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[Tashi]

I don't think anyone expected the PS3 to match the 360 in WW sales. The system costed twice as much, had a very barebones online infrastructure, and there were little to no compelling games to play for the first year or so.

I'm pretty sure a lot of people thought that the PS3 would catch the 360 and that it was all just a matter of time. I know I did.

 

[steinmc]

Ps3 PAL -> 30 million.
Xbox 360 PAL -> 13 million.

The gap will widen next gen.

source, last time I heard, that MS sold more than 20 millions in Europe

 

[Hindle]

BF? Sony had the timed exclsive DLC on that one. And the CoD exclusive deal didnt help them much in Europe.

It was the PS version that was heavily marketed in Europe wasn't it? Bound to be due to Sonys dominance.

 

[t26]

And PS2 had even more of a stranglehold before, and that was completely undone.

There is no brand loyalty

There is loyalty to your achievement and friendlist. That's enough for some people.

 

[NullPointer]

How is this any different than the PS4? Xbox One is DRM free now last I checked.

Just for the sake of clarity the always online requirement has been removed. All the consoles are DRM'd through and through.

 

[Harlock]

Europe, with all the taxes, going to be even more sensitive to price. The 100 euros difference is huge. Dont know if Fifa will make things even, because people can buy PS4 + Fifa and move on.

 

[twobear]

It being cheaper than the PS3 and coming out sooner is what got them the market share.

Don't forget that the PS3 was basically pretty dreadful for the first two years.

 

[Can Crusher]

Cod and BF played a huge part in MS holding down NA, despite both being on the PS3 in NA and the UK. Yet they sell more on the 360 due to MS marketing them and by having exclusive DLC.

Their aim is to do the same with Fifa in Europe. like I said its not going to happen over night.

They sell more on the Xbox 360 because it's 40 million userbase vs 23 million. It's not rocket science, year head start and 200$ price difference was all she wrote.

Now you flip it, and the PS is releasing at the same time with far far better pre launch word of mouth, 100$ cheaper and much higher number of pre orders.

The writing is on the wall.

 

[JaggedSac]

As someone who preordered an XB1 last weekend I too welcome free pack-in games, whatever they may be. Being in North America I hope its something other than FIFA though.

Keep complaining people so Microsoft keeps sweetening the pot!

lol, that is what I am thinking as well.

 

[demolitio]

This will be great for those European countries actually getting an X1 launch this year. Otherwise, they can get a PS4 and FIFA 14 still cheaper than they would an X1 whenever it launches in their market.

It's nice to see MS try to go after Europe but this is the typical MS way of solving a problem in certain markets. Instead of spending a shitload of money to buy out a game (in this case, not down-right exclusive obviously), how about you spend time and resources showing those markets that you do indeed care about them?

It will help in those areas getting it I guess but I still don't see this solving any of their problems.

 

[Blueblur1]

Did you ever think that it's because the 360 owners are still super satisfied? While the PS3 owners have the inferior system so they of course can't wait to jump to next Gen.

Lol well you definitely live up to your user name

 

[Diablo Rosso]

Don't forget that the PS3 was basically pretty dreadful for the first two years.

In that respect, the turnaround Sony managed was quite remarkable.

 

[Dambrosi]

...yeah, this thread's a honeypot, isn't it?

I'm sorry I posted in it. Twice, now.

I wonder if that puts me on some sort of list?

 

[Can Crusher]

source, last time I heard, that MS sold more than 20 millions in Europe

wikipedia. Either way the pieces simply aren't there, furthermore they are releasing later in many markets. Online community will be smaller.

 

[Iacobellis]

Yeah. Vire is really overestimating that stranglehold, I'd say.

Well, Vire did go back and reiterate it as 360, but still. Sony grabbed America by the balls with PS2 and look at what happened.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

Ps3 PAL -> 30 million.
Xbox 360 PAL -> 13 million.

The gap will widen next gen.

Huh, I hadn't realised the gap was that big. Do you have a source for the figures?

 

[Hindle]

source, last time I heard, that MS sold more than 20 millions in Europe

People seem to forget MS sold half of thier total sales in Europe with the 360. 8m came from the UK with the rest being sold everywhere else.

They're not as poor there as people think.

 

[Garrett 2U]

Maybe slightly?

Not really sure this is going to sway that many who are planning to get PS4's already or those who will get Fifa for current gen

Of course that's just my opinion

Why? Because the more expensive console comes with FIFA? Sony still has a much stronger marketing footprint across the competitive football world. They have a bigger marketing deal with FIFA/World Cup than EA by a sizable margin.

People are also forgetting that for a good chunk of the PS2/Xbox/GC generation PES was the primary football franchise. Football fans buy FIFA because it's the best football game currently available. They buy it on a Sony console because Playstation is the brand they associate with video games.

It wont change if its only for the launch period. It will take a couple years to change it.

I was also considering the exclusive FIFA content for Xbox One.
FIFA packed in with Xbone plus access to the exclusive content, makes sense for a FIFA fan. (if rumors are true)

 

[Withnail]

As I said, it is about total perceived value. Individually it means NOTHING. Regardless of the game they bundle, a free game is, a free game. Do not fail to understand that when mom and dad walk in to buy Johnny UK a console, and the teller explains that whilst the X1 is more expensive, it comes with a free retail game (which may happen to be the most successful UK sports franchise) and the Kinect, that the perceived value of the system increases. Cost is irrelevant here. These are luxury purchases; and the only thing that dictates luxury expenses is the perceived level of value in relation to the competition. Free is a hard word to compete against, even if the total cost of the system is higher. "Free" (anything) is a trump card at retail.

The rest of your post was to the point and mostly spot on.

In the UK there could potentially be PS4 retailer bundles with two pack in games that still cost less than XB1.

 

[nampad]

I wonder how much MS has to pay for those deals with EA (Titanfall and this Fifa bundle).
It's really narrows the price gap down for many Europeans, Fifa is unbelievable big.

Considering the 180 on all the DRM stuff and EA still agrees to push MS, the moneyhat must be crazy.

If this somehow delays the PS4 version I will be pretty pissed, especially because Konami is to dumb to deliver an alternative for next gen buyers.

 

[Iacobellis]

They sell more on the Xbox 360 because it's 40 million userbase vs 23 million. It's not rocket science, year head start and 200$ price difference was all she wrote.

Now you flip it, and the PS is releasing at the same time with far far better pre launch word of mouth, 100$ cheaper and much higher number of pre orders.

The writing is on the wall.

Yes. The writing is on the wall.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

wikipedia.

Oh, you were using two year old figures.

 

[Vire]

Well, Vire did go back and reiterate it as 360, but still. Sony grabbed America by the balls with PS2 and look at what happened.

Yeah, each generation is different.

Just look at the Wii to Wii U. Past generations really don't have much bearing on sales in the next.

People really don't give a fuck about loyalty. :lol Which is encouraging actually, let the best product win.

 

[shinnn]

Don't forget that the PS3 was basically pretty dreadful for the first two years.

And most europeans bought the console instead of the X360 in the meantime. It has nothing to do with games. Its brand loyalty. Just like Japan.

 

[Duxxy3]

Yes. The writing is on the wall.

How hilarious would it be if that was the date.

 

[Can Crusher]

Oh, you were using two year old figures.

My bad. Has the 360 narrowed the gap meanwhile?

 

[Katana_Strikes]

Cod and BF played a huge part in MS holding down NA, despite both being on the PS3 in NA and the UK. Yet they sell more on the 360 due to MS marketing them and by having exclusive DLC.

Their aim is to do the same with Fifa in Europe. like I said its not going to happen over night.

I'd argue it's more to do with the fact that the 360 was the leading console by quite a bit in those countries and partially because 360 versions were better?

In other countries where PS3 leads you'd find it's the opposite.

Like I said though in my previous post, of course exclusive content/advertising must work to a degree but it certainly doesn't eliminate a great amount of sales from the opposing consoles'.


Look at MS marketing FFXIII as associated only with 360 or FIFA (in the UK) in the past with Sony. Which versions sold greatest?

It's really down to userbase. People still know that they can buy that game for their console... it's on the shelves at retailers or online where they actually go to buy games.

 

[Hindle]

They sell more on the Xbox 360 because it's 40 million userbase vs 23 million. It's not rocket science, year head start and 200$ price difference was all she wrote.

Now you flip it, and the PS is releasing at the same time with far far better pre launch word of mouth, 100$ cheaper and much higher number of pre orders.

The writing is on the wall.

All valid points and when MS get ther arse kicked at launch, I expect they'll drop Kinect and cut the price. From then on, they'll be competitive again.

 

[steinmc]

wikipedia. Either way the pieces simply aren't there, furthermore they are releasing later in many markets. Online community will be smaller.

wikipedia must be wrong, because if MS sold only 13 millions in Europe, they would not have reached 77 millions xbox360 worldwide

 

[FeiRR]

Cod and BF played a huge part in MS holding down NA, despite both being on the PS3 in NA and the UK. Yet they sell more on the 360 due to MS marketing them and by having exclusive DLC.

You should check some BF facts before you post again.

 

[fuenf]

It was the PS version that was heavily marketed in Europe wasn't it? Bound to be due to Sonys dominance.

No for CoD it wasnt. There were far more 360 game ads on TV than PS3 ones. I think XBL was the key driver for the 360 in the US & UK , CoD / BF having a larger user base was just the logical consequence. In Europe online gaming wasnt as important in the beginning and by the time it was, Sony had almost caught up in online infrastructure.

 

[Enkidu]

X360 only released in the UK at launch. Now Xbox One is launching in 7 countries. With FIFA been bundled exclusively they could grow up in the market. When did Sony announced their launch markets?

Are you sure about that? According to Wikipedia it launched at the same time across most of Europe.

 

[DeadlyVirus]

You could say the same thing about Battlefield 4, Call of Duty and other games that will be on PS4 first simply because the xbox one won't have launched until november.

Is Microsoft going to pay for timed exclusivity for every single one of those titles?



Uh, i think you meant 120million.

Thanks for the correction, was count on 115M xD

 

[Iacobellis]

How hilarious would it be if that was the date.

It would give me enough time to play Killzone before BF4 drops.

 

[Duxxy3]

How can the gap be 120M if the PS2 sold 115M?

Where did you get 115 million?

 

[USC-fan]

Wait is this just for the delay launch preorders or for everyone?

 

[sometimes i game]

As I said, it is about total perceived value. Individually it means NOTHING. Regardless of the game they bundle, a free game is, a free game. Do not fail to understand that when mom and dad walk in to buy Johnny UK a console, and the teller explains that whilst the X1 is more expensive, it comes with a free retail game (which may happen to be the most successful UK sports franchise) and the Kinect, that the perceived value of the system increases. Cost is irrelevant here. These are luxury purchases; and the only thing that dictates luxury expenses is the perceived level of value in relation to the competition. Free is a hard word to compete against, even if the total cost of the system is higher. "Free" (anything) is a trump card at retail.

The rest of your post was to the point and mostly spot on.

There are too many variables to take what you're saying as end all be all. Who is to say parents of little Johnny are the biggest slice of the pie (demo avg is 18-35, dude) or that most parents won't go for the cheaper option, especially if it's called out that it also includes Drive Club?

Parents may also see the camera and think "we already have that camera." Or a kid doesn't want FIFA.

Plus, historically retailers make bundles for new launches anyway.

Then there's the marketing campaigns.

This perceived value isn't all that matters.

 

[CrunchinJelly]

Wait is this just for the delay launch preorders or for everyone?

We will find out in just over 12 hours.

 

[Wynnebeck]

How is this any different than the PS4? Xbox One is DRM free now last I checked.

I was referring to the fact that XBL is not available in all regions as well as different apps and services having their own restrictions from country to country.

 

[Can Crusher]

wikipedia must be wrong, because if MS sold only 13 millions in Europe, they would not have reached 77 millions xbox360 worldwide

I've realized so, so I don't actually know the difference. But again, less markets, releasing later, more expensive. Horrible signs for Xbox One.

 

[marc^o^]

I wonder how much MS has to pay for those deals with EA (Titanfall and this Fifa bundle).
It's really narrows the price gap down for many Europeans, Fifa is unbelievable big.

Considering the 180 on all the DRM stuff and EA still agrees to push MS, the moneyhat must be crazy.

If this somehow delays the PS4 version I will be pretty pissed, especially because Konami is to dumb to deliver an alternative for next gen buyers.

I'm actually surprised MS doesn't use their unlimited ressources to moneyhat whatever they think will make them win. It'd be totally unfair but what would prevent them from sacrificing a couple of billions in the grand scheme of things? The XBox brand looks like their only chance to win over the consumer market in the mobile space, which is oh so important for them.

 

[DeadlyVirus]

Where did you get 115 million?

115M when the Xbox was discontinued, 150M now. Sorry for the confusion

 

[Duxxy3]

115M when the Xbox was discontinued, 150M. Sorry for the confusion

Ah ok.

 

[Baby Milo]

so when will this be officially revealed?

 

[mrklaw]

There is loyalty to your achievement and friendlist. That's enough for some people.

Friendlist only works if your friends buy an Xbox one. That can be disrupted really easily

Achievements? Well, sure, if that's what floats your boat.

 

[Portugeezer]

Would be insane for Europe.

It doesn't even make up the price difference between PS4 and X1, so I don't see how a multiplatform game would have a huge impact. Something exclusive (or "exclusive") would make more sense.

 

[DeadlyVirus]

There is loyalty to your achievement and friendlist. That's enough for some people.

If so, everyone would play on PC, since Steam service is free for everyone

 

[Wickerbasket]

so when will this be officially revealed?

Tomorrow, probably.

 

[Waldo Lydecker]

Will / should Sony counter this with an Ubisoft exclusive pack-in or something? Or is Driveclub enough (and some other freebies I forgot)?

 

[BraXzy]

If it is Fifa 14, EA will have decided that the F2P model would work well on the game. Think about the amount of packs people buy, then add the people that would have bought the game otherwise who may buy packs/something else. It will probably get their money back and then some. Clever move by MS and EA if so.