Support NeoGAF

[Sadist]

LALALALA WII DOESNT SELL SOFTWARE LALALALALALALA

/thread

 

[RJT]

I'm sure this has been mentioned, but here's people's answer so they can stop whining about why the Wii gets less third-party big budget "core" game development in the West.

Really, that just shows that every big budget multiplatform game should have a Wii version.

 

[Private Hoffman]

First month US sales prediction?

My first month sales predictions are around 400k.

For a title like this, and the development budget it has, I think that would be a spectacular number to achieve.

 

[schuelma]

As I said above, denigrating the Wii version is meaningless since it scored essentially the same across all platforms (and even scored higher at IGN).

I'm not denigrating it, I'm saying the Wii version was never the focus of Lucas Arts as evidenced by the late announcement of the Wii version.

I'll grant you that this is an example, but on the other hand you can't ignore the multi-platform releases that have done better on Wii (although I am sure there will be some way to disqualify those games).

 

[dialmydrive]

I kind of wish that Michael Pachter had been correct in his prediction a couple of years back when he said that casual gamers would buy the Wii and eventually "upgrade" to a 360 or PS3 (At least, I think it was Pachter who said that). This has not yet appeared to be the case.

I had this sad experience today when I was shopping at Target. A guy in his mid to late 30s was in the Wii section with his 3 year-old son. When the sales clerk asked the guy if he was finding everything okay, he said, apparently in frustration, "I'm trying to find something good for the Wii. I've been playing Wall-E with my son here... and it's terrible. I mean it's just really horrible. Isn't there something good? Something where you can run around and just, do cool stuff?" The sales clerk mentioned that maybe the customer should look at the 360 or PS3, and the guy's response was, "Yeah, my wife won't let me have one. She thinks they're bad for the kid. I can pretty much only get Wii games." He then took his son by the hand and left the video game aisle, sad and defeated.

-G

I hate women!

 

[PSGames]

Is there a MS press release yet?

 

[Lostconfused]

LALALALA WII DOESNT SELL SOFTWARE LALALALALALALA

/thread

The top 10 software lists don't really suggest otherwise.

 

[Loudninja]

Is there a MS press release yet?

yeah is bury somewhere among these pages.

 

[avatar299]

As I said above, denigrating the Wii version is meaningless since it scored essentially the same across all platforms (and even scored higher at IGN).

except that all the marketing power for wii at lucasarts right now is behind the exclusive clone wars game.

Better question is why do you think commercials built around the 360 will lead to wii sales

 

[Dirtbag]

Wii success + global recession = terrified for the next-generation xbox / playstation.

 

[RJT]

Is there a MS press release yet?

Yes. Basically a Wii Music preemptive damage control PR.

 

[DMeisterJ]

First month US sales prediction?

Don't do it! I learned from experience! :lol

Edit: too late. :'(

 

[Psychotext]

Funny thing... I was just looking at some historical PS2 data and its September numbers were in line with what the PS3 / 360 are doing right now (Only September 2002 was significantly higher) .

If it wasn't for the Wii things wouldn't look half as bad for them.

 

[GodMike]

I kind of wish that Michael Pachter had been correct in his prediction a couple of years back when he said that casual gamers would buy the Wii and eventually "upgrade" to a 360 or PS3 (At least, I think it was Pachter who said that). This has not yet appeared to be the case.

I had this sad experience today when I was shopping at Target. A guy in his mid to late 30s was in the Wii section with his 3 year-old son. When the sales clerk asked the guy if he was finding everything okay, he said, apparently in frustration, "I'm trying to find something good for the Wii. I've been playing Wall-E with my son here... and it's terrible. I mean it's just really horrible. Isn't there something good? Something where you can run around and just, do cool stuff?" The sales clerk mentioned that maybe the customer should look at the 360 or PS3, and the guy's response was, "Yeah, my wife won't let me have one. She thinks they're bad for the kid. I can pretty much only get Wii games." He then took his son by the hand and left the video game aisle, sad and defeated.

-G

Sounds like that dude needs to get his bitch in line and get a damn PS3 or 360. Its his money, he should do what he wants. Let the kid have the Wii and he can have his systems and games of choice when the kid isn't around.

 

[Opiate]

Considering that the Wii version was pretty clearly a late add on, I'd say Lucas Arts is probably pleased.

Did you say the same thing when another Star Wars game actually did the best on Wii?

Now the conversation breaks down completely, because we are about to run directly in to a "what do you define as core?" Discussion. I can garauntee that the response will be, "Lego Star Wars is not a core game." I vaguely agree with that position, but more importantly, I think the entire conversation is precisely that -- too vague -- and is too unsubstantiated to merit continuation.

Instead, I would argue something slightly more concrete: I believe the 360 and PS3 have a disproportionately large marketshare in the male, age 16-30 age bracket. They are weak in virtually every other arena: young girls, young boys, women age 16-30, and the elderly of both genders. My substsantive evidence to support this is Nintendo's demographic breakdown in Japan (which shows their spread amongst all demographics). I would argue based on that -- and based on the types of games that sell best in America -- it is likely that the generalizations I've just made are correct.

 

[harSon]

Microsoft's in pretty good position going into this holiday, they typically do anything from mediocre to good up until the holidays when they clean shop. At a pretty desirable price point with heavy hitters going into Christmas, I'd imagine they're going to sell gang busters if they manage to stockpile an adequate supply.

 

[Gaborn]

Wii success + global recession = terrified for the next-generation xbox / playstation.

Or, How You Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Waggle.

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

Lack of Banjo in these press releases disturb me greatly.

 

[GPsych]

:lol you are so full of shit

I'm really not kidding. At the time I thought it was a bit strange, but I actually wonder how common that situation really is. What if Pachter was correct that the non-gamer guy would start playing the Wii with his kids and decide he wants better graphics and more "hard-core" games? Trouble is, the Wii was purchased for the kids as a family machine. At this point, I really don't think MS or Sony have managed to break away from their core userbase enough to push a family to get a 360 or PS3 in addition to the Wii they already have. It seems that MS is really working on this, but I wonder if they'll ever manage to find some success there. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

-G

 

[Souldriver]

I kind of wish that Michael Pachter had been correct in his prediction a couple of years back when he said that casual gamers would buy the Wii and eventually "upgrade" to a 360 or PS3 (At least, I think it was Pachter who said that). This has not yet appeared to be the case.

I had this sad experience today when I was shopping at Target. A guy in his mid to late 30s was in the Wii section with his 3 year-old son. When the sales clerk asked the guy if he was finding everything okay, he said, apparently in frustration, "I'm trying to find something good for the Wii. I've been playing Wall-E with my son here... and it's terrible. I mean it's just really horrible. Isn't there something good? Something where you can run around and just, do cool stuff?" The sales clerk mentioned that maybe the customer should look at the 360 or PS3, and the guy's response was, "Yeah, my wife won't let me have one. She thinks they're bad for the kid. I can pretty much only get Wii games." He then took his son by the hand and left the video game aisle, sad and defeated.

-G

:lol

 

[DMeisterJ]

Is there a MS press release yet?

347,000 Xbox 360 consoles sold in September following our U.S. price cut on Sept. 5 contributing to a U.S. install base of 11.3 million (September NPD data). Xbox 360 is now the most affordable next generation console on the market—$50 less than the Wii and half the price of the PlayStation 3.

Backed by September sales data, which showed $326 million in total consumer spend in the U.S. and a record software attach rate of 8.1 (September NPD data), we know Xbox 360 owners will continue to flex their buying power in the coming weeks when blockbusters like “Gears of War 2,” “Lips,” “Fable II,” “You’re in the Movies” and “Scene It? Box Office Smash” hit shelves.

Xbox 360 is the preferred stage for this holiday’s hottest music games

New music tracks for popular games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero extend every music experience so every party feels like a new party. Xbox LIVE has delivered more than 80% of the downloadable songs for music games, currently averaging 3.8 million music downloads per month. In total, Xbox 360 users have enjoyed more than 45 million music downloads. (Microsoft internal data)

In addition to leading the online music game market, Xbox 360 sells more copies of the world’s favorite music franchises. To date this generation, in the U.S., nearly 2 million copies of the Rock Band franchise have sold on the Xbox 360, almost 1 million more than the competition combined. Life-to-date sales of the Guitar Hero franchise on Xbox 360 top 4 million, securing more than 50% of franchise sales this generation (September NPD data).

“Rock Band 2” debuts exclusively on Xbox 360

· Since its U.S. launch on Sept. 14, “Rock Band 2” on the Xbox 360 sold 363,000 copies in September, making it September’s #3 selling game.

· This holiday, Xbox 360 will continue to sell more third-party games like “Rock Band 2” than the competition. In September alone, Xbox 360 generated $167 million in third party game sales.

Calling all shower singers, wanna-be rappers and pop princesses – “Lips” hits the stage in November

· “Lips” will have music fans singing their favorite tunes this holiday season as this totally new singing IP lands around the globe. “Lips” lets people sing the music they want with breakthrough wireless motion-sensitive microphones, backed by master tracks and original music videos. “Lips” hits in mid-November, exclusively for Xbox 360 from Microsoft and iNiS.

“Guitar Hero® World Tour” drops on Oct. 26 with a cooperative band experience, newly redesigned controllers and in-game Music Studio music creator

· “Guitar Hero World Tour” launches on Oct. 26. Xbox 360 gamers worldwide have early access to an R.E.M. track pack featuring three songs from the band’s new album, and Metallica’s highly anticipated full-length album, “Death Magnetic,” was offered to music fans around the world as downloadable content on Xbox LIVE in its entirety on the same day the record was released.

At the Tokyo Game Show last week we announced that the New Xbox Experience will launch worldwide on Nov. 19. For the first time in the history of the internet, 14 million consumers across 24 countries will all tune in at the same time to watch their Xbox 360 completely reinvent itself, for free, with the New Xbox Experience.

From the best music games and blockbuster titles, to LIVE Parties, photo sharing and access to a movie and TV show library 30,000 deep through the New Xbox Experience, Xbox 360 has something for everyone this holiday.

There you go.

Courtesy of TheOddOne (page 7)

 

[jman2050]

I kind of wish that Michael Pachter had been correct in his prediction a couple of years back when he said that casual gamers would buy the Wii and eventually "upgrade" to a 360 or PS3 (At least, I think it was Pachter who said that). This has not yet appeared to be the case.

I had this sad experience today when I was shopping at Target. A guy in his mid to late 30s was in the Wii section with his 3 year-old son. When the sales clerk asked the guy if he was finding everything okay, he said, apparently in frustration, "I'm trying to find something good for the Wii. I've been playing Wall-E with my son here... and it's terrible. I mean it's just really horrible. Isn't there something good? Something where you can run around and just, do cool stuff?" The sales clerk mentioned that maybe the customer should look at the 360 or PS3, and the guy's response was, "Yeah, my wife won't let me have one. She thinks they're bad for the kid. I can pretty much only get Wii games." He then took his son by the hand and left the video game aisle, sad and defeated.

-G

That guy sounds like a douche.

 

[J-Rzez]

Wow, just noticed the Star Wars sales. I can't believe the Wii version with it's leading user base failed to even out sell the PS3 version, which the console has the lowest userbase of the three. I'm not a fan of the series, but Star Wars is a BIG name for anyone. But, Wiifit, and Mario Kart, are up there. But they're Ninty's handcrafted titles of course.

 

[schuelma]

Now the conversation breaks down completely, because we are about to run directly in to a "what do you define as core?" Discussion. I can garauntee that the response will be, "Lego Star Wars is not a core game." I vaguely agree with that position, but more importantly, I think the entire conversation is too vague and unsubstantiated to merit continuation.

I would argue something slightly more concrete: I believe the 360 and PS3 have a disproportionately large marketshare in the male, age 16-30 age bracket. They are extremely weak in virtually every other arena: young girls, young boys, women age 16-30, and the elderly of both genders. My substsantive evidence to support this is Nintendo's demographic breakdown in Japan (which shows their spread amongst all demographics). I would argue based on that -- and based on the types of games that sell best in America -- it is likely that the generalizations I've just made are correct.

Good post. I'm not denying that a certain genre of games do extremely extremely well on the 360, and to a lesser degree PS3. I just take issue with using one game to make a blanket statement such as he made.

 

[test_account]

Year of the PS3 continues...

What is actually the year of the PS3? I have heard it several of time, but i cant remember that i have seen a direct answer to what the year of the PS3 is. Is it if/when the PS3 have more and better games compared the the last year? Is it when the PS3 sells more than it did compared to the last year? Is it when the PS3 sells more than the Xbox 360 for 1 year? Or is it all of these 3 things combied?

If its about more and better games, then i would say that the PS3 2008 game lineup is better than the PS3 2007 lineup, but that is just my opinion. If it is about selling more compared to the last year, then the PS3 will sell more in 2008 compared to what it did in 2007. If it is about selling more than the Xbox 360 for a year, then it might do it (atleast worldwide), but i guess it is too early to say that for sure. If it is all the 3 things combined, then that might happend as well, but it is the same here, i guess it is too early to say for sure.

 

[Dirtbag]

Or, How You Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Waggle.

It's not the waggle that worries me....

 

[timetokill]

I kind of wish that Michael Pachter had been correct in his prediction a couple of years back when he said that casual gamers would buy the Wii and eventually "upgrade" to a 360 or PS3 (At least, I think it was Pachter who said that). This has not yet appeared to be the case.

I had this sad experience today when I was shopping at Target. A guy in his mid to late 30s was in the Wii section with his 3 year-old son. When the sales clerk asked the guy if he was finding everything okay, he said, apparently in frustration, "I'm trying to find something good for the Wii. I've been playing Wall-E with my son here... and it's terrible. I mean it's just really horrible. Isn't there something good? Something where you can run around and just, do cool stuff?" The sales clerk mentioned that maybe the customer should look at the 360 or PS3, and the guy's response was, "Yeah, my wife won't let me have one. She thinks they're bad for the kid. I can pretty much only get Wii games." He then took his son by the hand and left the video game aisle, sad and defeated.

-G

Tragedy strikes in the games section of a local Target. More at 11.

 

[GitarooMan]

I'm not denigrating it, I'm saying the Wii version was never the focus of Lucas Arts as evidenced by the late announcement of the Wii version.

I'll grant you that this is an example, but on the other hand you can't ignore the multi-platform releases that have done better on Wii (although I am sure there will be some way to disqualify those games).

No doubt stuff like the Lego games and other examples have done well, but people are always wondering why Western third-parties aren't throwing resources at the Wii and my main point is just that based on the numbers, it's not exactly clear that they should for every type of game. Ubi is an example of a company that gets shit on constantly, but do people really blame them for making games like Far Cry 2, Assassin's Creed, Brothers in Arms, etc.. on the 360/PS3/PC when I think the trend still shows those types of games selling better on those platforms.

It's more of a genre argument I guess than a quality argument, people just shouldn't be shocked when companies continue to primarily focus on 360/PS3/PC for certain genres, which is a problem for Wii's software library (not its sales), which is lacking to me in areas like racing, FPS, action/adventure, etc..

 

[Gaborn]

I'm really not kidding. At the time I thought it was a bit strange, but I actually wonder how common that situation really is. What if Pachter was correct that the non-gamer guy would start playing the Wii with his kids and decide he wants better graphics and more "hard-core" games? Trouble is, the Wii was purchased for the kids as a family machine. At this point, I really don't think MS or Sony have managed to break away from their core userbase enough to push a family to get a 360 or PS3 in addition to the Wii they already have. It seems that MS is really working on this, but I wonder if they'll ever manage to find some success there. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

-G

Nothing in your story was about the Wii's graphics, and there was no mention of you suggesting a game like No More Heroes for the dad or Boom Blox for the family (as a good game fit for all ages).

 

[WrikaWrek]

except that all the marketing power for wii at lucasarts right now is behind the exclusive clone wars game.

Better question is why do you think commercials built around the 360 will lead to wii sales

What about PS3 numbers?

Sorry, but really no excuses this time around. There's a big 3rd party game out there for the Wii, that had a nice amount of attention specifically put into it and it didn't even managed to match the PS3 version numbers.

 

[Deleted member 284]

I don't think Gitaroo's example proves his position, but it certainly supports it. Proof would require a much larger sample size.

Uh, GH3 takes his one month analysis and shits all over it.

 

[Truespeed]

The 360 number must be disappointing to Microsoft. It has the cheapest current gen console on the market and it only beat the PS3 by about 110K. I wouldn't be surprised if the PS3, at 232K made more profit for Sony than the what the 360 made for MS.

 

[Count Dookkake]

Wow, just noticed the Star Wars sales. I can't believe the Wii version with it's leading user base failed to even out sell the PS3 version, which the console has the lowest userbase of the three. I'm not a fan of the series, but Star Wars is a BIG name for anyone. But, Wiifit, and Mario Kart, are up there. But they're Ninty's handcrafted titles of course.

Might have to do with all that other software that is selling on the system.

 

[Saint10118]

I kind of wish that Michael Pachter had been correct in his prediction a couple of years back when he said that casual gamers would buy the Wii and eventually "upgrade" to a 360 or PS3 (At least, I think it was Pachter who said that). This has not yet appeared to be the case.

I had this sad experience today when I was shopping at Target. A guy in his mid to late 30s was in the Wii section with his 3 year-old son. When the sales clerk asked the guy if he was finding everything okay, he said, apparently in frustration, "I'm trying to find something good for the Wii. I've been playing Wall-E with my son here... and it's terrible. I mean it's just really horrible. Isn't there something good? Something where you can run around and just, do cool stuff?" The sales clerk mentioned that maybe the customer should look at the 360 or PS3, and the guy's response was, "Yeah, my wife won't let me have one. She thinks they're bad for the kid. I can pretty much only get Wii games." He then took his son by the hand and left the video game aisle, sad and defeated.

-G

:lol :lol :lol

 

[DMeisterJ]

The 360 number must be disappointing to Microsoft. It has the cheapest current gen console on the market and it only beat the PS3 by about 110K. I wouldn't be surprised if the PS3, at 232K made more profit for Sony than the what the 360 made for MS.

Isn't every PS3 sold for a loss?

 

[Psychotext]

Lack of Banjo in these press releases disturb me greatly.

As a Rare fan I'd have thought you'd have been used to MS's utter lack of publicity for anything Rare related.

 

[schuelma]

No doubt stuff like the Lego games and other examples have done well, but people are always wondering why Western third-parties aren't throwing resources at the Wii and my main point is just that based on the numbers, it's not exactly clear that they should for every type of game. Ubi is an example of a company that gets shit on constantly, but do people really blame them for making games like Far Cry 2, Assassin's Creed, Brothers in Arms, etc.. on the 360/PS3/PC when I think the trend still shows those types of games selling better on those platforms.

It's more of a genre argument I guess than a quality argument, people just shouldn't be shocked when companies continue to primarily focus on 360/PS3/PC for certain genres, which is a problem for Wii's software library (not its sales), which is lacking to me in areas like racing, FPS, action/adventure, etc..

I agree and disagree. I agree the market is larger right now on the 360/PS3 for the shooter/mature gamer market. But I also think that's largely a product of 3rd parties basically ignoring the Wii when it comes to putting out quality products in those genres. You point to Star Wars and the fact that the game reviewed the same as the other versions, but if you look at the advertising and money put into the products I think its fair to say those Wii sales are largely a bonus to Lucas Arts.

Edit- I'd also add that among the hardcore, I think it is legit to think that the impending release of Clone Wars might have taken away some sales.

 

[avatar299]

I'm really not kidding. At the time I thought it was a bit strange, but I actually wonder how common that situation really is. What if Pachter was correct that the non-gamer guy would start playing the Wii with his kids and decide he wants better graphics and more "hard-core" games? Trouble is, the Wii was purchased for the kids as a family machine. At this point, I really don't think MS or Sony have managed to break away from their core userbase enough to push a family to get a 360 or PS3 in addition to the Wii they already have. It seems that MS is really working on this, but I wonder if they'll ever manage to find some success there. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

-G

So this is an accurate scenario

"hey Son, let's play some wii sports
"Sure Dad, I love you"

Hour later

"Wow, that was fun. Now that I have played videogames with my family, i'm going to drive down to target and buy some games where I do some cool stuff, like shoot aliens that come out of the ground, or watch virtual stripteases. Wanna come along, son?
Ühhh...yes i think so......Are you divorcing mom"

Yeah sorry i don't see that happening. Anyone who wants to "blow cool shit up"will buy another console or buy other wii games like NMH or Metroid

 

[Vilix]

360 fans are celebrating 330K after the magic $199 price, during the spike of the cut? Wow.

Pointing at the PS3, the $400 console, isn't going to make 330K look better.

In other words...

 

[viciouskillersquirrel]

*Incoherent fanboy babbling*

-G

Don't sign off your posts. We know who you are - your username is right beside your posts.

 

[Zerodoppler]

Might have to do with all that other software that is selling on the system.

And which company is the publisher of that "other software" you speak of?

 

[GPsych]

Nothing in your story was about the Wii's graphics, and there was no mention of you suggesting a game like No More Heroes for the dad or Boom Blox for the family (as a good game fit for all ages).

This is true, he never actually mentioned graphics. That was an assumption on my part. In all honesty, most games probably fit the definition of running around and doing cool stuff. I just assumed he meant shooters or hard-core action games. Plus, I can't recommend Bloom Blox or No More Heroes as I've never played either one.

Don't get me wrong, I think the Wii is fine game console. It gets less play than my 360 and PS3, but that wasn't true at the beginning of the year as I was playing Fire Emblem and Smash Bros. I just thought it was an interesting story considering the idea MS has that families will want to start picking up the 360. I just question as to whether their new marketing direction will yield results.

 

[Francias Castiglione]

The 360 number must be disappointing to Microsoft. It has the cheapest current gen console on the market and it only beat the PS3 by about 110K. I wouldn't be surprised if the PS3, at 232K made more profit for Sony than the what the 360 made for MS.

If the same is true AFTER the holiday they will be disappointed, but saying that before the onslaught of massive titles (both exclusive and multiplatform) hits is pretty silly.

 

[boiled goose]

I'm really not kidding. At the time I thought it was a bit strange, but I actually wonder how common that situation really is. What if Pachter was correct that the non-gamer guy would start playing the Wii with his kids and decide he wants better graphics and more "hard-core" games? Trouble is, the Wii was purchased for the kids as a family machine. At this point, I really don't think MS or Sony have managed to break away from their core userbase enough to push a family to get a 360 or PS3 in addition to the Wii they already have. It seems that MS is really working on this, but I wonder if they'll ever manage to find some success there. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

-G

How about getting better wii games first?
Then maybe getting some hardcore wii games first?
Then maybe getting a HD platform....

The fact that he bought wall-E shows who wouldnt know what the hell to buy regardless of the console. I dont understand why people dont seem to like to go to review sites before wasting their money on crappy games. There are tons of family friendly games on the wii as well as hardcore games that are worth playing over Walle

 

[Gaborn]

So this is an accurate scenario

"hey Son, let's play some wii sports
"Sure Dad, I love you"

Hour later

"Wow, that was fun. Now that I have played videogames with my family, i'm going to drive down to target and buy some games where I do some cool stuff, like shoot aliens that come out of the ground, or watch virtual stripteases. Wanna come along, son?
Ühhh...yes i think so......Are you divorcing mom"

Yeah sorry i don't see that happening. Anyone who wants to "blow cool shit up"will buy another console or buy other wii games like NMH or Metroid

Or RE4: Wii (which he should own in any case)

 

[DogWelder]

That guy sounds like a douche.

Why?

But...

I'm really not kidding. At the time I thought it was a bit strange, but I actually wonder how common that situation really is. What if Pachter was correct that the non-gamer guy would start playing the Wii with his kids and decide he wants better graphics and more "hard-core" games? Trouble is, the Wii was purchased for the kids as a family machine. At this point, I really don't think MS or Sony have managed to break away from their core userbase enough to push a family to get a 360 or PS3 in addition to the Wii they already have. It seems that MS is really working on this, but I wonder if they'll ever manage to find some success there. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

-G

...why do you sign your posts? We can look four inches to the left if we want to see who posted.

 

[Karma]

The 360 number must be disappointing to Microsoft. It has the cheapest current gen console on the market and it only beat the PS3 by about 110K. I wouldn't be surprised if the PS3, at 232K made more profit for Sony than the what the 360 made for MS.

Might be true if you take the MASSIVE software sales difference out.

 

[jman2050]

And which company is the publisher of that "other software" you speak of?

Why does it matter?

 

[PantherLotus]

full set of charts incoming.

 

[jman2050]

Why? He just made an observation.

But...

No no, not the guy making the observation, the guy he's observing.