Topic: Official Sales Thread

[Flames_of_chaos]

You are right KDR. It sells best in the States then Europe and Australia and finally Japan.

Flames, another factor is Wii overtaking the 360 in the US.

At this point Mattrick(sp?) admitted that Microsoft can't beat the Wii or Wii's momentum, the Wii and DS are absolute monsters in terms of hardware and software sales. I think MS wants a solid 2nd place more than anything. But it really is a bad time for a 360 price drop because the only big hit coming out soon on 360 is the disc only version of Rock Band 2 so it's a missed opportunity. MS would of scored a much heavier blow on Sony if they  dropped the price when the big system sellers come out such as Fable II and their other fall/winter games.

[Luigi Dude]

NPD Time

August Hardware Sales

Nintendo DS 518.3K
Wii 453.0K
PlayStation Portable 253.0K
Xbox 360 195.2K
PlayStation 3 185.4K
Playstation 2 144.1K

Top 10 August Software Sales

360 MADDEN NFL 09 1 million
PS3 MADDEN NFL 09 643K
PS2 MADDEN NFL 09  424.5K
WII WII FIT 394.9K
WII MARIO KART 328.7K
WII WII PLAY  200.2K
360 SOUL CALIBUR IV 174K
360 TOO HUMAN 168.2K
WII MADDEN NFL 09 115.8K
NDS GUITAR HERO: ON TOUR 111.2K

[NWR_insanolord]

I'm surprised the Wii Madden cracked the top ten. I own it and love it but I wouldn't think it would sell all that well.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

PS3 is really set to take the crown in 2008, ain't it, analysts?

[BeautifulShy]

It isn't really surprising that Madden is topping the charts.I expect it will drop down like MGS4 in the following weeks.
As expected Nintendo dominates Hardware sales.

[KDR_11k]

There's your core game and it only gets 115.8k sales. Way to go, core!

[DAaaMan64]

There's your core game and it only gets 115.8k sales. Way to go, core!

different cores at different tempuratures, BAM Sun blows up.

Actually I have no idea what your talking about, what do you mean KDR?

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Madden is supposed to be a "gamer's game" for "serious gamers" on Wii (cuz that's what EA Sports is resonnsible for, amirite).  After all the serious core internet talk, these serious gamers don't amount to squat in the sales portion of REALITY.

The Conduit is doomed.

[NWR_Lindy]

They just don't amount to anything in the Wii reality because sports games aren't what people are buying the Wii for.  The 360 is the pre-eminent sports console this generation, and Nintendo has done nothing to even try to change that.

[DAaaMan64]

They just don't amount to anything in the Wii reality because sports games aren't what people are buying the Wii for.  The 360 is the pre-eminent sports console this generation, and Nintendo has done nothing to even try to change that.

My heart dies a little inside.


Oh wait no it doesn't. **** sports games.

That doesn't include fun sports games like 1080, SSX, Snowboard Kids, Wave Race, Strikers and probably Pro Evo

[Arbok]

They just don't amount to anything in the Wii reality because sports games aren't what people are buying the Wii for.

Wait, I thought a popular argument among a lot of people was that sports was the only thing people were buying a Wii for? Or does Wii Sports not count?

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

The Wii customers are more interested in mimmicking actual sports actions, not controlling "TV Broadcast Simulations".  EA slapping the "all play" label on its games doesn't get their Wii-centric gameplay ideas across -- they should be SHOWING how the games are played and not hide those ideas behind HD game footage in the advertising.

[NWR_insanolord]

They just don't amount to anything in the Wii reality because sports games aren't what people are buying the Wii for.  The 360 is the pre-eminent sports console this generation, and Nintendo has done nothing to even try to change that.

Nintendo hasn't tried to change it because they realize it's not possible to change it. EA is sports gaming and there aren't enough moneyhats in the world to get them to make the Wii their primary focus, and even if there were and they did the games would still sell better on the 360.

[NWR_Lindy]

Wii Sports is as much a sports game as the home run contest in Smash Bros. Brawl is a sports game.  It's the gameplay that hooks people, not the sports context.  The sports context is really irrelevant.

Nintendo consoles have always sucked for sports, but you'd think that Madden would perform better on userbase alone.  It getting outsold 6:1 by PS3 and 10:1 by 360 was surprising to me, when usually it's the other way around for most games.  Madden is the exception to the rule, I guess.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

Maybe Grandmama just doesn't care about Madden when she's already got Mii Bowling.

[NWR_insanolord]

Wii Sports is as much a sports game as the home run contest in Smash Bros. Brawl is a sports game.  It's the gameplay that hooks people, not the sports context.  The sports context is really irrelevant.

Nintendo consoles have always sucked for sports, but you'd think that Madden would perform better on userbase alone.  It getting outsold 6:1 by PS3 and 10:1 by 360 was surprising to me, when usually it's the other way around for most games.  Madden is the exception to the rule, I guess.

Yeah, if VGChartz is to be believed Madden 09 on the Wii is barely outperforming the Maddens on the GameCube, despite the difference in userbase and the fact that EA put a lot more effort into it than they ever did on the Cube.

[Chozo Ghost]

Wii players are simply waiting for Nintendo to release a Mario football game, just like they did with baseball and other sports. They just can't wait to see Yoshi and Peach don their football helmets and uniforms.

[SixthAngel]

Wii Sports is as much a sports game as the home run contest in Smash Bros. Brawl is a sports game.  It's the gameplay that hooks people, not the sports context.  The sports context is really irrelevant.

Except the gameplay in Wii sports is PLAYING A SPORT.  Gameplay with two players hitting a tennis ball back and forth, gameplay where you hit a golf ball into a hole, and game play where you bowl down pins.  What more sports content do you want to make it a sports game?  Is it not a sports game unless there is updated stats or do only certain sports like football and basketball actually apply?  I thought sports games just required the gameplay to be about, well, playing a sport.


Should we really be surprsed that a system that attracts old gamers who stopped playing because of things like every Madden being practically the same and new gamers who care about a fun game and just see Madden as the game that his crazy son/friends picked up every year for seemingly no reason.

If the Wii's new market hurts the Madden "upgrade" formula I couldn't be happier.  If they want to sell an old game to new people they need to start advertising the new functions to the new people, not just talking about it on the internet.

[NWR_Lindy]

Wii Sports is a tech demo that uses a sports context because it's one that people understand.  That's's about it.

[DAaaMan64]

Wii Sports is a tech demo that uses a sports context because it's one that people understand.  That's's about it.

As true as that probably is, it's the bets tech demo ever.

[KDR_11k]

Wii Sports is a tech demo that uses a sports context because it's one that people understand.  That's's about it.

And? Madden is an action game that uses the sports context because it sells big.

[Deguello]

I think the bigger story is that Madden's first month sales seem to be lower this year than last year.

If EA can't keep their typical cash cow healthy and have failed to attract the Wii owners, then they may be in for a lot of trouble.

Before people start handwringing about Wii's "hardcore chances," it should probably be noted that the DS version tanked all day long.  I don't think people will find many agreeing opinions if they were to argue that the DS is not a "hardcore console."

EA screwed up their chances on Madden for Wii this year by doing two things:

1. Ridiculous purpose-branding like "All-Play" which basically made the game like a sub-game.  I mean it's like two flavors of ice cream and one that has a label saying "Low fat."  No wonder it sold less.

2. EA's decision to basically only advertise the 360 version. 

For a game left to the wolves with zero advertising I think Wii Madden did pretty well.  But I never really cared about Madden, just like owners of the SNES didn't.  Genesis owners cared.  And nobody cares today that Genesis owners liked Madden 94 better than SNES owners.

Edit: And, preemptively, before people also start saying it's Nintendo's responsibility to ensure that EA games sell on Wii, that may have been the case when Nintendo wasn't the market leader.  But since Nintendo is the market leader, if the market rejects Madden NFL All-Play 09, then something is wrong with the product, not the consumers.  If EA wants to continue losing money or making razor-thin profits with this strategy, they can.  It's no water off Nintendo's back, they're sitting fat.

[NWR_Lindy]

I'm pretty sure Madden's sales were the same as last year.  Pre-orders were down, but sales were the same (read that on Gamasutra).  I mean, when they sell the same game to the same people every year, I don't know why they expect substantial growth. 

I think that the reason why sports games struggle on Nintendo platforms isn't entirely the fault of third-parties.  Nintendo has never made sports games any sort of priority or given them any sort of marketing on their consoles, so you can't expect much.  Nintendo doesn't really care about the sports simulation game market.  Which makes sense, because it isn't their core competency anyways.

[Deguello]

Nintendo doesn't really care about the sports simulation game market.

The longer you ignore Wii Sports, or pretend it's not a Sports game (despite having SPORTS in the damn title) the more it looks odd when you omit it.

Wii Sports is the most realistic simulation of Sports on the market.  Which is why it is the best selling game of the generation, bundles or no (The game quickly became the reason people bought Wiis to begin with).  Nintendo has a powerful Sports game on new values like actual motion simulation, and less on stats and franchise modes.

And it is the fault of third parties.  For too long has Nintendo been saddled with the guilt of third party failure after third party failure, simply because they had the smallest userbase.  Now that they have the largest, it's time for the blame to be shifted onto the third parties.  Or Third PARTY as the case may be with NFL Football games.

And since when did third parties care what Nintendo "prioritizes?"  They prioritized absolutely jawesome games like Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3.  Nobody copies those or even tries to.  That would require too much effort when they can squirt out a Wii Sports or Nintendogs clone and call it a day.  Or make dumb minigames and "All-Play" purpose-branding in order to placate a market they perceive exists.  Third parties are in the wrong here.  Nobody ran defense for 2K when All-Pro Football tanked recently.  Nobody blamed those consumers when they chose Madden instead.  And as such, the Wii owners, or should I say the majority of the market, is not going to be blamed for Madden's inept failure to attract the already sports-activated audience by Wii Sports.

EA is going to want to get these people, because it's more money and not less money, and they will just have to try harder and IN EARNEST next year.

[Flames_of_chaos]

parties.  Nintendo has never made sports games any sort of priority or given them any sort of marketing on their consoles, so you can't expect much.  Nintendo doesn't really care about the sports simulation game market.  Which makes sense, because it isn't their core competency anyways.

I believe they did at one point in the N64 life cycle where they had a N64 sports logo where theres usually a N64 logo on the box, cart and manual.

Anyways on the sports debate I think people are more likely to gravitate to the Mario Sports titles on Nintendo system.

Deg, Wii Sports is a success is because everywhere except in Japan it's included with the system so people own it whether they like it or not. And Wii Sports and Wii Play are positioned and marketed as a way for people to get accustomed to the mechanics of motion controls for new or seasoned gamers alike with popular mainstream sports (wii sports) or popular activities(sort of) (Wii Play).