Topic: Official Sales Thread

[Chozo Ghost]

I don't think we have enough data to say how many more would buy it at 30$ and how many of those can't be reached simply by dropping the price later.

I would point to Resident Evil 4. Here you have a game that was previously released at $49.99 on not one but two systems 2 years before its Wii debut. And despite it being a fairly old game, it sold extremely well and generated a lot of money for Capcom with its $29.99 price tag. Had Capcom released it on the Wii at $49.99 it wouldn't have been anywhere near as successful as it was.

[Luigi Dude]

Everyone has to remember that the House of Dead series is a lot more popular in Europe then America.  Most of the sales for The House of the Dead 2/3 collection for the Wii came from Europe, and according to the European sales charts, Overkill is doing better at this point in it's life on the charts then 2/3 Collection did.

So even if it doesn't sell well in America, it doesn't matter since Europe is where the majority of The House of the Dead fanbase is and is where Sega should expect the most sales anyway.

[SalesBot]

NPD: January 2009 LTD

Multiplatform
Assassin’s Creed - 2.3m (360), 1.15m (PS3)
Bioshock - 998k (360), 106k (PS3)
The Bourne Conspiracy - 103k (360), 83k (PS3)
Burnout Paradise - 371k (360) 306k (PS3)
Civilization Revolution - 96k (DS), 254k (360), 149k (PS3)
The Darkness - 284k (360), 133k (PS3)
Dark Sector - 139k (360), 97k (PS3)
Dead Space - 337k (360), 212k (PS3)
Disgaea - 45k (DS), 78k (PSP)
Dynasty Warriors 6 - 113k (360), 103k (PS3), 26k (PS2)
Eternal Sonata - 98k (360), 33k (PS3)
Fallout 3 - 1.14m (360), 452k (PS3)
Fight Night 3 - 1.19M (360) 526k (PS3)
Guitar Hero 3 - 2.37M (360) 830k (PS3) 2.75M (Wii)
Guitar Hero: World Tour - 924k (360) 466k (PS3) 1.39M (Wii)
Kane & Lynch - 300k (360), 197k (PS3)
Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 1 - 85k (360) 46k (PS3)
Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2 - 20k (36o) 16k (PS3)
Lego Batman - 207k (360), 128k (PS3), 507k (PS2), 420k (Wii)
Lego Indiana Jones - 241k (360), 142k (PS3), 456k (PS2), 563k (Wii)
Mirror’s Edge - 207k (360), 125k (PS3)
Mortal Kombat vs DC - 592k (360), 512k (PS3)
N+ - 26k (DS), 21k (PSP)
Prince of Persia - 282k (360), 248k (PS3)
Pure - 158k (360) 92k (PS3)
Rock Band 1 - 1.65M (360) 648k (PS3) 1.03M (Wii)
Rock Band 2 - 1.02M (360) 384k (PS3) 353k (Wii)
Saints Row 2 - 480k (360), 188k (PS3)
Saints Row 2 [Collector's Edition only] - 30k (360), 11k (PS3)
Shaun White - 271k (360), 141k (PS3), 537k (Wii)
Silent Hill 5 - 73k (360), 84k (PS3)
Silent Hill Origins: 80k (PS2), 154k (PSP)
Skate - 606k (360) 202k (PS3)
Sonic Unleashed - 113k (360), 69k (PS3), 315k (Wii)
Soul Calibur 4 - 500k (360), 353k (PS3)
Space Invaders Extreme - 58k (DS), 34k (PSP)
Star Wars Force Unleashed - 823k (360) 464k (PS3) 626k (Wii) 175k (DS) 263k (PSP) 352k (PS2)
Tiger Woods 09 - 216k (360), 174k (PS3), 565k (Wii)
Unreal Tournament III - 164k (360) 219k (PS3)
The World Ends With You - 172k

360
Beautiful Katamari - 96k
Banjo: Nuts & Bolts - 154k
Battle Fantasia - 4,704
Blue Dragon - 189k
Halo 3 - 4.66m (regular), 633k (CE), 479k (LE)
Infinite Undiscovery - 110k
Left 4 Dead - 1.28m
Lips - 46k
Lost Odyssey - 348k
Ninja Gaiden II - 517k
Saints Row 1 - 1.02m
Tales of Vesperia - 107k
The Last Remnant 118k
Viva Pinata 2 - 80k

PS3
Folklore - 109k
Genji: Days of the Blade - 96k
Heavenly Sword - 386k
Lair - 185k
Little Big Planet - 670k
Metal Gear Solid 4 - 1.09m
Motorstorm 1 - 427k
Motorstorm 2 - 138k
Ninja Gaiden Sigma - 316k
Rachet & Clank: Tools of Destruction - 427k
Resistance - 1.07m
Resistance 2 - 640k
Time Crisis 4 - 206k
Uncharted - 534k
Valkyria Chronicles - 74k

Wii
Animal Crossing - 654k (game only), 161k (Wiispeak bundle)
Blast Works - 31k
Castle Shikigami 3 - 7,366
Fantastic 4 - 76k
Mario & Sonic @ at the Olympics - 1.99m
No More Heroes - 208k
Ultimate Duck Hunting - 49k
Ultimate Shooting Collection - 1,126
Zack & Wiki - 117k

PS2
Disney Golf - 59k
Final Fantasy X - 2.46m
Final Fantasy XII - 1.85m
Katamari Damacy - 450k
Kingdom Hearts 1 - 3.28m
Kingdom Hearts 2 - 2.3m
Kingdom Hearts: RE:Chain of Memories - 312k
Marvel vs Capcom 2 - 246k
Odin Sphere - 149k
Persona 4 - 123k
SMT: Devil Summoner - 43k
SMT: Digital Devil Saga 1 - 51k
SMT: Digital Devil Saga 2 - 43k
SMT: Nocturne - 60k
Silent Hill 2 - 512k
Silent Hill 3 - 279k
Silent Hill 4 - 209k
We Love Katamari - 230k
Yakuza 1 - 56k
Yakuza 2 - 24k

PSP
Crisis Core: FF7 - 708k
Patapon - 229k
God of War: Chains of Olympus - 640k
Star Ocean: First Departure - 69k
Yggdra Union - 12k

DS
Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney - 71k
Chrono Trigger - 210k
Contra 4 - 115k
Dragon Quest 4 - 76k
Final Fantasy 4 - 275k
Final Fantasy Tactics A2 - 233k
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney - 117k
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Justice for All - 110k
Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations - 92k
Professor Layton & the Curious Village - 340k
Trauma Center: Under the Knife - 225k
Trauma Center: Under the Knife 2 - 61k

MyCoach Series
Word - 263k
Spanish - 224k
Japanese - 90k
French - 83k
Weight - 76k
Chinese - 34k
SAT - 25k
Smoking - 3k

Source

[BlackNMild2k1]

going by the numbers above...

With only one exception, multiplatform games on the list that had versions on all current-gen systems sold better on Wii than on PS3.

The only exception is Rock Band 2, which was released two months after the PS3 version and was still within 30k.
Rock Band 2 - 1.02M (360) 384k (PS3) 353k (Wii)

In 7 out of 10 instances on the list, the Wii version outsold the 360 version as well.

In 6 of those instances, the Wii version sold more than (or was tied with) the 360 and PS3 versions COMBINED.

Guitar Hero 3 - 2.37M (360) 830k (PS3) 2.75M (Wii)
Guitar Hero: World Tour - 924k (360) 466k (PS3) 1.39M (Wii)
Lego Indiana Jones - 241k (360), 142k (PS3), 456k (Wii)
Shaun White - 271k (360), 141k (PS3), 537k (Wii)
Sonic Unleashed - 113k (360), 69k (PS3), 315k (Wii)
Tiger Woods 09 - 216k (360), 174k (PS3), 565k (Wii)

Compared to the PS3, the Wii sold better
Star Wars Force Unleashed - 823k (360) 464k (PS3) 626k (Wii) 175k (DS) 263k (PSP) 352k (PS2)
Rock Band 1 - 1.65M (360) 648k (PS3) 1.03M (Wii)

So my question is, why do so many 3rd parties continue to ignore the Wii?
Imagine if RE5 had been released on all 3 platforms... do they think that over all sales might have been less? Would they have been embarrassed when the Wii version outsells one or both of the HD versions? ...combined?

So many 3rd parties out there are having a hard time getting the red ink off of their P&L statements and there is soo much money out there to be made. Money from a userbase that they continue to ignore (until recently) that is larger(WW) than the HD consoles combined.

I'm not saying that every game needs a Wii version, but if you're gonna go multi-plat then you might as well invest the necessary capital(half-ass efforts need not apply) to put it on all viable consoles and maximize your potential payback. You might find your audience somewhere that you probably didn't expect. ...somewhere in that 52% of console owners that aren't PS3 or X360.

edit
WTF is MyCoach Series - Smoking?

lean how to smoke cigs & cigars? joint/blunt rolling techniques?

[BeautifulShy]

You make a good point about multiplatfom games.If I am not mistaken Multiplatform games have been selling the best on Wii since the Wii launched.
Also the My Coach Smoking is a game to try and stop Smoking.
I don't think it would get a rating if it was what you suggested.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Well considering that everything else MyCoach sell either teaches you to do something or do it better, shouldn't it be called MyCoach Anti-Smoking or Stop Smoking?

[BeautifulShy]

The game is actually called My Stop Smoking Coach with Alan Carr.Whoever wrote the article where SalesBot got the numbers was lazy with their wording.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Oh. well that makes sense

here is some news from NPD

As of March 09:
Wii Fit: 6 million sold
Halo 3: 5.9 million sold

Next stop... PS3
... That about wraps it up for hardcore gaming. It was fun while it lasted, but now I have to go work out on my gaming machine...

[BeautifulShy]

Well that is pretty funny.

[Mop it up]

Heh, I love it. Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Brothers Brawl have also sold more than Halo 3, and Super Mario Galaxy and Mario Party 8 aren't far behind. Looks like Mario is the one who's taking over the world...

[BlackNMild2k1]

"Mario Kart Wii and Super Smash Brothers Brawl"

How many have those sold? Because the last #'s i saw were posted  here Feb. 2nd

Source is Shacknews
1. Mario Kart Wii (Wii / Nintendo) - 8.94M
      (5M US, 1.94M UK, 2M Japan)
2. Wii Fit (Wii / Nintendo) - 8.31M
      (4.55M US, 1.61M UK, 2.15M Japan)
4. Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii / Nintendo) - 6.31M
      (4.17M US, 404K UK, 1.75M Japan)

WiiFit has added almost 1.5million since then (O_O)
you got updated # since then? or were you thinking I meant WorldWide?
NPD is U.S. only

[Mop it up]

Yeah, I was talking about worldwide sales, I should have mentioned that. Also my numbers are coming from Wikipedia, so they may not be accurate. The last update also appears to be December 31st, 2008.

Worldwide sales:
# Halo 3 (8.1 million)

# Wii Sports (40.5 million)
# Wii Play (20.91 million)
# Wii Fit (14.01 million)
# Mario Kart Wii (13.67 million)
# Super Smash Bros. Brawl (8.1 million)
# Super Mario Galaxy (7.66 million)
# Mario Party 8 (6.28 million)

[TJ Spyke]

http://www.edge-online.com/news/house-dead-overkill-sells-45k

There we go, HOTD: O sold 45k, VGchartz said 70k which falls within the margin of error that I've noticed with them.

But that is 25k off. That is a HUGE miscalculation. There are off by more than 50% of what it actually sold. 25k wouldn't be a big deal if we were talking 6-700k+ in total sales but when we are talking 45k, being 25k off is unacceptable lolworthy.

Twist it how you want but that is exactly how I explained it, not to mention the fact that these are probably from the beginning of the month, so it maybe far closer to that number then you may think. VGchartz does the best they can do with the limited information they have. They are accurate enough to determine (For the most part) if a game was a bomb, moderate success or success.

VG Charzt doesn't have any more info that you or I. They pull their numbers out of their ass. I could start my own site, making up my numbers too, and I would be just as reliable as them. They make up their info and using them makes them look legit.People who use VG Chartz's numbers instantly lose any credibility (like how Eliot Spitzer did when he got busted for prostitution). Should I even mention how their December numbers for Wii hardware were off by more than 700K? It was funny as hell, especially when they then tried to blame it on NPD (despite Nintendo themselves confirming the NPD number).

mop it up, those numbers are reliable as I participate in the Best-selling software page and only reliable sources are allowed (those Nintendo numbers are from Nintendo's latest financial report).

[Kairon]

Oh wow, some of those are really significant sales successes for the Wii third party multiplatform titles!

[GoldenPhoenix]

VG Charzt doesn't have any more info that you or I. They pull their numbers out of their ass. I could start my own site, making up my numbers too, and I would be just as reliable as them. They make up their info and using them makes them look legit.P

Any proof of this? Just because they've been off a few  times doesn't prove they make numbers up. In fact as long as I've been following VGchartz they are usually more on then off. I've heard questionable things regarding NPD as well where some numbers were supposedly off because they don't count certain stores. Take HOTD: O for example, the VGchartz numbers are almost 3 weeks AHEAD of the NPD number of 45k. If you account for the sales trend of the game it would be almost dead on with 70k. Not to mention it can be a good indicator of the success of a game, if they estimate a game selling, let's say 1 million. You know the game was a success.

I recall Gears of War 2 being estimated at 2.1 million sold after a week by VGchartz, and guess what, MS reported it sold 2 million. It is kind of funny though when VGchartz does adjust their numbers for yet another ESTIMATE. But even at that I'm still going to stick with my rule of thumb that when you get around 800k and up the number scan be 100-200k off to be on the safe side.

[TJ Spyke]

You can use them if you want, but they are a joke with zero credibility.

Also, no tracking source tracks every store. Billboard doesn't track every store for CD and DVD sales, neither does NPD. NPD does track something like 70%, while VG Chartz makes guesses.

[BlackNMild2k1]

GP, its a losing argument. The guys that do VGChartz were from GAF. I remember them. They were banned for constantly making up numbers w/o proof.
They made their own website (using all the old data that everyone had already collected to add depth) to help back up their claims. When there claims on new sales data were constantly wrong by significant margins, and then corrected to match current data just released, they were labeled as frauds until proven innocent. They never did show how they were getting their "up-to-date" number and were banned once again for using fake number, backed by their own fake number site.

As i said before, they use current trends(based on past sales? hype? who knows) to guesstimate approximate sales and then correct "adjust" them once reliable number are available. You can use them all you want for "entertainment purposes only" but if you are trying to have a serious discussion about sales & numbers, you will be laughed off the stage if you use them as your "source".

[GoldenPhoenix]

You can use them if you want, but they are a joke with zero credibility.

Also, no tracking source tracks every store. Billboard doesn't track every store for CD and DVD sales, neither does NPD. NPD does track something like 70%, while VG Chartz makes guesses.

Once again you state they make guesses and that is all, any proof of this? All I've seen from you and BNM is ZERO rebuttal of the various points I've made regarding VGchart. For a site that makes up numbers they do get quite a bit right compared to NPD when the real numbers come out. This is especially amazing considering it is a group of people who don't have the "pull" of something larger like NPD, not to mention the funding in regards to getting larger sample sizes.

BTW does anyone know why NPD doesn't track Wal-mart sales?

I can just see it:

"How many copies of HOTD: O sell?"

"OH gee I think 70k, that sounds right!"

GP, its a losing argument. The guys that do VGChartz were from GAF. I remember them. They were banned for constantly making up numbers w/o proof.

Oh heavens know, banned from the elitist gamesite GAF? End of debate!

[BlackNMild2k1]

Look, I witnessed the whole thing go down over the period of a few weeks/months a few years ago.
I've seen how they would post number, and then correct them after they were proven wrong.
According to TJ that has happened as recently as Dec. 08 and they were off by about 50% of what was sold.
off by 700k & tried to blame it on NPD? then later late shamed again once Nintendo confirmed the NPD #'s?

What is weird is why you are trying to defend them, when all we are saying is that there methods have been wrong time after time and therefore they now (never have actually) have zero credibility.

If you want to keep using their site for reference, then that's up to you, but if you're not gonna take our word for it, then whats the point of us discussing it further?

VGChartzz - For Entertaiment Purposes Only - accept it, get over it, move on.

[Kairon]

GP, I'm afraid that what Blaknmild said is mostly right. VGChartz's numbers are at best educated guesses. I'd place them at around the same credibility of analyst guesses, though probably a little better since they pay more attention. This has even been admitted by Ioi, the guy behind VGChartz, himself. They do in fact track a few stores I believe(and by stores, I don't mean whole chains, but actual stores I think), but I'd guess that a "handful" is closer to the truth.

While this doesn't make VGChartz numbers bad to look at and consider, it makes them far from anything relating to "reported sales," no matter how much they position themselves as a professional alternative. I would never source them as sales, but always as estimates. Basically, their numbers fall in the same category as whatever comes out Pachter's mouth, though VGChartz is somewhat more robust.

NPD, in contrast, actually tracks a significant number of stores. Their numbers aren't on the dot either, (the best source is always the manufacturer/retailer themself) but they have way more factual data to work off of, and are often directly sourced and discused by the manufacturers themselves.

[GoldenPhoenix]

Look, I witnessed the whole thing go down over the period of a few weeks/months a few years ago.
I've seen how they would post number, and then correct them after they were proven wrong.
According to TJ that has happened as recently as Dec. 08 and they were off by about 50% of what was sold.
off by 700k & tried to blame it on NPD? then later late shamed again once Nintendo confirmed the NPD #'s?

What is weird is why you are trying to defend them, when all we are saying is that there methods have been wrong time after time and therefore they now (never have actually) have zero credibility.

If you want to keep using their site for reference, then that's up to you, but if you're not gonna take our word for it, then whats the point of us discussing it further?

VGChartzz - For Entertaiment Purposes Only - accept it, get over it, move on.

Unlike either of you I've admitted they've been off, why can't either of you admit they've been RIGHT multiple times as well? You blatantly IGNORE the facts I lain out where I've found their margin of error which can be used for a fair estimate of actual sales, in addition to times where they've been right. All I hear from both of you is "They guess, they got Wii sales wrong in December and GAF hated them years ago". Not only that but you yourself failed to admit you were wrong in regards to HOTD:O which the 45k number was 3 weeks ago and they have it as 70K NOW which fits in with the current sales trend.

I've actually watched VGchartz with interest for over a year now and have seen what the final sales are and they are surprisingly close most of the time. At the very least they are close when it comes to whether a game is a success or not in NA. In fact since I actually try to back up my points, I'm going to keep an even closer eye on VGchartz each month in regards to a lot of their games and see how they compare to NPDs final monthly numbers. Something I doubt you nor TJ have done for quite some time, and I'll either admit I was wrong or further illustrate my point. Does that sound fair?

Here is what I give them in regards to Margins of error from what I've seen:


100k and under- within 25k
100 to 250k- Within 50k
250k to 500k- within 75k
500k to 1 million-within 200k

[TJ Spyke]

GP, they don't track Wal-Mart because of Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart refuses to share their sales info (not just with NPD, but also Billboard and every other tracking company).

They are good at guessing numbers in general, but are off by great amounts pretty often. If you want to use them for fun or for a general idea of how a title is doing, that's your business. Just don't use them when it comes to serious sale numbers discussion.

[Kairon]

I think they're useful for serious sales discussions, but not as definitive proof. They're more like circumstantial, or speculative, evidence.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
But as part of your experiment, why don't you keep track of what they are "estimating" and post them here.*

I have not payed any attention to VGC since shortly after they were proven/admitted to not be factual.
They may have a friend in the business, a friend high up in retail chain operations & a NPD source all their own, but they have been wrong and caught "adjusting" numbers often enough for me not to pay them any more attention.

So you can use them as a source to track your personal interest, but don't assume we should use it as a source to state factual information.

*Not in this thread though, please make a new one

[Kairon]

going by the numbers above...

With only one exception, multiplatform games on the list that had versions on all current-gen systems sold better on Wii than on PS3.

The only exception is Rock Band 2, which was released two months after the PS3 version and was still within 30k.
Rock Band 2 - 1.02M (360) 384k (PS3) 353k (Wii)

In 7 out of 10 instances on the list, the Wii version outsold the 360 version as well.

In 6 of those instances, the Wii version sold more than (or was tied with) the 360 and PS3 versions COMBINED.

Guitar Hero 3 - 2.37M (360) 830k (PS3) 2.75M (Wii)
Guitar Hero: World Tour - 924k (360) 466k (PS3) 1.39M (Wii)
Lego Indiana Jones - 241k (360), 142k (PS3), 456k (Wii)
Shaun White - 271k (360), 141k (PS3), 537k (Wii)
Sonic Unleashed - 113k (360), 69k (PS3), 315k (Wii)
Tiger Woods 09 - 216k (360), 174k (PS3), 565k (Wii)

Compared to the PS3, the Wii sold better
Star Wars Force Unleashed - 823k (360) 464k (PS3) 626k (Wii) 175k (DS) 263k (PSP) 352k (PS2)
Rock Band 1 - 1.65M (360) 648k (PS3) 1.03M (Wii)

Amazing... numbers. I think this should definitely bode well for future multiplatform games on the Wii as long as they're competently done. Actually, I have yet to buy CoD:WaW for the Wii...