The video game industry thread: January 2011's over, use the new one

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. Or dick jokes. Or meta-dick jokes. Don't ask.

Here's a summary of what you missed since last time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMSHvgaUWc8

And now, January's info. Yes, game sales are combined across systems now. Yes, we aren't getting concrete console sales now. Yes, it sucks.

4-week reporting period: 1/2/11 through 1/29/2011


Software (New Physical Retail only; across all platforms incl. PC)
01. Call of Duty: Black Ops* (360, PS3, WII, NDS, PC) Activision Blizzard
02. Just Dance 2 (WII) Ubisoft
03. Dead Space 2* (360, PS3, PC) Electronic Arts -- 452K
04. Little Big Planet 2* (PS3) Sony -- 353K
05. Zumba Fitness: Join the Party (WII, 360, PS3) Majesco
06. NBA 2K11 (360, PS3, PSP, WII, PS2, PC) Take 2 Interactive
07. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood* (360, PS3) Ubisoft
08. Dance Central (360) MTV Games
09. Michael Jackson The Experience* (WII, DS, PSP) Ubisoft
10. DC Universe Online: The Next Legend Is You* (PS3, PC) Sony --195K

Xbox 360 sold 381,000 units in January, up 48,000 units year-over-year.
Wii - 319,000 (-32%)
PS3 - 267,000 (-3.6%)

mere_immortal

I'd totally be up for some online Blurring if people pick it up for cheap.

Lotus Exige erryday.

cloudeagle

Wow, with Blur getting that cheap I really should give it a whirl.

Capt Howdy

Dead Space may not have lived up to expectations, but it did lay the ground work for what looks to be a successful franchise. So in the long run the failure is a success.

corin7

Where can one find the cheap Blur? I have always wanted to give it a shot.

Brainiac 8

Quoting from last thread:

mere_immortal wrote: »

Blur really was fantastic, I will argue it's merits all day. 20 and 10 person online racing was ridiculous fun, it's also cheap as hell now and has 4 person split screen so anyone who likes fun and has friends should pick it up.

But yeah marketing and release timescales were horrendous, same with Split/Second which was great too.

Split/Second is an awesome game through and through. It's too bad that it also tanked around that same time period, and it didn't have the terrible advertising to blame either.

I'll have to find Blur and get it for cheap if people here are up for some Blur matches later down the road.

Automaticzen

IGN makes me cry by estimating revenue for Facebook titles, and placing them against 2010's bestsellers.

While it's impossible to nail down the numbers exactly since the companies don't share that info, and no one tracks them, we found a couple of studies that provided a formula for making an educated guess. A study by NPD last year found that 10 percent of the people who play Facebook games pay real money to buy in-game items or currency. A study by SocialGold (a microtransaction company) found that the average player who actually pays real money spends about $55.

Using those stats plus the number of monthly active users, which is available on Facebook itself, we've estimated how Facebook games would stack up in the top 10 games of 2010 in terms of paying players and revenue generated.

And I have to think their development costs for something like Cityville are lower.

I weep.

UnbreakableVow

I thought I'd buy Blur when it was cheaper

But it's only $20 and I'm still not biting

I wonder how cheap it would have to be to get me to buy it

Rehab

That just makes me feel sad for anyone who invested actual money in Facebook games and that that much money was invested. Its as stupid and meaningless as buying some new virtual shoes for your avatar guy in Home, only I guess with this you are competing with your friends and their bullshit farm or town or whatever.

Hey your crops won't die in Farmville now! I mean . . . you could have taken that $50 for the special ring which does nothing else in a game not worth anyones time and bought an actual game or any number of other things, but clearly a glorified browser game is worth the investment when its not even required right? Arrrrgggghhhhh!

reVerse

Rehab wrote: »

I mean . . . you could have taken that $50 for the special ring which does nothing else in a game not worth anyones time and bought an actual game

For the people who play those games, they are actual games. Not everyone wants to shoot mans in Call of Halo.

InkSplat

Rehab wrote: »

That just makes me feel sad for anyone who invested actual money in Facebook games and that that much money was invested. Its as stupid and meaningless as buying some new virtual shoes for your avatar guy in Home, only I guess with this you are competing with your friends and their bullshit farm or town or whatever.

Hey your crops won't die in Farmville now! I mean . . . you could have taken that $50 for the special ring which does nothing else in a game not worth anyones time and bought an actual game or any number of other things, but clearly a glorified browser game is worth the investment when its not even required right? Arrrrgggghhhhh!

Hey, Mr. Judgmental, I'm sure lots of people think you spending $50 on a silly game when you could be investing it or buying something real and useful with it is just as ridiculous.

UnbreakableVow

Yeah, I don't begrudge people that play browser games at all

They're free, fun in short doses (I played a bit of the AC Brotherhood tie-in game and had some fun with it), and if they wanna throw a little cash towards it, who cares?

I spent in the area of $1,500 on Rock Band, which I mean, you know, look what I could have done with that cash. But it brought me nearly $1,500 worth of fun. I'm in no position to judge.

pslong9

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

Yeah, I don't begrudge people that play browser games at all

They're free, fun in short doses (I played a bit of the AC Brotherhood tie-in game and had some fun with it), and if they wanna throw a little cash towards it, who cares?

I spent in the area of $1,500 on Rock Band, which I mean, you know, look what I could have done with that cash. But it brought me nearly $1,500 worth of fun. I'm in no position to judge.

Holy crap, that's a lot of money on one game. Understandable given the game, but still a bit shocking to see the number straight out like that. I'm sure I'd find it a bit shocking to see how much I've spent on games in general. Probably better not to think about it that way.

Rehab

There is a very clearly defined line here though. Zynga doesn't give a flying fuck about the quality of their games whatsoever. Nor do they invest much time in making the game fun, enjoyable, or deep. All that is required of it is that it is addictive and has the basic trappings of a real game. The Facebook userbase is there and some subset of those users will spam other users insisting that they play with them because they want X item for inviting them. Of course those people do the same thing wanting other items of their own, which are likely to be reskined off something else and most likely do nothing else but sit there for you to look at. All of the content in these games are there purely for the sake of being collected and compared to what other people have in a sort of "keeping up with the Jones'" kind of way.

And when they do have a use, like the Farmville ring that keeps your crops from dying, what the item actually is doing at its very core is allowing users the ability to have to play Farmville less. You don't have to click on as many tiles now and get to avoid more of the game. But shouldn't something be said when you are buying items in a game so that you can relieve yourself of having to play the game any longer then you need to? Farmville represents an obligation by having you go on and tend to shit on your farm so that it doesn't go away and its mechanics are used to makes slaves out of its users. Then the game has you go and suck in more people and the cycles starts anew. Again, the people making the game don't care about providing a fun experience. Its all about getting more and more people sucked into their respective voids and then waiting for the cash to flow in from the 10 percent of users who are actually willing to pay money for the shallow and repetitive experience they have been given.

Beltaine

I'd probably be physically sick if I had a running total of video gaming purchases I had made in my lifetime.

Also, people spend good money on second-hand MMO accounts and "power-leveling services" so that they can play the game less.

override367

Eh we can't know if those numbers are accurate, I suspect it's lower than that.

Technically I'm a Cityville "user"

for like 5 minutes of one month ever

Beltaine wrote: »

I'd probably be physically sick if I had a running total of video gaming purchases I had made in my lifetime.

Just comfort yourself by remembering there are people who spend millions on even sillier things (my economics teacher had a billionaire client who used solid gold ingots as door stops, worth 1.3 million each)

Rehab

override367 wrote: »

Eh we can't know if those numbers are accurate, I suspect it's lower than that.

Technically I'm a Cityville "user"

for like 5 minutes of one month ever

That isn't a representation of their overall userbases though. The chart is simply showing the subset of the overall number of users that actually spent money on in-game items or currency and how much money went into each dark virtual abyss.

However, you are right in that the number of users is as high as it is in the first place because the games are free and it counts everyone who played them, regardless of how often they return or how much they have played.

Lilnoobs

Rehab wrote: »

There is a very clearly defined line here though. Zynga doesn't give a flying fuck about the quality of their games whatsoever. Nor do they invest much time in making the game fun, enjoyable, or deep. All that is required of it is that it is addictive and has the basic trappings of a real game. The Facebook userbase is there and some subset of those users will spam other users insisting that they play with them because they want X item for inviting them. Of course those people do the same thing wanting other items of their own, which are likely to be reskined off something else and most likely do nothing else but sit there for you to look at. All of the content in these games are there purely for the sake of being collected and compared to what other people have in a sort of "keeping up with the Jones'" kind of way.

And when they do have a use, like the Farmville ring that keeps your crops from dying, what the item actually is doing at its very core is allowing users the ability to have to play Farmville less. You don't have to click on as many tiles now and get to avoid more of the game. But shouldn't something be said when you are buying items in a game so that you can relieve yourself of having to play the game any longer then you need to? Farmville represents an obligation by having you go on and tend to shit on your farm so that it doesn't go away and its mechanics are used to makes slaves out of its users. Then the game has you go and suck in more people and the cycles starts anew. Again, the people making the game don't care about providing a fun experience. Its all about getting more and more people sucked into their respective voids and then waiting for the cash to flow in from the 10 percent of users who are actually willing to pay money for the shallow and repetitive experience they have been given.

Or in short what this guy said

Discussing that game over three years ago at the Game Developers Conference, Lantz said he saw Facebook as "a space in which a new kind of game design would flourish. A kind of game design that is even lazier, more incestuous, focused on making it addictive by using social obligations to make them feel like they need to play, and requiring less thought than Candyland! "

fragglefart

Would like to know how much I've spent on Rock Band.

The Squier (and MIDI thingy) cost me £230 alone just the other day.

Rehab

And you were complaining about the 3DS being priced at £230? :P

darleysam

Was it in the last thread we were posting extracts from the "I was banned from Xbox Live!" complaints forum? Because I love the response to this one

For the record, while proclaiming that you are a certain unstoppable character from the Marvel Universe is fine, the word at the end should be left out of your profile.

Brainiac 8

darleysam wrote: »

Was it in the last thread we were posting extracts from the "I was banned from Xbox Live!" complaints forum? Because I love the response to this one

For the record, while proclaiming that you are a certain unstoppable character from the Marvel Universe is fine, the word at the end should be left out of your profile.

Hahahaha! :^:

UnbreakableVow

If someone is actually offended by "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" they need to fuck right off

Beltaine

If someone is actually offended by "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" they need to fuck right off

I'm sure it was someone on the opposing team in his "important" Call of Duty match.

Jars

the description of facebook games also fits mmos pretty well. social constructs designed to keep you playing because your guild needs you.

darleysam

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

If someone is actually offended by "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" they need to fuck right off

It's not about being offended. It's about having rules that say "don't do a thing", agreeing to the rules, and then doing a thing anyway.

Santa Claustrophobia

darleysam wrote: »

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

If someone is actually offended by "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" they need to fuck right off

It's not about being offended. It's about having rules that say "don't do a thing", agreeing to the rules, and then doing a thing anyway.

It's when the rules don't cover legitimate things that there are real problems. Like the whole 'Gaylord' thing.

Diamond

It's a little different in the case of your motto. You put swears in your profile you're just asking to be banned.

fragglefart

Rehab wrote: »

And you were complaining about the 3DS being priced at £230? :P

Yup. Like I've said, the money itself isn't a problem.

Seen how much guitars are going for at the moment since the VAT increase? That UK 3DS price is still an insult.

FWIW Rock Band is a weird exception to my usual gaming spending habits.

Well, guitars in general, for that matter, because they are fucking awesome.

UnbreakableVow

darleysam wrote: »

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

If someone is actually offended by "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" they need to fuck right off

It's not about being offended. It's about having rules that say "don't do a thing", agreeing to the rules, and then doing a thing anyway.

So you're saying Microsoft people are just randomly looking for profiles to ban based on the language contained within?

Someone must have complained

And that person is a tool

darleysam

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

darleysam wrote: »

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

If someone is actually offended by "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" they need to fuck right off

It's not about being offended. It's about having rules that say "don't do a thing", agreeing to the rules, and then doing a thing anyway.

So you're saying Microsoft people are just randomly looking for profiles to ban based on the language contained within?

Someone must have complained

And that person is a tool

Eh, if someone's being an obnoxious douche in a game, I'm only too happy to go into their profile and 'avoid player'. If I see something worth reporting while I'm there, I'll report them.

Diamond

darleysam wrote: »

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

darleysam wrote: »

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

If someone is actually offended by "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" they need to fuck right off

It's not about being offended. It's about having rules that say "don't do a thing", agreeing to the rules, and then doing a thing anyway.

So you're saying Microsoft people are just randomly looking for profiles to ban based on the language contained within?

Someone must have complained

And that person is a tool

Eh, if someone's being an obnoxious douche in a game, I'm only too happy to go into their profile and 'avoid player'. If I see something worth reporting while I'm there, I'll report them.

Same here. Although I probably wouldn't report "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" unless the guy did something else assy.

Automaticzen

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

If someone is actually offended by "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" they need to fuck right off

Don't create a gamertag, profile content, Avatar action, Avatar content, or in-game content that other users may be offended by. This includes, without limitation, anything related to or suggestive of: profane words/phrases, topics or content of a sexual nature, hate speech (including but not limited to racial, ethnic, or religious slurs), illegal drugs/controlled substances, or illegal activities.

They don't make the distinction between the tag 'Bitchhunter' or "Cocksmasher' and the motto "I'm the Juggernaut bitch." Large company, big online infrastructure. They err on the side of quick, painless bans. Much like Youtube in removing copyright infringing videos.

Santa Claustrophobia

Automaticzen wrote: »

UnbreakableVow wrote: »

If someone is actually offended by "I'm the Juggernaut bitch" they need to fuck right off

Don't create a gamertag, profile content, Avatar action, Avatar content, or in-game content that other users may be offended by. This includes, without limitation, anything related to or suggestive of: profane words/phrases, topics or content of a sexual nature, hate speech (including but not limited to racial, ethnic, or religious slurs), illegal drugs/controlled substances, or illegal activities.

They don't make the distinction between the tag 'Bitchhunter' or "Cocksmasher' and the motto "I'm the Juggernaut bitch." Large company, big online infrastructure. They err on the side of quick, painless bans. Much like Youtube in removing copyright infringing videos.

Also, much like this place and certain words or actions you just can't use.

Leitner

That may be, but his point stands.

Santa Claustrophobia

Want to test that with your signature?

Rakai

I would report him just because, no, you're not the juggernaut.

Leitner

Santa Claustrophobia wrote: »

Want to test that with your signature?

Well I have a problem with the N word, which I don't really with bitch. Yeah you could argue it's gendered but whatevs, I think it's divorced enough from its original usage to have removed reasonable offence.

And even then I wouldn't, because I value posting (which fyi, I didn't pay the privelige of doing) over say swearing. But that doesn't change the fact that if someone is honestly offended by a swearword enough to get another user banned they need to do some thinking.

Rehab

fragglefart wrote: »

Rehab wrote: »

And you were complaining about the 3DS being priced at £230? :P

Yup. Like I've said, the money itself isn't a problem.

Seen how much guitars are going for at the moment since the VAT increase? That UK 3DS price is still an insult.

FWIW Rock Band is a weird exception to my usual gaming spending habits.

Well, guitars in general, for that matter, because they are fucking awesome.

Heh, well it was mostly a joke since you just spent the same amount on a toy guitar (although, I have my own weaknesses too of course!), but the 3DS price actually does seem to be rather steep over there. I'm not entirely sure what £230 means in US dollars, only that I saw from another post of yours that its £51 over what the PSP launched at there which was also $250 here in the US. That enough is perfectly reasonable justification to be upset.

I know that I'm excited about it and don't mind the $250 that I would have to pay here soon after launch, but I'm a whore for Zelda and Resident Evil games, so that probably influences me about as much as your guitar infatuation.

Jars wrote: »

the description of facebook games also fits mmos pretty well. social constructs designed to keep you playing because your guild needs you.

I'm actually in complete agreement with that point, although at the same time I recognize that the base game in MMOs can actually have a lot of depth and content if that kind of game and experience is your thing.

I have tried to get into a couple different MMOs myself (mostly because my friends were saying "you should play!" actually) but in both cases I soon became completely disinterested in playing. I went so far as to start a character in City of Heroes, but I found that creating the character looked to be a lot more fun then actually playing the game from seeing another friend play beyond that point. For some reason a world which is as alive as an MMOs just comes off feeling dead to me, but its more the experience of playing the game then the other players themselves in my case I think.

Santa Claustrophobia

Leitner wrote: »

Santa Claustrophobia wrote: »

Want to test that with your signature?

Well I have a problem with the N word, which I don't really with bitch. Yeah you could argue it's gendered but whatevs, I think it's divorced enough from its original usage to have removed reasonable offence.

And even then I wouldn't, because I value posting (which fyi, I didn't pay the privelige of doing) over say swearing. But that doesn't change the fact that if someone is honestly offended by a swearword enough to get another user banned they need to do some thinking.

What part of 'there are rules, don't break 'em' is confusing? Your offense sensitivity is not the same as everybody else's. In this case, Microsoft acknowledges this and says 'this is the limit we will tolerate'. Going beyond that, just because you believe other people need to 'do some thinking', is still breaking the rules.

Microsoft has as much a right to set their limit and enforcement and reporting processes as Penny Arcade does.

Ninja Snarl P

Whether or not somebody is offended is completely beside the point. The motto violated the rules of Live, the guy was reported, and he was banned for violating the rules. It would suck to get pulled over for speeding because you pissed off somebody and they called the cops and you got caught, but if you don't want to get caught then don't break the rules.