Actually, based on PSNProfiles user data, the 15,000 sales on PS5 estimate lines up very closely with the trophy data.
PSNProfiles tracks roughly only 10% of active players. (We actually know this is pretty accurate based on comparing a game with known sales to how many registered users on PSNProfiles have played the game - it usually comes pretty close to 10%).
PSNProfiles lists Concord as having 1258 PS5 players currently - we can extrapolate approximately 13,000 sales then.
If accurate, this would be the worst performing AAA release in modern gaming history.
Agreed Sony playing all it's cards so close to its chest, refusing to engage with the audience, is gonna result in more pushback with each individual flop. People have short memories. Give them something shiny to look forward to, and they won't get out the pitchforks when they see something they don't like.
Alright, I'm probably making connections where they don't exist, but the fact they featured the flamethrower in the trailer almost seems like a reference to Helldivers 2 recent flamethrower nerf controversy.
I think that sort of talk comes from two broad eras - first, the release of the PS3 after the absolute dominance of the PS2. Specifically, the $600 price tag on launch. That is a part of Sony's history that will never leave the Playstation fanbase's collective memory. That 600 price tag was absolutely devastating and nobody ever really forgot. Caused a big shakeup internally within Sony among the upper executives and among their customers as well. That was 18 years ago now.
The second is the current era we are in now. After the runaway success of the PS4, and right about 2 years prior to the launch of the PS5, Sony became weird. Not sure what happened, but the current discourse online (for what that's worth) is the Playstation division suddenly became reclusive, distant and uncommunicative with its fans and the media, which coincided with a new push towards higher prices across the board. While Sony has always been a business, their PR was previously pretty effective at suspending your disbelief. Now, you can't help but be reminded Sony is a soulless corporation at every turn. Jim Ryan didn't help that perception much.
Basically, the Playstation division has shown a pattern of achieving a big success, followed by some perceived overreach or strategic blunder. I think Sony has always tried to position itself as a boutique brand with prices to match, but they don't always have the cachet to demand those higher prices. And every time they are in a position to raise prices, they do - every time, whether it is warranted or not. Hence all the "Sony is arrogant" comments. But hey, that's every business on the planet.
My personal take is Sony has pretty much shed the wool at this point and just discarded everything that wasn't related to their core business enterprise. Dropped out of every gaming trade show (their in-house Showcase presentations almost always miss the mark), announced the PS5 extremely late and in a Wired magazine article of all things, followed by a weird Mark Cerny presentation. They raised the price of the PS5 retroactively in most regions, led the way in a price increase for games to $70, abandoned exclusives for extra PC sales, have almost entirely eliminated their AA development teams in favor of a very limited selection of genres and a stated focus on live service, as well as maintained an egregiously long period of cross-platform releases on the PS4 which has this far stunted the PS5's potential... In summary, it's starting to really feel like a company run by accountants (It always has been, they just were better at hiding it in the past).
My anecdotal take is people who jumped in around PS4 don't really get the animosity towards Sony, while people who started with the PS1 argue this is the worst Playstation generation by far. I'm in the second camp. But then again, maybe we are just old and grouchy.
As the 'Official Decider of Internet Opinion' (You may bow but you don't have to), I have pre-authorized the opinion Concord will be a poor quality game in this Internet comment section. You must have missed the email I sent out.
@naruball, trying to police opinion on the internet without the proper authorizations is a grave offense. You are not allowed, you haven't taken the one week online course. This is a heavy burden we opinion police bear. Unfortunately I have no choice but to bestow the maximum penalty: you will be required to play Concord. I take no pleasure in this.
It's their game, I respect their right to balance according to their own design philosophy. Their strategy of "nerf anything that gets used a lot" is an interesting choice for a PvE game, but hey it's their call.
For my part, I dropped the game mostly because of the nerfs. No review bombing or any foolishness like that, I'm just not gonna play it anymore. There are so many options competing for my free time, I'm not gonna play something I don't find fun. Pretty much the long and short of it. RIP railgun.
I remember logging in one day to find out they drastically nerfed my entire specific setup. Like, each individual weapon. Then there was a "bug" that simultaneously increased the spawn rate of armored enemies. People were just running around the map, not shooting or playing the objectives. Just running around like chickens with their heads cut off from giant spiders. Because they nerfed the only viable (at the time) anti armor options. Because too many players were using them. I guess that's what they call balance.
Wish them the best of luck in their holy quest for absolute, pure balance in a game against AI opponents.
Yeah there is some overlap in the digital versus physical sales breakdowns that undercounts physical sales. I put a low-end estimate in my comment because I didn't want anyone to say I was inflating the numbers to make a point.
But to be honest even a 5 percent drop in sales is catastrophicly large. We are talking in the region of 20, 30, maybe even 40 or more percent here. Why did they do that.
First to clarify, I like Remedy as a company. It wasn't Remedy who did this, it was their publisher, Epic. They said it was a cost cutting measure. That was in fact a 100%, verifiable lie. It was a DRM measure probably meant to fight used game sales. I guess they undercounted how much they'd lose in sales at the end of the day, versus how much they'd gain in preventing used sales. Turned out to be a net negative for them it seems.
I do not appreciate companies doing this, but digital age and all that, ya gotta go with the punches. What I really don't like is a company lying about it, dressing it up as "cutting costs" for the consumer. They assume we are idiots.
I'll continue to not purchase any AAA game that doesn't release physically. I have nothing against people who are all about digital, but it's just not for me.
Might be an unpopular opinion, but Arrowhead should cool it with this machine gun volley of balance patch after balance patch, each wildly shifting the meta game and sending players searching for a new loadout each time.
It's a PvE game, it doesn't need perfect balance. It needs to be fun. PvP, yeah I get that needs constant balancing. This is strictly PvE.
Signed, someone who ditched the game after they nerfed virtually every piece of equipment I used at one point or another. Went from being able to do level 9 difficulty down to lvl 6 overnight. Forced myself to relearn the game to a degree. Then it happened again. Then again. Wasn't fun for me.
They cut themselves out of a huge chunk of sales by declining to release a physical edition, going off of the rough estimate around 20 - 25% of purchases are still physical. Bonkers decision for a AAA title.
Good thing they finally came around on the whole physical edition thing. Can't wait to play the game in October.
The sole benefit of this will be reading funny reviews for terrible games. I still read Steam store reviews for entertainment; the Gollum game reviews are a good time.
A couple places do custom Dualsense designs and there are some variations of the classic PS1 controller look. They are expensive as all heck, but they look amazing.
This is hilarious. The first print run they shadow dropped at like 2 am, which sold out in all of 2 hours in the US, was selling at 800 DOLLARS a copy, USED within a week of release.
I feel bad for whoever paid that price, almost. I've been following this game on eBay and copies routinely go for $750+ a copy in bidding. A new copy sold yesterday for $1000.00. Welp, I guess the party is over for the scalpers.
Very welcome news! Thank you Square.
EDIT: Checked reseller sites. New copies all over the place selling for $200-300. Bout a thousand dollar drop in 12 hours. I love it when scalpers lose.
I was really disappointed when Bloober was revealed to be working on this. But I'll say their games aren't bad, just sorta average. The bigger issue though isn't their average output, it's more the type of horror they do isn't really in the same category as Silent Hill.
Well what can you do. Expect the worst, hope for the best I suppose.
Well we had Silent Hill Ascension which was a crime against humanity and The Short Message, which kicked a puppy off a bridge, metaphorically speaking.
Soooo... Honestly, the bar is pretty low. I'd settle for a passable game. I'm not expecting miracles from Bloober.
I am excited for Silent Hill Townfall though as the developer (No Code) seems like they are compatible with the type of psychological horror the originals are known for, based on their previous games.
Same, got the platinum for the first game, really enjoyed it. Ended up turning off the weird public domain music and playing Spotify in the background - worked like a charm.
Now that's certainly a... trailer. A man fondling his beat up derby car like a long lost lover while making allusions to domestic violence and how he won't lose his temper again. Definitely, uh, creative.
Not seeing the need for a remake/remaster of a PS4 game (even though I really like Until Dawn). It's a little too recent for the remake treatment, especially considering you can just play the PS4 version of Until Dawn on PS5.
It felt strange for The Last of Us, it feels even weirder for this game. Only PS4 game I would like to see a re-release for is Bloodborne.
Wait this is the same guy that misplaced a flashdrive full of porn in his office or something... Also does magic tricks at children's birthday parties I believe. I'm not saying he's a serial killer, but I'm not NOT saying that either.
Yeah, I'm sure the game will be game of the year material as long as they keep all that Gen Z humor in there that was such a hit in Borderlands 3.
You ain't wrong, PS3 collecting is getting a bit pricy. I know people don't like the constant re-releases, but it brings old games back into the conversation and it's a good option for most people who don't have these older systems.
Plus, always the possibility we get a physical release on modern systems.
Investors - both of the institutional and speculator varieties - are complete and utter morons with no knowledge of how anything really works in the industry and are the fundamental cause of pretty much every gross practice going on today. They know ROIs, market caps, and share prices, but they generally have close to zero intimate knowledge of what they are investing in beyond the standard financial stats. Bunch of idiot geese flocking from one thing to the next.
And these people call the shots. The decisions that Sony, Microsoft, etc. make are geared more towards these people than the consumers. God help us.
All these years later, I'm still in denial about the Vita situation. I have two I still use currently. There is a pattern emerging regarding their support (or lack thereof) for anything that isn't their flagship hardware.
To be honest, I'm not too psyched about their implementation of the Dualsense controller in general. Astrobot was amazing, everything that came after - even first party stuff - ranged from meh to okay in comparison as far as utilization of haptic feedback.
I hate to be negative about nearly everything but yeah, I am just not impressed with virtually anything Sony has done the last four years.
PS5 OS still is still extremely lacking, meaningful social features have been pared back or eliminated entirely (RIP Playstation Home), VR2 was dead on arrival, the Dualsense controllers' longevity and build quality is the worst of any gen so far, the first party games are good but samey and not as many as in years past, and on top of it all Sony as a company has become quiet and reclusive in its communication with the fans, like a weird hermit.
The sole shining point for me has been third party games and indies.
I guess I am just getting old and cranky? I dunno, I'm good as long as I can still collect physical on older platforms and if nothing else, PS5 has a strong built-in library of PS4 titles. I'm literally playing PS1 right now more than PS5 if that tells you anything. And having a blast with it!
Yup I picked up the Edge controller as well. It really boggles the mind how much money I've given this company...
Honestly had no idea there were stock issues with the replacement sticks. I'll have to pick a few up then in anticipation of the inevitable stick drift issues.
Of all the "limited release" type companies, like Limited Run Games, Special Reserve Games, and Super Rare Games I liked Humble Bundle the best as a company.
Thanks for providing a physical release of Signalis so that game can be preserved in the future. Will miss them for sure.
Hear, hear. I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and consider PC next gen and join the other Sony and Microsoft expats. It will be a much higher entry cost, and I'll have to figure out how to build one and what's what with the hardware (shouldn't be too hard). But could be a fun challenge in itself.
I do like the ease of use that a console provides, but even that is fading with day one updates.
And since you mentioned it, I'm really upset about the VR2 as well. 600 bucks for that just so they could abandon the early adopters pretty much right out of the gate. I think that was my last day one purchase of a Sony product. I'll have to look into the Quest.
After that and the VITA, I'm started to look at Sony as almost like Google, launching and then pretty much immediately abandoning hardware and software when it isn't an instant hit. I guess companies like Sony don't think beyond the next quarterly profit report when they make decisions like that. Deters future purchases, hurts the brand overall. I feel there is no Sony seal of quality anymore.
Hey don't dog on the Advance SP, that backlight changed the whole game.
I get hardware upgrades are generally iterative and incremental but I want to see something a lot more substantial for my money than 120FPS or little graphical upgrades here and there that you wouldn't be able to spot outside of a Digital Foundry analysis video.
Consoles unlike PC are these self-contained boxes and can't be freely upgraded, so there is generally this expectation of a "big" leap in the console world. Well, that's how it used to be. But yeah, smartphones exist.
I've heard that phone argument made before but was always kind of odd because phones are sort of all in one personal assistant devices that everyone more or less needs in modern society. That's where people want to have a lot of options in a device, based on their very different needs for work and life.
I tell ya what though, if they can establish a smartphone model with consoles and people buy into that, they will be rolling in the dough.
I'm not paying 600+ dollars for 120FPS or slightly higher resolution. And as an early adopter on all their stuff since PS2 with a lot of discretionary income that I can and will spend on my favorite hobby, I'm the bullseye of who they are targeting with this. And I don't want it. And to take it a step further, I'm even slightly insulted at the prospect.
The days I bought Sony products on goodwill ended this generation after the conclusion of the Jim Ryan era and all the attendant horsesh*t that has gone on during. They lost me. And, if I am the proto-typical consumer they are targeting with this - which I strongly suspect I am - they lost a lot of their "hardcore" crowd (I hate that term) this gen, who would normally go in for something like this.
I could believe it's just a way to reinvigorate their brand or stay relevant, despite being wholly pointless in terms of actual hardware. But I'm assuming they want to make money on this venture. And I don't think they will do too well.
Reason being, they have alienated me with every decision they have made the last 4 years to appeal to the Fortnight / Madden / Call of Duty crowd. Because there was more money in that for them. And they did make a killing. By closing Japan Studio and Pixel Opus and many other decisions I found pretty damn deplorable, all for the pursuit of a target market that wasn't me.
Fast forward a couple years, now they want to turn around and sell me whatever this is, an item tailor designed for the hardcore crowd, for me. But they can't justify it in terms of value. Just expect us to forget they sidelined us for the easy money, until it's time to remember we exist so we can open our wallets. Get lost, Sony.
They made a choice. Alienate the hardcore crowd for easy dollars. It was a very conscious decision they made too, not something a Fortune 500 company just stumbles into. They gotta live with that choice, can't have it both ways. Not buying until first party titles that truly push the system release. So probably never. They won't recoup their R&D and marketing costs on this.
God willing, they get the message and reform themselves for the next generation.
The argument goes something along the lines of the hardware is not even close to being pushed, it's poor optimisation from the devs. Because they develop for the lowest common denominator and scale up. Meaning the PS4 is still the lead console they are developing for, then clumsily scaled up to the PS5. Hardly anything was natively developed for the PS5 besides hilariously enough a handful of launch games that are still the graphical pinnacle of the entire library. To this day, nothing is graphically superior or more technically impressive than two launch games, Ratchet and Clank and the Demon's Souls remake, in my humble opinion. Wow.
I don't have the technical knowledge to make the above argument. All I can say is when I see framerate drops on PS5 on an indie game like Cult of the Lamb that should be able to run on an old cellphone, I tend to believe it.
First party games historically were the titles that pushed the system to its limits, usually we saw that around mid-gen. This time, not so much.
Release some games that push the current console first, then I'll consider spending hundreds of dollars / euros on... whatever this is.
This is DOA for me. If they had stopped cross gen releases about two years earlier I could see it as a maybe, but only just. But they were greedy and wanted to dip into that sweet, sweet PS4 install base way longer than the normal window, devaluing the newer machine. Now they want their cake and to eat it too, by releasing this. Sony cannot have it both ways. A pro console is viable whenever they can make a case for it. What is this gonna do? 120 FPS isn't worth $600+ for me... And I've been a day one adopter for PS stuff for a long time now. I'm the target market here, and I'm not buying.
Absolute, 100% no and I'm insulted at the level of greed on display even considering this is a entity that is greedy by definition.
I'd wager this is gonna do even worse numbers than the PS4 Pro did. I bought that for its 4K capabilities, which was overdue at the time, but I felt even that was negligible overall.
Can I be Mr. Negative Internet Person # 53850 and just point out that Bioware, as it exists today, is no longer Bioware. Pretty much all the staff who worked on Inquisition or prior DA games are long gone.
I guess I just mention it because I loved the series. Very near and dear to my heart. And I am approaching this game with a heavy dose of skepticism. Gotta wait and see but I'm feeling a bit pessimistic about this project overall based on their most recent output. Just can't get hyped about this and every tidbit I come across doesn't inspire.
But more on topic, I'm not so fussed about this particular decision. While Bioware has a legacy of player choice RPGs (most notably Mass Effect's very simplistic good-evil dialogue trees), to be honest that was always superficial and you were more or less locked into a pretty set narrative. As people came to find out with Mass Effect 3's wildly controversial ending which finally tore away the illusion of player choice they had built up in 1 and 2 to reveal a pretty set outcome.
I never saw Bioware games as create-your-own adventure type RPGs despite them angling so many of their games that way in marketing. And that's alright. They had an interesting story to tell and rich lore to back it up.
Yessir. The only crayons in my box are the RED, WHITE, and BLUE. Frankly, just don't got no use for none of them other colors.
Happy Fourth everyone. For those of you across the pond who don't know, today is a holy day when we celebrate the imperial system of measurement, manifest destiny, and monster trucks the only way the Lord intended - by blowing stuff up in our backyards.
It's color, not colour, and that's important because we fought a damn war over that. Everyone thinks it was about taxes on tea. But that's fake news, we don't even know what tea is, nor do we have any idea why people would drink distilled leaf juice.
I gotta say I'm really not a fan of the constant drastic balance patches that completely upend the experience every month or so. I dropped out after they constantly nerfed any weapon or piece of equipment which became a popular choice.
It's a PVE game, let it be unbalanced - as long as it's fun.
I get the pachinko jokes are outdated, but Konami still remains a shadow of its former self in the games biz.
The MGS Master Collection was a barebones, lazy port cash grab, the Silent Hill projects thus far have all been absolute duds, and I don't agree with assigning Bloober Team the remake duties for SH2 (assigning Silent Hill to a western team is a mistake they have made over, and over, and over again in the past). Oh, and Contra Hard Corps was awful. Castlevania remains in cryostasis outside of basic ports and cameos in other games.
I am not encouraged by the fact they are keeping the old voice work for MGS3 for Delta, as all those voice actors are still very active and would be willing to re-record them. Everything they do reeks of laziness and cutting corners.
The sole shining point for them has been Contra: Operation Galuga, a smaller title. I honestly can't think of anything else.
Comments 910
Re: Concord PS5, PC Sales Estimates Are Somehow Even Worse Than We Thought
@Malaise
Definitely fascinating if you are a numbers person or interested in the business aspect of this industry.
I guess we can say Concord made history and managed to break records. Just not in the way they intended.
Re: Concord PS5, PC Sales Estimates Are Somehow Even Worse Than We Thought
@Malaise
Actually, based on PSNProfiles user data, the 15,000 sales on PS5 estimate lines up very closely with the trophy data.
PSNProfiles tracks roughly only 10% of active players. (We actually know this is pretty accurate based on comparing a game with known sales to how many registered users on PSNProfiles have played the game - it usually comes pretty close to 10%).
PSNProfiles lists Concord as having 1258 PS5 players currently - we can extrapolate approximately 13,000 sales then.
If accurate, this would be the worst performing AAA release in modern gaming history.
Re: Rumour: PS5 Pro Design Seemingly Leaked
Guess you gotta wait for the PS5 Expert Pro Platinum if you want a disc drive.
Re: Rumour: PS5 Pro Design Seemingly Leaked
Re: Talking Point: Can PS5, PC Shooter Concord Be Saved?
Agreed Sony playing all it's cards so close to its chest, refusing to engage with the audience, is gonna result in more pushback with each individual flop. People have short memories. Give them something shiny to look forward to, and they won't get out the pitchforks when they see something they don't like.
Re: Capcom Fighting Collection 2 Is the PS4 Compilation of Your Dreams
Power Stone hasn't shown its beautiful face since the PSP release. Count me in.
Re: Starship Troopers: Extermination Details Galactic Front Operations, Single-Player Campaign
Alright, I'm probably making connections where they don't exist, but the fact they featured the flamethrower in the trailer almost seems like a reference to Helldivers 2 recent flamethrower nerf controversy.
Am I reaching?
Re: Xbox Renegotiated Indiana Jones Deal to Exclude PS5, Then Ported It Anyway
@GeeEssEff
I think that sort of talk comes from two broad eras - first, the release of the PS3 after the absolute dominance of the PS2. Specifically, the $600 price tag on launch. That is a part of Sony's history that will never leave the Playstation fanbase's collective memory. That 600 price tag was absolutely devastating and nobody ever really forgot. Caused a big shakeup internally within Sony among the upper executives and among their customers as well. That was 18 years ago now.
The second is the current era we are in now. After the runaway success of the PS4, and right about 2 years prior to the launch of the PS5, Sony became weird. Not sure what happened, but the current discourse online (for what that's worth) is the Playstation division suddenly became reclusive, distant and uncommunicative with its fans and the media, which coincided with a new push towards higher prices across the board. While Sony has always been a business, their PR was previously pretty effective at suspending your disbelief. Now, you can't help but be reminded Sony is a soulless corporation at every turn. Jim Ryan didn't help that perception much.
Basically, the Playstation division has shown a pattern of achieving a big success, followed by some perceived overreach or strategic blunder. I think Sony has always tried to position itself as a boutique brand with prices to match, but they don't always have the cachet to demand those higher prices. And every time they are in a position to raise prices, they do - every time, whether it is warranted or not. Hence all the "Sony is arrogant" comments. But hey, that's every business on the planet.
My personal take is Sony has pretty much shed the wool at this point and just discarded everything that wasn't related to their core business enterprise. Dropped out of every gaming trade show (their in-house Showcase presentations almost always miss the mark), announced the PS5 extremely late and in a Wired magazine article of all things, followed by a weird Mark Cerny presentation. They raised the price of the PS5 retroactively in most regions, led the way in a price increase for games to $70, abandoned exclusives for extra PC sales, have almost entirely eliminated their AA development teams in favor of a very limited selection of genres and a stated focus on live service, as well as maintained an egregiously long period of cross-platform releases on the PS4 which has this far stunted the PS5's potential... In summary, it's starting to really feel like a company run by accountants (It always has been, they just were better at hiding it in the past).
My anecdotal take is people who jumped in around PS4 don't really get the animosity towards Sony, while people who started with the PS1 argue this is the worst Playstation generation by far. I'm in the second camp. But then again, maybe we are just old and grouchy.
Re: Friendly Fire Expected in 16-Player Starship Troopers: Extermination PVE Action
"Machiavellian power struggle"
I love it. Whoever wrote this deserves a raise.
Re: Until Dawn PS5 Is Priced at $60 / £60
I don't know what I'm more afraid of, the Wendigo or Sony's pricing strategy.
Re: Get a BFG of Your Very Own with Physical DOOM Anthology Preorder on PS5, PS4
Just a PSA, this doesn't actually include a physical game, just download codes.
Re: Concord Pre-Load Available Now on PS5, Post-Launch Roadmap Revealed
@naruball
As the 'Official Decider of Internet Opinion' (You may bow but you don't have to), I have pre-authorized the opinion Concord will be a poor quality game in this Internet comment section. You must have missed the email I sent out.
@naruball, trying to police opinion on the internet without the proper authorizations is a grave offense. You are not allowed, you haven't taken the one week online course. This is a heavy burden we opinion police bear. Unfortunately I have no choice but to bestow the maximum penalty: you will be required to play Concord. I take no pleasure in this.
Re: 15 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Announced for August 2024
@WhiteRabbit
I always figured it was just a myth, like the moon landing or home ownership. Thanks for confirming.
Re: 15 PS Plus Extra, Premium Games Announced for August 2024
@WhiteRabbit
I've read about them online. Apparently it's where you don't work 60 hours a week and drink on the beach or some such. I dunno, sounds grand though.
Re: Poll: Rate Your Favourite PS5 Roguelike Games
Enter the Gungeon is hard as nails but so much fun.
Re: Arrowhead Unveils 60-Day Plan to Placate Rebellious Helldivers 2 Fans
It's their game, I respect their right to balance according to their own design philosophy. Their strategy of "nerf anything that gets used a lot" is an interesting choice for a PvE game, but hey it's their call.
For my part, I dropped the game mostly because of the nerfs. No review bombing or any foolishness like that, I'm just not gonna play it anymore. There are so many options competing for my free time, I'm not gonna play something I don't find fun. Pretty much the long and short of it. RIP railgun.
I remember logging in one day to find out they drastically nerfed my entire specific setup. Like, each individual weapon. Then there was a "bug" that simultaneously increased the spawn rate of armored enemies. People were just running around the map, not shooting or playing the objectives. Just running around like chickens with their heads cut off from giant spiders. Because they nerfed the only viable (at the time) anti armor options. Because too many players were using them. I guess that's what they call balance.
Wish them the best of luck in their holy quest for absolute, pure balance in a game against AI opponents.
Re: Alan Wake 2 Still Hasn't Made Remedy Any Royalties, But Work Is Underway on Max Payne's PS5 Remakes
@LowDefAl
Yeah there is some overlap in the digital versus physical sales breakdowns that undercounts physical sales. I put a low-end estimate in my comment because I didn't want anyone to say I was inflating the numbers to make a point.
But to be honest even a 5 percent drop in sales is catastrophicly large. We are talking in the region of 20, 30, maybe even 40 or more percent here. Why did they do that.
First to clarify, I like Remedy as a company. It wasn't Remedy who did this, it was their publisher, Epic. They said it was a cost cutting measure. That was in fact a 100%, verifiable lie. It was a DRM measure probably meant to fight used game sales. I guess they undercounted how much they'd lose in sales at the end of the day, versus how much they'd gain in preventing used sales. Turned out to be a net negative for them it seems.
I do not appreciate companies doing this, but digital age and all that, ya gotta go with the punches. What I really don't like is a company lying about it, dressing it up as "cutting costs" for the consumer. They assume we are idiots.
I'll continue to not purchase any AAA game that doesn't release physically. I have nothing against people who are all about digital, but it's just not for me.
Re: More Spicy Helldivers 2 Drama as Freedom's Flame Backlash Boils Over
Might be an unpopular opinion, but Arrowhead should cool it with this machine gun volley of balance patch after balance patch, each wildly shifting the meta game and sending players searching for a new loadout each time.
It's a PvE game, it doesn't need perfect balance. It needs to be fun. PvP, yeah I get that needs constant balancing. This is strictly PvE.
Signed, someone who ditched the game after they nerfed virtually every piece of equipment I used at one point or another. Went from being able to do level 9 difficulty down to lvl 6 overnight. Forced myself to relearn the game to a degree. Then it happened again. Then again. Wasn't fun for me.
Re: Alan Wake 2 Still Hasn't Made Remedy Any Royalties, But Work Is Underway on Max Payne's PS5 Remakes
They cut themselves out of a huge chunk of sales by declining to release a physical edition, going off of the rough estimate around 20 - 25% of purchases are still physical. Bonkers decision for a AAA title.
Good thing they finally came around on the whole physical edition thing. Can't wait to play the game in October.
Re: Sony Appears to Be Dabbling with Written User Reviews on the PS Store
The sole benefit of this will be reading funny reviews for terrible games. I still read Steam store reviews for entertainment; the Gollum game reviews are a good time.
Re: Poll: Is the Astro Bot PS5 Controller the Best DualSense Yet?
@caiol92
A couple places do custom Dualsense designs and there are some variations of the classic PS1 controller look. They are expensive as all heck, but they look amazing.
Re: Final Fantasy Pixel Collection Getting Physical Anniversary Reprint on PS4
@Vivisapprentice
Wow, I would pay a dirty amount of money for that. Square, hire this person.
Re: Final Fantasy Pixel Collection Getting Physical Anniversary Reprint on PS4
This is hilarious. The first print run they shadow dropped at like 2 am, which sold out in all of 2 hours in the US, was selling at 800 DOLLARS a copy, USED within a week of release.
I feel bad for whoever paid that price, almost. I've been following this game on eBay and copies routinely go for $750+ a copy in bidding. A new copy sold yesterday for $1000.00. Welp, I guess the party is over for the scalpers.
Very welcome news! Thank you Square.
EDIT: Checked reseller sites. New copies all over the place selling for $200-300. Bout a thousand dollar drop in 12 hours. I love it when scalpers lose.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Dev Asks Fans to Give It 'a Chance'
@Arumat
I was really disappointed when Bloober was revealed to be working on this. But I'll say their games aren't bad, just sorta average. The bigger issue though isn't their average output, it's more the type of horror they do isn't really in the same category as Silent Hill.
Well what can you do. Expect the worst, hope for the best I suppose.
Re: Silent Hill 2 Remake Dev Asks Fans to Give It 'a Chance'
Well we had Silent Hill Ascension which was a crime against humanity and The Short Message, which kicked a puppy off a bridge, metaphorically speaking.
Soooo... Honestly, the bar is pretty low. I'd settle for a passable game. I'm not expecting miracles from Bloober.
I am excited for Silent Hill Townfall though as the developer (No Code) seems like they are compatible with the type of psychological horror the originals are known for, based on their previous games.
Re: Wreckfest 2 Plots a Crash Course with PS5
@KundaliniRising333
Oh c'mon, what other game can you race a couch!? I guess you didn't go in for the outhouse toilet DLC car. And no not making that up.
Re: Wreckfest 2 Plots a Crash Course with PS5
@TurboTom
Same, got the platinum for the first game, really enjoyed it. Ended up turning off the weird public domain music and playing Spotify in the background - worked like a charm.
Re: Wreckfest 2 Plots a Crash Course with PS5
Now that's certainly a... trailer. A man fondling his beat up derby car like a long lost lover while making allusions to domestic violence and how he won't lose his temper again. Definitely, uh, creative.
Re: BioWare Reveals Release Window for Dragon Age: The Veilguard Release Date Announcement
@KillerBoy
Bioware is long gone. Don't imagine too many of the old guard stuck around for the post-Anthem era of Bioware.
Re: Another Wave of Concord PS5, PC Character Trailers Has Arrived
Look like Fortnight skins you'd get out of a Doritos bag or something.
Re: Until Dawn PS5, PC Remake Is Still on Its Way as Age Rating Surfaces
Not seeing the need for a remake/remaster of a PS4 game (even though I really like Until Dawn). It's a little too recent for the remake treatment, especially considering you can just play the PS4 version of Until Dawn on PS5.
It felt strange for The Last of Us, it feels even weirder for this game. Only PS4 game I would like to see a re-release for is Bloodborne.
Re: Randy Pitchford Says Fans Will Be 'Very, Very Happy' with Next Borderlands Game
Wait this is the same guy that misplaced a flashdrive full of porn in his office or something... Also does magic tricks at children's birthday parties I believe. I'm not saying he's a serial killer, but I'm not NOT saying that either.
Yeah, I'm sure the game will be game of the year material as long as they keep all that Gen Z humor in there that was such a hit in Borderlands 3.
Re: Shadows of the Damned Remaster Out This Halloween, Only £20 / $25
@homelesscretin
You ain't wrong, PS3 collecting is getting a bit pricy. I know people don't like the constant re-releases, but it brings old games back into the conversation and it's a good option for most people who don't have these older systems.
Plus, always the possibility we get a physical release on modern systems.
Re: Shadows of the Damned Remaster Out This Halloween, Only £20 / $25
Gonna be a good Halloween for horror games between this, Silent Hill 2, and the physical release of Alan Wake 2.
Nothing beats playing horror games during the spooky season.
Re: Capcom Endures Some Truly Incredible Monster Hunter Wilds Investor Questions
Investors - both of the institutional and speculator varieties - are complete and utter morons with no knowledge of how anything really works in the industry and are the fundamental cause of pretty much every gross practice going on today. They know ROIs, market caps, and share prices, but they generally have close to zero intimate knowledge of what they are investing in beyond the standard financial stats. Bunch of idiot geese flocking from one thing to the next.
And these people call the shots. The decisions that Sony, Microsoft, etc. make are geared more towards these people than the consumers. God help us.
Re: PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
@NEStalgia
All these years later, I'm still in denial about the Vita situation. I have two I still use currently. There is a pattern emerging regarding their support (or lack thereof) for anything that isn't their flagship hardware.
To be honest, I'm not too psyched about their implementation of the Dualsense controller in general. Astrobot was amazing, everything that came after - even first party stuff - ranged from meh to okay in comparison as far as utilization of haptic feedback.
I hate to be negative about nearly everything but yeah, I am just not impressed with virtually anything Sony has done the last four years.
PS5 OS still is still extremely lacking, meaningful social features have been pared back or eliminated entirely (RIP Playstation Home), VR2 was dead on arrival, the Dualsense controllers' longevity and build quality is the worst of any gen so far, the first party games are good but samey and not as many as in years past, and on top of it all Sony as a company has become quiet and reclusive in its communication with the fans, like a weird hermit.
The sole shining point for me has been third party games and indies.
I guess I am just getting old and cranky? I dunno, I'm good as long as I can still collect physical on older platforms and if nothing else, PS5 has a strong built-in library of PS4 titles. I'm literally playing PS1 right now more than PS5 if that tells you anything. And having a blast with it!
Re: PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
@NEStalgia
Yup I picked up the Edge controller as well. It really boggles the mind how much money I've given this company...
Honestly had no idea there were stock issues with the replacement sticks. I'll have to pick a few up then in anticipation of the inevitable stick drift issues.
Re: The Humble Games Team Has Reportedly Been Laid Off
Of all the "limited release" type companies, like Limited Run Games, Special Reserve Games, and Super Rare Games I liked Humble Bundle the best as a company.
Thanks for providing a physical release of Signalis so that game can be preserved in the future. Will miss them for sure.
Re: PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
@NEStalgia
Hear, hear. I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and consider PC next gen and join the other Sony and Microsoft expats. It will be a much higher entry cost, and I'll have to figure out how to build one and what's what with the hardware (shouldn't be too hard). But could be a fun challenge in itself.
I do like the ease of use that a console provides, but even that is fading with day one updates.
And since you mentioned it, I'm really upset about the VR2 as well. 600 bucks for that just so they could abandon the early adopters pretty much right out of the gate. I think that was my last day one purchase of a Sony product. I'll have to look into the Quest.
After that and the VITA, I'm started to look at Sony as almost like Google, launching and then pretty much immediately abandoning hardware and software when it isn't an instant hit. I guess companies like Sony don't think beyond the next quarterly profit report when they make decisions like that. Deters future purchases, hurts the brand overall. I feel there is no Sony seal of quality anymore.
Re: PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
@GymratAmarillo
Hey don't dog on the Advance SP, that backlight changed the whole game.
I get hardware upgrades are generally iterative and incremental but I want to see something a lot more substantial for my money than 120FPS or little graphical upgrades here and there that you wouldn't be able to spot outside of a Digital Foundry analysis video.
Consoles unlike PC are these self-contained boxes and can't be freely upgraded, so there is generally this expectation of a "big" leap in the console world. Well, that's how it used to be. But yeah, smartphones exist.
I've heard that phone argument made before but was always kind of odd because phones are sort of all in one personal assistant devices that everyone more or less needs in modern society. That's where people want to have a lot of options in a device, based on their very different needs for work and life.
I tell ya what though, if they can establish a smartphone model with consoles and people buy into that, they will be rolling in the dough.
Re: PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
@NEStalgia
I'm not paying 600+ dollars for 120FPS or slightly higher resolution. And as an early adopter on all their stuff since PS2 with a lot of discretionary income that I can and will spend on my favorite hobby, I'm the bullseye of who they are targeting with this. And I don't want it. And to take it a step further, I'm even slightly insulted at the prospect.
The days I bought Sony products on goodwill ended this generation after the conclusion of the Jim Ryan era and all the attendant horsesh*t that has gone on during. They lost me. And, if I am the proto-typical consumer they are targeting with this - which I strongly suspect I am - they lost a lot of their "hardcore" crowd (I hate that term) this gen, who would normally go in for something like this.
I could believe it's just a way to reinvigorate their brand or stay relevant, despite being wholly pointless in terms of actual hardware. But I'm assuming they want to make money on this venture. And I don't think they will do too well.
Reason being, they have alienated me with every decision they have made the last 4 years to appeal to the Fortnight / Madden / Call of Duty crowd. Because there was more money in that for them. And they did make a killing. By closing Japan Studio and Pixel Opus and many other decisions I found pretty damn deplorable, all for the pursuit of a target market that wasn't me.
Fast forward a couple years, now they want to turn around and sell me whatever this is, an item tailor designed for the hardcore crowd, for me. But they can't justify it in terms of value. Just expect us to forget they sidelined us for the easy money, until it's time to remember we exist so we can open our wallets. Get lost, Sony.
They made a choice. Alienate the hardcore crowd for easy dollars. It was a very conscious decision they made too, not something a Fortune 500 company just stumbles into. They gotta live with that choice, can't have it both ways. Not buying until first party titles that truly push the system release. So probably never. They won't recoup their R&D and marketing costs on this.
God willing, they get the message and reform themselves for the next generation.
Re: PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
@LowDefAl
The argument goes something along the lines of the hardware is not even close to being pushed, it's poor optimisation from the devs. Because they develop for the lowest common denominator and scale up. Meaning the PS4 is still the lead console they are developing for, then clumsily scaled up to the PS5. Hardly anything was natively developed for the PS5 besides hilariously enough a handful of launch games that are still the graphical pinnacle of the entire library. To this day, nothing is graphically superior or more technically impressive than two launch games, Ratchet and Clank and the Demon's Souls remake, in my humble opinion. Wow.
I don't have the technical knowledge to make the above argument. All I can say is when I see framerate drops on PS5 on an indie game like Cult of the Lamb that should be able to run on an old cellphone, I tend to believe it.
First party games historically were the titles that pushed the system to its limits, usually we saw that around mid-gen. This time, not so much.
Re: PS5 Pro Is Seemingly Starting to Appear in Source Code
No, no, no, no, and no.
Release some games that push the current console first, then I'll consider spending hundreds of dollars / euros on... whatever this is.
This is DOA for me. If they had stopped cross gen releases about two years earlier I could see it as a maybe, but only just. But they were greedy and wanted to dip into that sweet, sweet PS4 install base way longer than the normal window, devaluing the newer machine. Now they want their cake and to eat it too, by releasing this. Sony cannot have it both ways. A pro console is viable whenever they can make a case for it. What is this gonna do? 120 FPS isn't worth $600+ for me... And I've been a day one adopter for PS stuff for a long time now. I'm the target market here, and I'm not buying.
Absolute, 100% no and I'm insulted at the level of greed on display even considering this is a entity that is greedy by definition.
I'd wager this is gonna do even worse numbers than the PS4 Pro did. I bought that for its 4K capabilities, which was overdue at the time, but I felt even that was negligible overall.
Re: Random: Former Beetroot Farmer Currently Senior CDPR Dev on The Witcher Sequel
One day you are farming beetroots in Australia, the next you are a senior dev for a famous Polish game company. Life sure throws some curve balls huh?
Re: Dragon Age: The Veilguard Not the 'Right Game' for 'Nasty' Blood Magic
Can I be Mr. Negative Internet Person # 53850 and just point out that Bioware, as it exists today, is no longer Bioware. Pretty much all the staff who worked on Inquisition or prior DA games are long gone.
I guess I just mention it because I loved the series. Very near and dear to my heart. And I am approaching this game with a heavy dose of skepticism. Gotta wait and see but I'm feeling a bit pessimistic about this project overall based on their most recent output. Just can't get hyped about this and every tidbit I come across doesn't inspire.
But more on topic, I'm not so fussed about this particular decision. While Bioware has a legacy of player choice RPGs (most notably Mass Effect's very simplistic good-evil dialogue trees), to be honest that was always superficial and you were more or less locked into a pretty set narrative. As people came to find out with Mass Effect 3's wildly controversial ending which finally tore away the illusion of player choice they had built up in 1 and 2 to reveal a pretty set outcome.
I never saw Bioware games as create-your-own adventure type RPGs despite them angling so many of their games that way in marketing. And that's alright. They had an interesting story to tell and rich lore to back it up.
Re: CDPR Says Boston-Based Dev Studio Will Make Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel More Authentically American
@NEStalgia
Hey now, having everything we use come from China is a proud American tradition. Proud I tells ya.
Re: CDPR Says Boston-Based Dev Studio Will Make Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel More Authentically American
@nomither6
Yessir. The only crayons in my box are the RED, WHITE, and BLUE. Frankly, just don't got no use for none of them other colors.
Happy Fourth everyone. For those of you across the pond who don't know, today is a holy day when we celebrate the imperial system of measurement, manifest destiny, and monster trucks the only way the Lord intended - by blowing stuff up in our backyards.
Re: CDPR Says Boston-Based Dev Studio Will Make Cyberpunk 2077 Sequel More Authentically American
It's color, not colour, and that's important because we fought a damn war over that. Everyone thinks it was about taxes on tea. But that's fake news, we don't even know what tea is, nor do we have any idea why people would drink distilled leaf juice.
In conclusion... America.
Re: The Obligatory Helldivers 2 Isn't As Popular As It Was Headlines Have Started to Emerge
I gotta say I'm really not a fan of the constant drastic balance patches that completely upend the experience every month or so. I dropped out after they constantly nerfed any weapon or piece of equipment which became a popular choice.
It's a PVE game, let it be unbalanced - as long as it's fun.
Re: Konami Producer Would 'Like Nothing Better Than to Work with Hideo Kojima Again'
@Orpheus79V
I get the pachinko jokes are outdated, but Konami still remains a shadow of its former self in the games biz.
The MGS Master Collection was a barebones, lazy port cash grab, the Silent Hill projects thus far have all been absolute duds, and I don't agree with assigning Bloober Team the remake duties for SH2 (assigning Silent Hill to a western team is a mistake they have made over, and over, and over again in the past). Oh, and Contra Hard Corps was awful. Castlevania remains in cryostasis outside of basic ports and cameos in other games.
I am not encouraged by the fact they are keeping the old voice work for MGS3 for Delta, as all those voice actors are still very active and would be willing to re-record them. Everything they do reeks of laziness and cutting corners.
The sole shining point for them has been Contra: Operation Galuga, a smaller title. I honestly can't think of anything else.