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NPD Sales Results for November 2014 [Up3: NPD Data Error, AC:U #5]

I

Instro

Member
Glorified G said:
We're looking at a total of two million consoles sold in one month? Or close to it? And that's between two consoles only.

In the midst of all the squabbling in this thread the one thing you can't deny is how healthy the console market is right now.
Click to expand...

That's a little questionable though. In November 2007 we had close to 3 million in console sales and another 2 million in handheld sales. That's some pretty big shrinkage.
 
B

Biker19

Banned
smurfx said:
i think MS might keep the bundle going until bloodborne is released. after that they might take away the games and just lower the price to 299.
Click to expand...

Their shareholders will go apeshit over that, as that'll mean more losses than ever before. Not to mention that Microsoft just lowered the price of the system last month.
 
R

Road

Member
Overall hardware sales are down $294 million year over year.

Revisiting this.

2013 909k Xbone x $500* = $455 million
2014 1240k Xbone x $350* = ~$434 million

-$21 million

2013 1138k PS4 x $400* = $455 million
2014 840k PS4 x $400* = $336 million

-$119 million

The PS4 is killing the video game industry.


*my guesses for average sales price.
 
S

Sho_Nuff82

Member
allan-bh said:
For me is pretty obvious that Xbox One sales was drived for $329/349 price tag and 2 free games.

It's not because Assassin's Creed, it's the idea of a cheap console with free games. If they are CoD Ghosts and Advanced Warfare, sales will be at least the same (Probably bigger because CoD has more appeal).
Click to expand...

If just any old game could bump up sales, why didn't Sunset Overdrive? Why did TitanFall have such a muted effect despite price drops and gift cards? Black flag is <$20 at retail on 360/PS3, surely all those people didn't spend $330 dollars just to play the same game in 900p?

Again, if you combine the bundles, AC Xbone is just about equal or > COD Xbone (which also had a bundle that was advertised on TV). I think it's one of the most glaringly obvious cases of a system seller we've seen all year (alongside Destiny).

Edit: If any two games would do, why would MS not just dump in Sunset Overdrive and Forza?
 
V

vin-buc

Member
orochi91 said:
I look forward to their euphoria when XB1 wins December lol

Incredible how far the XB1 has come.

Said it before, but by the end of the year it will have more than halved a lead that took the PS4 10 months to build!
Click to expand...

This is funny. The consoles just released a year ago at 2 different price points and the xbox had to completely readjust its entire strategy. Just for reference the 360 has well over a 20 million lead over the ps3 in THIS territory. MS isn't the underdog here so downplaying the small lead that the ps4 has (in this territory) until now is silly especially considering the extremes that MS had to go thru to make it happen. On top of that the PS4 is destorying the Xbox One globally.

Just keep things in their perspective.
 
Y

yoplay

Member
vpance said:
Conceivably Sony could win NPD by 50k for the first 10 months next year and the gap will be back to what it was in Oct. Seems like a reasonable scenario. Then the crazy ass deals come out of the woodwork again for Nov 2015.
Click to expand...

Difference will be Uncharted 4. Sony didn't have much as far as exclusivity this fall. That changes next year.
 
V

Verendus

Banned
Maninthemirror said:
You can't sit and wait for the price cut to happen till the time when they really need it

If it were up to me the price cuts would have started in September as Sony with a game sold would be able to afford it.

They need to invest in the longevity of the system not the current state of the system. Microsoft cut the price naturally after losing kinect but they didn't hold back they cut it even more and that's how they won, create a perception of a lower cost and it was a lower cost regardless of what you think of the system and the power and games, they invested in losing money for the survival of the system

Sony could easily drop it to 349 and still make a profit considering how many games they sell per console. By keeping the pace of the sales at a higher clip they can assure more systems are in the consumer hands and more games are sold while still making a profit at the end of the day

Holding back is just being defensive, it's a defensive approach and it will only make them competitive not win outright
Click to expand...
You're looking at things in a bubble. A price cut isn't going to be announced for only one region, it's a global strategy. A lot of factors have to be considered.

Right now, the PS4 is dominating EMEA. In the US, it's more competitive, but the PS4 is still leading. Even after December, that will still be the case. At which point, we enter the smaller months, and even if Xbox One continues to outsell it (which I don't believe will happen consistently), that lead would mostly remain or they'd mostly be on equal footing until the next big Holiday quarter. This is ignoring the revenue which would suffer a big impact from cutting the price in such a short-sighted move. I'll keep this very simple here since it's more complicated really. But let's say I cut $50 off the price of the system, but have effectively reduced my profit margin from $70 to $20. How many more sales am I really going to push over the Holiday season, and what does it mean for my bottom line? Neglecting that, what's the forecasting looking like for the console at its current pricing? And what does cutting the price now mean long-term because I can't simply cut price every year? After doing all these calculations, what about the other regions? What does it mean for them? SCEE where everything is fantastic, or SCEJ/A where they're still waiting on getting some momentum going and a price cut would be better strategically placed next to a huge title to help push it. All of this has to be taken into consideration.

Xbox One is doing well after dropping the price $170 in a year, but their desperation was necessary. They cut their own legs off by starting at $499, and they know that they cannot afford to be anything less than competitive in the US. That is simply far too important for them. Even so, they're closing in on 10 million units shipped now as per their last release. PS4 has remained at $399 from the beginning and is closing in on 20 million units shipped.

No company makes such a short sighted move based off one month's results, especially when it's affecting one region and to a mostly insignificant extent. I'm sure SCEA executives will sit down and plan thoroughly for whatever they want to do, but it's not just about cutting price. Maximising the potential of the PS4 at its current pricing is part of the longevity of the system. Lots of people continue to purchase the system, and it's setting a fantastic pace for sales. We're now leaving the biggest quarter of the year so cutting price at this stage would be idiotic. Cutting price prior to entering it would be equally idiotic considering the strength of sales, and the fact that we're entering the biggest quarter of the year.

A price cut isn't necessary. SCEA has done fine this month. Where they messed up is with their marketing and promotional push in face of a much more aggressive Microsoft, but to be fair, there was only so much that could be countered there.
 
T

tearsintherain

Member
Hawk269 said:
But the COD bundle cost more than the AC bundle, so that part of your analogy is incorrect.

There was the standalone Xbox One without Kinect for the same price as the AC bundle. Anyone in their right mind would buy the AC Bundle over the one without any games at the same price. That is the main reason why it was sold so well over the other versions of the Xbox One.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I think people here who weren't paying attention really missed out on the insane deals Microsoft was throwing out in November for xbox ones. I had 0 plans to buy an xbone until maybe Halo 5, but I ended up buying a SSOD bundle because it was $349, minus a $100 coupon for 360 trade in, and I got a free copy of Ryse.

I bought a SECOND and THIRD xbox one during black friday week (gifts for relatives) because I could reuse my coupon (microsoft gave me 3 due to some web errors), and they sold the AC Unity bundle for $329 with an extra free game. It was $349 yesterday at microsoft stores with TWO extra free games. PS4 had nothing at all comparable, just an extra game but the same $399 msrp. Microsoft also essentially gave away thousands of copies of games two weeks ago, when their web store let you buy Kinect Sports and get virtually any other game for free (GTA5, DA, Unity, Halo, Forza, Far Cry, etc). I don't know why they honored it, last year something similar happened and Microsoft cancelled all the erroneous orders but this year they shipped it all.

Now I have no clue how Microsoft is making money in any of this, selling their $400 consoles for effectively $200-250 AND including 2-4 games in that price is nuts. But hey, it made for some super easy Christmas shopping. I guess they are willing to buy market share at this point, I'm not even sure how they aren't being investigated for dumping products below cost to win market share - an extremely common Microsoft practice in the past.
 
F

Fallout-with-swords

Banned
Qvoth said:
so MS basically caught up 35% of the difference in a single month? (400k / 750k+400k)
damn black friday really is a crazy phenomenon
Click to expand...

November / December makes up for around half of yearly sales so it's not just any old month. Not to diminish their success but it's not like this will be repeatable on this scale for awhile.
 
V

v1lla21

Member
All Sony has to do is lower the PS4s price to 350 and MS will start shitting bricks again. Good to see Xbox doing good though.
 
R

reKon

Banned
Microsoft has one of my friend to thank for one of the those sales from the Assassin's Creed bundle... way too good for him to pass up. But fuck him for another generation not being able to play together :( (he owned a Xbox 360 last gen and said he would get a PS4). I'm not going to buy a Xbox One until a handful of must have exclusives for me come out, even if the price is $200. Nintendo Wii U is next on my list and arguably has the best library right now. Can't resist that Smash Bros.
 
vpance

vpance

Member
Nightengale said:
Sony would realistically need another "Destiny" type of push though. Something that accelerates its lead pre-season, because realistically speaking, whatever the outcome of December NPD, PS4's lead was given significant buffer thanks to Destiny + White SKU.

Though that depends on how competitive Sony is for next holiday. Realistically speaking, they should be better prepared this time round, unless MS ups it up another notch in 2015.
Click to expand...

Uncharted could fill in for Destiny, maybe not to the same degree of interest but I imagine that's their best option for a bundle in the Fall. Would MS do another fire sale for the next holiday? Without a hardware redesign? It doesnt seem likely. I think Sony could actually be a bit safer next year, and better still if they can get Morpheus out in time.

yoplay said:
Difference will be Uncharted 4. Sony didn't have much as far as exclusivity this fall. That changes next year.
Click to expand...

Exclusives don't seem to be a huge factor anymore. To the hardcore they are, but we're a small part of the market. But yes next year overall Sony undoubtedly has the edge there which can only help. Only another Xbox fire sale should get Sony worried.
 
C

catmario

Member
6.) Far Cry 4 (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)
9.) Assassin's Creed: Unity (PS4, XBO, PC)

Uhhh.... I'm little confuse.

NPD says FC4 sold more than AssCreed, but Creamsugar says FC4 solds more than 670k but AssCreed solds less than 700k.

I think he is giving some hints for NPD data.

So... In conclusion...

Far Cry 4: Around 680k
Assassin's Creed Unity: Around 660~670k

Am I right?
 
O

orochi91

Member
Maninthemirror said:
That's what I've been saying Sony is acting like the hare in terms of its pricing and other aspects like updates to the system all things being equal like games and exclusives both of which attract many buyers for both systems. It's something I have noticed as a ps4 owner that I have been feeling a perception that many others might have felt too that they have been sitting back more than they should for the most part rather than take advantage of their advantages

I am referring to the US market but it might spill over to international market in some form too
Click to expand...

You are absolutely correct, but considering the position the company as a whole is in, they are playing it super safe and for good reasons.

They need all the profits they can reasonably squeeze out of that $399 price point.

vin-buc said:
Just keep things in their perspective.
Click to expand...

Agreed, they're likely content with how this gen is playing out in NA, considering what happened with the PS3.
 
T

Trevelyan9999

Banned
SeanR1221 said:
Yay smash bros but boo to the Wii U sales :/
Click to expand...

It's really not that bad for the Wii U when you consider that Black Friday week this year was the system's highest hardware sales week since it launched in November 2012. In relation to the competition, yes it's terrible, but improvement albeit small is still improvement.

For those saying 2015 will be worse for the Wii U, what is the reasoning behind that assumption? 2015 for the Wii U looks to be the best year it will probably end up having with each month releasing a great exclusive game to keep sales going with Zelda to cap it off.
 
B

BlackBuzzard

Banned
Verendus said:
You're looking at things in a bubble. A price cut isn't going to be announced for only one region, it's a global strategy. A lot of factors have to be considered.

Right now, the PS4 is dominating EMEA. In the US, it's more competitive, but the PS4 is still leading. Even after December, that will still be the case. At which point, we enter the smaller months, and even if Xbox One continues to outsell it (which I don't believe will happen consistently), that lead would mostly remain or they'd mostly be on equal footing until the next big Holiday quarter. This is ignoring the revenue which would suffer a big impact from cutting the price in such a short-sighted move. I'll keep this very simple here since it's more complicated really. But let's say I cut $50 off the price of the system, but have effectively reduced my profit margin from $70 to $20. How many more sales am I really going to push over the Holiday season, and what does it mean for my bottom line? Neglecting that, what's the forecasting looking like for the console at its current pricing? And what does cutting the price now mean long-term because I can't simply cut price every year? After doing all these calculations, what about the other regions? What does it mean for them? SCEE where everything is fantastic, or SCEJ/A where they're still waiting on getting some momentum going and a price cut would be better strategically placed next to a huge title to help push it. All of this has to be taken into consideration.

Xbox One is doing well after dropping the price $170 in a year, but their desperation was necessary. They cut their own legs off by starting at $499, and they know that they cannot afford to be anything less than competitive in the US. That is simply far too important for them. Even so, they're closing in on 10 million units shipped now as per their last release. PS4 has remained at $399 from the beginning and is closing in on 20 million units shipped.

No company makes such a short sighted move based off one month's results, especially when it's affecting one region and to a mostly insignificant extent. I'm sure SCEA executives will sit down and plan thoroughly for whatever they want to do, but it's not just about cutting price. Maximising the potential of the PS4 at its current pricing is part of the longevity of the system. Lots of people continue to purchase the system, and it's setting a fantastic pace for sales. We're now leaving the biggest quarter of the year so cutting price at this stage would be idiotic. Cutting price prior to entering it would be equally idiotic considering the strength of sales, and the fact that we're entering the biggest quarter of the year.

A price cut isn't necessary. SCEA has done fine this month. Where they messed up is with their marketing and promotional push in face of a much more aggressive Microsoft, but to be fair, there was only so much that could be countered there.
Click to expand...

Its funny when you post something that isn't troll material.
 
A

allan-bh

Member
Sho_Nuff82 said:
If just any old game could bump up sales, why didn't Sunset Overdrive? Why did TitanFall have such a muted effect despite price drops and gift cards? Black flag is <$20 at retail on 360/PS3, surely all those people didn't spend $330 dollars just to play the same game in 900p?

Again, if you combine the bundles, AC Xbone is just about equal or > COD Xbone (which also had a bundle that was advertised on TV). I think it's one of the most glaringly obvious cases of a system seller we've seen all year (alongside Destiny).
Click to expand...

Unity sales are inflated, people bought the bundle even without interest for the games.

This AC Unity and CoD comparison is not fair.
 
T

Thunder Monkey

Banned
Trevelyan9999 said:
It's really not that bad for the Wii U when you consider that Black Friday week this year was the system's highest hardware sales week since it launched in November 2012. In relation to the competition, yes it's terrible, but improvement albeit small is still improvement.

For those saying 2015 will be worse for the Wii U, what is the reasoning behind that assumption? 2015 for the Wii U looks to be the best year it will probably end up having with each month releasing a great exclusive game to keep sales going with Zelda to cap it off.
Click to expand...
Their biggest selling titles barely made a blip.

That's reason enough to say 2015 will be worse.
 
G

GamerJM

Banned
Trevelyan9999 said:
It's really not that bad for the Wii U when you consider that Black Friday week this year was the system's highest hardware sales week since it launched in November 2012. In relation to the competition, yes it's terrible, but improvement albeit small is still improvement.

For those saying 2015 will be worse for the Wii U, what is the reasoning behind that assumption? 2015 for the Wii U looks to be the best year it will probably end up having with each month releasing a great exclusive game to keep sales going with Zelda to cap it off.
Click to expand...

Zelda doesn't traditionally move hardware that much, this year we had Mario Kart/Smash which are generally bigger sellers. Also, this was supposed to be THE month for the Wii U and it still sold an abysmal <270k. It's never going to even get close to Gamecube numbers, whereas some were hoping that Smash would turn it around and bring it somewhere close to that point, or at least give it a temporary boost like Mario Kart.
 
F

Fine Ham Abounds

Member
vpance said:
hA1A989CB
Click to expand...

This gif actually makes me want to play it kinda
 
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