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UK Boxed sales | Metroid fastest selling Metroid in UK ever at #3, Alan Wake at #5 | Digital sales continue to shrink physical market

Stuart360

Member
Pretty sure the disc version of PS5 is vastly outselling the discless version though. People want a choice.
Its time to let it go. By the end of this gen the digital split will probably be 90%, possibly even 95%.
This is the last gen for disk drives in consoles 100%.

Plus dont we already have data that Sony is producing way more PS5's with the drives compared to the diskless version?, i'm sure that has been discussed on here before.
 

yazenov

Gold Member
would you look at that , new title have more sales on physical, older titles have more as they soak up those cheap digital sales

Good observation.

It seems like day 1 buyers or lets say the people who are willing to spend the full price of $60 or $70 are more leaning towards the physical side as they also have the option to resell those games, or are simply 'hardcore' gamers that support the developers by buying these games day 1. Of course there are exceptions to this like most cases but the data shows a clear pattern.

But on the other hand, when Microsoft is pushing the "best value in gaming'' netflix style service , it will no doubt disrupt this pattern. One can assume from all this data we have that Gamepass is indeed affecting the purchasing habits of the Xbox consumers.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
It's impossible to know, but right now the disc PS5 is outselling. Even if people using the disc version are using it to download more games, it can also mean they want that version cause even if out of 5 games they download 4, they still have their favorite games they want on physical.
I guess my point is that you can't draw the conclusion that more people want physical games than digital games because of which model PS5 they buy. I'd argue that people who want a digital only PS5 will buy a disc version if that's what Sony made available, even if they never buy a physical game, because every unit made is selling out regardless.
 
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Bryank75

Banned
It's impossible to know, but right now the disc PS5 is outselling. Even if people using the disc version are using it to download more games, it can also mean they want that version cause even if out of 5 games they download 4, they still have their favorite games they want on physical.

Precisely.... I might buy 5 -10 games in psn sales etc.

However I buy all the games I am really looking forward to on disc... the ones that mean a lot to me or I have a huge interest in.

Even if you just buy a disc version to have the option... it opens up a whole world of physical and online retail sales which can often undercut PSN sales. It also offers the option to sell on the game if you don't like it.
So, it's incredibly pro-consumer.

I would also say that I can see europe having issues with closed stores like PSN if they do not have a competing retail option for customers to have even a little bit of choice.
 
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Bryank75

Banned
That's expected of a console which outsold its competitor 2:1. The question was always about the digital ratio compared to the physical ratio.

Well.... going by public data;


and


I would have thought the ratio would be under 1.5:1...... maybe 1.4:1. Historically anyway.

Could be different now or with currently active users split though.

Obviously may change they dynamics of the weight of software sold.
 
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XXL

Gold Member
Okay so if MS is hiding stuff then how do you know they’re losing market share in software sales? How do you know Sony has a higher digital sales VS physical ratio?

You have no MS numbers so what are you comparing?
 

AlexxKidd

Member

PS4/PS5 owner.

Haven't bought a physical game for my PS4 since 2016.

I've had the PS5 since day one. I've never bought a physical game for it, and I own the disc PS5.

The domination in these physical chart splits are only reflecting the domination on the digital front. Let's not act like this is new. This is precisely why Game Pass is such a useful tool for Microsoft. Typical Japanese games that would skip the system entirely because of the aforementioned software splits would be more inclined to port their games to Xbox if Microsoft paid them to do so. Enter Game Pass.
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
Mario Kart is in the top 10 in all 3 major markets. Close to being in the top 5. Unreal.
Mario Kart 9 will launch with Switch 2 I believe.

It just makes too much sense. It's the most powerful exclusive in gaming.

It will probably feature all Nintendo characters not just those from the Marioverse.
 
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Urban

Member
Yeah finally you can download games at full speed and not like on the PS4. I’m still buying most of my stuff in physical because I have a lot of friend which most of the times borrow a game from me
 

Marty-McFly

Banned
I'm very surprised at how many big streamers have just ignored the game, I think it's a symptom of how niche Metroid really is.
It's going to destroy in NA. It's much more popular here than any other region. Word of mouth is spreading fast as well.





3f9lzwthtms71.jpg




The queen is back baby.
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
I know a lot of people said that you dont have ownership even you own a physical copy, but i personally thinks that the likelihood of your digital copy not working in the future is higher than a physical copy.
The plus side of physical is also that the value your games appreciate if you keep them in good condition.

My collection must be worth 10's of thousands.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
More confirmation from analysts that physical sales numbers, especially in the UK, mean nothing because we're talking < 20% of sales. The sooner we stop getting reporting of these figures and thinly veiled console war threads about it the better. In 2 years time people will be arguing about one console having a 70/30 split when talking about sales of 200 physical copies lol
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
More confirmation from analysts that physical sales numbers, especially in the UK, mean nothing because we're talking < 20% of sales. The sooner we stop getting reporting of these figures and thinly veiled console war threads about it the better. In 2 years time people will be arguing about one console having a 70/30 split when talking about sales of 200 physical copies lol
How does 40% of total sales in one of the biggest markets equates to 200 copies" and "mean nothing"?
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
That's expected of a console which outsold its competitor 2:1. The question was always about the digital ratio compared to the physical ratio.
Well.... going by public data;


and


I would have thought the ratio would be under 1.5:1...... maybe 1.4:1. Historically anyway.

Could be different now or with currently active users split though.

Obviously may change they dynamics of the weight of software sold.
Yes, I am not sure if PS4 outsold Xbox One by 2:1 in the UK. The pubic data that Bryank shared points out to 1.4:1.

Anyway, I think we can solve some of the next-gen mystery with a little bit of effort. PS5 is outpacing PS4 in the UK, and Xbox Series is outpacing Xbox One, which means that the ratio for next-gen exclusives would still be around the same ratio we saw earlier last gen, i.e., 1.3:1 - 1.4:1. At least as of now, during the first year when all consoles are stock-constrained.

Now if we can find these retail sales figures that break down the numbers for PS5 and Xbox Series X sales only, we can find out if there is a disparity in sales percentage/gamers spending.

The latest data we have is for Fifa 22 boxed sales in the UK that shows that sales split. According to Fifa 22 data, 23% of copies were sold on PS5 and 4% on Xbox Series X. That shows a difference of 5.75x. I don't believe that PS5 is outselling Series X by 5.75 in the UK -- there is no evidence for that either -- so this might just indicate the disparity in games sales per console. What do you all think?
 

yazenov

Gold Member
More confirmation from analysts that physical sales numbers, especially in the UK, mean nothing because we're talking < 20% of sales. The sooner we stop getting reporting of these figures and thinly veiled console war threads about it the better. In 2 years time people will be arguing about one console having a 70/30 split when talking about sales of 200 physical copies lol

What insensitive does retailers have to restock Xbox consoles when boxed software sales reach 80 to 90 % in favor of Playstation? Since as you claim the majority of Xbox sales are via digital, if I was a retailer, why would I waste valuable space on Xbox when I could focus on the PS4/5 and switch?

How long until they follow the Japanese retailer and drop the Xbox?

You see where this is going? You need a healthy balance of boxed sales to support those retailers. They get a huge cut from those boxed sales, not just selling the console itself.

Since as you said, boxed sales are irrelevant then retailers that stock and sell your console are irrelevant too yes? Good luck selling those Xbox consoles online exclusively.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
What insensitive does retailers have to restock Xbox consoles when boxed software sales reach 80 to 90 % in favor of Playstation? Since as you claim the majority of Xbox sales are via digital, if I was a retailer, why would I waste valuable space on Xbox when I could focus on the PS4/5 and switch?

How long until they follow the Japanese retailer and drop the Xbox?

You see where this is going? You need a healthy balance of boxed sales to support those retailers. They get a huge cut from those boxed sales, not just selling the console itself.

Since as you said, boxed sales are irrelevant then retailers that stock and sell your console are irrelevant too yes? Good luck selling those Xbox consoles online exclusively.
Yeah that's the harsh reality, and to be honest, I don't want that to happen. Competition is good for gamers. If any company starts dominating a market completely, it becomes complacent and customers suffer. When both companies fight each other, customers get more value.
 
Yes, I am not sure if PS4 outsold Xbox One by 2:1 in the UK. The pubic data that Bryank shared points out to 1.4:1.
Yeah, I'm not so sure myself anymore. While PS4 gained a lot of momentum later on, the ratio was around 1.3:1 in late 2018 according to Christopher Dring tweets.
Anyway, I think we can solve some of the next-gen mystery with a little bit of effort. PS5 is outpacing PS4 in the UK, and Xbox Series is outpacing Xbox One, which means that the ratio for next-gen exclusives would still be around the same ratio we saw earlier last gen, i.e., 1.3:1 - 1.4:1. At least as of now, during the first year when all consoles are stock-constrained.
That's doubtful. XSX stock is non-existent in the UK. Has been for months and months. Meanwhile, Sony keeps pouring PS5 stock into the UK.
The latest data we have is for Fifa 22 boxed sales in the UK that shows that sales split. According to Fifa 22 data, 23% of copies were sold on PS5 and 4% on Xbox Series X. That shows a difference of 5.75x. I don't believe that PS5 is outselling Series X by 5.75 in the UK -- there is no evidence for that either -- so this might just indicate the disparity in games sales per console. What do you all think?
Yeah it's hard to say when we don't have any data. The disparity shows the XSX stock issues and maybe points to the fact that a lot of UK Series consoles are XSS.
 
What insensitive does retailers have to restock Xbox consoles when boxed software sales reach 80 to 90 % in favor of Playstation? Since as you claim the majority of Xbox sales are via digital, if I was a retailer, why would I waste valuable space on Xbox when I could focus on the PS4/5 and switch?

How long until they follow the Japanese retailer and drop the Xbox?

You see where this is going? You need a healthy balance of boxed sales to support those retailers. They get a huge cut from those boxed sales, not just selling the console itself.

Since as you said, boxed sales are irrelevant then retailers that stock and sell your console are irrelevant too yes? Good luck selling those Xbox consoles online exclusively.
Retail is dead. Aside from the Gamestop meme, and Nintendo who are stuck in the 90s (in a good way), nobody cares about retail anymore. If push comes to shove, Microsoft can always offer some monetary incentives to retailers, so that they keep selling consoles. Or they can sell the consoles themselves. You say "good luck selling those Xbox consoles online exclusively", but I've literally never seen a PS5 or XSX in a retail store, and they are both outselling their predecessors. Really makes you think.
 
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Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Yeah, I'm not so sure myself anymore. While PS4 gained a lot of momentum later on, the ratio was around 1.3:1 in late 2018 according to Christopher Dring tweets.
I didn't know this, but if it was 1.3:1 by late 2018, (and not like by early 2016 or so), then I think the ratio would indeed be no more than 1.5:1. UK has been one of the biggest markets for Xbox. This is one of those countries where Xbox has competed relatively well with PS over the years.

So if the overall worldwide sales ratio was 2:1, it seems logical that the ratio was significantly less than 2:1 in the UK.
That's doubtful. XSX stock is non-existent in the UK. Has been for months and months. Meanwhile, Sony keeps pouring PS5 stock into the UK.
Yes, Sony has put way more focus on UK this gen. But I still don't think there is any way the difference could be 5.75.

Sony has so far sold 1,000,000 PS5s in the UK. A difference of 5.75 would mean Xbox has only sold 173,000 Series consoles. That is just out of the realm of possibility for me. When the worldwide sales ratio is around 1.6:1 at the moment, I don't think there is any way the difference in the UK is 5.75:1 (and, again, the UK is one of the stronger markets for Xbox).
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
What insensitive does retailers have to restock Xbox consoles when boxed software sales reach 80 to 90 % in favor of Playstation? Since as you claim the majority of Xbox sales are via digital, if I was a retailer, why would I waste valuable space on Xbox when I could focus on the PS4/5 and switch?

How long until they follow the Japanese retailer and drop the Xbox?

You see where this is going? You need a healthy balance of boxed sales to support those retailers. They get a huge cut from those boxed sales, not just selling the console itself.

Since as you said, boxed sales are irrelevant then retailers that stock and sell your console are irrelevant too yes? Good luck selling those Xbox consoles online exclusively.
There will been zero incentive to stock physical games for those consoles either because they won’t be selling more than a few dozen copies. Physical sales are absolutely cratering across the board, not just on Xbox. They’re a low margin product anyway. If you haven’t noticed, video game stores aren’t doing very well because there’s just no margin in third parties selling consoles or games.

Consoles draw people in to the stores though so they’ll keep selling them even if they sell no games. Video games have always been about getting foot traffic through the door for non specialist stores.


The plus side of physical is also that the value your games appreciate if you keep them in good condition.

My collection must be worth 10's of thousands.

Not for 99.9% of games they don’t. It’s not like back in the day when the best selling games only sold a few hundred thousand worldwide, all of them physical. You’d be lucky to get 10% off what you paid for your collection most likely.

Also massive Lols at people using boxed FIFA copies in the uk to estimate console install bases lol. Unless the switch is being outsold by the PS5 5 to 1, you might want to look elsewhere to connect imaginary dots.
 
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Sony has so far sold 1,000,000 PS5s in the UK. A difference of 5.75 would mean Xbox has only sold 173,000 Series consoles. That is just out of the realm of possibility for me. When the worldwide sales ratio is around 1.6:1 at the moment, I don't think there is any way the difference in the UK is 5.75:1 (and, again, the UK is one of the stronger markets for Xbox).
Since we're talking about physical sales, only PS5 disc vs XSX is the relevant comparison. Now, I still don't think there's almost a 6:1 discrepancy here, but it might be quite a bit larger than the overall discrepancy. Series S sales have been good in the UK, the console has more reviews on Amazon than the Series X, implying that XSS is outselling XSX (for comparison, PS5 disc vs PS5 digital is 5:1). If I had to guess, I'd put the ratio between PS5 disc and XSX at around 3:1 in the UK.
 
It's wild that XSX is outpacing PS4 in UK, it feels like only a select few have either machine and are not buying games that much including digital? Not only that but the RRP is much higher and the scalper price has been very high for most of the time, games have gone up in price.

Do we get digital numbers from Japan? I know the PS5 software is just a fraction of PS4 depsite having sold more that PS4 in the same timeline
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
There will been zero incentive to stock physical games for those consoles either because they won’t be selling more than a few dozen copies. Physical sales are absolutely cratering across the board, not just on Xbox. They’re a low margin product anyway. If you haven’t noticed, video game stores aren’t doing very well because there’s just no margin in third parties selling consoles or games.




Not for 99.9% of games they don’t. It’s not like back in the day when the best selling games only sold a few hundred thousand worldwide, all of them physical. You’d be lucky to get 10% off what you paid for your collection most likely.

Also massive Lols at people using boxed FIFA copies in the uk to estimate console install bases lol. Unless the switch is being outsold by the PS5 5 to 1, you might want to look elsewhere to connect imaginary dots.
I have a lot of old, valuable games in excellent condition.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
I have a lot of old, valuable games in excellent condition.
Should probably try sell them then, the number of people that care about collecting things like that and actually willing to pay money for them is going to be dwindling by the day. Big difference between someone saying they’re worth lots and someone actually paying for them. Most people won’t pay hundreds for a physical nes game when they can play if better on their mobile phone.
 

Alan Wake

Member
Glad to see Alan Wake up there. Almost shocked to see that only 17 per cent of the sales were on Xbox. But I guess that's good, a new audience has been introduced to the franchise which makes a sequel more likely. I got my copy for Xbox, though. It would've felt weird to play it on PlayStation somehow, lol.
 

Kerotan

Member
Physical sales alone are not representative anymore of total sales, as you can see FIFA 2022 is down yoy compared to FIFA2021 but with digital included total sales are actually growing.
But physical sales are still indicative of relative trends, physical and digital sales are correlated, FIFA and Far Cry would obviously still be the best selling games even with digital included.

It's interesting to note that the Xbox physical market has pretty much died. This is in sharp comparison with a PS5 that is outselling even PS4 versions of cross gen games meaning the PS5 userbase while smaller is really active.
And with Sony reporting that 70% of their sales are now digital there's nothing to indicate that digital sales on PS5 are not really strong as well.
So summed up: PS5 is selling a lot of software in the UK.
Yeah sony not taking a Gamepass approach is paying off.
 

MrFunSocks

Banned
Glad to see Alan Wake up there. Almost shocked to see that only 17 per cent of the sales were on Xbox. But I guess that's good, a new audience has been introduced to the franchise which makes a sequel more likely. I got my copy for Xbox, though. It would've felt weird to play it on PlayStation somehow, lol.
Lots of xbox players already played the game since it was on 360 and then bc on the xb1. It was always gonna sell more on the playstation.
 
So are Microsoft having manufacturing issues or what because the stock situation is awful. Very rare and small drops compared to Sony who are moving through big drops regularly. I'm close to giving up on getting series x until mid next year. Also, sony are killing it in the UK
 

Bryank75

Banned
It's wild that XSX is outpacing PS4 in UK, it feels like only a select few have either machine and are not buying games that much including digital? Not only that but the RRP is much higher and the scalper price has been very high for most of the time, games have gone up in price.

Do we get digital numbers from Japan? I know the PS5 software is just a fraction of PS4 depsite having sold more that PS4 in the same timeline

What? Where did you get that from?

I don't believe I have ever seen anything saying that.
 
So are Microsoft having manufacturing issues or what because the stock situation is awful. Very rare and small drops compared to Sony who are moving through big drops regularly. I'm close to giving up on getting series x until mid next year. Also, sony are killing it in the UK
They ordered less wafers and put a decent chunk of XSX APUs into servers.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
It's wild that XSX is outpacing PS4 in UK, it feels like only a select few have either machine and are not buying games that much including digital? Not only that but the RRP is much higher and the scalper price has been very high for most of the time, games have gone up in price.

Do we get digital numbers from Japan? I know the PS5 software is just a fraction of PS4 depsite having sold more that PS4 in the same timeline
What? Where did you get that from?

I don't believe I have ever seen anything saying that.
Yeah, agreed with Bryank.

How are you getting those numbers? PS4 reached 1 million in U in 42 weeks. PS5 did it in 39 weeks. Xbox Series hasn't shared its numbers whether it has reached 1 million or not (it's likely below 500,000), so not sure how you think it's outpacing PS4 without any available Xbox data.
 
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Alan Wake

Member
Lots of xbox players already played the game since it was on 360 and then bc on the xb1. It was always gonna sell more on the playstation.
Yeah, I know. I just didn't expect that big of a difference. I played it on Xbox 360, I played it on backcompat and now I bought it once again for my Series X.
 

Three

Gold Member
More confirmation from analysts that physical sales numbers, especially in the UK, mean nothing because we're talking < 20% of sales. The sooner we stop getting reporting of these figures and thinly veiled console war threads about it the better. In 2 years time people will be arguing about one console having a 70/30 split when talking about sales of 200 physical copies lol
So wait, if we are talking 200 physical copies doesn't that mean 465 digital copies?

So you're saying sales are going to tank in your bid to discredit physical sales.
 

Mr Moose

Member
I thought you could buy them easily online but it seems like they are out of stock when you enter a postal code. Sorry.

I'm leaving the link if you want to try

Only the S is available for me, I have rarely seen the X in stock anywhere.

Edit: Weirdly, you can add the X to your basket, so that might mean there is actually stock somewhere, I checked PS5s and it says "More details" instead of add to trolley and:

Sorry, PlayStation®5 is currently unavailable.​

We're working hard to make this available as soon as possible
On the page.
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
https://www.thegamer.com/metroid-dread-nintendo-wii-u-charts/

Metroid Dread is so popular that it has resulted in spikes for a number of other Metroid games on completely different Nintendo consoles.

Metroid Dread finally arrived on Nintendo Switch last week after what felt like an eternal wait for some Samus fans. It has been a long one, that's for sure. 19 years have passed since the game that precedes Dread launched, and it has been 16 years since Nintendo first mentioned the game.

Its arrival has prompted a resurgence in sales for a number of pre-existing Metroid games across other Nintendo consoles. As highlighted by Shinesparkers on Twitter, if you check the Wii U online store in the UK right now, you'll find no fewer than four Metroid games in its top ten best-sellers. Fusion and Zero Mission are the top two, the Prime Trilogy at number seven, and Super Metroid is ninth.
 

Alan Wake

Member
I love Alan wake but this "remaster" looks virtually no different to it running in BC. No real reason to buy it on xbox imo unless you never played it.
I can't speak för the PC version, which this remaster is based on, but take a look at this comparison. To say there's virtually no difference is simply not true. But it is a remaster and not a remake after all. Don't expect REmake 2 quality.
 
Yeah, agreed with Bryank.

How are you getting those numbers? PS4 reached 1 million in U in 42 weeks. PS5 did it in 39 weeks. Xbox Series hasn't shared its numbers whether it has reached 1 million or not (it's likely below 500,000), so not sure how you think it's outpacing PS4 without any available Xbox data.

Yes I'm sorry guys, I thought I saw an article following up on the PS5 news that XSX hit 1 million but I'm mistaken.
 
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