NPD November 2004

[LisaJoy]

Gamesindustry has a short article on it and MagicBox gives the breakdown (which I'm not sure was mentioned anywhere else for all regions): In the financial report, Microsoft announced the worldwide shipment of Xbox has reached 13.7 million units, 8.6 millions in North America, 3.7 millions in Europe and 1.4 million in Japan.

Where on earth is that Japan number coming from? Their sales numbers have always been a lot easier to track, and the number they list is WAY off. MagicBox shows 327,699 sales for 2002 and ~97,000 in 2003. Anyone know what might be going on?

they come right from MS, which explains why they are stretched, I dont even think they have shipped that many in Japan.

 

[cthellis42]

Yeah, but stretched from WHAT? It's hard to see how even a company's "optimal numbers" could push 3x past sales.

 

[StefanS]

Yeah, but stretched from WHAT? It's hard to see how even a company's "optimal numbers" could push 3x past sales.

Maybe the press release said Asia instead of Japan?

Or maybe they have just started another crazy bundle in Japan (Buy a Big Mac, get 1 Xbox for free ). Or they are just shipping Xbox to Japan to add them to their shipment numbers.

Seriously that number is really out of bounds.

 

[Qroach]

Or perhaps Japan includes more than just japan. Such as austrailia, africa, china, tiwan, etc... I'm certain it's not just inculding japan by itself.

 

[cthellis42]

It may well be, but then it'd be a pretty peculiar label to be using. I was thinking "Asia" at the very least, but I don't know what other countries it's been selling in (South Korea I'm pretty sure, but what others?) and in what numbers.

 

[zurich]

Isn't Australia considered Asia?

 

[akira888]

With regard to MS Japan numbers, isn't there a difference between "sold" and "shipped?"

 

[Guden Oden]

Isn't Australia considered Asia?

Hm, Australia is considered a continent of itself I believe, though it might be bundled up with Asia for convenience's sake by companies in their sales reports...

 

[cthellis42]

That could be as well, since they do mention "shipment." That's not sales/installed base, though. Not that I can see them shipping 1 million extra boxes to Japan "just in case," though.

 

[Fox5]

That could be as well, since they do mention "shipment." That's not sales/installed base, though. Not that I can see them shipping 1 million extra boxes to Japan "just in case," though.

Maybe they thought the launch would be bigger....and they like their limited edition Hello Gundam xboxes to be sold in mass quantities?

 

[StefanS]

That could be as well, since they do mention "shipment." That's not sales/installed base, though. Not that I can see them shipping 1 million extra boxes to Japan "just in case," though.

Maybe they thought the launch would be bigger....and they like their limited edition Hello Gundam xboxes to be sold in mass quantities?

One thing is for sure Japan is not "Japan" in that release. They still haven't sold out their intial shippment there; maybe the have shipped another 200.000 units there. That still leaves 700.000 units to be accounted for...

http://microsoft.gamerfeed.com/gf/news/5009/

Xbox has been in the Korean market for over a year and was targeted to sell 150,000 units during that period. Unfortunately for Microsoft, only 60,000 consoles have been sold to date due to lackluster demand by Korean gamers.

So they have shipped 150.000 units to Korea. That still leaves 550.000 to be accounted for...

550.000 could have been shipped mainly to Australia, where the Xbox is pretty strong and has been released for 1 and half years (average weekly sales: ca. 3500 units; plus 115.000 sold in November and December this year; 3500*70+115.000[MS press release]=360.000 units sold [disclaimer: this is just an estimation]) They could have shipped another 150.000-200.000

That leaves about 50.000 for the rest of Asia.

 

[Jov]

Isn't Australia considered Asia?

Hm, Australia is considered a continent of itself I believe, though it might be bundled up with Asia for convenience's sake by companies in their sales reports...

Strangely enuff, Australia is more likely to be considered as part of Europe's sale figures than Asias because we're a PAL country. We get the same software and hardware as Europe. If Europe release a game before the US we get it early as well.

 

[StefanS]

Isn't Australia considered Asia?

Hm, Australia is considered a continent of itself I believe, though it might be bundled up with Asia for convenience's sake by companies in their sales reports...

Strangely enuff, Australia is more likely to be considered as part of Europe's sale figures than Asias because we're a PAL country. We get the same software and hardware as Europe. If Europe release a game before the US we get it early as well.

I thought about that as well, but the only way MS "Japan" sales number makes any sense is by including Australia in it.