The sales thread

[CAlmond]

Even more interesting though, Divinity: Original Sin 1 was a HUGE seller on consoles. While PoE1 is one of te worst selling console games of this generation. How are we to excuse that? It's not like one catered to console games more than the other or like one had better marketing than the other. In fact, PoE1 had slightly better marketing on console....So...Something to think about..If you like to think, that is.

 

I believe both DOS and DOS2 are turn based, right? That would make them much easier to play on a console.

 

Personally I bought PoE2 on GoG. I was a bit surprised when I was on the steam page trying to give it a review last week and I couldn't. That's when it clicked with me, I bought it on GoG, not on Steam XD

[SonicMage117]

 

Even more interesting though, Divinity: Original Sin 1 was a HUGE seller on consoles. While PoE1 is one of te worst selling console games of this generation. How are we to excuse that? It's not like one catered to console games more than the other or like one had better marketing than the other. In fact, PoE1 had slightly better marketing on console....So...Something to think about..If you like to think, that is.

I believe both DOS and DOS2 are turn based, right? That would make them much easier to play on a console.

Larian actually ended up doing more work on the console version of D:OS1. They revamped the U.I, added textures, remapped everything to controller and added full voice acting. This version only came later to pc known as the "Enhanced Edition" those who already had the original got the enhanced edition free, though they call the original the "Classic Edition". I don't believe they sell it any longer though (perhaps they do).

[Flouride]

 

I think some folks are trying to push a narrative that the game is failing but there doesn't seem to be any support for it. Last I saw it was beating DOS 1 in terms of max simultaneous players and DOS 1 was a perfectly successful game.

 

POE1 high concurrent peak is probably the results of the amount of backers starting the game on release day. DOS1 peak happened ~2 months after the game was released and it was a peak, not a steady increase (there was probably a sale).

 

POE2 had a lot less backers than POE1 (~34k vs ~77k) which would affect release peak.

 

Looking at achievement is interesting. Early last week, when I checked on GOG not even 40% of owners had left tutorial island. Today that amount is 61.7%. The stats is similar on Steam (63.7%). Looks like ~25% of owners waited for the first patch.

 

 

Yup, many will wait for a patch or two before they start playing a game like Deadfire. Previous encounters with Obsidian's games or any other crpgs have taught them that waiting a month or two won't hurt. In fact it will only make the 1st playthrough so much better.

 

Peak numbers on singleplayer games never go that high either. Because you play these games whenever you can, not when your friends are online as well (peak hours).

 

Naturally it's a shame that the game couldn't reach DOS2 numbers. But I think that game had stronger marketing push which shows (a lot) when you look at the numbers.

 

 

[Boeroer]

What we know for sure:

 

- It's in the "top sellers" on Steam 

- It's in the "most popular" list on GoG

- It has a Metacritic score of 89

- It currently shares #1 in "Game of the Year" ranking on Metacritic

 

It can't be too bad...

[Murp]

It's in like the top 30 in global steam sales. Not too bad.

[PIP-Clownboy]

Comparing it to a turn-based multiplayer game with world of warcraft-y visuals is pointless.

 

Also a bit early for doom and gloom until we see how the DLC model is received. At the end of the day, it's going to come down to the amount of revenue POE2 generates in comparison to the budget. As long as it's comfortably profitable, that's a win for the genre. 

[falchen]

A lot of people already got it during the kickstarter, so those (I assume) wouldn't affect top seller listing either.

[Yenkaz]

A lot of speculation either way here. A little concerning that they haven't been forthcoming with sales, which they often would with a huge success, but let's wait for official numbers before giving in to despair?

[Zoraptor]

Did they say anything about PoE1 sales numbers?

 

Steamspy is still the most accurate way to tell things at the moment, I mean, it's different now but still alot more accurate than listening to someone on a forum say "Well we don't really know what the sales are so no." Vs someone saying "We have at least some information on where abouts." Some info is better than none..

I don't blame Mr Galyonkin for keeping it going since he's put a lot of work in and it was a pretty decent statistical model he was using, but the privacy setting change has destroyed Steamspy's accuracy almost completely. Its strength was that as the default setting was to expose ownership the sampling method was independent (not wholly so since it wasn't the full population available, but good enough) and its sampleable population huge, however as an opt in system it's neither independent nor is the sampleable population large.
 

 

If you don't buy it on Steam it won't add to their sales numbers Personally I bought it on GMG.

Green Man Gaming is grey-market at best and your sale probably gave Obsidian $0.

 

 
Sure you aren't thinking of G2A?
 
GMG is almost always* an official reseller. G2A is not at all reliable and seldom an official reseller.

 

*Witcher 3 is the only example of grey market selling I know of from them, and there were special circumstances there

[Tagaziel]

It's kind of hard to estimate how well a game did two weeks after release. Whatever happened to waiting and seeing? Especially since Pillars etc.  seem to be slow-burn releases, rather than slam-dunk hits.

[Melusina]

I don't really understand why they made Rum Runner's Pack free. I would gladly pay for Mirke as sidekick.

[pmp10]

Apparently Deadfire already had the first -25% off sale on fanatical.

So soon after release it doesn't bode well. 

[Mikeymoonshine]

"Some info is better than non" unless that info is false and then it's literally worse than non.

 

I've already aknowledged that the numbers we do have on Steam are less than stellar but they also don't indicate some massive flop. Whether it's a success or not depends on a whole bunch of factors we don't have info on. Like what the actual numbers are, how their budgeting works and how much they actually need to sell to make a profit, I'm not actually even sure how pre orders factor into these charts but I assume they are what put it at the top of the chart initially.

 

I would not be surprised if these sales are less than stellar looking at what we can see from steam and also considering the kind of game it actually is. POE was released during the Kickstarter era, at a time when everyone hated major publishers and promiced to deliver nostalgia. It succeeded in doing that for some but not for others. A sequel doesn't have all that it's a just a sequel to POE. Yet it was successfully funded and seems to be shifting some copies on top of that.

 

So it's measure for success depends on Obsidian's budgeting and projections.

[aozgolo]

I think a lot of the day-one people who wanted the game pre-ordered it, either through Fig or via the pre-order page on Steam. There's likely a large number of people who are interested in the game who are simply waiting for a sale.

[Mikeymoonshine]

I don't really understand why they made Rum Runner's Pack free. I would gladly pay for Mirke as sidekick.

 

Charging for that would be a terrible business decision, she's already in the game so making her a sidekick doesn't really add much at all in the way of content. A new pose and a handful of beers isn't much either it would be no better than a microtransaction and that was how it would be seen. Even if they were adding her as a companion it would be seen badly as it's close to release and she is in the game. Doing it for free on the other hand could potentially drive sales, it worked well for CDPR.

 

 

Apparently Deadfire already had the first -25% off sale on fanatical.

So soon after release it doesn't bode well. 

 

It would be more of a concern if it was discounted in steam but that seems more like a smaller service using the popularity of the game to attract buyers to their plaform "it's cheaper here" ect. While the game is still fresh in people's minds.

[rheingold]

I'd wait a bit... still don't have any serious numbers. But I will say, marketing is not Obsidian's strength. Things have also changed a huge amount of the last few years  - people's buying habits, youtube, social media etc. If I were them I'd definitely look at bringing in someone more up to date with the relevant marketing skills.

[Judicator]

I think that DoS 2 is more "popular" and "mainstream" (real 3D, turn based) than Pillars (real time with pause and old-school iso).

 

I do not imagine sales at the Larian level (but if I'm wrong it's so much better!).

 

Speaking of Larian,Colin McComb join this team today ! 

In what reality is turn based more mainstream than real time?

[Stephen Unsworth-Mitchell]

How well sells in beginning will effect things but ultimately most important piont will be how Obsidian  deal with negative comments/issues. Biggest selling point always going be word of mouth. If obsidian can turn negative/issues around add in some great DLCs then they should get good seller again.

 

We seen in film world where films not done well on release but has become cult classic.

 

Obsidian want concentrate on been as inclusive as possible for the different types of gamers. Easy make game that appeals to majority but that's not really going make great franchise or great game that be remembered for long time. Niche gamers are just as important and been flexible is what matters. 

 

Right game that has good story and is inclusive of all types going to not just please for 5 mins going last be replayed and get talked about by lots.

 

To many companies just build games that designed please achievement lovers, those want feel god like, casual gamers that will be gone fast and on to next so called big release. Those might even get franchise but not going be remembered down line. So obsidian want look at classics that are old remembered and ask what really made this game great.

 

Good story, good emersion, balanced difficulty that has options to make it more challenging, stand out moments that will never be forgotten, inclusive game that fits so many gamers and makes them talk etc etc.

[Sven_]

 

In what reality is turn based more mainstream than real time?

 

 

In the same one that sees X-Com sequels getting made, whilst Command&Conquer is put on indefinite hiatus. You couldn'T see this coming in 1997 when Interplay signed Battleground Infinity Baldur's Gate, likely, nor in 2004, for that matter.

Edited May 22, 2018 by Sven_

[Masticator]

I hate to think this game won't sell well, especially compared to DOS 2. I bought both DOS's, finished the first one, but not the 2nd. I don't get why those games are so overhyped and overrated. DOS 2 just seemed to be missing something. The combat was just an experience in frustration and reloads. If anything DOS 1 is better. I doubt I'll ever finish DOS 2, but I'm on my way to finishing Deadfire. Deadfire is the better game.

[Jayngo]

I hate to think this game won't sell well, especially compared to DOS 2. I bought both DOS's, finished the first one, but not the 2nd. I don't get why those games are so overhyped and overrated. DOS 2 just seemed to be missing something. The combat was just an experience in frustration and reloads. If anything DOS 1 is better. I doubt I'll ever finish DOS 2, but I'm on my way to finishing Deadfire. Deadfire is the better game.

I disagree. As someone who passed on both D:OS games initially, when Deadfire release got pushed back, I bought both, and found myself playing 2 first after trying 1 out. I LOVE both games. I also love turn-based combat too. To me, both those games were a refreshing take on the isometric cRPG.

 

When it comes to Obsidian though, I want them to keep to the traditional cRPG take. I'm liking Deadfire a lot, but for some reason both D:OS resonated with me more. I think it was just that there were things done in that game that I'd never seen done before in an isometric cRPG.

[wih]

I see Pillars of Eternity - Definitive Edition is on sale and is just two places behind Divinity: Original Sin 2 in Steam Top Sellers currently. Don't know what that means really, but maybe these people are interested in Deadfire and decided to start with PoE 1. This way Deadfire will get some more patches while they are busy with the first game.

[Dr. Hieronymous Alloy]

I see Pillars of Eternity - Definitive Edition is on sale and is just two places behind Divinity: Original Sin 2 in Steam Top Sellers currently. Don't know what that means really, but maybe these people are interested in Deadfire and decided to start with PoE 1. This way Deadfire will get some more patches while they are busy with the first game.

 

 

If you're a fan of RPGs, you can play both DOS games and both Pillars games in a single year, easy. This isn't really a "competitive" market, it's a complementary one -- sales of DOS likely will increase sales of Deadfire, and vice versa, as more people put down the FPS and try party style games.

[wih]

 

I see Pillars of Eternity - Definitive Edition is on sale and is just two places behind Divinity: Original Sin 2 in Steam Top Sellers currently. Don't know what that means really, but maybe these people are interested in Deadfire and decided to start with PoE 1. This way Deadfire will get some more patches while they are busy with the first game.

 

 

If you're a fan of RPGs, you can play both DOS games and both Pillars games in a single year, easy. This isn't really a "competitive" market, it's a complementary one -- sales of DOS likely will increase sales of Deadfire, and vice versa, as more people put down the FPS and try party style games.

 

 

Ah, I didn't mean to imply that Pillars competes with DOS. It's just that I take DOS 2 as a point of comparison, since it is very succesful RPG and is on the first page of Steam Top Sellers. What is important is that potential players are aware of Deadfire and probably intend to buy it, but are not in hurry to do it just yet.

 

Currently two PoE editions are on the first page of Top Sellers, btw. Definitive Edition is now placed 8th, five places ahead of DOS 2. This sale seems to go well for Obsidian and that's thanks to PoE 2.

 

Only my opinion, of course.

[kanisatha]

I hate to think this game won't sell well, especially compared to DOS 2. I bought both DOS's, finished the first one, but not the 2nd. I don't get why those games are so overhyped and overrated. DOS 2 just seemed to be missing something. The combat was just an experience in frustration and reloads. If anything DOS 1 is better. I doubt I'll ever finish DOS 2, but I'm on my way to finishing Deadfire. Deadfire is the better game.

Same here. For me PoE1 beats DOS1 by a wide mile. Really loved PoE1 even as I'm having to really push myself to finish DOS1. And it's not just one thing but many major issues I have with DOS1. So I can't even begin to understand how DOS2 could be better than PoE2. I highly doubt I'll even bother to buy DOS2.

 

My personal take is that fans of TB combat are hyper-passionate with their preference whereas fans of RTwP combat are not. As such, TB fans go out of their way to hype the DOS games regardless of any shortcomings because ... TB!!