After a strong showing at #1 in June, Konami's Metal Gear Solid 4 dropped off the top 10 software chart entirely.
It now seems likely that one of the most important PlayStation 3 titles of the year – perhaps the most important one – will not make it onto the list of top 10 games for all of 2008. Back in 2001, Metal Gear Solid 2 did make the annual top 10 list with only two months of sales.
Still, one has to understand MGS4 sales in context. First, the PS3 installed hardware base is still relatively small, although it is not as small as the PS2 base was when MGS2 launched. Moreover, many copies of MGS4 are making it to the market bundled with 80GB PS3 systems, and these copies are not included in the software totals reported by the NPD Group. Finally, aside from Call of Duty 4, few action games have enjoyed multiple months of high sales in the past year.
So what titles will likely make the top 10 software titles for 2008? Here is a quick preview:
Grand Theft Auto 4 – Over 4.2 million units
Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Over 3.2 million units
Guitar Hero III – Over 2.5 million units
Mario Kart Wii – Over 2.4 million units
Wii Play – Over 2.3 million units
Call of Duty 4 – Over 1.6 million units
Rock Band – Over 1.5 million units
Wii Fit – Over 1.4 million units
That's already eight titles with sales greater than Metal Gear Solid 4, and most of those will continue to experience significant sales throughout the rest of the year. And though it is far from guaranteed, big sequels will likely make it onto the final list: Guitar Hero: World Tour, Rock Band 2, Gears of War 2, and Resistance 2, among others.
What's striking about this group is the number of system exclusives. Last year's annual top 10 list included four system exclusives – three for Nintendo systems and then Halo 3 for the Xbox 360. This year's list of candidates already includes four Nintendo exclusives and none for the other systems.
July 08 software revenue per console sold in YTD 2008 is the highest on the PS3 and lowest on the Wii. This means Wii sells consoles to people who don't buy a lot of games; and PS3 provides the best opportunity for new IPs and creative games. Higher attach rates also imply that AAA 3rd party software will be developed for PS3/360, while the Wii will get more Nintendo games and low-budget crap from the 3rd parties.
Is there any way to print an entire article in the new page layout?
As console purchase apart from having the amount of cash at hand very much is determined by game preferences (at least that is often the initial incitement which MGS4 is an example of), it would have been interesting to see an elaboration of the correlation between specific game sales and peaks in console sales.
Philip Arcan
Point taken. I did originally buy it for myself for the wealth of innovative games and entertainment that I'd be enjoying but I quickly learned that wasn't the case. My daughter who is 2 likes games, but isn't coordinated enough to use the normal controller, so I got the Wii thinking it be fun for her. Ironically enough she tries to hold my 360 controller when she plays in stead of the Wii remote. She can only play the most simple of the simplest games. I do still believe that a lot of people are buying them just because they are hard to find. They are cheap, but not really when you consider that other than in the rarest of cases, all multiplayer is done same console, you have to buy 3 extra controllers (60 bucks considering remote and nunchuck) with the 360 (and PS3), that's not the case. That's $180 you don't necessarily have to spend on the 360. So as much as it is cheap, these people are dishing out the dough, and considering how well "games" like Wii Fit are selling, I think it really has much less to do with price than anything else. I'll make a somewhat obvious estimation right now, when the 360 drops price to 199 for the core, it will still get smashed by the Wii. I'm almost willing to bet 360 sales won't actually go up that much at all, maybe 50k a month.
@ NickgamertagO1
"people are buying the Wii cause of its price, and elmo-level fadism."
To a point, maybe some. But at almost 2 years and over 20 million sold a(including folks like you who bought it more then once), that, to me at least, says much more then a fad. As for price point, that is definitely a factor, and that's exactly the point. It is cheap so people are more liekly to buy it, just like in other electronic devices, cars and a multitude of other things.
I wonder how many people who still own PS2s even play them any more? And I think they are selling so many right now just because of the price, same as Wii. I'm sorry, I have a Wii (had one a long time ago, got rid of it, I never played it, recently bought a new one for my two y/o...TWO year old??? and 8 y/o) and it is not that revolutionary. Ok, so I can do the same thing with my character by swinging this thing that I've been doing for 15 years with a button. The results of swinging around with very little actual representation on screen to my actual movements are not enough to warrant the amount of work it takes. I'm fine with pressing A. When swinging around a controller results in an actual representation of my movements I'll be impressed. Ok, golf and bowling have that to some degree, and that's it. My point, people are buying the Wii cause of its price, and elmo-level fadism. IMHO anyway.
Im more concerned about new PS2 purchases... My sentiment is that it is the casual, low income, very young demographic. Sony is only selling the PS2 because its very profitablemoney, i fear it is cannabalizing its PS3 sales past an undesired threshhold.
On the PS2 vs PS3 ownership issue, i think there isnt enough information to arrive to definitive conclusions. Theres is still over 50% PS2 owners unacounted for/that do not own another system. So the valuable data point is which system are they more likely to purchase next.
On the other hand at retail Wii is obviously the cheaper console, and largely considered a non-hardcore experience which I would argue is what the PS2 now delivers and what the XBOX arcade is targeting. So it may be accurate after all, but can we segment that for non-hardcore console owners?
Something that may support the above: Maybe the Sony strategy of continuing to sell PS2 is costing the PS3, how likely are you to buy both a PS2 and a PS3 in the same year? With the PS3 already considered the most expensive system is easier to excuse the addition/diversification of another console manufacturer at a cheaper price, than it is to simply get the sequel for a lot more.
I believe some people are confusing what the study said. I'm pretty sure the scenario posed was, if you currently own a PS2, what other systems do you have? Well I don't think too many PS3 owners currently own a PS2. Most PS3's sold have backwards compatibility, so why would you keep your PS2? I'm not questioning the study, I just think the article failed to really explain the numbers.
Given that last fact, it will be interesting to see what EAs reaction is, i.e. do they decide they need to promote better or make games more mass market. I know promoting a football title isn't something they've had to do much at all in the last decade and less in the last few years thanks to the exclusive license.
Brian
www.brianwoods.com