Boom Blox a bust at retail, sells only 60k units
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jun 16th 2008 at 1:28PM }
Why do we share such harsh statistics with you, dear reader? Because NPD just confirmed with our buddies at GameDaily that the well-received Boom Blox, an EA title with Steven Spielberg's name prominently places on the box, and the sixth highest-rated third-party Wii title on Metacritic, managed to sell only 60K units in its first month of sales. The title ranked 25 in the list of top sellers in May, and only managed to come in at number 9 in the list of top Wii sellers for the month. GameDaily did the math and determined that, using a North American install base of 10.2 million Wii units, Boom Blox's tie ratio was a barely noticeable 0.6%.
After the Zak and Wiki calamity of ought-seven, we're again afraid there's just no room for good third-party titles (even family friendly and marketable ones like Boom Blox) on Nintendo's console. In this case, where did EA go wrong (besides taking out head tracking)?
Gallery: Boom Blox
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 6)
Mr Khan @ Jun 16th 2008 1:33PM
This one's quite frankly inexplicable
It's a cutesy party game with user-generated content that incorporates motion controls that was well-advertised
And its good. I mean there were obvious reasons for good games like No More Heroes and Zack and Wiki to fail, but this game quite literally had everything going for it
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 16th 2008 1:46PM
It just goes to show you that wii owners and good games are like vampires and garlic. They just don't go together.
MariosInferno @ Jun 16th 2008 1:59PM
"It just goes to show you that wii owners and good games are like vampires and garlic. They just don't go together."
Yep. That's the issue.
Why don't you go chat with the marketing department for this game...oh yeah...there isn't one.
Add Okami, Bully, No More Heroes, etc to this list. I haven't seen ONE add for any of these games...especially on a medium used primarily by the Wii's audience. Throwing an assload of adds in Game Informer and GamePro is probably not gonna get the job done for the Wii's audience.
This is testament to the success of Guitar Hero 3 on the Wii. The Wii may have a huge install base, but as a developer, that doesn't mean you get lazy on the marketing side. There was a Guitar Hero 3 add on EVERY time I turned the TV channel. This is no one else's fault but EA.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ Jun 16th 2008 2:09PM
MariosInferno,
Seriously, quit trying to pass the buck on this one. STOP IT! I watch Beverly Hillbillies before going to work on WGN and like the tons of DS commercials, Boom Blox featured prominantly in that time slot. Boom Blox was advertised during the primetime family slots. You had newspapers EVERYWHERE hyping this game and you had tons of ads in the non-traditional gamer outlets. The hardcore gamers heard the amazing details of the game with every time they visited this and many other sites.
There was not a lack of information on this game in any amount. EA advertised the hell out of it. Guitar Hero selling so much is NOT a testament to advertising because EA did the same fucking thing.
I really wish Fantards would admit when there is a problem. Boomblox performing like this despite having massive hype is a problem.
Co @ Jun 16th 2008 2:11PM
We don't reply back to tmacairjordaniwishicouldball directly anymore. Coherent thought is needed from him before we do so.
Mr Khan @ Jun 16th 2008 2:20PM
Sheppy's right, it was prominently advertised on family slots, in fact, it still is. I was watching Tom and Jerry earlier today on Cartoon Network and saw a couple commercials for Boom Blox, and saw a few in Toonami's one-hour Naruto block
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 16th 2008 2:27PM
Poor Co, sounds incredibly ass hurt by this news. Or maybe it's cause he knows I'm 100% right. The few "great" 3rd party titles ninty has can't sell for shit on a system that has the highest install base AND even when they appear to be kiddy games which the casuals are supposed to like.
I don't know why they don't sell anymore than any of you do.
megaStryke @ Jun 16th 2008 2:29PM
This is on the second page, but I'll move it up here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=11588754&postcount=393
First 18 months software units (US):
Wii - 50 million (not including Wii Sports, 45 million not including Wii Sports or Wii Play)
X360 - 28 million
PS3 - 20 million
PS2 - 42 million
Wii 3rd parties - 29.05 million
X360 total (1st and 3rd) - 28 million
PS3 total (1st and 3rd) - 20 million
Co @ Jun 16th 2008 2:29PM
lol ok tmac im devastated. Glad I got that out in the open.
No I think it's more along the lines of you don't ever NOT come off as a pissed off anti-Nintendo Semite in every single post. It gets old. Almost as old as Fernando's antics.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 2:32PM
Co take the "We" out of your above statement and replace it with "I". You say that other peoples antics get old? Look at your own antics! I'm embarassed to own the same console as you.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 16th 2008 2:33PM
I didn't know I was pissed off by this news. If anything I should be happy right? You're the one that sounds ass hurt.
Sami @ Jun 16th 2008 2:34PM
What? This game has nothing on Raving Rabbids or many other actually interesting party games. "Cutesy"? You mean "genericy"? Advertising was zero, zilch, nada, nonexistent.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 2:36PM
@megaStryke
Sure the Wii has sold a million more 3rd party titles then the 360, but you also need to take into account how many more Wii's are out than 360's as well as how many Wii shovelware games come out. Like it's been said there are only 3 3rd party Wii games that have broke a million, one of them having Mario in the name.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 2:38PM
@Sami
Do you know what generic means?
Mr Khan @ Jun 16th 2008 2:40PM
To clarify, those "three" 3rd-party wii games that have broken 1 million are those that have broken a million in North America alone, i think. You can add a number to that if you go WW, like Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles, Resident Evil 4, Sonic and the Secret Rings, Red Steel, My Sims, Raving Rabbids, and there might be a couple i'm missing, though i think that's it
megaStryke @ Jun 16th 2008 2:41PM
@CTC
"Sure the Wii has sold a million more 3rd party titles then the 360..."
Correction: Wii sold more third-party titles than 360 first- AND third-party games COMBINED.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 2:45PM
@mega
What the hell are you talking about? As I said, the Wii has sold a million more 3rd party titles then the 360 has. Your own data even proves that!
Wii 3rd parties - 29.05 million
X360 total (1st and 3rd) - 28 million
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 16th 2008 2:47PM
Mega
Having mind blowing amounts of shovelware sure helps doesn't it?
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 2:47PM
AH I see what your saying now, your numbers are split up weird. I assumed the first set was 1st and 3rd and the second was just 3rd. Weird that they include the same numbers twice.
megaStryke @ Jun 16th 2008 2:51PM
Click the NeoGAF link, people. There's more to see there.
Also, tmac, the Wii has a higher attach ratio than the 360 had at this point in its life. It sits around 5.5 after 19 months. It took the 360 25 months to reach that number. This figure even beats out the PS2.
So, do "casual" consumers buy lots of games? I thought according to people like you that they only buy one or two if any since Wii Sports satisfies them.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 2:57PM
I still think that casual consumers don't really buy games. I'm pretty sure I have at least 25+ Wii games and a lot of the hardcore Nintendo fans I know have around that number to. The casual people I know with Wii's, such as my grandparents, some friends, and some other family, have Wii Sports and sometimes Warioware.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 16th 2008 2:58PM
All of those shovelware numbers, while most not selling all that great, add up when there's about a billion of them. Then add in the few worthwhile games the wii actually has and then you have these numbers.
Seriously I'm laughing my ass off that a self proclaimed gamer can be sucking nintendo off so much, and then the only reward for your loyalty is a continuous bitchslap.
You can have your smoke and mirror sales, I'll gladly give them to you as long as I can keep having the great games.
megaStryke @ Jun 16th 2008 3:03PM
Serious questions, tmac:
1. What exactly would it take for you to pick up the Wii? Don't say "miracle". I want a serious answer.
2. Since it is obvious that the Wii is the direction the industry is heading, with Sony and Microsoft trying to adopt their own motion peripherals, avatars, and expanded games, will you quit gaming altogether or move to the PC? Would that displease you?
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 3:09PM
"Since it is obvious that the Wii is the direction the industry is heading"
I really don't think tacked on motion control and minigame bundles is where the industry will go. And even if it does, there will still be 3rd parties putting out decent games like they do now. It's not like good 3rd party developers will cease to exist.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 16th 2008 3:09PM
I will respond honestly as you requested.
1) Only way I will EVER get a wii is if someone buys it for me, say as a birthday or x-mas gift. I can spend $250 on so much more.
2) I for one don't think sony and MS will bend their core audience over like Nintendo did, they'll likely have all that stuff but with a powerful console as well (hint: Believe it or not it is possible to have a powerful console and have everything, just not crazy powerful like the ps3 was that would make it too expensive).
But I'll pretend like they both end up going the exact route as nintendo, in which case I would quit gaming altogether. I have too much pride to reduce myself to mindless shovelware or games that have nothing more than decent gameplay (meaning no story, character development etc). If that was the case I wouldn't even feel bad because I would know I would no longer be missing out on anything.
FrankTheCrank @ Jun 16th 2008 3:16PM
So much for the "buzz" you bloggers created around this game. Dickbags.
So much gushing....and all it could muster was 60K in sales?
HA....soon to be in the bargain bin.
MariosInferno @ Jun 16th 2008 3:17PM
@Fidlious
1) You need to relax. You don't know me. Don't call me a fantard. I haven't seen one damn TV spot for this game. Not one. Did they run them, apparently...you saw them. Fine. Cool. Further, I was trying to dispell the typical....oh this is the Wii and it's owners and the same old 3rd party and Nintendo doesn't mix shit being spewed out of TMac's mouth. That's garbage. Clearly, based on the numbers, the Wii has good 3rd party sales. The GCN and N64 had market share issues that help explain it's lack of 3rd party success. With the Wii, Nintendo read the console market...dead to rights and the hardware is out there. Nintendo did it's job.
2) There certainly is a problem. And it's for the developers/publishers losing money on ips. Not Nintendo's. Nintendo is not responsible for the marketing, distribution, sales etc of 3rd party titles. Could this come back to haunt Nintendo, sure...assuming developers give up. Clearly they missed the mark with Boom Blox. Clearly Wii owners were not as aware as you think...and were not addressed in the manner that they need to be. There's no other way to explain it.
3) Well, BoomBlox having massive hype is definitly a stretch and a matter of opinion. Hyped, yes. But...come on....your fiery response reads like you feel EA put some Halo marketing behind this thing. Clearly they f**ked up somewhere.
FrankTheCrank @ Jun 16th 2008 3:23PM
CONFIRMED: NO BOOM BLOX 2!
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 16th 2008 3:25PM
Mariosinferno
More smoke and mirrors by the NDF. Good 3rd party sales DO NOT necessarily equal good 3rd party games. 50 cent sold over a million, shit game. If you take out last gen ports, multiplatform titles, and shovelware, you're likely going to end up with well under 10 well reviewed 3rd party games.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 3:26PM
I don't know how you can say the Wii has good 3rd party sales when only 3 3rd parties have broken a million. It has a lot of 3rd party sales due to a lot of 3rd party shovelware, but it's 3rd party sales are definitly not good. If you had made Zak and Wiki, No More Heroes, and Boom Blox only to see them get great review scores and then completely bomb would you see any reason to still develop for the Wii? I think actual 3rd party games will cease to come out and we will only receive 3rd party shovelware.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jun 16th 2008 3:27PM
I didn't mean to add mutliplatform titles, as exclusive 3rd party titles are kinda rare on all systems nowadays.
Even then the only game to add that I can think of is guitar hero 3.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 3:28PM
Also as far as Boom Blox advertising goes all I can remember is seeing an ad in EGM. I don't remember seeing any TV ads for the game at all, maybe I watch the wrong channels?
NATO_Duke @ Jun 16th 2008 3:28PM
Where's the love?
MariosInferno @ Jun 16th 2008 3:40PM
"More smoke and mirrors by the NDF. Good 3rd party sales DO NOT necessarily equal good 3rd party games. 50 cent sold over a million, shit game. If you take out last gen ports, multiplatform titles, and shovelware, you're likely going to end up with well under 10 well reviewed 3rd party games."
Will you stop with this sh*t. I've had about enough. I'm speaking simple common sense. I've yet to bring whether or not the game was quality into the discussion. Clearly Zak and Wiki and BoomBlox were well REVIEWED games.
But these sales CLEARLY have nothing to do with the game being good or bad. This has to do with hitting the mark and reaching the base of this console with your ads and general marketing. BoomBlox failed. Zak and Wiki failed. Both exceptional games.
The Wii has the install base...this is a clear cut different problem from the issues of the N64 and GCN. You still have to try and market the product...sell/spin/etc. If you're lazy you're product will fail....this is a common truth/fact.
GearSecond!! (a.k.a AwesomeStuff) @ Jun 16th 2008 3:51PM
Exactly! What is wrong with the rest of you??! This game is awesome and I bought my copy a few days ago
GearSecond!! (a.k.a AwesomeStuff) @ Jun 16th 2008 3:51PM
Exactly! What is wrong with the rest of you??! This game is awesome and I bought my copy a few days ago! You want good games?- Then SUPPORT!!
RobLink (Return of the McElroy Defence Force) @ Jun 16th 2008 3:52PM
@ Duke. The love's right here dude. x
Morgon @ Jun 16th 2008 4:21PM
This isn't that inexplicable.
Solution: Lower the price.
I really want to play this, but I'm not spending $50 on Jenga with explosives (I know it sounds crazy - explosives make everything better)
Anticrawl @ Jun 16th 2008 5:09PM
Well it would help if they advertised or had a name that was descriptive of what it's about.
Markez (MKWii 4339-2878-5120) @ Jun 16th 2008 8:53PM
To the earlier posters in this comment, I haven't seen a single advertisement for this game, anywhere. Not once. Only places I've seen stuff on this game were IGN & Joystiq.
HELLLLLLOOOO, the 2 people who claim this game has seen tons of media hype said they saw it IN THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES AND NARUTO. Sweet hell. If advertising during those shows is supposed to guarantee you commercial success, I might as well say something as ridiculously brain dead as Tmac, in that "I'll quit gaming altogether."
Trethan @ Jun 17th 2008 12:54AM
While 60k units is surprising giving the good reviews, I knew next to nothing about the game before I bought it. And I read all the reviews. How is your average person to know what type of game "Boom Blox" is?
With Carnival Games, you know what you're getting. The title says so. Endless Ocean? If the name doesn't tell you, the box art will. Mario and Sonic Olympics gives a good description of the game.
The Wii doesn't have *only* casual gamers, but it does have a lot of them. And casual gamers like to buy things on impulse based on what catches their eye. So what's it going to be? Mario and Sonic, two of gamings most popular mascots, competing in different Olympic events, or some game called Boom Blox?
As for the hardcore group, are you going to pluck down $50 on SSBB, MKW, or Boom Blox? Both those games came out fairly close to Boom Blox.
I spent my $50 on Boom Blox, figuring it would be a good game for my girlfriend and I to enjoy. I was wrong. We've played it once. It might be a great game, but it doesn't come off very good in the beginning.
daveyp @ Jun 17th 2008 11:11AM
As a wii owner i'd say the reason it isnt selling is the fact that no one cares. Most Wii games are rubbish and not worth the money, apart from some of the first party games.
I can't speak for every wii owner but i've certainly lost interest with the Wii so much that i'm only buying games like Mario Kart and Brawl when it comes out. I have no faith in any of the third party games, and therefore no interest and therefore me no buy.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Jun 16th 2008 1:36PM
All they needed to do is just throw Mario's name somewhere in there. They should have asked Nintendo if they could put a picture on the box of Mario with the text "Mario Approved".
copa @ Jun 16th 2008 1:49PM
They don't need permission from Nintendo to brand it "Wacky fun from the man who brought you Schindler's List!"
NATO_Duke @ Jun 16th 2008 1:36PM
Good 3rd party games seem to be cursed with poor sales on the Wii.
xFenixKnightx @ Jun 16th 2008 1:53PM
Duke, I saw you playing MGS4 yesterday. What's your take on it? I really think your opinion would really fare better to me than others in here. Worth it? I'm off work this Friday (baby-sitter is outta town) and thinking of getting it to kick back and play it half a day.
BTW, have the numbers on MGS4 sales come out yet?
NATO_Duke @ Jun 16th 2008 2:00PM
I dunno the numbers on sales.
I really like the game a lot. I was thinking I would hit you up for some MP on it when you got it too.
The graphics are very nice, the cinema elements are well done and in real time - so while cut scenes aren't short, they feel like they are of real events taking place. They also have interactive things to keep your attention here and there.
(BTW - in the begining make sure to go upstairs in a building and see if you get an OMFG moment. Walk around and let yourself be seen by something while up there.)
I am only in the middle of Act 2 right now, but have enjoyed it a lot so far. I would buy it again for sure. I can see why some people don't like the movies in it though. I just don't have the problem with it that they do.
xFenixKnightx @ Jun 16th 2008 2:11PM
Cool man, yeah now I actually have a good feeling about it hearing that coming from a non-fanboy like you. Not a "oh well Fidlious and Noshino (nothing against them just an example) say its amazing so I guess I'll buy it now" kinda feeling. Thanks, and yeah MGO...do this!
Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ Jun 16th 2008 2:14PM
Well I loved MGS4. A ton. Of course I marathoned it to avoid spoilers. NATO, I gotta say, prepare for Act 3, it's a doozy.
Hit me up on PSN though, I may do some multiplayer. I wasn;t into it during the beta but after having played through the game, I now know the controls.
Also, if you press Square during the mission briefings, you can control the MG Mk II in one of the windows. Always fun to shock Otacon.
Sir Fidlious Wong (Justin T. McElroy Memorial Burn of the Day Award) @ Jun 16th 2008 2:16PM
Awww, I got burned?