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[Aquamarine]

.....
I'm fairly sure it's the 360 version, you can't fool me!

also, any notable February releases?

Major retail releases to look out for in February's NPD results:

1) Fable Anniversary (Microsoft) (360)
2/4/2014

2) Bravely Default (Nintendo) (3DS)
2/7/2014

3) The LEGO Movie Videogame (Warner Bros.) (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, WIU, 3DS, PSV, PC)
2/7/2014

4) Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix) (PS3, 360)
2/11/2014

5) Rayman Legends (Ubisoft) (PS4, XBO)
2/18/2014

6) NASCAR '14 (Deep Silver) (360, PS3, PC)
2/18/2014

7) Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo) (WIU)
2/21/2014

8) Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare (Electronic Arts) (XBO, 360)
2/25/2014

9) Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 (Konami) (360, PS3, PC)
2/25/2014

10) Thief (Square Enix) (PS4, XBO, 360, PS3, PC)
2/25/2014

11) Tales of Symphonia: Chronicles (Bandai Namco) (Ps3)
2/25/2014

12) Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy (Nintendo) (3DS)
2/28/2014

 

[Y2Kev]

Crazy indeed. The Xbox sku's are doing the worst, but EA still partners up with MS for exclusives.

Makes me wonder how much it'll cost MS to keep the Titanfall franchise nextgen exclusive for X1.

I don't think EA cares about where the money comes from. In fact, it probably prefers to lock up a secure revenue stream vs. chance it out in the market even if they do have a very good chance.

Given revenue recognition rules under GAAP, EA may actually get to recognize payola 100% up front vs. having to defer it over multiple quarters like they do with sales of regular titles. What I mean is that if you look at an EA financial statement, they only recognize part of the revenue for games with online components. They recognize the rest over time...they do this because they have not "delivered" the online component fully yet. They also offer non-GAAP metrics and the reconciliation on how to get there.

I think they might just get to recognize MS' money up front. The service has been fully delivered.

That said, I think you have the other consideration...do you want a mega franchise or not? You're not going to get to 20 million units sold annually on one platform (or two with PC...eventually Xbox 360 will die off). Xbox 360 dying off may make it harder for MS to pay their way on this one because the userbase will shrink from 80 million + 4 million Xbones to 10 million xbones. Not counting PC of course.

Destiny will be a 20 million selling game. Activision will make it so. Does EA want that? Does it matter? I don't know that I have an opinion.

I think EA probably has right of refusal for TF2. After that I guess it would be up to respawn.

 

[Yaoibot]

God bless you!

Only card left for the 3DS is a very atractive redesign to boost sales for the rest of 2014, as sales are even collspsing in japan. Then early 2015 a line up of classics for discounted prices leading up to the release of the succesor.

I don't like to be right (well, maybe occasionally), but the writing is on the wall for Nintendo. What product could they possibly release is so desireable that it could compete price, cost and feature wise with the smartdevices - and their imposing manufacturers - that have cannibalized handhelds? That's their only revenue stream left. So they either continue to chase the vastly contracted handheld market with a Vita spec device (you know it won't be bleeding edge, too much risk and that's not in their modern day design handbook) or... Yeah... That's all I can think of next to their forays into the medical segment.

How quickly the shift to a software only company is the only question left in my mind. Do they stick around another handheld gen or will Iwata eventually be forced out (my God he must have compromising pictures of everyone on the board) and the tranistion happens sooner than that?

 

[UpsideDownAce]

Next month should be a doozey. Do we have any 'anecdotal' GAF (read: twice as accurate as Pachter lol) chatter on how retail is looking this month?

Well we had one person put an xbox one on layaway yesterday at gamestop.

About 15 to 20 calls asking about ps4 stock. Sold out.

 

[BoboBrazil]

I don't think EA cares about where the money comes from. In fact, it probably prefers to lock up a secure revenue stream vs. chance it out in the market even if they do have a very good chance.

Given revenue recognition rules under GAAP, EA may actually get to recognize payola 100% up front vs. having to defer it over multiple quarters like they do with sales of regular titles. What I mean is that if you look at an EA financial statement, they only recognize part of the revenue for games with online components. They recognize the rest over time...they do this because they have not "delivered" the online component fully yet. They also offer non-GAAP metrics and the reconciliation on how to get there.

I think they might just get to recognize MS' money up front. The service has been fully delivered.

That said, I think you have the other consideration...do you want a mega franchise or not? You're not going to get to 20 million units sold annually on one platform (or two with PC...eventually Xbox 360 will die off). Xbox 360 dying off may make it harder for MS to pay their way on this one because the userbase will shrink from 80 million + 4 million Xbones to 10 million xbones. Not counting PC of course.

Destiny will be a 20 million selling game. Activision will make it so. Does EA want that? Does it matter? I don't know that I have an opinion.

I think EA probably has right of refusal for TF2. After that I guess it would be up to respawn.

The MS deal was made back when EA still thought it was going to be an always online drm box. They probably assumed it was good for them with no more used games sales plus 100+ mil from MS to side with them. Now with Xbox sales limited and no always online drm MS won't be able to make that same deal with EA again or for TF2 of 1 is a success.

 

[Y2Kev]

PS4 was probably not even a factor. Okay, so we'll miss out on 200k copies sold on PS4.

PS3 is the bigger deal. You're giving up...US and Europe sales basically. Say 2-3MM potentially given up. At $40 a pop, that could be a big deal honestly.

More importantly, I think not launching on PS4 allows others to fill the niche. Destiny is going to be just absolutely gigantic. Mass Effect 2 and 3 kinda came out and splatted on PS3 because it just didn't start there. Granted, not the same for an RPG trilogy as a shooter.

It's also why I don't think it is worth paying for an exclusive on a sequel after you get the first. Fans already own the platform.

 

[Road]

I thought overall home consoles sales would avoid the fate of portable consoles (decline every year even after next-gen has started), but after January numbers for PS3, 360 and XBO, I'm not as confident.

 

[Mario007]

PS4 was probably not even a factor. Okay, so we'll miss out on 200k copies sold on PS4.

PS3 is the bigger deal. You're giving up...US and Europe sales basically. Say 2-3MM potentially given up. At $40 a pop, that could be a big deal honestly.

Actually given the way many PS4 versions of multiplat games in the European charts are outselling or selling close to their PS3 counterparts, I'd say missing out on ps4 is a big deal as well, especially for going forward. People seemed to have ditched ps360 as soon as the new consoles have come out. Just look at GT6's sale collapse as an example of this or FIFA 14 PS4 being the best selling game in UK for the past few weeks.

 

[jayu26]

PS4 was probably not even a factor. Okay, so we'll miss out on 200k copies sold on PS4.

PS3 is the bigger deal. You're giving up...US and Europe sales basically. Say 2-3MM potentially given up. At $40 a pop, that could be a big deal honestly.

I never thought of it that way, but I would say that Shooter market is bigger in America. Xbox brand was bigger here last gen, so it made sense at the time I guess. I actually think it has a big potential in Japan. Then again, it is not on PlayStation.

 

[Crimson_Gold]

PS4 was probably not even a factor. Okay, so we'll miss out on 200k copies sold on PS4.

PS3 is the bigger deal. You're giving up...US and Europe sales basically. Say 2-3MM potentially given up. At $40 a pop, that could be a big deal honestly.

Do you think that TF will ultimately be unable to become the shooter of this gen because of the exclusivity? Destiny seems primed to take the world by storm. It likely will eventually hit the PC as well. Should be interesting to see if EA ultimately shot itself in the face by going the route of MS exclusivity on consoles.

 

[Y2Kev]

Actually given the way many PS4 versions of multiplat games in the European charts are outselling or selling close to their PS3 counterparts, I'd say missing out on ps4 is a big deal as well, especially for going forward. People seemed to have ditched ps360 as soon as the new consoles have come out. Just look at GT6's sale collapse as an example of this or FIFA 14 PS4 being the best selling game in UK for the past few weeks.

But the PS4 has had historic rates of uptake. Now it is an issue. In their calculations, it wasn't. But they didn't know the PS4 would be $399, that it would set every record for sales, that it would be a hype monster, that it wouldn't be in stock in FEBRUARY after launch...

Obviously they thought it'd be a slow starter or even a flop.

 

[SwiftDeath]

I thought overall home consoles sales would avoid the fate of portable consoles (decline every year even after next-gen has started), but after January numbers for PS3, 360 and XBO, I'm not as confident.

It's interesting that the YOY decline started in 2009 considering the great recession of recent times started in Dec. 2007. I wonder if there is somehow a staggered effect at work.

Edit: Apparently the real calamity started to take hold in 2009 so follows it logically then

 

[BoboBrazil]

PS4 was probably not even a factor. Okay, so we'll miss out on 200k copies sold on PS4.

PS3 is the bigger deal. You're giving up...US and Europe sales basically. Say 2-3MM potentially given up. At $40 a pop, that could be a big deal honestly.

Yeah, I'd assume EA factored that in when doing the deal with MS. That's why I assume it to be a deal worth atleast 100 million and most likely quite a bit more than that.

 

[Mario007]

Do you think that TF will ultimately be unable to become the shooter of this gen because of the exclusivity? Destiny seems primed to take the world by storm. It likely will eventually hit the PC as well. Should be interesting to see if EA ultimately shot itself in the face by going the route of MS exclusivity on consoles.

I'd say after EA saw the marketing deal Sony has with Activision for Destiny they probably regretted that exclusivity. You can bet Sony is also paying through the roof to be associated with Destiny and have exclusive content for it, but still Acti can get it out to all other platforms.

 

[Y2Kev]

Do you think that TF will ultimately be unable to become the shooter of this gen because of the exclusivity? Destiny seems primed to take the world by storm. It likely will eventually hit the PC as well. Should be interesting to see if EA ultimately shot itself in the face by going the route of MS exclusivity on consoles.

IMO it is more likely for something like Calladuty to clone it and experience a small revival than for an exclusive to dominate. Halo wasn't able to do it and Halo started from a much stronger position than TF no matter what Microsoft wants you to believe.

If the game becomes SO HUGE because of taste, third parties will clone it. There is money to be made serving underserved audiences. Look at Tyler Perry movies.

I don't think they shot themselves in the face. I think it's a smart move.

Respawn has the following objectives:
1. Get support early for a small studio
2. Limit the number of platforms to launch on
3. Get major financial support from a safe third party
4. Get major platform holder support to launch a new IP
5. Get a sweet deal and maintain creative control and financial independence

They get that all. This is a good deal for them. If they stay exclusive long term then obviously they won't be the dominant shooter franchise. But I don't know if they care.

 

[Skeff]

It's interesting that the YOY decline started in 2009 consider the great recession of recent times started in Dec. 2007. I wonder if there is somehow a staggered effect at work.

I don't think it's due to the recession, I think it's just the console lifecycle, The sales re lowest at the start/end of a Gen and peak during the middle years. Notice the low sales in 04-06 as the generation began to lag and of course 00 was the lowest year at the end of the Ps1 lifecycle.

 

[Into]

Do you think that TF will ultimately be unable to become the shooter of this gen because of the exclusivity? Destiny seems primed to take the world by storm. It likely will eventually hit the PC as well. Should be interesting to see if EA ultimately shot itself in the face by going the route of MS exclusivity on consoles.

It would be quite fitting for EA, who cannot do anything right. Their biggest success, FIFA is due mostly to football (soccer) being the biggest sport in the world, and them securing the license, rather than anything on their own merit.

Every single new IP they started last gen, eventually fizzled out after they mismanaged it, Dead Space, Mirrors Edge, tons of others that underperformed. Then you also add in the gigantic failure SWtOR.

I seriously doubt you will see EA cuddly-wuddly with MS this E3, they are a publically traded company, their investors wont just allow them to do take sides, especially against the WW market leader.

Like others mentioned, EA likely backed out of the Wii U deal because they did not believe in the console, which is one of the few right moves they have done. They seem to have thought more of the PS4, than to outright drop support, but believed most in the Xbox One. After these last few months, they are chained to the PS4, regardless of what MS thinks about it.

 

[Crimson_Gold]

IMO it is more likely for something like Calladuty to clone it and experience a small revival than for an exclusive to dominate. Halo wasn't able to do it and Halo started from a much stronger position than TF no matter what Microsoft wants you to believe.

If the game becomes SO HUGE because of taste, third parties will clone it. There is money to be made serving underserved audiences. Look at Tyler Perry movies.

I don't think they shot themselves in the face. I think it's a smart move.

Respawn has the following objectives:
1. Get support early for a small studio
2. Limit the number of platforms to launch on
3. Get major financial support from a safe third party
4. Get major platform holder support to launch a new IP
5. Get a sweet deal and maintain creative control and financial independence

They get that all. This is a good deal for them. If they stay exclusive long term then obviously they won't be the dominant shooter franchise. But I don't know if they care.

You're right. The goal is what is important in this matter. If they wanted to be the predominant shooter, then things could be viewed through a different lens. Titanfall will benefit from the attention it is getting as the first big exclusive of the generation. If/when it comes to Sony platforms, it'll be brought with even more fanfare. It'll be interesting doing a destiny vs titanfall comparison in a few years.

 

[Mooreberg]

I don't think MS ever recovered from their initial, horrific unveiling. I remember my FB account lighting up with linked tweets and video game chatter from people who I honestly didn't know had ever touched a controller. Once that narrative was spun and allowed - foolishly - to fester, it became the reality regardless of whether or not MS righted the course at a later date. I was fairly sure at that point that only the Xbox faithful would grab one at launch, which it seems may be the case

This is true. People who do not read gaming forums of Blue's News hear something once and run with it. I would overhear people in GameStop and Best Buy talking about "no used games" on Xbox One well after Microsoft had reversed course on it.

Microsoft should have known this though. Look how much FUD was spread during the PSN outage because Sony wouldn't say a damn thing or explain what was going on. At one point, more credit card numbers had been "stolen" than there had been PS3s manufactured, and not every system even has a CC# tied to it. These days you've got a limited window to present yourself in the best light possible before the larger media outlets go back to talking about what color the icons will be on the new iPhone.

What I want to know is, was it EA getting chummy with MS that caused to Activision Blizzard to get in bed with Sony, or was the other way around.

Activision was already "chummy" with Microsoft with all the exclusive windows on COD map packs. But that actually made sense - 360 was their primary audience, and they still made money when the maps eventually came out on PS3 and PC.

What EA is doing doesn't make nearly as much sense, especially if you want a new brand to grow. Even if a subsequent installment were multiplatform they would still be playing catch up to Activision... again.

 

[Y2Kev]

Activision is just playing both sides, and doing so incredibly well. I think Sony got a better deal, honestly, because Calladuty is in decline and Destiny will be absolutely enormous, but Microsoft got a sure thing. Again I think Microsoft was trying to create continuity for their userbase and migrate players over, but I don't think it was necessary because of all the legwork they had done early in the gen. Like everything they've done this gen, the strategy is not 100% cohesive. It's tough to migrate players with a freaking $500 box. So they've removed a bunch of hurdles from the obstacle course but then built a 50 foot wall at the end. Whatever.

It wasn't even that effective. Whereas it used to be like a 3:2 split in terms of copies sold (somebody correct me on that, it might have been more in favor of Xbox), for next gen it is pretty close to 1:1. Just seems kinda pointless to me in the end.

 

[Imperfected]

Question: has anyone seen any PR statements from Microsoft regarding X-Box Live subscriber numbers in recent months?

I'm curious if they've seen an uptick in subscription numbers due to XB1 sales, or if it's mostly remaining stable versus growth toward the tail of the last generation - mostly, if it's not obvious, because I'm curious whether they're primarily selling to 360 owners or if they're managing to broaden their market significantly.

I know PS+ has seen a massive growth spurt, but obviously that's a bit less useful as an indicator for any number of reasons. (Pay-walled MP on PS4, the fact Amazon was offering bundles with a year of PS+ that were selling through due to demand, etc.)

 

[Refreshment.01]

I don't like to be right (well, maybe occasionally), but the writing is on the wall for Nintendo. What product could they possibly release is so desireable that it could compete price, cost and feature wise with the smartdevices - and their imposing manufacturers - that have cannibalized handhelds? That's their only revenue stream left. So they either continue to chase the vastly contracted handheld market with a Vita spec device (you know it won't be bleeding edge, too much risk and that's not in their modern day design handbook) or... Yeah... That's all I can think of next to their forays into the medical segment.

How quickly the shift to a software only company is the only question left in my mind. Do they stick around another handheld gen or will Iwata eventually be forced out (my God he must have compromising pictures of everyone on the board) and the tranistion happens sooner than that?

-Release the 3DS redesign, slicker middle of the road between 3DS and XL in size and screen. This will sell to the already stablished base that will want the upgrade.

-For the succesor. Partner up with an important smartphone company and release a model that plays Nintendo portable games, Nintendo supervices the input method. Nintendo also releases a traditional portable device.

Don't have any better ideas on how NIntendo could handle their mobile devices in the future.

 

[beast786]

It would be quite fitting for EA, who cannot do anything right. Their biggest success, FIFA is due mostly to football (soccer) being the biggest sport in the world, and them securing the license, rather than anything on their own merit.

Every single new IP they started last gen, eventually fizzled out after they mismanaged it, Dead Space, Mirrors Edge, tons of others that underperformed. Then you also add in the gigantic failure SWtOR.

I seriously doubt you will see EA cuddly-wuddly with MS this E3, they are a publically traded company, their investors wont just allow them to do take sides, especially against the WW market leader.

Like others mentioned, EA likely backed out of the Wii U deal because they did not believe in the console, which is one of the few right moves they have done. They seem to have thought more of the PS4, than to outright drop support, but believed most in the Xbox One. After these last few months, they are chained to the PS4, regardless of what MS thinks about it.

Don't forget

 

[Aquamarine]

Activision is just playing both sides, and doing so incredibly well. I think Sony got a better deal, honestly, because Calladuty is in decline and Destiny will be absolutely enormous, but Microsoft got a sure thing. Again I think Microsoft was trying to create continuity for their userbase and migrate players over, but I don't think it was necessary because of all the legwork they had done early in the gen. Like everything they've done this gen, the strategy is not 100% cohesive. It's tough to migrate players with a freaking $500 box. So they've removed a bunch of hurdles from the obstacle course but then built a 50 foot wall at the end. Whatever.

It wasn't even that effective. Whereas it used to be like a 3:2 split in terms of copies sold (somebody correct me on that, it might have been more in favor of Xbox), for next gen it is pretty close to 1:1. Just seems kinda pointless to me in the end.

Cumulative, adjusted Call of Duty launch-to-date decline (compared to Black Ops II), is -31% as of January 2014 NPD results.

 

[Y2Kev]

Cumulative, adjusted Call of Duty launch-to-date decline (compared to Black Ops II), is -31% as of January 2014 NPD results.

Pretty insane, right?

 

[Into]

Don't forget

Yep that one, then there is them running Dragon Age straight into the ground, from a well received first game to a absolute abomination of a second game. Mass Effect 3 ending, that may or may not have been influenced by EA higher ups in order to sell more DLC. Madden's decline, NBA Live shitstorm, then you have them ruining Plants vs Zombies with one swell swoop.

The list just goes on with EA, they have this uncanny ability to destroy anything half decent going on. Hell Giant Bomb last year alone had EA nominated 3 out 5 for "Biggest Controversy"/"Fuck up" of the year. At least Activision knows how to bleed something dry the right way, they squeezed as much as they could out of Guitar Hero and Tony Hawk.

EA in general has seemed mismanaged for years. That FIFA license and Ultimate Team has carried them throughout the last couple of years. BF is their only other major success, a series they took and molded to "fight" Call of Duty, with its own set of server issues.

 

[SwiftDeath]

Cumulative, adjusted Call of Duty launch-to-date decline (compared to Black Ops II), is -31% as of January 2014 NPD results.

So in laymen's terms Ghosts is tracking 31% under what BOII was for the same period?

 

[Crimson_Gold]

So in laymen's terms Ghosts is tracking 31% under what BOII was for the same period?

I believe so. Hot damn

 

[Imperfected]

Pretty insane, right?

Couldn't have happened to a nicer game.

 

[Dante316]

Activision is just playing both sides, and doing so incredibly well. I think Sony got a better deal, honestly, because Calladuty is in decline and Destiny will be absolutely enormous, but Microsoft got a sure thing. Again I think Microsoft was trying to create continuity for their userbase and migrate players over, but I don't think it was necessary because of all the legwork they had done early in the gen. Like everything they've done this gen, the strategy is not 100% cohesive. It's tough to migrate players with a freaking $500 box. So they've removed a bunch of hurdles from the obstacle course but then built a 50 foot wall at the end. Whatever.

It wasn't even that effective. Whereas it used to be like a 3:2 split in terms of copies sold (somebody correct me on that, it might have been more in favor of Xbox), for next gen it is pretty close to 1:1. Just seems kinda pointless to me in the end.

I actually agree with Destiny being gigantic. The hype train hasn't started yet and when it does it might rival titanfall hype. The beta and advertising this summer should be fun. So far sony is just laying back and smiling.

 

[Mooreberg]

Wasn't Black Ops 2 already down vs. Modern Warfare 3? It doesn't seem like COD slowing down is anything new, it is just a matter of what Activision can do to offset it. I hope it doesn't put any unneeded demands on Bungie, because it really isn't their problem.

 

[SwiftDeath]

While I'm sure Activision is none too pleased by the lower performance of Ghosts relative to its predecessors, BOII didn't launch with a BF to compete with. There was certainly going to be some loss of sales from that fact alone. Maybe even some lost sales due to KZ:SF releasing as well although that would be a far smaller fraction if anything significant.

 

[Dragonborn]

I think March NPD are going to be disappointing for MS. Titanfall will do well but it won't push a lot of Xbones being it's on the 360 and PC. MS might try and do a Gears and buy the franchise. It would be just like them to dump hundreds of million on a shooter franchise rather than investing in their own 1st party studios.

Exactly what I think. Titanfall will sell really well, and have a high attach ratior but it will only boost X1 sales for March (at most). I also think, if Sony has good supply, the X1 won't be #1 in March; however, if supply constrains continue for the PS4 I could see them inching ahead by a bit.

I don't think there's any way that they could pull a Gears. With Gears, MS worked very closely, they're a big reason for it's success and Epic really didn't seem to care about it all too much (so why not sell it).

With Titanfall, it's different. The only thing MS provided was check to keep it off PS4 and I'm sure that deal was set into motion back when everyone though the 720 would steamroll the PS4. There's no way EA is stupid enough to keep Titanfall 2 Xbox exclusive and though they've said otherwise, it wouldn't surprise me if the first one somehow found it's way to PS4 too. I doubt EA wants to be on the loosing side of this generation. They bet on the wrong horse but it's not too late for them, unlike MS.

Activision, on the other hand, must be pretty pleased they decided to partner with Sony for Destiny. That game is going to sell very well on PS4. I'd wager Destiny PS4 will sell better than Titanfall X1 even. Once Titanfall is out and the press has met their contractual obligation to hype it to no end (I'm kidding of course) we'll finally be able to move

Battlefield 4 took alot of the COD crowd. I don't think Titanfall or Destiny will take that crowd because of the mechs/aliens.

I think Destiny will be huge. From the creators of Halo and the company that brought you CoD? That line is going to print money and it'll be plastered all over the game's marketing. Right now Titanfall is sucking up all the attention but once it's out, we'll start hearing from other games and Destiny is probably the biggest of them. Activision wants this to be their next big thing and unlike EA, they haven't chosen to squandered it's chances.

 

[BoboBrazil]

Battlefield 4 took alot of the COD crowd. I don't think Titanfall or Destiny will take that crowd because of the mechs/aliens.

 

[Insane Metal]

I see many people talking about MS/EA partnership, is there any link to show me what that is about?

 

[Imperfected]

Wasn't Black Ops 2 already down vs. Modern Warfare 3? It doesn't seem like COD slowing down is anything new, it is just a matter of what Activision can do to offset it. I hope it doesn't put any unneeded demands on Bungie, because it really isn't their problem.

They already made the decision to add a third developer to the rotation so that each one has more time to get their game to market, and they've made it pretty clear they plan to support fewer platforms for future releases to similarly reduce developer workload. (Ghosts had an absolutely absurd six platform simultaneous gold; it's pretty much a given that they'll drop Wii-U support at a minimum for the next release.)

Probably not the changes fans and/or pundits wanted, but actually not completely bad, in my opinion. Like most people I think they'd be well-served by breaking the annual rotation rather than adding more developers to further muddy the waters, but at least they're making arrangements to ensure that Sledgehammer/Infinity Ward/Treyarch actually have time to complete the games.

I see many people talking about MS/EA partnership, is there any link to show me what that is about?

Aside from the Titanfall deal, they also had a deal where European pre-orders received a free copy of FIFA, a pack-in of BF4 DLC on X-Box that will be sold at a later date on PS4/PS3/PC, etc.

They weren't exactly what you'd call subtle.

 

[Skeff]

I see many people talking about MS/EA partnership, is there any link to show me what that is about?

EA conference and Microsoft conference at E3 were very intertwined, MS also have purchased:

Exclusive content on Fifa
Bundled copies of Fifa in some countries.
PvZ Garden warfare timed exclusive
Titanfall Full exclusive
BF4 timed exclusive DLC
Peggle 2

and probably some more I'm forgetting.

 

[Massa]

Wasn't Black Ops 2 already down vs. Modern Warfare 3? It doesn't seem like COD slowing down is anything new, it is just a matter of what Activision can do to offset it. I hope it doesn't put any unneeded demands on Bungie, because it really isn't their problem.

Well, Bungie's problem is how much they burned already on Destiny.

 

[Dragonborn]

I see many people talking about MS/EA partnership, is there any link to show me what that is about?

EA bet on the wrong horse and decided to push for MS. They've got Titanfall and PvZ. And Xbox also gets BF DLC first (kinda like CoD). It's amazing to see that blow up in their face.

 

[beast786]

Activision probably was happy TF is exclusive to XB1/360 only.

 

[Crimson_Gold]

Activision, on the other hand, must be pretty pleased they decided to partner with Sony for Destiny. That game is going to sell very well on PS4. I'd wager Destiny PS4 will sell better than Titanfall X1 even. Once Titanfall is out and the press has met their contractual obligation to hype it to no end (I'm kidding of course) we'll finally be able to move


I think Destiny will be huge. From the creators of Halo and the company that brought you CoD? That line is going to print money and it'll be plastered all over the game's marketing. Right now Titanfall is sucking up all the attention but once it's out, we'll start hearing from other games and Destiny is probably the biggest of them. Activision wants this to be their next big thing and unlike EA, they haven't chosen to squandered it's chances.

Not to forget the fact that Activision will still be raking in the money from all of the 360 and xbone Destiny sales. Activision does nothing but win in this scenario

 

[Dragonborn]

Not to forget the fact that Activision will still be raking in the money from all of the 360 and xbone Destiny sales. Activision does nothing but win in this scenario

Exactly, Destiny is on PS3, PS4, X360, X1, and more than likely it'll land on PC. If anything will be the next huge thing, it's this.

Titanfall being on only Xbox and PC means it's got no chance of being the next "CoD" which is sad since Respawn really seems to have put a lot into it. Hopefully it doesn't completely ruin the franchise and Titanfall 2 can come out stronger than ever. (Don't get me wrong, it'll sell great, but not CoD great, not even close). I can see EA changing their tune very quickly (hell, they already seem to be doing just that).

Well if one believes there actually is significant internal and investor pressure on the Xbox division or face imminent dispersal - then a flat up front cost to buy a franchise might seem a more prudent move then investing all the money and time it takes to properly start and groom first part studios that are worth a damn - only to have to get rid of them if the operation does get shut down.

MS had that last four year when they were raking in Kinect money to do just that and they chose not to. They barely supported the 360, and did nothing else. They just sat around, thinking they'd dominate this gen without any effort. So happy to see that backfire terribly. Now they have to work at it or get out of the game. They'll either come out better and stronger for it or be replaced, either way, Gamers win.

 

[teiresias]

It would be just like them to dump hundreds of million on a shooter franchise rather than investing in their own 1st party studios.

Well if one believes there actually is significant internal and investor pressure on the Xbox division or face imminent dispersal - then a flat up front cost to buy a franchise might seem a more prudent move then investing all the money and time it takes to properly start and groom first part studios that are worth a damn - only to have to get rid of them if the operation does get shut down.

 

[Insane Metal]

EA conference and Microsoft conference at E3 were very intertwined, MS also have purchased:

Exclusive content on Fifa
Bundled copies of Fifa in some countries.
PvZ Garden warfare timed exclusive
Titanfall Full exclusive
BF4 timed exclusive DLC
Peggle 2

and probably some more I'm forgetting.

EA bet on the wrong horse and decided to push for MS. They've got Titanfall and PvZ. And Xbox also gets BF DLC first (kinda like CoD). It's amazing to see that blow up in their face.

Ok, thank you both.^^

 

[beast786]

It also shows Activision confidence on Destiniy and it's new IP

 

[Loudninja]

WW software sales for the PS4 were at 9.7 million on Dec 28th.

 

[Guymelef]

Speaking of Destiny I wonder what happened with the initial plan.
Initially was X360/X360 sucessor one year exclusive, now has early access to beta and exclusive content on PS4/PS3.

 

[Proxy]

I see many people talking about MS/EA partnership, is there any link to show me what that is about?

BF4 - Second Assault DLC launched first on Xbone. Although, I'm pretty sure that's all they got.

Plants Vs. Zombies : Garden Warfare - Timed (?) exclusive for Microsoft platforms.

Peggle 2 - Timed (?) Xbone exclusive.

Titanfall - Originally a timed exclusive for Microsoft platforms then exclusivity outright bought for the first game.

Fifa - Exclusive DLC for Ultimate Team.

Probably a few other miscellaneous things.

 

[Road]

NPD estimated consumer spent

                       JAN WK AVG       JAN WK AVG       JAN   JAN
                             2014             2013         2014  2013
hardware                       60 (+47%)        41          241   205
packaged new software          58 (-26%)        79          232   393
other software(1)              28  (+0%)        28          113   141
digital(2)                     84 (+10%)        76          335   382
accessories                    50  (-3%)        51          199   257

added total                   280  (+2%)       276         1120  1378
npd total(3)                  263  (+1%)       260         1050  1300


millions of dollars

WK AVG = weekly average (2013: 5 weeks; 2014: 4 weeks)
(1) other software = used, rental and others
(2) digital = download games, mobile, add-on content and subscription and others.
(3) NPD mentions a total spent that is different from the sum, I don't know what they are excluding.

 

[Loudninja]

EA conference and Microsoft conference at E3 were very intertwined, MS also have purchased:

Exclusive content on Fifa
Bundled copies of Fifa in some countries.
PvZ Garden warfare timed exclusive
Titanfall Full exclusive
BF4 timed exclusive DLC
Peggle 2

and probably some more I'm forgetting.

I wonder how much these deals cost the?

The Fifa Bundle alone could not have been cheap.