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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's UK sales are [UPDATE: worse than expected]
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
Also aggressive scheduling. In the past on consoles the digital versions of games weren't day and date.
Day 1 Digital on PSN is as recent as 2012 and that was only a select number of titles, not like it is now where everything available in retail in a region is also available on the same date in download form.
In any case I don't think the adoption is slow. It certainly is quicker than my readings of SalesGAF ~2013 consensus. Of course certain people and their 9 friends want that number to be even higher but c'est la vie.
YianGaruga
Banned
Mankind Divided looks like an extremely safe iterative sequel that's hard to distinguish from HR at a glance, at least to me.
3 mil copies lol, good luck.
It's more expensive, requires fast internet and leaves you without any rights that a physical copy gives you. 30% is actually a lot, everything considered.
I also bet in UK the percentage is a lot lower than the avarage, as retail games are often ~25% cheaper at minimum
3 mil copies lol, good luck.
It's more expensive, requires fast internet and leaves you without any rights that a physical copy gives you. 30% is actually a lot, everything considered.
I also bet in UK the percentage is a lot lower than the avarage, as retail games are often ~25% cheaper at minimum
I understand percentages.
Digital sales are probebly 30% of retail sales, not total sales.
charlequin
Banned
Both in terms of the generation and of the franchise: instead of recontextualizing the gameplay in ways that learned from the preceding entry and drew on the technological advancements in more recent hardware, and instead of evolving the visual style to be related yet distinct, they spat up something with the exact same visual style and gameplay that was presented as an incremental improvement rather than a thorough recontexutalization. The things I'd expect a well-heeled team to deliver in terms of city hub structure, mission planning, combat options, etc. after getting feedback from the first game didn't particularly seem to be present in the public presentation of the game, so it just comes off as a two-year sequel getting released five years later.
hashtag auglivesmatter
There wasn't much marketing full stop.
Even among the hardcore crowd who follow the industry, there's countless instances of people not even knowing it was coming out. I certainly kept forgetting it was being released, same with a good number of my friends and we were all people who are interested in Deus Ex.
If even your core audience is forgetting your game release, you fucked up.
demosthenes
Member
From the feedback I've read from people it's not a master piece, you seem to be in the minority. From what I've played so far which is probably 3/4 of the main game it's fun, it's a pretty great game but far from a master piece.
While I agree the advertising wasn't tremendous, that's usually a side effect of the publisher seeing low interest in a title that they believe can't be fixed by simply blaring ads at people.
It tends to be more of a symptom than a cause.
When the publisher gets that wrong, games often recover as well. Borderlands 1 only had one week of television ads, but ended up moving 6+ million copies on word of mouth. Deus Ex doesn't seem to be moving significantly upward in either the UK or Steam.
It tends to be more of a symptom than a cause.
When the publisher gets that wrong, games often recover as well. Borderlands 1 only had one week of television ads, but ended up moving 6+ million copies on word of mouth. Deus Ex doesn't seem to be moving significantly upward in either the UK or Steam.
My understanding of current marketing for non-marquee titles for the publisher is that they wait for the mock reviews and then decide how much gets pumped in. Of course while that is being determined you go with low cost digital-only ads aimed at enthusiast sites and such.
Deus Ex is not a marquee title for Square Enix, but Final Fantasy XV is.
To be fair the Top 10 best selling games of the year are practically identical between US and UK (replace Madden with FIFA and viola).
They similarly do lots of user testing throughout the process from which they also collect purchase intent, along with lots of social media analysis, but yes, basically all their internal metrics must have looked grim and they never moved beyond high efficiency targeted advertising.
This is inaccurate.
Madden really ought to be replaced with NBA2K when discussing US sales. Madden has not been the sports top dog for a few years now.
And you say that based on what? Certainly not publisher statements to investors.
It's not.
The digital percentage of a title might go up over time (or it might not), but at this point in its life that should be accurate for MD.
texhnolyze
Banned
Unfortunately, the game has a pretty slim chance to take off in terms of sales. Too many negativity surrounding this game, at least here's what I can find from Steam reviews which has been sitting constantly at 64% since the release day.
- The game is highly demanding (no PC can handle it at max settings currently)
- Some settings are just borked or not working as intended
- Microtransactions in a full priced game
- One-time use DLC items (save locked)
- There's only one main hub (Prague)
- Disappointing ending
- Denuvo
Great game, disgraceful publisher.
- The game is highly demanding (no PC can handle it at max settings currently)
- Some settings are just borked or not working as intended
- Microtransactions in a full priced game
- One-time use DLC items (save locked)
- There's only one main hub (Prague)
- Disappointing ending
- Denuvo
Great game, disgraceful publisher.
Well it wasn't really just an advert issue so much.
It was also an issue of there just not being much discussion surrounding it. Usually you get quite a bit of talk from previews or other news articles regarding the game, even if it's just from Square Enix themselves.
There's more talk about Square Enix's collective games on the Square Enix Europe blog, than there ever was about Deus Ex, lol. I mean I just checked myself to make sure I wasn't mis-remembering, and I can't find anything in the blog from the past few months about the game, nor did I see anything in the search.
It was also an issue of there just not being much discussion surrounding it. Usually you get quite a bit of talk from previews or other news articles regarding the game, even if it's just from Square Enix themselves.
There's more talk about Square Enix's collective games on the Square Enix Europe blog, than there ever was about Deus Ex, lol. I mean I just checked myself to make sure I wasn't mis-remembering, and I can't find anything in the blog from the past few months about the game, nor did I see anything in the search.
maximum360
Member
Ditto
It's funny that so many people keep saying they've seen no ads for this because between TV and the web I've seen what I would say is a lot, maybe more than I've seen for any other game this year. My assumption has always been that Square-Enix was actually spending quite a bit on advertising.
Now, I'll readily accept that Square-Enix probably isn't doing a good job getting these ads seen by the right people (I haven't bought the game yet, case in point) but they definitely spent something on these ads.
Now, I'll readily accept that Square-Enix probably isn't doing a good job getting these ads seen by the right people (I haven't bought the game yet, case in point) but they definitely spent something on these ads.
MillionVolts
Member
Nailed it. The game just doesn't distinguish itself from its predecessor enough to get the more casual gamers/people on the fence interested IMO. It is for people who loved HR and wanted more only.
Yeah, the game on its own is great... but it's not the sequel that was worth waiting five years for.
Well, I'm actually playing it and absorbing all the details. I'm more engaged in this game's story, mechanics, and atmosphere than anything else I've played this year and that includes Inside. I'm enamored with the fact that the game gives you so many combat options and always gives you a way to never raise a single weapon to solve a problem. I've played nearly twenty hours and haven't shot a single guy or lobbed a grenade. For most quests, I've straight up talked people out of it.
That's pretty fucking special. Rare as hell in a AAA game.
Does the game have problems? Probably but I don't give a shit since I'm engrossed in everything else. The level design is god tier with options all over the place and yet never feeling overwhelming. Once you figure out the controls and powers, you literally feel like you can ghost just about anything.
But whatever. I'm not some expert on stealth games and I don't play a ton of RPGs. I just play games and Deus Ex is going to stick with me long after I finish it. I'll be sad when it's over.
GOTY? Fuck yes.
Maybe it's for the next one which is rumored to release not too far in the future.
EmCeeGramr
Member
They really needed to push this harder, and not with the social issues stuff. The gameplay advances in hub and level design, quest complexity, environmental storytelling, etc. are an absolutely massive leap over Human Revolution in a way that isn't apparent at first glance, and they only kept showing off that one mid game mission in a very "here's new abilities" demo-y way.
PlatypusDude
Member
What a shame since it's a great game even if it is not as good, relatively, as HR was. Biggest issue was the fact it took 5 years to come out without any really new distinguishing feature compared to the previous game. Five years for a pretty iterative sequel is just too long for the general public to still have interest.
The 10 best-selling games of 2015 NPD
- Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
- Madden NFL 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Fallout 4 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
- Star Wars: Battlefront (Xbox One, PS4, PC)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One) 360, PS3, PC)
- NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Minecraft (360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4)
- FIFA 16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
- Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
I think it's more down to Square-Enix diverting all their marketing dollars to FFXV. They're pretty desperate for that game to be a success.
its unfortunate imo because it's a great game and I'm having a ton of fun with it
I think a couple things are to blame marketing / release date, I think NMS ate up a lot of potential sales (not that the games are similar but just that peoples budgets are limited), it's not a particularly good looking game (it looks good in parts but the lip syncing and animations can be kind of budget) and some overblown complaints about microtransactions (truthfully had no clue it even had MTX until i saw it online and it appears they give out praxis points like candy so who needs them)
It's going to do worse than HR which really overachieved imo, to make a 60 dollar AAA game in this day and age people are demanding (Fallout 4 not withstanding) and terrible lip sync, weird cuts during dialogue aren't going to cut it. I do think it'll make it's money back eventually but the next game will likely be more scaled backed or re-use assets to counter the loss in sales.
I'd guess it sold about equally on console and PC so lets assume about 900,000 sale in 2 weeks, Septembers heavy hitters come out at the end of the month so it'll sell around 1.5M by the end of september but it was never going to compete with a game like NBA 2K or even destiny exapansion
I think a couple things are to blame marketing / release date, I think NMS ate up a lot of potential sales (not that the games are similar but just that peoples budgets are limited), it's not a particularly good looking game (it looks good in parts but the lip syncing and animations can be kind of budget) and some overblown complaints about microtransactions (truthfully had no clue it even had MTX until i saw it online and it appears they give out praxis points like candy so who needs them)
It's going to do worse than HR which really overachieved imo, to make a 60 dollar AAA game in this day and age people are demanding (Fallout 4 not withstanding) and terrible lip sync, weird cuts during dialogue aren't going to cut it. I do think it'll make it's money back eventually but the next game will likely be more scaled backed or re-use assets to counter the loss in sales.
I'd guess it sold about equally on console and PC so lets assume about 900,000 sale in 2 weeks, Septembers heavy hitters come out at the end of the month so it'll sell around 1.5M by the end of september but it was never going to compete with a game like NBA 2K or even destiny exapansion
I'll definitely own Mankind Divided eventually, but at a price I bought HR at; Sub $20. I just can't afford that many full price games at launch (Canada, ahoy) and I know this is a game that won't hold value.
I mean there's nothing preventing them from just spending *more* money on advertising. It's not like they're a borderline bankrupt company who has some cap on that.
It's just you spend money on advertising at around 5-15% of what you intend to sell, so if that's a low number, you don't spend a lot.
Yeah, it's a shame that it staggered onto the market to die. I just hope it doesn't hurt the third entry or force SE to try and bloat it up with more shit to offset the lower sales. Although I completely agree with all of the subtle improvements to the game, it shouldn't have taken 5 years and cost as much as it did. What the fuck was management doing? Prague is a terrific setting and the whole area is immaculately designed, but fuck, you can't take 5 years and offer up a single hub and some demos that do nothing but hype those already interested.
Xaero Gravity
NEXT LEVEL lame™
This really makes me sad. R.I.P Deus Ex 
SE probably saw preorders, general lower interest in the title and went from there.
Sure people can say just throw money at ads, but why? Why would you do that with no promise it'll increase sales?
I mean I plan on getting this game, but I knew I wasn't getting it day 1 because in a couple of months it'll be 20-30 bucks cheaper than it is now.
People knew the game was coming out. It was at trade shows, had articles about it, and reviewed well. There was just little interest.
Sure people can say just throw money at ads, but why? Why would you do that with no promise it'll increase sales?
I mean I plan on getting this game, but I knew I wasn't getting it day 1 because in a couple of months it'll be 20-30 bucks cheaper than it is now.
People knew the game was coming out. It was at trade shows, had articles about it, and reviewed well. There was just little interest.
You wrote out exactly how i feel.
hR was one of my fav games last gen too.
Im 5 hours in MD and i cant go on.
Sword Of Doom
Member
Only marketing I remember was that disasterous preorder campaign. I feel like the marketing for that game fell off the map after that
malboroking
Banned
Can I agree with everything you said and still think the game is really, really good?
tearsintherain
Member
Feels like people are moving away from buying launch day single player games unless its from a well established franchise (Uncharted, Final Fantasy) or a developer that is known for extremely high quality work (Rockstar).
If I was a publisher I basically wouldn't really greenlight any non multiplayer AAA games anymore, which kinda sucks because I love SP games but I think between twitch, lets plays, and the "discount expectation" (game is available for 50% after a few months) its sort of cut the legs off SP games. There is still a lot of fun to be had around MP games at launch time, so if you can get the hype built up around it ala Destiny, Division, Overwatch, etc your sales potential seems to be a LOT higher.
Sure, we will see the occasional breakout hit but I think the ratio of hit/flop is going to be much more harsh than in the past.
For all the problems we might attest to DXMD, its still a pretty good game at its core and should have done better than it apparently is doing, although without US sales numbers its sort of hard to tell I think. I think Mafia 3 and Dishonored 2 are going to be the ones that really tell us how the SP environment is in 2016.
If I was a publisher I basically wouldn't really greenlight any non multiplayer AAA games anymore, which kinda sucks because I love SP games but I think between twitch, lets plays, and the "discount expectation" (game is available for 50% after a few months) its sort of cut the legs off SP games. There is still a lot of fun to be had around MP games at launch time, so if you can get the hype built up around it ala Destiny, Division, Overwatch, etc your sales potential seems to be a LOT higher.
Sure, we will see the occasional breakout hit but I think the ratio of hit/flop is going to be much more harsh than in the past.
For all the problems we might attest to DXMD, its still a pretty good game at its core and should have done better than it apparently is doing, although without US sales numbers its sort of hard to tell I think. I think Mafia 3 and Dishonored 2 are going to be the ones that really tell us how the SP environment is in 2016.
johnnydrama
Banned
The game doesn't look that great in gameplay videos or trailers. The opening hours are simply a chore. But man, it gets good. It gets fucking great. I'm 30 hours into it, and nearing the end, and this is quite possibly my favorite AAA game this year. Absolutely love Prague. The augmentations are fun. Quest design, level design, dialogue, are all on point. Night time Prague just oozes atmosphere and charm unlike any game world I've seen. My only complaint is that the main story is underwhelming, but so much is good in this game, I can easily forgive that. Shame on you, Square, for mishandling such a gem of a game.
Thanks for the laugh.