Video game sales thread October: all done here.

cloudeagle

Hi! Welcome to the sales thread. Here we talk about how games have sold, marketing, PR comments, analysis of analysts and all kinds of other business-related stuff. Occasionally we make poop jokes.

Here's the kind of things we expect around here:





And now, the current month's info.

Data care of NPD Group
Reporting Period: 10/4 - 10/31/09


PlayStation 2 117.8K
PlayStation 3 320.6K
PSP 174.6K
Xbox 360 249.7K
Wii 506.9K
Nintendo DS 457.6K


UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES (PS3; Oct-09) 537,000
WII FIT PLUS* (WII; Oct-09) 441,000
BORDERLANDS (360; Oct-09) 418,000
WII SPORTS RESORT* (WII; Jul-09) 314,000
NBA 2K10* (360; Oct-09) 311,000
HALO 3: ODST (360; Sep-09) 271,000
NBA 2K10* (PS3; Oct-09) 213,000
FORZA MOTORSPORT 3 (360; Oct-09) 175,000
KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS (NDS; Sep-09) 169,000
FIFA SOCCER 10 (360; Oct-09) 156,000

(*includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)

Leitner

Any links to the BBC coverage?

cloudeagle

For a happy start to this thread:

darleysam wrote: »

slash000 wrote: »

I can't wait to see the reaction after this happens.

I just really want to see what happens when as many as a million Live users are shut off for this reason.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/technology/newsid_10000000/newsid_10002900/10002915.stm

"My name's Raz, I'm 25 years old, I'm a massive Xbox gamer. I play every day after work and all day on the weekends.

The Xbox for me is just about playing online, that's why I love it - well did!

It was a big day yesterday, the latest game we've been waiting months and months for. We've played the whole series and this one's come out, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

All loading up, everything's going well, I was happy. It came on to the start screen of Call of Duty and I thought, 'Do you know what, let me quickly sign in online'. I sign in online and next thing I see, 'Your console has been banned from Xbox'.

I was pretty distraught at the time, I can't remember exactly what it said but I saw the words 'banned' and I was gutted, completely gutted.

At first I was in shock, I mean it's always at the back of your head using pirate games you know there's that possibility but you haven't heard about it, there's been no warnings and you haven't heard it happen to anyone in the last two years.

I wasn't expecting it. I was just like, 'OK, what do I do now? Is this just a joke?' So I thought, 'Let me restart the Xbox'. I restarted, signed in again, same message. I did that three times, same message. I was pulling my hair out thinking, 'No, why me?'

It's like telling someone their dog's just died. It was pretty much like that for me. I love it, I love playing Xbox live. I play with my mates all the time. It's just a good laugh, we all sit there chatting, playing games. Now I don't know what to do.

I still think they should lower the prices. There are 16-year-old kids out there, they don't earn money so they go screaming to their parents saying, 'Can you buy me this game?'

Fair enough, one game once in a while but the amount of games coming out, good games, everyone wants to play them all. And for them to pay £50 a game?

I took it into a shop [the Xbox], there was a guy back there and I asked him and he did it for me [chipped it]. He charged £75 to get it chipped but at the end of the day I said to myself I'll pay £75 to get it chipped, after two games I've paid the money back.

I've probably saved about £600 and I've copied roughly 30 or 40 games. A lot of them I've downloaded or I've taken off friends that have downloaded themselves.

To be honest, I've contemplated whether to move to Playstation 3 or buy another Xbox. I wouldn't do it again but I really don't know if I'm going to get the Xbox again now."

I read this yesterday and wanted to punch the monitor in anger.

darleysam

fragglefart wrote: »

Yeah the BBC coverage is really piss poor.

So glad Microsoft banned these numpties.

Seriously. No-one has any grounds to complain, and the self-pitying whining is just absolutely pathetic.

Oh boohoohoo, the big nasty man stopped me from playing my free games online, it's just not fair.

edit: I am taking this Happy Start ball and running like a bastard.


italics!

bigtuna

Any idea how Dragon Age is doing? I'm so glad they've tried to make a throwback CRPG that I'm waiting on baited breath to know that it'll sell well enough to warrant a sequel.

Raynaga

Wow, is the reader really supposed to feel sorry for a guy who says he stole 30+ games for his console?

cloudeagle

Raynaga wrote: »

Wow, is the reader really supposed to feel sorry for a guy who says he stole 30+ games for his console?

Yeah, it's amazing how the thought "perhaps I did something that the video game makers wouldn't be happy with" never entered his head for a second. And that the BBC, of all organizations, went along with it.

AZChristopher

Raynaga wrote: »

Wow, is the reader really supposed to feel sorry for a guy who says he stole 30+ games for his console?

It is kind funny that they don't expect to get caught when they connect their 360 to the net. If you really value online play then don't pirate, they will find you.

The Fourth Estate

He even asks us to 'think of the children!'

GnomeTank

You shouldn't pirate because it's a shitty fucking thing to do, online play aside. Of course, the gamer generation is also the "mememememememememememememememe" generation, so I guess it makes some sense.

* I'm talking like I'm disconnected...it's my generation, I just try not to claim it.

Snork

as soon as he mentioned pirating games i was like are you fucking seriously writing this article right now

i mean, most people in their lives have pirated something, be it music, bootleg movies, ROMs, etc and yes it sucks when/if it finally catches up to you
but how could you ever think that you are entitled to bitch about it, especially in the news
it's not like this is the riaa suing a single mom for a million dollars over three green day mp3s

Radikal_Dreamer

Didn't they ban a lot in the Xbox 1 days? The only friend I had that had an Xbox only loved the thing because he could pirate the hell out of every game under the sun, but he had two Xboxes. One was for online (basically just Halo), and the other was for all his pirated junk.

Dashui

Retard from the article wrote:

There are 16-year-old kids out there, they don't earn money so they go screaming to their parents saying, 'Can you buy me this game?'

When I was 16, I earned money I could spend on games. These pussies need to get jobs packing groceries or some shit.

Radikal_Dreamer

Dashui wrote: »

Retard from the article wrote:

There are 16-year-old kids out there, they don't earn money so they go screaming to their parents saying, 'Can you buy me this game?'

When I was 16, I earned money I could spend on games. These pussies need to get jobs packing groceries or some shit.

Seriously, my parents stopped buying me stuff when I was like 13. Unless it was clothes or a book, I had to buy it out of my own money. Since I didn't get a job until 15, I often didn't have enough, and actually had to take out loans from my sister's allowance money to get some things. Had to pay her back with interest though

fragglefart

The comments the BBC selected for highlighting "gamer concerns" are unbelievable.

Is this really an appropriate response, banning all modified consoles? There are legitimate and legal reasons why one might modify their console, such as using homebrew software created by independent developers.
Matt Slater, Clitheroe, England

Legitimate and legal reasons? Apologist tosser.

I bought an Xbox 360 Live from Ebay three months ago. I had no clue it might have been tampered with and it was sold with genuine games, I have since bought new games and played happily - until last night when I was told as I logged in that my console was banned because I'd broken the terms of the agreement. How would I have known if the console had been tampered with? I've started dispute procedures against the seller via Ebay, as far as I'm concerned the console wasn't advertised correctly!
Billy, Sunderland, England

Unfortunate, but will be a tiny minority, and you know, if you will buy consoles second hand from ebay...

Though I, like most Xbox users have not modified my console, I am concerned that the real reason for this disconnection is not to prevent the use of counterfeit games, but to preserve Microsoft's control of the market, so that it may charge publishers for the right to publish a game. Whilst this may seem fair enough, it does result in only "big hit" games being published, while smaller, often more interesting games, are only available on the PC or the somewhat overpriced Xbox Live arcade. I am concerned that Microsoft cannot satisfy itself with the Xbox live subscription charges, but sadly, the competitors (PS3 and WII) seem to use similar systems.
Rory Yeung, Ipswich, Suffolk

WTF is this guy on?

I am not an Xbox player but I get really annoyed that they go on about piracy, I have said many times that the only way to stop it is to bring the price of software down, its the same with Windows, far to expensive and too many versions. Games could be half the price and Microsoft would still make money. Bill Gates must be laughing on board his yacht.
Peter, Reading

Idiot, the games could be half the price and these people would still steal them, you can pick up almost all games here for less than half price after a month from launch.

Well copying anything to make a profit is illegal but at the same time I'm tired of paying for a game, CD, movie, and getting a scratch just for the disc to be worthless. I'm already paying $59.99 for a game and I shouldn't have to pay a second time for something I already own because of a scratch or something. Let us copy our own games or at least get a replacement with out having to pay $59.99 again.
Kevin, USA

Look after your stuff more carefully, imbecile?

I don't even have an Xbox but one of the reasons I don't have one is because Microsoft do this. The modchips do have a legitimate use. You are allowed to back up CDs on your computer in case the CD becomes unplayable. Discs are very fragile things and some users like to have their games backed up. After all you will have paid £40 for a new disc. It is my opinion that once you buy a disc you should be allowed to do whatever you want with the media as long as you do not break copyright laws. Using copied discs to play games you have already paid for is not a violation of copyright, therefore Microsoft have no right to do this.
Donald Glass, Aberdeen

ahahahahaha what a total wanker

Although I do not condone piracy or own an Xbox, I totally disagree with Microsoft's response here. If I have purchased a product, I would expect to use is as I wished, if it invalidates my guarantee, so be it, but having paid good money for it, it is mine. The "big brother" attitude from large companies and others is not only an attack on our personal freedoms but also very, very frightening.
Michael McIver, Hastings, England

So if someone steals something which does not belong to them, or clearly and deliberately violates a term of use, intervention is "big brother" attitude? Idiot.

My Xbox 360 console was banned from Xbox Live last night. I purchased Modern Warfare 2 and went to play it but I had my Xbox chipped a month ago to play games that I wasn't prepared to pay £40 plus for. I was stupid and regret it now but I think the fact that so many people have been banned, highlights to the gaming industry that the costs of games is too high. As with music, film and games, the pirates will never go away, but for the majority of us who want to stay on the right side of the fence, the cost of games has to come down as it already has with music and film.
BJ, UK

BJ is right, cocksucker. You want the biggest game of the year, with a massive development / production and advertising budget, on day one, and aren't prepared to shop around or wait for a discount, and then expect to have a valid complaint about price after you stole it? Fall down a hole, already.

It's important to fight back against piracy, but not at the expense of the consumer. Everyone worth their weight in salt in the games industry knows that piracy is impossible to stop. But so long as it is guarded against responsibly, the publishers will make profit and more great games will keep getting made. As for Xbox banning consoles from Live, this can result in shortcomings for thousands of gamers who have been misunderstood by the team behind the service.
Clement, Colchester

What planet are you on Clement? Pirates are now 'misunderstood gamers'? Another stupid apologist.

Gah!

One (ONE!) comment wasn't pro-piracy though,

I think that this is a good thing. It makes the gamers that pay feel hard done by because we have obeyed the rules. This stops the cheats having an unfair advantage over others and the ban is deserved.
SAS Jesse, Stoke on Trent

Well said, I think... :?

FyreWulff

People have forgetting the difference between "want" and "need".

darleysam

Boo Micro$oft just want to make money and there's so many games that I'm medically obliged to play but I literally can't afford to buy them all on these meagre benefits, so logically I have to get a chip installed and download my games for free.

Come to think of it, I could really use a new car..

Mgslee

Note how MS is not suing these people (RIAA) nor did their consoles get bricked

They can still Pirate all the singleplayer / offline crap they want.

Are people really complaining about being banned for a service when they completely cheated said service provider? Stupid Sense of Entitlement and "MEMEMEE" crap.

I wish those articles would have an editorial retort on how stupid these people are.

Edit: Homebrew is NOT AT ALL valid on the xbox 360. Theres a legitimete way to get homebrew (XNA)

Couscous

LONDON – 12 November 2009 -Xbox 360 today announced that it had achieved console sales to 10 million consumers across Europe, the Middle East and Africa in just four years. Reaching the landmark number has meant that Xbox 360 is the only console to achieve year-on-year growth across the region this year[1]. The launch next week of instant streaming HD movies, Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm on Tuesday 17th November 2009 transforms Xbox LIVE into the largest social network connected to the TV and strengthens Xbox 360’s already impressive line up of interactive entertainment services.

“Xbox 360 continues to pull ahead of the competition when it comes to delivering on a complete home entertainment experience and we think that Xbox Live currently is about 12 to 18 months ahead of its main rival PlayStation Network when it comes to offering service and content beyond traditional games,” said Martin Olausson, Director of Digital Media Research at Strategy Analytics. “By introducing innovative new services and content such as Natal, instant streaming of full 1080P HD video, and integrating social media features such as Twitter and Facebook, Xbox will likely attract a wider audience than its rivals and is in a great position to maximize sales in the next few years”.

2009 has been a pivotal year in Xbox’s journey from its gaming origins to now changing the way people consume and share entertainment content, interact with each other online and continue to play great games. It’s a change that people are embracing; there are more than 20 million Xbox LIVE active members worldwide and there have been over 1 billion downloads of gaming and entertainment content, with movie downloads doubling in the last year alone.

“Reinventing entertainment through, play, watch, connect and share. This is the vision that we have for Xbox 360 and today that vision is the reality for 10 million Xbox owners. European consumers are very discerning and demand a connected entertainment experience. That’s why we focused on providing content that is right and relevant for them and entertainment beyond just gaming to movies, music and social networking. We have delivered on this promise and next week will bring real innovation into the living room through instant streaming high definition movies, connecting with friends on Facebook and Twitter and a personalised music channel. Together, this represents a real shift in the way people are entertained every day,” said Chris Lewis, vice president Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Europe.

This reinvention of entertainment has already seen a shift in where the Xbox lives in the home, with the majority (60%) of Xbox consoles now becoming integrated into the family living room. It has also caused a shift in the Xbox customer base as now 35% of Xbox customers are women and 64% are over the age of 25[2]. The arrival of the much anticipated ‘Project Natal’ will create a new category of gaming and entertainment experiences through controller-free gaming that makes Xbox 360 more inclusive and relevant to an even wider audience.

Opty

I wonder what percent of Live Gold accounts are women, I'd imagine it'd be much smaller.

RainbowDespair

Mgslee wrote: »

Edit: Homebrew is NOT AT ALL valid on the xbox 360. Theres a legitimete way to get homebrew (XNA)

Good point. With XNA Indie Games in existence, it's pretty hard to find a legit reason to want to mod a 360.

And all the whining about prices is ridiculous. Didn't we just have an article in one of these threads about an iPhone developer who said that the vast majority of people who were playing his game had gotten it illegally and that was an iPhone game that was only a few bucks? And hey, if you're on a budget and want to game on the 360 either...

1) buy XBLA or XNA Indie Games. There are so many awesome $10 games on XBLA and most of the great XNA Indie Games are $3 or less.

2) look for good deals. If you look around, you can almost always get a nice deal on big new games at launch.

3) wait for games to drop in price. Now, for about the price of a new game, you could buy Mirror's Edge + Dead Space + Tales of Symphonia. That combination ought to keep anyone busy for months.

galenblade

Coming in via Twitter:

October NPD : Wii at 507k, PS3 at 321k, Xbox 360 at 250k

Spoit

bigtuna wrote: »

Any idea how Dragon Age is doing? I'm so glad they've tried to make a throwback CRPG that I'm waiting on baited breath to know that it'll sell well enough to warrant a sequel.

It did fairly decently in the UK charts, No. 8, if I recall.

Also, did anyone (titmouse) post about uncharted 2 allegedly breaking 1M yet?

Snork

fragglefart wrote: »

The comments the BBC selected for highlighting "gamer concerns" are unbelievable.

oh you're right, anyone hoping to use ISOs or homebrew apps in a non-pirate way is obviously just an 'apologist tosser' and lying about the legitimacy of their ends

look just because piracy is bad and people are being dumb doesn't mean you get to condescend to their positions and assume they're stupid for no good reason

up until blizzard started doing their steam-ish thing i kept ISOs of all of my blizzard games because the discs were old and scratched to hell

but no wait you're right i should just take better care of my things and cry more.
could you be more needlessly antagonistic?

EDIT: and I know about XNA and all that, but that didn't exist on the original XBox, and my friends and I played a shit ton of homebrew games and tweaked Halo 2 (that was legitimately purchased) on this one guy's modded oXbox

galenblade

And more. With bad news.

Top games in October: Uncharted at 537k, Wii Fit Plus at 481k, Borderlands at 414k. Brutal Legend not in top 10.

galenblade

Fuckit, here it is.

Data care of NPD Group
Reporting Period: 10/4 - 10/31/09


PlayStation 2 117.8K
PlayStation 3 320.6K
PSP 174.6K
Xbox 360 249.7K
Wii 506.9K
Nintendo DS 457.6K


UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES (PS3; Oct-09) 537,000
WII FIT PLUS* (WII; Oct-09) 441,000
BORDERLANDS (360; Oct-09) 418,000
WII SPORTS RESORT* (WII; Jul-09) 314,000
NBA 2K10* (360; Oct-09) 311,000
HALO 3: ODST (360; Sep-09) 271,000
NBA 2K10* (PS3; Oct-09) 213,000
FORZA MOTORSPORT 3 (360; Oct-09) 175,000
KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 DAYS (NDS; Sep-09) 169,000
FIFA SOCCER 10 (360; Oct-09) 156,000

(*includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)

Couscous

Beat me.

For comparison:


EEDAR
Wii - 635K
PS3 - 320K
360 - 280K

Pachter
Wii - 550K
PS3 - 380K
360 - 340K

EEDAR software:
Uncharted 2 - 600K #1 for October
Borderlands - 300K
Brutal Legend - 200K

Spoit

Borderlands did a lot better than expected. 400k for the 360 version alone?

Snork

galenblade wrote: »

And more. With bad news.

Top games in October: Uncharted at 537k, Wii Fit Plus at 481k, Borderlands at 414k. Brutal Legend not in top 10.

:<

galenblade

Instant takeaway for me:

Wii price cut didn't have too much of an effect.
KH: DS has some legs, as does Resort.
Can't be good news for Brutal Legend.

Couscous

Wii price cut didn't have too much of an effect.

What were you expecting.

The PS3 version of Borderlands didn't make it into the top 10.

RainbowDespair

The PSP Go's introduction hasn't seemed to do anything for overall PSP sales so it's probably bombing big time. Releasing it at $250 instead of $200 (or less) was a big mistake, one that they hopefully rectify soon. Oh well, I've got one and I'm enjoying it and the PSN has been updating much better than it used to so I'm happy regardless of whether or not anyone else buys the thing.

galenblade

More info via Geoff Keighley's Twitter:

FYI, Brutal Legend sold 215.4K across PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.

galenblade

Couscous wrote: »

Wii price cut didn't have too much of an effect.

What were you expecting.

I unno. Perhaps more than a 40k bump from September. I suppose the Wii really has reached a saturation level.

AZChristopher

galenblade wrote: »

And more. With bad news.

Top games in October: Uncharted at 537k, Wii Fit Plus at 481k, Borderlands at 414k. Brutal Legend not in top 10.

Great news for Borderlands.

Preacher

Man Borderlands was really let out there to die, I mean look at this low numbers. I guess gearbox is done for as a developer, thanks Micheal Pachter.

Fucking brutal legend deserves less sales god damn lying ass demo bullshit boring game!

Couscous

galenblade wrote: »

Couscous wrote: »

Wii price cut didn't have too much of an effect.

What were you expecting.

I unno. Perhaps more than a 40k bump from September. I suppose the Wii really has reached a saturation level.

Is either October or September a five week month or a four week month? I always end up forgetting.

Couscous

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=9069477

After a slight reprieve in September, U.S. video game sales slumped once again in October, hurt by the economic turmoil that's cutting into consumer spending.

Market researcher NPD Group said Thursday that total sales of video game hardware, software and accessories fell 19 percent in October from the same month last year, to $1.07 billion.

Sales of gaming hardware fell by nearly a quarter to $380.7 million. Software sales declined 18 percent, to $572.7 million

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!

Preacher

Couscous wrote: »

galenblade wrote: »

Couscous wrote: »

Wii price cut didn't have too much of an effect.

What were you expecting.

I unno. Perhaps more than a 40k bump from September. I suppose the Wii really has reached a saturation level.

Is either October or September a five week month or a four week month? I always end up forgetting.

October had 4 and a half weeks, so it depends on where they fold that first week.

useless4

Couscous wrote: »

Wii price cut didn't have too much of an effect.

What were you expecting.

The PS3 version of Borderlands didn't make it into the top 10.

yea, because I couldn't buy it because I couldn't find it!

Went to three stores, neither had the ps3 version but had the 360 version.

Preacher

useless4 wrote: »

Couscous wrote: »

Wii price cut didn't have too much of an effect.

What were you expecting.

The PS3 version of Borderlands didn't make it into the top 10.

yea, because I couldn't buy it because I couldn't find it!

Went to three stores, neither had the ps3 version but had the 360 version.

As I recall right the game had some supply issues at first due to the publisher not having a lot of faith in the title.