Winning Eleven 8 goes platinum on day of release!
Konami's superlative soccer sim sells one million in one day.
Football is the most popular sport in the world. The PS2 is the most popular console in the world. Quality football video games for the PS2 therefore have a solid audience to target. That helps explain why Konami’s Winning Eleven 8 (the Japanese version of the as yet unreleased Pro Evolution Soccer 4) is rapidly becoming one of the most successful games of recent times.
Winning Eleven 8 was released in Japan on August 5 and sold over one million copies on that single day, making the title go platinum on its actual launch date. Considering that Konami had only planned to sell 1.5 million copies throughout the product life-cycle, this is an impressive feat indeed.
Although in Europe Pro Evolution Soccer 4 will be in direct competition with FIFA 2005, it is sure to sell reasonably well here too, especially with the assurance of quality illustrated by the colossal Japanese sales. This next instalment is also heading to Xbox, so Konami can be confident of a chart-topping position in the sales chart when PES 4 is released this autumn. We can’t wait.
Winning Eleven 8 was released in Japan on August 5 and sold over one million copies on that single day, making the title go platinum on its actual launch date. Considering that Konami had only planned to sell 1.5 million copies throughout the product life-cycle, this is an impressive feat indeed.
Although in Europe Pro Evolution Soccer 4 will be in direct competition with FIFA 2005, it is sure to sell reasonably well here too, especially with the assurance of quality illustrated by the colossal Japanese sales. This next instalment is also heading to Xbox, so Konami can be confident of a chart-topping position in the sales chart when PES 4 is released this autumn. We can’t wait.
Read More Like This
Comments
Joji 9 Aug 2004 11:52
1/2
I still prefer the Winning Eleven 8 title. Football is football because it's played with feet, calling it soccer gets on my nerves. Konami will no doubt clean up when it gets here. However FIFA is likely to put up a good fight this year, and might sell more because it appears on all formats. I feel Konami would have more success if they spread it further, now it's on Xbox, but why not GC also, to try and take back sales from FIFA?
FIFA might most likely catch up because of it's multi format success. Konami should take a leaf from FIFA's book for once.
FIFA might most likely catch up because of it's multi format success. Konami should take a leaf from FIFA's book for once.
Brown Force 9 Aug 2004 13:35
2/2
Yeah, if Konami did that they would easily out sell FIFA. On the grounds that it has two markets buying its game. FIFA just wouldn't be able to compete really. It might get the better sales in Europe, but not by that much I suspect.
What Konami really need to work on is getting their game online. No matter how much better than FIFA it is, theres no argueing that its trailing behind it in the online department and Online football is pretty much FIFA's biggest selling point along with official teams and kits.
What Konami really need to work on is getting their game online. No matter how much better than FIFA it is, theres no argueing that its trailing behind it in the online department and Online football is pretty much FIFA's biggest selling point along with official teams and kits.