Ben-DutkaYeah, it's true. Red Dead Redemption is that good.
Not long after learning that Rockstar's gem topped the software charts for May, we find out that RDR managed to hold onto the #1 slot for the second straight month. The NPD Group results for June show that Take-Two's smash hit sold another 582,900 units on the Xbox 360 and 380,300 on the PS3, which totals nearly a million sold (963,200, to be exact), and that's only down around a half-million copies from May's haul. So what does this mean? Simple. Red Dead Redemption is the best-selling game of 2010 thus far.
June also resembled May in terms of overall statistics; US sales of game software, hardware and accessories fell 6% (from $1.17 billion in June 2009) to $1.1 billion; there was a 5% decline in May. Thankfully, though, there was a reversal in fortune concerning hardware sales. That number plummeted 20% in May but managed to rebound in June; last month saw a rise of 5%, thanks mostly to the introduction of Microsoft's new Xbox 360 Slim. This allowed the 360 to take second at 451,700, behind only the dominant DS, which tallied 510,700 units. The PS3 sold 304,800 and the PSP sold 121,000. Said NPD analyst Anita Frazier:
"Hardware sales saw a notable uptick from May on an average sales per week basis, and all three current gen console systems saw unit sales increases over last year; in particular, the Xbox 360 and the PS3. The Xbox 360 experienced its second largest non-holiday month after September '07 when Halo 3 launched, and the PS3 has now garnered 11 consecutive months of year-over-year unit sales increases."
But on the flip side, while May enjoyed a 4% software rise, June watched software fall 15% in the year-over-year comparison. Behind RDR was Super Mario Galaxy 2 (582,900), New Super Mario Bros. (200,900), Just Dance (174,800), Toy Story 3 , and UFC 2010: Undisputed . Not surprisingly, Sony focused on the good: PS3 hardware unit sales are up 85% since June 2009 and 42% since January 2010, and PS3 software unit sales are up 17% since June 2009 and 42% since January 2010. Their statement, from Patrick Seybold, SCEA Senior Director of Corporate Communications, is as follows:
"Video games are fueling new innovation for the entire consumer entertainment category and today’s numbers are a testament to the big impact we’ll play this holiday. In just the back half of this year, PlayStation will be offering groundbreaking experiences in 3D and new motion control games with PlayStation Move, and we’re already providing rich streaming content options such as Hulu Plus, MLB.TV, and Netflix. With a healthy flow of PS3s back in the channel, and eleven months of PS3’s consecutive growth behind us, we’re confident the PS3 will become the main entertainment hub for many new consumers this year and provide countless reasons to congregate in the living room."
Red Dead Redemption is most definitely that good. Glad to see Marston is still busting caps in the sales numbers. He deserves it.
Yeah it's a masterpiece. One of the few games that rise above personal preferences and is just Good, period.
Still sad that Modnation doesn't get love
It should have released in Japan, might have gotten more love over there.
same, modnation is one of the best kart racer out there, dare I say better than mario kart, yes I dare
Dayman fighter of the nightman ( yeah that show is awesome, should definitely won an emmy.
the reason I brought It's always sunny in philadelphia cause it's the same condition as Modnation. best game (or show) but no recognition…… stupid ppl 🙁
I tried to like ModNation, but the driving itself just isnt fun. The track creation is perfect, and works incredibly well on the psp, but i just can't enjoy actually driving the tracks. Mario Kart still has the best driving mechanics of any kart racer, and seeing as its a racing game i find that much more important than a track/person/cart editor.
tl;dr
Mario Kart > ModNation because driving mechanics are more important than editors.
Where did you bring "It's always sunny in philadelphia"?
You know how boring it would get doing the same tracks over and over? Very. I would pick ModNation over Mario Kart anyday it keeps things fresh.
@ nosmokingbandit
What didn't you like about the driving mechanic. Drifting is so much stinking fun. I drive every track drifting the entire time. Just hopping from left to right, drift mania all the time. Aaaaaah I love it!
yeah what's with the random it's always sunny comment?
the song of dayman, cause I just checked the emmy's nomination and It's always sunny in Philadelphia wasn't nominated. I guess I was pissed cause I read both news at the same time. venting out I guess
im glad to hear the PS3 is still going strong. i have been considering a second ps3. if only to save on the electric bill since i have mine on a lot. my daughters bday is comin up and im considering getting her a ps2. she is going to be 6 and she loves ps3 but its a little to much for her on her own. ps2 has a ton of games perfect for her. sony is great
Why did rdr sold more in xbox even though the ps3 has an exclusive gang?
Because the gaming audience on the 360 is more pre-disposed to that kind of game than the general population on the PS3.
Highlander, do you really think so… I was very much looking forward to Red Dead even though my favourite genre is FPS's… I think if a game really shows class, effort and is an"experience"… people will try something new like I did…
Also, consider the number of Japanese PS3's sold in Japan compared to the xbot 360. Now while I do agree, that Japanese may not go for a game like Red Dead… if they had done… we would have similar numbers of Red Dead sold compared with the xbot.
I think the will is there, however, companies in the west (including Sony) need to either market these types of games more aggressively, or try to "educate" their non traditional gamer markets to "try something new", maybe with some discount voucher system or what have you. Idea is, that if an additional 15% of PS3 owners had bought Red Dead, we would have similar sales figures. It is only a smaller portion of gamers on the PS3 that haven't gone for it in my view…
I don't think PS3 owners in Europe or America (or else where – besides Japan) are predisposed to anything (though RPG's in general on the PS3 are a strong pull)… I think if a game is good it will be bought… there is also a tendency of sale based on "egotistic temptation"… some people buy just to show off the technical prowess of their consoles too…
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
*Currently in Taipei, Taiwan
Last edited by Qubex on 7/15/2010 10:53:05 PM
Yes, but the numbers under discussion here are NPD numbers with only cover The US market (and miss a chunk of that too). So anytime someone is discussing NPD numbers the discussion has to be US centric, because the numbers are. It doesn't mean that what happens elsewhere is unimportant – of course. But the discussion must be taken in the context of the US market alone.
Yip, very true… my comment then should be taken more generally!
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
*Currently in Taipei, Taiwan
Only the US market? Isn't that the only market where there are more 360's sold than PS3's?
@Faraga – you are 100% correct sir!
I'm surprised that the 360 didn't see more explosive grown than that. I seem to remember that the PS3 slim really flew high in the first couple of months. 360 did well, but I'm surprised it didn't do better.
Might have something to do with Xbots and MS fans rushing out to exchange their old consoles towards it while new console buyers are playing the 'wait and see' game to see if it still has the heating and disc scratching problems inherited from the old console.
You'd think MS would've put that on the top of their list to fix in the new console.
PS3 sold heaps when the price came down cos it has the games, the blu ray player, free net, etc etc. More new console buyers getting the slim than trade-ins.
Working at EB Games, I saw a lot of 20 GB, 60 GB and 120 GB 360's be traded towards the new 250GB 360 S. But very few people bought it new without trade. This is because cost wasn't a factor hindering 360 sales. It's lack of games across various genres.
Give it another 3 months, and 360 sales will slide back down again. Til the release of Kinect. Big spike, followed by a huge decline once more.
Well, I am under the impression that new potential gamers – from either side, being it from PS3, Wii and/or PC… may be feeling that new hardware will come in 24 months or so. They may be happy with their current system and wait it out.
So I guess you could have had higher growth, however maybe people are waiting in the wings… some gamers couldn't be bothered just yet to buy another system, some people may get it on the cheap in 12 months time – second hand etc… I think if the new 360 had been released 6-8 months ago, you would probably have had 50% more sales than you have now.
You may still get a surge from Kinetics, maybe some Wii people are on the side lines, they may come across once the bundles are on sale and they see the system running. The Milo game could have an influence on sales if the artificial intelligence system (M$ is touting) is impressive and constitute a brand new experience unlike anything before it… point being, I am sure sales will be strong, probably fluctuate… but there must be people wondering now that it may not be worth purchasing console hardware until 2012, that is if those potential consumers are happy with what they currently have for a while longer.
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
*Currently in Taipei, Taiwan
Last edited by Qubex on 7/15/2010 11:00:20 PM
MS Xbox=British Petrolium oil rig.
I have to be honest, after the initial impressiveness of RDR I lost interest. The game just got kinda boring. This happened in GTAIV too. Great games to be sure, but I think my tastes are changing. I should have gone with my gut and got it cheaper but I got caught up in the hype. I'm sure I'll get back to it once I finish up all the other games I'm into right now.
I actually feel similar, it is a great game… but I think controlling temptation is what is important now… Remember Sony and her development partners are constantly scheming on how to get each and every dollar they can out of your pocket…
My attitude really is down to the quality of the product. I want to reward effort… for me the ultimate effort I have seen in a video games are games like Uncharted 2, Killzone 2 (and 3 soon), GT5 (soon), Last Guardian (soon… these are developers at their pinnacle… they deserve to be rewarded and they deserve the hype… I know they are a few good multi-plats out there… but you have to be really critical and ruthless with what you buy, otherwise it is good money down the drain…
I have become very picky of late…. and will continue to do so…
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
*Currently in Taipei, Taiwan
Last edited by Qubex on 7/15/2010 11:04:27 PM
I don't know if your tastes are changing world, but the thing about RDR that is an oddity to me, I like the game a lot, but somehow it seems to have left a bad taste in my mouth.
I didn't care for the end of the game, characters I enjoyed would just randomly disappear from the story and never come back.
The Mp free roam was like a theme park without rides, there was just barely anything to do.
In the end I don't think there has ever been another game that has left me with such mixed emotions.
The worst part is, the dlc coming later has all the stuff that should have been in MP free roam to begin with, but we have to practically buy the game again to get it all.
You're spot on when you call it a theme park without rides, thats *exactly* how it feels. The multiplayer leaves a lot to be desired, that much I agree with. Rockstar has never been good with multiplayer. GTAIV had dull multiplayer too, remember? RDR should be considered as a solo player game cause that's what it is. The multiplayer is just slapped on. And disabling mini games like poker, only to hand it out as dlc later, well that leaves a sour taste in my mouth for sure.
"Red Dead Redemption is the best-selling game of 2010 thus far"… Until Gran Turismo 5.
I didn't think RDR sold so much more on that Xbot. I have a Friend that owns a PS3 and 360, I talked him in to getting it on the PS3.
It will never cease to amaze me how many ppl will succumb to new flashy packaging. To see that 360 sales went up just because they re-wrapped it, is just sad. A whole new line of ppl buying a broken machine because it got a pretty new bow on it.
Glad to see ps3 sales still rising and am happy to report that the ps3 shortage has died, at least in my area. For the first time since christmas every place in town seems to have a full stock of ps3's. Thank goodness.
Next months sales should be incredibly interesting.
well it is ready for today ***and*** tomorrow……
although it uses a format of yesterday…
nice dlte The "new" xbox is so old. It took 5 years for them to put wi fi in it when Sony had it since day one.
and the Kinect it;s like the PStoy on the PS2 lol
On a RDR related, but much sadder, note….
Rumor: Rockstar Lays Off 40 From Red Dead Redemption Studio (With Update)
http://kotaku.com/5587413/rumor-rockstar-lays-off-40-from-red-dead-redemption-team
Is it just me, but do the PS3 numbers seem comparatively higher in contrast to the 360 than it has in the past. I know the Slim caused a sales boost, but it just seems as though the gap is closing, even with the new 360. Also, what was the sales numbers for the Wii? I'd like to see how it's doing against the beasts now that people know more about their motion sensing peripherals.
Peace.
They are, remember this is the US market and the 360 benefited from two things, a new squat model and a lower price ($50 off) on the remaining elites still in stock at retailers. Even with this advantage it seems fairly clear that the PS3 would have come at very least really close to outselling the 360 in June. But remember these numbers only reflect the US market. Globally, I would suggest that the PS3 is outselling the 360 pretty handily, and June was no exception to that.
Like World said, Red Dead Redemption get's kind of boring after the first couple of hours.
Now I see it more as a let down, compared to Demon's Souls that is, now I know I shouldn't compare 'em, since they're total different genres, but still I'm just glad I bought Demon's Souls, just a bit let down that I jumped onto the hype train for RDR.
meh thats no surprise, any R* game will sell like hotcakes!
what is surprising though is the 360 out sold the wii this month!
i mean holy sh*t i thought i would never see that happen!
wonder how long that will last?
1) it's only in the US market, these are NPD numbers, they only cover the US and actually don't count some retailers.
2) Wii's losing ground against both 360 and PS3.
3) In the month that MS releases the new Xbox 360 Space Heater Squat model, it's not a surprise to see it's sales peak, and with Nintendo's misfortunes in the Wii sales department, it's not really a surprise that the 360 outsold the Wii for once.
However since it's become clear that the new 360 scratches discs at least as easily as the older 360 did, and is also still prone to overheating (at least it tells you and shuts down now), I don't think that this new 360 will revitalize 360's fortunes long term.
Interestingly enough there was a test done by some self serving website supposedly comparing PS3 and 360 heat tolerance. They were trying to prove that the new 360 was better. So they took an old phat and new slim PS3 and a 360 Elite and a new space heater squat and put each of them in an sealed enclosure. Each unit was tested until it 'failed'.
The results? Both PS3s shut down because of overheating, and then once they were removed from the enclosure and cooled a bit, both booted back up without issue – not really a failure. The old 360 elite they used RROD'd and was DOA, that would be a failure. The new space heater squat shut down, just as the PS3 did, and then after cooling was able to boot up again.
They claimed that the new 360 took longer to shut down due to heat than the PS3. You want to know the flaw in their test? The 360's PSU brick, that red hot piece of iron wrapped in copper wire that transforms AC to DC for the 360, was *not* inside the enclosure. The PS3's PSU is built in, so it was not really an equal or fair test.
In the end all they really managed to prove was that the new space heater squat model finally has thermal protection that the PS3 has had since day 1. Nothing more, nothing less – except that 360 Elites are very susceptible to RROD failures.
Man. What is going on here in the US?
I guess you have to give MS credit. The 360 fanbase sure likes throwing money away.
or their parent's money
…or their grand parents….
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
Some games just don't appeal to some people. Protagonists and Antagonists play a huge part in why we support certain games and why certain games become highly recognizable and must buys. RDR is the second highly praised game I have passed on since the Assassin's Creed franchise, the characters just don't interest me.
ModNation Racer on the PS3 is an awesome kart racer…ModNation Racer on the PSP is NOT an awesome kart racer. I've yet to purchase it but the licensed characters are an Awesome addition and quite possibly the only reason I would by the game. I love me some licensed characters in video games 🙂 Here's to continued growth in ModNation with Sony adding more and more licensed mascots.