Oblivion records record sales, 1.7 million and climbing
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Apr 10th 2006 at 3:25PM }
According to NPD sales figures, Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has become the fastest selling
Xbox 360 title to date, in North America. In addition, the PC version accounted for 13% of all Windows games sold during
Oblivion's first week of release — more than four times the percentage of the next best selling game.
Currently, the standard and collectors editions rank #1 and #2, respectively, on the PC sales chart. Bethesda reports
that more than 1.7 million combined units have shipped.In Europe, Oblivion's sales are also thriving, as the game ranks #1 in the UK, Germany, and France. Also worth noting, the official game guide ranked #10 on Amazon's North American bestselling books list during its first week of release.
[Thanks, The1]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
nyc @ Apr 10th 2006 3:33PM
HORSE ARMOR
JimmyHACK @ Apr 10th 2006 3:38PM
Shows you how hard up PC gamers and 360 owners are first a good game this spring....
Sloopydrew @ Apr 10th 2006 3:38PM
I would like this game better if I had that mod that let you have naked women (the 360 version doesn't allow it). Even without boobs, it's a great game. Nice to see The Elder Scrolls is finally turning into a massive franchise the likes of Zelda and Mario. Looks like people are finally catching on. With or without digital tits.
vc @ Apr 10th 2006 3:54PM
1.7 million xbox 360 copies of Oblivion sold!? How many total Xbox 360s are in the wild right now? That's a huge attach rate for the game.
Jeremy Wright @ Apr 10th 2006 3:55PM
vc: Damned straight. However, it's combined units (PC and 360).
ymmv @ Apr 10th 2006 4:01PM
You know what's funny about the linked press release? It only mentions the high accolades and scores the game garnered in print magazines like Official Xbox Magazine and PC Gamer, but it fails to mention online media like Gamespot, IGN and others. I think that Gamespot and IGN have a larger readership these days than the printed media. I visit those sites every day but I haven't bought a gaming magazine in many, many years.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 10th 2006 4:04PM
I am willing to bet that around 60% or more of those sales went to the 360 because Oblivion is such a beast for the PC to run.
Of course, this rapid success couldn't have happened to a better game. It is too often we see titles that garner critical success and are truly excellent games fall flat in sales while the next roster update of a crappy EA game or half-assed lisenced game blows up the carts. It is nice to see a game sell on a level that equals its quality.
Dave M. @ Apr 10th 2006 4:06PM
Well, it looks like World of Warcraft hasn't killed the game market after all.
I just started playing Oblivion this weekend. I can see why it's selling so well. It's as engrossing as WoW, without all the Chuck Norris references (minus the Mod someone made for Oblivion) and annoying 14 year olds attempting to dual you every 5 seconds.
I can't say I like the Speechcraft system, but I understand it and will probably get better at it soon. Picking locks is annoying. How many lockpicks does one need to pick a lock anyway. I've gone through about 100 and only managed to open about 10 locked boxes. Sheesh!
The NPC's in this thing are amazing. I love the quests that are given out and I don't think I will ever use the fast travel option. Walking the land is breathtaking.
I just hope that Bethesda doesn't take 5-6 years to do the next installment.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 10th 2006 4:10PM
Dave M. -
Lockpicking is actually too easy and should be made more difficult to match your skill level. All you have to do is poke the tumbler up over and over again until it moves up slowly. That is when you click the left mouse button. I just finished the game, around 60 hours of gameplay, picked around 372 locks, but only broke 4 picks.
Replication Guide @ Apr 10th 2006 4:19PM
VC...
By year's end (2005) Microsoft had sold only 1.5 million units; including 900,000 in North America, 500,000 in Europe, and a meager 100,000 in Japan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360
Varian @ Apr 10th 2006 4:21PM
This story is very misleading Joystiq. Let me splash some cold water on all this.
First, it says records are being broken. What records are these? Team Xbox doesn't say except it is the fastest selling game on the Xbox 360. This means very little. A game can sell very fast (such as Final Fantasy 12) and still be outsold by a slower selling smaller game (Animal Crossing Wild World).
Even worse, the sales are not mentioned. It is only 1.7 million units SHIPPED. If they have the NPD numbers, why not tell us how many were sold via retailers? Team Xbox further misleads by refusing to do that and gives us PERCENTAGE of sales. "It is 13% of all games sold!" This tells us absolutely nothing. Every new game that comes out will dominate the great majority percentage of sales for that given window. If Obvlivion kept this up after a long period of time, that would be something. But this information is more of a marketing stunt than a true informational release.
Those 1.7 million shipped include both Xbox 360 and PC versions. That is not good. If sales go half and half, then Oblivion has not sold a million on either platform yet.
Telling how the game is #1 on several European countries, again, is not fully placed into context. What are the sales numbers there? Team Xbox does not say; they merely go on. What are the other games on some of the European countries top ten lists? Strangely, games like Nintendogs is still in the top ten in places like France. That is a story because the game has been out for more than half a year. But recent releases like Oblivion and Godfather are not.
Any game that is recently released always has that 'hot sales' window. Most of these games rapidly shrink in sales very quickly and sink down the sales charts. This is why saying a recently released game is at the top of a best selling list is not news (unless you mention the units sold). If Oblivion is still on the best selling list a month or two from now, that would be news.
EA's the Godfather is on the best selling charts and makes up around 10% of all current software sales. Does this mean the game is best selling? No. And the same goes for Oblivion. Oblivion may become best selling if the game has legs. But most games do not. And we will have to wait and see in time if this occurs.
This Team Xbox 'story' stinks of marketing and should be taken with a truckload of salt. Most of the numbers they threw out aren't even relevant or indicative of the number of sales. The 1.7 million representing BOTH Xbox 360 and PC platforms should be a red flag that this story is overstating this game and trying to push the "Jones Effect" ("Gee, Bethsheba says this game is best-selling, that means I ought to get it because everyone else does!"). Sorry, we can see through this marketing BS.
Scooby Doo @ Apr 10th 2006 4:48PM
I know that I wanted to get the Xbox 360 version but that meant I had to find an Xbox. In Chicago, that was pretty much impossible on March 23rd. So, I bought the PC collector's edition and I actually bought a new PC just to play the game.
I think it's an awesom title, and a reason to buy an Xbox 360, but I went PC version because that was the only way I could play it. (Just thought I'd share which version I had to pick.)
Paul @ Apr 10th 2006 4:54PM
God, can't we just give Bethesda their freakin props without saying "Oh well this is a fluke Xbox 360 sucks anyhow"? They crafted a fine game in Oblivion, a fine game that isn't on PS3 or Revolution. Get over it.
embassy @ Apr 10th 2006 5:12PM
varian...can u just admit that its a popular and high selling game..??...get over it...your revolution will be out soon enough...until then...go huddle in a corner and play with your Ds...
CrAzY American @ Apr 10th 2006 5:20PM
This game is freakin awsome.
Varian, why on earth would you go on a rant to try and 'prove' why these numbers aren't impressive. Just so you know, its not a team xbox marketing story, these numbers were released by NPD sales figures.
Art Guy @ Apr 10th 2006 5:27PM
.
Varian - You have no clue whatsoever about the game business. As it currently stands, it looks like Oblivion WILL BE the best selling PC game this year.
1.7 million is a HUGE number for less than a month. It would be very, very surprising if it isn't a "Top Ten" best selling game this year for both PC and console.
US PC Top Ten 2005 (NPD)
1. World of Warcraft - 957,000
2. The Sims 2: University - 574,000
3. The Sims 2 - 559,000
4. Guild Wars
5. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3
6. Battlefield 2
7. The Sims 2: Nightlife
8. Age of Empires III
9. The Sims Deluxe
10. Call of Duty 2
US Console Top Ten 2005 (NPD)
1. Madden NFL 06 (PS2) - 2,900,000
2. Pokemon Emerald (GBA) - 1,700,000
3. Gran Turismo 4 (PS2) - 1,500,000
4. Madden NFL 06 (Xbox) - 1,200,000
5. NCAA Football 06 (PS2) - 1,100,000
6. Star Wars: Battlefront II (PS2) - 1,000,000
7. MVP Baseball 2005 (PS2) - 970,000
8. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (PS2) - 930,000
9. NBA Live 06 (PS2) - 820,000
10. LEGO Star Wars (PS2) - 800,000
rainking187 @ Apr 10th 2006 6:36PM
Wow, what happened in 2005? I mean every game on those lists is just terrible. With the possible excpetion of Lego Star Wars, which is fun, but since I'm not a Star Wars fan I don't really want to buy it. Madden is number 1? People are still playing football games? Here's a hint, go outside. Play real football. I enjoy video games because they allow me to do things I couldn't normally do, like in RPGs.
Moogle @ Apr 10th 2006 8:37PM
I haven't bought it yet, but I expect to soon. A friend, who is well known for downloading hacked versions of almost every big game that comes out, actually bought the game. When I expressed my utter amazement, he countered that he buys games when they're worth it. Apparently the last game he bought was Fallout. :)
So, yeah, we seem to have a winner on our hands.
I'll be joining the masses soon enough... Now we just need an Oblivion Mog Mod (http://machall.com/mog/) :)
Moogle @ Apr 10th 2006 8:43PM
Off topic, but this makes me die a little inside:
US Console Top Ten 2005 (NPD)
1. Madden NFL 06 (PS2) - 2,900,000
4. Madden NFL 06 (Xbox) - 1,200,000
5. NCAA Football 06 (PS2) - 1,100,000
7. MVP Baseball 2005 (PS2) - 970,000
9. NBA Live 06 (PS2) - 820,000
*buys a suitcase nuke and a ticket to the superbowl*
The ZeroCorpse @ Apr 10th 2006 9:16PM
"Finished the game" ???
What? Even when you get the main quest, there are still HUNDREDS of other quests and goals. I sincerely doubt you go through everything in the game in this short time since launch.
LaughingTarget @ Apr 10th 2006 10:36PM
True, I didn't truly finish it. Apparently the main quest involves pulling the powersource for the Aleyid ruins, thus locking myself out of any quest involving them, so I'm pretty much done since I did everything else.
Varian @ Apr 10th 2006 11:34PM
"Varian, why on earth would you go on a rant to try and 'prove' why these numbers aren't impressive. Just so you know, its not a team xbox marketing story, these numbers were released by NPD sales figures."
No, they weren't. It says the numbers were released from Bethsheba on how many they were shipped for BOTH PC and Xbox 360. Why give us a combined number? Bethsheba knows how many units were shipped for PC vs 360 but they won't announce it. Why?
Also, NPD does not track popular retailers such as Wal-Mart or even online sales. Team Xbox says that Oblivion was on top of the 'best selling' list in Amazon. But so was a game like Electroplankton for weeks. I small marketing 'speak' in all this.
Oblivion may be the greatest game in the world, but we ought to catch, tag, and identify any marketing that comes out of anywhere.
This isn't a NPD press release. This is a Team Xbox press release. They have picked and chosen different elements of data, much of it irrelevant (such as the percentage of current sales) to present an image of 'omg record sales!' I'm suspicious because they have combined the platform sales (Xbox 360 and PC) and have told us the 'shipped', not even sold from retailers.
There is also another big red flag. It is too early to identify the overall sales. In most games, the weeks when they are released is when they sell the most. After that, they drop down in sales. This is why most companies focus on a marketing blitz right when the game is released.
Games that appeal to non-gamers are the ones that have the strongest legs. World of Warcraft is still selling strongly. The Sims 2 is selling strongly for that reason as well. I doubt Oblivion will appeal to those non-traditional audiences. This means the game will most likely sell strongly within the first few weeks and plunge down as newer games take the spotlight. So to say how fast the game is selling is very mis-leading. What good is a game fast selling if it plunges in sales after a few weeks? (such as Final Fantasy 12)
No one can answer the questions I raised in my first post. What record sales is Oblivion making? Is it for the Xbox 360? Is the record of number sold or FASTEST selling? Fastest selling isn't the same as a best-seller.
There are many problems with Team Xbox's press release on this. Too many red flags and too many 'irrelevant' numbers (such as percentage of total units sold) that is tweaking my suspicion.
I have a question for you guys. Aren't you tired of marketing BS? Aren't you tired of the endless hype parade in this industry?
It will never change if you accept every press release as the truth. There are some glaring holes in this story that people need to look closer at. Stop letting these people manipulate you with their marketing.
Lonin @ Apr 11th 2006 1:11AM
I get what you're saying and agree to an extent Varian, but seriously, you are putting way to much weight on something as trivial as this.
It's widely regarded as an extremely good game, it has a good probability to be game of the year and/or RPG of the year, and it's selling well. I don't think most people care about the exact sales numbers or some grand conspiracy to market a game.
Even if all you say is true, which it very well may be, the only result will be more people buying a good game and BethESDA (not BethSHEBA) making money to develop more games. What a horrible travesty!
Slashbunny @ Apr 11th 2006 1:32AM
This story is highly dubious. They reportedly have sales charts for the top PC game sales, yet only tell us the shipped number. I have nothing against Oblivion, I just don't see it being a best seller and breaking all these records. Great games (especially RPGs) don't do that. Sports games, MMORPGs and the Sims do.
charlie @ Apr 11th 2006 7:12AM
Well its good news, oblivion is a great game. But out of curiosity, does anyone remember how many copies Halo 2 sold on its opening weekend? Wasnt it like 5 million copies or something preposterous?
slybri @ Apr 11th 2006 9:16AM
I was slightly disappointed with the PC version when I first got it. The textures on the distant terrain were a joke, performance was lousy, and the UI was horrible. Thankfully the mod community fixed all that in the first week with add-ons and tweaks and replaced textures.
Now this game is simply awe inspiring. The way the trees start whipping around in the wind as a storm approaches, the way the water ripples and reflects the distant hills and temples, the sheer size of the game...it's incredible. And it keeps getting better as more mods come out. Free mods!
I actually cancelled my Warcraft account. I don't need that game anymore! I've got my own little world to run around in without waiting for the login server!
mmodinero @ Apr 11th 2006 9:43AM
I'm sure Nvidia and ATI are giggling like school girls right about now. :/
paradoxes @ Apr 26th 2006 1:35PM
I'm not sure I've ever seen a thread with so many idiots. Oblivion is a great game; it will certainly be RPG of the year. Who cares about sales figures? BTW, Laughingtarget, there is NO WAY you finished "everything else" in sixty hours. You may think you did, but trust me - you didn't.