53 replies to this topic

[randName]

Since the sales of DA2 was brought up, and while numbers from VGChartz sounds to be more guess work than factual ~ there is an update for DA2 (and DA:O).

VGChartz

• DA2:Xbox
• DA:O:XBox

OR DA:O Xbox sales started panning out after 9 weeks, DA2 Xbox sales started panning out already after the 2nd week, with low sales on the third (61k for a total of 0.6M) ; that is if these figures are even partly correct, and why I didn't mention the PC and PS3 figures is simply due to both are smaller than for the Xbox, and yet follow the same pattern, and VGChartz have a questionable method of getting numbers; doesn't help that they five us single digit sales.

[LadyMilla]

Since the sales of DA2 was brought up, and while numbers from VGChartz sounds to be more guess work than factual ~ there is an update for DA2 (and DA:O).

VGChartz

• DA2:Xbox
• DA:O:XBox

OR DA:O Xbox sales started panning out after 9 weeks, DA2 Xbox sales started panning out already after the 2nd week, with low sales on the third (61k for a total of 0.6M) ; that is if these figures are even partly correct, and why I didn't mention the PC and PS3 figures is simply due to both are smaller than for the Xbox, and yet follow the same pattern, and VGChartz have a questionable method of getting numbers; doesn't help that they five us single digit sales.

I'm not sure what you mean by "single digit sales": I saw the first version of the chart that showed the sales figures for the third week after release - some sales data was not included but later they updated it. This is all they have to say about their methods (unless there is a more accurate description somewhere else): "... VGChartz began to produce ground-breaking weekly charts based on estimates from retail partners and passive consumer surveys." The 'passive consumer survey' is a bit unclear for me, anyway since we don't have any other source of independent sales data, unless you assume that they intentionally falsify their charts, I think even if the numbers are not accurate, at least they show trends.

I ran an exponential regression calculation on those numbers and unless the trend changes - and provided that these numbers are a fair approximation of the actual sales - DA2 will settle around a total of 700k copies sold worldwide. (Btw, this is the PC sales chart).

The problem is, if 5 years of development = 2.1 million copies of DA:O sold, and 16 months of development = 0.7 million copies of DA2 sold then DA2 has already justified the investment and the 'streamlining' approach.
The only thing that may force them to reconsider this direction of development is if DA3 sales will be totally disastrous.

[gamestopkate]

Fanboism is one of the reasons why companies survive selling crappy sequels to the gamer.

A bad product has no excuse but making excuse for it is what prevents that franchise from improving. That's pretty simple logic. It's such an easy trap to fall into though - especially in young gamers who are idealistic and too invested in the games they play. (A by-product of pathological gaming and other nightmarish things.) I agree completely.


brokenergy - I will give Bioware my sympathies in being pressured so heavily by EA for the easy cash-out. But in the end, this is Bioware's mess and all of the feedback/criticism is theirs to bear and not EA's. This is their game. I think they have some responsibility in it.

Also, no one likes "hurry up and wait." I will agree with some that it is very irritating to wait for Dragon Age 3 to deliver what Dragon Age 2 should have. We as consumers should be upset about that, because it's unfair. I enjoyed DA 2 - don't get me wrong! But it just seems like something to satiate our Dragon Age appetites until we get something meatier to sink our teeth in. It's filler. I agree with Zero Punctuation.

It's Dragon Age: Kirkwall.

The only thing that may force them to reconsider this direction of development is if DA3 sales will be totally disastrous.

I honestly hope not. There is no redemption for the series after that.. Which would be a shame.

Edited by gamestopkate, 02 April 2011 - 03:55 PM.

[edriano]

It's Dragon Age: Kirkwall.

I totally agree .

Maybe If it was

Dragon Age : Alternate World
or
Dragon Age : Champion of KirkWall
or
Dragon Age : Hawke's Chronicles (actually , I think this one is pretty good)

Maybe I might have been more merciful, but NO!
This in Dragon Age 2 for crying out load!
It deserve every critics that come and beyond that.

Kudos for you.

[LadyMilla]

It's Dragon Age: Kirkwall.

I totally agree .

Maybe If it was

Dragon Age : Alternate World
or
Dragon Age : Champion of KirkWall
or
Dragon Age : Hawke's Chronicles (actually , I think this one is pretty good)

Maybe I might have been more merciful, but NO!
This in Dragon Age 2 for crying out load!
It deserve every critics that come and beyond that.

Kudos for you.

Both names are awesome, but following the example of "The Naked Gun 2 ½", the perfect name would be "Dragon Age 1 ½: The Chronicles of Hawke". (Which more or less nails it, Dragon Age 2 is the same to DA: O as The Chronicles of Riddick to Pitch Black ).

[randName]

I ran an exponential regression calculation on those numbers and unless the trend changes - and provided that these numbers are a fair approximation of the actual sales - DA2 will settle around a total of 700k copies sold worldwide. (Btw, this is the PC sales chart).

The problem is, if 5 years of development = 2.1 million copies of DA:O sold, and 16 months of development = 0.7 million copies of DA2 sold then DA2 has already justified the investment and the 'streamlining' approach.
The only thing that may force them to reconsider this direction of development is if DA3 sales will be totally disastrous.

I simply mean that the will say that 63.142 copies were sold, but its only estimates, and yet they will write in the last 2, or even hundreds of copies, when their estimates probably will never be that precise. & NDA and VGChartz are in a bit of a feud over it how VGChartz measure sales, but generally VGChartz seems to get the trends well, so hence I posted it.

Just wanted to add all the warnings, since some people will just attack their inaccuracy and use it to discredit everything about VGChartz, and by using that Z its easy to do so, even when they actually seem rather decent, as you wrote, for general trends.

& Do you have any production cost data for DA:O and DA2? DA:O is probably, due to the 5 years, way above DA2, and DA2 further reused components from DA:O, but would be interesting to see the difference.

Edited by randName, 02 April 2011 - 05:54 PM.

[jim_uk]

Ever heard about RadonLab's bankruptcy? RadonLab is a developer for the Drakensang game on PC.
The developer experience bankruptcy after releasing the 2nd game; The River of Time.

I'm just hoping people stop giving negative responds for DA2.
I read in the other forums yesterday, that there are people that suggested not to buy DA2.
Think about it:

What if bcos of that negative respond, people don't buy DA2?
Then, BioWare experience bankruptcy?
There won't be DA3!!!

Please forward this thought to another forums, as i don't want to read any other response to DA2 criticism.
Thanks.

-lovender-

If they continue to put out products that people aren't happy with then they deserve to go broke, they're a business who should be competing for our money, they aren't a charity. I was a huge Bioware fan but that company no longer exists, it's now EA and it shows. EA destroy everything they touch, Bioware are no different. As for RadonLab, had The River of Time not been so unbalanced that is was virtually unplayable then they might have sold a few more, that's if the original Drakensang hadn't put most people off.

[Halororor]

I love how people can justify wanting other people to lose their jobs, when they might not get jobs elsewhere and surely have families depending on the money back home. All because of one game a number of people doesn't like. Really smart.

[Tikkidew]

I love how people can justify wanting other people to lose their jobs, when they might not get jobs elsewhere and surely have families depending on the money back home. All because of one game a number of people doesn't like. Really smart.

I actually read this entire thread. Took me an hour, well .. I did spend a few minutes here and there thinking about every thought out reply. This is what I took from it:

Everyone who posted a negative or positive reply loves Dragon Age. Period. Be it Origins or II ... they love Origins, but at the same time know what DA2 could have been. Those die hard fans wanted a sequel that made Origins look like Amature night at a karaoke bar. The non experienced folks who played Origins were like "WTF?" .. this is way too hard, these guys made Mass Effect 2? Hmm, PASS with Predjudice". They plaged the Bioware forums .. pretty bad. "Dad" (EA) said, "Tone it down, or else you wont get your allowence". The son (Bioware) complied ... and thought he'd have some time to make dad proud. Nope, Bioware's Dad (EA) is a wife beater and told his son " If you don't get an A in Algibra, I'm gonna kick yours ass."

Okay, sorry for the metaphors. What I mean by all this is:
DA:O = Awesome
Mass Effect 2 = Awesome & a lot of new paying customers
DA2 = Wow, we're making money again. We need another DA, kinda like how we s*** out a Madden and Sims game every year, oh oh oh and oh ..

[randName]

I love how people can justify wanting other people to lose their jobs, when they might not get jobs elsewhere and surely have families depending on the money back home. All because of one game a number of people doesn't like. Really smart.

Oh man, this is scary.

I mean I'm a socialist & I like solidarity (not communist for those who doesn't know the difference), but when is it our duty to buy EA games to keep BioWare families from poverty?

If that's your argument you should send the workers money directly, or promote heavier social welfare in Canada and the like; not by feeding EA and BioWare; & besides didn't Bioware fire most of the people that worked on DA:O anyway?
Or most studios do, its apart of my reality given that I'm a texture-artist-monkey; and I very much doubt that BioWare is a heaven of solidarity; rather they would get your money, and kick out the designers, coders and artists anyway. & I like BioWare, I wouldn't mind working there at all in truth, save the transatlantic trip.

& besides if they got hired at BioWare they should be good enough to land work somewhere else.

& If I do remember it correctly and the DA:O personnel was kicked after the project ended, so you should probably never ever buy an other BioWare game again, that is f you find our actions in simply not recommending games we don't like since this should pale so in comparison to their actions against their own staff just after completing a widely successful game. (A friend who had two friends work at BioWare and on DA:O told me this, all four of us are texture/mesh artists; but this could be false, so if if if).

Nor from 95% of all other larger developers out there.

Also go out and buy the games I've worked on, in droves, it will keep me from getting poor ~ (and I haven't even bought any of the games I'm on).

Mass Effect 2 = Awesome & a lot of new paying customers

As far as I know ME1 and ME2 have sold the same (2.4M without PC sales).

Maybe a large slew of the old Bioware boys & girls didn't get ME2, and its actually true that ME2 gained a lot of new paying customers; but in that case the lost as many old players, and I suspect that would be worse than gaining new fickle hearts (the old heart is the best heart)

Edited by randName, 05 April 2011 - 08:38 AM.