Mario Kart a bigger system seller than TF and Infamous Second Son

Andy

Andy

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Mario Kart 8 helps Nintendo’s Wii U turn a corner, lifting console sales more than Titanfall or Second Son.

Could great first-party games be enough to save the Wii U and Nintendo’s bottom line? If the early sales data from Mario Kart 8 is any indication, the chances are looking surprisingly good.

All-told, Mario Kart 8 has sold an additional 207,000 Wii U consoles in just three weeks.

But it gets even more interesting when you compare the Wii U’s big system-seller with the exclusives that have come out in the first half of 2014 on the other two consoles.

March saw the release of both Titanfall for Xbox One and inFAMOUS: Second Son for Playstation 4. The sales boost from Titanfall only lasted two weeks and moved about 94,000 additional Xbox One consoles. The sales boost from the Seattle-set Second Son lasted three weeks and moved an additional 106,000 PlayStation 4 consoles.



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http://www.geekwire.com/2014/mario-kart-8-bigger-system-seller-titanfall-second-son/
 
Really not surprised. Infamous was never a system seller and TF is a new IP.
 
Mario Kart has always been a signature series for Nintendo. Glad it's helped. It's a fun little game.

What's more surprising to me in that chart is how Infamous: SS seems to be more of a "system seller" than Titanfall, judging from the total lift in sales.
 
I'll never get the " system seller" = a game that causes sales to increase only after a game launches logic.

Tons of people buy consoles for games before they release -- especially if a game is advertised/hyped before the launch of a console. Watchdogs didn't cause the PS4 to have a boost in sales the month that it released but it would be silly to say it wasn't a reason why people bought PS4s considering how well it sold.

On top of this, this would mean that the majority of games that come out in December aren't system sellers because November system sales are usually around the same number as December system sales (with both usually being really huge numbers) but we all know that people are buying new consoles alongside new games for the Holiday season.
 
I think there's two ways to look at what "system seller" means -- 1) it boosts console sales after it launches (most common usage), or 2) it causes people to buy the console, even well before the game's launch. I don't think one way is the right way, and the other way is the wrong way. I think they are just two different ways to look at it. The first is easier to quantify; the second is typically based on a lot of assumptions.
 
Andy said:
I think there's two ways to look at what "system seller" means -- 1) it boosts console sales after it launches (most common usage), or 2) it causes people to buy the console, even well before the game's launch. I don't think one way is the right way, and the other way is the wrong way. I think they are just two different ways to look at it. The first is easier to quantify; the second is typically based on a lot of assumptions.
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I wouldn't say the second is based on assumptions. I mean, if a game comes out during a system's early life (first year) but is one of the top selling games on the system then that alone should prove that people bought the system for the game -- regardless of how much system sales increased after the game released.
 
It's a shame the Nintendo Wii U sales were still so low despite the boost, but it does tell us something. Nintendo gamers have been waiting for Nintendo games. If they can just be released, people will have their one strong incentive for buying the system. I think most would agree that they buying a Playstation/Xbox for multiplat mostly and buy Nintendo strictly for those top-notch Nintendo franchises.
 
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All I can say is this game is a blast! Definitely worth owning a Wii U for imo. Once Super smash bros and the new Mario party releases the console will be a must own.

I need Mario Party in my life asap!
 
naty said:
Mario Kart has always been a signature series for Nintendo. Glad it's helped. It's a fun little game.

What's more surprising to me in that chart is how Infamous: SS seems to be more of a "system seller" than Titanfall, judging from the total lift in sales.
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Considered how hyped Titanfall is. So much for being a supposedly system seller. Hardly surprising for most people here (as many have predicted) when X1 has less console sold, TF was also available on PC & 360, its only MP only, a new IP, & retailed at full price.

I will be surprised that TF2 do not have a single player campaign & stay exclusive.
 
Bgamer90 said:
I wouldn't say the second is based on assumptions. I mean, if a game comes out during a system's early life (first year) but is one of the top selling games on the system then that alone should prove that people bought the system for the game -- regardless of how much system sales increased after the game released.
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Gears 1 would be considered a system seller for me. I buy a 360 as gears blew me away.
 
Bgamer90 said:
I wouldn't say the second is based on assumptions. I mean, if a game comes out during a system's early life (first year) but is one of the top selling games on the system then that alone should prove that people bought the system for the game .
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Well, that's what I mean by assumption. You say "that alone should prove," but really it doesn't prove that at all. There are other possibilities (e.g., that people bought the system for a variety of other reasons, of which future release of TF was one). You are making an assumption that TF was the main, overriding reason for people buying the system in Nov/Dec. There's really no way for you (or anyone) to know that.

If I wanted to be argumentative (which I don't, really), I'd say that, in fact, it is proof of the opposite. If they bought the system well before the game's release, then obviously they must've had other reasons, besides playing that game, to buy the system.
 
Bgamer90 said:
I wouldn't say the second is based on assumptions. I mean, if a game comes out during a system's early life (first year) but is one of the top selling games on the system then that alone should prove that people bought the system for the game -- regardless of how much system sales increased after the game released.
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That logic has a gap. Wii Sports is/was the top selling game for the Wii for a long time....I don't think it can necessarily be called a system seller. Many EA games are sold in the first year a console is released. Most people who buy these games probably would of bought the game on their current gen systems anyway.

Factor in the scarcity of games in the first year of a consoles life plus add that first year console sales are from early adopters who would buy something, anything to play on their new toy and I believe you have some misleading numbers. REAL system sellers offer a unique experience you cannot receive on another platform. These tend not to be launch games.
 
Bgamer90 said:
I wouldn't say the second is based on assumptions. I mean, if a game comes out during a system's early life (first year) but is one of the top selling games on the system then that alone should prove that people bought the system for the game -- regardless of how much system sales increased after the game released.
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Or maybe considering how hyped TF was, people bought into the hype?
 
I would agree Mario Kart is a bigger system seller than the other two games but.......

Source is VGChartz.
So it's basically made up numbers.
 
Definitely not surprising to me at all, what is surprising however is the longevity of TF and MK8 were both about a month, not very much content in either game.
 
starseeker said:
Gears 1 would be considered a system seller for me. I buy a 360 as gears blew me away.
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The commercials they ran for the first Gears games were epic. Mad World helped sell that game to a bunch of people.
 
Andy said:
Well, that's what I mean by assumption. You say "that alone should prove," but really it doesn't prove that at all. There are other possibilities (e.g., that people bought the system for a variety of other reasons, of which future release of TF was one).
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Then do people buy consoles only to play one game? Come on. If a game sells very well during the early life of a console then it's obvious that a good amount of people bought the console to play that game; regardless if they did so before the game launched or after the game launched; the majority of big AAA games that release during the early part of a console's life are usually hyped before the console is even released. Therefore if a game is and/or looks good then you'll have people buying a console for that game months before the game is out -- the game becomes a reason as to why people want the console. That in itself is "selling systems".

You are making an assumption that TF was the main, overriding reason for people buying the system in Nov/Dec. There's really no way for you (or anyone) to know that.
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No... I never said it was the "main overriding reason" for people buying an Xbox One. I simply said that Titanfall was a reason why many people got the system at the launch and/or during the months before the game released. Same is true for the PS4 and Watchdogs.

If I wanted to be argumentative (which I don't, really), I'd say that, in fact, it is proof of the opposite. If they bought the system well before the game's release, then obviously they must've had other reasons, besides playing that game, to buy the system.
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But again, who buys a system just for one game? System sellers are usually games that push people into buying a system. They are very rarely the sole reason why a person wants a system -- I mean, how many people are buying $400+ consoles just for only one game?
 
Bubba T said:
That logic has a gap. Wii Sports is/was the top selling game for the Wii for a long time....I don't think it can necessarily be called a system seller.
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Why not? TONS of people were pushed into getting a Wii due to Wii sports. I mean, Wii sports was the main demo that was on TV news stations and talk shows back in 2006/2007 which caused the system to get mainstream buzz. There was literally no other game for the Wii that had the same amount of buzz from people of various ages/generations as Wii Sports.

Many EA games are sold in the first year a console is released. Most people who buy these games probably would of bought the game on their current gen systems anyway.
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EA games are also system sellers. Many people by new consoles for the graphical jump/improvement alone. Sports and Shooters are pretty much the main game genres that focus on realism so games of those genres are usually used as "graphical showcases" for consoles early on.

Also a system seller doesn't have to be an exclusive... I mean COD proved that fact very well last gen. A more recent example could be Minecraft.

Factor in the scarcity of games in the first year of a consoles life plus add that first year console sales are from early adopters who would buy something, anything to play on their new toy and I believe you have some misleading numbers.
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You say this when yet there are a decent number of launch games that pretty much flopped. People aren't that desperate.

REAL system sellers offer a unique experience you cannot receive on another platform. These tend not to be launch games.
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This isn't true at all. Systems sellers could be exclusive or multiplat as long as they are reasons as to why people are buying the console.

And "tend not to be launch games"? What about Super Mario World, Mario 64, Madden NFL 2001, & Halo?
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naty said:
Or maybe considering how hyped TF was, people bought into the hype?
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How is that any different from other (potential system) sellers? The majority of them get greatly hyped before they launch.
 
Bgamer90 said:
Then do people buy consoles only to play one game? Come on.
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No, I didn't say that.

Let me try again. I feel like we're getting lost in the weeds.

My point is there's a difference between these two definitions of "system seller:"

1. Rise in game sales following game release (pretty clear inference, clear numbers, not a lot of assumption involved) and

2. Undetermined amount of games sales due to people anticipating that a game will be released in the future, so the system is purchased well in advance in order to play that game later (lots of assumptions about people's intentions, foggy math)

What I'm saying is, I prefer the first definition, because it's clear and can be specified. I understand the other position -- I'm not even saying that the assumptions are wrong (it may be that many people did buy an X1 at launch primarily because they anticipated Titanfall) -- I'm just saying it's a weaker definition, because it rests on a bunch of assumptions and inferences. I'm sure there is some truth to it. It's just impossible to know how much.
 
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Bgamer90 said:
Why not? TONS of people were pushed into getting a Wii due to Wii sports. I mean, Wii sports was the main demo that was on TV news stations and talk shows back in 2006/2007 which caused the system to get mainstream buzz. There was literally no other game for the Wii that had the same amount of buzz from people of various ages/generations as Wii Sports.
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EA games are also system sellers. Many people by new consoles for the graphical jump/improvement alone. Sports and Shooters are pretty much the main game genres that focus on realism so games of those genres are usually used as "graphical showcases" for consoles early on.


Also a system seller doesn't have to be an exclusive... I mean COD proved that fact very well last gen. A more recent example could be Minecraft.
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Minecraft is not a good example to use when it was already readily available on mobile platforms when it was released on the Xbox 360. Unless you have some statistics on a sudden spike in 360 sales in the month of its release.





This isn't true at all. Systems sellers could be exclusive or multiplat as long as they are reasons as to why people are buying the console.

And "tend not to be launch games"? What about Super Mario World, Mario 64, Madden NFL 2001, & Halo?
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You mentioned games for five systems. Adding Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast, that would be six. What about the NES, Sega Master System, Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, Sega Saturn, Nintendo Gamecube, Sony Playstation, Sony Playstation 3, Sony Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U?

If you want to go for the more broad definition, yes sports games are system sellers. What I mean by unique experience, is a game that sets itself apart from the others in more than just graphical fidelity, which is what you would expect in a new console anyway.


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How is that any different from other (potential system) sellers? The majority of them get greatly hyped before they launch.[/QUOTE]
 
Bgamer90 said:
How is that any different from other (potential system) sellers? The majority of them get greatly hyped before they launch.
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Right on.

And nothing shows it more than Killzone SF. The game had sold 2.8M copies a little while back. By now, it's probably 3M. More than any other game. Yet the game got mediocre reviews and the online community has been stated by forum posters at less than 1,000 split across the handful of modes. Depending what mode it is, there might only be a few 100 left playing it.

Just like KZ 2, Sony's marketing dept struck gold hyping their flagship shooter that has poor lasting appeal.
 
Intellivision said:
Right on.

And nothing shows it more than Killzone SF. The game had sold 2.8M copies a little while back. By now, it's probably 3M. More than any other game. Yet the game got mediocre reviews and the online community has been stated by forum posters at less than 1,000 split across the handful of modes. Depending what mode it is, there might only be a few 100 left playing it.

Just like KZ 2, Sony's marketing dept struck gold hyping their flagship shooter that has poor lasting appeal.
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Sony didn't hype KZSF much at all.
 
KillZone was hardly hyped. But it was a clear visual upgrade, & surprise, surprise, people wanted a game that looks next gen for their next gen system, & Killzone is that game for PS4.
Infamous wasn't hyped also, just happened to be the most decent game available launch during March period. Help again, that its looks next gen, & have decent scores. The impressive sales figure is probably a reflection of the much higher PS4 install base.

To be fair also, MS did not really hyped TF, it was rather hyped by many game media & hardcore MS Fanboys.
 
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Titanfall at this point I would say is the most hyped game of this generation. Sure all the other exclusives (X1/PS4) have had plenty of advertising but it's the beginning of the gen so it's not like there is much to play. Titanfall on the other hand was through the roof, with it being developed by the same people that created Call of Duty and was supposed to be the second coming of Christ himself.
 
Titanfall was suppose to be more than the second coming of Christ, s*** was suppose to be Nirvana in disc form, the "Call of Duty, Battlefield, Your favorite shooter, my favorite shooter, your future grandkid's favorite shooter" killer. s*** was suppose to be Hope at the bottom of Pandora's box, it was suppose to be this magical cure all; it was going to stop war, racism, sexism, hate, etc. Titanfall was suppose to be the beacon of mankind to all other lifeforms.

It turned out to be an average shooter with below average replayability.
 
Bubba T said:
How is that any different from other (potential system) sellers? The majority of them get greatly hyped before they launch.
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TF was the most hyped title for this generation so far. Winning that many E3 awards and all those glowing impressions from the initial game testers put the bar way too high.
 
Nothing new here. Everyone hates on Nintendo each gen and says their console is done and then out of nowhere they release a must have game. Mario Kart 8 is amazing and defines fun. Wait until they release Zelda and Smash Bros.
 
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