously EA and Ubisoft do not wish to divulge more information to a competitor than they need to especially if reciprocal data is not forthcoming

That makes sense. Thanks!

 

[OfficerRaichu15]

nice try but I cannot say.

Mat and I cannot divulge numbers as we are under contract not do so. NPD data shared here is at the goodwill of the publishers.

Alright that's fine but thanks for responding!
Anyway is NPD trying to work with Nintendo and Sony currently to be able to include digital or are they not budging on that?

 

[Kill3r7]

Not to be snarky but why was anyone hoping anything for ZD? Sony publicly announced global initial sales so its performance profile was known.

It's a new IP and SP only: frankly over 1M in US is a terrific result for single console exclusive.

I mean it's nice to hope for good performance but expecting way over reasonable performance when hard data is known just strikes me as odd.

Agreed. 1M for a new console exclusive IP is a massive debut. March was an incredibly strong month.

 

[Achtung Englander]

Alright that's fine but thanks for responding!
Anyway is NPD trying to work with Nintendo and Sony currently to be able to include digital or are they not budging on that?

we are working with all vested parties to join the digital panel for the benefit of the industry as a whole. We can then produce a definitive chart based on sales

I want to address the issue of sales based on dollars rather than units. Previously we used ti base the chart on unit sales but there are, now, disadvantages to this process
- Free games sold on console subscriptions obviously boost units sold
- Price promotions on seasonal sales or special offers can interrupt sale charts, taking focus away from new games. We still count games that are price promoted but their dollar revenue will be constrained by the lower ARP and so for any game to make into the top 10 on a price promotion it would have to shift a huge amount of units
- Indie games, while popular, are playing in the same ball park as AAA and a chart dominated by games that shift huge units at low prices is not what consumers or publishers are truly interested in
- Dollar sales is more fairer method given some games are now getting a digital only release and so unit counting could be disadvantaged.

 

[onemanasylum]

Over 1 million in the US for Horizon? WOW, sony has a huge new IP on their hands.

Ok, thanks. Looks like the above 1M is unconfirmed then.

lol, salty

 

[gundamkyoukai]

we are working with all vested parties to join the digital panel for the benefit of the industry as a whole. We can then produce a definitive chart based on sales

I want to address the issue of sales based on dollars rather than units. Previously we used ti base the chart on unit sales but there are, now, disadvantages to this process
- Free games sold on console subscriptions obviously boost units sold
- Price promotions on seasonal sales or special offers can interrupt sale charts, taking focus away from new games. We still count games that are price promoted but their dollar revenue will be constrained by the lower ARP and so for any game to make into the top 10 on a price promotion it would have to shift a huge amount of units
- Indie games, while popular, are playing in the same ball park as AAA and a chart dominated by games that shift huge units at low prices is not what consumers or publishers are truly interested in
- Dollar sales is more fairer method given some games are now getting a digital only release and so unit counting could be disadvantaged.

Thanks for the info .
It's to bad we can't get both along DD info from certain companies .
Still MS giving DD info is a big step forward and hopefully the other guys join.

 

[hanspampel]

we are working with all vested parties to join the digital panel for the benefit of the industry as a whole. We can then produce a definitive chart based on sales
[...]

question on the including of Microsoft as a publisher in the digital panel:
gamesindustry.biz is writing the following statement:

Microsoft has been confirmed as a member of the panel and the company's digital numbers are included in the Xbox ranked titles, but for this month only, not yet factored into top line reporting.

is my understanding correct, that Microsoft published digital games sales will only be represented in the Top 10 Xbox Chart and not be accounted for in the general Top 20 combined chart, because they don't want to disclose that?
or is that just bad wording in the article?

Oh it's over 1mm

What an incredible month

i hope people will now, as sony also has a possible >40% digital attachrate game, stop the "usual 30% digital attachrate" argument in many sales conversations.
30% overall industry average always meant some are lower, some are higher. and that stuff is heavily dependent on the platforms the game is sold, region, the target demographic, the genre, pricing and digital extras

 

[Hahs]

Dude GTA V is in here?

That game is still somewhat of a little beast - god I can't wait till their next major release; whatever that may be...

Another Red Dead I think..I got mad respect for R* keeping the GTA online legit though, I still rock it out from time to time.

 

[KHlover]

Dude GTA V is in here?

That game is still somewhat of a little beast - god I can't wait till their next major release; whatever that may be...

Another Red Dead I think..I got mad respect for R* keeping the GTA online legit though, I still rock it out from time to time.

I don't think GTA V has ever left the chart since the release of the Next-Gen console versions.

 

[Interfectum]

Oh it's over 1mm

What an incredible month

So it's looking like Horizon outsold Zelda for the month then? Would that put Horizon at #2?

 

[Loris146]

So it's looking like Horizon outsold Zelda for the month then? Would that put Horizon at #2?

Zelda ( WII U + Switch ) sold more than Horizon.

 

[Regiruler]

Zelda having only 3% digital ratio is kinda crazy compared to industry average. Seems like Nintendo is still way behind in digital adoption. Doesn't help that they release systems with puny amount of storage out of the box.

3% is well below average for Nintendo IIRC.

I think it was the size of the game and the fact that people are already in stores that discouraged it from being bought digitally.

You'll see a way higher percentage for Mario Kart.

 

[OfficerRaichu15]

we are working with all vested parties to join the digital panel for the benefit of the industry as a whole. We can then produce a definitive chart based on sales

I want to address the issue of sales based on dollars rather than units. Previously we used ti base the chart on unit sales but there are, now, disadvantages to this process
- Free games sold on console subscriptions obviously boost units sold
- Price promotions on seasonal sales or special offers can interrupt sale charts, taking focus away from new games. We still count games that are price promoted but their dollar revenue will be constrained by the lower ARP and so for any game to make into the top 10 on a price promotion it would have to shift a huge amount of units
- Indie games, while popular, are playing in the same ball park as AAA and a chart dominated by games that shift huge units at low prices is not what consumers or publishers are truly interested in
- Dollar sales is more fairer method given some games are now getting a digital only release and so unit counting could be disadvantaged.

Alright, thank you for the clarification!

 

[LordOcidax]

So it's looking like Horizon outsold Zelda for the month then? Would that put Horizon at #2?

Zelda is 1.3M With out digital. So.. nop.

 

[shinra-bansho]

Somewhat curious to see to what extent the Switch cannibalises/kills off the 3DS over the coming period, which was having something of a mini-revival of late.

Total annualised Nintendo hardware sales were in the area of 3.5 million late last year. With this launch and a good holiday they should presumably reach more than that just based on the Switch, but it will be interesting to see where they get back up to.

 

[Interfectum]

Zelda ( WII U + Switch ) sold more than Horizon.

Ahh I missed the 900K was for the Switch version only.

 

[Kyoufu]

Oh it's over 1mm

What an incredible month

Wait, Horizon really sold a million? That's one hell of a percentage for digital sales.

 

[pastrami]

Wait, Horizon really sold a million? That's one hell of a percentage for digital sales.

We've known that titles have hit more than 30%. Assuming retail is 650k, that would put digital at 350k. 350K/1M is 35%. Of course, the ratio could be higher depending on how much over 1 million, but it doesn't seem that crazy of a percentage.

 

[Achtung Englander]

question on the including of Microsoft as a publisher in the digital panel:
gamesindustry.biz is writing the following statement:


is my understanding correct, that Microsoft published digital games sales will only be represented in the Top 10 Xbox Chart and not be accounted for in the general Top 20 combined chart, because they don't want to disclose that?
or is that just bad wording in the article?




i hope people will now, as sony also has a possible >40% digital attachrate game, stop the "usual 30% digital attachrate" argument in many sales conversations.
30% overall industry average always meant some are lower, some are higher. and that stuff is heavily dependent on the platforms the game is sold, the target demographic, the genre, pricing and digital extras

due to a technicality and a tight deadline we could not add 2016 digital numbers for Microsoft. To prevent YoY trending interruptions we decided to exclude Microsoft digital numbers from the top line revenue but we did include all Microsoft digital numbers on title ranking (all platforms and Xbox One) to give a truer picture of best games sold

Next month Microsoft digital numbers will be included top line

 

[Mpl90]

Somewhat curious to see to what extent the Switch cannibalises/kills off the 3DS over the coming period, which was having something of a mini-revival of late.

Total annualised Nintendo hardware sales were in the area of 3.5 million late last year. With this launch and a good holiday they should presumably reach more than that just based on the Switch, but it will be interesting to see where they get back up to.

I'm interested also in knowing the extent Switch could affect PS4/Xbox One sales, if it's going to have any effect at all.

 

[Kill3r7]

we are working with all vested parties to join the digital panel for the benefit of the industry as a whole. We can then produce a definitive chart based on sales

I want to address the issue of sales based on dollars rather than units. Previously we used ti base the chart on unit sales but there are, now, disadvantages to this process
- Free games sold on console subscriptions obviously boost units sold
- Price promotions on seasonal sales or special offers can interrupt sale charts, taking focus away from new games. We still count games that are price promoted but their dollar revenue will be constrained by the lower ARP and so for any game to make into the top 10 on a price promotion it would have to shift a huge amount of units
- Indie games, while popular, are playing in the same ball park as AAA and a chart dominated by games that shift huge units at low prices is not what consumers or publishers are truly interested in
- Dollar sales is more fairer method given some games are now getting a digital only release and so unit counting could be disadvantaged.

I understand that you guys are trying to create a method that is a fair representation of the market but I can't help but think it is still a flawed method because units sold matters. If you are selling DLC, pushing micro transactions or want to increase your userbase, you would want as many units out there as possible. Additionally "budget" or indie titles are hurt by this since they are not selling at a full price.

 

[Chobel]

XBO
1. Wildlands
2. ME Andromeda
3. For Honor
4. NBA 2K17
5. GTA V
6. COD IW
7. BF1
8. Halo Wars 2
9. Overwatch
10. Forza Horizon 3

PS4
1. Wildlands
2. Horizon Zero Dawn
3. ME Andromeda
4. MLB 17 The Show
5. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix
6. Nier: Automata
7. GTA V
8. NBA 2K17
9. For Honor
10. COD IW

Interesting difference between the reception of For Honor in XB1/PS4. It had good hold on XB1, not so much on PS4.

 

[Hero]

we are working with all vested parties to join the digital panel for the benefit of the industry as a whole. We can then produce a definitive chart based on sales

I want to address the issue of sales based on dollars rather than units. Previously we used ti base the chart on unit sales but there are, now, disadvantages to this process
- Free games sold on console subscriptions obviously boost units sold
- Price promotions on seasonal sales or special offers can interrupt sale charts, taking focus away from new games. We still count games that are price promoted but their dollar revenue will be constrained by the lower ARP and so for any game to make into the top 10 on a price promotion it would have to shift a huge amount of units
- Indie games, while popular, are playing in the same ball park as AAA and a chart dominated by games that shift huge units at low prices is not what consumers or publishers are truly interested in
- Dollar sales is more fairer method given some games are now getting a digital only release and so unit counting could be disadvantaged.

Thanks again for stopping by today!

Would it be much more work to have two different lists with one for dollar sales and one for units?

 

[Saty]

Hey Sam, question on Steam tracking:

Is there any outlook for tracking more than the current slate of top publishers? What about all the European publishers? Mid-to-small self published companies? Indie devs?
Does the NPD actively seek to include all these PC developers or are you focusing only on the big-name mega publishers? Do you get approached by studios that want to share their Steam US data with you?

Also, is it possible to have Physical+Steam Top 10 PC ranking like for all the other platforms?

 

[hanspampel]

due to a technicality and a tight deadline we could not add 2016 digital numbers for Microsoft. To prevent YoY trending interruptions we decided to exclude Microsoft digital numbers from the top line revenue but we did include all Microsoft digital numbers on title ranking (all platforms and Xbox One) to give a truer picture of best games sold

Next month Microsoft digital numbers will be included top line

thanks for the explanation - makes sense. and very much appreciate the improvements you guys are making on the report

 

[Achtung Englander]

I understand that you guys are trying to create a method that is a fair representation of the market but I can't help but think it is still a flawed method because units sold matters. If you are selling DLC, pushing micro transactions or want to increase your userbase, you would want as many units out there as possible. Additionally "budget" or indie titles are hurt by this since they are not selling at a full price.

we are working to what works best for most and what makes the most sense.

I am sure there are other lists out there could cater for smaller titles but publishers are title hit driven and they are the engine of this industry.

 

[Apathy]

Man that ps4 list doesn't even have overwatch in the top 10. Also the show is there. Wow

 

[Interfectum]

Man that ps4 list doesn't even have overwatch in the top 10. Also the show is there. Wow

Lots of exclusives pushing Overwatch down the list compared to XBO.

 

[Achtung Englander]

Hey Sam, question on Steam tracking:

Is there any outlook for tracking more than the current slate of top publishers? What about all the European publishers? Mid-to-small self published companies? Indie devs?
Does the NPD actively seek to include all these PC developers or are you focusing only on the big-name mega publishers? Do you get approached by studios that want to share their Steam US data with you?

Also, is it possible to have Physical+Steam Top 10 PC ranking like for all the other platforms?

we want to work with anyone who has a vested stake in this industry and we are looking to find solutions to do this

 

[aerts1js]

So a new Sony IP basically sold the same as Nintendo's most prized franchise ? That's not a good look for Nintendo.

Spoiler

console wars are dumb

 

[Achtung Englander]

Thanks again for stopping by today!

Would it be much more work to have two different lists with one for dollar sales and one for units?

too confusing for the industry

 

[hanspampel]

So a new Sony IP basically sold the same as no Nintendo's most prized franchise ? That's not a good look for Nintendo.

Spoiler

console wars are dumb

and some people might missunderstand you post.
so you indirectly fuel the war

too confusing for the industry

you could always put the ASP in the one table and people can do their own math, just like GFK is doing

 

[funkystudent]

Didnt expect Dark Souls 3 to be one of the 10 best selling games of the year.


Good for them.

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

What denial ?
Where did I denied something ? I just to'd you that current information doesnt allow to make a precise breakdown.
To the point you even revised your own numbers from a sure 800k to a now "700k~800k"
Heck, you had to review your own words three times !
First claiming these sales are PS4 physical only, then PS4+PC physical then both SKU included.

You have some crazy, personal vendetta going on here just because I dared to question your numbers. What's wrong with you ? :")

The only thing I'm telling you is you're extrapolating numbers without enough datas, mixing stuff that shouldn't be.
(Btw, USA sales represents 31.14% of the Steam sales of Nier Automata. Even if you go down to 220k, that'd be 68k, not 50k).

The denial is clear: you struggle to face the idea that PS4 sales are near 800k (which is why I used 700-800k to quantify what near means) while the PC sales are 220k. I mean you still do, as you scurry besides this point, in each post, poorly trying to paint the discussion being something it never was.

That 18k really doesn't change the point, like many of your replies: Nier PS4 sales can be estimated 700-800k while PC sales are 220k.

 

[ASIS]

I'm really happy for Zelda. But GTAV still charting in the top 10 is kind of mind-blowing to be honest.

 

[Mpl90]

we want to work with anyone who has a vested stake in this industry and we are looking to find solutions to do this

It would certainly be great to get more mid-low publishers on board. The current charts can't represent the whole industry by missing a sizable slice of the current gaming industry pie, even if the lower MSRP for the vast majority of them would represent an obstacle in revenue-based charts. Not insormontable, though. Still, if more mid-low publishers join the initiative, I believe it would be interesting to have a Top 10 digital only monthly chart (still based on revenue, given the wide price variety), if possible.

By the way, I'm also wondering if you're thinking of monthly charts specific for Add-On Content / DLCs (another major part of digital revenue).

 

[onemanasylum]

Interesting difference between the reception of For Honor in XB1/PS4. It had good hold on XB1, not so much on PS4.

Well, not near as much to buy on Xbox, there are several ps4 exclusives in the top ten for PS4.

 

[Chris1]

question on the including of Microsoft as a publisher in the digital panel:
gamesindustry.biz is writing the following statement:


is my understanding correct, that Microsoft published digital games sales will only be represented in the Top 10 Xbox Chart and not be accounted for in the general Top 20 combined chart, because they don't want to disclose that?
or is that just bad wording in the article?

Wait, is that only Xbox, or is it including Win10 digital games aswell?

if only xbox, what about people who buy it on the web store? even those that only play the game on PC for example? would those numbers not be added?

 

[Sad Affleck]

The denial is clear: you struggle to face the idea that PS4 sales are near 800k (which is why I used 700-800k to quantify what near means) while the PC sales are 220k. I mean you still do, as you scurry besides this point, in each post, poorly trying to paint the discussion being something it never was.

That 18k really doesn't change the point, like many of your replies: Nier PS4 sales can be estimated 700-800k while PC sales are 220k.

Give it a rest guys, noone cares. It shouldn't be this important to you which platform the game sold the most on. Be happy that a niche game was successful and that both PS4 and PC gamers got to enjoy it. It's a shame it wasn't released on Xbox too.

 

[onemanasylum]

Zelda is 1.3M With out digital. So.. nop.

The fact that a new IP is even close to a 20 years established flag ship franchise is the bigger story.

 

[Hero]

too confusing for the industry

That's disappointing to hear but I understand.

 

[The God]

Give it a rest guys, noone cares. It shouldn't be this important to you which platform the game sold the most on. Be happy that a niche game was successful and that both PS4 and PC gamers got to enjoy it. It's a shame it wasn't released on Xbox too.

I mean, it is a sales thread

 

[The Horror the horror]

The fact that a new IP is even close to a 20 years established flag ship franchise is the bigger story.

A 20-year old franchise that had been on a decline and marooned on declining systems and a shrinking userbase.

 

[LordOcidax]

So a new Sony IP basically sold the same as Nintendo's most prized franchise ? That's not a good look for Nintendo.

Spoiler

console wars are dumb

Still sold less with a X4 bigger user base vs a new console + death console... But Agree with you console war is dumb.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

too confusing for the industry

Still don't the pubs have those numbers any way .
Plus the industry still uses numbers but i can understand why not having both.

 

[onemanasylum]

A 20-year old franchise that had been on a decline and marooned on declining systems and a shrinking userbase.

lol, spin it how you want. The userbase argument is silly, sales don't extrapolate to the size if the userbase, the zelda fanbase is still there and has been around for 20 years. That's why you see games sell as well or better at launch then 4 years into a console life. It's a weak attempt to downplay. Lots of downplaying Horizon here, pathetic.

 

[cyber_ninja]

Do we have the hardware numbers?

 

[MrS]

I find it lamentable that Horizon, Nier and Zelda were outsold by Wildlands. I will pray for our gaming brothers and sisters.

Good to see increased hardware sales though.

 

[LordBaztion]

Ubisoft is a monster.
Also, damn people, stop buying GTA.