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Forums - Sales - Anecdotal Asian Sales Thread

BKK2 on 13 May 2008

This thread is for Asian sales outside of Japan. We don't really get much info from my region, and it's not a major market, but there's a site which some guy gives weekly reports on how new releases are selling in Hong Kong. I thought I'd start posting them here, along with my own reports from Bangkok. If anyone else in Asia would like to post similar reports that would be most welcome, especially from Singapore, Taiwan, or Korea.

I won't bother backdating the Hong Kong reports prior to this month, the site is here if anyone wants to check out the archive.

Hong Kong

05/06/2008 

 

The great game for PSX3 and XB360 Grand Theft Auto IV GTA4 released for couple of days. They had been very hot selling. Especially for the XB360 version, it was sold out nearly everywhere in Hong Kong. The main reason is that some of the users stated that the PSX3 would hang up after playing for some time!!!! As I know, this problem can easily be solved by unplugging the lan cable from the PSX3 console!!!!

The Asian version of the GTA IV actually are 100% the same as European PAL version. For the XBOX 360 version, it works on all TVs. However, the PSX3 version not working on some NTSC TVs. It can only works on PAL TVs or NTSC TVs support either one of the following: HDMI: 720p,1080i,1080p D-Terminal: D3, D4, D5

Bangkok

It was "very hot selling" here in Bangkok too, and by mid afternoon on day one had sold out in some stores. The stores that still had it remaining had hiked the price. 

I was surprised to see that the Asian GTA IV was the European version, with BBFC 18 certificate on the disc, along with PEGI and German USK badge. At first I thought it must be an import, which is strange as European imports are very rare, but it turns out that Take Two just supplied Europe and Asia with the same version. This isn't a problem in Bangkok as the TV standard is PAL.

 



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BKK2 on 13 May 2008

Hong Kong

13/05/2008



The great PSX3 game Senjou no Valkyria released for couple of days. However, it is still very hot selling in Hong Kong. Every time if the importers got some to HK, they were sold out very quickly!!!


Bangkok

Sold out here too, all I could find was one expensive copy of the boxed special edition set.



shio on 13 May 2008

You won't get much console sales outside Japan because outside Asia is completely dominated by PC gaming. PC is infact so dominating in Asia that PC alone is making more revenue than the entire Japanese Console industry.



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BKK2 on 13 May 2008

Console gaming is bigger here, but it's dominated by pirated games.



shio on 13 May 2008
BKK2 said:
Console gaming is bigger here, but it's dominated by pirated games.

I would guess PC is too, but the PC online revenue in China and South Korea dwarf the Japanese Console industry.



http://i48.tinypic.com/120qaon.jpg
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kamil on 13 May 2008

If both Valkyria and GTA4 are "very hot selling" I'm not sure if the "very hot selling" thing means anything.



BKK2 on 13 May 2008
shio said:
BKK2 said:
Console gaming is bigger here, but it's dominated by pirated games.

I would guess PC is too, but the PC online revenue in China and South Korea dwarf the Japanese Console industry.


 Not really:

CHINA: Online gaming sees massive growth

Chinese online games market grew 60 per cent in 2007, expected to exceed $3 billion in 2010

The online games market in china grew to $1.66 billion last year, according to market research firm Pearl Research.

China’s most popular online games include Netease’s Fantasy Westward Journey, with 1.66 million peak concurrent users, followed by Giant Interactive’s Zhengtu Online with 1.52 million.

“The year 2007 exceeded expectations with the market growing more than 60 per cent, driven by compelling and diverse content, free-to-play games, and rising demand for leisure and technology products,” said Pearl Research MD Allison Luong. “Chinese-themed and advanced casual games are expected to drive revenues in 2008 and beyond.” 

A key trend to track in 2008 is rising average-revenue-per-user. Certain online games are reaching $7 to $12 a month in average-revenue-per-user, significantly higher than past averages of $5 or less per month. I believe there is still room for average-revenue-per-user to grow, as game operators enhance monetization efforts from free-to-play games,”

Game operators in China enjoyed strong growth last year, with Shanda up 49 per cent to £338 million, Giant up 274 per cent to $209 million, The9 up 30 per cent to $175 million and Perfect World up 593 per cent to $95 million.

MCV 



BKK2 on 13 May 2008

PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 20, 2008 – In 2007, the global online games revenues — estimated between 3.5 to 4.5 Euro billion — are made 90% by PC games. 50% of revenues are generated in Asia, while North America accounts for about 30% and Europe 20%. This results from InfoCom’s report FTTX — EXPERIENCES AND STRATEGIES — Filling the pipe of the NGN, which contains an entire chapter dedicated to games applications.

South Korea represents indeed a large gaming community with around 17 mn of 48 mn total inhabitants playing regularly online games. Most of the online games are free to play, but require purchases to get to more advanced stages according to a so-called “free-to-play backed-by-item-sale” model. Online gaming providers generate revenues mainly by micro-transactions, i.e. sale of “items” like avatar customisation. The South Korean PC online games market in 2006 was estimated at EUR 800-850 mn, around 25% of the total online gaming revenues worldwide (and over 40% of the revenues generated in Asia), of which over 40% represented by Massive Multi-Player Online games (MMO).


Link



BKK2 on 13 May 2008
kamil said:
If both Valkyria and GTA4 are "very hot selling" I'm not sure if the "very hot selling" thing means anything.

It means they were selling out. Asia isn't a big market, sales are a drop in the ocean compared to worldwide sales. It's all relative, for Hong Kong and Bangkok they were "very hot selling". On a worldwide basis they were insignificant. It's still worthy of debate for those of us from the region, though.

For an example of how Asia compares to Japan Sony recently released GT5:P shipments: Japan = 270k Asia = 30k. GT5:P released quite a bit later in Asia than Japan, though. For some Japanese games which never release in the West Asian sales could probably add maybe an extra 10% - 20% (that's a really big ballpark estimate) on top of Japanese sales. It's not major, but might help some games become profitable.



BKK2 on 13 May 2008

This week's Asian releases:

360:

Condemned 2

PSP:

BLEACH HEAT THE SOUL 5
Ikuze! Gensan