When "Must-Have" Games do not sell, who is to blame?

Gaming Console Network -- By Sean Foster, Dec 30, 2007:

Sean was looking at the weekly "US" sales charts over at www.VGChartz.com when something completely dawned on him. Where in the hell was Uncharted: Drakes Fortune on the top 50? After all, the game has been acclaimed by many in the gaming community and was also on many lists around the net for Playstation 3 Game of the Year 2007. Uncharted: Drakes Fortune was nowhere to be found.

So seeing that made him think about a question for all of you, one that needs to be asked to the average gamer out there? When a "Must-Have" game comes out for a videogame system and it does not sell well, who is to blame?

Sean compared the sales numbers between three "Must-Have" games and three low-rated games.

[ktchong]

PS3 sales are split between gamers and hi-def/blu-ray enthusiasts. Hi-def enthusiasts buy the PS3 to watch Blu-ray movies, and they usually do NOT buy or play games.

It's hard to gauge how many PS3 owners out of the 8.41 million units are actual gamers. A lot of them are not gamers, but video freaks who bought the console to watch movies (because it's the cheapest Blu-ray player for a very long time.) So, the actual number of PS3 owners who are real gamers is really much lower than 8.41 million.

So, basically the game attach rates for the PS3 have been deflated by people who bought the console to watch Blu-ray movies and not to play game. (Hopefully your math sense is good enough to see how that works.)

The reverse is also true for Blu-ray. That's why Blu-ray attach rate is also much lower than HD DVD, because some people who bought a Blu-ray player (which is usually a PS3) are actually gamers. And gamers buy games, not movies.

Basically, the attach rates of Blu-ray *and* games are being split between gamers and hi-def movie enthusiasts, (i.e., some PS3 owners buy Blu-ray movies but no games, and some PS3 owners buy games but no movies); and either attach rate figure ends up getting deflated by the other side.

[JokesOnYou]

I don't know why some disagree, everything you said makes alot of sense and most reasonable people would agree that there are at least a small percentage of people who simply brought the ps3 as a cheap bluray player but don't buy/play games. uhmm, well at least that helps sony on the bluray side of the business.

JOY

[marc 1975]

its obvious .. plus we have xbox demos on live for nearly every game out there

[Edge1105]

i feel good supporting both sides of the ps3. as of right now, i have 10 blue ray movies and 15 ps3 games, not counting psn games.

[FunnyBone]

I own both consoles and have most of the AAA titles for sony...

The ONLY commercial I have seen lately for the PS3 is where they show a CGI of heavenly sword (about a second long) then the rest of the 30 second commercial is touting blu ray movies....So from my point of view.Sony is trying to appeal more to blu ray than gaming..My opinon is solely based off the recent commercails I have seen....

I hope this isn't the trend so plans to follow

[xboxrumble]

I have been saying this for the longest time. It's not about bashing the PS3 but sony for some reason SPLIT the market.

Out of its user-base were really not sure which are straight gamers or Video enthusiast. Not that it's a bad thing if Sony wants Blu-Ray to win the format war, after all that was the intent.

But as we all know software sales is very important to publishers and Game Devs. so much money goes into Developing a game and they wanna make something back. I blame this on Sony.

Everyone that buys an XBOX 360 without an HD-DVD addon, we know they are not buying it to watch DVD's when there are better players out there. IT's mostly all about the games. This is why I believe a lit of 3rd party titles have and will "Jump in" if sales don't really pick up, or atleast some system sellers.

[actas123]

You are absolutetly right if you said this about 6 months ago.

Why everyone is expecting the PS3 titles to sell same as 360 titles. This is actually very annoying because its just ignorant. You know the attach rates of the PS3 are almost half of that of the xbox, why would u expect titles to sell the same?

"PS3 is the cheapest Blue Ray player">>>> Wrong. there has been a 399 blue ray player since the beginning of the year, "Movie freaks" buy standalone Blue ray players.

The stand alone BR player as of now sold almost as much as the stand alone HD dvd players..

So why PS3 games don't sell? The answer: they Do sell pretty fine, giving the PS3 install rates. Another thing that should be factored in the equation, is that many of the people that upgraded to PS3 are not hardcore gamers >> don't buy lots of games. don't forget that the PS2 is almost in every house..

[travelguy2k]

of the PS3 will transition to gamers instead of Vidoefiles looking for the cheapest Blue ray player. As the cost of Blue ray players comes down (below that of the Ps3) those looking for the player only will obviously buy the stand alone.

[ps3playbeyon]

Great Point there i hadnt seen it in that point of view...i myself have already like 7 ps3 games n only 1 blu ray movie but i bet its the opposite 4 other ppl..

[CrazzyMan]

Here are PURE numbers:

By the end of november there were about:
Total: 11,8 mln. - 100%
9,1 mln. x360. - 77%.
2,7 mln. ps3. - 23%.

Now CoD4 sales:
Total: 2,014 mln.- 100%
Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360) -- 1,570,000 - 78%.
Call of Duty 4 (PlayStation 3) -- 444,000 - 22%.

Bow AC sales:
Total: 1,357 mln. - 100%
Assassin's Creed (Xbox 360) -- 980,000 - 72%.
Assassin's Creed (PlayStation 3) -- 377,000 - 28%.

So.. You are WRONG, if you think, that ps3 owners don`t buy games.

And that are just numbers from USA.
In Europe, games on ps3 are selling even better, then on x360, though there is still around 1,5 mln. gap.

[lawman1108]

Let's just ask Sony......... Lair, R&C, Heavenly sword, Dark Kingdom just to name a few, and having every multi game look and or run worse then on the 360.
Hey, let's all watch a Blue Ray DVD....Oh thats right....they are $30 bucks each, Never mind.Lets watch this

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

[lawman1108]

Read it and face the facts ! source is Wired mag. I guess they are in MS pocket too huh?

http://sarcasticgamer.com/w...

[HarryEtTubMan]

yOU GUYS ARE WEIRD. You want to prove something so nad but there is nothing to prove. PS3 softaware outsold 360 software in both Europe and Japan the week before Christmas. PS3 software sales on par with 360 per ratio of systems in the U.S. The PS3 isnt ognna pull miracles. Its gonna get better. It already has. PS3 FT FCKIN WIN MAN

PS3 will get the last laugh. Its only a year old and selling good now. Its still gonna sale like A Sony Playstation. LIke it or not. I dont know what your point is.

[Xbox is the BEST]

FTW

[AAACE5]

Come on sony fanboys... Now you can say something bad about MS and no one will get mad!

It's MS fault! The power of "X" is the culprit!...lol!

Seriously, those games were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time! That's why they didn't sell that well!

Also, it shows you that there is a possibility that most Ps3 owners, either watch only movies, do games and movies or got rid of their ps3, or the games just didn't appeal to them, or they are waiting for more familiar games like MGS or FF! These are the 5 main reasons why the games didn't sell well.

It's ok though... 2008 should be great for Ps3!

[jack who]

ps3 suck wii suck

[InMyOpinion]

you suck

[athlon770]

Does anyone else hear that bell, 'cause I think Jack just got schooled.

While I agree with The Round Peg's post, I still think both Uncharted and R&C should have done much better. There are over 7million PS3 owners, and Uncharted doesn't even break 500,000? Granted, I waited till Christmas when I got both as presents, and I would have sworn many other PS3 owners were doing the same thing, but now the Christmes sales are over, and the numbers just don't add up.

[Bubble Buddy]

jack who: you suck.. c0ck.

[Capt CHAOS]

Because it obviously wasn't as the lack of sales prove it.

[FunnyBone]

After playing it,I would say it is a must have if you own a ps3....Great game.....There are a couple must have games if you own the sysytem...

[Noodlecup]

Well Halo certainly isn't a must have, enough idiots bought it though.

[aba]

This is what happens when your attach rate sucks. Maybe if PS3 owners would buy more games...DUH.

EDIT: Its a fact PS3 has the lowest attach rate of the three. So if PS3 owners buy more games, problem solved. Simple as that JACKASS.

[spandexxking]

panzer YOUR such a jackass!

[Capt CHAOS]

Then, that makes three so far on this thread..

[InMyOpinion]

Halo has already proven itself both in reviews as well as in sales. It came, it conquered.

[n00dl3s]

halo has proven itself with blatantly biased reviews and sales to hundreds of thousands of gamers that wouldn't know a quality fps if it shot them in the face.

[Mwaan]

Halo 3 is absolutely a must have. One of the best gaming experiences I ever had. Going through the campaign with 3 friends is as good as it gets. At one point, we all had our own tank. How many games let you do stuff like that? Have you ever heard the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."? It is a sequel "idiot." They're not going to change the core gameplay. I've played practically every fps ever released, but for some reason, I keep going back to Halo. Halo is more than a game. It's a phenomenon. Master Chief is one of the most popular, iconic characters in videogame history. You're obviously really interested in Halo since you spend so much time talking about it. Most of you Halo bashers haven't even played it. Why don't you give it a try? I tried Uncharted, but I didn't like it. The most uninspired game I've ever played. It doesn't deserve to sell. The devs should be ashamed of themselves.

[forum_crawler]

While I agree that Master Chief is well known in North America, I would certainly not go as far as calling him "one of the most popular, iconic characters in videogame history." A title like that would mean that his character would be known by everyone, but it isn't. I mean, I didn't even know who Master Chief was until halfway through the year since I've never owned an XBox, or known anyone who owned one.

Mario on the other hand...

Oh, one last thing...
Unreal Tournament and Team Fortress are two multiplayer games that come to mind. Whether they are better than Halo or not is a matter of personal preference, but I can tell you that I for one don't feel the need to play Halo since I own those two games... to each his own...

[lawman1108]

The Wii is a KIDS system PERIOD. no if's ands or butts when it comes to the PS3 and the 360 the 360 is THE gamers system. It was built to PLAY GAMES not dvds. I own 5 PS3 games and almost 100 360 games. If I did not buy another 360 game for 4 months I still could not finish all of the games I still have not even played yet. When MGS4 comes out next Christmas I still say it will be on the 360 BUT I will buy it for the PS3 because that is the system it was made for (unless it runs better on the 360 that is) My point being 360 owners BUY games. Sony packed in a BR dvd the day it was launched and when they had a price drop, THAT alone should show you where their heads are at.

[Kill Crow]

word

[Dark_Vendetta]

@Peg: Even if there are a lot of people who bought a Ps3 just because of the BR player, I still think most of them would buy a game because they have the possibility.
B2T:
It's sad to hear that such good games (like Uncharted: Drakes Fortune) don't sell as good as the Wii or DS (High School Musical) crap games, but I think at the end it will still sell a lot. People will stay interested in this game until something new (with the same optic/the same genre)gets released, and as I know there isn't anything coming in the near future.
Unfortunatly the same happened to Beyond Good & Evil. I really loved this game, so I don't understand why people didn't buy it, especially because there was a lot of advertisements (in germany).

[Zhuk]

The developer and/or publisher is to blame when the 'must have' game is not made on the Xbox 360, which dominates the software market. If you want a game to have the best chance of succeeding in the marketplace and making a profit, it has to be on the Xbox 360

[spandexxking]

and you need to open your eyes. there are other consoles out there. oh and other companies for that fact.

[AuburnTiger]

man, i have to give it up for you, 218 people ignore you. Isn't that like an internet record or something??

[RacingX]

Zhuk, You are truly an utterly ignorant M$ a$$clown....do you keep making these assinine posts just to keep your N4G "score" running up? You troll through everything blurting out your pro M$ propaganda. GIVE IT A FREAKIN REST...

[Noodlecup]

Why would I be jealous that a game with decade old PC gameplay, 2 year old graphics and a weak story outsold a game with great gameplay, great graphics and a good story? I wouldn't because sales get me nothing, I bet bungie are laughing all the way to the bank at you idiots who think Halo is some sort of next-gen masterpiece when we all saw the exact same gameplay in 1998.

@Zhuk

Why play a good lengthy game when your console fails or freezes after 2 hours of play?

[Zhuk]

funny you say that since the only consoles that have ever broken on me were PlayStations (CD drive broke on PS1 just after 12 months, DVD drive on PS2 broke after 6 months, and now we find that PS3s are breaking down because of problems with the Blu-Ray drive), while my Xbox has been going strong since 2002 and my 360 since 2005 without issue

[JokesOnYou]

"Why would I be jealous that a game with decade old PC gameplay"

ha ha you sure sound jealous, WHY would you be?

uhm because you're a sony loyalist who can't see beyond the ps logo,

uhm because Halo3 is a huge success and its not on the ps3,

uhm because Halo3 will be played by millions long after those dust collector exclusives for ps3, look around theres vids showing off cool gameplay/multiplayer/creativit y all over the net, Uncharted is "one and done" no online NO nothing, and its story and gameplay is definitely not on Bioshocks level imo, OK my bad I dont want to bash Uncharted, its a good game but far from what sonykids keep screaming and I just get sick of the sh!t the talk

uhm these are just a few reasons WHY you're jealous, if not why do you feel the need to bring up a game YOU don't like in every comment= WHY? because you're jealous and its so obvious, try harder NOT to let your envy shine so bright=

JOY

[n00dl3s]

I agree. Halo is a 6.0 shooter with a 3.0 story line that was embraced by a generation of console gamers who had never actually touched a good FPS. The reason we continue to focus our hate on it is because it continually boggles my mind why so many people pledge allegiance to that game when there are so many other quality shooters out there.

I am not jealous of that game. That game is a shining example of how mediocrity is awarded in todays society.

[RacingX]

Are you kidding me??? please provide the link to the "PS3 breaking down because of blu-ray drive problems" story because it sounds like you're just making $hit up now. My launch PS1 & PS2 both work to this day without a hitch so I guess thats a wash, but everyone I know who has a 360 including myself has lost at least one to the RROD ( 7 people ) I'm sure your 360 still works because you spend more time on this site doing M$'s PR work for them....idiot....than you do playing the thing...

[ambientFLIER]

I have COD4, the Orange Box, and Halo 3, and halo is the one that I play the most online. It may not be the best in everything in all aspects, but multiplayer is the best that you can possibly get on a console. The flawless matchmaking, replays, and level editing, plus all the hilarious things that happen = Gold. That's why people buy it.

[forum_crawler]

Hey man, you have to watch Idiocracy, it would make the gaming world make so much more sense to you... It is a stupid, but funny movie.

[Prismo_Fillusion]

I think the Wii just has too many games.
I'm sure that a lot of the more casual gamers would buy the titles like Zack & Wiki if they weren't confused by the dozens of crap games on the shelves alongside it.

I think the PS3 base is still rapidly growing. The games will sell, just give it some more time.

360 games are selling well. Can't really say much about that. Well, I can say one thing. Some of the "best" games on the 360 aren't as good as they were hyped to be, or as they were reviewed. (Halo 3 should've gotten an 8, Mass Effect maybe an 8.5, but Bioshock deserved its very high rating)

[Dark_Vendetta]

the same happened to me. I always thaught: "omg how can people buy a Wii. If I want a gaming console I would pick a Ps3/360", but then I played it a few times with my friend and I realized that there are a lot of underrated games. I think the Wii has a bad reputation because of the good sales of bad games

[Noodlecup]

The PS2 lazers were a small problem and were fixed, I don't seem to recall hearing about a bluray problem? maybe you made it up so other people wouldn't feel left out of your pain?

I guess you're lucky but it doesn't take away the FACT that the Xbox 360 is the most unreliable console in the history of videogames. That's got to be be somewhat embarrassing for Microsoft.

Besides, you talk like you're some wierd virgin PR guy for Microsoft, why should anyone believe you when you say you haven't had the RRoD when you'll give your left nut to defend a company you make no profit from?

[Monteblanco]

The Round Peg, in the very first post of this topic give a good cause why ps3 games are trailing in sales. In the other hand, it is not hard to understand how the three "average" games cited in the article are good sellers. Kane & Lynch received strong marketing support, High School Musical is a Disney game based in a popular tv show for kids -- and a safe bet to parents looking for gifts, and Mario Party 8 is much better than its scores in the specialized media suggest. At least to casual players that are buying it and are not concerned with the lack of online features or novelties over the previous releases in the series. Most of the game reviewers are not scoring the casual games in such way that it is meaningful to casual players and thus the surprise over Mario Party 8 or Carnival Games.

[aba]

Did you even read the second part of my original comment? No of course not. If you did you'd know I was right. PS3 owners don't buy games, the attach rate sucks. Thats a fact. Hell I only have 2 PS3 games compared to over 10 360 games.

@noodlecup: Dude you fail so hard I feel sorry for you. Weak graphics? Yeah I bet you weren't saying that when you saw COD 4. Yet that games resolution is even lower than Halo 3's. Weak story? Halo's story is epic, and its great. Uncharted is more of an Indiana Jones type story so I duno why your even comparing them. As good a game as Uncharted might be, how many times can you play it before you get bored? Meanwhile Halo has campaign co-op, multiplayer, new maps and the forge. So yeah if you wanna compare em, go head but Halo wins. So again, YOU FAIL.

"Masterchief has the charisma and personality of a wet towel and we all know what sort of people that game attracts."

-Bullsh*t argument. What about Half-Life? Gordan Freeman doesn't have a goddamn word of dialogue. So I guess he and Half-Life must suck too huh? GTFO, YOU FAIL AGAIN.

EDIT: @prismo: It is epic tard. A collection of alien races that believe the ancestors of humans were gods and now seek to conquer and convert everyone. The flood, an enemy so great that the only way to defeat them was to destroy all life in the universe. Halo's story is epic, f**king get over it. If you want generic sci-fi just flip on the sci-fi channel and watch some of their original movies.

[Prismo_Fillusion]

Halo's story "epic"? Oh lord, you must be kidding.
I haven't played through the entire Halo 3 single-player (parts of it though), but I've played through Halo and Halo 2's single-player campaigns probably a total of 30 times (no exaggeration, they're A LOT of fun).

But the story is generic sci-fi at best. I realize it may be better and more detailed in the novels, but in the video games it's only a means to explain why you're killing countless neon aliens and the flood.

[forum_crawler]

In that case so is Super Mario Galaxy's!!!

[Lcarrero5]

I have 3 friends who are huge Halo fans and they also didn't like the story to the third installment. A story isn't epic without a great ending and I don't think Halo had that. I can say though that Halo is one of the best if not Thee best online game. Just not a great story.

[masterg]

Let see how the numbers of Uncharted are in a couple of months.
Like most new PS3 games it's selling a lot better in Europe.
Why you ask.. Because we have got taste ;)... No offence.

I'm looking forward to seeing how UT3 does in Europe. Imported it myself.
A must have if you're into online shooters. (This beats Warhark oh so much)

[aba]

And yes I agree, better than warhawk. That game was so disappointing.

EDIT: So i'm a child huh? And you think because your 40 yrs old and still living with mom that makes you some kind of video game expert? I enjoy single player as well. But multiplayer gives a game longevity, no matter how good the single player is. You've obviously never played Halo, the story is not weak, I know you droids want to believe that. But if your gonna call Halo's story weak, then Uncharted is just National Treasure: the movie game, or another Indiana Jones.

[Noodlecup]

before clowns like you got into videogames people like me were playing games and enjoying singleplayer, sure they didn't have multiplayer but games don't need multiplayer to be worth buying.

Halo is crammed full of features I'll give it that, but the story is weak and I don't need some brainwashed chump like you telling me otherwise. Masterchief has the charisma and personality of a wet towel and we all know what sort of people that game attracts.

When I saw CoD4 it was in higher resolution than console versions (on PC) and with better graphics so yes Halo does look like utter crap.

[WilliamRLBaker]

calling others children nullifies ur entire statement.
and hes right just because your older means nothing.

Casuals play games to have fun something they dont get after the 50th playthrough of single player only, Casuals responde to sit down and play games and multiplayer and thats a fact and you know it, and casuals make up 70% of the video gamers.

[InMyOpinion]

Master Chief is an awesome character.

[n00dl3s]

casual players are ruining gaming because they send a clear message to developers. that message is "i will buy crappy mediocre games as long as they are insanely simple and i don't have to put effort into them because i only want something to kill time, not a quality experience"

[goodgameslover]

We have to face the fact that there are far more casual gamers out there then hardcore gamers. Just recently my nephew has bought a Wii and the game he bought with it was the simpsons game, because it was the only theme and title that sounded familiar to him. Lots of people doesn't follow the so called hype build on the internet caused by the yes indeed hardcore gamers.
I myself have been gaming since double dragon came out in the arcades and my first gaming "console" was a commodore 64.
Followed by a sega master system then megadrive and amiga, and so forth.
But the real gamers around my living world where really small, i could almost count them on one hand.
So the "hype" for a game maybe real to us but to the avarage joe on the street it is non excistant.
Casual gamers will forever always buy games that have popular themes like that of movies or television series because they don't really follow the gaming world like we do, so they depend on what they know from tv and other popular mediaoutings.
Sad but true.

[goodgameslover]

That whole RROD was really not so big in Europe here.
I have a 360 since it launch and have played MANY hours on it, but never had any problems with it. Just like all of my other 360 owning friends around me.
I may be just lucky but in whole my gaming career not one console or computer had ever broke down on me. My ps2 is bought on the first day of launch and is still working perfectly. My dreamcast although i don't game on it to much anymore, works perfectly. My ps3 although it is just a year old works perfectly.
Even my acient console like the megadrive and snes works fine.
I still have the very first gameboy and it works fine.
Even my very old classic game and watch games all still work.
I think people tend to excaturate on these problems for god nows wich reasons.

[goodgameslover]

In my opinion Halo had a very good but not great story.
But the masterchief was a cool character to me, maybe because i read all the tie in books so i feel closer to its character now.
But Uncharted is certainly not better on that account.
Same for uncharted good story but certainly not great.
The really great story so far i encountered in recent months has to be Mass Effect. Man the depth on that game in unbelieveable!
This is real must have for story nuts.

[Charlie2688]

I think what contributes its bad timing and pacing between games:
PS3: for example many people I know that have a PS3 bought COD4 and Assassins Creed together or close and later had no money to buy Uncharted an even worse to buy UT3 later on, considering some people have told they haven't even found the game yet I guess that is the answer to the "limited" distribution some people were talking about with PS3s UT3, I find that Sonys recent avalanche of quality titles to boost the PS3 had taken a brutal impact on peoples wallets, ironically before people said the usual fanboyish "ZOMG teh PS3s has no gamez" well aparently it no has too many and too close to each other -_-

360: As a 360 owner myself I know the situation and as any other owner that wont try to pretend otherwise (to meat their fanboy agenda) knows that the 360s must have games are apparently carefully separated and hyped and advertised enough to ensure that game will be bought over any other for example many of the people that I know that recently bought 360 games many bought Halo 3 with only COD4 or Assassins Creed I think only one bought both AC and COD4 with Halo 3, the problems is the droughts between those games all 360 owners have experimented (dont pretend you havent) for example the one after Oblivion the one after Gears and the one to come after Halo3/Mass Effect in which 360 owners like myself turn to other "lesser" games for example without the drought who on earth would have thought Dead Rising and Lost Planet would have sold so brutally well? hell even some other games managed solid very sales

Wii: in the case of the Wii while many of the people I know buy only Wii exclusive for obvious reasons, I find that the other huge Wii game sales are for the "Wii mote effect" (aka seeing how cool X game is with the Wiimote) name loyalty (Game whose quality is in the dumpster or are not even real games seel a lot for example the new Mario Party or Link Crossbow training) and finally casual gamer "ignorance" given the fact that the majority of Wii owners are casual they buy whatever looked nice on Walmart regardless of review, quality etc, but still considering the installbase vs hardware sales vs the specific software sales the Wii seems to have a very low software attach rate specially if one considers how crazy the Wii is being sold and how the software attacharete is now where in that level even worse if compare it to the PS3 with roughly the same lifespan and we could say half the installbase and still has a much larger and diverse attacharte while the Wiis software attachrate is primarily boosted by the insane numbers of Wiisports and Wiiplay

[Prismo_Fillusion]

Good post!

You mentioned some marketing strategies, so I'll go on a bit of a tangent...

I think the marketing for the 360 and Wii was far superior to the PS3 marketing until recently. Their message was: "Here's the game, it's fun, it's on the 360/Wii, buy it". PS3's message was: "Look at our advanced future-system, it plays future dvds and sometimes games that you don't even know about, buy it". PS3 has changed its message now, to actually focus on the games and on new price of the PS3 (40gb sku). I think the real fun with console sales will be in 2008.

[klashawnd]

It's as simple as this - the 360 camp is very good at hyping their games and setting them up to succeed when they are released. They invest in marketing and throw perks to reviewers who tend to skew towards rating the game a bit better. The marketing and "gifts" that were given out when Halo 3 was released almost made me puke, but Halo would have sold a high amount even without the manufactured hype. Plus you can't overlook that 360 fanboys love their machine and will buy most quality games that come out for it, hence the high attach rates.

How much hype was there behind Ratchet and Uncharted? Zilch. Only ones who even knew the games existed were hardcore gamers. It's up to the developers and Sony to effectively market (hype) their releases. Mass Effect was hyped as having a "revolutionary dialogue system". Bioshock was hyped as "an experience and ambiance like none other" Assassin's Creed was hyped as a "real-life world where nothing was out of reach". Uncharted? Nothing.

Sony sucks at marketing and the sales of their games prove it.

Everything is hyped nowadays. It's called the 50 Cent effect. Make some noise, sell an idea as "revolutionary", and watch the money pile up.

[shewbrookj]

I think the price of PS3 games definitely needs fine-tuning. For example, look at the bad press Lair received just before and after release. The majority of the critical press slated the game (with a few exceptions). However, I can remember just before it was released in UK, AmazonUK mistakenly advertised you could pre-order the game for £15.99 ($32).

Within one day, Lair had raced to the top of the Amazon UK Sales charts for PS3 games. News of the deal went around the internet like wildfire. Sony & Amazon should have capitilized on this - Instead, they reneged and lost a huge amount of Lair sales as a result. Ok - I expect everyone here will have no sympathy with Sony or a game as bad as Lair. But - it was an insight into what could happen when PS3 owners perceive value for money.

I've recently been playing Mafia on the PC over the Xmas (I came to this superb game very late after finding it in a bargain bin) and the gangster theme got me looking for something similar on the PS3.

Last week I noticed that Play.com had a game sale advertised. They were listing Godfather the Dons edition for £29.99 ($60) reduced from £49.99 ($100). I had never even heard of the game or seen it in any of our local city computer stores. In the time I had spent a couple of days reading reviews of the game on the net - Play.com had sold out.

The Play.com deal seems to have made the Godfather Dons edition very sought after now because the Godfather is fetching silly prices on ebay over here. Play.com also sold out on GRAW2 very quickly, after they had listed it for £17.99 ($36)

If older PS3 games like GRAW2 and Godfather can sell out within days, it proves that the price is the governing factor. Surely it is better to sell larger numbers of a title at a reduced price than smaller numbers at a perceived unacceptable price? Sony have struggled to get their price right with the console itself. Personally I felt the system was good value for money as it was but this view was not shared by the majority. And the majority rules.

I received Uncharted as an Xmas present and have been completely blown away by it. If you put aside the critics / journalistic praise it has had and look at it on the personal level - it really is jaw droppingly good. When you play it, you know you are playing something special, it stands out in every department, graphically, audio, story, playability and addictiveness. It is worth every penny but if the sales are not there - the price should be tweaked so that it gets out into a much larger audience it truly deserves. In the UK, it could literally mean a few pounds i.e. lowering the price from £32.99 to £29.99 (remember what it did for Godfather!)

[goodgameslover]

I agree,2008 will be a good year for all consoles.
The ps3 will have truly have a pair of really AAA titles (MGS4, and GT5). The 360 has also a few AAA to look forward too (GOW2, ninja gaiden 2)
But for the Wii the only game i truly want so far is Smash bros Melee.
I'm curious wich (other) games you people are looking forward too?

[JBaby343]

I don't think there's ever any one person to blame for such things nor is there ever a single reason. I find multiple reasons contribute to games not living up to expectations such as technical issues, weak stories, redundant/weak gameplay, running off the acclaim/hype of previous iterations, or just nothing special to begin with. Who's to say in the end which factor(s) cause disappointments. Just like some movies that have nothing but some pretty special effects are summer blockbusters and others with much better overall content aren't even released in theatres or only enjoy the shortest of stays. Some anomalies that are barely worth renting for a weekend of gaming go huge and other games might not do bad but should do better. I think Uncharted should've sold more than motorstorm just like I think ME and Bioshock should have sold more than Halo 3. But it didn't happen like that so who's to say.

In the end hyping games like hyping movies is dangerous to begin with because it really sets the product up to fail because most times the expectations simply can't be filled. Advertising is important but over-hyping really just sucks and can ruin what would have been an otherwise good, or even better, experience.

[Silver360]

360 gamers are an older demographic for the most part. They have more disposable income to spend on games than the younger gamers. These PS3 fans grew up on SONY and love it, so they stick with it. I believe the games will sell but it will take years not months. People stop worrying games will sell. People are so to tuned in to first day sales and not longevity of the game. And the most important thing here is that not every AAA game appeals to a mass audience. Think about it a great game for the PS2 would sell 6 million copies to 100 million owners that is a 6% attach rate, so really how bad are these games doing compared to last gen sales percentages?

[Jeppe]

Hello Silver,

"360 gamers are an older demographic for the most part."

Do you have anything to back this statement up? I'm curious and would like to know. Really thought it was the other way around but have nothing to prove it.

And a Happy New Year to every gamer out there!

[BIGBAER]

We all own 360s, and yes, we all own a lot of games. I've been gaming since the days of PONG and ASTEROIDS and have owned and still have, most of the game consoles released (one each of course!).

I'll tell you what made me choose the original Xbox over the PS2: I knew that Sony was an excellent hardware manufacturer but I saw MS as the by far, superior software company.

I had been playing a great many PC games and knew that MS had excellent relationships with most PC GAME developers. I surmised that that this would be a huge plus in the future of MS's game console efforts. It has.

[Zhuk]

Most Xbox 360 owners on this site are responsible adults in their 20s and 30s and who have jobs to pay for their gaming habits, most fandroids on this sites are still teenagers who grew up with PS2s in their houses and mummy and daddy payed for their PS3s and their internet so they can waste their time playing garbage games and being droids instead of working a job and/or getting a degree.

[robep3]

You are so wrong i was a youngster when PONG came out lol have had
various consoles but will never buy another xbox (i said another) its a piece of badly made technology with an abysmal failure rate if you want to cover all bases you HAVE A PS3,PC & a Wii.
All games on the 360 will always end up on PC at some point mainly due to MS wanting to dominate the world of technology.
Now over 70+ games for PS3 developers starting to get used to the machine none of the games YET are even pushing the PS3 to 50% of its processing power wait for the first screen shots you see of things like
RFOM 2, MOTORSTORM 2 ETC THEN YOU WILL GET AN IDEA OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN OVER THE NEXT 2-3 YEARS.All games will improve at a great rate over the next year remember HOW BAD 360 GAMES LOOK WHEN THE FIRST ONES CAME OUT,360 users on the net complaining about 360 games being no better than XBOX games do YOU REMEMBER THAT! Its nice when you have a friend who works on graphics for a developer LOL !!!!!!!!

Rob.

[Lcarrero5]

Now Every console owner minus the Xbox are Droids, have no money and their games are garbage? Dude get a life. Your the one that sounds like you don't have a job. your on every single article on this site trying to be a hypeman for your console and bashing others.

P.S. = Microsoft is doing fine without you. They don't need your help.

[ChickeyCantor]

to get more attention for a product your freaking marketing should be planned right.
Timing and place are crucial too( including the type of audience you are aiming for....aka your market.........)

[Lcarrero5]

one bubble for you buddy

[ChickeyCantor]

because you are so kind havea bubble in return :)

[Sez]

why are sonyfanboys talking about halo. whats does halo have to do with the topic. matter of fact what does halo resolution have to do with the subject? and the answer is nothing. just sonfanboys attempted to change the subject. COD4 had lower rez than halo. yet both games sold great compared to games with high rez like uncharted,R&C,HS,UT3.
sonyfanboys need to stop worrying about 360 and start worrying about the ps3. what do you think dev will start doing if their games don't move on the ps3. they will start moving them to the 360.
funny just a couple of months back sonyfanboys was claiming when uncharted,R&C,UT3,HS,LAIR, ect come out the will push the ps3 past the 360. well it hasn't. theres no excuse for games like these to flop in sales. no excuse at all. so you guys can use halo, hell you guys can even use PDZ if you want.but they both sold more than the games in question.

[wiizy]

i blame the company that made the game or the publisher.. cause look at zack and wikki by capcom. i cant recall seing one commercial for it and capcom has money

[CRIMS0N_W0LF]

even if they suck.

HYPE

[BIGBAER]

Now first, I have to say that Halo 3 is one of my all-time favorite games---I love the Forge and Multiplayer. There are just so many new games types and map variations that it never gets old and I never tire of creating them.

Now with that out of the way, I again state that it is marketing that can make or break a game. As much as many here dislike Halo 3, some for valid personal reasons; others out of plain old envy, Halo 3 was mrketed beautifully!

With the total marketing plan in full swing prior to Halo 3's release it resulted in making millions of gamers feel as if they were joining an elite (no pun intended!) club with the purchase of Halo 3.

Halo's marketing made people feel as if they were joining a secret group of special, cool friends. The marketing was successful in creating a desire to 'belong.'

Hype? No. Damned stellar marketing? Hell yes!

[n00dl3s]

hype and marketing are like potatoe potahtoh. it's gotten to a point where "stellar marketing" makes me worry about the quality of the game, because a "smart business tactic" is to put out insanely flashing and attractive videos and ads of your game before it comes out to get people psyched to buy it, then when it comes out and sucks ass people will still buy it because it's a name they remember when they walk into the store.

"oh i remember seeing a commercial for this, it looked interesting." /buy

[xboxrumble]

that commercialw ith the Ps3 as an all in wonder box, they were showing only the machine as a Blu-ray player and they showed just movies.

I was like WTF...They used the same commercial and music to promote movies and games and you wonder why the ps3's market is being split. some are getting the wrong impression about the console.

You dnt see MS making DVD commercials about the 360 only...

Even Square is telling sony WTF are you doing? video or games, ya know square wants a good amount of userbase before they release their game. This might be the last straw.

[BlackCountryBob]

I wouldn't gget to worked up about good games not doing well, many of the classic movies that rank high on many peoples top 10 lists failed to make any money such as Shawashank Redemption, Blade Runner, Duck Soup, Citizen Kane, Its a Wonderful Life and Fantasia. Eventually class shows and stuff like Uncharted will find its market. I personally loved Uncharted, Ratchet and Heavenly Sword but it doesn't really bother me that they didn't sell in Halo 3 like numbers, I'll just keep telling people who will listen how much I enjoyed them and let word of mouth endorsements encourage my friends and family to buy into those games to get the same enjoyment I have.

Success is short term, class is eternal. In 10 years there wont be anyone making games talking about how much they were inspired by Kane and Lynch or the game tie in of Pirates or golden compass but Halo, Uncharted and the like will last in the minds of gamers and makers, continuing to inspire and entertain.

[BIGBAER]

Nice post, BCB. Right on the money!

Bubbles for you.

[Dudeson42]

Alot of games seem to not sell well because people are really short-sighted when it comes to sales. People don't realize that some games stumble out of the gates but have legs on them and end up selling a very respectable amount when all is said and done.

[robep3]

The article is full of errors look at UT3 sales given LOL what a joke 111k sold in the USA which is 0.11m the fig they give for WORLDWIDE SALES FUNNY ITS ONLY OUT IN USA!!!!!!
Re your comments re Blu-ray ETC XBOTS SAY WE ONLY BUY/PLAY MOVIES
HD DVD BOTS CLAIM WE ONLY PLAY GAMES WRONG WE DO BOTH!!!!!
There is no such thing as a MUST HAVE GAME its that simple I dont like RPG'S or games like that so EVEN IF THE BEST GAME IN THE WORLD FOR THE PS3 WAS ONE I WOULD NOT BUY IT you see unlike the majority of SHEEP that makes up the gaming community I BUY WHAT I LIKE/WANT not what some
A55HOLE SO CALLED GAMES EXPERT/JURNOS LIKE THE MORONS WE SEE ON VARIOUS
SITES VIDEO REVIEW PROGRAMS TELL US you know the guy's I mean the one's that say a game ain't worth $40-60 WHEN IT LOOKS LIKE THEY SPEND THAT ON LUNCH,SO LIKE I HAVE SAID BE AN INDIVIDUAL BUY WHAT YOU WANT NOT WHAT YOUR TOLD YOU SHOULD WANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!

ROB

[Z501]

If i don't like a game or it does'nt appeal to me,i don't want'care for it.

For example:

To the idiot who said Halo 3 is a must have.
WRONG!
Halo might be a must have for 360 gamers,but not for gamers in general.
(Same with mgs4,btw)

So again I'm to blame,because i am a true gamer.

I don't let sales dictate what i buy.
'I' decide what i want/or buy.
I don't care what's 'hawt' at the time.

... but true gamers already know this

[ukilnme]

Indeed, buy what you like. Bubble for you.

[lucas107]

I honestly think part of the problem is that if you bought a PS3 near launch and paid 800ish dollars its a lot harder to justify buying a few games to your wife or w/e and spending 1k on videogames. I also think a lot of sales were from parents to kids and again they dont want to spend another 70$ for a game when they just dropped upwards of 6-800$ i think if you give uncharted some time it will sell very well but right now everyones broke and they are saving there money for MGS or FF or KZ.
edit
PS why does every article have to turn into a fanboy flamewar

[prowiew]

For some reason ps3 gamers are not buying games. Is is a mystery

[ukilnme]

I bought mine for gaming. I will buy movies for it once the prices of the disk come down. Since money is not too much of a factor for him, my father in law is buying one primarily for movies and a chance that the grandkids will play games on it when they visit. My co-worker just bought one for gaming and like me will buy movies when the prices come down.

[BoneMagnus]

Its carry over from last gen - if you want to play shooters - you get a 360 - simple as that. If you want RPGs, you get a PS2/3. Yes, each has games in all genres, but you get my point. In time, each will catch up to some degree in these genres where they are perceived as "lacking".

I think Drakes was an issue of marketing. I was confused about what type of game it was - shooter? action? adventure? Turns out its all three! New IPs are risky - and $60 is a lot for a consumer to risk on an unknown quantity. Take Assassin's Creed. Jade was EVERYWHERE. SHE and she alone sold the game because everyone wanted to see her interviewed, so the game got exposure.

I also think the name was lacking - "Uncharted: Drake's Fortune" is not catchy or tell much about the game. "Metal Gear Solid" sounds cool - as does "Gears of War" or "Mass Effect" or "Resistence: Fall of Man" - these sound exciting...

[TwissT]

The devs, if the game scores a AAA rank then the devs should pay the advertisement company and brag on how good there game is. For example: UT3 we all know it is a great game but I have yet to see an ad for it, if they plastered it all over the internet and all over the television network like when Halo 3 was released, I bet it would sell like hotcakes.

[mintaro]

see, even if there were ads running non-stop for UT3 i dont think it will sell nearly as well as halo. and not tryin to be a fanboy here but just stating the facts.

halo, im pretty sure every gamer in the world, or a gamer that hasnt been living under a rock knows that game.

ut3....im not so sure

halo, has a character that many people seem to adore or identify with in some way while ut3.......

but the main point is that i think people are more familiar with halo 3 franchise than ut3, both games are great, especially multiplayer, but unless the devs add a strong singleplayer story or a character that people can remember(mario anyone?) than i think that it will always never reach it's full potential in terms of sales

[forum_crawler]

UT3, like all Unreal Tournaments are better played on a PC. Why would anyone deprive themselves of aiming accuracy, increased resolution and community developed content and play UT on a console?

That is your reason right there. Halo isn't better known than UT, UT players play on PCs, not on consoles.

[Afterburn]

I bought a PS3 because I like some of the titles. I liked the technology and I liked Sony from my PS2 days. I have no personal bad feelings towards Microsoft, they marketed Halo beautifully and the sales showed.

Saying that the users on XBOX or the users on PSN are older or more mature or better educated is the most pointless argument you can make. You have no real idea, so shut up with that.

There has been squat for advertising for most of these games. We know about them because we take the time to educate ourselves regarding the upcoming releases, however we're a minority in that. With no solid PR and marketing campaign no product can hope to do well.

I think Resistance 2 is going to be an incredible game, Insomniac does some amazon things. Ratchet is one of the most fun games I've played and again, it was so poorly marketed that it's sales are slow.

I see a ton of people on this site constantly listing all of the upcoming games for "their" system, but to be honest, I myself will probably buy 2-4 games in 2008, mostly shooters and I'll play them to death online, based on who comes through with the best support and features. COD4 = awesome online visuals, but garbage support. This just shows that you can make a game that falls short in a LOT of areas, but is well marketed and it sells.

FWIW, I'm long done with school, and money for games isn't an issue, I can buy what I like. I CHOOSE to buy what I see as a solid game from a company that makes an effort to cater to what I like to play, regardless of the system it's on. If Microsoft gets it's bugs worked out, I'd love to add an XBOX to my set up.

To all of the developers out there that think I'll spend 70$ on your sloppy port - think again. Get it right and I'll be glad to pay for it.
Market it to me like the game is worth buying, back that up with a solid game and you can have my money. I just want to play some decent games.

[Grown Folks Talk]

you "must have" it, doesn't mean everyone else must. People have different tastes. Millions will buy GTA IV when it releases, but I won't be 1 of them. Don't like the games. People buy what they want & can afford. Sometimes your budget only allows you to pick 1 or the other. Which do you really want more?

[BoneMagnus]

Since I am a husband, father, and professional, I don't get tons of time to game. - 10 hours a week average. That means a game like Mass Effect will last me 4 weeks if that is ALL I play - but its not - my weekends are LIVE time.

I have plenty of unfinished games that are considered "great" in my library. I'm talking Zelda:TP, FFXII, GRAW2.

This year - I'm gonna save my money for a new LCD 1080p HDTV and only buy a few games that I will actually have time to play(and finish the games in my library).

[AceLuby]

The timing hasn't been great and the marketing hasn't been good for Uncharted. Up until about 3 mos ago PS3 owners had resistance, oblivion, and NG and that was about it. All of a sudden the console w/ 'no games' has about 7 new games worth owning. At $60 a pop I really doubt there are a lot of people that are willing to throw $450 into games after spending $400-600 on the system. Because of this people have to choose one or two games. Because of this and the poor marketing for the game the game isn't doing as well as it really should. Also, it was just released outside NA which is where the most PS3's are, unlike the 360 where it's userbase is in NA. Same w/ UT3. As much as devs want their games to sell 1 Mil on the first day it's just not realistic, even for great games. They just need to keep a good pace.

[PSWe60]

I think the first commentator is on to something.
Uncharted only sold 1/2 a million world wide? I love that game, I thought it was doing better in sales.

[AceLuby]

So, it's no surprise that it isn't doing that well. Most of these sales are NA sales, which is less than half of the PS3 userbase. I have it and plan on playing it all day tomorrow... finally gonna get some time to enjoy it...

[sleepbox]

Yay! It's another lame "WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!! UNCHARTED IZ TEH BEZT GAME EVARRRRRRRR BUT Y DOEZ NO 1 BUY IT?!?!?!?!?!?!?" Thread.

If it were really that good, it would sell, plain and simple.

[jinn]

blame sean for even thinking that would make the top 50

[aceman7]

It looks like the USA is to blame.

[forum_crawler]

"We also live in a age where some people try to put a spin on sales numbers. Look at Super Mario Galaxy for the Nintendo Wii. The game has sold over 2 millions units in the US alone in a matter of only a few months since it's release and some people out there in the media are claiming that the game was a failure. How can those massive sales numbers be coined "failure"?"

Those are the sore fanboys who can't accept the fact that Super Mario Galaxy rules!!! Great game, I've just started playing it and I must admit that once I get started it is hard to put it down!!!

[Nameless]

Timing & Advertising is to blame. There are so many different games out there & it seems unless it really gets advertised the new games example Uncharted are getting ignore even with all of those reviews. I guess this helps shows how many of those with a PS3 uses it for games.

[CrazzyMan]

Well, the only advertised game as far as i know was Uncharted, Sony spend 1 mln. pounds in UK.
And in Europe Uncharted in it first 3! weeks sold way better, then in USA in it 6 weeks.
Still 550k in 3 WW weeks great number.
http://www.vgchartz.com/gam...
Probably for today, Uncharted did over 700k in 1 month. of WW sales. Overhyped game like ME probably will have just 1,2 mln., while there 7 mln. gap between x360 and ps3.

HaPpY New Year! =]

[JokesOnYou]

#10.3 the problem with your statement is that you begin with a "flawed assumption"=

"Halo is a 6.0 shooter with a 3.0 story line that was embraced by a generation of console gamers who had never actually touched a good FPS."

Many Halo fans and 360 fans in general are former PC gamers, who enjoyed many earlier shooters on that platform, also we've continue to play PC shooters available and have played many of other great shooters available on a console like Golden Eye and HL2 for example.

Finally since you begun your post with a "flawed assumption", it inevitably ends with a "flawed conclusion"=

"That game(Halo3) is a shining example of how mediocrity is awarded in todays society."

I've played countless shooters on both PC and consoles, I happen to believe I'm pretty good at them also, I also like many other shooters but Halo is in fact one of my favorites, because the gameplay is top notch, thats why I'm a fan, I fully understand some "just dont get it" but to assume your opinion should discount the millions of opinions who like the game is an example of WHY your *thinking is "flawed", you have a one way mentality, fortunately for Halo no matter what you *think by all accounts Halo3 is a remarkable success story for ANY videogame. ha ha stop the hate=

JOY