Crysis sales in crisis; UT3 gets fragged too
Holding hands with Crysis is Epic's Unreal Tournament 3 which sold an even more disappointing 33,995 units following its Nov. 19 release. Although not a pixel pushing monster on the level of say, oh ... Crysis, the Unreal Engine 3 game is still a beast in an already crowded genre. At the very least UT3 will make up some sales with the recently released PS3 version and the future Xbox 360 version.
We're ready for that Crysis console announcement whenever you are, EA.
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
Jeff @ Dec 16th 2007 12:17AM
How/why PC gaming won't die, why I prefer it, and why Crysis was not a failure:
Consoles are already first priority for developers almost 100% of the time. BioShock, The Orange Box, even Unreal Tournament 3... all were designed to make the most money from consoles, but to release slightly tweaked/improved versions for PC. I have no problem with that business model. In fact, usually it ensures that the games aren't too demanding and thus run very well on PC hardware. The current synergy between the 360 and PC hardware makes this trend quite easy for developers, and quite viable. A success for everyone.
I don't care if the game was designed for 360. I'm a videophile-- I want it running at twice the resolution the 360 version has with twice the FPS. This is what the PC can do. Sure, if you don't care, buy a console. Save some money. But many of us do care, and PC gaming isn't going to die. Particularly now that porting the 360 version over is a simple and cheap process for developers.
I can buy the same games for $20 cheaper (most PC games hit $40 a couple weeks after release), get better graphics, framerates, use keyboard and mouse (or any controller ever made), free and better online multiplayer (32 player Team Fortress FTW), and, generally, play with an older and more mature user-base.
Sure, releasing a game for PC only, particularly without any type of protection, isn't going to net a lot of profit. But I think Crytek and EA realized that, and that Crysis was mostly released as a hardware seller-- the game may not be making a lot of money, but god knows Nvidia, Intel, and Corsair are. And I have a feeling the advertising agreements ($$$$) reflect this.
jynxycat @ Dec 15th 2007 10:54AM
This thread makes me lul -_-
The problem here is that anyone who is into PC enthusiast gaming uses either newgroups, or bittorrents.
World of Warcraft is a prime example. You can't download WoW, but if you could, I can assure you that the total box sales would be cut by 75%.
PC gaming will always suffer from piracy. There's no way to prevent it. Half-life 2 had to be authenticated by Steam through the internet, but it took maybe a week or two before that was bypassed. Consoles can be modded to do the same, but systems such as the 360 requires fancy modding that may or may not get you banned from online play. Plus you can't just download a file and click setup.exe, you have to probably send in your unit, have it physically opened and modded. That's more work than most console owners want.
If you think piracy doesn't dramatically affect sales for this title, or any other AAA PC title, then you're quite naive.
PS. Nvidia has killed off the $400-500 video card with the 8800GT and 8800GTS 512mb cards. Both sell for anywhere from $250 to $340, and can be considered top of the line when it comes to effects and resolutions. Honestly, the requirements for the game got blown out of proportion from people who just don't know jack.
Still, it works both ways. I could play my Xbox 360 on my CRT TV in 480i, but if I want my games in 720p/1080i I have to spend $1000 or more on a TV.
Negativecool @ Dec 15th 2007 11:55AM
You think you have to spend $1000 or MORE on a 720P TV? What year do you think this is, 2004?
God, I hate people's irrational wallet gripping complaints when the letters "HD" are placed before TV.
They are AFFORDABLE!
Orangecoke @ Dec 15th 2007 5:17PM
Agree, totally. There's always been PC piracy but seems like it's far easier/more prevalent these days.
Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 15th 2007 3:50PM
Actually, the Sony 32D3000 which is the only 720P TV I'd consider buying is over 1000$ :/
Shockgamer @ Dec 15th 2007 4:40PM
Not everybody is happy with a Vizio.
....Or LCDs in general, ghosting P.O.S. they are..
staxontoplyon23 @ Dec 20th 2007 9:58PM
"PS. Nvidia has killed off the $400-500 video card with the 8800GT and 8800GTS 512mb cards."
Thank god, lets keep the $500-$70,000 equipment to the professionals making the next pixar movie, I'm opposed to reinventing the architecture so often as they have in the past, obsolescing shit every year. And to all of the ppl who bought a 8800gtx ultra for 600 bucks last year just cuz they saw crisis footage, only to have a card available for 250 now that the game is out that is nearly as good (about 10% slower but alot smaller cooler and less power hungry)....
SUCKERS!!! HAHAHAHAH!!!! I told you so.
bneals @ Dec 15th 2007 11:50AM
I am not saying that the 360/PS3 version is better. I am saying that it is a bigger bang for the buck. One of you talked highly about the 8800 GTS 512. I went to Newegg and the cheapest card is $359 - the same price as a Premium 360 with two games.
You guys are nuts if you think that Crytek is pleased with these types of sales. Licensing the engine or not, nobody wants to spend 2 years on a game to get 80k worth in sales. That is just stupid. This game received alot of pre-release attention and 80k in a week is sad. BTW, I think Halo 3 sold 1.7 million units in the same time period. Console sales on black Friday were something like 2.4 billion. Don't even try to tell me that the graphics market or pc gaming was even close to this. Don't kid yourself - money matters to developers. They are, after all, out to make a profit. Thinking that developers don't care when their games don't sell well is shortsighted.
PC's will always be better than consoles. That is a no brainer. That said, I hate the graphics card industry and the constant need to upgrade.
Finally, those of you that question a console's ability to make great looking games clearly haven't played call of duty 4. That game looks better than most pc shooters and it played on my $300 console.
Jonah Falcon @ Dec 15th 2007 1:08PM
Halo 3 sold 3.3M in 5 days.
Dale @ Dec 15th 2007 11:58AM
I am installing Vista on my MacBook Pro to play UTIII right now. That is how much I wanted it. Americans suck.
Klepto @ Dec 15th 2007 1:04PM
Not buying an EA game, ever.
Jonah Falcon @ Dec 15th 2007 1:06PM
I'm buying Spore and Burnout Paradise as soon as they come out. (smirk)
Jonah Falcon @ Dec 15th 2007 1:04PM
There's a reason the first UT sold so well - it had an option to play on extremely low graphics machines (if I recall, it had an option for 320x200 rez!)
It's GAMEPLAY, not GRAPHICS, that sells a game.
SeriousKriss @ Dec 15th 2007 1:08PM
Here's a comment from one developers working in Tripwire on the situation :
"These NPD numbers are VERY misleading for PC games having seen this with our own game (Red Orchestra:Ostfront). Basically, the US is very console heavy, and Europe is very PC heavy. So you can estimate that whatever the NPD numbers were for a PC game, there was probably over 3x more in Europe and elsewhere. So if UT3 sold 30,000 in the US, I would guess it sold a total of 100,000+ in those two weeks worldwide. And if Crysis did 85,000 in the US, it probably did around 300,000 worldwide. And that doesn't even include digital downloads or online sales. Add those in and the numbers would be much much bigger.
PC gaming has entered the internet age. Lots of people buy their games online, and through digital distribution (unlike consoles). NPD leaving these elements out completely skews the sales numbers. It would be like calculating holiday shopping sales and ignoring all those poeple that used credit cards or debit cards."
In other words, it's almost as stupid to focus on PC game sales from the US as it is to focus on 360 game sales in Japan.
Also, Cevat Yerli has already stated many times that Crysis in it's present state is not going to run on current-gen consoles. A spin-off made by EA is plausible, but it won't the same game.
Jonah Falcon @ Dec 15th 2007 1:15PM
I don't recall being able to purchase Crysis or Unreal Tournament III via download. (rolling eyes)
SeriousKriss @ Dec 15th 2007 1:23PM
Jonah Falcon : you can buy Crysis on the EA online store and UT3 on Direct2Drive. And of course you can buy physical copies from many, many online stores.
But don't worry, you're not the only uninformed person here. In fact I always marvel at the number of ignorant console fanboys who wish the death of PC gamgin, even though it is the only truly free gaming platform.
Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 15th 2007 3:56PM
You rolling your eyes at your own ignorance Jonah?
KiraXD @ Dec 15th 2007 1:46PM
what should be fun to see, is if console versions of UTIII sell more than the PC version... hmmmmmmm
bneals @ Dec 15th 2007 1:55PM
I think that people that say "Americans suck" suck. Where are you from? You probably live under a rock somewhere because it is clear that you are jealous of my country.
Urza @ Dec 15th 2007 2:53PM
Crisis should have been a console title, very few people have $6000 game machines to run it. The average "gamer" buys the $500-$600 computer from Walmart that'll run WoW smoothly.
UT3.. well epic pissed off A LOT of fans with what they did to the 360 community by adding new stuff to the Gears PC and not offering it to 360 owners. I have a feeling that I wasn't the only gamer that didn't bother with UT3 for the PC and won't be getting it for PS3 either.
Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 15th 2007 3:30PM
6000$ machine? lol
Try 1500$, and that's for high resolutions, you can probably max out Crysis at 1024x768 for under 1000$, and if you are upgrading your computer it's even less, say 400$....
Jeff @ Dec 15th 2007 3:36PM
My friend just built a rig that can max Crysis on 1280 x 960 (the most common resolution in PC gaming, according to the steam surveys) for under $900.
Lekko @ Dec 15th 2007 3:54PM
If they port crysis over to a console it will be only for marketing and will be a horrible game.
ie. "see how powerful our console is? it can play a game designed for bajillion dollar computers." However the console port will have numerous things taken out and will not be running the same game as PCs. Granted, it will be heavily optimized, and will run well, but it won't be the behemoth that it was on PCs.
Also: I did buy it, and I do have a good gaming PC. After playing through the game with decent frame rates and a fair amount of eye candy turned on, it was a dud. The only saving grace for the game to me now is the level editor which will get axed from the console version aside from possibly the PS3 since it is more open to those kinds of things.
ZippyDSMlee @ Dec 15th 2007 6:37PM
interesting it runs fine on medium on a 7600,1GB ramm and a X24200+ or intel P4 954 or better, its not that intensive.
BTW I am enjoying UT3 even tho its not as fun as UT99 its still a better game than 03/04.
t_m @ Dec 16th 2007 12:34AM
Crysis runs well on non-monster PCs in lower detail modes...
...BUT the game has been marketed solely on its GRAPHICS. Most people wouldn't feel it was worth buying Crysis unless they felt they could run it in high detail mode.
It'd be like buying a ferrari when the speed limit in your country was 20mph.
Fesh @ Dec 16th 2007 5:16AM
uh, I really dont understand why people are whining about the req's of this game, it is perfectly playable, and with fairly decent graphics, on just about any machine with a 3 generation old decent GPU and 2gb+ of ram (which is about 70$ on newegg.com, and anyone running less than 2gb and gaming is a moron). My machine with an x1950pro (hardly a budget-busting gpu) and a mid-range (e6600) c2d can run this game at medium-high settings, at 45fps, with only very occasional slideshows (mostly when you blow up the gas station, the tank at the same time, and the resulting fireball causes the helicopter flying low over it to also explode... aka, very occasional), and even those last barely seconds.
t_m @ Dec 16th 2007 7:34AM
Because they marketed it as being all about the graphics.
If they had marketed the gameplay or the story nd made people understand that the graphics weren't important then maybe they'd have sold better.
I'm sure my PC could manage it, and at Farcry levels of detail (which i still consider pretty impressive). But they've spent the last year bombarding me with images showing how amazing it is. Playing it at lower settings would just feel like i'm missing out on something.
PS/ I loved farcry, so i hope this doesn't kill them financially. I'm sure i'll pick up crysis in a year or two when i have a new laptop that can run it at max settings.
lexx0 @ Dec 16th 2007 9:12AM
the thing is, medium-high graphics settings are still DAMN impressive. not photo-realistic like some of the quad-sli 8800GTX ultra trailers, but very, very, very close.
SeriousKriss @ Dec 16th 2007 5:18AM
In other news, The Witcher sold more than 1 million copies a month ago.
http://www.n4g.com/News-81964.aspx
Oh but of course Joystiq wouldn't report on that. Who really cares about the world outside the US, aside from these European pricks?
http://www.msxnet.org/humour/world-according-to-america.png
Jeff @ Dec 16th 2007 11:50AM
World outside of US AND PC gaming-- it's a double weakness for joystiq. It's like hitting a flying type pokemon with thunder AND ice.
Ouch.
Alien @ Dec 16th 2007 10:04AM
People , its time to buy a PS3 , because Crysis is comming :)
Shawn @ Dec 16th 2007 12:16PM
US Retail for PC has always been niche at best. I'd be curious to know what the European numbers are, I'm betting they are far better for Crysis. The NPD is absolutley pointless when it comes to tracking PC Gaming.
MMO's, Digital Distribution and the rest of the world aren't counted in NPD figures, at all. There good for the console gaming industry where the US is the main market and it's almost all retail. The problem arises when people apply the NPD to the PC Gaming industry, which gives off a false outlook.
Some of you kids need to read the report they post every year instead of bashing on a platform you know nothing about, than again, this is joystiq. Console fanboys galore
Marcilino @ Dec 16th 2007 12:48PM
Can't compare pc game sales to console game sales, It doesn't even make sense too, Considering 90% of the asstards who still play pc games steal the software off torrent sites and irc networks. Blame the internet criminals for poor pc game sales not the genre being worn out or the players rig not being able to run the game, Go check out Crysis on a torrent site and read how it's being downloaded 22,000 times a day, The game is in high demand but why pay when you can steal for free?
t_m @ Dec 18th 2007 2:39AM
I always found it much easier to download console games than PC games. (back when i was evil).
I'd bet if you go on the same torrent sites then you'd find that console games are torrented just as much.
Earl @ Dec 16th 2007 2:36PM
What did they expect from a game that requires a brand new PC to play?
My 8 month old computer can barely handle Crysis on low settings. Same computer that plays GoW with no problems.
Maybe in 3 or 4 years I will get to enjoy Crysis
Silly Laura @ Dec 16th 2007 5:00PM
I'm quite surprised with this. But then again these two games need a really decent PC to run them well without lag or any interference. I guess I'm in that minority, my computer can handle UT3 on high resolution 1600x1200.
I'm sure many people would love to have UT3! But most people don't have the money to upgrade their PC's :(
I still enjoy UT2004 :)
Thats my 2 cents. :D
jim @ Dec 16th 2007 6:49PM
Some of you make no sense. You think that just because you bought a PC a year ago you should be able to run everything at 1600x1200 very high on all settings 16xAF 8xAA at 60fps. This is not reality.
Crysis at medium settings looks better than the majority of games coming out nowadays, and PC equipment that has been out for the last 2 years can handle that. (My athlon 64 3700 + ATI X1900xtx runs it just fine).
The good thing is when you do decide to upgrade, hey now you can replay at the highest settings and itll be a better experience.
But with your attitudes, Crytek would've been much better off dropping the current high and very high detail settings and simple making the current medium settings the highest settings.
Hear that developers- don't push the graphics envelope anymore!
RWarrior1CO @ Dec 16th 2007 9:26PM
After reading this thread, I'm beginning to understand just how bad the problem of piracy really is. Does anybody out there who downloads games illegally still think that they aren't hurting the industry, or are they finally going to admit that they just don't care?
ZeroCorpse @ Dec 16th 2007 10:43PM
So what the hardcore PC gamers are saying is that you're not kewl enough if you don't buy a new PC every six months, or at the very least upgrade your RAM, CPU, and video card in that time period. According to the hardcore PC gamers, you should happily suck up that $850 annual fee (and that's a kind estimate if you consider some of the upgrades they perform every few months) as the price for playing.
Yeah... Uh... No thanks. That's why I left PC gamers behind ages ago. Bunch of losers that are more interested in how many FPSs they can push than the actual gameplay.
As for the computer's power-- Well, I gave up building PCs to be gaming rigs. It's just plain stupid trying to be bleeding edge all the time. It's not worth the time, money, or effort when I can have a similar experience on a console. Sure, the PC might run at 60fps with all the right upgrades, but the console is at least consistent and doesn't vary from one system to another. I can just play instead of spending all my time tweaking.
But PC gamers are like car guys. It's not the car itself, or even the race that matters. It's the time they get to spend with their heads under the hood. THAT is the real game played by PC gamers... It's all about measuring penis size by comparing rigs. Whoever has the most fans or the newest video card wins.
Frankly, all those people can keep on playing Counterstrike until they perish. I can do without them in the console world.
SeriousKriss @ Dec 17th 2007 4:45AM
So many words that could be summed up in just one tiny sentence : "I'm completely ignorant about PC gaming".
monkeymonkeymonkey @ Jan 1st 2008 4:44AM
well said!
Unlike the other guy, I dont think you are ignorant. You sound like how I use to be, updating your computer every 6 mths to keep up. I got sick of it. Sure it was fun, but my friends started getting into consoles and seemed to be having more fun than I did. Not to mention that playing console games just works. With PC, your best bet is to have a dedicated gaming machine without anything else installed to get optimum speed. Start installing other day-to-day software and you can get into issues with they system.
So, you are not ignorant, others just dont want to hear the truth!
The3rdNuisance @ Dec 17th 2007 1:38AM
I wish I could say I was surprised. Crysis is without a doubt one of the worst games I've played this year, and UT3 was a massive letdown.
Crytek made the game look pretty, run good, but the AI was so, very bad, it completely ruins the game. Helicopters magically knowing where you are, even when invisble, and the ability to throw a person off a cliff, have them survive, but still not be onto your location...
Epic also did real bad. The fact that they made concessions for the console crowd ruined the game. Less of a focus on DM, and extra focus on the craptacular Onslaught 2.0 mode. Slow reload times, clunky character feel... well, at least they can release more maps and fix the small issues with some minor patches..
tyetheczar @ Dec 17th 2007 2:43PM
With The Orange Box and CoD 4 out, why get this?
rohith10 @ Dec 21st 2007 5:16PM
Don't worry, as more and more people get quality hardware, the sales will gradually go up. For Crysis, at least. Can't say the same for UT3.
TruthBeTold @ Dec 25th 2007 10:52AM
Anyone that says you have to have a $400-600 graphics card to run it good is dead-fucking-wrong. My ENTIRE computer was no more than $600 and it plays Crysis all high settings 1024x768. That's what, $200 higher than what most of you paid for a 360? Yeah you 360 fanboys can go away. Ignorant morons.
monkeymonkeymonkey @ Jan 1st 2008 4:54AM
$600? Please list your specs and pricing. I find it hard to belive a good gaming machine is less than $1k.
Good quality components
CPU - $200
RAM - $100-150
MOBO - $150-200
GFX - $350
SOUNDCARD - $50 ($0 if integrated in mobo)
CASE - $60-100
OPTICAL DRIVE - $30-40
MOUSE - $25-30
KEYBOARD - $20-30
Being liberal with some of the prices, its at least $1,000. Then you have to upgrade the GFX every year or so.
Before you call me a sony or xbox fanboy, I use to be a dedicated PC gamer. As stated earlier, I got fed up with the upgrade game and found that consoles allowed me to focus on having fun, actual playing quality games.
TruthBeTold @ Jan 1st 2008 12:46PM
$70 E2140
$50 2GB OCZ Gold XTC PC2-6400 (running at 667MHz actually)
$60 Gigabyte GA-945GCMX-S2 motherboard
$260 Palit 8800GT
Onboard sound
Already have case, optical drive, keyboard, mouse and hard drive.
$50 Nmedia MP-500 500W Power Supply
I actually bumped up settings to 1280x1024, still all high, with 16x AF. It's still playable :)
Pugnate @ Jan 1st 2008 3:30PM
I got an 8800GTX when it launch, and I couldn't be happier with that purchase.
Anyone who says I should be feeling bad is a console happy moron.
So the GTS is $200 a year later. So freakin' what? Why would I wait 12 months to save $200 while for a whole year I could be experiencing the best frames, resolution, and image quality money can offer?
$200 or wait a year??...
And it isn't like my 8800GTX is dead now. It is still top of the line, and can do anything the PS3/360 can, except much better.
On my 24'' monitor I get faster frames, better textures and sexy resolutions. The difference between Bioshock on the 360 and PC is jaw dropping.
Also take the time to look up Oblivion on the 360 and Oblivion on the PC with all the free visual modifications. It is a difference of night and day.
My friends who play Oblivion on the 360 are amazed at how much better it looks on the PC with the free mods. AND it runs better.
With a keyboard and mouse setup, PC gaming is on a whole new level. Anyone who games on a 360 and then tries a $800 PC (8800GT,CoreDuo,4GBDDR2) will experience something that will make him want to sell his 360 without hesitation.
As for Crysis... mate those were 2 week sales. Let's see how it does in December during the holiday season.
And let's not forget, whenever people buy their new 8800GTs, Crysis will be their first buy. That's why the game will sell steadily into 2009, because visual levels of the game are still locked.
And aside from the US of A, the game is the best seller in Germany, and still in the top 3 in Australia, UK, most of Europe and even freakin' Japan.
http://www.elspa.com/?c=/charts/uk.jsp&ct=27
I am running the game on high settings, and it looks infinitely better than Halo3, Gears of War, Call of Duty 4 or any other game that qualifies as a shooter on a console.
DiRT @ Jan 4th 2008 10:23AM
I still only play Space Invaders.
wrecker @ Jan 5th 2008 2:49AM
My problem is that I cannot and will not play First Person Shooters on the console until they get full and complete mouse/keyboard support. Call me spoiled (true) call me ancient (very true) but FPS's just are not meant to play on a gamepad/joystick.
So I play on the PC and I always buy my games to support the PC gaming community. Plus I have 30+ PC games on my system, most of which don't even exist in the Console market.
TBH I bought Gears of War for the PC and was completely pissed off when I found it really didn't play well with the keyboard because they ported it so badly. But I am very happy with Crysis, COD4, ETQW, Orange Box, MOH: Airborne and UT3 on my PC. So GoW will probably get sold off.