The UK games retail sector is scratching its collective head this morning as freshly-released Chart Track figures signal a disastrous few days for most new releases in the charts, with low sales crippling some AAA titles.
Ten major new releases hit UK store shelves in the past week and not one of them managed to break into the top 10 of game sales - a worrying statistic. And although sales were up by some 13%, the fact that new product has been somewhat ignored is bound to cause concern.
Call of Duty 2, Sony’s fantastic Pursuit Force, a review of which you can read here Ubisoft’s sleeper hit King Kong, LMA Manager 2006, and EA’s From Russia With Love all charted much lower than their marketing budget and TV slots had promised. Sega was badly hit, with Shadow the Hedgehog, a contentious title from the outset, reaching a meagre number 25 in the all-formats chart. More worryingly, Sonic Rush for DS, a game heralded by some to be the best Sonic game ever, completely missed the all-formats chart, making number four in the DS listings.
As to why the public opted to ignore the new offerings of various assorted publishers this week is something of a mystery. Harry Potter seemed to snaffle a great deal of sales, buoyed no doubt by the clamour for the film at the box office over the weekend. However, the poor performance of the Sonic Team duo, Activision’s cracking Call of Duty 2 and Ubisoft’s acclaimed King Kong will puzzle and worry publishers and retailers alike.
Of course, there are many possible reasons for the seeming abandonment of well-advertised new releases, not least the looming launch of the Xbox 360. But can this many gamers be holding out for next-generation hardware? If so, Microsoft is certainly in for a bumper sales period with demand easily outstripping supply. Or perhaps this is, as one retailer assured SPOnG today, the calm before the storm. “This is the end of the month before Christmas. Christmas shopping starts on this weekend coming. I for one have no concerns that this sales blip is exactly that – a blip.”
Ten major new releases hit UK store shelves in the past week and not one of them managed to break into the top 10 of game sales - a worrying statistic. And although sales were up by some 13%, the fact that new product has been somewhat ignored is bound to cause concern.
Call of Duty 2, Sony’s fantastic Pursuit Force, a review of which you can read here Ubisoft’s sleeper hit King Kong, LMA Manager 2006, and EA’s From Russia With Love all charted much lower than their marketing budget and TV slots had promised. Sega was badly hit, with Shadow the Hedgehog, a contentious title from the outset, reaching a meagre number 25 in the all-formats chart. More worryingly, Sonic Rush for DS, a game heralded by some to be the best Sonic game ever, completely missed the all-formats chart, making number four in the DS listings.
As to why the public opted to ignore the new offerings of various assorted publishers this week is something of a mystery. Harry Potter seemed to snaffle a great deal of sales, buoyed no doubt by the clamour for the film at the box office over the weekend. However, the poor performance of the Sonic Team duo, Activision’s cracking Call of Duty 2 and Ubisoft’s acclaimed King Kong will puzzle and worry publishers and retailers alike.
Of course, there are many possible reasons for the seeming abandonment of well-advertised new releases, not least the looming launch of the Xbox 360. But can this many gamers be holding out for next-generation hardware? If so, Microsoft is certainly in for a bumper sales period with demand easily outstripping supply. Or perhaps this is, as one retailer assured SPOnG today, the calm before the storm. “This is the end of the month before Christmas. Christmas shopping starts on this weekend coming. I for one have no concerns that this sales blip is exactly that – a blip.”
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Comments
majin dboy 22 Nov 2005 13:54
1/11
they are all waiting dor mario kart DS
I'll Eat Your Soul 22 Nov 2005 14:01
2/11
If "they" have any sense, yes. It's the only game I've cared about enough to pre-order it this year, although Animal Crossing DS hits US shores soon... mmm...
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charming_fox 22 Nov 2005 14:59
3/11
Perhaps everyone's finally getting sick of stupid prices, fair enough PS2 games aren't too expensive but DS games are often £30 to £35 in GAME and I don't care how good a DS game is, it's a handheld and the prices of the titles should reflect this just as their produciton times/costs do.
Look at the prices of Xbox360 games, RRP of £49.99 for Quake 4 on Xbox360? What's the friggin' point of that? What kind of complete 'morong' is going to waste fifty quid on a crap PC game? (I'm not saying PC games are crap, just that Quake 4 is a crap game on PC).
Look at the prices of Xbox360 games, RRP of £49.99 for Quake 4 on Xbox360? What's the friggin' point of that? What kind of complete 'morong' is going to waste fifty quid on a crap PC game? (I'm not saying PC games are crap, just that Quake 4 is a crap game on PC).
ann0uk 22 Nov 2005 15:08
4/11
The only reason i havent been buying games is because i am broke, but i fully intend to treat myself come christmas time. I think that there is usually a slump before the christmas boom and i expect DS and XBOX 360 to do very well. I cant wait to get my hands on mario kart ds, if it is better than the original and the n64 version then it is going to be great. Cube version was bad.
As for the new sonic on DS, there have been so many bad sonic games over the past 5 years, this may influence peoples decision to invest in future releases.
As for the new sonic on DS, there have been so many bad sonic games over the past 5 years, this may influence peoples decision to invest in future releases.
OptimusP 22 Nov 2005 15:55
5/11
Its karma wacking back at everyone. The only game that does deserve a place in the charts is Sonic Rush, at last the 2D-3D sonic game everyone was waiting for like 10 freakin years...and now no one buys it? Give Sonic team some slack... they made shadow with guns pointed at their heads...how else would they have come up with that horrible idea.
Joji 22 Nov 2005 18:30
6/11
I'm gonna support Sega and buy a copy of Sonic DS, I have been waiting for this game for ages.
I think the apathy might well be down to the rapid, grim change in weather within the last week. When winter bites you expect it but it still hurts.
If it's not that and everyone is saving for a 360 then I wouldn't be surprised, since I did say that a 360 launch might well steal the lime light a bit, especially once those ads and sports games start running.
We'll see the real results next month.
As for game prices, I do agree that it's getting ridiculous in this area, but in a more positive note that's where the net and second hand games can come in to those with less money. I have yet to pay for an official £30 DS game because I go online and buy imports instead. £20 is more reasonable for DS games and if it's something like a japanese game then I don't mind paying extra. I think 360 games at a steep 50-60 quid (ouch goes my wallet), those prices would have me buying fewer games like my N64 games, a bit sad really.
Either way so long as I buy and enjoy I always have a choice. Some good games were released last week but we should really come back and assess things after a two weeks or a month.
I think the apathy might well be down to the rapid, grim change in weather within the last week. When winter bites you expect it but it still hurts.
If it's not that and everyone is saving for a 360 then I wouldn't be surprised, since I did say that a 360 launch might well steal the lime light a bit, especially once those ads and sports games start running.
We'll see the real results next month.
As for game prices, I do agree that it's getting ridiculous in this area, but in a more positive note that's where the net and second hand games can come in to those with less money. I have yet to pay for an official £30 DS game because I go online and buy imports instead. £20 is more reasonable for DS games and if it's something like a japanese game then I don't mind paying extra. I think 360 games at a steep 50-60 quid (ouch goes my wallet), those prices would have me buying fewer games like my N64 games, a bit sad really.
Either way so long as I buy and enjoy I always have a choice. Some good games were released last week but we should really come back and assess things after a two weeks or a month.
fluffstardx 23 Nov 2005 13:22
7/11
Nobody's buying out of a lack of interest. Why get Big Red One when proper CoD2 is coming to the 360? Why get Sonic Rush when a whole host of good games with new gameply styles are approaching, Like Phoenix Wright, Trauma Centre and Animal Crossing?
There's not been a game out in the last while that has screamed "BUY ME!" like The Movies, but it's flopping due to the lack of advertsising. I'd buy Civ 4 if it wasn't for the fact that I have an ATI card and know it has issues with such. FEAR refused to run on my machine as well, and what else is there to interest me? Games that have "also coming to 360" written on them, like Tony Hawk's and Battlefield 2?
This is the winter of our discontent, brought about by a serious lack of attention grabbing games. Maybe that is why the 360 suddenly shot up in popularity, as it brings genuinely new "fixes" to the masses, like a console copy of Quake 4 for people without gaming rigs, ditto CoD2, Condemned, a fantastic looking racer in the shape of PGR3, PDZ that people have been clamouring for since the N64 days...
If the games are stale, the reception will be too. I have to admit I've seen very little advertising for any at the moment, be it on TV, in stores or on buses. Well, there's that ad for NFS:MW and the Potter game, but honestly...
Maybe people have finally cottoned on that some of these "AAA" titles are going to, in most cases, suck? FRWL is just another Bond game, HP:GoF has been lukewarmly reviewed, Shadow has been dissed by many from the outset, and the DS isn't that strong a platform. BF2 and Kong are looming on 360 too, and many will simply wait for better graphics.
There's not been a game out in the last while that has screamed "BUY ME!" like The Movies, but it's flopping due to the lack of advertsising. I'd buy Civ 4 if it wasn't for the fact that I have an ATI card and know it has issues with such. FEAR refused to run on my machine as well, and what else is there to interest me? Games that have "also coming to 360" written on them, like Tony Hawk's and Battlefield 2?
This is the winter of our discontent, brought about by a serious lack of attention grabbing games. Maybe that is why the 360 suddenly shot up in popularity, as it brings genuinely new "fixes" to the masses, like a console copy of Quake 4 for people without gaming rigs, ditto CoD2, Condemned, a fantastic looking racer in the shape of PGR3, PDZ that people have been clamouring for since the N64 days...
If the games are stale, the reception will be too. I have to admit I've seen very little advertising for any at the moment, be it on TV, in stores or on buses. Well, there's that ad for NFS:MW and the Potter game, but honestly...
Maybe people have finally cottoned on that some of these "AAA" titles are going to, in most cases, suck? FRWL is just another Bond game, HP:GoF has been lukewarmly reviewed, Shadow has been dissed by many from the outset, and the DS isn't that strong a platform. BF2 and Kong are looming on 360 too, and many will simply wait for better graphics.
ann0uk 23 Nov 2005 14:55
8/11
DS isnt a strong platform?
Well when you look at it the DS is the success story of the past year, I have one and I know a lot of my friends are interested in buying one too when Mario Kart comes out. In my opinion DS is the most attractive of all the consoles out at the moment, PS2 has a huge catalogue of uninspiring games, Gamecube doesnt have any new releases, and both Xbox and Xbox 360 are offering the same gameplay experiences as PS2. The DS is the only one that has got me excited, and hopefully with an apple type redesign to be released too.
Personally I think that EA are to blame for a lot of the un-interest in computer games at the moment. I cant stand them, there was a time when they made good games, but they have filled the market with so much crap. As soon as I see that logo I switch off.
Well when you look at it the DS is the success story of the past year, I have one and I know a lot of my friends are interested in buying one too when Mario Kart comes out. In my opinion DS is the most attractive of all the consoles out at the moment, PS2 has a huge catalogue of uninspiring games, Gamecube doesnt have any new releases, and both Xbox and Xbox 360 are offering the same gameplay experiences as PS2. The DS is the only one that has got me excited, and hopefully with an apple type redesign to be released too.
Personally I think that EA are to blame for a lot of the un-interest in computer games at the moment. I cant stand them, there was a time when they made good games, but they have filled the market with so much crap. As soon as I see that logo I switch off.
soanso 24 Nov 2005 10:29
9/11
I totally agree with you that there isn't any game that is a must MUST buy. There's a lot of good solid games out there right now but as far as I am concerned, I just don't have the money to spend on games. £10 - £20 would be fine but looking at the games prices now is scary stuff. 40quid for gta liberty city stories!! You must be joking.
I wonder who else is like me in this respect, comparing my N64 games to my gamecube games, I have FAR more GC games and out of them I bought maybe 3 full price. All the rest were £20 or less. There's a load of DS games that I'd really like to get a hold of. From Advanced wars onwards, but they all cost just that little bit too much
I think it's as simple as that.
I wonder who else is like me in this respect, comparing my N64 games to my gamecube games, I have FAR more GC games and out of them I bought maybe 3 full price. All the rest were £20 or less. There's a load of DS games that I'd really like to get a hold of. From Advanced wars onwards, but they all cost just that little bit too much
I think it's as simple as that.
king skins 24 Nov 2005 11:53
10/11
I'd buy Civ4 but it would suck my life away and staying up till 4am on school nights when you have to go to work the next day is just not on anymore :) was OK when i could just bunk off lectures. Just one more turn...
I'm also waiting to buy BF:MC on the 360 and the only advertising I have seen for games so far is GUN and NFS:MW, neither of which appeal to me.
I'm also waiting to buy BF:MC on the 360 and the only advertising I have seen for games so far is GUN and NFS:MW, neither of which appeal to me.
fluffstardx 24 Nov 2005 12:39
11/11
ann0uk wrote:
DS isnt a strong platform?
Well when you look at it the DS is the success story of the past year, I have one and I know a lot of my friends are interested in buying one too when Mario Kart comes out. In my opinion DS is the most attractive of all the consoles out at the moment, PS2 has a huge catalogue of uninspiring games, Gamecube doesnt have any new releases, and both Xbox and Xbox 360 are offering the same gameplay experiences as PS2. The DS is the only one that has got me excited, and hopefully with an apple type redesign to be released too.
Personally I think that EA are to blame for a lot of the un-interest in computer games at the moment. I cant stand them, there was a time when they made good games, but they have filled the market with so much crap. As soon as I see that logo I switch off.
Well when you look at it the DS is the success story of the past year, I have one and I know a lot of my friends are interested in buying one too when Mario Kart comes out. In my opinion DS is the most attractive of all the consoles out at the moment, PS2 has a huge catalogue of uninspiring games, Gamecube doesnt have any new releases, and both Xbox and Xbox 360 are offering the same gameplay experiences as PS2. The DS is the only one that has got me excited, and hopefully with an apple type redesign to be released too.
Personally I think that EA are to blame for a lot of the un-interest in computer games at the moment. I cant stand them, there was a time when they made good games, but they have filled the market with so much crap. As soon as I see that logo I switch off.
Oh, I love the DS - it's just, well, it's hardly the most supported system ever. This has had the opposite effect to what most expected - every game selling well out of novelty of being out - due to that GBA port, I can't help but imagine.
I still think the most major problem at the minute is lack of promotional spending. Has anyone seen Sonic advertised? I've seen Shadow ads, but they sucked. Ditto for a few other games on the list. It's odd, but the real "great" games seem to be on the horizon, not in stores...