Media Create Sales: Week 26, 2023 (Jun 26 - Jul 02)

[BishopLamont]

even Sony is releasing GAAS games day 1 on pc, but SE gives no shits bout pc

ff13 and 15 was day and date on ps/xbox but then ff16 is exclusive to ps5, is a Sony paycheck really worth risking the longterm health of the IP? SE needs to have a reality check and realise FF isn't as prestigious as it use to be

1996/1997
SF - Super Mario RPG
PS - Final Fantasy 7

2023/2024
NSW - Super Mario RPG
PS5 - Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Will be an interesting comparison.

like ff16, mario rpg will demolish both combined

 

[LOCK]

I’m late to the party but we should stop being surprised at Switch hardware. Zelda gave the Switch another year with hardly no decline. Nintendo must have expected this.

I think FF is doing ok for what it launched at.

Ghost Trick needs to sell more so we could get a quasi sequel.

 

[RailWays]

even Sony is releasing GAAS games day 1 on pc, but SE gives no shits bout pc

ff13 and 15 was day and date on ps/xbox but then ff16 is exclusive to ps5, is a Sony paycheck really worth risking the longterm health of the IP? SE needs to have a reality check and realise FF isn't as prestigious as it use to be

There was a time where being late to PC was standard but the problem is Square's competitors are able to offer PC versions day-and-date with console while they never adapted.

 

[Neo_arcadia7]

I wonder what the PS5 slim will do in the domestic market. Possibly it releases this year & with FFVIIR-2 coming up early next year might be interesting to see.

Switch will likely maintain decent momentum even with a successor announced. Especially if any of the SKU get a price drop.

 

[Bodokoh]

even Sony is releasing GAAS games day 1 on pc, but SE gives no shits bout pc

ff13 and 15 was day and date on ps/xbox but then ff16 is exclusive to ps5, is a Sony paycheck really worth risking the longterm health of the IP? SE needs to have a reality check and realise FF isn't as prestigious as it use to be

We can use FF7R and RE2R as an example of time-exclusive strategy vs multiplatform strategy in expanding their respective game sales in current generation.

FF7 - PS1 = 9.8 million units sold
RE2 - PS1 = 5 million units sold

FF7R with Time exclusive strategy - 5 million units sold.
RE2R with day-one multiplatform strategy - 12 million units sold.

 

[ILikeFeet]

I wonder what the PS5 slim will do in the domestic market. Possibly it releases this year & with FFVIIR-2 coming up early next year might be interesting to see.

Switch will likely maintain decent momentum even with a successor announced. Especially if any of the SKU get a price drop.

I can't imagine it changing anything. it's supposed to be the same price and not any smaller

 

[Neo_arcadia7]

I can't imagine it changing anything. it's supposed to be the same price and not any smaller

Yeah I don’t expect anything drastic but I think it will be a bit cheaper some rumors saying $100 price difference but we’ll have to see.

 

[BishopLamont]

We can use FF7R and RE2R as an example of time-exclusive strategy vs multiplatform strategy in expanding their respective game sales in current generation.

FF7 - PS1 = 9.8 million units sold
RE2 - PS1 = 5 million units sold

FF7R with Time exclusive strategy - 5 million units sold.
RE2R with day-one multiplatform strategy - 12 million units sold.

even if Sony covered all dev costs + marketing, SE still loses since FF longterm health is impacted by losing millions of customers

and we know Sony isn't that generous for a timed-exclusive

moneyhats are so pointless for all parties involved in this day and age, artificially deflating your installbase for money makes no sense when you can easily make more just by selling it everywhere

FF7r would easily be a 10m seller if they just went multi day1

 

[Bodokoh]

even if Sony covered all dev costs + marketing, SE still loses since FF longterm health is impacted by losing millions of customers

and we know Sony isn't that generous for a timed-exclusive

moneyhats are so pointless for all parties involved in this day and age, artificially deflating your installbase for money makes no sense when you can easily make more just by selling it everywhere

FF7r would easily be a 10m seller if they just went multi day1

It could've done that way faster than FFXV, but SE was too shortsighted and blinded by the exclusive contract.

 

[tentacle-tropes]

There was a time where being late to PC was standard but the problem is Square's competitors are able to offer PC versions day-and-date with console while they never adapted.

It hurts even more when some of these late ports are of questionable quality with SE doing nothing to fix them.

 

[ikaben]

Rather interesting how two weeks of unexpected Switch HW sales have affected the conversation.

 

[SilverACREQ]

SE treats PC like a dumping ground need extra sales just dump something there and go and ask Sony for exclusivity money.
I hope YoshiP puts that effort he says he needs to have the game be delayed on PC cause if it ends up as a poor part man..

In more lighthearted news apparently Capcom let some show do a Skit with a guy in Ryu Mask do Hadoukens on people.

 

[Refyref]

Vol. 2 will probably be Peace Walker, 4 and Ground Zeroes I guess? They could throw Ghost Babel as a bonus, yeah. And Vol.3 might be Phantom Pain, Revengeance and Ac!d games?

I'd be surprised if GZ and PP weren't together? I feel like it'll be MGS4, PW, PortOps, GB and the AC!Ds on Vol. 2. Basically all the handheld stuff and 4 in one package.

Vol. 3 (if it happens) could be MGSV (all of it) and Revengeance then.

The leak suggests that Vol. 2 will be 4, PW and both parts of 5.
I suppose a Vol. 3 could happen with spin-offs like Ghost Babel, Twin Snakes, Revengeance, PO or the Ac!d games, but going by the above, it's probably not planned yet. I do hope it happens, though. Ghost Babel is my favorite entry.

 

[Hiska-kun]

How much did Pikmin 3DX did in japan in the end? Makes me wonder if Pikmin 4 can do 1.2m in japan alone there.

860k shipped by March 2021 in Japan (Source Nintendo).
It’s probably very close to 1M, if not already there. Probably we’ll know next year in CESA White Book.

 

[Herb Alpert]

The leak suggests that Vol. 2 will be 4, PW and both parts of 5.
I suppose a Vol. 3 could happen with spin-offs like Ghost Babel, Twin Snakes, Revengeance, PO or the Ac!d games, but going by the above, it's probably not planned yet. I do hope it happens, though. Ghost Babel is my favorite entry.

Wow, this is insane value if true, I was expecting them to put 4 with some serviceable things with no real interest, just it alone is enough to sell any package

 

[Nocturnal]

PS4 Famitsu Top 20 (2014-2017)

1. Dragon Quest XI (Square Enix) - 1.368.698
2. Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix) - 1.042.951
3. Grand Theft Auto V (Take Two) - 774.453
4. NieR: Automata (Square Enix) - 518.317
5. Minecraft (Sony) - 504.559
6. Metal Gear Solid V (Konami) - 448.554
7. Dark Souls III (FromSoftware) - 413.021
8. Persona 5 (Atlus) - 405.455
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Sony) - 403.054
10. Knack (Sony) - 400.888
11. Call of Duty: WWII (Sony) - 387.498
12. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (Sega) - 367.965
13. Resident Evil 7: biohazard (Capcom) - 365.896
14. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft) - 348.882
15. Dragon Quest Heroes (Square Enix) - 329.934
16. Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 ReMIX (Square Enix) - 293.248
17. Horizon: Zero Dawn (Sony) - 290.487
18. Dragon Quest Heroes II (Square Enix) - 280.542
19. Gran Turismo Sport (Sony) - 280.520
20. Battlefield 1 (Electronic Arts) - 275.924

TOTAL: 9.500.846

Current known numbers on all PS5 games that have appeared on Famitsu is 2.643.469

In terms of M-C data 2014-2016 PS4 sold 16.228.560
M-C data for PS5 sales 2020-2022 is 2.409.381
Results of PS5 are comparable to what PS4 achieved on M-C in 2014 - 2.441.876

So from my point of view in terms of active audience PS5 currently is comparable to PS4 at the end of 2014 - 970.667 whether thats due to the fact that most PS5 owners play F2P, use PS+, own PC/Switch and make majority of purchases there or there was massive scalping in the first three years.

Personally I've been a fan of the scalping/reselling outside of Japan theory for the first three years of the PS5's life. I've said it many times that software performance can normalize somewhat only when the demand outside of Japan is satisfied and prices in Japan go back to normal. But obviously its a combination of factors not one single thing alone.
During 2021 & 2022 average number of systems sold per week was below 25K - while PS5 was being sold double its retail price outside of Japan - making it very lucrative to resell it where demand at the pricing was largest.

Looking forward the debunking and explanation why PS5 software is going to finish below what X360 managed in it's launch years 2005/2006 despite around 1/3 hardware sales compared to PS5 without counting it's digital edition

I'm guessing they would mention some factors like digital, backwards compatibility, F2P titles like Genshin/Apex/Fortnite being popular etc. driving software sales so low, but by the same token we can see that active user-base is probably only slightly above 360 numbers

Like I've said previously the margin is higher if you sell it outside of Japan which leads me to believe that demand within Japan is very low at scalper price. Until Sony invests into PS exclusives that cater to the Japanese market, or find a surprise hit I don't see why we should expect things to turn around. Hardware sales are good compared to 2020 which was a low point but software sales are absolutely horrific. Maybe if Sony ships 50K units for a few months and resell price normalize software sales will pick up somewhat but with chip shortages this is looking like a highly unlikely scenario.

https://www.installbaseforum.com/forums/threads/media-create-sales-week-43-2021-oct-25-oct-31.226/page-15#post-12250

In the end I don't think anyone will ever debunk this theory for the period between 2020-2022,
Right now anyone can buy a PS5 and so far this year the system has sold 1.5M - this is actually what I believe the realistic number of Japanese owners; with a portion of these having PS5 as a secondary console thus not active users that play daily or purchase many games.

I expect that PS5 will now start to slow in Japan as most of the demand is actually met.

Sony needs a lineup like the one of the PS4 with multiple exclusive Dragon Quest games, a new Persona MGS, GTA etc in order to not start to slow to a crawl and we aren't getting most of those games until 2024-2025.

 

[Lelouch0612]

860k shipped by March 2021 in Japan (Source Nintendo).
It’s probably very close to 1M, if not already there. Probably we’ll know next year in CESA White Book.

My hope is that we would know with this year's edition (so as of December 2022).

 

[theprodigy]

My hope is that we would know with this year's edition (so as of December 2022).

when is that one coming anyway

 

[J-Cat]

PS4 Famitsu Top 20 (2014-2017)

1. Dragon Quest XI (Square Enix) - 1.368.698
2. Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix) - 1.042.951
3. Grand Theft Auto V (Take Two) - 774.453
4. NieR: Automata (Square Enix) - 518.317
5. Minecraft (Sony) - 504.559
6. Metal Gear Solid V (Konami) - 448.554
7. Dark Souls III (FromSoftware) - 413.021
8. Persona 5 (Atlus) - 405.455
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Sony) - 403.054
10. Knack (Sony) - 400.888
11. Call of Duty: WWII (Sony) - 387.498
12. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (Sega) - 367.965
13. Resident Evil 7: biohazard (Capcom) - 365.896
14. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft) - 348.882
15. Dragon Quest Heroes (Square Enix) - 329.934
16. Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 ReMIX (Square Enix) - 293.248
17. Horizon: Zero Dawn (Sony) - 290.487
18. Dragon Quest Heroes II (Square Enix) - 280.542
19. Gran Turismo Sport (Sony) - 280.520
20. Battlefield 1 (Electronic Arts) - 275.924

TOTAL: 9.500.846

Current known numbers on all PS5 games that have appeared on Famitsu is 2.643.469

In terms of M-C data 2014-2016 PS4 sold 16.228.560
M-C data for PS5 sales 2020-2022 is 2.409.381
Results of PS5 are comparable to what PS4 achieved on M-C in 2014 - 2.441.876

So from my point of view in terms of active audience PS5 currently is comparable to PS4 at the end of 2014 - 970.667 whether thats due to the fact that most PS5 owners play F2P, use PS+, own PC/Switch and make majority of purchases there or there was massive scalping in the first three years.

Personally I've been a fan of the scalping/reselling outside of Japan theory for the first three years of the PS5's life. I've said it many times that software performance can normalize somewhat only when the demand outside of Japan is satisfied and prices in Japan go back to normal. But obviously its a combination of factors not one single thing alone.
During 2021 & 2022 average number of systems sold per week was below 25K - while PS5 was being sold double its retail price outside of Japan - making it very lucrative to resell it where demand at the pricing was largest.

https://www.installbaseforum.com/forums/threads/media-create-sales-week-43-2021-oct-25-oct-31.226/page-15#post-12250

In the end I don't think anyone will ever debunk this theory for the period between 2020-2022,
Right now anyone can buy a PS5 and so far this year the system has sold 1.5M - this is actually what I believe the realistic number of Japanese owners; with a portion of these having PS5 as a secondary console thus not active users that play daily or purchase many games.

I expect that PS5 will now start to slow in Japan as most of the demand is actually met.

Sony needs a lineup like the one of the PS4 with multiple exclusive Dragon Quest games, a new Persona MGS, GTA etc in order to not start to slow to a crawl and we aren't getting most of those games until 2024-2025.

How long do you think it will be before PS4 software sales dry up?

Those games you mentioned would definitely help but I feel like their sales potential have been cut in half (like we saw with FF16).
In the PS5 era have there been any Dragon Quest games exclusive to PS?
2 recent DQ games are exclusive to Switch (Treasures and Monsters).
Most of audience for DQ games seems to be on Switch so I think it would be foolhardy to make PS exclusive games.
I mean SE might do that anyway and some people may go to PS for DQ but at this point probably far more sales would be lost than gained. And is really SE's job to pump up PS in Japan? I dunno about that.

Persona, GTA, and MGS will all be de facto PS exclusives, as they were for the PS4 and that didn't stop it declining...

I think Sony are the only ones that can help PS in Japan and they don't seem very interested in doing that.

 

[KtSlime]

There are no exclusive DQ games to PS4 either.

 

[wolftendo]

I can't imagine it changing anything. it's supposed to be the same price and not any smaller

I don't see the point of releasing such a device then tbh

 

[Vena]

I don't see the point of releasing such a device then tbh

Marketing a new SKU. Though I hadn't heard anything about it being the same price and size, that doesn't seem right.

 

[Neo_arcadia7]

Marketing a new SKU. Though I hadn't heard anything about it being the same price and size, that doesn't seem right.

Rumors circulating that it’s going to be a $100 dollars less & come with a detachable disc drive the.

 

[KtSlime]

If it comes with a detachable drive, what’s the point of making it detachable.

Ready to see them raise the price again here in Japan.

 

[Neo_arcadia7]

If it comes with a detachable drive, what’s the point of making it detachable.

Ready to see them raise the price again here in Japan.

Not sure. I don’t see the point in that but that comes from Tom Henderson. During the whole Microsoft Activision nonsense, Microsoft said they expect Sony to release a slim PSR retailing for $399.99. If that’s true I just see them releasing a standard slim PS5 with the disc drive built in.

 

[storres]

Not sure. I don’t see the point in that but that comes from Tom Henderson. During the whole Microsoft Activision nonsense, Microsoft said they expect Sony to release a slim PSR retailing for $399.99. If that’s true I just see them releasing a standard slim PS5 with the disc drive built in.

Isn't the detachable disk drive rumored to be sold separately?

 

[awng782]

Unless I am recalling incorrectly, I think Tom Henderson said the new PS5 model without the detachable disc drive will retail at the same price as the current PS5 Digital Edition, and a bundle containing the new PS5 + the detachable disc drive will retail at the same price as the current disc PS5.

In other words the pricing for the new PS5 will be the same as it is right now, but now those who the new PS5 without the detachable disc drive who want physical game support can now choose to buy the disc drive separately rather than buy an entire new PS5 console (like how it is right now).

 

[Terrell]

If it comes with a detachable drive, what’s the point of making it detachable.

Ready to see them raise the price again here in Japan.

The benefits are primarily for Sony. With the disc drive basically being only for installing and license validation, there's no need for the drive to be internal from a consumer standpoint anymore, as the consumer doesn't really lose any functionality. And by externalizing the drive, Sony only has to really manufacture one SKU and a peripheral, which is cheaper than 2 console SKUs, while incurring less expensive repair costs for one of the only 2 mechanical components (that are thus the most prone to failure) that remain inside the console itself. It's a lot cheaper to send an external/detachable drive for hardware service than the whole console and comes with the added consumer benefit of quicker turnaround time to repair/replacement for one of the most likely failure points on the console itself.

 

[ILikeFeet]

I don't see the point of releasing such a device then tbh

increased yields, lower build cost

 

[Fularu]

If it comes with a detachable drive, what’s the point of making it detachable.

Ready to see them raise the price again here in Japan.

They will increase the price by 15000 yen in order to prevent mass exporting !

 

[Brandonleemoss]

1996/1997
SF - Super Mario RPG
PS - Final Fantasy 7

2023/2024
NSW - Super Mario RPG
PS5 - Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth

Will be an interesting comparison.

Destiny we meet again!
how much did OG FF7 & SMRPG sell?
I hope Super Mario RPG SW can hit 8million!
Even if it's a long shot!

 

[Lelouch0612]

If it comes with a detachable drive, what’s the point of making it detachable.

Ready to see them raise the price again here in Japan.

Giving the opportunity for PS5 digital owner to upgrade while easying the PS5 production line.

Seems like a win win deal.

 

[BishopLamont]

PS4 Famitsu Top 20 (2014-2017)

1. Dragon Quest XI (Square Enix) - 1.368.698
2. Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix) - 1.042.951
3. Grand Theft Auto V (Take Two) - 774.453
4. NieR: Automata (Square Enix) - 518.317
5. Minecraft (Sony) - 504.559
6. Metal Gear Solid V (Konami) - 448.554
7. Dark Souls III (FromSoftware) - 413.021
8. Persona 5 (Atlus) - 405.455
9. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Sony) - 403.054
10. Knack (Sony) - 400.888
11. Call of Duty: WWII (Sony) - 387.498
12. Yakuza 6: The Song of Life (Sega) - 367.965
13. Resident Evil 7: biohazard (Capcom) - 365.896
14. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft) - 348.882
15. Dragon Quest Heroes (Square Enix) - 329.934
16. Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 ReMIX (Square Enix) - 293.248
17. Horizon: Zero Dawn (Sony) - 290.487
18. Dragon Quest Heroes II (Square Enix) - 280.542
19. Gran Turismo Sport (Sony) - 280.520
20. Battlefield 1 (Electronic Arts) - 275.924

TOTAL: 9.500.846

Current known numbers on all PS5 games that have appeared on Famitsu is 2.643.469

In terms of M-C data 2014-2016 PS4 sold 16.228.560
M-C data for PS5 sales 2020-2022 is 2.409.381
Results of PS5 are comparable to what PS4 achieved on M-C in 2014 - 2.441.876

So from my point of view in terms of active audience PS5 currently is comparable to PS4 at the end of 2014 - 970.667 whether thats due to the fact that most PS5 owners play F2P, use PS+, own PC/Switch and make majority of purchases there or there was massive scalping in the first three years.

Personally I've been a fan of the scalping/reselling outside of Japan theory for the first three years of the PS5's life. I've said it many times that software performance can normalize somewhat only when the demand outside of Japan is satisfied and prices in Japan go back to normal. But obviously its a combination of factors not one single thing alone.
During 2021 & 2022 average number of systems sold per week was below 25K - while PS5 was being sold double its retail price outside of Japan - making it very lucrative to resell it where demand at the pricing was largest.

https://www.installbaseforum.com/forums/threads/media-create-sales-week-43-2021-oct-25-oct-31.226/page-15#post-12250

In the end I don't think anyone will ever debunk this theory for the period between 2020-2022,
Right now anyone can buy a PS5 and so far this year the system has sold 1.5M - this is actually what I believe the realistic number of Japanese owners; with a portion of these having PS5 as a secondary console thus not active users that play daily or purchase many games.

I expect that PS5 will now start to slow in Japan as most of the demand is actually met.

Sony needs a lineup like the one of the PS4 with multiple exclusive Dragon Quest games, a new Persona MGS, GTA etc in order to not start to slow to a crawl and we aren't getting most of those games until 2024-2025.

yep your 970k estimation is spot on with what I got, I compared systems like wii-u and 360 but vita seems to be spot on with sw:hw ratio and the likely real ps5 userbase in japan

2020-2022 ps5 sales SW: 2.4m HW: 2.4m
2011 -2013 vita sales SW: 6m HW: 2.4M

half vita SW/HW - 3m/1.2m = ps5 SW/HW - 2.4m/960k

this means that while the ps5 averaged 21k HW during 2020-2022, only 9k stayed in Japan while 12k was scalped/exported

while stock issues have eased, it is still much cheaper to buy a ps5 from japan, so I dont think the 960k userbase will increase as much as this year's numbers have suggested, especially when the root SW situation doesn't seem to have improved much

 

[Quinton]

We can use FF7R and RE2R as an example of time-exclusive strategy vs multiplatform strategy in expanding their respective game sales in current generation.

FF7 - PS1 = 9.8 million units sold
RE2 - PS1 = 5 million units sold

FF7R with Time exclusive strategy - 5 million units sold.
RE2R with day-one multiplatform strategy - 12 million units sold.

I’m sure FF7R has sold more than five million by now. Not a lot more, but more. The five million number is from three years ago. Unless there is some recent data point that I am missing, I would think it has hit about six million by now, perhaps slightly more.

 

[cw_sasuke]

I’m sure FF7R has sold more than five million by now. Not a lot more, but more. The five million number is from three years ago. Unless there is some recent data point that I am missing, I would think it has hit about six million by now, perhaps slightly more.

True but this also shows why Capcom can be so transparent with their numbers and give updates to sales every couple months. The games are selling to a large part of the market and have legs.

Yes 7R probably sold a bit more than 5m, but disclosing that numbers wouldn't paint the most positive picture for the title either. Especially when you can easily draw the comparison to the top 3rdParty games that embraced multiplatform releases like Capcom and From Software.

It feels like SE has sacrificed a lot of sales potential for some of their AAA content, just for once eco system when the other big dogs out of Japan don't have to limit themselves like this to attract the market.

PS. With that being said I assume that overall SE has a very satisfying deal with Sony, that also includes the PS+ catalogue additions as well as the profit share when it comes to FF XIV. Regular game sales are just part of the overall package.

 

[Aostia82]

I’m sure FF7R has sold more than five million by now. Not a lot more, but more. The five million number is from three years ago. Unless there is some recent data point that I am missing, I would think it has hit about six million by now, perhaps slightly more.

the data point is SE own PR that still stated 5mil (while promoting the sequel latest new trailer)
that said, everyone agreed that this probably does'nt mean that it stop selling, but more than it didn't reach the 6mil milestone

 

[Laguna]

I doubt SQEX predicted such a collapse in Playstation software sales in Japan, when they signed the deal. I also think that they expected more growth in Europe and US by having their games receive the 1st Party treatment from Playstation post Horizon, Spiderman, God of War.

 

[Quinton]

True but this also shows why Capcom can be so transparent with their numbers and give updates to sales every couple months. The games are selling to a large part of the market and have legs.

Yes 7R probably sold a bit more than 5m, but disclosing that numbers wouldn't paint the most positive picture for the title either. Especially when you can easily draw the comparison to the top 3rdParty games that embraced multiplatform releases like Capcom and From Software.

the data point is SE own PR that still stated 5mil (while promoting the sequel latest new trailer)
that said, everyone agreed that this probably does'nt mean that it stop selling, but more than it didn't reach the 6mil milestone

I’d either forgotten, or somehow missed, that Square Enix noted the game’s sales figures recently. Thanks!

 

[Godzilla]

I don't think FF16 received any particular Sony special treatment besides a few SoP, the marketing was definitely not up to par with other games.

It had a blow up, but pretty late overall.

 

[sanstea]

I don't think FF16 received any particular Sony special treatment besides a few SoP, the marketing was definitely not up to par with other games.

It had a blow up, but pretty late overall.

Not sure if it is exclusively because of Sony, but the game has had a great amount of marketing. In Germany it got billboards on the streets, TV commercials that are running even now still, lots of marketing stunts in cooperation with other companies, loads of sponsored Twitch streams by people like pokimane even past one week of release, commercials during the Champions League final and more.

This definitely got the AAA marketing treatment. They could have not done much more even if they tried.

 

[Ghostsonplanets]

Giving the opportunity for PS5 digital owner to upgrade while easying the PS5 production line.

Seems like a win win deal.

I might be remembering wrong, but I remember it was said the detachable drive wouldn't be compatible with the old PS5 Digital models. Only with the new SKU.

 

[CeroG1]

I might be remembering wrong, but I remember it was said the detachable drive wouldn't be compatible with the old PS5 Digital models. Only with the new SKU.

Maybe Sega was really ahead of the time after all

 

[Lelouch0612]

I don't think FF16 received any particular Sony special treatment besides a few SoP, the marketing was definitely not up to par with other games.

It had a blow up, but pretty late overall.

What @sanstea below said, in addition to help for PS5 optimization. The game was heavily marketed around launch but benefited from Playstation's TV spots around the Champion's League.

Plus, to be more precise, the game was mostly pushed through PS showcases rather than SoP, which isn't the same in terms of reach.

Not sure if it is exclusively because of Sony, but the game has had a great amount of marketing. In Germany it got billboards on the streets, TV commercials that are running even now still, lots of marketing stunts in cooperation with other companies, loads of sponsored Twitch streams by people like pokimane even past one week of release, commercials during the Champions League final and more.

This definitely got the AAA marketing treatment. They could have not done much more even if they tried.

I might be remembering wrong, but I remember it was said the detachable drive wouldn't be compatible with the old PS5 Digital models. Only with the new SKU.

You are right, but from that point on, new PS5 owners will have the option to upgrade.

 

[Old sorta fan]

The benefits are primarily for Sony. With the disc drive basically being only for installing and license validation, there's no need for the drive to be internal from a consumer standpoint anymore, as the consumer doesn't really lose any functionality. And by externalizing the drive, Sony only has to really manufacture one SKU and a peripheral, which is cheaper than 2 console SKUs, while incurring less expensive repair costs for one of the only 2 mechanical components (that are thus the most prone to failure) that remain inside the console itself. It's a lot cheaper to send an external/detachable drive for hardware service than the whole console and comes with the added consumer benefit of quicker turnaround time to repair/replacement for one of the most likely failure points on the console itself.

So why should any retailer stock such a product? It’s actively discouraging boxed software sales. Retailers make less than 5% margin off hardware and about 33% on software. They stocked the handle (hardware) to get customers to buy all the shaving blades (boxed software) in that store. That’s on top of the fact that hardware takes up more square footage (one key metric that retailers use when deciding what to stock is gross profit per square foot/meter) than boxed software.

This just seems like a losing proposition for retailers.

 

[Neo_arcadia7]

yep your 970k estimation is spot on with what I got, I compared systems like wii-u and 360 but vita seems to be spot on with sw:hw ratio and the likely real ps5 userbase in japan

2020-2022 ps5 sales SW: 2.4m HW: 2.4m
2011 -2013 vita sales SW: 6m HW: 2.4M

half vita SW/HW - 3m/1.2m = ps5 SW/HW - 2.4m/960k

this means that while the ps5 averaged 21k HW during 2020-2022, only 9k stayed in Japan while 12k was scalped/exported

while stock issues have eased, it is still much cheaper to buy a ps5 from japan, so I dont think the 960k userbase will increase as much as this year's numbers have suggested, especially when the root SW situation doesn't seem to have improved much

Then that would imply that FFXVI sold 336K to a user base of 970-990K so it’s actually better then people thought? I’m mixed on this one. The PS5 is incredibly easy to purchase in Japan we should be seeing some SW rise… but yet barely anything.

 

[ILikeFeet]

So why should any retailer stock such a product? It’s actively discouraging boxed software sales. Retailers make less than 5% margin off hardware and about 33% on software. They stocked the handle (hardware) to get customers to buy all the shaving blades (boxed software) in that store. That’s on top of the fact that hardware takes up more square footage (one key metric that retailers use when deciding what to stock is gross profit per square foot/meter) than boxed software.

This just seems like a losing proposition for retailers.

I can see stores raising their prices by up to $50 or equivalent to compensate. platform holders could combat that by doing sales themselves, but then they'd have to handle those logistics

 

[Pooroomoo]

I can see stores raising their prices by up to $50 or equivalent to compensate. platform holders could combat that by doing sales themselves, but then they'd have to handle those logistics

Theoretically, if this becomes a problem for Sony, Sony could also raise the stores' margin for digital-only consoles.

 

[Damage2]

the data point is SE own PR that still stated 5mil (while promoting the sequel latest new trailer)
that said, everyone agreed that this probably does'nt mean that it stop selling, but more than it didn't reach the 6mil milestone

FFVIIR selling less that a million after three years, several sales on PSN, an Epic Store release, a Steam release that Playtracker gives at least 500k sold.

Its impossible

 

[Aostia82]

FFVIIR selling less that a million after three years, several sales on PSN, an Epic Store release, a Steam release that Playtracker gives at least 500k sold.

Its impossible

And yet they officially stated "not 6mil"
And of course its Ps plus download aren't counted

 

[Damage2]

And yet they officially stated "not 6mil"
And of course its Ps plus download aren't counted

You can believe whatever you want but im sure that KH3 was 5M for several years them they said "6.7M copies sold" them almost 2 million bought the game