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Forums - Sales Discussion - The Official August NPD Thread (Data at 6:30 pm EST, 3.5 hours from post 1)

BKK2 on 11 September 2008
Orochimaru said:
Top10:
01.) 360 MADDEN NFL 09 1.000.000 [1.000.000]
02.) PS3 MADDEN NFL 09 643.000 [643.000]
03.) PS2 MADDEN NFL 09 424.500 [424.500]
04.) WII WII FIT 394.900 [1.827.900]
05.) WII MARIO KART 328.700 [2.737.700]
06.) WII WII PLAY W/ REMOTE 200.200 [6.608.700]
07.) 360 SOUL CALIBUR IV 174.000 [392.900]
08.) 360 TOO HUMAN 168.200 [168.200]
09.) WII MADDEN NFL 09 115.800 [115.800]
10.) NDS GUITAR HERO: ON TOUR 111.200 [843.200]
-
xx.) PS3 SOUL CALIBUR IV 107.200 [107.200]
xx.) PSP MADDEN NFL 09 32.500 [32.500]


All Format:
Madden NFL 09: 2.300.000 [84.200 NDS + XBX]
Soul Calibur IV: 281.200
GTA IV: 89.000

Thanks, do you have a link to the SC IV PS3 & Madden PSP numbers?

Madden NFL 09: 2.300.000 [84.200 NDS + XBX]
GTA IV: 89.000

As pointed out above these deductions are based off of numbers that have been rounded off to 100k, so there is a margin of error of 50,000, so they're not particularly useful.

 



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freebird4 on 11 September 2008

Madden NFL 08:
360 MADDEN NFL 08 896.600
PS2 MADDEN NFL 08 643.600
PS3 MADDEN NFL 08 336.200
WII MADDEN NFL 08 115.600

Madden NFL 09:
360 MADDEN NFL 09 1.000.000
PS3 MADDEN NFL 09 643.000
PS2 MADDEN NFL 09 424.500
WII MADDEN NFL 09 115.800



Gap got bigger. Bahahahaha!!

Edit: For those who are gonna inevitably quote me, I was joking.



MontanaHatchet on 11 September 2008
DeguelloNWR said:
mrstickball said:
azrm2k said:
Saying the Wii won't be like the PS2 is a valid enough prediction. However basing that off of Madden sales is not. The Wii demographic isn't the key target for Madden fans and most Madden enthusiasts that play every year competitively will keep sticking to the HD consoles instead of going to the Wii SKU which has a completely different control scheme they'd have to get used to.

The PS2 was dominant but not all genres thrived best there. It was the console of choice for Madden gamers last generation but shooter games still reigned supreme on Xbox. Likewise this generation even if other gamers flock to the Wii Madden will never be as popular on the Wii as it is on the HD consoles, at least not to the traditional Madden gamers you see on Madden Nation.

But it proves the Wii demographic is nothing like the PS2's. It's not entirely about sticking to HD consoles. If that was the case, the PS2 version wouldn't of sold 4 times that of the Wii. I don't buy the "they won't buy it for the Wii due to new control scheme" - Have you played Madden? Control schemes are different each year, as EA adds a bunch of stuff, and mixes up a decent bit of controls for each Madden.

The PS2 *was* dominant in every category - Go back and look at shooters - Just because the Xbox excelled there doesn't mean the Playstation 2 did bad there.

http://vgchartz.com/ayearly.php?year=2004&console=&maker=

What does VGC say the top PS2 games of 2004 were? Grand Theft: SA (Shooter), MGS3 (shooter), Call of Duty (shooter) and so on. There are quite a few PS2 shooters on that list that did fairly well.

The fact is, the Playstation 2 had virtually every demographic. The Wii does not. The Wii doesn't have the hardcore/core demographic of males ages 16-30 like the PS2 had that buy shooters, sports games, and the like. The Wii still has the time and chance to either grow up their users into buying games like Madden, and/or acquire said players due to it's North American dominance, but Madden and it's ilk continue to show that the Wii's target demo is similar to the DS, at least in NOrth America.

 

The PS2 has every demographic... when all was said and done.  It's first year was horrid.  It took a long time to build up that library and it wasn't always rosy.  Madden 09's inability to sell on Wii (at least in it's first month) stems from two problems, both from EA.

1. The "All-Play" Purpose branding, effectively making the game out to be some kind of "Sub-Game" or at the very least "different" from "Regular" Madden.

2. EA's decision to basically only market the 360 version via Walmart and such.

This would be a problem for Nintendo... if Nintendo weren't ahead of everybody and making cash hand over fist.  If EA wants to cater to the 360 and PS3 owners and the HD press, even while they post losses or miniscule profits, that's their choice.

I think what's gone unnoticed here is that Madden, once the champion of the casual gamer, the beating, straight-laced heart of the PS2, has become a hardcore game, what with Midnight launches and super special deluxe 20th anniversary editions, and the commercials showing dumpy fat white guys. (target market, eh?)

To say that Madden's sales "show the demographics" of the Wii is slipshod logic that can easily be disproven with the DS.  Madden sells terribly there too.  But I'm not about to challenge the DS's "demographics" and say they don't have any 16-30 males who own it.  (This number range gets smaller each time, which is weird.  Apparently once you turn 30 you turn in your gamer credentials and any gameplaying after that is considered "uncool" for you to do.)  And Because of this, you cannot make the same assertion about the Wii, because 16-30 males do own it and when the Wii just contines to barn-burn it's way through a historical third mostly sold-out holiday straight, the potential market for 16-30 males on the Wii will become larger than MS's.  Just like how the PSP is directly advertised to 16-30 males, despite the DS actually having more of them and everybody else too.

So, what do you blame for the poor sales of Madden on the Wii before it went under the "All Play" brand? Given the hardware sales, and the casual nature of the platform, the Wii greatly underperformed with the Madden series. As for the marketing, it managed to do very well on the PS2 and incredibly well on the PS3, and it seems like all versions got about the same amount of advertising save for the 360 version.

As for why Madden doesn't sell well on the DS...isn't it obvious? It has a lot less to do with demographics and a lot more to do with how the system is thought of. If you wanted to buy a Madden game, would you buy it on the DS? And if you were a 16-30 year old male, and you only owned a DS, would you be the type to buy Madden? Madden sales are great on the PSP despite it having less 16-30 males than the DS.

And Madden is becoming a hardcore game? When you write an essay and accurately describe the distinct differences between casual and hardcore, I might find it in myself to agree with that statement.

 



 

 

BKK2 on 11 September 2008

Microsoft PR:

We’re on track for a record-breaking holiday with a new sweet spot in pricing and the launch of the New Xbox Experience this fall. At $199, Xbox 360 offers the greatest entertainment value available, with the leading online service, the best games, and the greatest selection of downloadable movies and TV shows.

Weekend sales post-price cut up over 100% (Microsoft internal data)

· Coming off the Sept. 3 price drop announcement, the weekend retail results are in: Console sales across all Xbox 360 models were up over 100% between Friday, Sept. 5 and Sunday, Sept. 7. The Xbox 360 Arcade system, now the lowest priced next generation console on the market at $199, showed the largest lift, selling at six times the rate it was the weekend before. (Microsoft internal data)

· According to NPD, 195,000 Xbox 360 consoles were sold in the U.S. in August, contributing to life-to-date spending of $10.7 billion on hardware and software, and a U.S. install base of 10.9 million units. (August NPD).

With the best-selling line-up of sports games on the market, sports fans have spoken: Xbox 360 owns sports. Here are some specifics:

“Madden NFL 09” on Xbox 360 secures #1 game in August
· Over one millions copies of “Madden NFL 09” sold on the Xbox 360 platform in August since its launch on Aug. 12. Madden fans helped contribute to Xbox 360’s record-breaking software attach rate of 8.0 games per console. (August NPD)

“Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09”
· Xbox 360 players hit the greens with Tiger’s latest installment, purchasing 56,000 copies of “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09” in the five days it was on the market, more than on any other platform. (August NPD). Xbox 360 gamers eager to watch Tiger walk on water contributed to the $94 million spent at retail in August for third-party publishers on the Xbox 360 platform, or 45% of share. (August NPD)

“NCAA Football 09”
· The kick-off of the college football season didn’t stop Xbox 360 gamers buying 460,000 copies of “NCAA Football 09” since it launched, more than PS3 and Wii versions combined. (August NPD)

From sports games and music titles to the biggest blockbuster games this holiday, the best games are on Xbox 360

· Xbox 360 games secured three spots in the list of top 10 selling games in August: “Madden NFL 09” at #1, “Too Human” at #7 and “Soul Caliber IV” at #8. (August NPD)

· Beginning last month with “Madden NFL 09,” Xbox 360 has a string of blockbuster titles, each expected to sell at least a million units, launching in the coming months including “Gears of War 2,” “Fable II,” “Guitar Hero IV,” “Rock Band 2,” “Fallout 3” and “Lips.”

Xbox 360 continues to move more games for third party publishers than any other platform

· With $94 million in third party game sales in August, Xbox 360 generated more dollars at retail for third party publishers than any other console, to date generating $4.1 billion, or 58% of share. (August NPD)



BKK2 on 11 September 2008

Sony PR (not sure if this is complete):

PS3 Posts Strong Sales; PS3 Software Sales Up 92 Percent Year-Over-Year

Total PlayStation Hardware Unit Sales Top 582,533

PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3™) continued to generate impressive sales in August 2008, with 185,353 hardware units sold. From January to August 2008, more than 2 million PS3s have been sold in the U.S., representing a year-to-date hardware sales growth of more than 92%. Software sales were also strong for PS3, with 1.6 million units sold, representing a year-over-year growth of 92%.

Electronic Arts Sports’ Madden NFL 09 proved to be a hot seller on PlayStation platforms in August, with more than 1.1 million copies purchased by PlayStation customers, not including the Madden NFL 09 ® (PlayStation® Portable) Entertainment Pack. 643,000 units of the popular sports title were sold for PS3 alone, a 33% higher attach rate than Xbox 360 and representing an increase of 90% year-over-year when compared to Madden NFL 08 sales for PS3 in August 2007.

Following its launch on July 29, more than 263K copies of the weapon-based fighting game Soulcalibur IV were sold for PS3 in July and August, a 38% higher attach rate than Xbox 360.

Fueled by enthusiasm for the Madden NFL 09 PSP Entertainment Pack, 253,012 PSP hardware units were sold. This represents a year-over-year growth of 67%.



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Malachi on 11 September 2008
MontanaHatchet said:
ZenfoldorVGI said:
DMeisterJ said:
So where are all the "Madden Wii will outsell Madden 360" people?

 

The same place all the PS3>360 people are. Trying to come up with damage control and excuses.

Clever comeback. Now if you could actually cite posts of people who claimed that, I would have a small shred of respect for that post (proven joke fanboys don't count, by the way).

 

 

One more damage control post, wonder how many that make here. Seem like Zen is right:)



Persons without argument hide behind their opinion

azrm2k on 11 September 2008
mrstickball said:

It's not entirely about sticking to HD consoles. If that was the case, the PS2 version wouldn't of sold 4 times that of the Wii. I don't buy the "they won't buy it for the Wii due to new control scheme" - Have you played Madden? Control schemes are different each year, as EA adds a bunch of stuff, and mixes up a decent bit of controls for each Madden.

The PS2 has the massive userbase from previous games, Madden PS2 outsold Madden Wii for the same reason Guitar Hero PS2 outsold Guitar Hero 360 last year.  Also why can't you understand why Madden fans would refuse to buy the Wii version due to the controls?  I haven't played the 09 versions but I have played both Madden 05-08 (traditional) and Madden 07 Wii.  Have you played Madden Wii ever?  It's not like subtle differences in previous Madden games where a "Hit Stick" is added or you press something else to juke.  It's completely different and gesture controlled compared to entirely controlled by button presses on the HD versions.  For all intents and purposes it is not the same game at all.  The core Madden gamers that get extremely competitive would never want to play it with such a drastically altered control scheme unless it has been proven to be superior and is adopted by the entire community at large.  And it will never be accepted because it would be too much of a competitive handicap as they would have to struggle to get used to the new system and learn how to audible/hot route like they are used to.

mrstickball said:

The PS2 *was* dominant in every category - Go back and look at shooters - Just because the Xbox excelled there doesn't mean the Playstation 2 did bad there.

http://vgchartz.com/ayearly.php?year=2004&console=&maker=

What does VGC say the top PS2 games of 2004 were? Grand Theft: SA (Shooter), MGS3 (shooter), Call of Duty (shooter) and so on. There are quite a few PS2 shooters on that list that did fairly well.

I never said the PS2 did bad there.  I just said shooters sold better on Xbox.  It's a bit of a stretch to call GTA or MGS shooters.  Both are action/adventure games and the shooting isn't the main focus.  I was talking about actual FPS like Halo which handily outsold CoD.  NHL '07 isn't considered a fighting game but it has fighting mechanics built in (just assuming since I haven't played hockey games for years but they used to back in the day.)



BKK2 on 11 September 2008

Overall Console:

01 NE [360] MADDEN NFL 09: 1.00m (NEW)
02 NE [PS3] MADDEN NFL 09: 643,000 (NEW)
03 NE [PS2] MADDEN NFL 09: 424,500 (NEW)
04 02 [WII] WII FIT: 394,900 (1.82m)
05 07 [WII] MARIO KART: 328,700 (2.74m)
06 04 [WII] WII PLAY: 200,200 (6.60m)
07 06 [360] SOUL CALIBUR IV: 174,000 (393,000)
08 NE [360] TOO HUMAN: 168,200 (NEW)
09 NE [WII] MADDEN NFL 09: 115,800 (NEW)
10 03 [NDS] GUITAR HERO: ON TOUR: 111,200 (843,000)

NR 09 [PS3] Soulcalibur IV: 107,000 (263,000)
NR 01 [360] NCAA Football 09: 62,000 (460,000)
NR NE [360] Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09: 56,000 (NEW)

LTD: [ALL] GRAND THEFT AUTO IV: 4.8m
LTD: [ALL] MADDEN NFL 09: 2.3m


I see PSP Madden number quoted earlier was obtained from the "Madden NFL 09 proved to be a hot seller on PlayStation platforms in August, with more than 1.1 million copies purchased by PlayStation customers" Sony PR quote. That just tells us minimum sales for Madden PSP, it could be as much as 50,000 higher, so not very useful to use the figures deduced from numbers rounded off to 100k.



Jlmadyson on 11 September 2008

As I stated in the other thread this would put VGC off in their US preview by +41k for the PS3 and -12K for the 360. From here on out I do not expect the PS3 to outsell the 360 for the rest of the year at the new price points. Price is going to be a huge factor in this seasons holiday sales especially if the US economy continues its downturn. I would also add that I agree with EEDAR analyst Divinch that the 360 has the stronger line-up going into the holiday season with Gears 2 and Fable 2.

With that said I would also caution VGC to watch there numbers not just here, but for others as well. I highly doubt the PS3 is doing that much better in others especially not 80k plus right now. The shipment figures from MS and Sony will tell that story clearly if so. Price is probably going to be a key factor in others this holiday season as well as the economic downturn starts to impact Europe and the rest of the world.



BKK2 on 11 September 2008

Nintendo PR:

NPD Says Nintendo DS and Wii Finish 1 and 2 in August U.S. Sales

Nintendo DS™ and Wii™ again topped the hardware sales charts for August, according to the independent NPD Group, which tracks video game sales in the United States. In August, more than 514,000 portable Nintendo DS systems sold in the United States, bringing the lifetime U.S. total to nearly 22 million. In August, more than 448,000 Wii consoles sold in the United States, bringing the lifetime U.S. total to nearly 12 million and extending its lead as the best-selling video game console of this generation.

Five games made for Nintendo systems placed in the top 10 best-selling games of the month, including Wii Fit™ at No. 4 with nearly 395,000 sold, Mario Kart® Wii at No. 5 with nearly 329,000 sold, Wii Play™ at No. 6 with more than 200,000 sold, Madden NFL 09 All-Play for Wii at No. 9 with nearly 116,000 sold and Guitar Hero: On Tour for Nintendo DS at No. 10 with more than 111,000 sold.

“The positive public response to Nintendo DS and Wii has stayed strong throughout 2008,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “New titles like Madden NFL 09 All-Play for Wii have joined top 10 veterans like Wii Fit, demonstrating the wide and long-lasting appeal of Nintendo games.”