Clay Davis
Member
heavy and I mean heavy discounting across the board. in fact, outside of sonic, I don't believe any other single game during the holidays saw as much discounting as hitman. I might be wrong of course.
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PAL Charts - Week 52 - Wii for art thoU?
- Thread starter Clay Davis
- Start date
heavy and I mean heavy discounting across the board. in fact, outside of sonic, I don't believe any other single game during the holidays saw as much discounting as hitman. I might be wrong of course.
Plenty of cash, yes, as much as MS? No. Plus they lost money for the first time last year, I can see why they're holding back a little, plus I still see a ton of 3DS ads on TV.
And no Sony doesn't give a fuck about saving the Vita, I guess that's the difference between the two handhelds, and that's reflected in the sales difference between the two. I don't see a problem with focusing on the 3DS ATM when the Wii U's main competition is still months away from even being seen. If it will hurt them in the long run or not remains to been seen.
I saw it for £17.99 in Sainsbury's. That's a crazy price.
I think I saw a comment saying that this was pretty much on purpose by SE, ie the discount was innitiated by SE rather than the retailers themselves. This would be supported by the fact that Hitman was down 50% on EU PS store during the 12 deals of christmas.
Dude, you want to have as much of a gap between those two when they arrive. That exact "Oh, we have time, so just chill" mentality is what gets Nintendo in trouble all the time.
Again, speaking from Microsoft's point of view, they will be coming out strong.
Yikes. What a shame.
Clay Davis
Member
pretty sure I saw similar pricing in asda too, although that might have been something else. still, the discounting was surprising.
this is interesting. it makes sense I suppose. better to get more sales at half price than little to no sales at full price. still, it can't have been a good day for IO if they had to resort to such heavy discounting to bolster sales.
I've got to give credit to EA as to how well they took Pro's #1 spot. The fact that Pro has sucked since the jump to PS3/360, while Fifa gets better every year hasn't helped Pro though.
Yes,and not just in quality and gameplay,EA for some example put our language in their FIFA(something that Konami will never do) and have official competitions all over the region.
and I doubt Konami they can change that next year, heck PES2013 was their first one without Seabass and it still sucks, football fans now just don't care about PES.(but well everything is possible,next one will use new engine so there is hope..but I won't bet any money on it).
Hitman Abolution is probably Square Enix biggest seller in the UK this year. It has been always ahead of Halo 4, which has sold ~350k:
http://www.chart-track.co.uk/ has a new design. I thought I was in the wrong place for a second.
And, can the thread maker, please, include the past threads in the OP like the usual format? Thanks!
http://www.chart-track.co.uk/ has a new design. I thought I was in the wrong place for a second.
And, can the thread maker, please, include the past threads in the OP like the usual format? Thanks!
I understand they only have a small time before the other next gen systems arrive, but I think that making sure the 3DS is strong and healthy is just as important as establishing the Wii U. They're not 'chilling', they focusing on the 3DS, there's a difference, Nintendo have always treated their handhelds with just as much respect (Couldn't think of a better word
) as their home consoles most of the time. Do I feel they should be pushing the Wii U harder than they currently are? Yes, but I can understand why they went with a soft launch, especially considering how cheap the PS3/360 are (I can get a PS3 for £120, that's fucking crazy!), and how packed Q1 is. That's their window IMO, Q2 to Q4. They have to fire on all cylinders during that time, ads everywhere, killer software, new colours, huge E3 blowout (Or ND blowout around E3), anything and everything they can think of before MS arrive and start pumping out ads everywhere and start their hype machine.Clay Davis
Member
I understand they only have a small time before the other next gen systems arrive, but I think that making sure the 3DS is strong and healthy is just as important as establishing the Wii U. They're not 'chilling', they focusing on the 3DS, there's a difference, Nintendo have always treated their handhelds with just as much respect (Couldn't think of a better word
new colours? yeah, maybe if they fix their arse backwards lack of account migration.
you're right on base with everything though, outside of the soft launch.
they have been advertising the wii u. I've seen a number of ads on itv, channel 4, sy-fy, etc. they even have zombiu sponsoring certain shows on sy-fy. it's not really what I'd call a soft launch.
I'll add a link to last months thread just as soon as I can.
Square seems right now to be focused on building the brands that they have so that they can keep pumping out sequels to an established fanbase. If I remember correctly Deus EX was discounted big time too and same thing went for Sleeping Dogs (it was even 17 euro for the digital version on EU PSN a week or so ago).
From the note to investors that Wada recently gave he seemed to have praised JC2 for selling 2.5 million and building a fanbase even though it wasn't so hot out of the gate. That's pretty much a big endorsement for the discounting your games so that they'll sell more. I wouldn't be surprised if we'll see the same strategy employed with Tomb Raider. Square is rebooting a lot of these franchises so they need to build a new fanbase.
I haven't seen any for a good week or so at least, although that might be because I've been too focused on watching the football insanity and BBC.
And yes, while it doesn't matter too much yet, they really need to sort their account system out as soon as possible, otherwise it'll bite them on the ass like it did with the Wii.
Effectively, the possibility to use the codes redeemed through 3DS XL's registration started yesterday, and this is the Italian current top 20 on eShop
01. Super Mario 3D Land
02. Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracles
03. Pokèmon AR Searcher
04. Super Mario Bros.
05. Pokédex 3D Pro
06. Nintendo presents: New Style Boutique
07. New Art Academy
08. Gunman Clive
09. Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
10. Denpa Men
11. Freakyforms Deluxe
12. Crimson Shroud
13. Hydroventure: Spin Cycle
14. Pullblox
15. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
16. New Super Mario Bros. 2
17. Fallblox
18. Crazy Chicken Pirates 3D
19. Uno
20. Bird Mania 3D
If the situation is similar in other countries, it seems the promotion payed off: if it must be said that it was available for people who already owned an XL before the start of the promotion, but every title included in the promotion is very high, so this should be a good sign for Holiday sales too. I mean, Freakyforms Deluxe almost in top 10 :lol
Clay Davis
Member
I can get behind this, but is it a viable strategy long term? especially next gen with the reported increases in development costs?
I'll support them to the very end though, outside of hitman, they've had some of the most enjoyable games I've played this generation.
yep, a few people where I work bought or got a xl for christmas (more so than ipads, etc but then most of them already had one, so that's not surprising). the free dame plus mario kart 7 already on the handheld was enough to push a lot of people over the edge.
AndrewDean84xX
Banned
Does UK gaming trends usually match worldwide trends?
Well it worked on me (Picking MK7 3DS XL next week), so it must be doing something right. MK7 + 3D Land for pretty much free is a very enticing offer.
In some ways yes, in others no.
Clay Davis
Member
I thought I'd check the UK top twenty via ehop, no surprise as to what two games are occupying the no 1 and no 2 spots.
01. Super Mario 3D Land
02. Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracles
New Art Academy is 13 and New Style Boutique is 14.
I upgraded before the mario kart 7 deal became available, but a free copy of mario land 3d more than made for it. I still haven't had a chance to it play as the girlfriend is completely addicted to it. more so than nsmb2.
We'll have to see when the next Hitman game hits (probably in 2.5 years time) and whether people that bought Absolution will flock to it. I know I'll be buying the next DE day one, for example, despite not really caring for it when it hit the shelves.
Square wants to have 10 big franchises, each selling 2 million or more copies with each outing. For this purpose they are reinventing and rebooting the Eidos franchises because Eidos mismanaged them big time. As such they need to build an audience and discounts are a good way of going about that. As I've said we'll have to wait and see whether or not the fanbase created this way will be back for the next game.
Baconsammy
Banned
Is Paper Mario not released in Italy yet?
I wonder if we will know the total amount of games downloaded thanks to this promotion.
It is, and actually it has been in good places in chart ( even around top 5) near the release; then, it slowly decreased. Right now, it isn't even in the 3DS downloads specific top 20. It was around 15-16th some days ago.
Clay Davis
Member
I genuinely hope it works for them simply because of their stellar work and supporting of titles like deus ex, sleeping dogs and just cause 2. just cause especially, the jump in quality from the first to the the second game is just mindblowing. seriously mindblowing.
they have my support until the of time. now if only they would hurry and announce a new thief and soul reaver game.
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
Man worse than I even thought. Looking at the titles we know are coming in the next 6-8 months I don't know how Nintendo is turning this around
AndrewDean84xX
Banned
Good to know. I'm night "plugging my ears" to this Wii U stuff, but I'm not exactly following it like the scripture.
Baconsammy
Banned
I get the impression that Nintendo knew a year ago what most of us know now - the Wii U is never going to compete for the hearts and minds of core gamers and third parties with the next Xbox and Playstation. So make it a unique experience that can deliver Nintendo's own games in a newer, higher res fashion, and rake in some easy money. Most of us will own one just for the Metroids and Zeldas, so they'll get our money. The only losers being third parties that mistakenly bank on the Wii U and gamers that think this time will be different when it comes to third party titles on a Nintendo device. Maybe I'm wrong. If they panic and go nuts before Microsoft delivers the goods at next E3 (which Major Nelson just started hyping on his blog, btw), then I'll admit I have zero clue, which is usually the case.
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
What kind of bad logic is this? Not all of MS money is under the disposal of the Xbox and entertainment division. Some people here are really being foolish and think that MS can spend all the money in the world because they have it. That´s false, like everything else the Xbox division has a budget to follow and expectations to meet.
Sony gives plenty of fuck about the Vita or else they would not put Media Molecule, and GG to develop games for the hardware. Sony would not make these great bundles, PS+, and cross buy if Sony did not care about the Vita. Hell, Sony published like 20 games this year alone, both retail and small PSN games. Sony is trying really hard, internally, to make the Vita successful. Now convincing third parties to make games for the Vita is where Sony has been severely lacking especially in Japan.
BruceLeeRoy
Banned
Yeah I agree man. I think they expected to be number 1 all over again though and were expecting the humble pie to be this large a slice
Silent_Ocarina
Member
A game like New Super Mario Bros. U is severely overpriced at $60, so this is a good deal.
I'm a bigger fan of Nintendo than the other console makers, but I'm so disappointed in their handling of next generation. I'm easily pleased when it comes to graphics, but I'm rather appalled that after six years, Nintendo releases a console that isn't unquestionably more powerful in every way.
The controller is a neat concept, but only having one (maybe two) really limits what you can do with it. It's also difficult and expensive to replace. Requiring a different controller for multiplayer just feels a little odd, and it's honestly part of the reason there is any confusion about Wii U. The public sees commercials that seem to hide the console and show people playing on the GamePad and Wii Remotes.
Nintendo's account system desperately needs work. Virtual Console games have no reason being marked at such inflated prices. None of the launch games appear to be system sellers, and I really enjoyed Mario and Nintendo Land myself.
I'm a little happy to see Nintendo struggling. I think they can learn from it. Of course, I want all three companies to perform well, but hopefully this will force Nintendo to rethink their game plan.
The games are the most important part. Reveal some. I guarantee most criticisms today will matter little once Super Smash Bros. is shown. I know the same thing happens every year, but I hope they go all out at E3. Otherwise I'll only be interested in Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4.
I'm definitely curious about worldwide numbers.
Baconsammy
Banned
Yep. Microsoft having all that money simply means if shit gets ugly with Xbox sales they can cut and run. Good luck getting stockholders to endorse a "let's throw shitloads of money at our video game problem" plan. Whereas that's pretty much the only option Nintendo has.
The perfect Dark
Banned
Well I sold my 3DS after the first year because there were no games.
Nintendo: "We learned, this will never happen again. Hardware was too expensive"
I bought a WiiU
Nintendo: " Ooops we didn't learn. It was just a joke. Let's see if it works this time."
Seriously, after E3 we all will know what the fuck nintendo is doing here.
Phoenician_Viking
Banned
Yeah, which why Nintendo should be throwing money left and right at marketing and third party publishers since it´s their bread and butter.
Father_Brain
Banned
That's better than their handling of PSP, sure, but what you're describing is one secondary, 15-person team (at MM) and one secondary external handheld team (Studio Cambridge) that got brought under the Guerrilla Games umbrella. It's a long way from an enormous display of commitment.
Do you honestly think Nintendo could sustain Xbox/PS3 level losses? It'd practically bankrupt them.
But... That's what they've been doing. They've sunk millions upon millions into the Xbox plan. Nintendo can't afford to do what MS and even Sony do, what with their loss leader method.
Also why Nintendo can't just throw money at 3rd parties and say 'Develop games for us!'
And phoenix, 3 or 4 small Vita games doesn't mean Sony give a fuck. They don't care, that was evident when they put Wonderbook on at E3 over the Vita.
Sho_Nuff82
Member
MS couldn't bail out of the videogame market any more than they could bail out of the tablet or phone markets (where they are doing far, far worse). Being non-competitive in a major consumer electronics market is simply unquestionable for a company their size.
MS can afford to do that because it's a small segment of their business. Not to mention MS's video game business has been the most successful over the last 3 years
I know, that's my point. They can and have sunk millions upon millions into the Xbox, and to their credit, it's been working. I mean, how much did the Kinect's advertising campain cost, wasn't like something like 40 million?
100mill, which I believe was less than what Sony spent on Advertising that year for their gaming division.
100 Mill for Kinect is madness! Although it worked so I guess it was a good plan.
And of course it's less than Sony spent on their gaming division Kinect is only 1 accessory. It would be like if Sony spent that much on Move ads.
Baconsammy
Banned
Except that's not what they've done. The Xbox brand has never been in trouble for them. They've always been growing. They're throwing money at something that's making them more money, not throwing money at something that's a stone around their neck. The billion they threw at Kinect was done to extend the life of something that was pure profit for them at that point.
A small price to pay to extend the life of the incredibly profitable 360.
Which is why I said their plan was working... Stop eating bacon and read.
I never said the Xbox brand was in trouble, I never said it wasn't always growing. I just said they were doing a loss leader method, which they were, just like Sony do.And didn't the Xbox division only start making money a few years ago? I'm pretty sure the OG Xbox didn't make MS any money.
Which is why I said their plan worked and thus was a good one...
Calling Tearaway or Killzone a small game is really ignorant to be honest. As is ignoring Gamescon and basically one half of it being dedicated to Vita news.
Never mind the fact that Sony, in Europe, had a huge marketing campaign for the Vita (bigger than the Wii U).
Baconsammy
Banned
Stop eating bacon and read.
You've crossed a dangerous line.
Killzone on Vita's not exactly going to make a huge splash now, is it? It's the same problem the PSP had.
And yes, Gamescon was a good step. But choosing to ignore the biggest event of year for Wonderbook instead says it all IMO.
And I know there have been a ton of Vita ads in Europe, I see them all the time (Although, like the Wii U, there seem to be much less after xmas).
I suppose, once you start eating bacon, it's so hard to stop. It's too damn tasty!
What are they doing? Taking the piss?
It really does seem that Nintendo has been very two faced the last couple of years. Saying one thing but actually doing something different.
The problem with the 3DS launch was no big title. The Wii U has NSMB, so while it might not have gone the way they thought, you can understand where they're coming from.
I think Vita's developing a very nice FPS audience and I would think that everyone who bought that COD bundle and is looking for a real FPS on the Vita will jump on Killzone. It's a million seller franchise, so it's obviously big enough. Not ME, COD, AC big but big nonetheless.
Well then the current trend certainly seems to be that Sony is giving a fuck about the Vita, isn't it? You can't take one-off event and make it into a trend.