Topic: Official Sales Thread

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

For all the years to come, serve Wii on the Thanksgiving table instead of turkeys.

[GoldenPhoenix]

BUY Wii Music. De Blob, buy it. Call of Duty, buy it. Shaun White Wii, BUY IT. The games are there, just got to FIND them. Wii owners are doing an AWFUL job of that now. It's embarrassing.

I think that this is Nintendo's biggest challenge right now, and I believe that it is a marketing challenge. Nintendo can reach these consumers, but they need to figure out a way to help third parties create added sales. I don't think that Nintendo should spring for high-cost strategies like TV commercials that are possibly low return, but they need to figure out a way to get the benefits of the Nintendo Channel out to consumers who aren't proactive game buyers.

Or MAYBE Publishers can actually put some marketing dollars behind their games and market it themselves like they do with other systems.

[Kairon]

If Nintendo Channel was useful--instead of being another TV commercial medium where publishers paid for ad space--then it should have a wishlist/preference function where people can specify genres, franchises, publishers they liked and get Wii Message Board updates on new media that becomes available, and possibly a Message Board newsletter for overall updates on the channel.

Plus, the trailer selection in the channel is somewhat awful; Nintendo needs to proactively coordinate with 3rd party publishers to make their promo media available and not just have the channel be 75% Nintendo content.

I agree whole-heartedly.

[Kairon]

Or MAYBE Publishers can actually put some marketing dollars behind their games and market it themselves like they do with other systems.

That could be, but not only must publishers do this, they must re-invent their marketing to reach these new consumers that their traditional channels don't reach. Nintendo could help lead the way in that regard, especially since Nintendo is at the forefront of how to conduct marketing to large number of people in this day and age.

[King of Twitch]

wii and ds vominate yet again

[KDR_11k]

Or MAYBE Publishers can actually put some marketing dollars behind their games and market it themselves like they do with other systems.

That could be, but not only must publishers do this, they must re-invent their marketing to reach these new consumers that their traditional channels don't reach. Nintendo could help lead the way in that regard, especially since Nintendo is at the forefront of how to conduct marketing to large number of people in this day and age.

I don't think the traditional channels aren't reaching them, the Wii didn't sell through some innovative new marketing strategy.

[Kairon]

Or MAYBE Publishers can actually put some marketing dollars behind their games and market it themselves like they do with other systems.

That could be, but not only must publishers do this, they must re-invent their marketing to reach these new consumers that their traditional channels don't reach. Nintendo could help lead the way in that regard, especially since Nintendo is at the forefront of how to conduct marketing to large number of people in this day and age.

I don't think the traditional channels aren't reaching them, the Wii didn't sell through some innovative new marketing strategy.

I highly disagree. The Wii has reached people through some amazing channels: viral marketing, blogger parties, and advertising where you'd least expect it: on channels like ABC, at AARP conventions, and mainstream magazines that DON'T appeal to the gamer demo.

The Wii's been moved through all those avenues, they just need to figure out a way to get added game purchases from those non-traditional demographics to extend beyond Nintendo's line of Wii Play - Wii Fit - Mario Kart Wii.

[KDR_11k]

Those aren't really unconventional means though.

[MaleficentOgre]

For games it is. Wii is the first time in years that games got a positive spin on GMA, Today Show, and the early show. They got nearly free marketing all over the place.

[White Mage]

For games it is. Wii is the first time in years that games got a positive spin on GMA, Today Show, and the early show. They got nearly free marketing all over the place.

I completely agree.  For a while there, you couldn't turn on one of the morning shows and not see a segment about the Wii, or old people playing Wii in nursing homes, or people using Wii as rehabilitation exercises.  I don't ever remember that much extensive coverage of any of the other consoles from any generation.   The only negative stuff about the Wii at that time was the amount of new televisions the remotes were breaking.

[SalesBot]

Media Create 12/01 - 12/07

Software
01. [NDS]   Professor Leyton and the Last Time Travel    (Level 5)  87,100 / 434,400
02. [PS2] Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World (Namco Bandai) 76,500 / NEW
03. [WII] Animal Crossing: City Folk (Nintendo) 75,600 / 489,300
04. [NDS] Hoshi no Kirby: Ultra Super Deluxe (Nintendo) 60,200 / 535,000
05. [PS3] Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 (Konami) 42,400 / 210,800
06. [NDS] Wagamama Fashion Girls Mode (Nintendo) 37,900 / 278,600
07. [NDS] Pokémon Platinum (Pokémon) 37,300 / 2,008,800
08. [WII] 428: Fuusa Sareta Shibuya de (SEGA) 34,000 / NEW
09. [360] Fallout 3 (Bethesda) 30,600 / NEW
10. [NDS] Rhythm Tengoku Gold (Nintendo) 29,600 / 1,244,100

11. [NDS] Chrono Trigger DS (Square Enix)
12. [WII] Wii Fit (Nintendo)
13. [PSP] Kenka Banchou 3: Zenkoku Seiha (Spike)
14. [PSP] Gundam vs. Gundam (Namco Bandai)
15. [PSP] Musou Orochi: Maou Sairin (KOEI)
16. [PS2] Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 (Konami)
17. [PS3] Gran Turismo 5 Prologue Spec III (SCE)
18. [WII] Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
19. [PSP] Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force 3 (Konami)
20. [PS3] Pro Yakyuu Spirits 5 (Konami)
21. [PSP] Monster Hunter Portable 2nd G (PSP the Best) (Capcom)
22. [NDS] Tamagotchi Star School (Namco Bandai)
23. [NDS] Tongariboushi and the 365 Days of Magic (Konami)
24. [NDS] Animal Crossing: Wild World (Nintendo)
25. [NDS] Neon Genesis Evangelion Pachinko 3 (D3)
26. [NDS] Soccer Tsuku DS: Touch & Direct (SEGA)
27. [PSP] Patapon Domchaka 2 (SCE)
28. [NDS] Hitman Reborn! Mafia Collection (Takara Tommy)
29. [WII] Wii Sports (Nintendo)
30. [WII] Wii Music (Nintendo)

31. [NDS] Chou!! Nep League DS (Jaleco)
32. [360] Saints Row 2 (THQ Japan)
33. [NDS] Inazuma Eleven (Level-5)
34. [WII] Naruto - Kingdom Gekitou Ninja Taisen! EX3 (Takara Tomy)
35. [WII] Wii Play (Nintendo)
36. [NDS] Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
37. [NDS] Mega Man Star Force 3: Black Aces (Capcom)
38. [PS2] Real Rode (Kadokawa Shoten)
39. [NDS] Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (Namco Bandai)
40. [NDS] Taiko no Tatsujin DS 7 Island Adventure (Namco Bandai)
41. [PS3] Way of the Samurai 3 (Spike)
42. [360] The Last Remnant (Limited Edition) (Square Enix)
43. [WII] Family Ski World Ski & Snowboard (Namco Bandai)
44. [NDS] DS Rhythm of Life w/ Pedometer (Nintendo)
45. [NDS] Motto Hayaku! Seikaku Ni! Suu Sense Keisan Ryuoku Up Training - SuuTore (Benesse)
46. [PS3] Saints Row 2 (THQ Japan)
47. [NDS] New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
48. [NDS] Kikiite Hajimaru: Eigo Kaiwa Training - KikiTore (Benesse)
49. [WII] Diet Shape Wii Boxing! (Rocket Company)
50. [PS3] Grand Theft Auto IV (Capcom)

Hardware

Code: [Select]

Hardware | This Week | Last Week | Last 4 Weeks |    YTD    |    LTD   
DS+      |   138,800 |   114,036 |      449,145 | 3,242,226 | 24,415,280
WII      |    56,700 |    49,848 |      168,633 | 2,505,163 |  7,121,302
PSP      |    54,800 |    55,090 |      209,269 | 3,356,782 | 11,021,859
PS3      |    30,300 |    34,978 |      100,162 |   861,975 |  2,503,651
360      |    10,000 |    11,423 |       44,880 |   284,387 |    792,832
PS2      |     5,700 |     5,628 |       22,030 |   446,721 | 21,373,761
Weekly Software Sales Chart

---------------NPD November 2008 Update--------------

Software
01. [360] GEARS OF WAR 2* 1.560.000
02. [360] CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR* 1.410.000
03. [WII] WII PLAY W/ REMOTE 796.000
04. [WII] WII FIT 697.000
05. [WII] MARIO KART 637.000
06. [PS3] CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WAR 597.000
07. [WII] GUITAR HERO WORLD TOUR* 475.000
08. [360] LEFT 4 DEAD 410.000
09. [PS3] RESISTANCE 2* 385.000
10. [WII] WII MUSIC 297.000

11. [WII] ANIMAL CROSSING: CITY FOLK
12. [360] FALLOUT 3
13. [WII] ROCK BAND
14. [NDS] POKEMON RANGER: SHADOWS OF ALMIA
15. [360] GUITAR HERO: WORLD TOUR
16. [NDS] MARIO KART DS
17. [PS2] GUITAR HERO: WORLD TOUR
18. [PS2] WWE SMACKDOWN VS. RAW 2009
19. [360] FABLE 2
20. [360] MADDEN NFL 09
---
xx. [PS3] MORTAL KOMBAT VS. DC UNIVERSE
xx. [PS3] LITTLE BIG PLANET 141.000
xx. [PS3] VALKYRIA CHRONICLES 33.000

(*includes CE, GOTY editions, bundles, etc. but not those bundled with hardware)

Hardware
Nov. 2007  | 2008  | % Increase / Decrease
Wii: 981K  | 2040K | 108%
NDS: 1530K | 1570K | 2.6%
360: 770K  | 836K  | 8.6%
PSP: 567K  | 421K  | 25.7%
PS3: 466K  | 378K  | 18.9%
PS2: 496K  | 206K  | 58.5%

[Ian Sane]

Miyamoto's revenge, Wii Music lives.

Guitar Hero: World Tour is still beating it though so all remains right with the world.

LBP likely suffers from the problem that it really doesn't fit the image of the PS3.  No console really does a good job at being for everyone.  The PS3 and X360 very much come across as being 13-22 year old male, extreme, space marine, "mature" consoles.  LBP doesn't fit that mold and the PS3 isn't the market leading console that everyone owns.  It's the last place console.  It's like what the Cube was last gen.  The Cube was the kid's console and we saw when "mature" games sold like crap on it.  Well the PS3 likely has the reverse problem and a high profile "kids" game is selling like crap on it.  Yeah the hardcore gamers love it but the hardcore gamers loved Metroid Prime and it always struggled to get the sales it feels like it should have deserved.

The PS3 is not going to attract a wide audience.  It will attract hardcore gamers because every console with some decent games does, but not enough to make a significant sales dent.  The remaining group will follow the stereotype and that means 16 year old boys who just want to shoot things and stare at tits.

We shouldn't crap on it though.  We should always be in favour of the development of quality games.  A good game that sells poorly should be a tragedy on any console.  A crap game that sells like hot cakes should be seen as a bad thing as well.  Now that Nintendo's winning again I think there's too much emphasis on financial success.  Whether you like Sony or not it should be sad that a good game is getting ignored.

If you want to make fun of something pick something like Lair which is both a critical and commercial flop!  See THAT's funny!  That's the sort of stuff you use to poke fun at Sony!

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

You ignore a lot of good games.  Point not taken.

[Urkel]

I think it's interesting that Mirror's Edge bombed. I have a theory that your typical hardcore gamer wont buy a game with a female main character unless she has been overtly sexualized; i.e. Tomb Raider.

I predict Beyond Good and Evil 2 will bomb for this reason (really going out a limb here, amirite?), as will Heavy Rain.

[DAaaMan64]

Urkel, I think your wrong. The audiance for Mirror's Edge reads reviews. I think thats what happeed.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

so the reviews said she's not bald and doesn't rely on guns?

[GoldenPhoenix]

Urkel, I think your wrong. The audiance for Mirror's Edge reads reviews. I think thats what happeed.

With the only real complaint being it is RELATIVELY short.

[DAaaMan64]

so the reviews said she's not bald and doesn't rely on guns?

Doesn't rely on guns is one thing. But jumping right to sexism is rediculous.

[Gylldas]

I played the demo for Mirror's Edge and had a blast!  The problem is I just don't think I'm willing to shell out $60 for it.  I don't mind a short game but for that price it needs to have good replayability which it seems to lack.  If the game originally came out as downloadable for a reduced price a la Burnout I would've gotten it in a heartbeat.  I'm glad to see that they're continuing with the franchise though despite poor sales. 

[GoldenPhoenix]

so the reviews said she's not bald and doesn't rely on guns?

Doesn't rely on guns is one thing. But jumping right to sexism is rediculous.

Sadly I think in this case it is part of the reason. If a female lead isn't ridiculously out of proportion like Laura Croft it has trouble being successful.

[DAaaMan64]

I disagree. The game has so little to do with her. You never really see her much except in those shitty cutscenes. Plus, that blonde girl Celeste is a babe.

[Flames_of_chaos]

Top 10 Selling Wii games (NPD Lifetime Data) In North America brought to you by forbes.com
Supplementary article showing how the Wii is owning the videogame industry and how a couple of first party games have a bigger shelf life than your standard game

1. Wii Play
2. Mario Kart
3. Super Smash Bros. Brawl
4. Wii Fit
5. Super Mario Galaxy
6. Guitar Hero III
7. Mario Party 8
8. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
9. Mario & Sonic: Olympic Games
10. Link's Crossbow Training

[Spak-Spang]

Well I will tell you the girl in Mirrors Edge is twice as attractive than anything in the more "sexist" female leads.  I always thought Lara Croft was butt ugly.

Anyway, the point is, just because the lead wasn't proportioned like some guys would WISH real girls were, doesn't mean that is the reason the game failed to gain attention.

This was a very hard year to get attention because several great games for all the systems were coming out competing for your dollar.  An artistic FPS designed less around shooting combat and blood, and more around puzzles, hand to hand combat and platforming just didn't garner the attention this year.

[Ian Sane]

I think it's interesting that Mirror's Edge bombed. I have a theory that your typical hardcore gamer wont buy a game with a female main character unless she has been overtly sexualized; i.e. Tomb Raider.

Metroid?  No, it always sells okay but never as good as you think it should.  It's considered probably in the top five videogame franchises ever and with that type of critical acclaim it never seems to do as well as it seems it deserves to.  Perfect Dark was one of the best N64 games and it didn't sell as well as it should have either.

What's intersting is that years ago you wouldn't call someone who dismisses female characters because of a lack of sex appeal a hardcore gamer.  We used to call those guys casual gamers.  They were the rubes that bought Madden every year, thought Halo was the greatest FPS ever, and liked GTA because they could kill hookers.  Hardcore gamers would either not play Madden at all or would buy it if it was good and not be so annual with sequel purchases, likely enjoyed Halo but recognized that it was neither innovative or an elite FPS, and liked GTA because of it's open ended gameplay.  It was only when Nintendo introduced a new group that made those casual gamers look like elite import-playing shmup fans in comparison that they started being lumped with "hardcore gamers".  MS touting the Xbox as the "hardcore gamer's console" when it was anything but also diluted the term.

The TRUE hardcore gamer has a keen interest in videogaming in general.  It's a hobby to them.  They seek out the best games are and willing to put in extra effort to find them.  But they're a small group.  There probably aren't many games that would make a good buck appealing to just them though they do exist (the Cube localization of Ikaruga, anything published by Atlus).  Mirror's Edge isn't something that would strive to only sell with hardcore gamers.  It also wants to sell with what used to be called "casual gamers".  They have a much less involved interest in games but are not against buying good games.  They'll just also buy crap games like 50 Cent Bulletproof.  But if Mirror's Edge has some good action and it's marketed well they'll go for it.  The hardcore and the former "casual gamer" essentially make up the "core gamer" group that Mirror's Edge targets.

Non-gamers are like people who will pay money for browser games.  They're the new group Nintendo introduced with the DS and Wii.  The new group seems to be more disinterested in  what would normally be considered good game design because of over complexity or challenge or whatever.  Thus the "split".  This group is considered incompatible with hardcore gamers.

The general difference is that the old casual gamers were not turned off by good games, they just were easily distracted by superficial crap.  They would buy a crap game because it had tits or blood and would ignore a good game because it looked too childish or too Japanese or too arty or too old or whatever.  They are the group that would reject a game like Mirror's Edge because the female character is not dressed like a slut.  Not hardcore gamers.  Hardcore gamers just see that gameplay and make their purchase decision based on that.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

There are only casuals and non-casuals.