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When $1B in Online-Game Sales Isn't

Posted by simoniker on from the pinky-held-to-face dept.

jvm writes "On Curmudgeon Gamer a new analysis article by Kyle Orland examines the recent announcement by the NPD Group that sales of "online-enabled console games" reached $1 billion dollars last year. A rudimentary analysis of the numbers behind the numbers shows that at least a third of those online-enabled games probably aren't being (and probably can't be) played online."

26 comments

  1. Discrepancy between blurb and article by Pluvius · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The article does say that these online-enabled games aren't being played online (which makes sense), but not that they can't be played online (which doesn't). What it says is that not everyone has the hardware and/or server subscription required to play online.

    Rob

    1. Re:Discrepancy between blurb and article by Metal_Demon · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well actually if you look at the X-Box many games are "online-enabled", but can't be played online. They just let you keep track of a score or have a buddy list or some crap like that. So in other words there are in fact games that are online-enabled and can't be played online.

      --
      Trust Your Technolust
    2. Re:Discrepancy between blurb and article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Not to mention sales of online-enabled PS2 games which wildly exceed the sales of the PS2 modem/broadband connector.

    3. Re:Discrepancy between blurb and article by Pluvius · · Score: 1

      That would be an awfully stupid thing to count as "online-enabled," considering how meaningless it is.

      But then again, no one accused marketing firms of intelligence.

      Rob

  2. That's Nothing! by GTRacer · · Score: 1, Interesting
    People claim 1st Post all the time and the numbers just don't support the claims!

    More seriously, I tried to get an account with NPD so I could see the different sales charts for systems and games. I never got more than a basic top-10 deal. Is there something I'm missing or do you have to be a paying customer/industry insider to get to the real data?

    GTRacer
    - Jaded poser, offline gamer

    --
    Defending IP by destroying access to it? That makes sense, RIAA/MPAA. Go to the corner until you can play nice!
    1. Re:That's Nothing! by jvmatthe · · Score: 4, Informative

      I think that the official NPD reports cost several hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars. I haven't actually investigated myself, but this is what I've been told when I've asked friends (in the game industry) about them.

      That said, there are apparently occasional leaks that allow you to get some of the raw data itself.

      --
      Curmudgeon Gamer: Not happy
  3. Sports games online... and others too by Leffe · · Score: 2, Funny
    Almost all of the growth in the online-capable console game category has occurred in the past two years. Sales of these games, which include titles for Sony Corp.'s Playstation 2, Microsoft Corp.'s X-Box and Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s GameCube, have seen the majority of sales in the shooter and sport games super genres, with sport games leading the charge. In 2002, sport games commanded 69 percent of the online-capable video games market, while the shooter genre captured 22 percent. In 2003, sport games claimed 51 percent of the market, while shooter games remained at 22 percent. However, other genres began forming the online-capable video games landscape in 2003 with racing games taking 15 percent and role playing games taking 4 percent.


    50% sports games, eh? I think we should just make it half a billion from games that are played online then :)

    No, I don't really like the idea of playing such games online, and I seriously doubt many indeed do. Sports games are meant to be played face to face, and possibly with some fists.
    1. Re:Sports games online... and others too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That reminds me of when my roomate was playing NFL 2k4 on Xbox live.

      The guy he was playing against intercepted one of his passes. Then, he kept showing the instant replay of the interception over and over again. After about two minutes of watching that replay over and over from different angles and hearing the guy talk shit to him, my roomate turned it off.

      If I did that to him while playing it in the same room, I'd better be ready to dodge a flying controller and a few fists.

      Online games need a "shock player for being an ass" option.

    2. Re:Sports games online... and others too by bigman2003 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Sports games are some of the best to play on-line. And if you are involved in XSN (Xbox) tournaments, then it is a very good complement to having a bunch of friends over to play.

      I've spent many, many hours playing Amped 2, Top Spin, and Links 2004 on-line.

      They're all filled with a lot of 'normal' people, not jackasses who want to spend their time yelling, screaming, and cussing.

      Links, combined with XSN tournaments, is absolutely incredible fun on-line. Fantasy sports league meets really good game. This game by itself is a good reason to have the Live service. Golf may not sound thrilling, but it makes a GREAT on-line game. And with options like 'Fast-Play', you can get through a round pretty quickly.

      Top Spin is great on-line, as long as you get an opponent who doesn't have a lot of lag. My ratio of 'fast' (no lag) games, to 'slow' (bad lag) is about 5:1. And I think that half of the people with bad lag are jackasses who do it on purpose to force you to quit, so they get the 'win'. But these games are fairly uncommon.

      I would guess that the vast majority of players in those 3 games are really happy with the on-line experience. But, I would never even try to play Counterstrike on Live, because that game HAS to be full of 13 year old jackasses with nothing better to do than try to make the game suck for everyone else.

      --
      No reason to lie.
    3. Re:Sports games online... and others too by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 1

      Sounds like they need to have penalties for excessive celebration and delay of on-line game.

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  4. I never realised... by Weirdofreak · · Score: 1

    Sports games are meant to be played? I thought I had too many coasters...

  5. PSO/GC by whiteSanjuro · · Score: 5, Informative

    Phantasy Star Online (Ep 1 & 2) is not the only game for GameCube that has official Internet support. PSO Episode 3 also does.

    1. Re:PSO/GC by hambonewilkins · · Score: 1

      I hope you're saying this with a full sense of irony.

      --

      God Bless America. Why? Did it sneeze?
  6. The problem with online games by Mr.Dippy · · Score: 3, Funny

    I've given up on online games because it gets tiresome having listen/read l33t speak by some 13 year old. Oh and god help you if your not the shiznit in WarCraft. That 13 year old will cuse you out and threathen to tell all of his script kiddie friends how much suck. When that happens, which does a lot, I log off and go have a beer and then have sex with my girlfriend.

    --


    -Dipster
    1. Re:The problem with online games by Xaymot · · Score: 0, Troll

      I always piss people off online and they declare that I am 13 years old all of the time. I don't know why people would assume that.

      More than likely, it was a 30 year old asshole that was giving you grief and you couldn't hack it so you declared him 13 so that you would not have to initiate any act of revenge or recourse.

      That and it sounds better in a story to write someone off as a child because you would sound gay if you said, "Yeah I was online and this 35 year old man named Gary just kept berating me. Christ, he really got under my skin and I just had to turn off my computer cause I was in such a tizzy. What? Yeah, baby of course having sex with you is second place to Warcraft, I'm a homo."

    2. Re:The problem with online games by Xaymot · · Score: 1

      note... this was a joke. just a comment on how people presume that the internet is full of 13 year olds. just a joke.

    3. Re:The problem with online games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      actually i was in chat a while ago and asked, with intent to insult, "how old are you anyways? 13?" and the kid responded "how'd you know?"

    4. Re:The problem with online games by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I tell people I'm 13 years old all the time. It makes me feel better about living with my parents while I'm in college.

    5. Re:The problem with online games by timftbf · · Score: 2, Funny

      The Internet is full of people of many different ages. It's just the ones who haven't managed to advance beyond "j00 ch34ting f4g! I w1ll 0wn ur b0x & k1c| ur l4m3 h0m0 4ss!! d00d!" who can reasonably be assumed not to be over 13.

      I automatically assume that anyone on the Internet who can string a coherent sentence together in something resembling standard English is not 13. But maybe that's just me ;)

      Regards,
      Tim.

  7. oblig. PA reference by chrismcdirty · · Score: 1

    Obligatory PA Reference

    --
    It's like sex, except I'm having it!
  8. so what online enabled doesnt always = online play by cyrax777 · · Score: 1

    I like how the Article is trying to make it look like the gaming companys are lying just becosue it s online enabled never ment you could go online and play it.It just means you can go online and download stuff for the game doesnt always mean go online and play it. The companys and the Article are playing with techincalitys

  9. Re:so what online enabled doesnt always = online p by metroid+composite · · Score: 1

    So...you can go online and compare scores? I thought that was what message boards were for....

  10. Xbox Live does have 3 terms for this by grahamwest · · Score: 1

    Games that don't connect to Live themselves but use the bundled content and/or stats downloader to support non-realtime updates are "Assisted Download". Games that do connect to the Live service but just to allow friends list presence and cross-game invites are called "Xbox Live Aware". Games that support full online play are "Xbox Live Multiplayer".

    In my personal opinion, and this is only anecdotal because I don't have hard data to back it up, network support is one of those loss-leader things you do for strategic reasons much like supporting widescreen or HDTV 480p. Only a small minority of gamers (15% at most for any of these in the USA) will ever benefit from the feature directly but the extra mindshare it earns you from the media, influential hardcore gamers and the retail channel makes it a good business decision. There's also the experience you're building up doing that sort of development.

    --
    Graham
  11. And let's not forget by Black+Mage+Balthazar · · Score: 1

    The other obligatory PA reference.

  12. Re:so what online enabled doesnt always = online p by cyrax777 · · Score: 1

    or download maps and such.

  13. Re:so what online enabled doesnt always = online p by Acidic_Diarrhea · · Score: 0
    Having the game handle score reporting introduces the element of actual scores. Message board postings by the player of his or her scores are guaranteed to be inaccurate for a significant percentage of the postings.

    --
    I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.