Can One Game Sell A System?

"Others will wait for a system library to pile up, and console pricing to plummet. KJ is unsure if he can last years without playing the hottest titles." -Play Legit

[Crazyglues]

Of course, and especially when that game is something like Uncharted 4 / The Last of Us...

[Rimeskeem]

Or Halo/Gears of War

I firmly believe that there are systems sellers

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Yes, If I remember right, the original Xbox didn't get popular until Halo came out, in turn that probably attracted more console purchases and Dev interest in the system. Pretty much every console has their system sellers that push those sales.

[Kingthrash360]

I rEmber when mario kart came out for wiiu ...had wiiu selling like hot cakes...After it died down so did wiiu sales....proof is right there.
New ip are great but not system sellers..even the good ones.. Imo it's the mario/uncharted/halos of the world that sell consoles (to name a few...zelda, gow, gears, metroid, and infamous, also) all first party games btw...All system sellers.

[sonarus]

Its hard for most people to justify purchasing a system for one game. But there is that rear game we all hold dear that most of us would do almost anything to play. For some its Halo/gears of war. Though in my opinion the gears series was already stale as fu** by gears 3.

For me its MGS. If that game was only out on a virtual boy i would find one and buy it. A new god of war might do it as well.

[TheRedButterfly]

Halo (and Gears, but mostly Halo) has been the main reason for people to buy an Xbox since November 2001.

It's the reason I got one, the reason I keep getting them, and the reason I will continue to get them. I can get (almost) everything else on other platforms, but I can only get Halo on Xbox. Would I get them elsewhere? Probably not - I enjoy having everything in one single spot (and I've grown attached to my Gamerscore), but I know I have options when it comes to where to get Batman Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3.

[MrSec84]

I can't agree, in order to be a system seller that one game would have to be enough to entice people into buying that platform, but with Halo the system already had the install base and Halo just caused a reasonable spike, but then a week later the hardware sales fell back down.

Usually you'll find that other games increased their numbers when a supposed system seller releases too, probably because Halo or whatever was the last game they were waiting for before they would get into that platform, but they didn't just want Halo, they wanted a bunch of games.

A library of content has way more weight than a single supposedly big game.
Halo definitely sells very well, but it's usually because the audience for that game already owns an Xbox.

Me personally I waited to get a 360 until a decent deal was available, I wanted to play Halo, but it wasn't the only game I wanted, Gears, Forza, Fable, Project Gotham and the bundle and pricing factors were important to selling me on the system as well.
Multiplats running the best and friends having that system were important things too me as well.

PS3 had a bunch of games I wanted like Resistance, Motorstorm, eventually GT, Ratchet & Clank, Uncharted and others.

This has been the case with me and I think most gamers look at buying a games system as an investment, they don't just shell out hundreds of pounds or whatever currency to buy one game.

[Razuel]

it is unfortunate that sony does not have a competitive multiplayer exclusive system seller. "still"

[Crazyglues]

@ rimeskeem

Yes indeed, on both systems there are games that indeed sell the system..

Didn't mean to imply that it's just on PS4..

[Rimeskeem]

It's ok, didn't mean to attack you or anything. Sorry if it came off like that

[Highlife]

What is this respectful talk? This is the internet right. If only this was common. Bubs for both.

[Letthewookiewin]

What! Kindness, unacceptable fight to the death holding your system of choice!

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

Naughty Dog themselves are a system seller. Anything they do sells. Notice how each game gains more sales than the previos ones. U3 sold over 5 milli and TLOU sold 7 milli the last time I've heard of it. U4 will definitely reach a milestone and sell some more PS4s with the right marketing.

Naughty Dog has the spotlight now in the gaming world thanks to the overwhelming success of TLOU.

Drake as of now is the PlayStation mascot just like Zelda is for Nintendo and Masterchief for Xbox. Mascots are the true system sellers. Others can also be sellers. I'm eager to know how Bloodborne has impacted PS4's sales

[PsBoxGamer]

MARIO is Nintendos Mascot bro.

[Aloy-Boyfriend]

Yeah but I think zelda sells more. Mario didn't sell much Wii us. Zelda on the other hand would do much better

[InTheLab]

Dude Zelda on its best day can't touch Mario's sales. We're talking 3 to 5 million versus 5 to 10 on any of their consoles...

[themonado]

Wait, what...? As far as I know, Zelda has never outsold Mario.

[otherZinc]

@XiKurapikaKurta,

No, Naughty Dog isn't "the spotlight of the gaming world", please.

If Naughty Dog were the "spotlight", Amy Henning, top programmers, directors, and employees wouldn't have been laid-off. That's why Uncharted 4 is being delayed to 2016, they're understaffed.

344 Industries, on the other hand, is bolstering it's studio. 5 Halo Novels, Halo Movies, Halo Comics, Halo Encyclopedia, New Halo Action Figures, AND: *Halo 5 complete with Campaign,
Campaign Co-op, Forge, Multiplayer, Etc...
In 1080p 60fps with Windows 10 &
DirectX 12; All releasing 2015!

That's what happens when you're considered the "center of the gaming universe".

[jonboi24]

I bought a Gamecube for Smash and a PS for FF7.

[Ninver]

I got a PS for Speed Freaks. Ah silly memories.

[Macdaddy71]

And here goes asking dumb stuff again, if one game would not sell systems they would not make first party games!!!! Why even ask that.....find some Real gaming news and write a good thread,.. Dang enough with this,..

[bacrec1]

I don't know about that. Is there a definitive PC game out there?

[ZombieKiller]

Gears of War sold an xbox 360 to me.

God of War
Uncharted

When it was exclusive to PS, Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Solid for the Playstation. Now it's a whole bunch of "system sellers" for me.

Hell, the reason I KEEP buying the consoles is the exclusives. Not to mention the PC guys only getting GTA V now. I don't know where I would be without GTA in my life lol!

[joab777]

The beauty is that it doesn't have to.

[tmh3593]

yes and if DS 2 wasnt coming out in a week id go buy a ps4 for bloodbourne right now, im so petroleum jelly ps4 has it exclusively

[jcnba28]

Didn't you mean Mario kart Wii?

Over 35 million copies sold.

I don't think any Sony or Microsoft game has even come close to that number.

[HammadTheBeast]

Bloodborne. Halo 5. Legend of Zelda. Overwatch.

All of these are games which can sell systems. So, the answer to that question is yes.

[JsonHenry]

Yes. I had bought a launch day PS4, but it broke. So I've been without a PS4 for about 6 months now. Watched one Twitch stream of Bloodbourne and went out and bought a new finally after putting it off for too long.

[Rimeskeem]

you didn't have a year warranty?

[JsonHenry]

I DID have a warranty. But I opened mine up the first day I bought it to look inside of it and voided the warranty long before it broke.

I'm a PC "elitist". And one of our quirks is checking out the hardware under the hood. Warranty be damned.

[OUROSMAG]

Bloodborne is already moving units, a few of my friends bought one because of Bloodborne, and look at sales in japan.

[RAM0N]

Of course i bought a ps4 because of bloodborne

[DanzoSAMA]

me too

[Spotie]

Yes. However, there's no game that's a system seller to everyone.

[cyphertech]

Yes. I bought a wii just for skyward sword and I'm considering getting a wiiu for the next zelda. I typically buy playstations in general, but nintendo systems are normally the purchases I make for specific games.

[bjmartynhak]

Yes. Specially when you are choosing between A and B. When you already have one system, one game is probably not enough for most people.

[BigDuo]

I do believe one game can indeed make a big difference, but that's not to say it is easy to do.

Pokemon revitalized the Gameboy.Wii Sports sold Wii consoles largely to non-gamers. Halo was a big seller to FPS console fans. Nintendogs helped sell DS systems to non-gamers. New Super Mario and Mario Kart Wii and DS games served as effective bridge titles.

MineCraft is one of the more recent examples of how powerful one game can be and not just one one platform either.

[Sy_Wolf]

Yes, in fact there's a long history of a big exclusive coming out and then the hardware sales spiked upwards.

[PiNkFaIrYbOi]

It usually only takes one game for most people to jump in for a console. It just might take a while before said game comes out though.

[kevinsheeks]

I'm waiting this time around, need a few good games before I make the change from ps3.

[Immorals]

I'd buy a console if timesplitters came to it exclusively.

[Vanfernal]

Ask Super Mario 64.

[Double_O_Revan]

NES: Super Mario Bros
SNES: Super Mario World
Genesis: Sonic
Game boy: Tetris
PS1: FF7
Ps2: MGS2
Xbox: Halo

Every console has that Big seller.

[_LarZen_]

One game can sell a system. But it's a special kind of costumer who does something like that. Not at all representing the majority costumer base.

[Psychotica]

I remember NFL 2K caused me to buy a Sega Dreamcast. Funny to think I thought the graphics looked awesome back then..

[WizzroSupreme]

Pikmin and Super Mario Sunshine sold me on a Gamecube back in the day and Sunset Overdrive totally sold me on an Xbox One. So yes, yes one game can.

[RSKnight]

Yes. I bought the PSone just to play FF7, and I told my self I'll sell it after finishing the game. I ended up selling my N64 instead. Later I bought the Gamecube just to play Wind Waker, was supposed to sell it afterwards, but instead I keep it along my PS2. I guess when you don't care much about a console, a great game can be the best incentive to do the investment, and once it's done you probably keep buying games on that console.

[Tedakin]

Sure, but to certain people. Like I LOVE Mortal Kombat. If it was only on PS4, I'd buy a PS4. Not everyone would. Some people will buy an Xbox just for Halo 5, a lot don't give a crap about Halo.

[Sarah_Ch]

I bought Xbox one for rise of the tomb raider, so the answer is yes.

[2pacalypsenow]

Mgs 2 sold the ps2 and Halo the Xbox so yes

[magiciandude]

I bought my Xbox One for Sunset Overdrive. Everything else fell in place (Forza Horizon 2, Titanfall, Halo MC Collection, Ryse, and Dead Rising 3).

[Dizzydrifter1]

I would break down and buy a 4 if they made a new Dark Cloud. I got a PS3 with only 3 games so...

[JokerBoy422]

Most will probably call me stupid, but i dont really care. I mainly got my PS4 for GTA 5 and Borderlands The Handsome Collection as well as whatever Sony has for the future of God of War. Also dont even go down that PC road with me, as any good exclusive Playstation game wont be on PC. Otherwise yeah, PC is the way to go.

[Nwah]

Only a mindless consumer would buy a whole $400+ system for one game. I think that carefully weighing the options and games on a system is a much smarter approach. If one system has an exclusive you really want, take a look at the other games available on the system and find a decent amount of games you would enjoy.

[OB1Biker]

I kind of agree ; I think one game actually doesnt sell a system for most people who need to be aware of a few games theyr interested in for it. But it does tell them WHEN to buy this platform as in a game you just cant wait any longer to play knowing other great games are available or soon to be and most of them actually multiplat (though new gen only)

[gamerdad316]

This is the most relevant comment here. Very well said. Wish i could use all bubbles for you.

[Shinuz]

Of course it can, Shenmue sold me the Dreamcast :)

[TheColbertinator]

Soul Calibur 1 on Dreamcast

[proudxgamer]

Halo and TLOU period....oh Resident Evil 4 when it 1st released on GameCube. Marketers know the public know gamers know....Exclusives sell!!!!

[Xristo]

Yes. I would of preferred to buy my son a PS4 for this past Christmas but he is a huge Halo fan. That alone sealed the deal. This isn't to say that the X1 is bad. I just personally think that there are better exclusives on the PS4.

[dafegamer]

Yes Halo/Gears/uncharted/Gran turismo/tlou/zelda/mario/smash bros are known systemsellers

[ShaunCameron]

Despite the rantings of those who swear they'll never buy a console for one game, yes indeed. I remember buying the Wii specifically for NSMBWii as soon as I got my 2010 tax refund.