for some reason everyone wants to give ArenaNET a free pass when they fudge the actual point of sale date.
everyone does "day 1" sales like that -- whos making exceptions?
when Diablo3 announced sales for in May
declaring itself the fastest PC selling game in history due to "Day 1" sales
that included 2 months of prepurchases (d3 could be bought direct from Blizzard in March 2012)
you can slice it however you want
but its clear that GW2 sold over million copies from October forward
-- 6 weeks after release
Because not everyone offers a pre-purchase option for games being released 4 months in advance. No console game does this. PC games and console games are two different beast. PC games have a leg up because they can release games digitially well before the actual release date while console gamers HAVE to wait. But I'm glad you brought up the point with D3 and Blizzard, read on...
The pre-purchase of D3 two months before release is definitely true. The only difference is that ArenaNET waited an additional 2 weeks before announcing sales and Blizzard announced it's sales day 1. We never got any day 1 sales from ArenaNET so are we to assume that all 2 million bought the game in 2 weeks? Everyone knows Blizzard didn't sell 3.5 million copies as soon as the doors open and many had already bought the game. They also announced by the end of week one, sales climbed to 6.3 million in total units sold.
Now, if for some silly reason Blizzard decided not to release day one sales and waited a week and announced that Diablo 3 has sold 6.3 million copies since it's May 15th launch date, this site would have been lighting up in flames about Blizzard not releasing day one sales and of how many of those sales were from March 15th presales, day one sales and any other sales included in that first week. Just like they did when they actually did release day 1 sales and people here were trying to blast Blizzard because they didn't include copies given during the annual pass promotion giveaway.
And if you really want to compare the two side by side:
First Official Announcements:
Guild Wars 2 sales from (4/10/12) to (9/11/12): over 2 million (4 months and 2 weeks)
Diablo 3 sales from (3/15/12) to (5/15/12): over 3.5 million (2 months)
Second Official Announcements:
Guild Wars 2 sales from (9/11/12) to (1/15/13) : +1 million/TOTAL: over 3 million (4 months)
Diablo 3 sales from (5/15/12) to (5/22/12): +2.8 million/TOTAL: 6.3 million (1 week)
Third Official Announcement (NPD):
Guild Wars 2 sales (N/A)
Diablo 3 sales from (5/21/12) to (7/20/12): +500k/TOTAL: 6.8 million (1 month and 3 weeks)
Both games are doing well as you see, but to knock Blizzard for not futher releasing sales figures even when their game was released first is foolish. Especially when Guild Wars 2 is a different beats all together. Because when you breakdown the actual time frame for both games, Guild Wars 2 will come up snake eyes in a side by side comparison.
So basically you are saying GW2 is as old as D3.
Nope just saying that the OP wanted to point out the lack of Blizzard release of updates to how well D3 was selling to this point in time just because ArenaNET announced it had sold over 3 million since launch. And I said:
Guild Wars 2 has not sold 3 million since the launch date, they have sold 3 million to date
Diablo 3 has been out since May 15th to Guild Wars 2 being the newer game since it's August 28th release date.
ArenaNET never released day one sales figures while Blizzard would be blasted if they had not.
ArenaNET has sold over 1 million copies of GW2 from presale digital downloads up to it's release date (4 months)
Blizzard has sold 3.5 million copies of D3 from presale digitial downloads uo to it;s release date (2 months)
And with that being said I find it no surprise that Blizzard has been winding down releasing sales figures as the game gets older. Trying to compare the two games serves no purpose other than making ArenaNET look bad as oppose to making Blizzard look bad.This is why in my very first post I gave props to AreanNET and in my second warned the OP not to open up this can of worms, he chose to do so anyway and here we are.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
*Curiously, WoW:MoP sales were week 1 instead of day 1 and 2.7 million.
*Posting to respond to what you edited in.
And if I recall Blizzard got blasted on this very site for it. Furthemore, all the various websites covered how disappointing MoP sales were compared to all the previous exapnsions. And GW2 players commented how poorly it did compared to the release of GW2 in the same time frame. Thanks for proving my point.
ArenaNET recieved no such criticism for not releasing day one sales, the performance of it's predecessor's last expansion compared to this new endeavor nor it's ability to tap into the masses it had accumulated with the build up from GW1.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
I find it no surprise that Blizzard has been winding down releasing sales figures as the game gets older.
personally i believe its for different reasons
MOP was the first expansion to not announce first day sales - because it sold less than the prior expansion
I was talking about D3. MoP on the other hand is a already agreed upon disappointment in my book. It's the only collector's edition I never bought. Nor did my wife upgrade her account yet. Go figure.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
*Curiously, WoW:MoP sales were week 1 instead of day 1 and 2.7 million.
*Posting to respond to what you edited in.
And if I recall Blizzard got blasted on this very site for it. Furthemore, all the various websites covered how disappointing MoP sales were compared to all the previous exapnsions. And GW2 players commented how poorly it did compared to the release of GW2 in the same time frame. Thanks for proving my point.
ArenaNET recieved no such criticism for not releasing day one sales, the performance of it's predecessor's last expansion compared to this new endeavor nor it's ability to tap into the masses it had accumulated with the build up from GW1.
Blizzard was blasted because it DID use to do it that way.
Can you provide precedant for ANet announcing GW2 sales on day 1 so we can blast them too for not doing the same this time?
I am not a big fan of this achievement grind especially when the rewards are so crappy it's hardly worth wasting your time, but we shall see how it turns out.
"Give players systems and tools instead of rails and rules"
WOW Cata was the first blizzard expansion to have presales, direct from Blizzard, 1 month prior to launch
when Blizzard trumpted launch day sales of whatever record breaking # for WOW Cata
in small print at bottom of Blizzard PR was wording that it included presales
-- but most the press called it launch day sales like all prior expansions
WOW MOP expanded the presale window to 2 months (not that it mattered)
i agree w you that the correct terminology for GW2 sales - should be sales to date, not from launch date
Sincerely that discussion is a very poor one.
People that bought it before the launch are the ones that would most likely buy it launch bar some personal inconvenience.
Launch dates are important because generally will show the interest the game is raising. it is possible a game to generate more interest as it go but it is rare.
Trying to say that pre-launch sales is equivalent to months of sales is a bad argument because it doesn't encompass the same spirit.
Launch sales and pre-sales both indicate level of Interest in the game, that is why Pre-purchases and launch sales can and should be presented together.
2 months of pre-sales doesn't mean the same as the sales of 2 months after launch.
So silly discussion is silly.
Currently playing: GW2 Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
WOW Cata was the first blizzard expansion to have presales, direct from Blizzard, 1 month prior to launch
when Blizzard trumpted launch day sales of whatever record breaking # for WOW Cata
in small print at bottom of Blizzard PR was wording that it included presales
-- but most the press called it launch day sales like all prior expansions
WOW MOP expanded the presale window to 2 months (not that it mattered)
i agree w you that the correct terminology for GW2 sales - should be sales to date, not from launch date
Sincerely that discussion is a very poor one.
People that bought it before the launch are the ones that would most likely buy it launch bar some personal inconvenience.
Launch dates are important because generally will show the interest the game is raising. it is possible a game to generate more interest as it go but it is rare.
Trying to say that pre-launch sales is equivalent to months of sales is a bad argument because it doesn't encompass the same spirit.
Launch sales and pre-sales both indicate level of Interest in the game, that is why Pre-purchases and launch sales can and should be presented together.
2 months of pre-sales doesn't mean the same as the sales of 2 months after launch.
So silly discussion is silly.
I wouldn't say silly... I think both arguments have merit. Do you count sales at the emotional level as you suggest here, where the pre-sales would have been launch day sales regardless, or do you count them at the technical level by hard dates. Either one can be looked at as valid... either pre-launch + launch = total launch sales or pre-sales are one group and launch sales are a separate group. To be honest, both methods provide different benefits... marketing can use separated pre-launch data to determine whether or not it's worthwhile to go pre-launch, how far out from launch, etc. and the combined numbers obviously make the money counters happy.
When comparing games, simply use like terms for comparing, but both ways of breaking down the numbers have real value.
Honestly, I'm shocked - I expected this number to be much higher, especially since the holiday season is behind us.
3 million is not bad at all, for a PC game, but still I expected much higher numbers considering it got 2 million in it's first couple of weeks.
Really looking forward to Blizzards numbers now.
The holidays are just ending, I wonder if it even includes those sales or not. Were there any specific date ranges mentioned?
He said over 3 millions in 2012.
It'd be a weird decision to come out with a number and not include holiday sales. Why not just wait til they got those numbers in?
But then again, GW2 wasn't even in the top 100 sellers over the holidays (GfK, NPD, vgchartz), so I doubt it would matter (PLEASE don't take this as troll bait).
Still, 3 million is a VERY solid number for a PC game!
It's hard to quantify, SWTOR sold over 2.5m and is considered a failure. If it made the expected net profit then it's a financial success. For game success It depends how many are still playing regularly.
"It's a sandbox, if you are not willing to create a castle then all you have is sand" - jtcgs
It's great, BUT... a part of me certainly wishes there were ways to plant roots in the game. Ways for me to create content which would really make me feel connected to the world... player cities, guild castles/keeps etc.
Stuff for you to actually call your own and care about in the world.
Why do I write, create, fantasize, dream and daydream about other worlds? Because I hate what humanity does with this one.
Originally posted by ObiClownobi It's hard to quantify, SWTOR sold over 2.5m and is considered a failure. If it made the expected net profit then it's a financial success. For game success It depends how many are still playing regularly.
2.5 mil is not a bad number. I'm pretty sure people added the cost of developing SWTOR as a variable when considering it a failure. GW2 didn't have the same hefty price tag.
Originally posted by dimnikar GW2 wasn't even in the top 100 sellers over the holidays (GfK, NPD, vgchartz), so I doubt it would matter (PLEASE don't take this as troll bait).
Still, 3 million is a VERY solid number for a PC game!
those charts are for all platforms
vgchartz isnt even sales -- its predicted sales
taking a look at Gfk -- GW2 is one of the few PC games listed among the top 100 for 2012
Originally posted by dimnikar GW2 wasn't even in the top 100 sellers over the holidays (GfK, NPD, vgchartz), so I doubt it would matter (PLEASE don't take this as troll bait).
Still, 3 million is a VERY solid number for a PC game!
those charts are for all platforms
vgchartz isnt even sales -- its predicted sales
taking a look at Gfk -- GW2 is one of the few PC games listed among the top 100 for 2012
if you restrict the TOP XX to PC games only, GW2 will show very well
1. your GfK link is for *UK ONLY*
2. yes, I know it's for all formats, and a certain expansion of a certain competitor *still* made that list, while GW2 didn't. For two weeks. Over the holidays.
Which isn't a fair comparison, I know - WoW's got a bigger and much older playerb ase - but it was still a decision many MMO players made very recently.
I really don't want to get into an argument over this, 3 million is not shabby anyway you look at it.
Originally posted by ObiClownobi It's hard to quantify, SWTOR sold over 2.5m and is considered a failure. If it made the expected net profit then it's a financial success. For game success It depends how many are still playing regularly.
2.5 mil is not a bad number. I'm pretty sure people added the cost of developing SWTOR as a variable when considering it a failure. GW2 didn't have the same hefty price tag.
Yes, they spent the extra cash assuming an ongoing sub income but 2m + players decided not to. It didn't make the expected profit and so was not a financial success, it didn't keep the players and so was not a gameplay success (as a P2P), the jury is out on it as a F2P, population was certainly boosted by F2P.
"It's a sandbox, if you are not willing to create a castle then all you have is sand" - jtcgs
3 million sales is great for a PC game and they likely are one of the few MMORPGs released in recent years to actually turn a good profit and secure a seemingly bright future right off the bat. Being a buy to play game that makes me happy and hopeful that it will encourage more developers and publishers to embrace that model instead of the F2P mess some games become. The real question I have though is in regards to current player population. It seems high and steady looking at the game as a whole but servers do vary and really I've no hard numbers. I also wonder how well their cash shop is doing in regards to bringing in more dollars? You would think that the better the sales and cash shop income is doing the better an expansion pack for us all eventually.
Originally posted by Normandy7 Thee million sold but yet from levels 1-50 its almost a barren wasteland. It is good they sold that many but not sure people are staying long term.
The starting areas are very easily not barren.
All images of this week.
Desolation - EU.
Currently playing: GW2 Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
as the game grows in popularity this year, which it will due to the upcoming large patches, and when the first xpac rolls out, i think we can expect the sales to easily double. by 2014, GW2 will likely hit 8-10mill sales. if they keep their priorities straight.
Comments
Nope just saying that the OP wanted to point out the lack of Blizzard release of updates to how well D3 was selling to this point in time just because ArenaNET announced it had sold over 3 million since launch. And I said:
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
*Posting to respond to what you edited in.
And if I recall Blizzard got blasted on this very site for it. Furthemore, all the various websites covered how disappointing MoP sales were compared to all the previous exapnsions. And GW2 players commented how poorly it did compared to the release of GW2 in the same time frame. Thanks for proving my point.
ArenaNET recieved no such criticism for not releasing day one sales, the performance of it's predecessor's last expansion compared to this new endeavor nor it's ability to tap into the masses it had accumulated with the build up from GW1.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
personally i believe its for different reasons
MOP was the first expansion to not announce first day sales - because it sold less than the prior expansion
EQ2 fan sites
I was talking about D3. MoP on the other hand is a already agreed upon disappointment in my book. It's the only collector's edition I never bought. Nor did my wife upgrade her account yet. Go figure.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
Blizzard was blasted because it DID use to do it that way.
Can you provide precedant for ANet announcing GW2 sales on day 1 so we can blast them too for not doing the same this time?
I am not a big fan of this achievement grind especially when the rewards are so crappy it's hardly worth wasting your time, but we shall see how it turns out.
I do see your point
WOW Cata was the first blizzard expansion to have presales, direct from Blizzard, 1 month prior to launch
when Blizzard trumpted launch day sales of whatever record breaking # for WOW Cata
http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/press/pressreleases.html?id=2847886
in small print at bottom of Blizzard PR was wording that it included digital presales
-- but most the press called it launch day sales like all prior expansions
WOW MOP expanded the presale window to 2 months (not that it mattered)
i agree w you that the correct terminology for GW2 sales - should be sales to date, not from launch date
EQ2 fan sites
Sincerely that discussion is a very poor one.
People that bought it before the launch are the ones that would most likely buy it launch bar some personal inconvenience.
Launch dates are important because generally will show the interest the game is raising. it is possible a game to generate more interest as it go but it is rare.
Trying to say that pre-launch sales is equivalent to months of sales is a bad argument because it doesn't encompass the same spirit.
Launch sales and pre-sales both indicate level of Interest in the game, that is why Pre-purchases and launch sales can and should be presented together.
2 months of pre-sales doesn't mean the same as the sales of 2 months after launch.
So silly discussion is silly.
Currently playing: GW2
Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
fully agree
the fact that GW2 *continued to sell* over million more from October forward is very significant
EQ2 fan sites
I wouldn't say silly... I think both arguments have merit. Do you count sales at the emotional level as you suggest here, where the pre-sales would have been launch day sales regardless, or do you count them at the technical level by hard dates. Either one can be looked at as valid... either pre-launch + launch = total launch sales or pre-sales are one group and launch sales are a separate group. To be honest, both methods provide different benefits... marketing can use separated pre-launch data to determine whether or not it's worthwhile to go pre-launch, how far out from launch, etc. and the combined numbers obviously make the money counters happy.
When comparing games, simply use like terms for comparing, but both ways of breaking down the numbers have real value.
Oderint, dum metuant.
Honestly, I'm shocked - I expected this number to be much higher, especially since the holiday season is behind us.
3 million is not bad at all, for a PC game, but still I expected much higher numbers considering it got 2 million in it's first couple of weeks.
Really looking forward to Blizzards numbers now.
http://lyrics.iztok.org/verse/Lynyrd_Skynyrd/Simple_Man/80615
The holidays are just ending, I wonder if it even includes those sales or not. Were there any specific date ranges mentioned?
Oderint, dum metuant.
He said over 3 millions in 2012.
Currently playing: GW2
Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders
It'd be a weird decision to come out with a number and not include holiday sales. Why not just wait til they got those numbers in?
But then again, GW2 wasn't even in the top 100 sellers over the holidays (GfK, NPD, vgchartz), so I doubt it would matter (PLEASE don't take this as troll bait).
Still, 3 million is a VERY solid number for a PC game!
http://lyrics.iztok.org/verse/Lynyrd_Skynyrd/Simple_Man/80615
i didnt see any dates
but ncsoft Q4 financials will be announced publically in mid February
EQ2 fan sites
"It's a sandbox, if you are not willing to create a castle then all you have is sand" - jtcgs
It's great, BUT... a part of me certainly wishes there were ways to plant roots in the game. Ways for me to create content which would really make me feel connected to the world... player cities, guild castles/keeps etc.
Stuff for you to actually call your own and care about in the world.
BOYCOTTING EA / ORIGIN going forward.
2.5 mil is not a bad number. I'm pretty sure people added the cost of developing SWTOR as a variable when considering it a failure. GW2 didn't have the same hefty price tag.
those charts are for all platforms
vgchartz isnt even sales -- its predicted sales
taking a look at Gfk -- GW2 is one of the few PC games listed among the top 100 for 2012
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/386449/uk-the-100-best-selling-games-of-2012-revealed/?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-News-RSS
if you restrict the TOP XX to PC games only, GW2 will show very well
EQ2 fan sites
1. your GfK link is for *UK ONLY*
2. yes, I know it's for all formats, and a certain expansion of a certain competitor *still* made that list, while GW2 didn't. For two weeks. Over the holidays.
Which isn't a fair comparison, I know - WoW's got a bigger and much older playerb ase - but it was still a decision many MMO players made very recently.
I really don't want to get into an argument over this, 3 million is not shabby anyway you look at it.
http://lyrics.iztok.org/verse/Lynyrd_Skynyrd/Simple_Man/80615
Yes, they spent the extra cash assuming an ongoing sub income but 2m + players decided not to. It didn't make the expected profit and so was not a financial success, it didn't keep the players and so was not a gameplay success (as a P2P), the jury is out on it as a F2P, population was certainly boosted by F2P.
"It's a sandbox, if you are not willing to create a castle then all you have is sand" - jtcgs
The starting areas are very easily not barren.
All images of this week.
Desolation - EU.
Currently playing: GW2
Going cardboard starter kit: Ticket to ride, Pandemic, Carcassonne, Dominion, 7 Wonders