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Media Create Sales: Week 17, 2015 (Apr 20 - Apr 26)

Hoping Xenoblade didn't do as bad as I fear it did. I'm loving the series and really want it to continue. The game is amazing in its own right, but releasing on Wii U almost feels like a death sentence at the moment. Monolith Soft hasn't exactly pulled in a lot of money for Nintendo, and considering they looked like they were bullied into going mobile I don't think they'll want to keep investing in large scale JRPGs that take forever to make and sell mediocre at best, regardless of the terrible conditions surrounding every single Xenoblade release.

The original's NA release was a train wreck and screwed by Gamestop, then Xenoblade Chronicles 3D was tied to the new 3DS which has a stupidly low install base, and finally Xenoblade X is on the Wii U, currently on track to be the worst selling Nintendo home console of all time. Outside of handing Takahashi money, Nintendo's support for the franchise has been freaking clownshoes.



Speaking of, is there any chance that the NX is just a portable, scaled down Wii U? I mean the new 3DS has literally all the same functionality doesn't it? Just upgrade it, add a second circle pad, and put a beefy micro SD card in it. Then every game they develop could be played on the big screen or on the go, they don't need to divide resources to support either platform, and they don't need to learn any new development techniques, which seemed to be one of Nintendo's big Achilles heels this gen.

Also, is it just me or would it be a waste to develop and release a new home console so soon that's going to have a shorter life span due to releasing late in the generation and having to fight against the monstrous PS4?
 

Alrus

Member
Hmmmm

Nope don't get the irony.

I don't know about the irony but that post was stupid because it compared metacritic score of a game which is only out in Japan to a game which is out everywhere (thus has a lot more reviews).

Metacritic isn't really a prominent influence in Japan either iirc.

Nothing to do with opinions really.
 

Jigorath

Banned
I don't know about the irony but that post was stupid because it compared metacritic score of a game which is only out in Japan to a game which is out everywhere (thus has a lot more reviews).

Metacritic isn't really a prominent influence in Japan either iirc.

Nothing to do with opinions really.

I thought (and I might be wrong) that the poster was talking about the game's future metacritic score whenever it releases worldwide. Because he thinks Bloodborne will be a better game and so it deserves to sell more. As he was replying to someone that thinks XCX deserves to sell more. And metacritic is, of course, the worst thing ever made by a human so none of it matters really.

Still don't get the irony though.
 

Vena

Member
The original's NA release was a train wreck and screwed by Gamestop, then Xenoblade Chronicles 3D was tied to the new 3DS which has a stupidly low install base, and finally Xenoblade X is on the Wii U, currently on track to be the worst selling Nintendo home console of all time. Outside of handing Takahashi money, Nintendo's support for the franchise has been freaking clownshoes.

The majority of these decisions were made by Nintendo as a company whole, not the studio on its own. The late localization of Xenoblade was not because of Monolith, it was because many believe there to be no market for the title. The N3DS was a decision made by Nintendo as a whole as well and, all things considered, it was either that or not at all (certainly not a WiiU port/remake), and I don't think the portable is going to sell "badly" for what it is: a port. So when you take everything that there is to take from Xenoblade and its sales, the title probably has "earned its paycheck" so to speak. Also, as far as Takahashi is concerned, he's been given the creative freedom to make the game he wants to make. That's a rare treat in this day and age.

Xenoblade/Xenoblade X, and Monolith as a whole, fill a hole that Nintendo has not known how to fill in that they have always lacked strong RPG support from internal development. Nintendo doesn't willy-nilly pick up studios (and Monolith's acquisition was likely helped along by Bamco relations). Will they keep Monolith churning out just 5-year cycle mega-RPGs? Probably not. Will they cut them off?... has Nintendo ever done such a thing?

And, still, we don't actually know this game's budget or how the tools developed for it will carry over to other projects. Nintendo may well see more benefit in the development of tools that go on to make a better/easier to make Zelda that sells millions, than in worrying over if Xenoblade X went gangbusters or was a modest seller. So long as the title doesn't absolutely bomb worldwide (like Bayonetta 2 or W101), I don't think this will be the last Xenoblade we see.

If they put this as the winter title for the WiiU in the west...
 
The majority of these decisions were made by Nintendo as a company whole, not the studio on its own. The late localization of Xenoblade was not because of Monolith, it was because many believe there to be no market for the title. The N3DS was a decision made by Nintendo as a whole as well and, all things considered, it was either that or not at all (certainly not a WiiU port/remake), and I don't think the portable is going to sell "badly" for what it is: a port. So when you take everything that there is to take from Xenoblade and its sales, the title probably has "earned its paycheck" so to speak. Also, as far as Takahashi is concerned, he's been given the creative freedom to make the game he wants to make. That's a rare treat in this day and age.

Xenoblade/Xenoblade X, and Monolith as a whole, fill a hole that Nintendo has not known how to fill in that they have always lacked strong RPG support from internal development. Nintendo doesn't willy-nilly pick up studios (and Monolith's acquisition was likely helped along by Bamco relations). Will they keep Monolith churning out just 5-year cycle mega-RPGs? Probably not. Will they cut them off?... has Nintendo ever done such a thing?

And, still, we don't actually know this game's budget or how the tools developed for it will carry over to other projects. Nintendo may well see more benefit in the development of tools that go on to make a better/easier to make Zelda that sells millions, than in worrying over if Xenoblade X went gangbusters or was a modest seller. So long as the title doesn't absolutely bomb worldwide (like Bayonetta 2 or W101), I don't think this will be the last Xenoblade we see.

If they put this as the winter title for the WiiU in the west...

that's what he said?
 

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven
Hoping Xenoblade didn't do as bad as I fear it did. I'm loving the series and really want it to continue. The game is amazing in its own right, but releasing on Wii U almost feels like a death sentence at the moment. Monolith Soft hasn't exactly pulled in a lot of money for Nintendo, and considering they looked like they were bullied into going mobile I don't think they'll want to keep investing in large scale JRPGs that take forever to make and sell mediocre at best, regardless of the terrible conditions surrounding every single Xenoblade release.

The original's NA release was a train wreck and screwed by Gamestop, then Xenoblade Chronicles 3D was tied to the new 3DS which has a stupidly low install base, and finally Xenoblade X is on the Wii U, currently on track to be the worst selling Nintendo home console of all time. Outside of handing Takahashi money, Nintendo's support for the franchise has been freaking clownshoes.



Speaking of, is there any chance that the NX is just a portable, scaled down Wii U? I mean the new 3DS has literally all the same functionality doesn't it? Just upgrade it, add a second circle pad, and put a beefy micro SD card in it. Then every game they develop could be played on the big screen or on the go, they don't need to divide resources to support either platform, and they don't need to learn any new development techniques, which seemed to be one of Nintendo's big Achilles heels this gen.

Also, is it just me or would it be a waste to develop and release a new home console so soon that's going to have a shorter life span due to releasing late in the generation and having to fight against the monstrous PS4?

What? You seem to be somewhat misinformed.

1. New 3DS install base in Japan = 1.83M - considering that's not much less than the Wii U install base and higher than the PS4 install base in Japan, it's fine. Xenoblade 3DS is a port, and thus doesn't have super high expectations. In addition, they tried putting Xeno on the original 3DS and it just didn't work. It was technical decision, and it allowed a port to be one of the headline titles when releasing a new 3DS model.

2. The original Xenoblade did well enough to get BOTH a port and a full fledged, high budget sequel. For one, Western sales actually were more than Japanese sales, which surprised them a lot. Takahashi had confidence in the game selling well in Japan (it sold REALLY well used for example), but thought the West was through with JRPGs. As such, clearly it sold pretty well in the West and it looks like there's no question about Xeno X releasing in the West now. Sure the US had it only at Gamestop, but it was a normal release in Europe from what I understand. Also, the used sales of Xenoblade in the West probably made them release the new 3DS version, as it's a way for Nintendo to directly make money on leftover Xenoblade demand.

3. Xenoblade X - Where else was this supposed to go? You think because Y franchise sells bad on Wii U it's just screwed? Nintendo realizes it's the Wii U of all things. Monolith just got another go at Project X Zone, which didn't do too swell in JP but apparently did well in the West. I think it's way too early to start worrying about Xeno X's performance, as we don't even have a clear picture of Japanese sales (ironically everything we've seen so far seems to suggest it did alright considering it's on the Wii U), and Western sales are a complete unknown.

Edit: Also, what Vena said.
 
What? You seem to be somewhat misinformed.

1. New 3DS install base in Japan = 1.83M - considering that's not much less than the Wii U install base and higher than the PS4 install base in Japan, it's fine. Xenoblade 3DS is a port, and thus doesn't have super high expectations. In addition, they tried putting Xeno on the original 3DS and it just didn't work. It was technical decision, and it allowed a port to be one of the headline titles when releasing a new 3DS model.

2. The original Xenoblade did well enough to get BOTH a port and a full fledged, high budget sequel. For one, Western sales actually were more than Japanese sales, which surprised them a lot. Takahashi had confidence in the game selling well in Japan (it sold REALLY well used for example), but thought the West was through with JRPGs. As such, clearly it sold pretty well in the West and it looks like there's no question about Xeno X releasing in the West now. Sure the US had it only at Gamestop, but it was a normal release in Europe from what I understand. Also, the used sales of Xenoblade in the West probably made them release the new 3DS version, as it's a way for Nintendo to directly make money on leftover Xenoblade demand.

3. Xenoblade X - Where else was this supposed to go? You think because Y franchise sells bad on Wii U it's just screwed? Nintendo realizes it's the Wii U of all things. Monolith just got another go at Project X Zone, which didn't do too swell in JP but apparently did well in the West. I think it's way too early to start worrying about Xeno X's performance, as we don't even have a clear picture of Japanese sales (ironically everything we've seen so far seems to suggest it did alright considering it's on the Wii U), and Western sales are a complete unknown.

Edit: Also, what Vena said.

1) I'm well aware that the 3DS couldn't run Xenoblade, but my point is this: If the game's sales were lackluster in Japan, but sold much better in the US, even with how terribly it was handled, why not make a port more likely to appeal to the Western audience? Western gamers aren't as big on handhelds, and the Wii U has a much higher install base than the new 3DS stateside, where the game was more likely to sell. I understand wanting a port to push their new handheld upgrade, but surely Mario Sunshine, Twilight Princess, or some other gamer cube hit could have done the job, and probably better.

2) I still don't understand why they'd pitch a 3DS port when trying to drum up support for the HD sequel on the Wii U. Wouldn't an HD port of Xenoblade not only have made more sense but given far more people overall a chance to experience the series before the massive follow up is released? It's not like we'll see any more Xeno games on the system after Xenoblade 3D. Besides, a Wii U port would have felt much better and appealed to more of the larger market.

I don't want it to sound like I'm hating on the 3DS version. It was the first time I was really able to get my hands on the game, and I blew 120+ hours on the damn thing in 10 days. Portability turned out to be a huge plus for me in the end, but that doesn't change the fact the Wii U would have made more sense overall.

3) I know I'm jumping the gun and panicking, but dammit I want more. I do think Nintendo realizes the Wii U has been the greatest failure since the 32X, but money talks and I'm pretty sure the the roi from Xenoblade probably wasn't as high as if they'd used that man power and those resources to push out more of their other games/IPs on time.

I'm happy Takahashi got so much freedom to make what he wanted. I hope it does great in the West and we get another go around for the next gen.
 
Even if the EU court did rule that RPM doesn't necessarily fall under Article 101 TFEU with CESPA (but not in the clearest of ways in my opinion), the Commission and the individual member states still treat any and all RPM agreements as anti-competitive; this article gives a good overview.

As I said, it largely depends on the industry as well. For example, RPM are mandatory by law in France and other Member States. Back to Japan, as I mentioned in a previous post, at least until a decade ago, RPM were in force in many media industries, such as music and newspaper industries. Therefore, my question as to whether RPM were in force in the video game industry was not insane, but quite fair. It is possible that a regulatory authority is against a certain practice (even though the law is not very clear on those aspects), but then that very practice is allowed in some industries in order to, for example, promote short-term efficiency or protect smaller players.

And I'm not sure why you bring up your book example since it pertains only to that specific industry, so for RPM to be considered legal with regards to games the lawmakers in those individual states would have to pass laws similar to Lang Law with the intent to allow publishers to control resale price. I don't think that would go over well.

It was just an example to show that my initial question (as to whether RPM were in force in the Japanese video game industry) was not insane. People said that RPM were illegal under European Union law, which is not actually 100% true, and therefore I tried to be more specific on that part. Also, there are other local peculiarities that allow manufacturers to control downstream prices; as I mentioned before, manufacturers keep wholesale prices high in order to reduce retailers' margins on some products, and to constrain their freedom to set the final price, since it is illegal to sell to consumers below (or equal) the cost.

I was addressing it as a side note because it wasn't a 1:1 analogue with what we're discussing, which is why I said as much in the post. The EC typically does not appreciate companies trying to artificially inflate prices and I'm fail to see on what basis you're trying to argue that this practice is common.

I am not arguing that this practice is common. I am arguing that at the retailer level sometimes this occurs. In some European countries, price dispersion is low for electronic products such as smartphones, TVs, and video game consoles, specifically in the short period, indicating that even if RPM are not in force, other mechanisms might allow manufacturers to control over retail prices; indeed, it has been shown that while in the United States buyer power is increasing, in Europe this is less pronounced, and therefore manufacturers still hold a great bargaining power over the last chain of the distributional chain. It was just a question, at the beginning; then people said that RPM are illegal in Europe, and I specified it is not necessarily true.

Yep. Nintendo got fined some years ago for this.

Nintendo did not get fined for either RPM or collusion aimed at directly fixing retail prices. The European Commission wrote:

According to the arrangements, each distributor was under the obligation to prevent parallel trade from its territory, i.e. exports from one country to another via unofficial distribution channels. Under the leadership of Nintendo, the companies intensively collaborated to find the source of any parallel trade. Traders that allowed parallel exports to occur were punished by being given smaller shipments or by being boycotted altogether.

Therefore, it was more a collusion aimed at preventing free trade across Member States of the European Union, which was clearly infringing Article 101 of the TFEU.
 

Bruno MB

Member
Animal Crossing: New Leaf shipped an additional 60.000 units in the last quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2015. It is safe to say that it will be the only 3DS title that manages to sell over 5 million units in Japan.

Pokémon X / Y didn't get a new shipment.

January - March, 2015 (shipments + download sales)

(4+ million sellers)

Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 60.000 / 4.840.000
Pokémon X / Y - 0 / 4.460.000
Monster Hunter 4 - 0 / 4.100.000
 
It is nice to see how the less affected game by the drop in hw sales was actually Animal Crossing. The IP is strong and Nintendo should capitalize on it; not sure how Happy Home Designer would be the right choice, though.
 
Animal Crossing: New Leaf shipped an additional 60.000 units in the last quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2015. It is safe to say that it will be the only 3DS title that manages to sell over 5 million units in Japan.

Jibanyan would like to say something about that
 

L~A

Member
Animal Crossing: New Leaf shipped an additional 60.000 units in the last quarter of the fiscal year ending March 2015. It is safe to say that it will be the only 3DS title that manages to sell over 5 million units in Japan.

Pokémon X / Y didn't get a new shipment.

January - March, 2015 (shipments + download sales)

(4+ million sellers)

Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 60.000 / 4.840.000
Pokémon X / Y - 0 / 4.460.000
Monster Hunter 4 - 0 / 4.100.000

Yeah, it's quite likely we'll be getting XY2 next year, so 5m is most likely out of reach for XY.
 
I don't really expect they hit that forecast even with a price cut, they're also still forecasting an operating profit, so whatever cut presumably isn't major. They didn't reach 3.4M this last fiscal year with the two largest titles in their stable of franchises, the current fiscal year doesn't really have anything to match that. So, I'm chalking it up to poor forecasting.
 
I don't really expect they hit that forecast even with a price cut, they're also still forecasting an operating profit, so whatever cut presumably isn't major. They didn't reach 3.4M this last fiscal year with the two largest titles in their stable of franchises, the current fiscal year doesn't really have anything to match that. So, I'm chalking it up to poor forecasting.

Maybe you're right. In fact, I'm certain you'll be right. Nevertheless, Wii U was up YOY in US, for example, without any significant software release this year. MK and SSB have long-lasting effects, and probably bundles should help in keeping sales afloat.
 
Maybe you're right. In fact, I'm certain you'll be right. Nevertheless, Wii U was up YOY in US, for example, without any significant software release this year. MK and SSB have long-lasting effects, and probably bundles should help in keeping sales afloat.

well yeah, it has MK8/SSB4 now and it didn't last year

but moving forward, this won't be the case
 

hiska-kun

Member
Why do you hate Famitsu? =(

It's probably gonna take a couple of months before 2015 White Paper are available in libraries.

I don't hate it, but I do prefer MC. :p

The reason i haven't gone for Famitsu's book yet is because, the lascar told me that maybe he can get it for free.

Will you buy it if i part fund?

Well, if it becomes a rational price, definetly.
 
well yeah, it has MK8/SSB4 now and it didn't last year

but moving forward, this won't be the case

MK8 was released a year ago. SSB was released in November. Those games are having a long-lasting effect, and Wii U was able to be up YOY without having relevant releases during this year.
 

Dee Dee

Member
Wouldn't mind contributing a few bucks myself :eek:

Unless ZhugeEx is one of these secret do-gooder millionaires, some form of PayPal-Kickstarter would get my support too. I know I am just a lurker, and can not contribute big bucks, but I am sure there are some Gaffers willing to support the awesome archive work done by you guys!
 
MK8 was released a year ago. SSB was released in November. Those games are having a long-lasting effect, and Wii U was able to be up YOY without having relevant releases during this year.

you seem confused

2014 January-April didn't have Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros for Wii U

2015 January-April does

however, starting from (late) May, 2014 does have Mario Kart 8, meaning it's going to start going down YoY, and then in November Smash Bros also shows up in 2014, pulling it further down YoY
 

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven
you seem confused

2014 January-April didn't have Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros for Wii U

2015 January-April does

however, starting from (late) May, 2014 does have Mario Kart 8, meaning it's going to start going down YoY, and then in November Smash Bros also shows up in 2014, pulling it further down YoY

Eh, honestly I don't think Smash Wii U had much of a big effect in terms of hardware in Japan b/c its selling potential was cannibalized by Smash 3DS.
 

vinnygambini

Why are strippers at the U.N. bad when they're great at strip clubs???
Eh for Puzzle & Xenoblade (though it performed like its predecessor, I guess Nintendo hardware is just less keen to JRPG's than Sony)

Moor and I were right about Puzzle.

Edit: Penny got banned?
 
That's better than I expected for the DQs and XenoX, not for PZM. Seems XenoX is opening very close to Xeno.



Why would it be "eh"? For XenoX? Did we expect it do better than Xeno? (This is a serious question.)

just because nobody expected it to do better than Xenoblade doesn't make it not meh

of course, without a Gamestop-exclusive distribution it should do better in NA...

edit: wait, Dengeki's first week data for the original was 71k? that's lower than both other trackers by a fairly decent margin
 

Bruno MB

Member
[3DS] Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition <RPG> (GungHo Online Entertainment) {2015.04.29} (¥4.320) - 178.525 / NEW <50%> [357.000 units shipped]
[WIU] Dragon Quest X: Inishie no Ryuu no Denshou Online <RPG> (Square Enix) {2015.04.30} (¥4.104) - 89.513 / NEW <80%> [112.000 units shipped]
[WIU] Xenoblade Chronicles X # <RPG> (Nintendo) {2015.04.29} (¥8.316) - 86.119 / NEW <70%> [123.000 units shipped]
[WII] Dragon Quest X: Inishie no Ryuu no Denshou Online <RPG> (Square Enix) {2015.04.30} (¥4.104) - 79.888 / NEW <80%> [100.000 units shipped]
 
[3DS] Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition <RPG> (GungHo Online Entertainment) {2015.04.29} (¥4.320) - 178.525 / NEW <50%> [357.000 units shipped]
[WIU] Dragon Quest X: Inishie no Ryuu no Denshou Online <RPG> (Square Enix) {2015.04.30} (¥4.104) - 89.513 / NEW <80%> [112.000 units shipped]
[WIU] Xenoblade Chronicles X # <RPG> (Nintendo) {2015.04.29} (¥8.316) - 86.119 / NEW <70%> [123.000 units shipped]
[WII] Dragon Quest X: Inishie no Ryuu no Denshou Online <RPG> (Square Enix) {2015.04.30} (¥4.104) - 79.888 / NEW <80%> [100.000 units shipped]
Not that bad for XCX for FW but if the game has no legs, it will be a horrible result in Japan. Hopefully it can pass >200k LTD.
 

Vena

Member
You caught me before my edit Vena!

Eh for Puzzle & Xenoblade (though it performed like its predecessor, I guess Nintendo hardware is just less keen to JRPG's than Sony)

Well... that's not surprising, is it? jRPGs/RPGs are entrenched on the Sony machine with a lot of old franchises having their home there for a long, long while now (Tales of, Persona, FF). The Wii certainly had some Tales of, and has DQX but the latter isn't even a very traditional game, but the WiiU hasn't seen a Tales of or anything much else aside from Nintendo itself has provided and DQX.
 

vinnygambini

Why are strippers at the U.N. bad when they're great at strip clubs???
Well... that's not surprising, is it? jRPGs/RPGs are entrenched on the Sony machine with a lot of old franchises having their home there for a long, long while now (Tales of, Persona, FF). The Wii certainly had some Tales of, and has DQX but the latter isn't even a very traditional game, but the WiiU hasn't seen a Tales of or anything much else aside from Nintendo itself has provided and DQX.

It doesn't make the performance of the title any less meh though?

It's a heavy hitter title that will perform equivalent to Zelda Musou; low sell through in Japan with the West acting as its saving grace.

Edit: Bravely Second ;.;
 

Aostia

El Capitan Todd
Not that bad for XCX for FW but if the game has no legs, it will be a horrible result in Japan. Hopefully it can pass >200k LTD.

Xeno sold 160k on wii 12 millions install base.. Game debuted well for being a wii u exclusive. Hope it will not struggle to catch Hw and DKTFP LTD.
Hope west will support the game
good to finally see DQ higher on wiiu, and gewmerally performing well being a third re release
disappointing Pz x mario
 

Mory Dunz

Member
Mario Party 10 around 7,970?

That might be a fairly large bump, percentagewise.

EDIT:
Isn't DQ like really high?
Or maybe I just don't know exactly what it is. What is it? A new edition...or expansion or what?
 
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