In an interview to appear on RPS at 10am today, Ubisoft tells us that they will no longer use their controversial “always-on” DRM. In fact, they quietly scrapped it months ago, but haven’t made that official until now. In what is a really remarkable turnaround, the publisher pledges that from now on they will only require a single online activation after installing, with no activation limits, nor limits on how many PCs it may be activated.
Looks like the Japanese market is successfully migrating towards the 3DS XL.
Vita's top seller... Is also the only title in the top ten. Fuck it, if I'm reading this right it's the only title that's charting. It's kinda funny though, the speculative talk last page about how much it'd manage to push got me thinking. People were guessing about 100k, and opening up the new page with the sales data I thought to myself "I'm leaning towards 150k", and whaddaya know that's just about right.
Anyway, now we know what the Vita needs to stay alive. Not hardcore gaems, not Monstah Hanta Surai-Jii, not COD - what it needs is some CPR mouth-to-mouth from a virtual teenage anime.
Alright and in this next scene all the animals have AIDS.
Looks like the Japanese market is successfully migrating towards the 3DS XL.
Vita's top seller... Is also the only title in the top ten. Fuck it, if I'm reading this right it's the only title that's charting. It's kinda funny though, the speculative talk last page about how much it'd manage to push got me thinking. People were guessing about 100k, and opening up the new page with the sales data I thought to myself "I'm leaning towards 150k", and whaddaya know that's just about right.
Anyway, now we know what the Vita needs to stay alive. Not hardcore gaems, not Monstah Hanta Surai-Jii, not COD - what it needs is some CPR mouth-to-mouth from a virtual teenage anime.
That's what makes this so doom and gloom. Vita had a big hardware bump, for them anyway, and it didn't do anything for the games already out.
Looks like the Japanese market is successfully migrating towards the 3DS XL.
Vita's top seller... Is also the only title in the top ten. Fuck it, if I'm reading this right it's the only title that's charting. It's kinda funny though, the speculative talk last page about how much it'd manage to push got me thinking. People were guessing about 100k, and opening up the new page with the sales data I thought to myself "I'm leaning towards 150k", and whaddaya know that's just about right.
Anyway, now we know what the Vita needs to stay alive. Not hardcore gaems, not Monstah Hanta Surai-Jii, not COD - what it needs is some CPR mouth-to-mouth from a virtual teenage anime.
That's what makes this so doom and gloom. Vita had a big hardware bump, for them anyway, and it didn't do anything for the games already out.
Did anyone ever make a decent estimate for how much of the PSP's sales were to customers that had no intention of buying games? The Vita isn't hitting that market and isn't likely to start now that smartphones have taken off.
Looks like I was wrong and Hatsune Miku is bigger than I thought.
Still, it is kind of depressing that they couldn't get 9% of those new Vita owners to buy Persona 4 Golden or Gravity Rush or something thus putting another Vita game in the top 30. Guess it's true that Japan tends to be even more front-loaded with game sales than the US.
This game is super Otaku bait RD. The people who were going to buy a Vita for this and P4G got theirs when P4G came out...and maybe traded it in/bought another one for this.
and then there is this...
PlayStation Vita claimed a rare first place in the software sales chart this week as Hatsune Miku Project Diva F beat a flood of newcomer releases with over 150,000 unit first week sales.
Impressive figures, no doubt, but possibly not impressive enough for a sequel. After Enterbrain and Media Create released their sales stats earlier today, Miku series spokesperson Nakanohito said at Twitter that based off the current sales tend, making a Hatsune Miku Project Diva F2 would be difficult. The reason is that F's development costs were so high.
Nakanohito says that the download version of F sold about 10% of the package version. He believes this is a typical figure for games.
The NPD Group today announced that there are about 211.5 million gamers in the US, which is down five percent compared to last year. The firm's newest report, Gamer Segmentation 2012: The New Faces of Gamers, notes that of the six gamer segments outlined, only Mobile Gamers and Digital Gamers saw increases in the number of gamers when compared to 2011, with Mobile Gamers up 9 points to 22 percent and Digital Gamers up 4 points to 16 percent.
Importantly, Mobile Gamers now represent the largest gamer segment, ahead of Core Gamers, which was the largest segment in 2011. NPD also said that the Family+Kid gamers segment experienced the most significant decline of an estimated 17.4 million gamers.
"Given the long lifecycles of the current consoles and the increasing installed base of smartphones and tablets, it's not surprising to see a slight decline in the Core Gamer segment," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. "It's the revenue contribution of the Core Gamer segment that continues to outpace all other segments, and remains vital to the future of the industry."
"While this study segments the gaming audience based on a number of key variables and attributes, looking across the total gaming audience we see a tremendous impact from mobile gaming, particularly on smartphones and tablets," she continued. "Because of this, our next study, which will be released later this month, takes a deeper look into the area of mobile gaming."
In an interview to appear on RPS at 10am today, Ubisoft tells us that they will no longer use their controversial “always-on” DRM. In fact, they quietly scrapped it months ago, but haven’t made that official until now. In what is a really remarkable turnaround, the publisher pledges that from now on they will only require a single online activation after installing, with no activation limits, nor limits on how many PCs it may be activated.
RPS asks some good questions, and gets evasive bullshit answers.
Finally indeed.
Although this is the step in the right direction, Ubi has already seriously damaged its reputation among a lot of the PC gaming market. This will help that a little but they have a lot of damage to account for, heh.
At least I'll feel more comfortable buying Ubi PC games going forward. Maybe I should finally pick up Splinter Cell Conviction.
Looks like I was wrong and Hatsune Miku is bigger than I thought.
Still, it is kind of depressing that they couldn't get 9% of those new Vita owners to buy Persona 4 Golden or Gravity Rush or something thus putting another Vita game in the top 30. Guess it's true that Japan tends to be even more front-loaded with game sales than the US.
Wouldn't a lot of sales of older games in Japan be used sales?
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
In an interview to appear on RPS at 10am today, Ubisoft tells us that they will no longer use their controversial “always-on” DRM. In fact, they quietly scrapped it months ago, but haven’t made that official until now. In what is a really remarkable turnaround, the publisher pledges that from now on they will only require a single online activation after installing, with no activation limits, nor limits on how many PCs it may be activated.
Finally.
It is about time.
I was almost going to avoid Simcity due to this and everything else Ubisoft does.
I think he just needs to say something like "unconnected solo experience" rather than just "single player experience." Too many dipshits are kneejerking and thinking EA will never release another single player game again.
0
Dark Raven XLaugh hard, run fast,be kindRegistered Userregular
Vita is a little cagey about preowned copies and sharing of stuff; you gotta do a full format on a game's card before it will let a new user earn trophies on it. The recent firmware update also requires a full system format if you want to change profile (and thus, region - disabling that option for a lot of people that buy from out of their region ie; this Miku game...) and given their recent poor decisions regarding the fanbase and the moves towards digital distro, I wouldn't be much surprised to see future firmwares permanently locking out used games.
I'm glad Hatsune Miku was a success, still kinda hope for an EU release, but I guess the real test is if it manages to stay in the charts next week.
This game is super Otaku bait RD. The people who were going to buy a Vita for this and P4G got theirs when P4G came out...and maybe traded it in/bought another one for this.
and then there is this...
PlayStation Vita claimed a rare first place in the software sales chart this week as Hatsune Miku Project Diva F beat a flood of newcomer releases with over 150,000 unit first week sales.
Impressive figures, no doubt, but possibly not impressive enough for a sequel. After Enterbrain and Media Create released their sales stats earlier today, Miku series spokesperson Nakanohito said at Twitter that based off the current sales tend, making a Hatsune Miku Project Diva F2 would be difficult. The reason is that F's development costs were so high.
Nakanohito says that the download version of F sold about 10% of the package version. He believes this is a typical figure for games.
The artwork on the case for the game itself isn't too bad, but the art on the Vita itself and everything else just gives me a "creepy cyborg that will murder you in your sleep" feeling.
Seriously, it's the eyes. Why are they so different between the case and the rest of the package?
Edit: And I won't go into my spiel about not understanding why a robotic voice is so popular.
In an interview to appear on RPS at 10am today, Ubisoft tells us that they will no longer use their controversial “always-on” DRM. In fact, they quietly scrapped it months ago, but haven’t made that official until now. In what is a really remarkable turnaround, the publisher pledges that from now on they will only require a single online activation after installing, with no activation limits, nor limits on how many PCs it may be activated.
RPS asks some good questions, and gets evasive bullshit answers.
Finally indeed.
Although this is the step in the right direction, Ubi has already seriously damaged its reputation among a lot of the PC gaming market. This will help that a little but they have a lot of damage to account for, heh.
At least I'll feel more comfortable buying Ubi PC games going forward. Maybe I should finally pick up Splinter Cell Conviction.
Very true. A lot of people (not necessarily myself) felt the act of implementing such DRM measures on purpose to be damning enough. One strike and then you're out, so to speak. So mending the wound over time doesn't necessarily translate into a rekindled partnership, nor does it inspire confidence that they won't completely balls up some other online preventative system.
Nintendo Network ID: V-Faction | XBL: V Faction | Steam | 3DS: 3136 - 6603 - 1330 PokemonWhite Friend Code: 0046-2121-0723/White2 Friend Code: 0519-5126-2990
"Did ya hear the one about the mussel that wanted to purchase Valve? Seems like the bivalve had a juicy offer on the table but the company flat-out refused and decided to immediately clam up!"
0
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
Problem I have with these online verification systems is that if for some reason you can't get online you find yourself unable to even play the game you bought.
Its an issue I've been seeing pop up more and more likely and it hasn't really been addressed.
Problem I have with these online verification systems is that if for some reason you can't get online you find yourself unable to even play the game you bought.
Its an issue I've been seeing pop up more and more likely and it hasn't really been addressed.
That's because the companies really don't care. We yell at them and they just shrug and don't give a fuck. If people keep buying games with these awful problems, the companies will keep doing it.
I'm glad Hatsune Miku was a success, still kinda hope for an EU release, but I guess the real test is if it manages to stay in the charts next week.
Something that's as otaku-centric as Hatsune Miku is unlikely to have sales legs. The vast majority of people interested in it are obsessed fans and probably bought it on day 1.
A lot of people (not necessarily myself) felt the act of implementing such DRM measures on purpose to be damning enough. One strike and then you're out, so to speak. So mending the wound over time doesn't necessarily translate into a rekindled partnership, nor does it inspire confidence that they won't completely balls up some other online preventative system.
Had they reversed their decision on their DRM after the first bit of fallout I would have probably been okay with it. But no. They constantly and consistently blamed piracy for their problems. I'm done with them, personally.
0
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
Problem I have with these online verification systems is that if for some reason you can't get online you find yourself unable to even play the game you bought.
Its an issue I've been seeing pop up more and more likely and it hasn't really been addressed.
That's because the companies really don't care. We yell at them and they just shrug and don't give a fuck. If people keep buying games with these awful problems, the companies will keep doing it.
I think the problem is that there hasn't been a big enough downfall due to it.
The Diablo 3 shit was close but still not enough. I think its going to take some large scale fuckup before people really see it as a problem, like with most things.
In an interview to appear on RPS at 10am today, Ubisoft tells us that they will no longer use their controversial “always-on” DRM. In fact, they quietly scrapped it months ago, but haven’t made that official until now. In what is a really remarkable turnaround, the publisher pledges that from now on they will only require a single online activation after installing, with no activation limits, nor limits on how many PCs it may be activated.
Finally.
It is about time.
I was almost going to avoid Simcity due to this and everything else Ubisoft does.
In an interview to appear on RPS at 10am today, Ubisoft tells us that they will no longer use their controversial “always-on” DRM. In fact, they quietly scrapped it months ago, but haven’t made that official until now. In what is a really remarkable turnaround, the publisher pledges that from now on they will only require a single online activation after installing, with no activation limits, nor limits on how many PCs it may be activated.
Finally.
It is about time.
I was almost going to avoid Simcity due to this and everything else Ubisoft does.
Posts
Well, GB would have to update their site more than once a week for anyone to care.
http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2012/09/05/ubisoft-drm-piracy-interview/
RPS asks some good questions, and gets evasive bullshit answers.
Currently playing: GW2 and TSW
You've been told by a moderator. You ignored them. Now I'm telling you. If you ignore me, you're done.
and for Famitsu the top 30:
[QUOTE Famitsu Sales: Week 36, 2012 (Aug 27 - Sep 02)
01./00. [PSV] Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f # <ACT> (Sega) {2012.08.30} (¥7.329) - 158.009 / NEW
02./00. [3DS] Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers <RPG> (Atlus) {2012.08.30} (¥6.279) - 73.690 / NEW
03./00. [3DS] Senran Kagura Burst: Guren no Shoujotachi <ACT> (Marvelous AQL) {2012.08.30} (¥5.980) - 70.569 / NEW
04./01. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 <ACT> (Nintendo) {2012.07.28} (¥4.800) - 55.028 / 1.068.878 (-23%)
05./00. [PS3] Kami Jigen Game Neptune V # <RPG> (Compile Heart) {2012.08.30} (¥7.329) - 35.670 / NEW
06./00. [PSP] Mobile Suit Gundam Age: Universe Accel / Cosmic Drive <RPG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.08.30} (¥5.980) - 32.782 / NEW
07./00. [PS3] AquaPazza: AquaPlus Dream Match # <FTG> (Aqua Plus) {2012.08.30} (¥7.140) - 28.806 / NEW
08./00. [PS3] Sengoku Basara HD Collection <ACT> (Capcom) {2012.08.30} (¥4.990) - 27.551 / NEW
09./03. [NDS] Pokemon Black 2 / White 2 <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2012.06.23} (¥4.800) - 27.198 / 2.692.626 (-19%)
10./00. [PSP] Rurouni Kenshin: Meiji Kenyaku Romantan - Kansen <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.08.30} (¥6.280) - 16.610 / NEW
11./04. [WII] Dragon Quest X: Mezameshi Itsutsu no Shuzoku Online # <RPG> (Square Enix) {2012.08.02} (¥6.980) - 13.616 / 570.365 (-34%)
12./18. [3DS] Tousouchuu: Shijou Saikyou no Hunter-Tachi Kara Nigekire! <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.07.05} (¥5.040) - 11.879 / 108.643 (+152%)
13./07. [3DS] Taiko no Tatsujin: Chibi Dragon to Fushigi na Orb <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.07.12} (¥5.040) - 10.860 / 194.260 (-5%)
14./06. [WII] Just Dance Wii 2 <ACT> (Nintendo) {2012.07.26} (¥5.800) - 10.599 / 160.527 (-11%)
15./09. [3DS] Kobitodzukan: Kobito Kansatsu Set <ETC> (Nippon Columbia) {2012.07.26} (¥5.040) - 10.576 / 82.188 (+11%)
16./05. [3DS] Tohoku University Aging Medicine Research Institute: Headed By Professor Ryuta Kawashima - Train your Brain Effectively in 5 minutes a day with Oni Training <HOB> (Nintendo) {2012.07.28} (¥3.800) - 10.567 / 142.593 (-16%)
17./00. [PSP] Ano Hi Mita Hana no Namae o Bokutachi wa Mada Shiranai # <ADV> (5pb.) {2012.08.30} (¥6.090) - 9.830 / NEW
18./10. [3DS] Monster Hunter 3G # <ACT> (Capcom) {2011.12.10} (¥5.800) - 7.080 / 1.541.209 (-9%)
19./11. [WII] Wii Sports Resort # <SPT> (Nintendo) {2009.06.25} (¥4.800) - 7.050 / 2.985.612 (-4%)
20./00. [PSP] Genroh # <ADV> (Idea Factory) {2012.08.30} (¥6.090) - 6.473 / NEW
21./13. [WII] Kirby's Dream Collection: Special Edition <ACT> (Nintendo) {2012.07.19} (¥3.800) - 5.403 / 183.430 (-14%)
22./15. [WII] Mario Party 9 <ETC> (Nintendo) {2012.04.26} (¥5.800) - 5.167 / 531.545 (-10%)
23./00. [PS3] Spec Ops: The Line <ACT> (Take-Two Interactive Japan) {2012.08.30} (¥7.140) - 5.155 / NEW
24./23. [WII] Taiko no Tatsujin Wii: Definitive Edition # <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2011.11.23} (¥5.040) - 5.031 / 284.286 (+26%)
25./00. [PSP] Custom Drive <ADV> (D3 Publisher) {2012.08.30} (¥6.090) - 5.018 / NEW
26./17. [3DS] Little Battlers eXperience: Explosive Boost <RPG> (Level 5) {2012.07.05} (¥4.400) - 4.969 / 129.311 (-9%)
27./14. [PSP] Kuroko's Basketball: Miracle Game <SLG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.08.09} (¥5.230) - 4.748 / 58.715 (-23%)
28./16. [PS3] Persona 4: Arena <FTG> (Atlus) {2012.07.26} (¥7.329) - 4.316 / 163.425 (-22%)
29./27. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 <RCE> (Nintendo) {2011.12.01} (¥4.800) - 4.118 / 1.795.180 (+7%)
30./02. [PSP] Bakemonogatari Portable # <ADV> (Bandai Namco Games) {2012.08.23} (¥6.280) - 3.966 / 38.479 (-89%)
Top 30
3DS - 10
PSP - 7
WII - 6
PS3 - 5
NDS - 1
PSV - 1
HARDWARE
With that big a hardware boost they could not get more than one game in the top 30 for Vita.
Why aren't you asking the hard questions, like why he split the DSi numbers?
// Switch: SW-5306-0651-6424 //
Burning the money it would take to localize it would be a better investment.
Yeah, they can't all be runaway Sega blockbusters like Sonic the Teenage Werewolf. 8->
Vita's top seller... Is also the only title in the top ten. Fuck it, if I'm reading this right it's the only title that's charting. It's kinda funny though, the speculative talk last page about how much it'd manage to push got me thinking. People were guessing about 100k, and opening up the new page with the sales data I thought to myself "I'm leaning towards 150k", and whaddaya know that's just about right.
Anyway, now we know what the Vita needs to stay alive. Not hardcore gaems, not Monstah Hanta Surai-Jii, not COD - what it needs is some CPR mouth-to-mouth from a virtual teenage anime.
I got a little excited when I saw your ship.
That's what makes this so doom and gloom. Vita had a big hardware bump, for them anyway, and it didn't do anything for the games already out.
Did anyone ever make a decent estimate for how much of the PSP's sales were to customers that had no intention of buying games? The Vita isn't hitting that market and isn't likely to start now that smartphones have taken off.
Still, it is kind of depressing that they couldn't get 9% of those new Vita owners to buy Persona 4 Golden or Gravity Rush or something thus putting another Vita game in the top 30. Guess it's true that Japan tends to be even more front-loaded with game sales than the US.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
and then there is this...
You know, for better grip.
I got a little excited when I saw your ship.
Article Here
This was probably necessary considering all the bullshit that's been getting posted.
Finally indeed.
Although this is the step in the right direction, Ubi has already seriously damaged its reputation among a lot of the PC gaming market. This will help that a little but they have a lot of damage to account for, heh.
At least I'll feel more comfortable buying Ubi PC games going forward. Maybe I should finally pick up Splinter Cell Conviction.
Steam ID: slashx000______Twitter: @bill_at_zeboyd______ Facebook: Zeboyd Games
You're not very worldly for someone who posts on the Penny Arcade forums.
Wouldn't a lot of sales of older games in Japan be used sales?
(Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
It is about time.
I was almost going to avoid Simcity due to this and everything else Ubisoft does.
I'm glad Hatsune Miku was a success, still kinda hope for an EU release, but I guess the real test is if it manages to stay in the charts next week.
The artwork on the case for the game itself isn't too bad, but the art on the Vita itself and everything else just gives me a "creepy cyborg that will murder you in your sleep" feeling.
Seriously, it's the eyes. Why are they so different between the case and the rest of the package?
Edit: And I won't go into my spiel about not understanding why a robotic voice is so popular.
Switch: 6200-8149-0919 / Wii U: maximumzero / 3DS: 0860-3352-3335 / eBay Shop
Very true. A lot of people (not necessarily myself) felt the act of implementing such DRM measures on purpose to be damning enough. One strike and then you're out, so to speak. So mending the wound over time doesn't necessarily translate into a rekindled partnership, nor does it inspire confidence that they won't completely balls up some other online preventative system.
Pokemon White Friend Code: 0046-2121-0723/White 2 Friend Code: 0519-5126-2990
"Did ya hear the one about the mussel that wanted to purchase Valve? Seems like the bivalve had a juicy offer on the table but the company flat-out refused and decided to immediately clam up!"
Its an issue I've been seeing pop up more and more likely and it hasn't really been addressed.
That's because the companies really don't care. We yell at them and they just shrug and don't give a fuck. If people keep buying games with these awful problems, the companies will keep doing it.
Something that's as otaku-centric as Hatsune Miku is unlikely to have sales legs. The vast majority of people interested in it are obsessed fans and probably bought it on day 1.
Zeboyd Games Development Blog
Steam ID : rwb36, Twitter : Werezompire, Facebook : Zeboyd Games
Had they reversed their decision on their DRM after the first bit of fallout I would have probably been okay with it. But no. They constantly and consistently blamed piracy for their problems. I'm done with them, personally.
I think the problem is that there hasn't been a big enough downfall due to it.
The Diablo 3 shit was close but still not enough. I think its going to take some large scale fuckup before people really see it as a problem, like with most things.
At any rate, Gamasutra's got a great analysis on the subject. They argue they'll have a hard time shaking it since they were so draconian for so long.
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/177092/Can_Ubisoft_shed_its_DRM_bad_guy_image.php#.UEebraNAUtU
CRAP