TheGreatDave
Banned
Link's Crossbow Training, what the fuck.
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NPD Sales Results for March 2009
- Thread starter EviLore
- Start date
Alcibiades
Member
As long as a game doesn't disappear from shelves, it has a chance to succeed. Many Wii and DS games have started out below 100k the first month and end up being major sellers in the long run.gkrykewy said:
This isn't a surprise at all, and it won't be a surprise to see and report that MadWorld and Chinatown Wars hit 500k some months down the line... by then everyone will have forgotten their abysmal debuts and everyone freaking out over it or making assertions about 3rd party games not succeeding on Wii/DS probably won't own up to it.
nextgeneration
Member
schuelma said:
Yup, exactly. Whether or not Chinatown Wars will fall into the same category, who knows, but it's going to be funny to see if this actually ends up selling over 1 million over the course of its lifetime in the US.
Struct09 said:
True, but I have seen this in the Euro (well UK) charts do the same thing and I wonder if maybe XBLA have more of a larger influence than we think.
kmfdmpig said:
Maybe it is just the software choices...
Also your post is interesting considering how Sega supports the PS3 more in retail (at least in Japan) but gives the 360 more on the downloadable content side.
TheGrayGhost
Banned
Oblivion said:
As I've argued before, I don't think SMG is representative of what a console Super Mario would be like remade in the disruptive values of Wii. Similar to MP3:C and other early Wii efforts by Nintendo, it started development well before the development of Wii, and conceptually, it can be dated back to Mario 128. And I interpreted Miyamoto's lukewarm comments about SMG after it was released as lamenting that it wasn't fashioned after the success of the DS and Wii.
And there's more. You have Aonuma expressing a lot of enthusiasm for what he accomplished with PH, members of the LoZ development team citing Brain Age, not other action adventures, as their true rival (which is another way of saying disruptive change). All this, and TP being "the last traditional LoZ game," I don't think the change you can expect will be one that you will approve of.
Alcibiades said:
I agree that as long as the title remains on the shelf, it has a chance to continue selling. In the case of GTA:CS, I can easily see that title continue to sell simply because it's "GTA", which carries a lot of weight, but with Madworld, I'm not certain.
My worry with Madworld is if it continues to sell slow, stores are not going to order more and with the ever increase amount of games being released weekly on the Wii, I think its possible that Madworld will be pushed off the shelves and replaced by the next 'Petz' title and so on in a short amount of time.
I remember back when Galaxy Wars was released on the Wii, it was on the shelves at my local EB for a couple of weeks but after that, it just disappeared and got buried away.
It would be a shame for that to happen to Madworld
Eteric Rice
Member
What the fuck at CoD: DS.
What the fuck man.
Hopefully this applies to MadWorld as well in the future. So far MadWorld's price has stayed at the norm in Wal-Mart and Gamestop.
What the fuck man.
Hopefully this applies to MadWorld as well in the future. So far MadWorld's price has stayed at the norm in Wal-Mart and Gamestop.
TheGrayGhost
Banned
jrricky said:
What is this a response to?
SilverLunar
Member
On-Rails Zelda.TheGrayGhost said:
TheGrayGhost
Banned
SilverLunar said:
Now I need the Jim Carrey GIF.
Soooo far to go to catch up in this thread, but I just wanted to respond to this.
I can't say I'm enthused by the numbers we've seen so far this month, but I'm going to hold out hope until The Conduit. < 200K would be terrible. I'm expecting 300-500K in June's 12 days of release. For me personally and just me, I haven't really had any interest in Overkill, Deadly Creatures, MadWorld, or GTA:CW. I do have interest in Dead Rising Wii, but even I'm waiting until it has price drops before getting it. The Conduit, however, is a day one purchase for me. I'm holding out for declaring the sky to be falling until we get those results in July.
Just wanted to chime in on that.
Opiate said:
I can't say I'm enthused by the numbers we've seen so far this month, but I'm going to hold out hope until The Conduit. < 200K would be terrible. I'm expecting 300-500K in June's 12 days of release. For me personally and just me, I haven't really had any interest in Overkill, Deadly Creatures, MadWorld, or GTA:CW. I do have interest in Dead Rising Wii, but even I'm waiting until it has price drops before getting it. The Conduit, however, is a day one purchase for me. I'm holding out for declaring the sky to be falling until we get those results in July.
Just wanted to chime in on that.
Oblivion said:
I felt a small pain in my heart whilst reading the bolded parts. :lol I loved those systems. GC, I could take or leave; it had some good games, even fantastic ones like Metroid Prime and Mario Sunshine, but it went through such spells it was hard to get really jazzed about it as a platform.
I'm suitably pleased with my Wii purchase. Galaxy is the best game ever, from my perspective. Some other titles have been good too. Been a great system for my wife as well, so yeah, I can't complain too much.
The PS2 was really outstanding. It just had so much friggin' depth and breadth in its library. Remarkably I never cared much for the DualShock, but the games were there.
EDIT, @ donny: Man, I wish I could tell you otherwise, but I don't see Conduit hitting anywhere near 200k in its first month.
Black-Wind
Member
Whats wrong with LoZ:ST?jrricky said:
TheGrayGhost
Banned
Woa, I had no idea Opiate said that. Obviously, these figures may affect the decisions of third-parties, but I would argue that such developers and publishers were idiots to start with. Long-term, I just have confidence in the business sense and talent of people to capitalize on the disruptive change, and if history is any indication, it's just a matter of time. These figures do not mean that upmarket games cannot sell on Nintendo's platforms, it just means that upmarket games haven't been made with the disruptive values as their guiding development principles. Until they do, DS/Wii owners, such as myself and many others, will not care. You can't just transplant what is successful from a value stand-point on the other platforms to Nintendo's platforms.
And The Conduit will fail to gain traction, too. Because Wii owners at large won't care. I know I won't.
And The Conduit will fail to gain traction, too. Because Wii owners at large won't care. I know I won't.
GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
Henry Hatsworth is nowhere to be found yet Super Mario 64 DS (a launch game) charted?
Poppycock!
Poppycock!
Basically, this month wasn't so hot for video games except Capcom and I suppose the 360 increased yoy.
SF 4, Resi 5, Bionic Commando and Turnabout Prosecutor(Japan) in May, Monster Hunter in the summer, Darkside Chronicles, Dead Rising 2, Lost Plant 2... Capcom is going to be pretty set for a while. Seems like they have become THE third party developer during this generation. Making money on ALL platforms including digital content. Truly Capgod.
SF 4, Resi 5, Bionic Commando and Turnabout Prosecutor(Japan) in May, Monster Hunter in the summer, Darkside Chronicles, Dead Rising 2, Lost Plant 2... Capcom is going to be pretty set for a while. Seems like they have become THE third party developer during this generation. Making money on ALL platforms including digital content. Truly Capgod.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=15199422&postcount=577
I called it. not only did wanted not hit the npd top 20 but it didnt hit the 360 or ps3 individual top 10. so much for trash talking developer, wonder how much of a loss they are gonna take on this?
basik said:
I called it. not only did wanted not hit the npd top 20 but it didnt hit the 360 or ps3 individual top 10. so much for trash talking developer, wonder how much of a loss they are gonna take on this?
I'll be pleased if The Conduit sells that well, donny2112, if only because the developers are so passionate about it. But I'm not confident it will sell 300-500k in June. Madworld had several things going against it, but The Conduit has one huge obstacle to overcome: to differentiate itself within a genre that's been the darling of the enthusiast part of the industry for the past few years.
The Conduit does a good job of differentiating itself from the other Wii games, but it doesn't exist in a Wii vacuum where Halo, Call of Duty and many other FPSes don't exist. I think it will take clever marketing on SEGA's part, and very good word-of-mouth on the players'. I think it will mostly get positive word-of-mouth because it's a labor of love and has tons of features. However, word-of-mouth is a slow process, so it won't account much for the game's launch sales... And I'm not sure SEGA will be able to pull it off on the marketing front.
I would be more enthusiastic if the game's visuals weren't so bland. Again, it doesn't differentiate itself much from the rest of the FPS genre.
@TheGrayGhost: even though I'm fairly pessimistic about The Conduit's sales potential, I wouldn't be as adamant as you are. I know this sounds incredibly corny, but I think you're understating the importance of passion in any game's success. Unlike many, too many developers and publishers, the guys at High Voltage really seem that passionate about their game. If this results in a game that pleases the few people who buy the game to no end, then word-of-mouth could do the trick. I actually think TC will live or die by that factor alone, since it can't count on differentiation.
The Conduit does a good job of differentiating itself from the other Wii games, but it doesn't exist in a Wii vacuum where Halo, Call of Duty and many other FPSes don't exist. I think it will take clever marketing on SEGA's part, and very good word-of-mouth on the players'. I think it will mostly get positive word-of-mouth because it's a labor of love and has tons of features. However, word-of-mouth is a slow process, so it won't account much for the game's launch sales... And I'm not sure SEGA will be able to pull it off on the marketing front.
I would be more enthusiastic if the game's visuals weren't so bland. Again, it doesn't differentiate itself much from the rest of the FPS genre.
@TheGrayGhost: even though I'm fairly pessimistic about The Conduit's sales potential, I wouldn't be as adamant as you are. I know this sounds incredibly corny, but I think you're understating the importance of passion in any game's success. Unlike many, too many developers and publishers, the guys at High Voltage really seem that passionate about their game. If this results in a game that pleases the few people who buy the game to no end, then word-of-mouth could do the trick. I actually think TC will live or die by that factor alone, since it can't count on differentiation.
basik said:
Could you seem just a little less pleased about this? It's not exactly a good thing.
Kilrogg said:
Tell you how they'd sell more: Take the same controls and everything, make it a cartoony world that's clean and colorful, and have people play as their Mii. Call it Mii Paintball. We're talking sales.
I don't see the generic FPS #23014 helping them out here, I agree.
MisterHero
Super Member
Way to go, Nintendo, etc.
+1 for Pokemon Platinum
at least that's how I interpreted it
+1 for Pokemon Platinum
TheGrayGhost said:
jrricky mentioned Zelda Spirit Tracks because it wasn't a Zelda Tests Your Math Skills like you implied Aonuma would try to make to compete with Brain Age, etc.TheGrayGhost said:
at least that's how I interpreted it
Aaron Strife
Banned
The DS version of CoD4?
Really? That's... pretty fucking insane. Let's hope GTA has those kind of legs. I want to say it can do 2 million in the US alone, but I'm not sure now.
Really? That's... pretty fucking insane. Let's hope GTA has those kind of legs. I want to say it can do 2 million in the US alone, but I'm not sure now.
TheGrayGhost
Banned
Kilrogg, I know that you've read Christensen. What do you think about what I'm saying? Do you agree that Madworld and other games like it are poor indicators of upmarket performance on Wii since such games really don't seize on the consumer values of DS/Wii?
Just for a bit more on Wii software sales:
Tiger 09- Didn't debut in the top 10, now at 494K
Boom Blox- debut at about 60K, now at 420K
RE4- debut at like 120K if I remember correctly- now at 759K
As well as CoD and even something like de Blob which didn't get close to charting and is almost to 250K.
Now, I'm not saying Mad World is going to end up selling 300K....but its not like that would be unprecedented.
Tiger 09- Didn't debut in the top 10, now at 494K
Boom Blox- debut at about 60K, now at 420K
RE4- debut at like 120K if I remember correctly- now at 759K
As well as CoD and even something like de Blob which didn't get close to charting and is almost to 250K.
Now, I'm not saying Mad World is going to end up selling 300K....but its not like that would be unprecedented.
schuelma said:
I'm not shocked at legs on Wii/DS titles as a general concept, schuelma, but you have to admit the profound nature of those legs is pretty amazing.
CoD4 DS was not well received and is a "hardcore" game. Even on the DS, would anyone have been surprised by fairly truncated legs?
And yet, it has instead gone on to do 13x its original month's sales. I know Wii/DS legs are very good, but that is incredible for such a game.
Kilrogg said:
You mean the difference between warm and cold games?
EDIT: BTW, I would deeply love it if the Paper Mario guys would write a Mii RPG that allows players, at the beginning of the game, to assign different Miis to different roles: Hero, Villain, Assistant #1, Assistant #2, Comic Relief, etc. and so on. Then you'd get to have your mother be the villain who laughs evilly and your daughter might be the hero with you as her bumbling sidekick.
That would be great fun on top of being a good game - and it'd be a way to make the RPG genre appealing to people who would otherwise not give a shit.
TheGrayGhost
Banned
MisterHero said:
That's not what I implied.
When Aonuma says their primary rival is Brain Age, it doesn't mean that he's going to shape LoZ into a similar "non-fiction life-style" game, but a game that aims to co-opt its disruptive change. Now, for me, such a change would be a glorious return to form, but for others, it may not be so appealing. I'm guessing for Oblivion, who has stated that he does not like the NES/GB and PH, such a change would not be appreciated.
ViperVisor
Member
The fail on Wii is caused by the bombing that happens before the games get to the store shelves. Unfortunately we have no way to see that with a few integers like the NPD. So we have people here spitting venom at a mirage.
500k COD4 DS.....
And I thought that I couldnt be more convinced that the top 20 is minor in the grand scheme of things.
That is freaking insane man. We really need like a top 75 every month and the mental capacity to not write games off just because they dont open huge. But thats going to take a while....Big numbers are sooooo impressive man.
Oh and Im calling KZ to have the best legs of any PS3 game to date. I dont know how noone else seems as impressed as I am, but 300k+ in its second month sets this game a part from the pack. Most of its other games like Lair and HS and LBP all were either released and helped by the holidays or didnt have such strong returns it seems.
Ill bet this game is getting good word of mouth. I wont touch another FPS with a 50ft pole nowadays but Im happy the developers have a success with this game. It had REALLY been a long time coming. PS3 messiah or not, it has impressed.
And I thought that I couldnt be more convinced that the top 20 is minor in the grand scheme of things.
That is freaking insane man. We really need like a top 75 every month and the mental capacity to not write games off just because they dont open huge. But thats going to take a while....Big numbers are sooooo impressive man.
Oh and Im calling KZ to have the best legs of any PS3 game to date. I dont know how noone else seems as impressed as I am, but 300k+ in its second month sets this game a part from the pack. Most of its other games like Lair and HS and LBP all were either released and helped by the holidays or didnt have such strong returns it seems.
Ill bet this game is getting good word of mouth. I wont touch another FPS with a 50ft pole nowadays but Im happy the developers have a success with this game. It had REALLY been a long time coming. PS3 messiah or not, it has impressed.
manueldelalas
Time Traveler
LAYYYYYYYYTONNNNNNNNNN YES!
Dash Kappei
Not actually that important
donny2112 said:
Are you serious?
You think that The Conduit has a chance of beating/rivaling KZ2 first month numbers?
I mean, really?
donny, is that really you?! Quick, someone check if his account has been hijacked
TheGrayGhost said:
I agree with the "disruptive values" thing, so I'm not dismissing your argument. I don't think The Conduit will ever reach an impressive milestone (say, 4 million units). All I'm saying is that it still seems to retain something that many Wii games don't have, and that is passion (I sound so corny -__-). Even if High Voltage seems concerned about their game being hardcore enough, I don't know... Gah, I can't explain it well, but somehow, if the HV team is really that passionate about the project, I don't see The Conduit completely failing. Now, nobody knows what SEGA's and HV's sales expectations are obviously, but I don't see TC being an automatic bomb. I don't know why I defend that game so much: I don't have any interest in the game, and I know it has a lot going against it, starting with what you said about disruptive values, but I just have this feeling that it can perform just well enough. I might be completely wrong and unusually naive. We'll see.
If we're talking about the general direction of the industry and how third-party developers should tackle the Wii though, I absolutely agree that Madworld and The Conduit aren't good templates for surefire hits, as they're just traditional games made for the Wii. The third-party success stories of the Wii won't be about making a better FPS/TPS/GTA-like, but about games that redefine the genres in an appealing way (to the market at large, not avid gamers) or that bring completely new bold experiences that harness the new values of the market.
So, to your questions: yes and yes. However, I think entrepreneurial enthusiasm (for lack of a better word) can help soften the blow, i.e. allow The Conduit to meet sales expectations, given that they're not ridiculously high of course.
*Kilrogg returns to his happy-go-lucky world where passion equals success*
[EDIT]
Vinci said:
I guess you could frame it that way, yeah. Again, there's a good probability I'm wrong, and the game's sales potential is crippled by its values. It's not like I've played it and felt its warmth or coldness either. It's just a hunch, really. I don't usually go by hunches, so I figured I could try that out for a change
.gkrykewy said:
I felt the same but didnt want to be mean, no idea if its his first language or not.
And wow I just noticed Layton. Was anyone else but me wondering if Layton would manage the great numbers it did in Japan and EU here also? I was worried L5 wasnt going to be able to get the US market on board like they did the other two.
But this, 100k out of freaking nowhere. This is amazing, they have successfully penetrated all three markets with a new IP. So freaking amazing man.
cooljeanius
Member
I remember seeing this idea in a reader letter in the latest Nintendo Power...Vinci said: