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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."

4 of 26 comments (clear)

  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. 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!
  3. 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.