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News LittleBigPlanet sales continue to disappoint

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by CardJoe, 16 Dec 2008.

  1. themax

    themax What's a Dremel?

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    Just did some checking. It's not really as bad as it was made out to be. I know the article was mostly for November but as far as the UK goes figures have LBP currently at #6 at the week ending on the 13th in sales moving up considerably (from #21).

    http://www.charttrack.co.uk/index.j...p&ct=110032&arch=t&lyr=2008&year=2008&week=50

    LBP is the #1 selling game so far on the PS3 itself in the UK for the same week.

    http://www.charttrack.co.uk/index.j...p&ct=110031&arch=t&lyr=2008&year=2008&week=50



    NeoGAF link.
    http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=345549
     
  2. kurokami

    kurokami What's a Dremel?

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    LIttle Big Planet gets my vote for being one of the most innovative games in years, but not surprised it's not doing well in terms of sales--for obvious reasons

    - Publicity. I see myself as an avid gamer and I kept hearing the game mentioned before release. But frankly, I had no idea what it was, nor was I even interested in buying something that had the main character look like a sack doll, until I saw it on a BBC programme. People I know who end up buying this all got interested from word-of-mouth, or have actually played it.
    - It's a kind of game you won't stay up all night to finish, but it's also the sort of stuff that you'll keep returning to when in the mood. The laid-back style of gameplay obviously doesn't make this the perfect "hard-selling" title.
    - PS3 exclusive. If this were for the PC, i can imagine the sort of sales it'll get. Not many people own a PS3 because it's expensive, and most people who do are more into action and sports games. As for the Japanese market, it's RPGs (and not puzzle-based platform games) that usually top the charts.

    But should Sony sweat? I don't know, but if sales of PS3 improves, Little Big Planet might still be a winner for its long-term appeal. And one thing I guess Sony never expected: was playing this with my little niece and she absolutely loves the freestyle approach to the game. Might turn out to be a good title for parents to play with their young kids, but then again, how many families own a PS3?
     
    Last edited: 17 Dec 2008
  3. kurokami

    kurokami What's a Dremel?

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    Oh, and for those who say it's for women, I'm a guy, and my gaming tastes covers everything from Japanese dating-sims to Fallout 3. And I still think this game rocks. :)
     
  4. notatoad

    notatoad pretty fing wonderful

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    i don't think anybody's saying that. and if they are they're stupid and can safely be ignored.
     
  5. talladega

    talladega I'm Squidward

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    I think this will be a game that will continue to sell for a long time instead of dropping off the charts after a short time like many other games. People are mainly going to buy this game based on word of mouth.

    The other night while playing Socom, there was 2 guys on my team and we were talking about how Socom is the only game we really play except one of the guys says that the only other one thats good is LBP, and I said ya thats an awesome game. The third guy says, isnt that for little kids and stuff? Then we go on to tell him how amazing it is and it not just for kdis and stuff. He sounded interested.

    Alot of people have absolutely no clue what the game is about. But I do think alot of people buying new console will see the game and pick it up because of that. They arent sure what it is, but it looks cool with the Sackboy on the cover.
     
  6. Mongoose132

    Mongoose132 Duckmad

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    More like a Tech-Demo than an actual game to me..
     
  7. Da_Rude_Baboon

    Da_Rude_Baboon What the?

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    Nice to see all the informed 'opinions' from people who have never played the game but thats internet forums for you. Little big planet is a great game, everyone who has seen me playing it has asked for a go and loved it then bought it. In style and originality it's way ahead of any recent titles and in particular super mario galaxy. LBP is a proper evolution of the platform game and is simply great fun. I think this will be like the sims and just keep on selling for months.
     
  8. Yemerich

    Yemerich I can has PERSUADETRON?

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    Damn you PC pirates!...

    hmmm wait... it's a console exclusive... Whats the excuse now?..
     
  9. Bauul

    Bauul Sir Bongaminge

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    The success of a game is not down to how good it is, it's down to how good people think it will be. For the purpose of this discussion, those of us who haven't played it have far more valid opinions than someone who has, as your biased by your own experience. It may be a great game, but too many people don't know this, or even understand what the game is. If or when the right target audience latch onto the game, it may well shift millions, but for a game Sony hoped would hit the top of the all-format list and stay there for weeks on end, it's been a sour dissapointment.
     
  10. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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    Amen. There's a huge difference between a game that deserves to be at the top of the charts because of quality and the games that do reach the top because of good marketing. It's why games like Beyond Good and Evil and Planescape: Torment didn't do to well. With Beyond especially the game was't marketed at all and came at an odd time of year. It is a phenomenal game, but it missed the market and looked like a kids game so people thought it was some pappy Ubisoft rubbish. In reality it was anything but.

    Thankfully, the game got a strong following among the journalists and critics who loved it and saw continued coverage over the following years, becoming a cult hit and finally getting a sequel. Maybe the same thing will happen with LBP.
     
  11. Major

    Major Guest

    Another problem is a lack of playable PS3 games in shops, you can play on a 360 in every single shop, yet not one PS3 is available to play on...
     
  12. kenco_uk

    kenco_uk I unsuccessfully then tried again

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    It's a shame it's thought of as a kids game. Some of the skills required to reach the end of some of the levels are monumental and if you want to collect all the stickers/objects, some are placed in such a way as to look near inaccessible.

    It's definitely challenging. I'm still stuck on the Bunker level on the big turny-wheel-o-death(tm) - always gets me on the very last bit. Some of the online levels are cool. I'm coming up with some good ideas now, I've just got to think of a way to string them together into a playable level.
     
  13. devdevil85

    devdevil85 What's a Dremel?

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    LBP is what it is because of the PS3. Without 50GB of available space (sorry 360/Wii) and an actual stable network environment for multiplayer (sorry Wii), the game wouldn't play/look/perform the way it does...

    Even if both consoles could handle the game, it more than likely would've sold horrible on 360 b/c 360 owners have proven they don't want titles like LBP. Hell, look at Banjo Kazooie or Viva Piñata sales. They want the typical shooter, RPG or racer. I honestly don't believe it would've sold well on Wii either. Take BoomBlox for example: it sold horrid compared to what it should have considering it was a game that ALL Wii owners would enjoy.

    LBP is selling bad b/c either
    A) People are too lazy to either learn about it, thus not understanding why the game is worth the purchase
    B) Sony's marketing wasn't good enough for TV adverts (I thought their PSN trailers were great though) C) The global economy is crap and people aren't willing to shell out $60 for an original IP (that may not be what they want)
    or D) PS3's user base didn't want a game like LBP, they wanted another typical, expected shooter/racer/adventurer/etc.
     
    Last edited: 17 Dec 2008
  14. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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    At the end of the day though, I'll just buy Garry's Mod for a tenner and get access to all the same abilities and more. That way I also get Zombie Survival mods, a ton of extra content, I support an indie developer and I get CS:S thrown in free if I don't already have it.

    Garry's Mod WINS.
     
  15. devdevil85

    devdevil85 What's a Dremel?

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    Yeah Joe, but is Garry's Mod "cute"?
     
  16. themax

    themax What's a Dremel?

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    I wish the same thing would have happened with Psychonauts. That was such a great experience on the Xbox but sold poorly due to bad marketting. The game was top notch, especially as a platformer, and the dark humor was icing on the cake.
     
  17. CardJoe

    CardJoe Freelance Journalist

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    Psychonauts was good and imaginative, but flawed as a game in a few places. Regardless, nothing stops Tim Schafer and we still have his Brutal Legend to look forward to.
     
  18. Veles

    Veles DUR HUR

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    It can be anything you want it to be ;)



    TV advertising campaign is absolutely **** over here, if I saw it and didn't know much/anything about LBP, it would look completely uninteresting to me.
     
  19. kurokami

    kurokami What's a Dremel?

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    End of the day, Sony has to ask how many people are willing to pay hundreds for a PS3 just so they can play Little Big Planet. A few friends of mine who loved the game after trying it won't go out there and buy a PS3 just because of this. I think any one with a clear mind won't, not in these lean times.

    Moreover, I might like Little Big Planet's gameplay, but how many other games for the PS3 belong to this genre? No one wants to end up buying an expensive console for just one game or two. Titles like GTA will sell because it's the sort of games most PS3 owners are weaned on.

    There's already word that Little Big Planet might be ported to the PSP. Makes more sense, but Sony marketing should've seen that coming long ago.
     
    Last edited: 18 Dec 2008
  20. notatoad

    notatoad pretty fing wonderful

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    when sony talks about a game being a console seller, they don't mean that it will convince somebody who otherwise would have no interest in one to go out and buy one. they mean it could be a deciding factor in somebody who is already on the edge.

    the LBP hype was one of the reasons i chose to buy a PS3 over an xbox this november.
     
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