Why are Crysis's and UT3's Sales Horrible? [Archive]

Bond

12-17-2007, 04:05 PM

From Kotaku:

Crysis and UT3—both hugely anticipated PC titles—didn't see much success in November. Crysis moved just 86,633 copies (admittedly topping the 68,600 that were predicted) over 18 days. Unreal Tournament 3 fared even worse, selling just 33,995 copies (way short of the 70,600 that were predicted) over 12 days.

Any ideas? The low sales for Crysis make sense because of its ridiculous system requirements, but not so for UT3...

Angrist

12-17-2007, 04:23 PM

Too many shooters lately?

DarkMaster

12-17-2007, 06:14 PM

I was just gonna say, probably because of the expensive computer rigs needed to run the games well.

BreakABone

12-17-2007, 06:16 PM

And may be dumb but does this count like computer purchases and stuff like that?
Like through Steam or other such things?
Don't even know if both are available on Steam just curious.

manasecret

12-17-2007, 06:41 PM

Since when did expensive computer rigs slow the sales of computer games?

Bube

12-17-2007, 06:57 PM

Since when did expensive computer rigs slow the sales of computer games?
Since games started needing systems that are not yet available..

But it really looks like PC gaming is slowing down, with consoles getting better and better, and minimum PC specs getting higher and higher and also, the better variety of quality games on consoles..

Null

12-17-2007, 07:16 PM

has nothing to do with either.

neither of those 2 games are anything fantastic. crysis only got all its attention because of its graphics.

sure UT3 looks hot too, but its the same game as its always been. and no, you do not need an expensive rig to play it. thats just silly.

theres been a lot of shooters lately and those arent the top ones.

and pc gaming isnt really slowing down... its the same really... rts's and fps's.

consoles could pull the trigger any time on pc gaming by doing a few things. but its like the refuse to try it. consoles will need to allow FULL usb mouse/keyboard support. allow users to create mods and content and download it to the system. and allow users to setup servers that the consoles can connect to, so one player doesnt have to be hosting. thats the reason right now console games cant support as many players online and such.. its because one user has to host it and home upload rates just arent enough.

when consoles finally do things like that.. theres no reason to get games on pc anymore. pcs and consoles need to work together.

as far as those two games go though... i think most people are too busy with orange box (tf2) and call of duty 4 to even bat an eye at those 2 games.

manasecret

12-17-2007, 07:53 PM

Since games started needing systems that are not yet available..

But it really looks like PC gaming is slowing down, with consoles getting better and better, and minimum PC specs getting higher and higher and also, the better variety of quality games on consoles..

Of course minimum PC specs get higher and higher...

Just because PC gaming has slowed down for you (or so it sounds), does not mean it has for the PC market as a whole. Consoles have always gotten better and better, and PCs have always been ahead of them in horsepower with a sacrifice in paying more for it. PC gaming has yet to die despite that fact for a couple decades.

I think Null hit it on the head -- FPS saturation. There are too many other (perhaps) better games for gamers to care about over these two games, games that don't bring much new. I'll admit I don't know much about Crysis, but Unreal Tourney 3 sounds like just more of the same thing -- fun but not particulary new multiplayer. While it's almost definitely fun, you can get more innovative multiplayer (TF2) or a game with both good multi AND single (COD4).

KillerGremlin

12-18-2007, 02:22 AM

Because no one cares? Unreal has been Unreal since it was Unreal Tournament. Not much has changed since then. And no one cares about Crysis except for graphic junkies. I'll be happy when the sequel to Far Cry comes out. Right now I'm happy with the Orange Box and playing through Bioshock again.

That's not to say that Crysis isn't an awesome game, I do intend to play it at some point. Likewise with Unreal, it's a good game, just not my style with its spazzy multiplayer.

Angrist

12-18-2007, 02:48 AM

and pc gaming isnt really slowing down... its the same really... rts's and fps's.And mmorpgs.
I think Null hit it on the head -- FPS saturation. Hey, I said it first. :D

GameMaster

12-18-2007, 04:15 AM

Because no one likes the intentional misspelling of 'crisis'?

Yoda9864

12-18-2007, 08:17 AM

I agree that each game was not that fantastic. I have UT3. It's a fun, solid game. But it is pretty much more of the same and if you are happy with a previous UT game, or any other FPS game there's not much reason for you to purchase UT3.

I'm still playing Supreme Commander and it's expansion pack. So I'm not too interested in getting a new game that will divide my time too much.

Professor S

12-18-2007, 10:06 AM

I think the FPS genre may be at a turning point. Since Halo's success, FPS titles have flooded the market for both PC and console. I think the First Person genre has a lot more to offer, but I think the indusrty needs to look past the "S" and look more towards the "FP"

First Person in an engrossing way to play a game. You become the character. But to date its been aimed almost solely as the fast twitch player. I think their are all kinds of possiblities for strategy and role playing in first person games, and the industry needs to start exploring those areas more.

Angrist

12-18-2007, 10:44 AM

That comes from the guy that hated Metroid Prime, a FP Adventure? :p

Professor S

12-18-2007, 11:39 AM

That comes from the guy that hated Metroid Prime, a FP Adventure? :p

Well they need to do it WELL, not just do it. :D

Bond

12-18-2007, 11:42 AM

*cough*BioShock*cough*

manasecret

12-18-2007, 11:45 AM

*sneeze*Elder Scrolls*sneeze*

Professor S

12-18-2007, 01:11 PM

*cough*I never said they don't exist, dummies, I said there needs to be more of them*cough*

For every exception to the FPS rule I can rattle off about 30 that fall right in line. The fact is that the genre, in general (happy now?) is stagnating.

manasecret

12-18-2007, 01:22 PM

Well shucky darn and slop the chickens, you think they should be making more of those hugely critically acclaimed games? That's quite the statement.

*cough*Portal*cough*

Professor S

12-18-2007, 01:39 PM

Well shucky darn and slop the chickens, you think they should be making more of those hugely critically acclaimed games? That's quite the statement.

*cough*Portal*cough*

No, I said they need to take a look a those games, see WHY they stand out as successes, and then build on it. We don't need more copy cats, we need INNOVATION.

*cough*Unreal 1,2,3*cough*
*cough*Doom 1,2,3*cough*
*cough*Wolfenstein, new and old*cough*
*cough*Halo 1,2,3*cough*
*cough*Resistance*cough*
*cough*Quake 1,2,3,4*cough*
*cough*Painkiller*cough*
*cough*Soldier of Fortune series*cough*
*cough*Crysis*cough*
*cough*F.E.A.R.*cough*
*cough*Call of Duty 1,2,3,4*cough*
*cough*Anything Clive Barker*cough*
*cough*Medal of Honor games*cough*
*cough*Anything Tom Clancy*cough*
*cough*S.T.A.L.K.E.R.*cough*
*cough*Half-Life 1,2 and Episodes*cough*
*cough*SiN*cough*
*cough*Starship Troopers*cough*
*cough*Star Wars FPS games*cough*
*cough*Serious Sam series*cough*
*cough*Area 51*cough*
*cough*Tribes series*cough*
*cough*NRA Varmint Hunter*cough*
*cough*Far Cry series*cough*

I'll continue once I get myself a losenge, or is that good enough?

Fox 6

12-18-2007, 11:41 PM

Ive got my hands full with Mass Effect/ CoD 4 plus theres that tiny other facts that i really dont care.........................................at all................................................................................................. .....ever........................................................................................... .......yeah..........

GameMaster

12-18-2007, 11:49 PM

Bond

12-19-2007, 12:02 AM

Someone must have a lot of time on their hands...

Angrist

12-19-2007, 06:51 AM

Awesome, although the barrels seem a tad bit too light. :)

Angrist

04-17-2008, 06:15 PM

DeathsHand

04-18-2008, 12:03 AM

I've just finished the demo of Crysis. :) It's a nice game, better than expected. Using the different force powers (eeeh) is fun. This must be the first game where I've succesfully sneaked around some enemies. I usually just blow stuff up.

It's by Crytek, the same studio that did Far Cry (the original PC version)... Not sure if you caught that one when it came out a few years back, but it's also a very decent game...

I played the Crysis demo admittedly just to check out what my new computer could do (which was all details set to high on max resolution, running at a fairly steady, playable-if-not-quite-30FPS speed), but when it came down to purchasing a game last weekend, I settled on Oblivion GotY...

However, while the great reviews put it on my maybe list, finding out that it's by the Far Cry folks made it a definitely... Somewhere down the line... Plus it's already down to $40...

As for "slow sales"... Not sure how reliable wikipedia is in this case, but...

"Initial NPD sales numbers were taken as a sign that the game had flopped.[5] However, during EA's Q3 2008 Earnings Conference Call, it was stated that Crysis had sold over one million copies worldwide in the fiscal quarter and that the game continues to exceed sales expectations."

Angrist

04-18-2008, 03:16 AM

VGChartz (http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=7182) doesn't have any data on it.

DeathsHand

04-18-2008, 03:20 PM

VGChartz (http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=7182) doesn't have any data on it.

Eh, well the wikipedia article lists an EA earnings conference call as the source...

This site (http://www.incrysis.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=612) provides a link to the official investor's site, along with a third-party transcript...

Not that it's really a big deal... But they basically mention that Crysis "went platinum this quarter" (worldwide sales)... And that it has "exceeded expectations"...

Here's a site (http://www.yougamers.com/news/16639_us_pc_game_sales_charts_-_december_22nd/) that shows the game as being the #2 selling PC game for the week ending Dec. 22nd... Which is actually UP two slots from the previous week...

So it wasn't exactly released with the bang of a big-name franchise, but it didn't fizzle into obscurity either...
It's also apparently a pretty big seller in the UK and Germany (where it's developer is based)...

Angrist

04-18-2008, 04:09 PM

But seriously, I just cashed out €700 for a new PC and it still runs so-so. Sure, it's purdy. :)

I also tried the demo of BioShock. Didn't lure me in. It was moody, but I didn't care much about what was happening. Or about the world.

thatmariolover

04-18-2008, 04:28 PM

Yeah. I can almost max out the Crysis demo on mine at ~35 fps and I still didn't buy it. The graphics just weren't enough to keep me playing. As for UT3, I'd like to get it eventually but haven't gotten around to it.

As far as PC games with great graphics go, I'm really looking forward to Mass Effect for PC. I don't have an HDTV so I'm itching to play through it again on a HD monitor.

DeathsHand

04-18-2008, 08:19 PM

I also tried the demo of BioShock. Didn't lure me in. It was moody, but I didn't care much about what was happening. Or about the world.

I dunno what the BioShock demo consists of, but I actually had to try twice to get into it on 360... Got about 20 minutes into it the first time, put it down and didn't come back for a couple weeks...
Started over from the beginning and I was off...

Looking back though, Bioshock comes off as a dumbed-down version of System Shock 2... Similar plot (with the exact same twist mid-game), setting, and gameplay, with some of SS2's more RPG elements (diablo-esque inventory, more nuanced skill specialization) stripped away...

Even so, they're two very well made games... Though I think there was a conspiracy amongst game critics to ignore it's general lack of originality in those respects in order to boost the reviews and give the public another shot to latch onto what is essentially still the System Shock franchise... To make up for SS2's commercial failure...:sneaky: