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FIFA 18 on Switch accounted for 1% of all UK physical copies sold

TrutaS

Member
Would not be surprised if supply isn’t generous, much like EA’s support for the platform in general. Also if you own other platforms, the Switch is inferior and would lose in a direct battle. It needs to either be par in features (graphics I think aren’t as important), or have something that distinguishes itself.
 
Me a week or 2 before it came out

"oh, that looks good, I'll order on Amazon"
Sold out
"ok, try Argos"
Not even listed
"pre-order in supermarket"
Don't do Switch stuff

Then the day before someone said it was back in stock in Amazon, so grabbed it quick luckily, as it's back out of stock now.

This sold as well / better than EA expected, there is no doubt about that
Maybe so. Either way, we shouldn’t take these numbers too heavily. If anything, EA may be much more worried about the 25% sales decrease from last year’s FIFA.
 

E-phonk

Banned
I think it'll get to 50k in the UK, with a what, currently 500k install base?
Seems ok imo. It's worse then PS4 that has a 25%'ish attach rate of Fifa historically, but still nothing too terrible.

Some quick reactions:

I expected FIFA on the Switch to bomb but not bomb THAT badly. I said it before on here that people buy a PS/Xbox just for FIFA. Most of them won't even know the Switch exists and wouldn't care for it if they did. Switch is for a completely different market.
You were unable to preorder it in quite some retailers/amazon/etc.. You can't preorder a game...if you can't order it in the first place.

Isn't Switch version based on last gen one?
Nope, custom engine build of the current version. It does lack online against friends, which is a major oversight imo. It's the main reason I can't convince my friends who are Fifa nuts to purchase a switch with Fifa.

Even if there are only a few switch compared to PS4/XBO, FIFA is usually the best selling game on those platforms, in fact is probably the best selling game in Europe, or at least top 3. SO we could expect a similar behaviour with switch too.

It is. It's the best selling switch game this week, and number seven in the individual SKU's across all platforms. It's not doing AS WELL as PS4 where it's the biggest game, but no one would've expected that no?
 

test_account

XP-39C²
Its also good news for EA in the sense that if they should drop the Switch version, theres hardly any marketshare that will be lost. I expect the Switch to get more versions though, even Vita got four FIFA games (FIFA 12 to 15).


Ok, thanks.
 
Some conflicting reports in this thread about how readily available the stock was for the game in non-Amazon retailers (some people saying Argos and GAME were also out of stock).

Shipment sell through percentage will be a more interesting number.
 
If the Switch version is good it should have legs over the holidays. First week sales are definitely meh but with a new Sku on a system like the Switch it definitely wasn't going to blow up out of the gate.
 

Si2k78

Member
I think all this concern is somewhat premature. Sure the initial figure isn't fantastic but it doesn't include digital sales which there are suggestions that it did quite well. We don't know about the Switch install base in the UK which is territory that happily flip-flops on Nintendo. Even if UK sales aren't the best then the rest of Europe might pick up the slack (France and Germany in particular). Also, we don't know what EA's expectancy is.

But most important is that FIFA is an evergreen title that could still sell in significant numbers to new and existing Switch owners in the coming months and particularly over the holidays. I'd wager a fair few people will be opening their brand new Switches on Xmas day with a copy of FIFA.

All I'm saying is lets not sound the death knell on EA support of the Switch just yet. Lets wait and see how it pans out.

I agree. The switch install base just isn’t there yet to be pushing 5% or 10% of FIFA sales. This topic will obviously be revisited after the holidays, but I suspect that the more casual gamer that happens to pick up the switch during the holidays may be more inclined to pick up FIFA on switch than the switch owners who purchased the system prior to FIFA launching.
 

Turrican3

Member
It should be noted that PES Playmaker sold relatively poorly in Japan on the Wii (I only have that data at hand) compared to the other popular platforms... yet Konami released many sequels in the following years.

In short: I wouldn't read *too* much in those numbers, it all depends on EA expectations, I think.
 

tzare

Member
It is. It's the best selling switch game this week, and number seven in the individual SKU's across all platforms. It's not doing AS WELL as PS4 where it's the biggest game, but no one would've expected that no?

It is this week.
But for PS4 or XBO i would say that it beats any game (maybe GTAV is the exception) released on those platforms. I doubt it is the case for switch.
We will see the legs , then we will have a better picture, but it does not seem too hot on switch, imo.
 

moeman

Member
Anyone know how it did on the UK Eshop?

From the other FIFA sales thread:

GfK Chart-Track observes that FIFA's launch sales were down by 25% year-on-year, and notes that this may be attributed to the rise of digital sales through the PlayStation and Xbox stores. Switch's digital store has also proved to be popular, so its sales of FIFA may be higher than the physical charts indicate.
 

paperlynx

Member
This really isn't surprising, fifa has always been a playstation/xbox game primarily and the Switch versions won't change that.
 
As has been mentioned throughout, I don't hold too much weight that this as a failure because:

1) Switch install base is much smaller with the other systems having a large head start, by 3-4 years.
2) Limited stock, which explains why it's sold out everywhere in the UK.

Just my view from the US side.
 

E-phonk

Banned
It is this week.
But for PS4 or XBO i would say that it beats any game (maybe GTAV is the exception) released on those platforms. I doubt it is the case for switch.
We will see the legs , then we will have a better picture, but it does not seem too hot on switch, imo.

It might be the nr1 third party game that doesn't star mario for 2017 in the UK, for what that's worth.

But, did it outsold MvCI?

It did.
http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index....p&ct=110032&arch=t&lyr=2017&year=2017&week=39
 

Si2k78

Member
Would not be surprised if supply isn’t generous, much like EA’s support for the platform in general. Also if you own other platforms, the Switch is inferior and would lose in a direct battle. It needs to either be par in features (graphics I think aren’t as important), or have something that distinguishes itself.

Portability is a pretty distinguishing feature.
 
Pretty poor performance.

I think it is okay that Fifa underperformed/bombed on Switch. Every game isn't going to be a success on the system and that is okay. There is no need to come up with reason after reason for why every game has somehow done well when we get results like this.
 

Bazry

Member
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B072JZ3M6R/

Amazon now showing 9th October, with the message below

Note: Please note, due to stock limitations from the supplier we are unable to deliver any further orders of FIFA 18 - Nintendo Switch for release date. We expect to deliver orders placed today by October 13th, and will confirm an exact release date as soon as possible. If you've already placed an order for this product please check ”My Orders" to confirm your expected delivery date.
 

Zedark

Member
As has been mentioned throughout, I don't hold too much weight that this as a failure because:

1) Switch install base is much smaller with the other systems having a large head start, by 3-4 years.
2) Limited stock, which explains why it's sold out everywhere in the UK.

Just my view from the US side.

I would add to those two points that the FIFA users are currently already in the Playstation or Xbox ecosystem, and probably their friends are as well, so buying Switch version instead of your other console's version is likely not feasible since your friends won't move over. Getting Switch up to par with XB1 will take time, if it ever happens to that extent: FIFA has been missing from Nintendo since FIFA 13, that's 5 years of no FIFA, so the ecosystem is no longer on it. It needs time to move back over.

It's a tough situation for Switch, I wonder if they manage to build up a strong user base for FIFA.
 
If both the console and the game sold out, both Nintendo and EA would be happy (and it would mean EA had very low shipment goals, at least in the UK).

If neither happened, these numbers would be terrible.

One of the rare cases where waiting for more data is indeed necessary for more context.
 

sense

Member
People trying to defend these sales by saying stock issues seem to be in denial. Shipments are based on demand. Considering U.K. Is one of Nintendo's weak market, it is understandable that there might be not too much demand to begin with.

It sold around 8310 copies so even if the shipment was three times higher we are looking at 25 to 30k for a million sales franchise in U.K. which is just not good. Let's see if there are long legs if not ea might just make a couple of low quality efforts like they did with vita and calling it legacy edition before abandoning.
 
It’s a good version and it has me playing Fifa for the first time in years. Playing handheld at half time in the toon game was rather excellent, made the scouse garbling of carragher bearable.
 
If both the console and the game sold out, both Nintendo and EA would be happy (and it would mean EA had very low shipment goals, at least in the UK).

If neither happened, these numbers would be terrible.

One of the rare cases where waiting for more data is indeed necessary for more context.
Agree with you, the game is almost impossible to find in Spain (physical).
 

fortunato

Banned
People trying to defend these sales by saying stock issues seem to be in denial. Shipments are based on demand. Considering U.K. Is one of Nintendo's weak market, it is understandable that there might be not too much demand to begin with.

It sold around 8310 copies so even if the shipment was three times higher we are looking at 25 to 30k for a million sales franchise in U.K. which is just not good. Let's see if there are long legs if not ea might just make a couple of low quality efforts like they did with vita and calling it legacy edition before abandoning.

I don't think anyone is defending low debut sales, but more giving some context. Further, if you work in retail, you also know every well that it is very difficult to forecast demand when demand is not very large, because statistical errors might screw up shipments by a (relatively) wide margin.
 

Zedark

Member
The guy who tweeted ‘EA may be happy with the switch sales’, who is he, does he have any credibility?

He is a journalist for Gamesindustry.biz, and focuses on sales matters (at least, that's the only field in which he takes the spotlight). He also has access to the actual numbers.
 

Si2k78

Member
I would add to those two points that the FIFA users are currently already in the Playstation or Xbox ecosystem, and probably their friends are as well, so buying Switch version instead of your other console's version is likely not feasible since your friends won't move over. Getting Switch up to par with XB1 will take time, if it ever happens to that extent: FIFA has been missing from Nintendo since FIFA 13, that's 5 years of no FIFA, so the ecosystem is no longer on it. It needs time to move back over.

It's a tough situation for Switch, I wonder if they manage to build up a strong user base for FIFA.

And coincidentally, you can’t play online with your friends on the switch version. It just seems so apparent that EA gimped the switch version in almost every concievible way to discourage people from buying it. How they managed to convince 8000 UK people to take this gut punch, and still part with 50£ Is the bigger story here.
 

Zedark

Member
And coincidentally, you can't play online with your friends on the switch version. It just seems so apparent that EA gimped the switch version in almost every concievible way to discourage people from buying it. How they managed to convince 8000 UK people to take this gut punch, and still part with 50£ Is the bigger story here.

Yeah, I bought the game (am from the Netherlands), but only because I always play FIFA as a single player or local multiplayer game, never as an online game. Lacking friends online MP is just ridiculous, and in general it's a lacking version compared to XB1 and PS4. Still, I had hoped it'd be a bit better than 8k tbh.

The argument is the bit you edited out: that it is sold out in UK. It's not a valid argument, since retailers determine how many units they order, and EA can only ship that many, so it can be sold out and still be under EA's expectations.
 
And coincidentally, you can’t play online with your friends on the switch version. It just seems so apparent that EA gimped the switch version in almost every concievible way to discourage people from buying it. How they managed to convince 8000 UK people to take this gut punch, and still part with 50£ Is the bigger story here.

We like football, playing a virtual game of it on the bus/train/at lunch/while someone else is watching TV is great.
 

E-phonk

Banned
People trying to defend these sales by saying stock issues seem to be in denial. Shipments are based on demand.
You couldn't preorder the switch version until very recently, and it was out of stock at Amazon & other major online stores immediately.

But yeah, we are in denial.

The guy who tweeted ‘EA may be happy with the switch sales', who is he, does he have any credibility?
He has access to UK sales figures as he works for gameindustry.biz, so yeah.
 
I can't tell you how fucking salty I am over the friend issue on the Switch. Such a ridiculous commission and there's completely 0 acknowledgement of it even after a load of articles and people moaning about it over the weekend.

Whoever was involved that thought it was a good idea not to include it should be fucking stoned. It's such a great game to have on the Switch but this completly mars the experience.
 

Jack cw

Member
Some might underestimate that FIFA with all the modes and huge online part of pro clubs, Fut, versus and online leagues need a stationary console where most of your infrastructure (friends, online service) is available. FIFA is connected to "PlayStation" in the mindsets of many many gamers, especially the younger ones. A portable FIFA is nice and all, but I can't believe it has the appeal to challenge the image of FIFA on console that is branded inside the heads of millions of people. This legacy edition is a poor effort of support, the stock situation based on EA's mistrust in the system. On the other hand, I really doubt that a 1:1 FIFA18 on Switch would have sold a single unit more.
 

nekomix

Member
People trying to defend these sales by saying stock issues seem to be in denial. Shipments are based on demand. Considering U.K. Is one of Nintendo's weak market, it is understandable that there might be not too much demand to begin with.

It sold around 8310 copies so even if the shipment was three times higher we are looking at 25 to 30k for a million sales franchise in U.K. which is just not good. Let's see if there are long legs if not ea might just make a couple of low quality efforts like they did with vita and calling it legacy edition before abandoning.

So if they didn't sell the shipment it's a fail but if they sell the whole low shipment it's also a fail?
 
Fifa Switch is sold out on Amazon UK. I'm guessing this is a supply issue, and EA not wanting to have to many physical copies in case it didn't sell.
 

sense

Member
You couldn't preorder the switch version until very recently, and it was out of stock at Amazon & other major online stores.

But yeah, we are in denial.


He has access to UK sales figures as he works for gameindustry.biz, so yeah.
Let's say there were no stock issues, how much more than 8000 copies could it have sold according to you?
 

ramparter

Banned
What if they barely mamaged to produce a small initial shipment because of cartridges or just because its a different version.
 
Would have bought physical, but I couldn't find it anywhere, so I bought it digitally.

I think the average Switch consumer is probably very aware of the digital store and lack of supply probably led to a high % being digital sales.
 

BDGAME

Member
So, Ps4 with 60% is probably more Fifa sold than the total of switch's hardware in UK, no?

And lots of people saing the switch version is sold out.

For me, it looks like a success.
 

E-phonk

Banned
Let's say there were no stock issues, how much more than 8000 copies could it have sold according to you?
Like I said before in this thread, for the UK market I think the switch version could do/could've done 50.000 copies in total for 2017, which would be selling to ~8-10% of the current install base (we don't have exact figures on the Switch install base atm for the UK afaik).

That's obviously below the 25% the PS4 versions reaches every year, but would still be very respectable for a nintendo console.


Lol are you proposing is they all had the same stock the switch version would sell the most?
No one says that. Literally no one. Like someone mentions the switch install base is lower then the PS4 fifa sales. Don't move goalposts.
 

Si2k78

Member
Like I said before in this thread, for the UK market I think the switch version could do/could've done 50.000 copies in total, which would be selling to ~8-10% of the install base (we don't have exact figures on the Switch install base atm for the UK afaik).

That's obviously below the 25% the PS4 versions reaches every year, but would still be very respectable for a nintendo console.



No one says that. Literally no one. Like someone mentions the switch install base is lower then the PS4 fifa sales. Don't move goalposts.


It’s conceivable that as holiday sales pick up, the switch will reach that level of sales, Of 50k.
 
Like I said before in this thread, for the UK market I think the switch version could do/could've done 50.000 copies in total, which would be selling to ~8-10% of the install base (we don't have exact figures on the Switch install base atm for the UK afaik).

That's obviously below the 25% the PS4 versions reaches every year, but would still be very respectable for a nintendo console.



No one says that. Literally no one. Like someone mentions the switch install base is lower then the PS4 fifa sales. Don't move goalposts.

Lol you can make up numbers all you want but the reality is it didn't sell. If retailers saw enough demand for the Switch version EA would have shipped more. There is more to it then just saying well EA should have printed more copies.
 

Zedark

Member
So, Ps4 with 60% is probably more Fifa sold than the total of switch's hardware in UK, no?

And lots of people saing the switch version is sold out.

For me, it looks like a success.

It's invalid to conclude that the sales were a success because it is sold out: EA doesn't get to choose how many units they ship, but the retailers decide. EA could want to ship many more, but the retailers won't take the units, so EA could have their expectations be too high while at the same time the game is sold out. On the other side, you can't conclude that the game flopped because it sold 8k when it is sold out as you can't rule out that EA was expecting something like this 8k number for the first week. We need to wait and see for the full picture.
 

Bruno MB

Member
Like I said before in this thread, for the UK market I think the switch version could do/could've done 50.000 copies in total, which would be selling to ~8-10% of the install base (we don't have exact figures on the Switch install base atm for the UK afaik).

That's obviously below the 25% the PS4 versions reaches every year, but would still be very respectable for a nintendo console.



No one says that. Literally no one. Like someone mentions the switch install base is lower then the PS4 fifa sales. Don't move goalposts.

50,000 is a very unrealistic target, only titles like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild can do that and not by much, but it should have definitely done much better than barely 8,000 units, also Switch install base is far from half a million units. To put things into perspective FIFA 14 sold almost triple of FIFA 18 Switch one week sales before PlayStation 4 was released. FIFA Soccer on PlayStation Vita doubled FIFA 18 on Switch.
 
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