Million unit sellers on xb360 so far:

LunchBox said:
I couldn't help but laugh at the difference between sales of Madden in Japan and US...

No love for American Football :(
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It is even worse than that... I would bet the 10K units sold were mainly US servicemen and women.

But yeah, as much as people complain about Americans not being open to Soccer, JRPGs, etc many polished and deep gameplay experiences based around American tastes get no play overseas. Then again I am pretty sure a great Cricket sim that sold millions of units every year would see similar sales here. Well, not quite as bad, but close.
 
Inane_Dork said:
They'll use their tried and tested model of delaying at least half of them till next year. It happens almost every year. The 360 really does not need anything more than Halo 3 this winter. GTA 4 puts it decidedly over the top. Adding SC 5 and PGR4 would just be insane. It makes far, far more sense to release them in 2008 where they might actually stand a chance at retail.
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Given the 360's amazing attach ratio, I think you underestimate how well both of those titles would sell. Also, this isn't some unknown franchise we're talking about here, this is totally next-gen Splinter Cell and the top driving game on Xbox (Sorry Forza), they'll sell. I want to repeat what shifty said the other day in another thread. When you consider sales of something like GTA or even GT compared to the total number of consoles sold, every title is niche. Not everyone wants to play Halo 3 or GTA4, but PGR4 may be exactly what they want. Certainly in my case, I have only a passing interest in GTA4, and though I will buy Halo 3, it's more because I don't consider myself a proper gamer if i don't own this inevitable classic, that said, I still liked PGR2 more than Halo 2, so I definitely feel whatever big games MS release at the end of 2007, they'll find their market.
 
Joshua Luna said:
It is even worse than that... I would bet the 10K units sold were mainly US servicemen and women.

But yeah, as much as people complain about Americans not being open to Soccer, JRPGs, etc many polished and deep gameplay experiences based around American tastes get no play overseas. Then again I am pretty sure a great Cricket sim that sold millions of units every year would see similar sales here. Well, not quite as bad, but close.
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I won't take this off-topic but to say this: I get the feeling people complain about Americans not being open to soccer because pretty much the whole world considers it a popular sport except the US, which is the opposite of something like American Football, which is only really played in a big way IN America.

That said, it is a shame when any localised game that has clearly had a decent effort put into it doesn't sell well, whether it's cricket, American Football or Downhill Cheese Rolling (Actually that could make a good XBLA game :p
 
The number seems to reflect the amount of 360s sold in the U.S. versus the E.U. rather nicely. But the 360 is certainly showing a very decent attach rate so far.
 
Inane_Dork said:
They'll use their tried and tested model of delaying at least half of them till next year. It happens almost every year. The 360 really does not need anything more than Halo 3 this winter. GTA 4 puts it decidedly over the top. Adding SC 5 and PGR4 would just be insane. It makes far, far more sense to release them in 2008 where they might actually stand a chance at retail.
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If you're talking about the POV of a publisher who wants to move as many software units as possible, that may be true. But from the POV of a console maker, this is decidely not true. This next holiday season is the key battleground for moving hardware units. All three consoles will be available worldwide without any supply constraints. If the 360 can hold off the Wii and the PS3 and remain the leading console going into 2008, then it will likely remain so for the rest of this generation. Even if that's not strictly true, it will appear true, and that will be most important thing. Given that, 3rd party publishers will then ignore the platform at their own (financial) risk, and any of them sitting on the sidelines will greenlight any lead or port SKUs to it they have in the pipeline. And then you get your "virtuous cycle"...

If the 360 fails to secure a sizable lead by 2008, of course, all bets are off and the picture becomes much murkier. The Wii, in particular, may really throw a wrench in things if it continues to sustain its numbers. However, the Wii is an odd one, as 3rd parties generally don't do as well on Nintendo's platforms because of the amazingly strong 1st party offerings. Given both of these, MS really should throw everything they have at this holiday season. Momentum is everything in this business, and the key to winning 3rd party support.
 
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Sethamin said:
If you're talking about the POV of a publisher who wants to move as many software units as possible, that may be true. But from the POV of a console maker, this is decidely not true.
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I don't see how cannabalizing software sales helps the console maker that much. I don't think PGR 4 and SC 5 will push consoles when they're released around the same time as Halo 3 and GTA 4. They'll just sell less, which has negative impacts on 3rd party perception and on MS's revenue.

If they wait, they can pique interest and maximize sales in the January and February months (like Lost Planet and Crackdown).
 
Inane_Dork said:
I don't see how cannabalizing software sales helps the console maker that much. I don't think PGR 4 and SC 5 will push consoles when they're released around the same time as Halo 3 and GTA 4. They'll just sell less, which has negative impacts on 3rd party perception and on MS's revenue.

If they wait, they can pique interest and maximize sales in the January and February months (like Lost Planet and Crackdown).
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QFT

Actually I'm surprised these two titles sold as well as they did given their timing and historical success of titles launched in this time frame.

I agree this list of potential million unit sellers should be carefully managed to provide consistantly fresh and intriguing software on the platform. A difficult balancing act for sure as the devs and pubs have accountants that hold them accountable. :smile:
 
Inane_Dork said:
I don't see how cannabalizing software sales helps the console maker that much. I don't think PGR 4 and SC 5 will push consoles when they're released around the same time as Halo 3 and GTA 4. They'll just sell less, which has negative impacts on 3rd party perception and on MS's revenue.

If they wait, they can pique interest and maximize sales in the January and February months (like Lost Planet and Crackdown).
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The release of 4 top quality during the holiday season will create more demand for the 360 then the release of just two quality titles.
 
dobwal said:
The release of 4 top quality during the holiday season will create more demand for the 360 then the release of just two quality titles.
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Agreed but have you seen the release list for this year?

It's stacked! [a limited peek on page1 btw]
 
dobwal said:
The release of 4 top quality during the holiday season will create more demand for the 360 then the release of just two quality titles.
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Of course. More is more, by definition. But how much can they add to the holiday season? How much can they add to early 2008?

And the "just two quality titles" are two of the biggest franchises in recent game history. Using the word "just" seems a little inappropriate.
 
TheChefO said:
good point ... they weren't in the DB though but yes I remember them selling somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 million.
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Yea I was not sure if I should bring it up but figured at least you could see if they fit into your list :)
 
Inane_Dork said:
I don't see how cannabalizing software sales helps the console maker that much. I don't think PGR 4 and SC 5 will push consoles when they're released around the same time as Halo 3 and GTA 4. They'll just sell less, which has negative impacts on 3rd party perception and on MS's revenue.

If they wait, they can pique interest and maximize sales in the January and February months (like Lost Planet and Crackdown).
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I don't really agree that games in completely different genres signifigantly cannabalize eachother's sales.

Sure they'll sell less than they would with no competition, but given it's the holiday season when expenditures triple, they will probably still sell more than they would in the spring.
 
Inane_Dork said:
Of course. More is more, by definition. But how much can they add to the holiday season? How much can they add to early 2008?

And the "just two quality titles" are two of the biggest franchises in recent game history. Using the word "just" seems a little inappropriate.
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Please remember that Mfst doesn't actually make most of these "quality" titles and release is dependant on the devs/pubs bottom line. Mfst only has the full power to control Halo and leverage on GOW. R* will release GTA4 on the holiday season because it's good for their shareholders. Same goes for everyone else.
 
While the strategy of releasing quality titles not too crammed together in order to maximise each title's potential is a sound one once you reached cruise speed, I think MS should try to have a couple of months with several quality titles together (and perhaps some bundling and the goddam price drop) in order to make some bystanders jump the fence. I've seen quite a few people on various forums that are very close to get a 360, but somehow resist the urge after each "big" release. I feel MS could really capture a good part of this audience with a "shock and awe" month with several big titles released. That could mean some SW sales lost (or made later at budget price), but getting new users is every bit as important. I can't help but feel that the people at MS are a bit overconfident going into this generation, and are already in "huge profit making" mode as if they had won (or as if they were Nintendo ;) ).

One of my best friends resisted getting a 360 until December, where the GoW bundle coupled with the €50 rebate, Lost Planet around the corner, and a wealth of earlier quality titles reaching budget price pushed him over the edge.
 
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