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UK: Rise of the Tomb Raider sells <60k units at launch
- Thread starter AHA-Lambda
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Because it's exclusive to a console with a demograph that is the least receptive to a game like Tomb Raider, put it this way if a JRPG released exclusively to Xbox One you expect it to sell in the single digits.
Not even the Xbox One.
As much as I adore Lost Odyssey on the Xbox 360... that was a great JRPG on the wrong system. It didn't sell well, no matter how great it was, because the JRPG audience wasn't on that system. It would have sold SO much better on PS3, I fully believe.
Tomb Raider has always sold solidly enough on Xbox systems, but it's definitely been a Playstation darling for the duration of its existence. That's the strongest market for the game, and they took that demographic for granted and mistakenly thought they could offset them or get them to convert with an Xbox One timed exclusive.
Obviously, that's just not panning out. Nintendo and Capcom went through this same song and dance with Resident Evil on Gamecube.
Neuromancer
Member
I don't want to be rude, but you don't seem remember many of the negative details around the original Xbox One. Case in point Microsoft specifically said, in writing, that it was a 24 hour check in. Prior to that there was a lot of waffling and misinformation, but this was published right before E3 2013:
http://news.xbox.com/2013/06/06/connected/
I agree there were some positives, such as not having to switch discs if you were a lazy person (believe me I get it, as I am quite lazy myself). However, to me what positives were fully outlined were far, far, FAR outweighed by the negatives. People like you were fully on board were in such a minority that it would have been financial suicide for MS to have gone through with it, hence the biggest 180 in video game history.
R_thanatos
Member
Not sure, at least the Y2K bug didn't happen ..i think ??
I think some people underestimate what a big deal a Tomb Raider game flopping in the UK is; it's like a Dragon Quest game flopping in Japan. While the sheer size of other countries vs the UK will likely lead to bigger overall sales it wouldn't be surprising if the difference was pretty small.
igordennis
Member
Both of them backfired? I guess...
Primethius
Banned
If MS communicated their plans effectively > Xbox One would be dominating > Tomb Raider would open to 600k plus sales in the UK.
It's so simple really.
Exactly, I must have missed a lot of stuff lol
Katana_Strikes
Member
I wouldn't put it on the level of Dragon Quest because TR has never been that huge. However TR is/was popular so it bombing coupled with its journey to release and situation with exclusivity, is made much, much worse. It's hard to know yet how much this could hurt the franchise but risking one of your premier franchises to help fight a losing war was just complete lunacy.
_/¯Omnistalgic
Member
Only thing interesting about the old MS stuff is what position would X1 be in now if the 180 wasn't implemented. I would imagine the one million in a day milestone would have been the same and Xbox fans would have supported it, but really would have like to see original vision vs. Original vision. Maybe February event by Sony was 3 months too early lol?
AmaterasuOni
Banned
Your logic is a flawless diamond.
AngelOFDeath
Member
Probably stated already but the original plan was to probably have it go up against Uncharted back when it was announced as "exclusive" for the holidays. (timeline obscured) Uncharted delay, Fallout 4 announced, release date the same, TR sales doomed. I don't think the game's exclusivity was to blame, just being sandwiched in at the wrong time was.
For the time being anyway, who knows what it could do this holiday shopping time
edit: grammar is not my friend
For the time being anyway, who knows what it could do this holiday shopping time
edit: grammar is not my friend
I said also : game came out for X360. So, X360 install base count.
xmajinjoshx
Member
Even if this game weren't a console exclusive, it would have still been destroyed by Fallout 4. Still looking forward to it coming out on PS4 though.
Andy Believes
Banned
Just pure speculation from my part; but it might have played out like this:
- SE wants ROTR out this year
- CD says it cannot complete versions for all platforms (port outsourced or otherwise) - they work primarily on XBox version
- SE thinks their chief rival is Uncharted4 launching on PS4, so...
- SE and CD decide to approach MS because they have close ties to CD and might be willing to market their game
- MS ask for exclusivity of more than 6 months
If what Kagari said is true then it went like this:
-Microsoft approached SE after they lost the June 2014 NPD after trying to get other deals (most notable Mass Effect Andromada as a console exclusive)
-They tried to get console exclusive if I remembered right but they could only talk Square down to timed.
The worst thing about this is the forced holiday release date from Microsoft who published this version of the title. I find it bizarre that they had the authority under the deal to dictate such a term.
It reinforces everything people have been thinking about them as a publisher for about a decade and its easy to see the 'pre-season' mentality behind their schedule. It's got to be fairly embarrassing that a relatively niche, new IP, Japanese action RPG, Bloodborne, will sell more LTD than the sequel to TPS adventure Tomb Raider 2013 (Xbox version alone) because Microsoft had to squeeze it into the pre-Black Friday holiday period like a turd.
It's not as though the game couldn't have done with a couple more months polish either, judging by the technical analysis. It's truly baffling and demonstrates how immensely short sighted they can be. If Scalebound releases any later than the first two weeks of October it will be yet another casualty of the "pre-season sucks" release schedule, and will be their third year running (Sunset Overdrive being the first in the potential streak).
It reinforces everything people have been thinking about them as a publisher for about a decade and its easy to see the 'pre-season' mentality behind their schedule. It's got to be fairly embarrassing that a relatively niche, new IP, Japanese action RPG, Bloodborne, will sell more LTD than the sequel to TPS adventure Tomb Raider 2013 (Xbox version alone) because Microsoft had to squeeze it into the pre-Black Friday holiday period like a turd.
It's not as though the game couldn't have done with a couple more months polish either, judging by the technical analysis. It's truly baffling and demonstrates how immensely short sighted they can be. If Scalebound releases any later than the first two weeks of October it will be yet another casualty of the "pre-season sucks" release schedule, and will be their third year running (Sunset Overdrive being the first in the potential streak).
It's true that they work primarily on Xbox. They outsource all their PC, PS3 and PS4 game version to Nixxes.
[PS3] [PC] Tombraider: Underworld
[PS3] [PC] Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
[PS3] [PC] Tomb Raider (reboot)
[PS4] Tomb Raider Definitive Edition
[PS4] [PC] Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris
semiconscious
Member
but if it weren't a console exclusive, with a pre-holiday release commitment tied to a contract, they wouldn't've necessarily had to release it when they did. they could've just pulled an uncharted 4, & released it in january or february...
That's rather surprising... given that Nixxes's ports routinely run better than their Xbox counterparts.
It's more open-world-y than the last. I've spent about 6 hours so far just in the first area which is a big Russian military base. There's a bunch of stuff to do and explore and then when you get stuck (some areas need equipment) you just do the story or one of the side quests which unlocks stuff.
Pennywise83
Banned
LO was released on PS3 when it was still selling worse than GBA in North America so it would have underperformed as almost all 2008-2009 games on the platform.
You might be a bit confused. Lost Odyssey never came to PS3 in any territory. It was a Microsoft-published game.
I don't think he was referring to just NPD but total sales ... the number that would actually matter. I also don't think it's that controversial to say a JRPG would sell better on PS3 even when it was a much younger system that wasn't selling as hot as the 360 in America. Either way it's off topic though so whatever.
paragonpro
Banned
The exclusivity sucks, Im an xbox guy and I thoroughly loved this game, but the truth is this game should have just hit all skews like it was supposed to, or hit xbox one in like january of next year. i honestly dont know what they could have been expecting going up against fallout.
Lost Odyssey never came to the PS3.
And another bites the dust with Xan Kriegor, you would think after the first two people would stop bringing SF5 up in TR threads, isn't this like the 6th ban in the thread?
Wasn't it even worse though? I may have forgotten but wasn't Adam Orth defending a 2 minute check in?
Is it any wonder?
* Time-exclusive on Xbone.
* Released about the same time as Fallout 4, which consumes everyone's time.
DEDandBuried. Hashimotroll is a plus too.
Neuromancer
Member
Maintenance
Member
Same here, basically everyone that I know bought the game and played it. Absolutely massive.
Funny that I never saw one FO4 ad here, though I found dozens of ROTR ads, at malls, on the street, everywhere.
That isn't surprising at all. CD is middlingly capable, but Nixxes is extremely competent technically.
AmaterasuOni
Banned
Most of my friends are playing FO4 on PS4. Like 70% or so. Then there's few Destiny players and only one Blops3.
With the last few games getting marketing push with Xbox and this being released first on Xbox I feel Tomb Raider is more synonymous with the Xbox brand than PS, and I grew up with the PS1. MS best bet is to keep at it and next time support TR ground up on the XB1. I feel cross gen is to blame for initial lacking sales.
Equanimity
Member
You can rent games on PC?
Rise of the Tomb Raider is a mixture of open and linear.
On topic: I hope it goes on to sell a lot more in the coming weeks and months.
Mobile Suit Gooch
Grundle: The Awakening
Microsoft lost the online only battle before it began, tbh.
The Mad Draklor
Member
Some people are still 2 years behind.
Say what?
The reboot sold more on PS than Xbox, the XB1 version of Rise easily sold more than 360, the game is 1080p and clearly pushing close to XB1 limits, it launches the same day as Fallout 4 and in between COD and Battlefront and you think the issue is cross gen?
Sorry that makes no sense vs context and available data.
Not to mention no matter what you individually think actual sales for reboot showed more demand from PS than Xbox owners and overall the game s clearly more associated with Sony platforms.
15% is hardly eating into XB1 sales.
JohnnyFootball
GerAlt-Right. Ciriously.
Where was this info? I do believe you, but I was wondering if you had a link and/or post with this info?
Yup, first week UK numbers and comparisons are totally speculations.
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