Sales chart for the entire year of 2007 recap.

AoConan

http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/50939

sales chart for the entire year up to the end of the year pc sales chart interesting isnt it?

candygirl6

Pretty bad,

If you put console sales in that list, there would only be 1 PC game in the top 10, (WoW expansion) the rest would all be console games.

slannmage

It's because all the casual players who like The Sims and WOW buy their games but the more hardcore PC gamers all just downloads their games via a torrent. The developers need to use online activation on the PC but none of them are doing it yet which is stupid so it's their own fault really.

Also that doesn't include purchases over the net like off of Steam and Steam has a 14 million user base buying games like the orange box and that isn't counted in them sales.

rikilii

Originally posted by slannmage


It's because all the casual players who like The Sims and WOW buy their games but the more hardcore PC gamers all just downloads their games via a torrent. The developers need to use online activation on the PC but none of them are doing it yet which is stupid so it's their own fault really.
Also that doesn't include purchases over the net like off of Steam and Steam has a 14 million user base buying games like the orange box and that isn't counted in them sales.

Not to mention the tens of....tens of people who bought SWG:NGE by digital download.

The other thing this clearly doesn't account for are the revenues MMO companies reap through monthly fees.  Even a moderately successful MMO with 100K users is still pulling down the equivalent of 360K box sales a year ($15/month x 12 months x 100K / $50 box price).  So if you counted Eve Online's subscriptions, Eve would beat out several of the games on that top ten list.

 

_Shadowmage

Whats wrong with those figures - is people take one platform PC, and compare it to the grouped result for what 8 other platforms.

I would like to see the total sales broken down by platform. So
- PC
- PS3
- PS2
- PSP
- Wii
- DS
- Xbox360
- Xbox

So then you could actually say how well PC game sales are doing.

Whats really interesting is that more PS2's were sold than PS3's.

batolemaeus

The problem is, that there are a lot of games that are distributed via internet. Take Valves Steam..i did not buy any games on my steam account retail, but downloaded them and paid with paypal. Take another two MMOs. Eve-Online, Wurm. Both not bough, as they do not buy them, you subscribe.

The numbers are irrlevant, because they actually proof absolutely nothing.

Sharajat

I've bought a dozen or more games online.  None of them got counted, in all likelyhood. 

The box-store distribution model for PC games is so dead. 

airhead

Console percentage going up, PC going down. Been going on for a year or more and will continue even more in that direction.

Console: couch or recliner, wireless controller, 50+ inch big screen TV, surround sound, watch blue-ray movies with ps3, innovative input devices (Wii), etc.

PC: keep upgrading that rig, new card, more memory, will it play the game?

For MMOs though, PC still very solid platform. I think it's because most of the people playing are actually white collar workers, playing MMO x in a window at work... boss walks in, quick minimize, pop open that dev environment and compliment the boss's most recent ideas in the last meeting. Wait for boss to leave, then back to killing more boars. 

 

Sharajat

Originally posted by airhead


Console percentage going up, PC going down. Been going on for a year or more and will continue even more in that direction.
Console: couch or recliner, wireless controller, 50+ inch big screen TV, surround sound, watch blue-ray movies with ps3, innovative input devices (Wii), etc.
PC: keep upgrading that rig, new card, more memory, will it play the game?
For MMOs though, PC still very solid platform. I think it's because most of the people playing are actually white collar workers, playing MMO x in a window at work... boss walks in, quick minimize, pop open that dev environment and compliment the boss's most recent ideas in the last meeting. Wait for boss to leave, then back to killing more boars. 
 

Haha.  I have a white-collar job (HVAC Engineer) and all I can say is... who the hell has those jobs?  Mine is more like "Work 9-10 hours, go home because you're tired, know that you have a dozen things lying around that need to be done."  Of course I guess that's why we don't get paid what those people who play WoW all day do :-p 

Czzarre

Well, there really hasnt been anything good to buy over 2007. how many people are buying WoW anymore? IM not surprise. If WAR And AoC are released I expect you will see a much larger percentage over this year.

Also, is that chart based on Sales at EB, gamestop etc?..cause it may not take into account  that many PC games are downloads

Torrential

Rimmon

Originally posted by airhead


Console percentage going up, PC going down. Been going on for a year or more and will continue even more in that direction.
Console: couch or recliner, wireless controller, 50+ inch big screen TV, surround sound, watch blue-ray movies with ps3, innovative input devices (Wii), etc.
PC: keep upgrading that rig, new card, more memory, will it play the game?
For MMOs though, PC still very solid platform. I think it's because most of the people playing are actually white collar workers, playing MMO x in a window at work... boss walks in, quick minimize, pop open that dev environment and compliment the boss's most recent ideas in the last meeting. Wait for boss to leave, then back to killing more boars. 
 

just waiting for my new comp here at work so i can start doing that... the PIII 1133 w/ 512mb of ram and on board video just doesn't do much other than what i'm doing right now.  man if my boss thinks im unproductive now just wait

Lukain

Maybe they should add the money made by PC games during 2007 , with WOW close to half a billion alone my guess its well over a billion maybe 2

Classicstar

Originally posted by Sharajat

Originally posted by airhead


Console percentage going up, PC going down. Been going on for a year or more and will continue even more in that direction.
Console: couch or recliner, wireless controller, 50+ inch big screen TV, surround sound, watch blue-ray movies with ps3, innovative input devices (Wii), etc.
PC: keep upgrading that rig, new card, more memory, will it play the game?
For MMOs though, PC still very solid platform. I think it's because most of the people playing are actually white collar workers, playing MMO x in a window at work... boss walks in, quick minimize, pop open that dev environment and compliment the boss's most recent ideas in the last meeting. Wait for boss to leave, then back to killing more boars. 
 

Haha.  I have a white-collar job (HVAC Engineer) and all I can say is... who the hell has those jobs?  Mine is more like "Work 9-10 hours, go home because you're tired, know that you have a dozen things lying around that need to be done."  Of course I guess that's why we don't get paid what those people who play WoW all day do :-p 

So when you play your console the whole femaly must move to the smaller tv screens in house becouse you wanne play your console game realx on the sofa?

I cant see benefit of a console, its restrics in so many thinks, to many to mention it all here, PC i see is far superior to console in manyways.

I can play my games, while rest can watch tv in livingroom on coutch.

Plus console its already behind technology when launched (ps3 was at launch already behind pc with technology).

oakae

WoW had 9 million subscribers early 2007 and 10 million currently. That alone is over $1.6 billion, around doubling the $900 million being shown and that doesn't include digital download sales or other MMO subscription earnings.

Vhaln

Originally posted by rikilii


 
The other thing this clearly doesn't account for are the revenues MMO companies reap through monthly fees.  Even a moderately successful MMO with 100K users is still pulling down the equivalent of 360K box sales a year ($15/month x 12 months x 100K / $50 box price).  So if you counted Eve Online's subscriptions, Eve would beat out several of the games on that top ten list.
 

If that's the case, why even charge for the box at all?  Wouldn't they sell a lot more subs, without the box price as a consumer stumbling block?  Rather than the free month for $50, why not a free week for free, followed by a standard subscription cost?

oakae

---

Originally posted by Vhaln

---

Originally posted by rikilii

 
The other thing this clearly doesn't account for are the revenues MMO companies reap through monthly fees.  Even a moderately successful MMO with 100K users is still pulling down the equivalent of 360K box sales a year ($15/month x 12 months x 100K / $50 box price).  So if you counted Eve Online's subscriptions, Eve would beat out several of the games on that top ten list.
 

---

If that's the case, why even charge for the box at all?  Wouldn't they sell a lot more subs, without the box price as a consumer stumbling block?  Rather than the free month for $50, why not a free week for free, followed by a standard subscription cost?

---

It's probably to make a little more in case a player quit after only playing a few months. The developer would still gets that $50 for the box in addition to the months they subscribed.

slannmage

Originally posted by oakae


WoW had 9 million subscribers early 2007 and 10 million currently. That alone is over $1.6 billion, around doubling the $900 million being shown and that doesn't include digital download sales or other MMO subscription earnings.

These figures only count American sales and WOW has around 2.5 in America.

METALDRAG0N

I note that article didn't include Digital Downloaded games which is where its at now.

godpuppet

Interesting how the press only ever print articles on it, not the actual figures. Also interesting how thats only NA, I'd like to look at some Worldwide figures.

Ruthgar

Originally posted by slannmage


 
Originally posted by oakae


WoW had 9 million subscribers early 2007 and 10 million currently. That alone is over $1.6 billion, around doubling the $900 million being shown and that doesn't include digital download sales or other MMO subscription earnings.

 

These figures only count American sales and WOW has around 2.5 in America.

Exactly. For some reason people in the States think everyone pays $15/month USD.

China has the largest percentage of WoW subscribers and they have a different payment model (hourly).

When people brag about WoW's huge numbers, it's really a success in China. The North American numbers have gone down 500k over the past year.

 

Ogrelin

This year I bought

1 game at EB-games
2 digital downloads Steam/other
2 monthly subscriptions of mmorpgs

rikilii

Originally posted by Ruthgar


 
Originally posted by slannmage


 
Originally posted by oakae


WoW had 9 million subscribers early 2007 and 10 million currently. That alone is over $1.6 billion, around doubling the $900 million being shown and that doesn't include digital download sales or other MMO subscription earnings.

 

These figures only count American sales and WOW has around 2.5 in America.

Exactly. For some reason people in the States think everyone pays $15/month USD.

 

China has the largest percentage of WoW subscribers and they have a different payment model (hourly).

When people brag about WoW's huge numbers, it's really a success in China. The North American numbers have gone down 500k over the past year.

 

To be fair, about half of WoW's subscribers are in N. Am. and Europe.

2.5 million in N. Am. accounts for $450 million/year.

And there are plenty of other MMOs out there, probably collectively accounting for another million in N. Am. subscriptions.

Does it scratch the surface of consoles?  Not really.  But then again, who would be surprised by this, when a half way decent gaming PC costs twice as much as a console?

Vyeth

Originally posted by slannmage

It's because all the casual players who like The Sims and WOW buy their games but the more hardcore PC gamers all just downloads their games via a torrent. The developers need to use online activation on the PC but none of them are doing it yet which is stupid so it's their own fault really.

I hate to say it but, BINGO!

PC games are still way to easy to pirate and the only game that masses of people ACUALLY buy these days for it are MMO's. Simply because it takes a key to be registered and an account to be made with it so they can monitor every key thats being used.. But to be honest, in my opinion PC Games are holding their own in the market in terms of ORIGINALS... We get fresh exciting games on the PC as opposed to console rehashes..

candygirl6

I think only part of it is pirating, maybe a small part to the overall problems.

Like someone else already mentioned,

 

PC: Hard to upgrade, costly, bad compatibilty, often bugged, complicated to install, poor language support

Console: No upgrade needed for years, cheap, every game 'should' work on it, few bugs, easy to use, good language support

 

I think, out of those, that cost and how hard it is to upgrade a PC and install games, drivers, etc..have a bigger impact on sales than piracy has I think.

Also, a lot of people use only notebook now, those systems can't play games very well. Before notebooks became so popular people had full systems that could run games better maybe. Now they would have to buy another full system.

baff

Originally posted by oakae


 

Originally posted by Vhaln


Originally posted by rikilii
 
 

The other thing this clearly doesn't account for are the revenues MMO companies reap through monthly fees.  Even a moderately successful MMO with 100K users is still pulling down the equivalent of 360K box sales a year ($15/month x 12 months x 100K / $50 box price).  So if you counted Eve Online's subscriptions, Eve would beat out several of the games on that top ten list.

 

If that's the case, why even charge for the box at all?  Wouldn't they sell a lot more subs, without the box price as a consumer stumbling block?  Rather than the free month for $50, why not a free week for free, followed by a standard subscription cost?

---

It's probably to make a little more in case a player quit after only playing a few months. The developer would still gets that $50 for the box in addition to the months they subscribed.

 

Box sales provide the bulk of the sales and the bulk of the revenue. They also provide it early on when the debts incurred by deveopment need to be repaid as rapidly as possible.

baff

 

Originally posted by candygirl6


I think only part of it is pirating, maybe a small part to the overall problems.
Like someone else already mentioned,
 
PC: Hard to upgrade, costly, bad compatibilty, often bugged, complicated to install, poor language support
Console: No upgrade needed for years, cheap, every game 'should' work on it, few bugs, easy to use, good language support
 
I think, out of those, that cost and how hard it is to upgrade a PC and install games, drivers, etc..have a bigger impact on sales than piracy has I think.
Also, a lot of people use only notebook now, those systems can't play games very well. Before notebooks became so popular people had full systems that could run games better maybe. Now they would have to buy another full system.

PC gaming has 14% of the American video game market. It has a larger penetration in the EU and other area's where consoles have not taken off as fast.

Revenues from PC games were down 6% on 2006 in 2007, while console game revenues were up 9% on 2006.

Despite the comapratively small market domination of only 14% sales, PC games still account for over 1/4 of all video game revenues in the U.S.

Piracy or no piracy. Cost of upgrades or no cost of upgrades, Title for title, PC games are twice as profitable for manufacturers as console games.

 

 

The release of new consoles standardly damages the PC market. There was a similar drop off in PC titles during the launch years of the PS2 and the XBox. To some extent these rebalanced as the PC hardware improvements advanced and the race to provide new console titles became a little less frantic.