Welfare
Member
Eh, but still, I don't think MS were expecting it to top the charts or anything. It could've sold below 750k and made enough profit for MS to think it was a success.
A success for that title, anyway.
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Microsoft FY2015 Q4: 1.4M 360+XBO Shipped
- Thread starter ZhugeEX
- Start date
Eh, but still, I don't think MS were expecting it to top the charts or anything. It could've sold below 750k and made enough profit for MS to think it was a success.
A success for that title, anyway.
What the hell, that's news to me. What's a good number for a new IP, usually? Also, Spencer mentioned somewhere that they were happy with the sales. Maybe it got to 500,000+ with the holidays.
ProfessorMoran
Member
It depends on the budget and marketing but if it hasn't hit a million yet then we can pretty much declare it as a flop, it doesn't even matter what Spencer said because that was just pure PR.
But it's sales data, why would he lie about that with investors/shareholders being involved. Either way, I am hoping for a sequel.
Ricerocket
Member
Seeing as you're just guessing and like what I said that there was no sales milestones, I was more curious as to what you heard last that it did well but it seems to be based on Phil is happy. I don't imagine he would say anything else...
meanspartan
Member
Aaaaand it's time to
Nothing he is saying is that out there, though I do think he is leaning a bit towards pessimism. 50 million is reasonable, but I wouldn't be stunned if Xbone didn't get there.
meanspartan
Member
I think it'll land somewhere around 50-60 million, PS4 around 90-100 million. I don't think selling 50-60 million is grim. Unless of course your only definition of "not grim" is winning...and I assure you most people at MS don't give a crap as long as they're making money (especially if they could make more money "losing" than "winning" (say, for example, if they took major loses in hardware to get to that win)).
I know we get a bit preoccupied with our "side" winning here, but I don't think these numbers are that bad. Sure, they'd love them to be higher, and I'm certain they'd love to outsell the 360. But I don't think this is a sign that the brand is dead, or anything. We're not in Wii U territory (sorry Wii U)
This.
It very well may be the "PSP" to the Ps4's DS. PSP was not a failure, it sold damn well. Just not as well as the crazy sales of the DS.
I can't recall the last time Phil was worried. Not when unbundling Kinect, not when approving price drop after price drop, going after ROTR, Destiny fragance.... et al. Always really confident and with a positive outlook about well, literally everything.
ProfessorMoran
Member
He said it's looking good, that is entirely subjective, he's not putting out numbers that aren't true so he doesn't have to worry about shareholders, for a game not getting a sequel the sales might be looking good, or for a game with minimal marketing the sales might be looking good, or for a game not heavily bundled the sales might be looking good, it all depends on the context and how he frames this statement, the only thing that matters would be the actual sales numbers and whether the game gets a sequel, and we've got neither so far.
No, I heard about the 250K units at launch, but with the bundles and holiday shopping, it's safe to make a 500K+ assumption. Phil could just not say anything, though. They haven said "we're happy with this game's sales" for every game they have had, have they?
I suppose, maybe I overreacted a bit, I had flashbacks from many other Xbox One sales threads and the whole "Xbox is doomed" stuff.
280k in the U.S for all of 2014? We sure that's not first month numbers?
Trust me. I'm a PhD
Member
We are sure....
Edit: I do not have a copy of the NPDs. The "We" here is the sales Gaf who where around for October, November, and December threads
He's the real Pachter.
Welfare
Member
It's all of 2014 (3 months).
Okay, but it's still indicative of one thing, they were happy with it's sales. They could just not say anything, but I see what you're saying.
Well Chobel is right in that regard then. Say the game made 100k worldwide (not including the U.S) in those 3 months and around 60k digitally worldwide (including the U.S). Say the bundle sold, 100K more (extremely limited so it might of being less)...
We're at what?
100k+100k+280k+60k+ 2015? That's a flop. At least what we consider flops. Less than 1m-1.5m first 6 months. The revenue is usually extremely low beyond that. Dollar per dollar amount for MS - perhaps it did OK. Although I don't think you get Insomniac to bite with MS of all people for a NEW IP, console exclusive for scraps. Then you have the marketing etc...
Welfare
Member
A flop in what way though? Units? Something doesn't need to sell +1 million to be a success.
Going to have to pull from Mpl90's tag for a second.
Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
ProfessorMoran
Member
What did you expect him to say? That he's not happy with the sales? Maybe we missed it but where is the 1 million units announcement? Usually the publisher or developer would celebrate sales milestones.
It depends on the development and marketing budgets but it could easily take over a million copies, maybe more, just to break even.
I would understand for a title like the Order 1886 that critically bombed and had a negative PR aura around it but Sunset did well on the PR department. So yeah....
They could say nothing, right? No one is forcing them to say publicly that they are happy with the sales.
ProfessorMoran
Member
The Order probably didn't even hit 250k, it's dead before it even hit the ground, it was a critical stinker and a sales disaster.
Sunset on the other hand reviewed pretty well but just didn't really sell, it's obviously not in the same galaxy as a complete bomb like the order but it's probably a sales flop that might never get a sequel.
The Order had some positive numbers from Europe I think. I'm not too sure it would break even at 1m but there's the possibility it might. I lean towards flop too.
ProfessorMoran
Member
It's not like they have much else to talk about, it was a key game in the fall/holiday season, for the most part it reviewed well, it's not like they can just pretend it didn't exist.
Nydius
Member
Saying nothing is often perceived as damning as saying something negative. Saying you're happy with something can't genuinely be quantified or disproved. It's a low risk statement that has the benefit of calming investor/shareholder nerves.
Honestly, in this industry, saying nothing is usually indicative of less than expected sales, if not a downright flop.
New IPs specifically get touted when they sell well, such as Bloodborne.
Shining Sunshine
Banned
Any disingenuous CEO will use the "expectation" spin.
Sunset Overdrive didn't chart on NPD.
Edit: It charted in PAL. I was looking at the wrong week.
1st Course
Member
Agreed. 20 million by end of the year should be very doable. If anything would be extremely dissapoiting if they didn't hit such a milestone by time given that they are releasing their strong exclusive this year (Halo 5) + have a number of strong multiplats releasing this fall (Fallout 4, Battlefront). The latter two are going to push a lot of PS360 owners into getting a current gem console I imagine.
Nydius
Member
Wow, I didn't realize that. It didn't even chart in its release month?
This is purely anecdotal but I picked up Sunset Overdrive last month during one of Best Buy's every-other-week sales and every single copy on the shelf had the "DAY ONE EDITION" banner. Either someone tripped over a dusty box and realized they needed to get them out on the shelf or - what I suspect is more likely - the game simply didn't sell and they had a glut of Day One Copies they wanted to get out of inventory.
I really don't think the game did all that well over the holidays. After it came out, it was like it fell off a cliff after only a few weeks. There was lots of chatter about the game up to its release but shortly afterward no one really talked much about it, the DLC showed up without much fanfare, and Sunset TV went out with a whimper.
BlackBuzzard
Banned
SO bombed here even the white XB1 is still readily available.
But how about this Holiday season?
770k won't stay the same till Holiday season. PS4 Batman Arkham bundle still selling well in July. Gap can shrink or get bigger till Holiday. And Persona 5 isn't a small japanese title.
Caipirinha
Member
50 million people aren't going to buy a bone for a couple of quality of life features marketed as "Windows 10".
40m sounds about right for the XB1 this gen.
MS needs to figure out how to sell their consoles outside the US next gen, otherwise the same thing will happen again, barring any PS3-type clusterfuck on Sony's part.
I would not discount "kick up the arse" just yet because VR has a big potential and it will hit the market in the big way next year, in the 3rd year of the PS4s lifecycle [just in time when PS4 needs to get pricedrop and attract even more users].
That new platform will provide not only brand new games that are optimized for new way of playing, but also new ways of experiencing multimedia and communication. All those things have big potential of not only attracting gamers, but also casuals who will appreciate simple PS4 ecosystem [effortless plug & play, already present ecosystem of accessories] and lower entry price than PC VR systems.
IIRC, SO entered PAL chart just for one week ( during launch ) and that's it. Next week wasn't in PAL TOP 40. But yes, game bombed sales wise. Sadly.
Welfare
Member
UK? Sunset was in the individual formats (units) chart for 6 weeks.
Shining Sunshine
Banned
Well I don't see it in Week 39, Week 40, or Week 41 threads.
Sunset Overdrive release on the 31st of October for EU according to wiki, so I think I covered all the weeks of its launch.
Edit: Shit, I'm looking at the wrong weeks!
Edit 2: Woop I was wrong. Week 44 it charted 1st. So pretty okay for its launch in UK.
Coulomb_Barrier
Member
Looking at the bigger picture, it is clear MS is going to marginalize the importance of smartphones in their business.
A $2.1 billion loss for the quarter is remarkable, but that is mainly the Nokia write-down cost. Their acquisition of the company has been a huge mistake.
A $2.1 billion loss for the quarter is remarkable, but that is mainly the Nokia write-down cost. Their acquisition of the company has been a huge mistake.
Reptars Revenge
Member
Where? I want that one
The Order has sold over 100k in Germany alone, so your guess is almost as wrong as it can be.
ZhugeEX, when you find the time, can you estimate the ratios of console sales in the "English speaking countries vs the world"? Meaning US+Canada+UK+Aus+NZ vs world.
edit - OK and Ireland
I had been trying to do something similar but I think I made some really bad assumptions. I would be interested in knowing this too if ZhugeEX knows.
With the marketing blitz and special edition bundles I doubt MS only wanted to sell 1 million copies.
Also Minecraft has been a golden goose for them. Coincidentally 1st party sales have been up for them ever since they acquired it. Might end up being worth the 2.5 billion after all.
Iced Arcade
Member
All the doom and gloom. Everywhere else has articles are reporting postives and posting growth for the dept.
Thanks for the correction. I know that SO had good launch week, but month later game fell off from the charts.
Consider that UK count bundled games and it was bundled with the white limited XB1 tho.
Mugatu
Member
While I'm sure they factor press into this, these are financial results for investors, not marketing - this is apparently how they account for things at MS.