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NPD Sales Results for May 2015

You just dismissed the biggest AAA games in the industry because they're "casual", & then dismissed The Last of Us because of the studio.

God of War 3 sold 1.2 million in its first month on NPD, & then went on to sell a total of 2.8 million in that market (more than 50% of its sales were outside of the first month) as of May 2012.

Uncharted 3 sold about ~9 million after its first 5 months. Total sales for the series were around 17 million, & then they went on to sell an additional 4 million in the next three years. With Uncharted 3 likely more than doubling its 5 million first month sales.

Tomb Raider sold 8.5 million as of last month, more than doubling its 3.4 first month sales.

Mass Effect 3 & Bioshock Infinite nearly doubled their first month sales.

Do you want to argue your case by providing evidence where big AAA titles see the majority of their sales on the first month? Because that only happens to games with poor critical reception like Resident Evil 6.


I dismissed those franchises because those are the literal definition of evergreen titles, they are the dream of every publisher.

TLOU im not even sure can be used as an example because i just checked again and its sales on ps3 were 7 million, meaning the 3.4 million on the first 3 weeks (so more in the first month) were 50% of its LTD there

GOW3 we apparently only have NPD info so i would say its best to leave it be.

Tomb Raider, now that i think about it i dont think its fair to use the newly release numbers since the new versions have their own 1st month sales and legs. So Tomb Raider sold 6 million on PS360 and the majority (3.4) was first month.

I dont want to argue anymore because although we have the evidence we are clearly looking at it in different ways, if you cant see that if not the majority then a huge part of game sales still happen soon after release (and therefore they are frontloaded), then im not going to be the one to make you see it.
As for your suggestion of finding games that sold the majority on their first month, its a likely impossible task since games that do that either dont report their sales at all or dont report it after the initial sales since its legs werent noteworthy and therefore not worth the announcement. You will notice that all the games that we are discussing have easily findable sales data which i am sure you know is a rarity in this industry. I wonder why
because they had legs and were an exception
 
npd is all physical?

NPD tracks all SKUs (both new and used) released at third-party physical / digital retailers, which include digital codes sold with physical hardware bundles and standalone digital codes.

But, they don't track sales from first-party retailers (i.e. all sales from XBL, PSN, and the Wii U eShop). Rather, those are estimated to the best of NPD's ability.

Of course, NPD recognizes their dataset is limited and they're trying to work with publishers to get concrete digital sales, but precision is an uphill battle. The NPD Group has good working relationships with retailers who mutually benefit from data sharing, but publishers don't always share the same view.
 

Faustek

Member
That is straight up a no brainer.

If someone says Xbone will win June, you are dumb. Just straight up dumb.

The only wildcard is if MS pulls some E3 gigaton shit. I'm not even talking megaton. Straight up gigaton. Thats the only way they'll win June.

Xbox 1TB, halo 5 edition. Garanted 5 beta access, Gears, Titanfal 2, Mirrors Edge and a free Unicorn.
 

Alo0oy

Banned
I dismissed those franchises because those are the literal definition of evergreen titles, they are the dream of every publisher.

TLOU im not even sure can be used as an example because i just checked again and its sales on ps3 were 7 million, meaning the 3.4 million on the first 3 weeks (so more in the first month) were 50% of its LTD there

GOW3 we apparently only have NPD info so i would say its best to leave it be.

Tomb Raider, now that i think about it i dont think its fair to use the newly release numbers now that i think about it since the new versions have their own 1st month sales and legs. So Tomb Raider sold 6 million on PS360 and the majority (3.4) was first month.

I dont want to argue anymore because although we have the evidence we are clearly looking at it in different ways, if you cant see that if not the majority then a huge part of game sales still happen soon after release (and therefore they are frontloaded), then im not going to be the one to make you see it.
As for your suggestion of finding games that sold the majority on their first month, its a likely impossible task since games that do that either dont report their sales at all or dont report it after the initial sales since its legs werent noteworthy and therefore not worth the announcement. You will notice that all the games that we are discussing have easily findable sales data which i am sure you know is a rarity in this industry. I wonder why
because they had legs and were an exception

A huge part of the revenue is from the first month, true, but saying "the vast majority of sales for AAA titles is from the first month" is completely inaccurate, having legs doesn't mean quadrupling your first month sales, it just means that the games continue to sell for a very long time.

Going by your definition, GTA V doesn't have legs because it sold 29 million units in its first month, which is more than 50%> of its sales including the next gen re-release.
 

noshten

Member
People are underestimating the legs on Minecraft, its on multiple platforms and it has the longest legs of any game on the market other than GTA V. Minecraft was 5th in April and 7th in March. Its a title which will continue to chug along on all platforms for a lot of time to come.


NPD May 2014
1. Watch Dogs (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
2. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
3. MLB 14: The Show (PS4, PS3, Vita)
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
5. Minecraft (360, PS3)

NPD May 2015
1.) The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
2.) Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
3.) Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
4.) Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
5.) Splatoon (Wii U)
 

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
Utterly surprised by Splatoon's performance over just 2 days and, well, on WiiU.
Especially considering the majority of players I seem to encounter online are from Japan where the game overperformed and has sold more than 250k (retail+digital). Bravo Nintendo, a new great I.P. is born and you actually bothered to market... even tho in my opinion word of mouth is given the game a bigger push than its ads (anectodal tales from my ass of course)

I hane no words to describe the Minecraft phenomenon anymore.

Ready for a great E3

Edit: fixed, 2 days for Splatoon
 
People are underestimating the legs on Minecraft, its on multiple platforms and it has the longest legs of any game on the market other than GTA V. Minecraft was 5th in April and 7th in March. Its a title which will continue to chug along on all platforms for a lot of time to come.


NPD May 2014
1. Watch Dogs (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
2. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
3. MLB 14: The Show (PS4, PS3, Vita)
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
5. Minecraft (360, PS3)

NPD May 2015
1.) The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
2.) Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
3.) Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
4.) Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
5.) Splatoon (Wii U)

It has longer legs than GTAV. By far. Its been selling consistently well since 2010. Probably better than any game ever. At the end of the day I wouldn't be surprised if it sells 80 million total copies.
 

mreddie

Member
PS4 and Splatoon on top?

giphy.gif
 
People are underestimating the legs on Minecraft, its on multiple platforms and it has the longest legs of any game on the market other than GTA V. Minecraft was 5th in April and 7th in March. Its a title which will continue to chug along on all platforms for a lot of time to come.


NPD May 2014
1. Watch Dogs (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
2. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
3. MLB 14: The Show (PS4, PS3, Vita)
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
5. Minecraft (360, PS3)

NPD May 2015
1.) The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
2.) Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
3.) Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
4.) Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
5.) Splatoon (Wii U)




I dont believe one person in this thread is underestimating the legs of Minecraft in any way. Most of the posts are basically in admiration of the legs that Minecraft has. Like "Wow, look at the legs on Minecraft, Woah!" Its amazing to see each month!


If you read that "Woah!" in a Joey Lawrence impersonation, you are doing it exactly right.
 
Utterly surprised by Splatoon's performance over just 3 days and, well, on WiiU.
Especially considering the majority of players I seem to encounter online are from Japan where the game overperformed and has sold more than 250k (retail+digital). Bravo Nintendo, a new great I.P. is born and you actually bothered to market... even tho in my opinion word of mouth is given the game a bigger push than its ads (anectodal tales from my ass of course)

I hane no words to describe the Minecraft phenomenon anymore.

Ready for a great E3

We need to stop the misconception that Splatoon had three days of tracking. It was tracked for only two days.

Splatoon was released on May 29th in the USA. The May 2015 NPD report tracks the 4-week period ending May 30th.

So only May 29th (including the midnight launch) and May 30th are included.
 

noshten

Member
It has longer legs than GTAV. By far. Its been selling consistently well since 2010. At the end of the day I wouldn't be surprised if it sells 80 million total copies.

I think right now GTA is going strong on the new gen, but yes GTAV's legs will end up being cut eventually while Minecraft will likely be in next year's May NPD.
 
People are underestimating the legs on Minecraft, its on multiple platforms and it has the longest legs of any game on the market other than GTA V. Minecraft was 5th in April and 7th in March. Its a title which will continue to chug along on all platforms for a lot of time to come.


NPD May 2014
1. Watch Dogs (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PlayStation 3, PC)
2. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
3. MLB 14: The Show (PS4, PS3, Vita)
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
5. Minecraft (360, PS3)

NPD May 2015
1.) The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
2.) Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
3.) Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
4.) Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
5.) Splatoon (Wii U)


Wow, now that you point this out it's pretty incredible.
 

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
We need to stop the misconception that Splatoon had three days of tracking. It was tracked for only two days.

Splatoon was released on May 29th in the USA. The May 2015 NPD report tracks the 4-week period ending May 30th.

So only May 29th (including the midnight launch) and May 30th are included.

That's what I thought but then rushing through the thread I kept seeing 3 days being mentioned... anyway, fixed my post, thanks.
 

jjonez18

Member
Someone want to explain to me why Minecraft usually sells from best to worst in this order 360,PS3,XB1,PS4?
I can see last gen numbers being dictated by install base but why is XB1>PS4?

EDIT: Not bait. Genuinely curious (and uninformed).
 

Dash Kappei

Not actually that important
So basically GTA V is very close or possibly already over 3 Billion US dollars generated just via retail sales not even counting the in-game microtransactions.

That's crazy.
 

Toki767

Member
Someone want to explain to me why Minecraft sells from best to worst in this order 360,PS3,XB1,PS4?
I can see last gen numbers being dictated by install base but why is XB1>PS4?
In a nutshell, it boils down to PS4 owners choosing to spend their money elsewhere.

The PS4 isn't exactly lacking in games as some like to suggest.
 
i'm gussing splatoon sales will be very front loaded, probably 300k ltd, japan is a huge surprise though, but then again you just can't predict what's going to be a hit there.

without the witcher 3 and ps4 numbers this thread is pretty boring, i wonder how bad the wiiu bombed.
 
Wow, now that you point this out it's pretty incredible.

Also, for reference, June 2013 when it released:

1. The Last Of Us (PS3)** Sony (Corp)
2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf (3DS) Nintendo
3. Minecraft (360) Microsoft (Corp)
4. Call of Duty: Black Ops II (360, PS3, PC, NWU)** Activision Blizzard (Corp)
5. NBA 2K13 (360, PS3, WII, NWU, PSP, PC)** Take 2 Interactive (Corp)
6. Injustice: Gods Among Us (360, PS3, NWU)** Warner Bros. Interactive
7. Donkey Kong Country Returns (3DS, WII) Nintendo
8. Deadpool (360, PS3) Activision Blizzard (Corp)
9. Battlefield 3 (360, PS3, PC)** Electronic Arts
10. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (3DS) Nintendo

Yeah its probably gonna be in the top 10 next year as well. Possibly the year after that lol.
 
I know in NPD threads it is fun to look ahead to the next month. Many have already covered the PS4's marketing deal with Batman, and the Limited Edition Console and the Standard Edition Batman Console.


But I just saw on Amazon that right now, you can get the PS4, TLOU, and Borderlands Handsome Collection for $399 shipped from Amazon. I assume this is some deal Sony is running until the Batman system launches? That seems like a nice little deal to get June off to a solid start.
 
Someone want to explain to me why Minecraft usually sells from best to worst in this order 360,PS3,XB1,PS4?
I can see last gen numbers being dictated by install base but why is XB1>PS4?

EDIT: Not bait. Genuinely curious (and uninformed).

Because it just happens..??

shrug.jpeg
 

-Horizon-

Member
I know in NPD threads it is fun to look ahead to the next month. Many have already covered the PS4's marketing deal with Batman, and the Limited Edition Console and the Standard Edition Batman Console.


But I just saw on Amazon that right now, you can get the PS4, TLOU, and Borderlands Handsome Collection for $399 shipped from Amazon. I assume this is some deal Sony is running until the Batman system launches? That seems like a nice little deal to get June off to a solid start.
A couple weeks ago it was the TLOU bundle with The Order 1886 Collector's Edition for 399 and recently it was the TLOU bundle with a year of PS+ for the same price.
 
Someone want to explain to me why Minecraft usually sells from best to worst in this order 360,PS3,XB1,PS4?
I can see last gen numbers being dictated by install base but why is XB1>PS4?

EDIT: Not bait. Genuinely curious (and uninformed).

A smattering of titles have frequently sold better on Xbox One than PS4.

Xbox One, despite its lower installbase, doesn't have an inadequate physical retail ecosystem.

Just look at XBO's LTD tie ratio.
 

Welfare

Member
A smattering of titles have frequently sold better on Xbox One than PS4.

Xbox One, despite its lower installbase, doesn't always have an inadequate physical retail ecosystem.

Just look at XBO's LTD tie ratio.

Yeah we haven't gotten an update on that in like months.
 
A smattering of titles have frequently sold better on Xbox One than PS4.

Xbox One, despite its lower installbase, doesn't have an inadequate physical retail ecosystem.

Just look at XBO's LTD tie ratio.

Of course in the US that's the case the systems are still fairly close there, but World wide I don't think much of anything sold better on x1.

We don't know the tie in ratio do we?
 

wachie

Member
Someone want to explain to me why Minecraft usually sells from best to worst in this order 360,PS3,XB1,PS4?
I can see last gen numbers being dictated by install base but why is XB1>PS4?

EDIT: Not bait. Genuinely curious (and uninformed).
Quite simple actually.

The install base for Minecraft on 360 is larger and when those users upgraded to Xbox One, they likely transferred their 360 saves to Xbox One.
 

Hydrargyrus

Member
Congrats to Sony, HW and SW sales!


I don't know why people are surprised with Splatoon' sales. May is the month with lowest numbers, it's one of the most anticipated games for WiiU and it's almost the only game for WiiU.
I think that those sales are deserved, but all the things listed above help with the numbers...
 
Of course in the US that's the case the systems are still fairly close there, but World wide I don't think much of anything sold better on x1.

Indeed. There is often a misperception that because the Xbox One is struggling in Europe, it always has to be inferior to the PlayStation 4 in its home country.

The USA is Microsoft's stronghold. They put a lot of effort into marketing and the Xbox brand is particularly strong. Mix that with Microsoft's value proposition and you have the Xbox winning software-wise at times.
 

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven
Someone want to explain to me why Minecraft usually sells from best to worst in this order 360,PS3,XB1,PS4?
I can see last gen numbers being dictated by install base but why is XB1>PS4?

EDIT: Not bait. Genuinely curious (and uninformed).

XB1 is more family friendly than PS4. Think about the families that got 360s for Kinects. Some portion of that audience moved to XB1 likely. PS never really had that with PS3 and PS4 doesn't seem that different thus far.
 
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