Its not even funny how badly reported PC game sales are

Lately we are seeing the resurgence of PC gaming. Microsoft has finally admitted that it ignored the PC platform for too long. Every game publisher is pushing out more and more games on the PC. The question is, why? Last month, a gaming website reported that PC games sell more than games on Xbox One. To be honest, it sounds a bit made up. And it sounds made up because we don’t have numbers. For consoles, there are numbers thrown around everywhere. For PC’s, everybody is hush on how much they actually sold.

[Irishguy95]

Digital sales aren't kept track of so well, I for one rarely actually buy from steam for example, cheaper sites sell steam keys.

[buttclown]

Exactly, plus you have GOG and Origin trying to compete with Steam.

[Hold_It]

And G2A

[mikeslemonade]

Meh.. only half of them are playing at current gen settings anyway.

[freshslicepizza]

steam can have up to 9 million active players, that means people logged into steam at the same time. that's a lot of people. however i know for a fact some people log in automatically when they turn on their pc's and stay logged in even when they are not playing games.

another thing to consider is how many sales happen when they have the big sales. regardless of that it is still impressive just from how well steam is doing, there are other storefronts too that sell games like gog, origin and amazon. not sure if they will ever have a proper tracking system for sales.

microsoft is also putting more emphasis on pc gaming which will also help push the focus on that platform.

[Khajiit86]

@Mike

Im way above "current gen" idc what half people got... Half console gamers play destiny and COD... Whats that say???? Nothing.....

[Kleptic]

considering average laptops are now capable of current gen console settings...what mike said is most likely untrue...

let alone...one of the highest selling games of mid 2015...was freaking BF: Hardline...where as PC communities outright ignored that pile of trash. If console sales result in more junk like that being pushed out, its in no way a good thing...

[livininsin]

@mikeslemonade

It's likely true only half of the people on steam have machines capable of current gen settings or better but there are 130 million steam users. Now, add in half of the people buying physical copies instead of using steam and half the people using competing online services instead of steam like amazon, Gamersgate, Greenmangaming, Bundlestars, Gamesrocket, GOG, Origin, Getgames, Humblestore, Uplay, Gamerepublic, Direct2drive, Desura, etc and how many people are we talking about?

And don't forget that just because there's a new console generation, doesn't mean that all PC gamers have recently upgraded their rig. Most PC gamers are on about a 3-4 year upgrade cycle which means only about half of PC gamers have upgraded their rigs since the start of this generation and almost all of them will have upgraded a second time before this generation is over.

This is another reason why PC sales have long legs too, many will put off the purchase of a newly published game because they are almost ready to upgrade their PC and will wait to make the purchase so sales on PC tend to be spread out over several months and particularly good titles will sell steadily for years while console sales fall off the deep end after the first month or two.

[Irishguy95]

Wtf...why do I have 5 bubbles again..okay

[starchild]

That's true. PC gaming has multiple digital distribution services, which are poorly tracked, or at the very least never compiled into an overall total.

People see the low sales numbers of physical games on PC and jump to the erroneous conclusion that games on PC sell poorly, when in reality the great majority of PC game sales are digital.

You also have to keep in mind that PC has by far the biggest and most diverse library of games out of all gaming platforms and this means that the money PC gamers are spending is spread out among a greater number of games. The money being generated by sales of PC games as a whole actually dwarfs that of any single console platform.

The PC is a flourishing gaming platform and an important part of the current gaming landscape.

[Ocsta]

Or they see seemingly low numbers and scream PIRACY from the mountaintops.

[tee_bag242]

This gen has been brilliant for PC. They've been getting quite a few console exclusives from both sides to top it off too.

[AndrewLB]

I've heard from multiple sources in the gaming industry that digital downloads account for 90-94% of PC game sales. As for me, I haven't bought a retail physical disc PC game in over a decade. Everything I purchase is digital through Steam, GOG, or Amazon (digital).

[andibandit]

True that, I dont even have a dvd drive in my gaming pc

[Khajiit86]

Go to G2A.com

You buy steam/origin/gog etc keys for games for so cheap.

[hiredhelp]

This is another reason why this article has flaws 3rd party sites that sell LEGIT keys that not bought threw steam origin or Uplay but yet still bought.

[Ogygian]

Data from those sites can be ignored, as those keys have already been purchased in the primary market (from an authorized reseller).

The data all adds up without needing to include them.

[Ogygian]

Those keys often come from retail copies. Thus they do not count as digital sales.

Or they will originally come from GOG, Steam, Origin, or the Humble Store.

So basically, that G2A key you might buy is actually already "bought" elsewhere, as you are paying for it on the secondary market.

Basically, you can find out the exact number of digital sales by counting up the sales of all official online sellers (authorized to sell as much as they like). It's actually quite easy, but companies refuse to pass on that data.

What we really need is legislation forcing that data to be made public, so that the market can become more transparent. If we know exactly what games sell well, devs will better understand what types of games we want.

[Mr Tretton]

Wow, those are some great and some of them unsuspected numbers.

End of 'no one buys games on PC, PC gamers just pirate'

[DragoonsScaleLegends]

Problem is a million on PC is not the same as a million on console. It cost a $100 for Batman Arkham Knight/Season Pass on console yet on PC it was going for less than $50(I saw it going for $38). If the console version was priced like the PC version every time it would sell so much more but they wouldn't make close to as much money. But who knows which versions sell the most or make the most money. It's difficult to find out accurate physical numbers let alone digital sells. Publishers will either tell us it didn't meet expectations or they will gloat about the sales if it does meet expectations.

[Paulino30]

@ drpepperdude

Why do you think is less?

It's because that game with season pass comes with no packaging on the PC unlike the consoles. So it's less money spent by companies to Get the games out.

Second you have other sites besides steam competing with deals to get the most sales.

I would like to know where you saw that deal because steam was selling it for 89.99 with a 6 dollar discount.

[GhostTurtle]

@pepperdude

This isn't even about season passes though. What your saying has nothing to do with overall base game sales.

[Hard8times]

WOW nice

[Bladesfist]

I have not bought a physical game for PC in 15 years yet I own 466 games on Steam. I imagine (total guesswork) the digital vs physical ratio for PC is at least 10 : 1

[Takwin]

I cannot even fathom it is anywhere close to 10:1. I wouldn't be surprised if it was 100:1 and I'm being serious. The last physical game I got was Wrath of the Lich King expansion.

I think I have about 700 Steam games, 20 Origin games, 10 GOG games.

That being said, I always buy console AAA games on disc so I can get Best Buy discount and resell them, essentially playing them for free.

[3styler]

I was not expecting these kind of numbers. I knew the PC market was flourishing thanks to seemingly a vast majority of developers putting out their games on the platform but 9.4 millions sold for Skyrim just on steam is really amazing.

[DLConspiracy]

I really feel like Skyrim was a huge entry point or shift in PC gaming. Not that it hasn't been thriving it's just around that time PC gaming started to grow more. Eventually I believe it will outgrow our expectations. It keeps growing. Especially now that even console fans are aware enough to complain about frames and resolution.

[jairusmonillas]

PC gaming is the future. Consoles are dying, most console games are getting a PC release at the same time, 10 years ago that was not really very common.

[Nyxus]

Games are going more and more multiplatform in general. Many former PC franchises are now on consoles as well.

[Spartacus10]

A larger number of devs have made the swith from PC to console and PC than console devs have to console and PC.

[lameguy]

A console is nothing more than a PC that I can buy as 1 complete package, in a form factor that sits in my media cabinet, along with a game-centric UI 'app' running on top.

I've owned PCs for more than 2 decades now, but for the past 12 years that PC has been a laptop... Laptops suck at gaming and I don't see a desktop in my, or any of my friends, future any time soon.

[MeteorPanda]

there is a major flaw to that. Time management. You really do have to play around with a games install before it actually works, drivers and your own setup have to be tuned, errors will happen googling through forums for answers..essentially you have to work a bit before a game runs. For people who have limited time to play that's a real draw back...consoles...you pop in the disk, wait a bit..play.

There's a reason people prefer to game on consoles rather then pc and that l've seen is a major one a lot of gamers who put in huge chucks of their day playing can't grasp.

I'm not saying either is wrong or right, but know there are a variety of reasons why one would pick one or the other or be like me and embrace whatever.

[Aloren]

Well, if people think time management is an issue, they're wrong. 99% of the games I install and play on PC work instantly, and only require maybe a minute to change a few graphical options. Just cause there's an occasional batman arkham knight doesn't mean it's the norm. To be honest, once the game is installed it's a lot quicker to get in a pc game than a console game.

[boing1]

^^
True if you have time for it. I'm 35, I have a kid and a day job. I have lost my interest in PC gaming once I stopped having time for constant tweaking, installing and fixing stuff. I'm too old and too tired for this shit. I just want to play.

[Aloren]

But what constant tweaking installing and fixing ? I guess i'm just lucky then. I personally just buy, click ton install, and then click to launch. I doubt time has anything to do with it.

[LightofDarkness]

This also highlights the difference between what kind of games PC gamers will buy in droves vs. what big publishers tell us they SHOULD buy in droves. The annual releases, i.e. COD, AC et al, don't get much a look in on PC. This tells console centered devs that PC isn't a viable platform. The truth is that they simply don't make games that most PC gamers want to buy. We still like the odd blockbuster here and there (Tomb Raider, Batman) but we're into open-ended and emergent gameplay, customization and experimentation. Hollow linear experiences with big explosions, Hollywood voice actors and done-to-death multiplayer aren't really the plat-du-jour.

There's SERIOUS money to be made on PC. Imagine what Fallout 4 will sell...

[Aloren]

Well, it's not that simple. COD doesn't sell as well on pc as it does on console, but it's still quite popular (4.5 million for MW2, 3+ million for Black ops and MW3...). And i'd say the main reason why is because people who want some multiplayer FPS on pc play CS:GO. The peak for CS:go today was 542k players....

That's 10 times more than the daily peak of the PS4 version of BF4 and BF hardline combined. ( http://bf4stats.com/ http://bfhstats.com/)

[Seafort]

I play a few AAA games a year but most of the time it's indie or Early Access games like ARK Survival Evolved, World of Warships or a little known gem called Big Pharma :)

I'm just getting back into XCOM as well ready for XCOM 2 release and I've already preordered Fallout 4.

I have no qualms preordering games if I was going to get the game no matter what and sometimes you can get preorder games quite a bit cheaper than at release. So win win :)

This article just shows everyone how well PC gaming is doing and I've noticed the console fanboys are no where to be seen :P

PC games sell over the lifetime of the game and not in the first month or 2 like on consoles.

It's a good time to be a PC gamer where publishers and developers take the PC platform a bit more seriously instead of being treated like second class gamers.

[--bienio--]

Agree 100% good times coming for Pc gamers.

[KuroKazuma]

VGChartz
I lol'd

[Aloren]

Steamspy sure gives impressive numbers. Coop FPS especially are impressive.
12.5 million for left 4 dead 2
4.5 million for payday 2
3 million for dead island
5 million for borderlands 2
3 million for killing floor...

And steam itself also offers some statistics. While it doesn't say how well games are selling, it gives the peak for the day. And 30+ games get more than 10k players simultaneously at some point in the day. Some are f2p but that's still impressive.

[contradictory]

lol, who the hell buys physical editions for PC in 2015?

answer: 1/10 maybe
assholes who say that all PC Gamers are pirates just don't know better...

But i will say piracy is good for testing before buying.

although with Steam refunds now it's nowhere near as necessary because if it's a shit port like Arkham Knight then you can just refund and punish the developers for it because Steam (apparently) keeps their cut even after the refund. Now PSN, XBL and Ninty Eshop
Needs to do the same and we can purge half-assed games from major devs altogether.

Games that are finished and work day 1?
Hell yeah!

[Spartacus10]

wait... are you calling yourself an asshole?

Or do you mean its ok if you acknowledge piracy on PC, but if anyone else does they must be an asshole?

[contradictory]

...uhhh...what?
i was saying that people who think every PC gamer is a pirate is misinformed.
okay, calling them asshole is a bit too harsh but still..

and i only used to pirate to test games day 1 to decide whether it's well-made port or that it simply runs normally and now with Steam refund now i don't see the point anymore

[Spartacus10]

No, I dont think you mean that because theres not a single person on earth that believes "every PC gamer is a pirate".

[Grap]

Well if they release a sh!tty port they should be punish.

[--bienio--]

Pc back to the throne:) oki always was on Top but people forget but Now new Era is on the way:) Im happy to be part of this. Pc rules!!

[OrangePowerz]

Since a large amount of games are sold during steam sales it's nice and well if a game sells 4 million copies on steam, but how many of these are purchased during sales when they are sold for a fraction of the normal cost? You would need to have the numbers from the launch month to actually have numbers that are indicative. GTA5 would be an indication of the market since that one wasn't in the steam sale yet and that holds at a fraction of units sold compared to tje console versions.

As for why there are more games now coming also for PC is rather straightforward. Since the new consoles are closer to the PC architecture it's easier and cheaper to also make a PC version.

[Thunder_G0d_Bane]

Doesn't matter to the dev. Steam buy the licences in bulk from the devs so they already got paid that's why they don't care how cheap Steam sells it.

[Zepherite]

I am almost certain that is nothing like how it works.

From what I understand, steam sends a percentage of each sale to the publisher/developer.

I'm willing to be proved wrong though.

[OrangePowerz]

Steam doesn't buy licenses as you will see from the article below. Steam doesn't work in the way a normal retailer or the steam key resellers work.

http://www.gamasutra.com/vi...

[lameguy]

Digital sales across _all_ platforms are lacking. I don't think you can say that PC games sell more than console X without also considering that console X likely has a ton of digital sales as well etc. (unless that is what the 'gaming website' actually meant).

[traumadisaster]

Source?

[lameguy]

In case it wasn't clear, I meant digital sales _numbers_ being reported are lacking across all the platforms really. I would not be surprised if they account for upwards of 20% of total sales.

[Father__Merrin]

there won't always be 1m+ sellers on pc at full price.

taking humble bundle / indiegala / bundlestars and you get a lot of units sold

[OC_MurphysLaw]

So a few things... One Valve doesn't like to share these numbers for a reason. They like playing the "we are the little guy" card but the reality is Valve is a bit of a juggernaut in the industry now from a store perspective.

I also would love to see the actual revenue numbers that say Steam actually generates for these titles? I mean take X-com for example: 2.8 million copies... sounds super impressive but how many copies have been sold at severe discount? I just wonder how much revenue that truly has generated vs the surface appearance of a big number. I am not trying to discount the success of PC gaming either, just really curious as to what the real numbers look like from the revenue side.

[kevnb]

world of warcraft is the worst, 14 million subscribers at once doesnt equal 14 million total sales... wow must be well over 100 million total unique sales/subscribers.