My 2 Cents: "The Last of Us Probably Won't Sell Very Well"

"I couldn’t tell you why Resistance or Infamous couldn’t break the 5 million mark, but it’s a telling stat that a large percentage of PS3 owners either aren’t interested in these titles or they’re completely unaware of their existence. This has to change."

[Cupid_Viper_3]

"I couldn’t tell you why Resistance or Infamous couldn’t break the 5 million mark"

But I can, It's quite simple you see, Very few games gets to sell 5 million units ever. You can't a system this Generation that has more than 10 games to break that mark, yet each system have hundreds of games that came out for them.

[GribbleGrunger]

Yes and the 'relative' nature of the internet can only deduce that 3 million is bad simply based on the fact that some games hit higher numbers. It's handy to exaggerate a point to prove one, so let's say a game comes out and sells 30 million in it's first week and then the following year the follow up sells 33 million. From that point on, 10 million would be seen as a 'relative' failure.

We've had this debate so many times on this and many other sites and the answer is very simple: Sony offer a very broad appeal for their PS3 so of course there's also going to be a very broad appeal for certain games. If you advertise your console as a FPS console, then of course you are going to attract people who like FPS and a FPS game will sell very well on your console... You'll end up with high sales of FPSs but a lack of interesting and imaginative content as a consequence.

It's not complex. It's not a mystery.

The Last Of Us will be a fantastic game, there is no doubt. Will it sell extraordinarily well to such a diverse userbase who are not sold on just one genre? Maybe not. Will it be successful? YEP!

[Game0N]

How does 10 million sound?

[Blankman85]

How come the highest selling games on ps3 are FPS then? Sony didn't market it as such.
Awaits your explanation.

[GribbleGrunger]

Because once a whole generation of gamers have been exposed to FPS and deem it 'fashionable' to play certain well known franchises, they too get drawn into that narrow band of thinking. Most young men succumb eventually, partly because of peer pressure and partly because of a lack of imagination.

But it still doesn't change what I said overall about why Sony doesn't always sell a ton of one particular genre. What I said still applies. People buy the PS3 for many many reasons, whilst others buy another console for very few reasons. You may see this as a flimsy, cop out but when debating one particular issue, it's necessary to focus on the subject generally; otherwise I'd have sub-clauses every other word and the message would lose clarity.

[demonddel]

GribbleGrunger man You one crazy dude

[sikbeta]

TLoU will not sell as well as it deserves because Sony doesn't know how to advertise and when, they'll probably put a 15 second ad 3 days before the game comes out and sure the game will compete a huge franchise, like U3 did last year, it's a shame, ND deserve more sales than what they actually get.

[baodeus]

@gribble

As weird as it sounds I bought x360 because of RPGs and racing where they use to be a PS brand strong point. U seems to assume and generalized but doesn't look at what each console have as a whole. If u look at everything overall, u know PS and Xbox are pretty dead even in having variety of genra.

Why most if not all arguments always seem so one sided in every post?

But u r right in that FPS is currently the trend.

[maniacmayhem]

@Gribble

I'm with Baodeus, I bought the 360 because they kept reporting they would have more RPGs and a lot of Japanese companies where backing them in support for RPGs. I don't remember 360 being advertised as THE FPS machine. I think that is completely false.

And the excuse of "PS3 games don't sell because there's too much variety" is pure BS. It's almost as bad as the tired saying of "sony doesn't advertise enough", it's like some people will come up with any other reason as to why a Sony game doesn't do well.

***Most young men succumb eventually, partly because of peer pressure and partly because of a lack of imagination.***

So the reason people buy the 360 is because MS marketed it as such but the reason FPS's are #1 on PS3 is because people were peer pressured or didn't have imagination? I guess it has nothing to do with actually LIKING a game and playing it more than another. And peer pressured? Seriously? This isn't some after school special.

As Baodeus stated your arguments hold no weight and are truly leaning on one side and lack proof to boot.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

Essentially the article in one sentence

LAST OF US NOT CAWLOFDUTY... WONT SELL

-_-

[zeeshan]

I could care less. As long as I can get my copy, I am good and I can't freakin' wait!

By the way, if Heavy Rain, a completely "different" game can sell in millions, I see no reason why LAST OF US won't. It seem to have everything! Action, horror, suspense, great story, great fight sequences, great AI, great environment, great music, great graphics. Need I say more?

[gaffyh]

Thing is though, it might not sell 5 million, but it will definitely sell 2 million and that is enough for Sony, because they keep 100% of the profits as the game is first party. However, if they market this game like they did with Uncharted 2, which was one of the best marketed games in recent Sony history, they will get a lot of interest in this game.

The best ad campaign I've ever seen for a game this generation was Halo 3, which was plastered everywhere in the UK. I saw it on the buses for about 2 weeks, as well as in print ads, online ads and TV ads.

[Eyeco]

I fully agree with you man but its also worth pointing out that Sony is pi$$ poor at marketing this is no secret, the reality is when a game like Killzone 2 or even Uncharted 2 came out those games sales could be attributed to word of mouth and Internet hype. I remember the marketing for those games being almost none existent.

And its really sad, I've said this before, but a game that should have flown out the door was LBP when you look at the universal appeal of that game, anyone could get into it, it should have been the best selling game on the PS3, if Microsoft or Nintendo had a game like that, LBP would have sold at least 10 million, seriously look at their marketing power , if Nintendo can make piece of cr@p like Wii Play sell almost 30 million worldwide, think of what they could have done with a game like LBP, its all down to marketing people, something that Sony has never really been good with.

[Peppino7]

Sony relies heavily on word of mouth for advertisements. Although that works, maximizing the exposure of this game will need more. You're going to need commercials, magazine ads, etc.
There are times I've walked into game stores and seen games I've never heard of. I wouldn't be surprised if companies didn't make any money off those games. How does a regular family get to know about certain games if its not for ads or their kid asking for it. They don't.

Sales don't equal success, but the argument here according to the title is about SALES. Especially a NEW IP, needs MAXIMUM exposure, otherwise don't expect tremendous sales. Can't wait to play this.

I'll have 1 copy of its millions sold.

[Ezz2013]

maniacmayhem & baodeus

plz point me to ps3 exclusives that don't sell well
(with a prove please)

because
uncharted games
killzone games
god of war games
MGS4
Resistance
Infamous
LBP
GT games
etc of the long list of ps3 exclusives
all of them are over the 3+ million mark

i never knew that 3m sales mean the games are failure
only on N4g i guess
and i thought this site is pro sony
but after a quick look
it only all about anti sony articles (based on opinions)

[pixelsword]

"The Last of Us Probably Won't Sell Very Well"

I'm starting to reject game sites which have an "x" as the first letter for PS3 news...

[morganfell]

Let me see if I understand this. First Dualshockers publishes an article with this title:

"Why Sony Should Exit The Console Hardware Business"

http://n4g.com/news/1100642...

Now some person called Dualshockers Carlos submits this article also dooming Sony. Pattern of hate? Agenda? One is owned by Dan Curtis and the other by Joel Taveras but the evidence is pretty clear.

[BattleAxe]

My Opinion is Only Worth 2 Cents: "The Last of Us Probably Won't Sell Very Well"

Fixed!

[Beastforlifenoob]

Sony's Advertising is improving so i'm suspecting decent sales, I watched Taken 2 in the cinemas in Australia last night, my popcorn box had a ps-vita ad and my coca cola had a Littlebigplanet vita ad, so let's hope this golden baby the last of us sells. I would like more slow paced games like these in the market

[Sarcasm]

I think its telling that consumers and the rest of the industry agree that Sony's advertising campaign's suck. They might have one or two hits like the Kevin Butler thing, but then they lose it with the rest of their games.

That's why I don't give a damn about Will Wright being fired. He was probably just as useless as the rest of the Sony PR and deserved to be fired.

Microsoft on the other hand knows how to market the 360 and its games. I mean heck, look as the millions of Kinect's sold despite the lackluster peripheral.

[DarkHeroZX]

I can give you 3 reasons why this game will be successful and possibly sell 5 million +

Uncharted 1
Uncharted 2
Uncharted 3 all say hi!!!

And the fact that this game was made buy the naughty gods means that alone will push sales.

[Muffins1223]

I would say the last of us wont sell allot,but i think it will sell decently and sell more than killzone and resistance...

[Thatguy-310]

It will do over 2 million which is by no mean a Fail in the sales department. Yea it won't reach gear of wars or halo numbers but how many games do? Quality over quantity and that's what this game is all about. I'm positive it will do great in the market.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

I would give you a plus for common sense, but I had to settle for intelligent. You see people all throughout this generation talking about how PS3 games should sell more. Well, maybe some of them should, but I see completely new IPs like inFamous, Heavy Rain, and LittleBigPlanet doing 2 million+ each, and people act like that's nothing. Its hard or rare enough for a multiplatform game to "guarantee" 5 million sold, so naturally, an exclusive has its work cut out for itself. All one has to do is look at the numbers to see that 5 mil doesn't happen a lot or overnight.

[shenpo_shin]

LBP sold more than 4 mil
same for LBP 2

learn some facts before throwin numbers

[joab777]

I think it has to do with a few things. Firsr, sony doesnt advertise well for these games, especially killzone. And while infamous was really good, R3 & K3 , while being really good, had no adverstising while streamling and taking out many thinhs people loved.

The one exception for sony studios has been naughty dog, the mother studio. They get more support than the others combined. The last of us will sell very well. I think it could break records. But, this does depend on many things. Time will tell.

[uncharted56]

Halo sells more then that every year. Im not a fanboy in fact Im a proud owner of a PS3 but Im sorry SONY has been the dumbest console company this generation. They just dont fucking understand the power of advertising. I really hope they advertise the shit out of Last Of Us like Halo 3 was. I want to see this gem sell millions.

[Cupid_Viper_3]

So A company who sells you a system at $200.00 dollars below the manufacturing cost, and doesn't sacrifice a game's budget for the sake of advertisement is dumb?

I don't mean to be disrespectful and I apologize in advance if I am, but you guys have to be some of the dumbest gamers ever, of any generation.

You're praising Halo, a franchise that has more money going to marketing than the actual games themselves....smh

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

Amen, sir.

+Bubble for "Well Said" on you. ;)

[zeeshan]

@Cupid: Well said! Bubbles for you my friend!

[MYSTERIO360]

@Cupid_Viper_3 i complete understand where your coming from but i would have to agree with uncharted56.

I for one would totally not want a games budget to be sacrificed for the sake of advertising. But the sad fact is regardless of the games overall quality advertising sells it.

Don't take my work for it look at CODS recent success,they advertised the shit out of MW2 and now it sells millions. I personally know people who dislike the game but will still buy it because their friends have it. All this is a result of great advertising of a game which was overvalued. If not COD look at halo 3.

I know the uncharted series has gotten some advertising but i wish games like Killzone and Resistance were advertised more. I think with good advertising the last of us could sell well over 3million.

[MariaHelFutura]

Ill be buying it.

[DigitalAnalog]

"Now, I’m not saying this is going to happen to The Last of us but in this climate, it seems like most people would rather go for the flashing lights than go for a static dose of realism. It’s no rocket science, mass appeal is real and it does affect games like The Last of us, time and time again."

This is probably the only part of the article that justifies the title. HOWEVER, in light of the events of DayZ and the like, you cannot make a consensus based on "casual" purchases alone. Contrary to what you may believe there are MILLIONS of "core" gamers out there who spends most of their time contemplating what game to buy and when they do, it's usually in the masses. Whether it's niche titles like Heavy Rain, Journey or Demon Souls or mass appeal games like Gears or Halo. "Core" gamers do make a difference in gaming and I'm glad there a few studios let alone a non-dependent one to take risks like this.

Going back to ND, they have a track record for selling multi-milllion IP's per generation. So the benefit of the doubt goes to their history. The studio is probably one of the few where the name alone has more marketing power than the IP it produces itself.

[ElitaStorm]

why would i care about sell nr when i know that iam going to buy it?

[BluEx610]

I care about sales because I want good producers like Naughty to get what they deserve and also to show that hard work pays off. The more sales = the more chance it has for a sequel. So this is one of those games that I want it to sell well, just so I can see a trilogy just like the Uncharted series.

[SilentNegotiator]

Under FIVE million is this guy's "not selling well" mark?

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Jaces]

Sony only has to advertise who's heading up TLoU and it'll sell millions in no time. ND has that kind of track record, lol.

In truth though, I don't mind if it sells under 5 million. I think any number over 1 million would be a victory for that developer..I mean when you think about it that's a lot of people, and if it's sold that much it'll only grow over time.

I know one thing is fact, I'm buying it day one.

[MostJadedGamer]

Of the 11 PS3 that have sold 5 million or more only 3 of them are exclusive. While of the 18 360 games that have sold 5 million or more 8 of them have been exclusive.

8 of 18 is a lot better then 3 of 11. PS3 exclusives have just not done well.

[Jaces]

5 of those are from the same franchise and the other 3 are from another.

Both are shooters...well one is 3rd but it's practically the same thing. What about MS's other exclusives? lol, nice spin. I'd rather be given a choice for exclusives than force fed the same thing over and over.

[-Superman-]

Company name alone sells this game alot

[aquamala]

It's a shame infamous 2 only sold 1.2 million, great game

The truth is that these are the type of games people buy used and trade them in, people keep cod's for a long time to play with their friends

[paddystan]

Sony jsut need to have written in the back of the cover "From the makers of the critically acclaimed Uncharted series". And BAM, it will sell.

[showtimefolks]

I believe it will because by the time it comes out ps3 install base will be over 70 million. And if Sony spends a little like they did with uncharted 3 than this game can do 5-8 million

Also btw like many ave said before me in comments that not every game is gonna do 5 million not every game is even gonna do 3 million. LOOK AY BIOSHOCK IT DIDN'T SET THE RECORD FOR SALES. Sales are just for fanboys so they can feel good about the product they are supporting.

Infamous 2 came out in worst time it didn't make sense with release date and with e3 over shadowing it people forgot about it and there was ZERO advertisement yet with infamous collection now out and selling well I believe Infamus IP overall has done well and will be one Sony will work with in future

Beyond 2 souls I have more doubts about in sales but i a getting it day one but many sites are reporting problems with controls that control the ghost. Hopefully QD will use some basic game controls too instead of all QTE.

LOU will be a strong GOTY contender but 2013 is gonna be so big that which ever games win2013 GOTY has to do something really special

Beyond 2 souls
Last of us
Gta5
Bioshock
Tomb raider

From top of my head those game will be strong GOTY contenders

[miyamoto]

"Sales are just for fanboys so they can feel good about the product they are supporting."

+1 Bubble for you

I know who you are talking about there - "the kids".

If gamers will only mature up like many in the movie industry during the times of the The Matrix & TLOTR we might see a brighter future for the gaming industry.

I will support TLOU for one of many reasons: it won't likely to be pirated in the millions mark like on the 360 & Wii or PC.

That means value for me.

It means money for those who deserve it.

Money for Sony's outstanding victory over piracy.

And its a must have for my Naughty Dog collection.

[-Mezzo-]

This Article In A Few Words: "Some PS3 Exclusives Didn't Sell, So I Don't Thing Last of Us Will Sell Well".

This is barely a Forum Post let alone an Opinion Piece.

[smashman98]

I can see where you're coming from but I'm sure last of us will
sell, people love the post apocalypse I'd be more worried about Playstation all stars or beyond 2 souls but thanks to people loving the end of the world, I know for a fact Last of us will break 5 million easy

[Y_5150]

A checklist for it to be successful:
1.Naughty Dog making it. CHECK
2.Has zombie-like creatures. CHECK
3.Naughty Dog. CHECK
#3 implies the credibility of the developer.

[Dualshockers_Carlos]

That number 3 is very important. Had it been by another developer, would the interest level be the same?

[smashman98]

sure it could depends on which devs

[HammadTheBeast]

If it was Nihilistic I would've cried.

[srcBFMVBMTH]

@Y_5150

Agreed, couldn't have said it better myself. lol

"I couldn’t tell you why Resistance or Infamous couldn’t break the 5 million mark, but it’s a telling stat that a large percentage of PS3 owners either aren’t interested in these titles or they’re completely unaware of their existence."

LMAO, same thing can be said about 360 exclusives.

"I couldn’t tell you why Crackdown or Fable couldn’t break the 5 million mark, but it’s a telling stat that a large percentage of 360 owners either aren’t interested in these titles or they’re completely unaware of their existence."

Anyways, these games don't NEED to break 5 million to justify being made. Just enough to make profit and warrant the developer to make a sequel, or a new IP.

[Ezz2013]

and the fact that they use sales only when they favor them
when any ps3 fan show reviews or awards as of why ps3 exclusives are some of the best this gen and top all of xbox exclusives
they use the sales of halo and gears the only two exclusives games that sell over 4+m on xbox

but when ps3 use sales of games like GT5 over Forza games
they use reviews

this only show how much hypocrite both sides

[Silly gameAr]

Oh oh. It's the season of the sales articles again.

[chukamachine]

4million or more i think.

Most people will know that naughty dog are behind it. It will have a big advertising campaign and it's bound to win awards.

[Dualshockers_Carlos]

Do you think awards sell games?

[Bathyj]

No, but awards (and sales) are mealy by-products of being awesome, and I think Last of Us will be awesome.

A better question would be do you think sales make a game good?

[Ultraplayerxp]

Do you think winning a few won't?

[shenpo_shin]

uncharted 2
MGS4 say hi

[SilentNegotiator]

Future games? Yes.

And since they'll surely advertise it as being from the creators from the award winning Uncharted series.....yes.

[zeddy]

probably wont sell like cod but i expect 3+ million atleast lifetime.

[49erguy]

It's getting my $$$, and this is coming from a PC gamer.

[MightyPatapon]

Whoops, meant to hit agree

[MightyPatapon]

"From the makers UNCHARTED."

5 million easy.

[bubblebeam]

I'm hoping 5 million as well (about the same as the Uncharted series). It is nearing the end of the generation, and this looks to be a sawn song.

It got the Graphics, Atmosphere, story, characters, voice acting, AI (looks to be VERY impressive), and it is made by Naughty Dog. I'm expecting big advertising on this.

Unless people read; "From the makers of UNEARTHED"
http://www.youtube.com/watc...
lol looks like prince of persia on PS2.

[CGI-Quality]

Always love these pointless doom articles. Seems the authors never learn. :D

[ElitaStorm]

they are in a loop hole, dont know how to get out

and 90% that comes from N4G is garbage since 2010

[ChunkyLover53]

I think a lot of its sales depend on when its released in relation to the PS4's announcement and release.

Some very brilliant games throughout gaming's history have been ignored because the newest console was released at the same time. I'm sure it'll be a good game, not sure what the sales expectations will be, but it probably wouldn't be too bold to predict 3 million units or so, which is great for a new IP this generation.

I think the reason that we are getting an influx of AAA titles so early in 2013 is because those developers don't want to compete with new hardware and software that comes out with said hardware.

[InTheLab]

God of War 2 released in 2007...months after the PS3 dropped. Not only that, most developers tend to shy away from low install bases ie: new consoles.

[ChunkyLover53]

You gave one good example and it was at a time when the PS3 was backwards compatible and didn't have a very strong lineup.

Look back in history and you will find a lot of games that released late in a console generation that didn't catch on.
Psychonauts
Conker's Bad Fur Day-The official Wiki says the following "The game sold poorly due to limited advertising and a release towards the end of the Nintendo 64's life-cycle, but earned a cult following due to its unique styling."

Conker Live And Reloaded suffered the same fate, released in 2005 after the Xbox 360 was already announced.

There are a ton of similar situations, I guess only time will tell, but speaking for myself, once the next Xbox and PlayStation are announced, I wont be spending any more money on current consoles. Its how I've always done things, I never bought a single PS2/Xbox/Gamecube game after their successors were announced.

[CGI-Quality]

God of War 1 was a hit, allowing God of War II to be successful. Not sure you really understood what he was saying. Nothing suggests that The Last Of Us won't sell plenty, and with the type of buzz it has, it's a given that it will be a success.

Seems you're running out of bubbles though. :O

[majiebeast]

Remember when people thought Heavy rain wouldnt sell Sony proved those people wrong. The name Naughty dog stands for amazing games and alot of playstation fans know this.

[Ares84HU]

In my opinion, they should have made Uncharted 4.

[Blastoise]

Why? We've had three Uncharted's this GEN, 4 if you count the handheld spin-off. I'd rather Uncharted 4 was a PS4 release, and I think its good Naughty dog are working on something really different.

[Ares84HU]

Because if you haven't noticed there aren't too many adventure games and Uncharted was always amazing. I want to play more of that. I'm kind of tired of games that are trying to be this survival/horror thing.

My favorite games of all time are the Tomb Raider series and when Uncharted came around it also became my other favorites. I guess I like exploring old ruins and beautiful locations.

[jc48573]

really depends. I definitely know why Resistance and Infamous would sell less.

[Heisenburger]

I won't argue as I cannot predict the future.

But I can guarantee at least one sale.

*points to myself*

[Dualshockers_Carlos]

Nice. Dig the Breaking Bad teddy too!

[jjb1981]

Another sale here, that's for dang sure... Naughty dog are on top of their game!

[r21]

It might sell a million or more IF sony advertises the game WITHOUT spoiling anything! The uncharted 3 trailers and ads ruined any sorts of surprises for me :L

[MoreRPG]

Naughty Dog has a big fan base and are known for making AAA games of the highest quality(Uncharted series).
When it comes to sales numbers Naughty Dog has been consistent so we should expect The Last of Us to sell at least 4.5 million copies in the first year.

[Tontus]

Are you serious? A new IP selling 4.5 million in its fist year?! LOL, the delusion is killing me!

Not a single Uncharted game has accomplished that or even come close to that, what makes you think an unproven new IP can? It's not like it's going to have Sony's full dedication when it comes to marketing since a much bigger exclusive for Sony is releasing next year, God of War: Ascension.

I don't think you hardcore internet-dwelling gamers understand that in the real-world Naughty Dog aren't popular at all, they may be amongst gamers who spend most of their time on internet forums etc, but most gamers in the real world don't even know the developers of their favorite games.

The Uncharted series doesn't even have a huge fan base at all. The biggest Uncharted fan group on Facebook only has 512,000 fans compared with God of War for e.g. which has 3,280,000 fans, that's 6.4 times more. And don't give me bullshit that God of War is older and therefor would have more fans, it's only 2 years older and it's still MUCH more beloved which is why the games all sell 4-5.5 million without mass bundling and with very little marketing. Many people outside of the internet dwelling hardcore gaming folk don't care about Uncharted and therefore Uncharted's 'popularity' won't help The Last of Us.

[Ezz2013]

i signed up to this site after i see how much wrong your comment

every uncharted game on ps3 have sold over 4 Million
both uncharted 2 and 3 sold 5.5Million
which both have sold more then or about the same as god of war 3

god of war games psp/ps2/ps3 have sold total 21 Million
coming from SM them self
http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

uncharted games has sold ps3/psv over 17 Million
coming from ND them self
http://n4g.com/news/985412/...

so there goes your hot air comment

BTW i'm huge fan for both games

[MoreRPG]

For a game thats not popular at all 17million copies sold is pretty damn good
@Tontus I know I may have gone a little bit overboard saying The Last of Us will sell at least 4.5 million copies on it first year (Uncharted 3 did it) but to say a game is not popular just because it only has 512,000 followers on Facebook is stupid

[OC_MurphysLaw]

My 2 cents.... This article is just for hits.

[SAE]

Who cares since we are gonna play it , people need to get over the sale thing , sometimes i feel like the people get the money not the companies...

[BlaqMagiq24]

Maybe it will sell maybe it won't but sales don't determine success or failure. Ultimately ratings do. Okami is a perfect example.

[ShaunCameron]

Okami's low sales resulted in Capcom shutting down Clover Studios. All the rave reviews and awards in the world couldn't get people to buy it. Ultimately sales do matter. To the developer and the publisher, that is.

[BitbyDeath]

Still make more money than most people here will ever see.

Honestly who cares about sales you get none of it.

[BigStef71]

It will sell well just on the fact that NAUGHTY DOG is making it. Anyways so is gonna market this game like crazy cuz its gonna be its big exclusive of next year. Just like thy did for uncharted 3 which has sold close to 5 million copies. Just look at Sonys E3 best conference they showed this game to close the show and everyone in the crowd went nuts!!! So I am not worried at all that it might not sell well because it definitely will

[Tontus]

Not true at all. The Jak and Daxter games didn't sell so well and the first Uncharted didn't sell so well either, it's only when Uncharted 2 & 3 came out and Sony started mass bundling and greatly advertised the games did the games appear to be popular. Without Sony's help UC games would sell no more than a 3-4 million each, still good numbers though.

And no The Last of Us isn't going to be Sony's big exclusive next year, God of War: Ascension is going to much bigger and so Sony will market that game like crazy whilst TLoU will have a small marketing campaign which makes sense for an unproven new IP, for all we know TLoU could suck? Who's played it through to know already?

The Last of Us wont sell more that 4 million units, especially with next-gen on the horizon, I'd bet between 3-3.5 million myself, but honestly who the hell cares? Gamers are meant to play games, not analyse their sales.

[CGI-Quality]

Hmmm, seems you make far too many assumptions. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was also quite popular before Among Thieves came along. But then, I doubt feeding you the truth would matter.

[BigStef71]

Here's a list of how well each of their games have sold:
Crash Bandicoot: 6.82 million
Crash Bandicoot 2 Cortex strike back: 7.58 million
Crash Bandicoot 3 warped: 7.13 million
Crash Team Racing: 4.79 million
Jak and Daxter: 3.64 million
Jak 2: 2.78 million
Jak 3: 1.85 million
You can add an extra 250k to these because of the jak and daxter collection
Jak X: Combat Racing: 550k
Uncharted Drakes fortune:4.27 million
Uncharted 2 Among Thieves: 5.74 million
Uncharted 3 Drakes Deception: 4.66 million
So it looks to me all of Naughty Dogs game have sold very well. So name recognition of them making TLOU will make the game sell well. And you honestly think Ascension is their big exclusive? I'll give you its Sonys second big exclusive but there is no way that game is their biggest. If it was it would have closed out the show at E3 and the release date for that game is in March which shows you already it isn't the biggest because they would have saved it for the Holiday season. We don't know when the release date for TLOU is but if i had to make a guess it would be October or November because thats when UC 2 and 3 released respectively. Trust me this game will sell very well. It's a new IP that gamers are getting hyped about and a game that has a chance to define this gen like UC2 did

[srcBFMVBMTH]

@BigStef71

"the release date for that game (God Of War Ascension) is in March which shows you already it isn't the biggest because they would have saved it for the Holiday season."

Pretty much every if not all God of War's have always released in March though.

But I agree on the TLOU ending E3. TLOU seems to be their biggest exclusive coming out considering how many trailers they've been releasing and how many hits they've been getting on Youtube (Almost as much as Halo 4 actually). The internet is already ALL OVER TLOU. Sony just needs to play their cards right with the whole (T.V., billboard, buses, magazine etc.) type of ADS.) like they did with Uncharted 3.

Naughty Dog? CHECK
Post Apocalyptic setting? CHECK
Zombies? CHECK

It's guaranteed to sell.

I'd say that God Of War: Ascension would be their close second behind TLOU and followed by Beyond: Two Souls (If marketed with Ellen Page right).

But if this was God Of War IV and not just Ascension (a prequel). It would be a whole different story. lol.

[BigStef71]

@srcBFMVBMTH
Well said my man. I know GOW always releases in march but like you said if it was 4 maybe it would have been bigger but since its a prequel it is second biggest and it will definitely be a success. Think about it GOW3 sold close to 5 million without any sort of multiplayer. So since they added it in Ascension I think it could be pretty huge if implemented well because there aren't many hack n slash games with online multiplayer. I feel more people will experience it now.
For TLOU you stated the three main things to make it sell well lol. Plus its going to have some sort of multiplayer component as well. Hopefully they do some unique modes. But what said about the views on youtube I was gonna mention that as well. This game has the ability to be ps3s Halo 4 if they market it right which I know Sony will because this game is too big not to

[GraveLord]

Why so fixated on the 5 million mark? A game that sells 5 million is a mega-franchise. Obviously, not all PS3 exclusives can sell SO MUCH.

1 Million is considered a success.(although for a game like The Last Of Us, it would probably need 2 million+ to make a profit).

The great thing about the PS3 is that we have SO MANY exclusive games to choose from. Yes, I said CHOOSE. We either don't have the money or time to buy them all.

Anyway, The Last Of Us WILL SELL. Pre-orders are already very strong for a new IP. According to VgChartz, The Last of Us pre-orders are actually AHEAD of Playstation All-Stars. Keep in mind that The Last Of US isn't coming out for at least another year.(September '13 at the earliest)
http://www.vgchartz.com/pre...

[thawind]

N4G=Anti Sony Articles

[XB1_PS4]

That's only because this site has a bunch of sony fans that will come to this article to defend them. :) They wouldn't make the top bar if no one gave a shit about sony. Anything that's along the lines of I hate sony will get their share of bashing from this site.

I agree there are waay too many though.

[WeskerChildReborned]

How can you not think it will sell well when it's basically the most hyped game for the PS3 at this moment.

[gamernova]

Truth. Ps3 gamers are on the cheap side. I noticed 360 players spend more. I'm an unbiased pc gamer.

[deletingthis34675334]

I own over 60 games for my PS3, 40 for PC and about 10 for the 360. I have no idea where you get these statistics from.

[gamernova]

Most. Sorry about that. There are some that aren't. I forgot exactly where I got the numbers from but you can tell by how much Xbox smokes them in sales in multi plats. I know that 360 has more consoles sold but it is staggering to see the difference is even greater than it should be when it comes down to games sold.

[sdplisken]

i personally think it will do better than uncharted in sales
people like mature rated games and shooting zombies

its my 2nd most wanted game right behind mgs ground zeroes
cant wait!

[Inception]

I will buy it day 1 and i don't care if it's not sell 5 million copies in one minute -_-

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

1) Naughty Dog
2) "From the guys who made Uncharted"
3) Videos from the game have already thrown a massive amount of hype toward the game. People watch those trailers and fall in love.
4) Sony WILL market a Naughty Dog game...especially one of such a high caliber.
5) Word of mouth is powerful when a game is fantastic. Look at Borderlands.

[Cam977]

Exactly, if they keep marketing to the zombie-killing part with a bit of survival-ism mixed in with 'Naughty Dog - from the guys who brought you...' then it will be a huge success!

[Flewid638]

I see Borderlands commercials every time I boot up Hulu. Not word of mouth at all.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

That's Borderlands 2. I'm talking about the first one. This one actually has a MASSIVE marketing budget, for obvious reasons.

[PRHB HYBRiiD]

I don't even care about the sales, i just want this game day 1 and crank up my headset volume and get immersed in this movie...i mean game.By the game videos i have seen ,the gameplay is just a whole other level of what we are used to...this game will be an instant classic...at least that is what i think x) (sorry for my poor grammar english is hard 4 me :/ )

[smashcrashbash]

Every time we get an article like this we hear the exact same thing. People claim that no Sony game sells well making sure to not say what is 'selling well' seeing that 3 and 5 million is not 'selling well' while 360 fans hide behind Halo's skirts and ignore all games that didn't sell well on the 360, including all the crappy Kinect ones, that barely crossed the million mark and we explain AGAIN that Sony has multiple games coming out at anytime and you can't expect everyone to buy every single game that Sony has in existence all at once.And then we say again Sony doesn't know how to advertise while giving no explanation why several 360 games didn't sell well despite the claim that they are kings of advertising games meaning that every game on their system should 'sell well' despite the fact that they don't. And if you protest people just jump behind Gears of War and Halo and use them as shields to avoid the question. And then we get another article and say it all over again. What fun.We seem to bring in a lot of killjoys on this site.

[Platinum_k]

They have problems with marketing. Sony should work on that a bit. Balance their budget from game development and marketing.

[THC CELL]

Uncharted fans want this game.

[VonBraunschweigg]

Yes, it probably won't sell as good as the major gamefranchises, like many other PS3 exclusives. But still they keep on coming, year after year after year, and we get to choose from all that variety in games and genres. After 6 years it's hardly news anymore, PS3 exclusivegame X didn't sell as much as multiplatform juggernaut X. Big deal. As a gamer I see exclusive games that don't even have a multiplatform counterpart, original masterpieces not available on other systems. TLoU is one of those games, and it's quality can't be judged by it's sales.

[madjedi]

I hate these dumbass articles, i didn't recently buy halo wars to be customer# 4,985,001(don't know what it actually sold, don't care either), i bought it because it's a fun game.

Can gamers reclaim this website from all the damn sales analysts and shareholders praising sales figures.

Lord 5 million sales, most devs would love to get even half that, not every game is a huge release, as long as it covered it's development costs. Who cares how many copies it sells.

How many good games never got a sequel because the dev didn't have millions of dollar to advertise the living hell out of it. And got lost between the highly advertised big games.

[GTRrocker666]

People need to lower expectations for sales. Not all the great games are block busters. Know what i mean?

[MasterD919]

NaughtyDog has a dedicated fan base and this game seems to have some buzz to it. Although personally, I don't think I would care either way how it does.

I find it hard to believe it will fail though.

[Tontus]

Gran Turismo 5, God of War 3, Uncharted 2, Metal Gear Solid: 4 and LittleBigPlanet have all sold over 5 million. Sure UC2 and LBP needed mass bundling to get there but at least they made it. Sony exclusives do sell very well.

The Last of Us will sell around 3-3.5 million lifetime, not too shabby. Next year Sony will focus most of their marketing department on their biggest exclusive of 2013 God of War: Ascension, which will sell over 6 million like God of War 3 will (It's at 5.3 million now, not far).

[Cam977]

Not just GOW:A, but also Beyond: Two Souls and TlOU - of course.

[Alcohog]

I'd have to disagree. This game is something different; it will sell.

[mayberry]

I buy most exclusive games on both consoles for obvious reasons, and have alot of 'friends' on both my consoles friends lists. So when I compare their games to mine, I do notice that the vast majority of gamers this gen buy mult-plat titles. Also, when I instant message someone from my list that I think might be interested in a 'killzone' or 'forza' title, most of the time they haven't even heard of it! imho, this gen is mostly about mult-plat and casual mainstream titles. I lean towards Sony titles for the simple fact that they seem to 'get' that fact, but dont leave out the 'hardcore' gamers appetite for games like TLoU etc....

[shivvy24]

Resistance 3 was in development for 3 Years and What Happened !? Yea sony doesnt even market the game properly and releases it during the cod vs Bf3 thingo ! its kinda sad since it sold just above 1mil and its basicially PS3's HALO !

[breakpad]

why there is so much catastrofology about Sony lately? The console is doing fine and the best has yet to come...Microsoft and Nintendo are doing better ? The one with only cheap COD/halo games awaiting to sell and the other overhyping every 5 years with a Zelda game.... i dont say that these are not good games but the only new brand that brings continuously new IPs is Sony SO journalists stop hate Sony because you appear to be more and more biased lately

[BIGBOSS08]

lol what bullshit. the last of us has an advantage because its already gauranteed to sell to naughty dogs big fanbase.

[leahcim]

"The Last of Us Probably Won't Sell Very Well"

Microsft HQ

[Wintersun616]

Your 2 cents aren't worth of even 1 cent.

[Cam977]

They just need to commercially treat it well and it will do just fine.

[dkgshiz]

Never heard of this website. Most likely will never look at it ever again either.

[USMC_POLICE]

My two cents why this guy cant write articles very well.

[Straightupbeastly]

Every ps3 exclusive recently has been underwhelming in sales. I'd say its because the generation is dying, but if u look at Xbox exclusives or multiplat sales they're still strong, so the only answer is Sonys marketing or people no longer digging Sonys exclusives.

Of Sony exclusives within the last 2 yrs

Twisted metal couldn't break 700,000 sales
Socom 4 couldn't break 800,000
Star hawk couldn't break 500,000
Killzone 3 couldn't break 1.5 mill
Little big planet 2 couldn't break 1.5 mill
Infamous 2 barely broke 1 mill
Uncharted 3 is the worst selling uncharted title
Resistance 3 couldn't break 1 mill

No wonder Sony is shutting down studios. Most of these titles are triple A, and would probably need to break 1 mill before they could cover the costs

[Lazarus69]

Yeah like i'm gonna believe your made up numbers

Twisted metal 0.54m
Socom 4 0.72m
Starhawk 0.17m
Killzone 3 2.34m
LBP2
Infamous 2 1.27m
Uncharted 3 4.66m
Resistance 3 1.2m

source vgchartz

[NastyLeftHook0]

how is alan wake doing? how about banjo? did you get a new killer instinct?

and gt5 is at 8-9 million sold right now.

let alone the others.

[calibann]

Oh my god, you fanboys are so fucking irritating. I DONT CARE I'LL ENJOY MY COPY OF THE GAME. They're not fucking saying you won't enjoy it, they're saying it won't sell well because it's not a formulaic FPS which sell by the millions. WHICH IS FUCKING TRUE. Stop jumping to the defense of every single tiny bit of criticism the PS3 or its games get. Even Xbox360 fanboys look down on you.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

My 2 Cents: "Link won't be clicked very much"

[wages of sin]

I have a couple of friends who own PS3's and the only game they've mentioned wanting that's an exclusive is FFV13, that's it. I'm not saying I want it to bomb, I don't care because I'm not buying it but I don't want them to fail.

That being said here in my part of California it's a non-issue. Sony with the PS3 (or the vita for that matter, I haven't even seen one of those outside a game store) has no where near the pull it did last generation. It'll sell well in Europe but don't expect big numbers here. Like most PS3 exclusives they get hyped but in the end they're on a list in a forum somewhere, not on peoples minds.

[SuperbVillain]

Sony does suck with promo. at least in the States

[TalesFromTheBud]

Because Sony lately has been missing the mark. That's why the games lately haven't been selling.

[Silly gameAr]

Did anyone else that pre-ordered this through Amazon get an update that the game won't be released till Jan 14th?

[Batzi]

It will sell as much as Uncharted games sell.

[NastyLeftHook0]

what a bs article.

[OldSnakePS3]

my two cents, this game will be fantastic and do as well as uncharted (or better) in sales

[Vickistheman]

It's a Naughty Dog game. Quality is pretty much guaranteed.

ND is Sony's flagship developer. You can be sure TLOU will get it's fair share of marketing. It will sell just as good as Uncharted.

[Relientk77]

I am definitely buying it, I mean cmon Naughty Dog makes it, they dont disapoint. All of their games are fantastic

[taquito]

i just want to play the game, not the spreadsheets...

i know it is important for naughty dog and sony for the title to sell well, but honestly, I don't care how many people buy it....

I'm going to play it and love it, that's all that matters to me.

[Neo-Axl]

Strange.. Here where I live in the Uk, Almost every hardcore Xbox player I know has taken a serious interest in The Last Of Us, With it getting closer to christmas I'm getting asked more & more about how useful the PS3 is & if I think The Last Of Us would worth getting a new console for.

As for my PS3 buddy's we all know we're going to get it, It's a No-Brainer, This game will sell very well.. The interest it's getting from my Xbox user friends is surprising, Guess we'll just wait & see what happens.

[tigertron]

All I know is that I'll be enjoying TLOU when I finally get to play it. I'm banking on this being my GOTY 2013.

[trouble_bubble]

omfg, back to Playstation fud? Lets focus on some other systems for a sec', maybe an IP that's been in the headlines all week. Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3 have NEVER EVER EVER come close to 5 million on ANY platform including the heavily marketed "Better with Kinect" XBox 360.

Mass Effect, this gen's critical darling, has never cleared 3 million per title on a console http://www.vgchartz.com/gam... by estimates. So don't write these fanboy propoganda titles saying Resistance couldn't pass 5 million or some BS. Cold hard truth is Resistance FOM estimates are 4 million, which is almost 5, which is a million more than ANY Mass Effect title has managed single-handedly on PS3 or any other console.

"I couldn't tell you why Mass Effect couldn't break the 5 million mark. Or Zelda Skyward Sword, or Crackdown, or Forza4, or Fable, or Metroid Prime, or Splinter Cell, or Alan Wake, or Left4Dead, or Halo Anniversary, or Halo Wars, or Borderlands, or Elder Scrolls Oblivion, or Fallout, or Arkham City, or Saints Row, or BioShock, or HalfLife, or RE4, or Mortal Kombat 2011 or 90% of games ppl actually play OMGWTFBBQSTFU"

--there xperiencepoint.com...fix'd

[ZILLA]

H A T E R

[Drainage]

of course it wont. it probably will get like 5 ads on some abandoned ally ways.

[Game0N]

Although the title is pretty trollish, if anyone actually read the article they'd know that this isn't about hating on naughty dog or the last of us. In fact it's to encourage people to try something different every once in a while. CALM DOWN FANBOYS!!!!

[BlackSharinganX]

LAst of us, you want to sell big time? put call of duty as a sub title

[FuzzyPooka]

I really just want to walk into Times Square, and see Ellie and Joel's faces staring down at me. (Max Payne 3 style.) And everyone's favorite red paw in the corner wouldn't be bad either. TLOU is gonna be epic!