Homefront first day sales 'robust,' server capacity being added
66
Despite some rough reviews for Homefront (including our own) and a nasty dip in stock price (it's still down), things aren't all frowny face in THQ Land. Homefront already had the distinction of being the most pre-ordered title in THQ history and now, just one day after launch, THQ is trumpeting "robust" first day North American sales of approximately 375,000 units.
Of course, nothing says "successful multiplayer game" like a server boost, and THQ core games veep Danny Bilson is happy to note as much. "Due to the strong and growing demand for Homefront's multiplayer, we continue to add dedicated server capacity," Bilson said in a press release. Bilson's boss, CEO Brian Farrell, added, "We are delighted with first day sales for Homefront and are already fulfilling re-orders for the game from multiple retailers." $20 says that two of those retailers are Walmart and Amazon.
Of course, nothing says "successful multiplayer game" like a server boost, and THQ core games veep Danny Bilson is happy to note as much. "Due to the strong and growing demand for Homefront's multiplayer, we continue to add dedicated server capacity," Bilson said in a press release. Bilson's boss, CEO Brian Farrell, added, "We are delighted with first day sales for Homefront and are already fulfilling re-orders for the game from multiple retailers." $20 says that two of those retailers are Walmart and Amazon.
Reader Comments (67)
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:30PM Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi said
This game.....will be what Haze would have been if it were multi-platform.....dropped to $20 in a few weeks and forgotten in a few months.....sad too....it was....promising....
I just hope that THQ takes the bulk of the people that worked on this and get them on the Darksiders games.....I dont want to wait 6 more years for the other 3 Horseman games
I just hope that THQ takes the bulk of the people that worked on this and get them on the Darksiders games.....I dont want to wait 6 more years for the other 3 Horseman games
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:34PM KungFuChaosNinja said
@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi
While Homefront is by no means a stellar game, it's quite a stretch to put it on par with Haze. Haze is much worse in every single category.
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While Homefront is by no means a stellar game, it's quite a stretch to put it on par with Haze. Haze is much worse in every single category.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:47PM kentuckyfried said
@KungFuChaosNinja
The SP, while I haven't completed it, seems competent, but the MP did look completely hideous.
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The SP, while I haven't completed it, seems competent, but the MP did look completely hideous.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:50PM Usr666 said
@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=homefront&x=0&y=0
Already dropping.
Reply
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=homefront&x=0&y=0
Already dropping.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:05PM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said
@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi
The problem with Haze was that it was dubbed a "Halo Killer" at some point in development. And we all know what happens to games that carry that title.
Reply
The problem with Haze was that it was dubbed a "Halo Killer" at some point in development. And we all know what happens to games that carry that title.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:26PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi
The sad thing is that Haze actually had a few redeeming qualities. The online co-op and nectar based multiplayer component were good ideas. The dialogue was just terrible and so was the hype. I think if Haze hadn't been hyped by all of us PS3 fanboys at the time it probably would have been a solid experience. When you expect something revolutionary from a great developer and you get something like Haze its destined for failure.
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The sad thing is that Haze actually had a few redeeming qualities. The online co-op and nectar based multiplayer component were good ideas. The dialogue was just terrible and so was the hype. I think if Haze hadn't been hyped by all of us PS3 fanboys at the time it probably would have been a solid experience. When you expect something revolutionary from a great developer and you get something like Haze its destined for failure.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:50PM KungFuChaosNinja said
@Captain Planet Planeteer Power
With or without the "Halo Killer" title, Haze was just plain bad. Hell, you could put it up against a merely competent shooter like TImeShift and it'd still look and play just as bad. Haze had absolutely ear grating voice acting and writing, fairly poor level design, a bland and uninteresting gimmick, etc. It's just a poor game. I have no idea how Free Radical went from TimeSplitters to Haze. Ugh. It's sad, very, very sad.
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With or without the "Halo Killer" title, Haze was just plain bad. Hell, you could put it up against a merely competent shooter like TImeShift and it'd still look and play just as bad. Haze had absolutely ear grating voice acting and writing, fairly poor level design, a bland and uninteresting gimmick, etc. It's just a poor game. I have no idea how Free Radical went from TimeSplitters to Haze. Ugh. It's sad, very, very sad.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 6:58PM EffExt said
@Chris DPSN AggieCEO XBLThe Aggi
Have you played? The campaign, what I played so far, is no worse then 90% of any other FPS out there. Most FPS are are just enjoyable and there are only a few that blow the genre out of the water. Bioshock was one, but it had no multiplayer. I think reviewers still haven't realized the genre is all about the multiplayer these days. Campaigns last 5 or so hours a good multiplayer game will have players spending hundreds of hours before they move on to a new game. Homefront is a solid multiplayer game and a welcome change from running in circles with a marathon perk and shooting from the hip. COD will be on my back burner for awhile because right now Homefront definitely has my attention.
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Have you played? The campaign, what I played so far, is no worse then 90% of any other FPS out there. Most FPS are are just enjoyable and there are only a few that blow the genre out of the water. Bioshock was one, but it had no multiplayer. I think reviewers still haven't realized the genre is all about the multiplayer these days. Campaigns last 5 or so hours a good multiplayer game will have players spending hundreds of hours before they move on to a new game. Homefront is a solid multiplayer game and a welcome change from running in circles with a marathon perk and shooting from the hip. COD will be on my back burner for awhile because right now Homefront definitely has my attention.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:30PM Maximo said
I still think 2.5 stars is too rough of a review. That equates to a 5 out of 10 (yes, I'm that good at math). Seems a hair too low
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:03PM LEONLEONLEON said
@Maximo Yeah, Or even 50 out of 100. I havent seen a game get 50 for a while.
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Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:03PM TheDarkWayne said
@Maximo the point of the star system is that they aren't intended to be converted to 5/10. 2.5 stars means 2.5 stars, not 5/10 or 50/100 or whatever.
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Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:31PM Ryuk said
Wow, you guys are pretty harsh on this game
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:34PM DokiDokiBawanga said
well i guess FPS players don't want to play single player any more?
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:40PM DigitalFortress said
@DokiDokiBawanga
Yes, they (we) do - its just so shooooort.
3 hrs to save America? Not good enough.
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Yes, they (we) do - its just so shooooort.
3 hrs to save America? Not good enough.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:48PM DokiDokiBawanga said
@DigitalFortress well as i was saying game sold well despite very short single player. So this means people bought it ether not knowing that single player is that short OR bought it for multiplayer. All i want it's just long juicy single player fps for 12-15 hours.
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Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:35PM MyAbsolution said
Shareholders are way too antsy.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:37PM Dirty said
What is the second most preordered game in thq history. Probably sponge bob.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:37PM xiLeShadow said
If you were smart enough, you would have bought a bunch of THQ stock once the good drop was in place. Chances are, it will jump which equals to
PROFIT!
PROFIT!
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:38PM mywhitenoise said
@ForeverAndEver
I think we all surprisingly learned, usually when the reviews suck...the game sucks.
I think we all surprisingly learned, usually when the reviews suck...the game sucks.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:43PM Negatron said
Only people i want to hear from on "how harsh" the review was are the people that have played and beaten it.
Multi player is ALMOST irrelevant to me since im hearing from several sources its good, but nothing to Double Rainbow about. With that said, i would like to see a witty review from one of us, who beg to differ with Joystiqs version.
Multi player is ALMOST irrelevant to me since im hearing from several sources its good, but nothing to Double Rainbow about. With that said, i would like to see a witty review from one of us, who beg to differ with Joystiqs version.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:01PM TheDarkWayne said
@Negatron Fantastic use of double rainbow as a verb. Awesome.
Reply
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:46PM kentuckyfried said
So robust, they decided to generously share the success by dropping the price down to $42 the first day after release.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:46PM Dirtyboy said
The online play is surprisingly fun, unfortunately most of the reviews are focusing on the short single-player campaign. It's no BLOPS or BC2, but it hovers somewhere in between just fine. With no real big online shooters coming out until the fall, it fills the gap for something different to play for awhile. KAOS/THQ really needs to get a multi-player demo out so people can try it first-hand.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 9:02PM kentuckyfried said
@Dirtyboy Good to hear.
I'm baffled as to why reviews are focusing on SP when THQ explicitly said, "this is mostly a MP game" awhile back.
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I'm baffled as to why reviews are focusing on SP when THQ explicitly said, "this is mostly a MP game" awhile back.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:46PM aussieCanuck said
well i bought it on ps3 and have never had problems getting in a game and all games i played are full and really who cares if it lasts when BF3 comes out later this year and kaos can fix up homefront 2 with what ppl didnt like in the first one PS has way less issues then cod did when it started and cod still has
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 6:05PM Dukk420 said
That's funny because the reviews that gave it the mid-level scores were bashing it for it's single player. They loved the MP. I like both myself, but the MP more than the SP. I think a lot of people are quick to jump on the hater bandwagon without even trying the whole game. It's not a 10/10 by any stretch of the imagination, but absolutely a solid 7/10.
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Posted: Mar 16th 2011 4:58PM Patricio87 said
they coudl have used all of america as different battlegrounds. Imagine the cool levels they could have designed. Yellowstone park geyser battle, las vegas, open farmland battle, LA or Venice Beach, Rocky Mountains.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:02PM LEONLEONLEON said
@mywhitenoise
But, What about when a game gets a great review, but still sucks? It happens, Alot.
But, What about when a game gets a great review, but still sucks? It happens, Alot.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:03PM iceveiled said
Annual sequels here we come!
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:04PM Pure Black World Tendency said
I believe I read that Bulletstorm sold about 270000 in its first week, so this can't be all that bad.
I might be wrong about those numbers though...
I might be wrong about those numbers though...
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:04PM Pdablame said
People complain the single player too short. All these fps single player campaigns are getting shorter and shorter multiplayer getting more attention. I got the game. Beat the first 2 levels while waiting for them to fix online. Then played online when it worked. And it was a different mix of games. But it was fun. Can keep u occupied till crysis 2 next week or other shooter later on. If ur bored of cods and battlefield like me. Battlefield 3 looks like it will be next big online fps though.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:09PM foofighting86 said
@ForeverAndEver It is! I'm really enjoying it right now. Haven't even gotten to the multiplayer, but I think the single-player is getting some unfair reviews.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:12PM Pdablame said
If the online ideas were done on a better engine the game would be considered better
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:17PM Kyle4 said
@ForeverAndEver I think we learned that 70 shouldn't constitute a bad review. I wish getting B- in school was considered awful.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:29PM mywhitenoise said
@LEONLEONLEON
Yes, that's true. Call of Duty for example...but usually when games get bad reviews they're usually bad, there are exceptions the other way around.
Yes, that's true. Call of Duty for example...but usually when games get bad reviews they're usually bad, there are exceptions the other way around.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:30PM jph89 said
@Kyle4
In what school does a 70 = a B- and how can I apply?
In what school does a 70 = a B- and how can I apply?
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:46PM mywhitenoise said
@jph89
That was a C- in my time (25 right now)
That was a C- in my time (25 right now)
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 5:47PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
I almost bit on Homefront but I'm glad I didn't. If I get anything soon it'll be crysis next week. Playing that demo when I get home from work in about 45 minutes.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 6:25PM JBourne said
I really enjoyed the few matches I got in before the servers went to hell. The campaign is as definitely as bad as everyone's saying, but the multiplayer is pretty cool.
Posted: Mar 16th 2011 6:28PM hulud86 said
That's because they gave away headphones with the preorder. That shouldn't count. I don't want the game but I was thinking about getting it for the headphones and selling the game on eBay or something.
I'm going to wait to play this one. I expect it to be down to $40 bucks next month.
I'm going to wait to play this one. I expect it to be down to $40 bucks next month.
Posted: Mar 17th 2011 1:52PM MakeThemListen said
@hulud86
I think it's down to about $40 on Amazon and at Wal-mart already.
Reply
I think it's down to about $40 on Amazon and at Wal-mart already.
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