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Deus Ex: Mankind Divided's UK sales are [UPDATE: worse than expected]
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
Conscience Falls
Member
I mean, it's somewhere around 14-15 million dollars different if we go by U.S to Canada as of late. Though depending on how long this has been in development, that number changes obviously. Not to mention the tax breaks from the Canadian government.
I'm just trying to justify ways for this to be okay if the game isn't selling at this point.
texhnolyze
Banned
You really can't separate the side missions with story missions.
If you're skipping the side missions, you'll be missing out on the important details of the story as a whole.
If you're skipping the side missions, you'll be missing out on the important details of the story as a whole.
InsaneTiger
Member
Bummer and you know with Square, no matter what sales projection they had anything is a failure unless a game sells at least one billion copies.
The money has already been spent, it's not like it needs to be paid back in Canadian dollars.
Don't fret though, there very well could still be another one.
Pretty much. A lot of companies set lofty expectations but Square seems particularly poor in that department.
Though I'm not sure anything will ever top Capcom thinking both Resident Evil 6 and Dragon's Dogma could do 10 million units.
Well, according to sterling SE EM has 2 teams dedicated to making DX and DXMD2 is already being worked on. So unless this game just totally and completely bombs, we'll still at least get that game if with a reduced budget. Maybe won't get MD3, but eh.
KyanMehwulfe
Member
Not only that but the 3 million is likely based on more than just a budget estimate... Especially when you consider Canada and specifically Montreal have a lot of tech subsidies; the Loonie has fluctuated a lot during its development; there are rumoured to have been 2 DX games in development at the same time, meaning a lot of costs and investments that may be accrued to DX MD could also be used for DX NG2...
Meaning those two numbers are likely independent of one another. If that's their internal goal, it's likely the result of a lot of variables, of which a the budget would only be one... considering the currency fluctuations, ownership (Canadian company owned by a European subsidiary of a Japanese company), budget would likely not even be the most accurate metric but a lot of those costs are likely going to be over-skewed to the first project rather than the second project (meaning the first game could be over-budget and write off a lot of CAPEX or perhaps software licensing, for example, while the second game come in under-budget because they still have that new hardware or licenses). And as I said before, Canada and MTL have pretty significant tech subsidies.. up to 35% in MTL for R&D so they could get some decent size tax credits back on that budget (I remember reading somewhere up to 2 million a year on R&D wage expenses, for example).
So the budget number is still a nice ballpark to compare it to other games but not only are you're right, if either number is a lot less relevant it's probably the budget one since there could be so much nuance to it because of the multiple project nature of those games (rumoured) and the ownership/currency situation. But if internally they're floating around a 3mil number as a target, that's a probably pretty solid figure.
HamsterExAstris
Member
DX:MD was hurt by being a single-player game whose story has no resolution, and the microtransactions in an SP title. They probably could have survived one of those two, but not both.
I think its drumming is entirely self-earned, and that it's not really reflective of the marketplace.
KyanMehwulfe
Member
I'm not sure those are really going to have played any major role in the success of its mass marketing though... those are rather after-the-fact realizations and still from rather niche (or at least hobbyist) sources. The sort of thing that has more of a week 2 impact on Steam than, say, week 1 impact for PS4 sales in a Game Stop or Wal-Mart. If a marketing lead used those an excuse to me for poor sales I'd be rather offended they'd even think I'd give him a pass based on that.
Crimsonclaw111
Member
A lot of Deus Ex costs are also related to creating the engine in tandem. With sequels they can easily just build the next game(s) and forget making new engines.
Well, they have to actually spend a lot updating the engine. You can't just leave it static.
Like Frostbite 3 was made by 40-60 people, but it's up to a 200+ person team now.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
If WB Montreal swells to 600 people they might be able to get working mirrors in the Dawn Engine.
I think the issue is that so much of it looks like 1.5, instead of 2.0. Like, it needed that catch, something that could only be done on new consoles. Otherwise, it's still the same enjoyable game, but no one is in a rush to buy it at full price on launch. Well for me at least, HR was one of my favourite games but I'm waiting for a sale on this one
The uproar about microtransactions seems almost entirely random at this point. The ones in MD have no effect on the game in any way, aren't locked off content or cosmetics, and aren't even noticeable for most people. People apparently want to make this a big deal.
Overwatch introduced time-limited gacha loot boxes that couldn't be purchased with the in-game itchy and scratchy bucks players had been hoarding in a clear move to extort as much cash out of the player base as possible. The defense force rallied to action.
Same shit happened with Evolve. Microtransactions weren't remotely the issue there, but people made it into a huge thing because they were lukewarm on the game. Evolve sucked for other, unrelated reasons, but microtransactions are often just used as a hammer to bash games people have reservations toward.
Also, the fact they're making their own engine for this is insane. Just use UE or something. If you don't have a huge sell number in mind, why bloat up the budget and difficulty even more?
Cob32
Member
This is why I didn't buy it.
Lionel Richie
Member
I'm having such a great time with this game, I hope its sales are doing better elsewhere.
StrawberryJam
Member
Don't look at me, I bought it. UK continuing to be shit.
Militaratus
Member
The game is quite good, but it's not Witcher 3 levels of level sizes, content quantity, etc.
However it may be a sign of the times where past mistakes will never be forgotten (Augment Your Pre-order, Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox Exclusive) or people just aren't buying games (at full price) anymore.
However it may be a sign of the times where past mistakes will never be forgotten (Augment Your Pre-order, Rise of the Tomb Raider Xbox Exclusive) or people just aren't buying games (at full price) anymore.
I've been playing a lot of MD and while it's quite good, I wouldn't describe it as intelligent or diverse. It's very banal in its attempts at social commentary and it's honestly more embarrassing than anything.
CecilRousso
Member
Not really suprising, considering that there doesn't seem to be any general enthusiasm surrounding the title.
If you just look at it, looks like a sequel where not much have changed, and when you read about it, people doesn't seem to care for the story and the ending.
If you just look at it, looks like a sequel where not much have changed, and when you read about it, people doesn't seem to care for the story and the ending.
Huge Succeeded
Banned
what a shame
Rexatality
Member
I think its more of the fact that the marketing didn't do a good job marketing the game. That, and the fact that microtransactions is in it turned people off.
People still buy games at full price and I don't think that's gonna change any time soon.
If i hadn't read about them i wouldn't have even noticed that they exist during my playthrough. I did see that one Jim Sterling piece but I haven't noticed any particular user uproar about how they were implemented. Albeit I've largely avoided the OT and any threads about the game until I finished it this weekend.
KyanMehwulfe
Member
It's a hell of a setting and masterfully crafted, but it could be simple as that some people didn't find the notion of escaping into "Mechanical Apartheid," dystopic segregation and oppression, and "terrorist attacks" as not particularly exciting or interesting.
For all its attempts to be politically relevant or charged, to spark debate or to be philosophically stimulating, it's marketing may have just failed at simply asking 'is it appealing?'
There was goodwill from the die-hards, but it felt like the game sort of disappeared after the delay to August. When H.R. was pushed back by half a year, there was sustained buzz afterwards, especially after the beta leaked. I guess it suffered from a pretentious, drawn-out marketing campaign that failed to resonate with people, the pre-order fiasco, etc...
I loved H.R. but I was less excited for Mankind Divided following the studios clumsy attempt at rebooting Thief. A different internal team, sure, but there are traces of that game in the Deus Ex sequel (it's especially noticeable in the storytelling). Shame, because the rest of the game is very enjoyable.
I loved H.R. but I was less excited for Mankind Divided following the studios clumsy attempt at rebooting Thief. A different internal team, sure, but there are traces of that game in the Deus Ex sequel (it's especially noticeable in the storytelling). Shame, because the rest of the game is very enjoyable.
and to think, half of that would have been solved by muzzled devs and decent pr copy
KyanMehwulfe
Member
Yeah it was pretty much mute from the delay last winter until E3... There were small things here and there, and a bit in the couple weeks before E3, but by and large the game felt like it sort of vanished for half a year. Which in and of itself didn't have to be bad assuming the marketing blitz on return was sufficient, but it may not have been.
Perhaps too little but also not appealing or exciting enough (a risk of their dystopian setting).
Which is probably why they also tried to push the Adam 2.0 thing so much, which at times felt a little too forced and 'please be excited.' Perhaps their own research recognized the setting alone, while potentially thrilling and harrowing (in a positive dramatic sense), was not exciting, and they felt their marketing was lacking something to also be excited and feel optimistic about. Thus the regular 'you have new superpowers' marketing line.
They took too long to give people a sequel (5 years) - if they were really intent on carving up the story, they should've released this last gen and gave us a new entry right about now or a year onward.
Who knows - maybe they will make up the sales with Directors Cut. For Deus Ex sake, I hope they do
Who knows - maybe they will make up the sales with Directors Cut. For Deus Ex sake, I hope they do
Doctor_Thomas
Member
I had Human Revolution on Day 1.... Mankind Divided? I just felt complete indifference to. I think that whole debacle with "pre-order to unlock more stuff" soured the game a bit and, honestly, the first one dropped in price so rapidly, I'm happy to wait it out.
It basically just a better HR, pretty much everything has been improved upon, but I wouldn't say it's a miles better game, I also probably won't look back on it as fondly as I do with HR, even though it's does everything it did well, better.
comshoplesce
Member
Whole Europe should buy this game from UK cause of brexit weak pound 
I'm waiting for 29,99 quid price then I'll buy.
I'm waiting for 29,99 quid price then I'll buy.
KyanMehwulfe
Member
It's a superb game... one of the best detailed city hubs in any game, and mechanically it's better than HR in every way. It's well crafted and plays superbly, and excels in map design, NPCs and art detail, music and sound, and specifically the combination of things to create a tense city atmosphere that's satisfying to explore.
Even the story that is there is quite good IMO... it's a great plot and story/setting foundation. The problem is less the specific story parts in the game, but rather that it ends abruptly. It's like the first 1/3rd of a great story... but as a stand alone story it just sort of leaves you asking, where's the rest -- it also sets the stage for potential publisher interference and the general notion of dividing AAA games into episodes/games.
The controversy over micro-transactions is less about their affect on DXMD specifically (there is almost none) but more how it sort of represents a normalization of microtransactions, and that by supporting the game you support (and further normalize) this practice. So it's a controversy less about the game and more the state of the industry, so it's not because it affects DXMD but more than people want to send a message to publishers.
vinnygambini
Why are strippers at the U.N. bad when they're great at strip clubs???
Can you blame them?
Their bread and butter is mobile now and AAA games are now perceived as risky ventures. Even on the Eidos side Rise of the Tomb Raider didn't perform that well either, so it certainly hasn't helped.
It's a tough market. FFXV going to hit 'em hard.
That's what I thought. Though they basically shot themselves in the foot this time... a lot of people are leaving negative reviews on Steam for that.
Tizoc
Member
http://www.dlgamer.us/download-deus_ex_mankind_divided-pc_games-p-36792.htmlWhole Europe should buy this game from UK cause of brexit weak pound
I'm waiting for 29,99 quid price then I'll buy.
Convert to gbp and see if it is close to that
They have dishonored 2 for 33 quid as well
Cave Johnson
Member
The original augment your pre-order back then should've done some PR damage and then producing a game that doesn't exactly hit the high mark it was expected to. As a first day owner or DX:HR, I was appalled by SE marketing and then somewhat vindicated after that Jimquisition episode. Can't say I'm the only one alone in this.
Apparently, they were building the engine in conjunction with the game's development.