"Following a great event in November of last year, DevGAMM Lisbon is coming back to the beautiful and sunny Cascais region to catch up with old friends, connect with game developers from around the world, hear from seasoned professionals, and have a great time all around." - DevGAMM.
The Steam Summer Sale is nearly here, offering massive discounts on AAA and indie games, letting you build your PC gaming library for less.
"This is GSD figures, which tracks all digital game sales from most major publishers (Nintendo data is absent), and physical game sales in all major European markets."
"The No.1 selling game in May this year was EA Sports FC 24, followed by Grand Theft Auto 5. F1 2024 races in at No.3. The PC release of Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut sends the PlayStation game up to No.4."
"11.6 million PC and console games were sold across European markets in May. Compared with the same five week period in 2023, that's a drop of nearly 17%."
"Hellblade 2, System Shock Remake, and the Rogue Prince of Persia all missing out on the Top 100."
I need an xbox fan to explain to me how Hellblade didn't even enter the top 100 since Game Pass doesn't effect sales and you guys are all just using the service as a trial to buy the games later.... /s (for sigh)
Also tell me again how 3.5 M sales first month for FF was bad...
If Microsoft didn't buy the developer this could have been a multiplatform game and if they wanted they still could have got it day 1 on Game Pass.
If I worked at Ninja Theory I'd be sprucing up my resume right about now.
Think it's pretty obvious to most that Hellblade 2 was a flop, it was setup to fail by skipping playstation and being sent to die on gamepass, especially on a platform where they openly mock playstation 'movie games', this being way more movie than any PS game.
But in defense of GP and HB2:
If the Game Pass strategy is continuesly working out and drawing in new subscriptions, wether monthly nor yearly ones, then lower box office sales ARE the logical consequence.
I sure wouldn't have expected HB2 missing even the Top 100, but if I would have wanted to try it out, I would have rather subscribed for a month than buying it.
I understand what Microsoft is trying to do with game pass.
But I guess the point is that this game had a five or six year dev cycle, the revenue this game needs to generate to cover the cost of it's creation is high. There is a zero percent chance that Hellblade 2 brought in enough subscribers to offset the loss of sales or pay for it's creation and the continued developmental costs of other game pass games in development.
Keep in mind as I recall this game didn't even make it into the top 20 most popular games on the xbox platform. And on Steam it was equally if not more unsuccessful with very low sales and player counts..
This is the whole problem and why Microsoft is closing studios and putting games on other devices, they aren't generating enough profits to maintain developmental costs.
" I would have rather subscribed for a month than buying it."
Well yea, that's how everyone thinks, that's the problem $9 vs $50 so Microsoft needs to attract 5 people to game pass for every single sale. But it's more complicated because they also have to pay for things like the monthly games they add to the service as well as continual developmental costs.
it's a sustainability problem.
@Einhander1972
No worries, I get you.
I personally dislike the GP model, too, because I view it as a useful tool to lock games behind licensing agreements you never know when they will get expired, forcing you to pay for it again.
I just wanted to point out that HB2 was, if anything else, heavily played through GP, otherwise it would have entered the charts.
So lower rankings in the charts could in fact just mean a game is (well) received over GP.
Going forward, it's one of the most interesting things to watch in the following years how Microsoft will be able to hold up to the effect GP has on box office revenue.
I am thrilled to see how the Xbox brand will evolve around this with their next hardware iteration.
Looking at the recent hardware sales news, you can bet their heads must be steaming right now to come up with a proper strategy around GP.
My take is that you can bet Microsoft will be going or at least heavily evaluating becoming a full 3rd-party-publisher, even with their biggest IPs.
As of now, I can't see any other way how they would be able to keep the GP sustainable pumping out AA-AAA games day one.
Many of them with development costs well above 50 or even 100+ million USD. And subsequent support work going into them over years after release.
I feel like, you have a rational view of the issues, and I also "get you".
Just one thing I disagree with, though you say could so I assume your just being optimistic or glass half full.
"I just wanted to point out that HB2 was, if anything else, heavily played through GP, otherwise it would have entered the charts. So lower rankings in the charts could in fact just mean a game is (well) received over GP."
I don't think that is what happened, the game didn't even crack the top 20 on xbox's own ranking system. That is my opinion on the performance of the game.
I'm not sure there is a path to sustainability, game pass is a bit like an ouroboros the more people adopt it the more it canabalizes the platform and the industry over all.
"I don't think that is what happened, the game didn't even crack the top 20 on xbox's own ranking system."
Ouch.
I did not know that. Sorry if you had mentioned it before, I must have overlooked it.
Well, what can I say.
HB2 wasn't meant to be for everyone, but leading up to its release it got definitely hyped like it was by a part of the Xbox community.
I am saddened for Ninja Theory, I bet they would have had a bigger success if they still were 3rd party.
But I have to say that HB on its own was probably never created to be a system seller, but rather fullfilling their own vision of creation. Which in fact is what videogames are all about in the first place.
I wrap it up.
Indiana Jones and COD incoming - wonder how their numbers will look like.
It's exciting, I mean it truly is, to see GP effects on so many titles still coming up. especially on the juggernaut that CoD is.
Here we go.. too much barking about EA CEO getting a big bonus when the same ones are buying his games. So pathetic
Interesting that EAFC 24 still made top sales, considering it was the free game on PS+. Unless that counts as a purchase?
Hellblade has always been overrated, even the original. Just because a game does something different, doesn't make it amazing. Great graphics and a unique experience... that's really it. That doesn't make up for the rest. Gameplay is terrible, puzzles are terrible, no replay value, extremely short.
The original was only $30, so it was more acceptable. But the sequel brought nothing new to the table.
The PlayStation 5 was the best-selling console in Europe
PS5 = 300,126
Switch = 158,473
Xbox Series = 68,592
Brilliant sales for PS5 and Switch in her twilight years.
Utterly appalling sales for Xbox, my God.
Somehow Xbox sales still seem high.. really no idea why people are buying that thing.. if it’s GP get it on pc it’s cheaper..
It will also be interesting what a potential switch 2 will do to current generation consoles. That's why maybe there is the rumored PS5 Pro. I think MS should have released an updated version themselves especially when they are asking $600 for a 2TB version
Ms should just do their next Xbox as a open platform Pc and charge premium like steam deck. Just do Xbox brand PC's. Xbox as a brand is at its least valuable point. So many of their future games are coming to Playstation too I think once Phil finally decides on halo and gears flood gates will open. Just release a gear of war collection before the next one comes out. Your gamepass users are happy to have the games day one and other platforms pay full price so MS generates more money
That is a rumor going around so maybe. It would make sense with their handheld rumors too.
"I think MS should have released an updated version themselves especially when they are asking $600 for a 2TB version"
The One X sold 6 million or less and the SX is way underperforming the the One by significant margins at this point. A mid gen xbox console would have absolutely been a money flush. Power is not going to sell consoles for them if a 40% advantage failed so badly. And their most popular console by far is the series s.
I would prefer if xbox stopped making xbox hardware and just became a publisher and stopped doing everything they can to make things worse for PlayStation gamers. I am so tired of the near daily B.S.
They started the console war from day 0 of xbox with the goal of bringing down PlayStation and it can't end until they leave. If there was no xbox people could actually talk about games again and not try to destroy anything that isn't on a platform.
Heck the whole reason we even have these articles about sales numbers is because Microsoft wanted to brag about the 360, no one talked about sales before that and no one wanted too except for Microsoft.
They simply aren't doing anything that is making gaming better for the consumer or the industry.
Switch 2 could make serious damage to PS by being capable of running all third party software going forward.
Publishers really like Nintendo platform cause software there makes more money.
@SimpleDad I can not see a Nintendo handheld being able to be as powerful as a PS5 and meeting a price that Nintendo wants to be at.
@neutral: “I think once Phil finally decides on halo and gears flood gates will open. Just release a gear of war collection before the next one comes out”
Phil got no saying on that otherwise PlayStation wouldn’t see any Xbox games including ABK and all the acquisitions
PS5Pro is incoming, and I don’t think MS can afford to offer yet another SKU, the development costs are already sky high because of having 2 different consoles for each game and MS is already losing many indie developer games to PlayStation. but there is also no way they will put gears on PlayStation.
I don’t know how this is a celebration? Console sales are down. It’s been trending this way for awhile. Glad they’re making sales, but the console market overall has slowed. Not a good trend.
That's not really an accurate take.
Switch is down because of saturation and people know a new Switch is right around the corner maybe even later this year. (still outselling xbox 2:1)
PlayStation is down 9% but last year was the year covid stopped slowing production and everyone rushed to get s PS5 when they were finally available.
PS5 is matching pace with PS4 which was obviously a successful console.
And xbox is... well yeah down 42% YoY, and keep in mind 2023 was also down from 2022.
PlayStation is about to launch a PS5 Pro which is guaranteed to bump sales as people like myself double dip and people who have been waiting for the Pro finally jump in. And it's rumored that PS5 base might finally get it's permanent price drop when the pro launches.
And Nintendo Switch 2 simply needs to play Switch 1 games and that thing is going to sell like crazy.
So things are only looking bad for xbox, everyone else is looking forward to launching new hardware and boosted sales.
@Einhander1972
While I haven’t looked at the actual numbers. The fact of the matter is sales are down. You say that the PS5 is on pace with the PS4. I don’t doubt that but how about the PS2??? Every generation the console market has stayed stagnant. Predictable numbers but no where close to the ps2. That’s the point Xbox was trying to make. If the market was truly growing from generation to generation we already would have had multiple consoles surpassing the PS2. But we haven’t.
Plus this generation is the weakest game wise. Tons of remakes, few first party, a lot of third parties, agenda games, have to be online to play and of course gas. The pro will be a blip on the spread sheet. Factors like price will have a big impact on its sales. Which for the hardcore with deep pockets like yourself. Will come out to buy it. But that’s a niche crowd at best. Just like the PS4 pro. A niche.
"The fact of the matter is sales are down. You say that the PS5 is on pace with the PS4. I don’t doubt that but how about the PS2???"
I can't even see the goal post anymore!!!
PlayStation is having its most profitable generation (from recent investor report) They have sold 60m PS5's and only recently did PS5 reach 50% of the active user base so PS4 is still contributing significant sales and profits for PlayStation.
And are you going to try to tell me the Switch isn't successful?
"Plus this generation is the weakest game wise. Tons of remakes, few first party, a lot of third parties, agenda games, have to be online to play and of course gas."
Remakes like the highly popular RE Remakes? Or just the Sony ones? (which have also been popular)
There have been enough first party games and those have been boosted by extremely successful 2'nd party Sony published games and since when is third party games a bad thing... 99% (not sourced number) of games on any console are 3'rd party.
And Nintendo is also making a ton of 1'st and 2'nd party published games.
"The pro will be a blip on the spread sheet."
I'll take that bet.
Clearly the PS4 Pro sold well enough that they made a PS5 Pro. PS4 Pro sales were around 20 - 25% of the consoles sold after it's launch, I see no reason why they wouldn't reach a similar audience.
@roow1
You are wrong. The market has been getting bigger and bigger. You are forgetting that back then there were only two significant console manufacturers. We now have 3.
The market may go up and down, but video gaming market is only increasing in size.
MS’s situation is different because their antics finally caught up to them and people just aren’t as excited for their consoles anymore.
PS5 only 9% down year-on-year is arguably thanks to their recently released and well-received 2nd and 3rd party line-up.
• NSW down ~57%.
• X|S down ~43%.
Year-to-date, PS5 now has a 5.2:1 sales ratio compared to X|S in Europe.
That's boxslaugther.
300 divided by 68 = 4.41 PS5 consoles are sold per 1 xbox.
O____0
Insane? Is this even possible?
i can understand nintendo sales declining because fans are holding out for the switch 2
i can understand playstation sales declining because fans are holding out for the PS5 Professional
i can understand xbox sales declining
Xbox sales declining by pushing subscription model only. Basically Gamepass or nothing.
It's a small minority of the gaming community who pay attention to showcases or read websites. Showcases are of limited value this far into a consoles life cycle in my view.
I think they are valuable for the first few years to get the core gamers invested and to build the hype, but 4 years in, the 'fans' who watch these things are already invested.
Occasionally you will get a game that reaches through to more casual games and might draw some new consumers, like a Halo or Gears perhaps, but even those franchises have become less desirable with each iteration I reckon.
