Dishonored 2 launch sales down 38% on Dishonored

[Undead Wolf]

According to Chart-Track, Dishonored 2 sales are down 38% on what the original Dishonored did back in 2012 during its launch week in the UK. It failed to break into the top three spot of best-selling games for that week and was beaten by Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, FIFA 17 and Battlefield 1. It's worth noting that Chart-Track doesn't take digital sales into consideration, but nevertheless, that's still a big disappointment.

 

Now what makes this interesting is that it comes shortly after Bethesda changed their review policy. This meant that they wouldn't provide reviewers access to their games until 24 hours before launch. As a result of this, there were no reviews on launch day. Could this of had an effect on sales? It probably didn't help matters when it was released during such a crowded period of game releases. I mean why take the risk on a game with no reviews when you could just as easily buy another game releasing around the same time that does have them? The game wasn't particularly well advertised from what i could tell either. It's a shame because I hear the game itself is actually quite good, even if the PC version is plagued with issues.

 

Maybe some good can come out of this and Bethesda will start allowing reviews before launch again. This clearly wasn't the outcome they were hoping for.

[Azaan60]

It was definitely due too that review policy. Reviews help drum up interest and buzz for a game just before it comes out. I'm also betting alot of people are waiting for reviews to come out as well due to the policy.

[DaivRules]

Chart-Track doesn't take digital sales into consideration

 

 

That's a pretty big thing to not account for when reporting sales, especially in 2016 when such a huge percentage of game sales are now digital. Compared to 2012, I wouldn't be surprised if the physical/digital ratio have completely reversed. What used to be 60% physical/ 40% digital is now likely 40% physical/ 60% digital.

 

When do we get all the complete data so we can really assess if this news even means anything?

[Meacham]

It's a shame BUT like mentioned the new review policy seemed to have an effect on people who use reviews to buy their games. (reviews are all subjective anyway and shouldn't determine buying it themselves, that's what gameplay walkthroughs and trailers are for right?)

 

Also, sharing a month with Call of Duty x2, Watch Dogs 2 and Final Fantasy x2 would effect it big time in my eyes. 

[RedRozeReaper]

Sucks, but it is probably because of the review policy like people mentioned.

Thought it would do better 

[DF007gamer]

This will be an ongoing trend. Games won't have the same release sales numbers as previous titles as to the new review polices. We shouldn't be preordering anyways. Wait a week or so and check out twitch or youtube streams

[Undead Wolf]

That's a pretty big thing to not account for when reporting sales, especially in 2016 when such a huge percentage of game sales are now digital. Compared to 2012, I wouldn't be surprised if the physical/digital ratio have completely reversed. What used to be 60% physical/ 40% digital is now likely 40% physical/ 60% digital.

 

When do we get all the complete data so we can really assess if this news even means anything?

 

Sure, but I doubt the difference in digital sales is as big as you're suggesting it is. When Dishonored launched in 2012, it was a new IP, and new IP tend to do much worse than sequels to established franchises. With this in mind, you would think that Dishonored 2 would sell a lot more than it did, even when just taking the physical sales into consideration. Even if it isn't as big as a disappointment as the numbers suggest, it's still a disappointment. I can't imagine Bethesda would look at that and think it was a success.

[DaivRules]

Sure, but I doubt the difference in digital sales is as big as you're suggesting it is. 

 

That's cool. What are you basing your doubt on?

 

I was basing my opinion on actual information and facts. Like this: https://www.statista.com/statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/

 

 

"In 2015, 44 percent of all computer and video games were sold in physical form." In 2012, 59 percent of all computer and video games were sold in physical form.

 

I don't think 2016 somehow reversed the trend and went the other way.

 

 

Even if it isn't as big as a disappointment as the numbers suggest, it's still a disappointment. I can't imagine Bethesda would look at that and think it was a success.

 

Bethesda had a marketing budget. It's completely possible looking at the money spent promoting and the competition out at the time, they're extremely happy and think it was a success. How many physical copies did they move? Being down 38% can still be a good thing if the initial numbers were massive.

 

You're only looking at 1 piece of a huge puzzle and speculating at so much of the rest of the picture.

[BlackCatBurrito]

I certainly hope they take this as notice that people don't want games that aren't spoken for. People like to know they aren't getting trash. The timing of their new policy along with the game having some light issues around launch probably scared quite a few people off.

In saying that we can't forget it's come out around a lot of big games (I say this not knowing what came out along side the first game) between Battlefield, CoD, Titanfall, Skyrim that's a big chunk of game time for people. There's about another ten big games around those as well. I'm sure sales will pick back up within a few weeks but I hope this scares Bethesda a little.

[Undead Wolf]

That's cool. What are you basing your doubt on?

 

I was basing my opinion on actual information and facts. Like this: https://www.statista.com/statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/

 

Well these "facts" are still super unclear. Like what platforms is this counting? Mobile and PC too? Does it include digital only games? Also, I imagine a lot of digital sales come when those games are discounted and less so from at launch. I have a hard time believing so many console gamers would purchase a game on day one digitally instead of getting a physical copy. And no, I don't have a source for that, it's just common sense.

 

Bethesda had a marketing budget. It's completely possible looking at the money spent promoting and the competition out at the time, they're extremely happy and think it was a success. How many physical copies did they move? Being down 38% can still be a good thing if the initial numbers were massive.

 

You're only looking at 1 piece of a huge puzzle and speculating at so much of the rest of the picture.

 

Sorry, I just don't get that argument. Dishonored 2 no doubt had a bigger budget than the first game, and as a result, it would have to sell much more than the first game to be successful. A sequel is supposed to do better than new IP, and If these figures are anything to go off, it didn't sell anywhere near the amount that was expected of it. If the series is already going down in sales at this point, that isn't good no matter how you look at it.

[awf9495]

We will see how sales numbers for the month compare.  If there are many who wait for review scores to make a purchase, Dishonored 2 could see abnormally strong week 2 sales numbers as the major media outlets have released mostly positive scores.  The launch numbers may be down, but the "launch window" numbers could look much different.  We shall see.

[Wavergray]

There are multiple reason why it didn't sale as well as dishonored 1 and it has nothing to do with the review policy change. The first reason is in the report for everyone to see, it had to deal with COD IW, FIFA, BF1, TF2, and other games I'm probably forgetting about. The second is the current economic climate of the world. To make a long story short, people don't have as much money to spend on games as they did when Dishonored 1 came out. Plus think about what else just came out, the PSVR and the PSPRO. Both of those are big money drains and if people bought them they may not have any splurge money left for Dishonored 2.

Also like Daiv is saying if they are not counting digital sale then this headline is not factual and just seems like clickbait. Once they have the digital sales numbers then they can make a more factual claim.

Edited November 15, 2016 by soultaker655

[DaivRules]

I have a hard time believing so many console gamers would purchase a game on day one digitally instead of getting a physical copy. And no, I don't have a source for that, it's just common sense.

 

 

Sorry, I just don't get that argument. Dishonored 2 no doubt had a bigger budget than the first game, and as a result, it would have to sell much more than the first game to be successful. A sequel is supposed to do better than new IP, and If these figures are anything to go off, it didn't sell anywhere near the amount that was expected of it. If the series is already going down in sales at this point, that isn't good no matter how you look at it.

 

*Marketing* budget. You missed that word. In the real world, your marketing budget (NOT the same thing as a development budget) is based on what your sales are expected to be.

 

Why are sequels supposed to do better than new IP? Who says so, you?

 

How many copies did they expect to sell? You keep speaking as if you speak on behalf of Bethesda, but you're just taking blind stabs in the dark with only one statistic and making lots of assumptions.

 

Sequels are often expected not to do as well as the original, so yes, it absolutely can still be good. As long as it's in the expected range for the drop in sales. Maybe you just don't understand how many businesses actually run and just expect new titles always sell more than original, everything can be compared in a bubble and if it doesn't make more profits, it's automatically a failure. That's not how the world works in big businesses like this.

[starcrunch061]

Good. People might actually be waiting for some word on the game.

 

 

We will see how sales numbers for the month compare.  If there are many who wait for review scores to make a purchase, Dishonored 2 could see abnormally strong week 2 sales numbers as the major media outlets have released mostly positive scores.  The launch numbers may be down, but the "launch window" numbers could look much different.  We shall see.

 

I hope so. Putting these together, Bethesda might lift its review embargo.

[ArmoredSnowman]

Eh, they're competing against two CoD games, Titanfall 2, and Battlefield 1. 

There are multiple reason why it didn't sale as well as dishonored 1 and it has nothing to do with the review policy change. The first reason is in the report for everyone to see, it had to deal with COD IW, FIFA, BF1, TF2, and other games I'm probably forgetting about. The second is the current economic climate of the world. To make a long story short, people don't have as much money to spend on games as they did when Dishonored 1 came out. Plus think about what else just came out, the PSVR and the PSPRO. Both of those are big money drains and if people bought them they may not have any splurge money left for Dishonored 2.

Also like Daiv is saying if they are not counting digital sale then this headline is not factual and just seems like clickbait. Once they have the digital sales numbers then they can make a more factual claim.

 

Speaking of economy, at least in America, there's Black Friday coming up, and then the Christmas holidays where games will be discounted for much lower, so people will be waiting for those dates to get the games for cheap as possible.

[starcrunch061]

It's a shame BUT like mentioned the new review policy seemed to have an effect on people who use reviews to buy their games. (reviews are all subjective anyway and shouldn't determine buying it themselves, that's what gameplay walkthroughs and trailers are for right?)

 

Who in their right mind uses trailers to determine whether a game is worth purchasing these days?!? Haven't people been burned enough by that across the board in media?

 

Also, of course reviews are subjective. That doesn't mean that objective facts about the game cannot be put forth in such a review (things such as slow control response, overall lag, etc.).

Edited November 15, 2016 by starcrunch061

[Undead Wolf]

*Marketing* budget. You missed that word. In the real world, your marketing budget (NOT the same thing as a development budget) is based on what your sales are expected to be.

 

So what? My point was that they spent more money overall on Dishonored 2 than they did for the first game. More money spent = bigger sales expectations.

 

Why are sequels supposed to do better than new IP? Who says so, you?

 

How many copies did they expect to sell? You keep speaking as if you speak on behalf of Bethesda, but you're just taking blind stabs in the dark with only one statistic and making lots of assumptions.

 

Sequels are often expected not to do as well as the original, so yes, it absolutely can still be good. As long as it's in the expected range for the drop in sales. Maybe you just don't understand how many businesses actually run and just expect new titles always sell more than original, everything can be compared in a bubble and if it doesn't make more profits, it's automatically a failure. That's not how the world works in big businesses like this.

 

Nah, it's just kind of obvious. If you release a sequel and it does worse than the first game, that franchise isn't sustainable. You're supposed to grow your audience before they start dropping off. If a series is losing people with only the 2nd game, again, it doesn't look good.

 

Yup, it is just one statistic, and maybe the sales will start picking up now that the reviews are out, but Bethesda were hoping their policy change would lead to increased sales during the first week, and that clearly hasn't happened. If anything, it has had the opposite effect.

[DaivRules]

So what? My point was that they spent more money overall on Dishonored 2 than they did for the first game. More money spent = bigger sales expectations.

 

 

Nah, it's just kind of obvious. If you release a sequel and it does worse than the first game, that franchise isn't sustainable. You're supposed to grow your audience before they start dropping off. If a series is losing people with only the 2nd game, again, it doesn't look good.

 

Yup, it is just one statistic, and maybe the sales will start picking up now that the reviews are out, but Bethesda were hoping their policy change would lead to increased sales during the first week, and that clearly hasn't happened. If anything, it has had the opposite effect.

 

Way to manipulate one number to fit your anti-"pre-release review ban" narrative.

 

"Obvious" "Common sense" "supposed to" "they were hoping"

 

Carry on. Noting could stop you from doing otherwise.

[Wavergray]

Also to add on to what I was saying about Dishonored 1 not really having competition when it was released. The only games released within a month before and a month after of Dishonored 1 release that could have been competition was Borderlands 2, Assassin's Creed 3 and XCOM Enemy Unknown. The Witcher 2 was released but it was PC only and Call of Duty Black Ops 2 with released almost a whole month later which did not hurt Dishonored 1 sales that much because it was released first.

When you compare this to Dishonored 2 release which was after Call of Duty: IW, Battlefield 1, Titanfall 2, and FIFA you can see how is Dishonored 2 sales are lower than Dishonored 1.

[Undead Wolf]

Way to manipulate one number to fit your anti-"pre-release review ban" narrative.

 

"Obvious" "Common sense" "supposed to" "they were hoping"

 

Carry on. Noting could stop you from doing otherwise.

 

I brought up a lot of other points that could of contributed to this besides the review policy, but fine, believe what you want to believe.

[Meacham]

Who in their right mind uses trailers to determine whether a game is worth purchasing these days?!? Haven't people been burned enough by that across the board in media?

 

Also, of course reviews are subjective. That doesn't mean that objective facts about the game cannot be put forth in such a review (things such as slow control response, overall lag, etc.).

You never know but I'm sure it has happened. You're not wrong though, I don't know what people do it was more of an assumption

 

That's not what I meant though but again you're correct some people just want to see what the game play is like and then just jump on the wagon.

[Shadiochao]

That's cool. What are you basing your doubt on?

 

I was basing my opinion on actual information and facts. Like this: https://www.statista.com/statistics/190225/digital-and-physical-game-sales-in-the-us-since-2009/

 

This thread is about the UK sales and that information is based on the US market, which will not necessarily show the same patterns.

 

Prices for digital games in the UK are awful, often ranging from £50-55 whereas physical copies can almost always be found for £37 or less. I don't think many people are in a hurry to pay almost $25 for the convenience of not having to switch their discs, so I'd be surprised if it's anywhere near a 40/60 split.

[DaivRules]

This thread is about the UK sales and that information is based on the US market, which will not necessarily show the same patterns.

 

Prices for digital games in the UK are awful, often ranging from £50-55 whereas physical copies can almost always be found for £37 or less. I don't think many people are in a hurry to pay almost $25 for the convenience of not having to switch their discs, so I'd be surprised if it's anywhere near a 40/60 split.

 

That wasn't exactly the point of the post, but yes, the thread posted only the physical sales decrease (not the overall sales themselves or any other information) compared to the first title from one tiny country in the whole world.

 

I'll just leave this link here to address that point: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/uk-digital-game-revenue-is-double-that-of-physical-says-ihs/0160939

[HaSoOoN-MHD]

Just beat the game. It's #based and an improvement on the original in every single way, and despite Bethesda being a shitty company and an inexcusably shoddy PC port; I really do hope it ends up selling well.

But do keep in mind that this does not account for digital sales and also the fact that this releasing for next gen only compared to the first game which released relatively late into last gen's life cycle. It didn't have a bad PC port either.

It's a shame BUT like mentioned the new review policy seemed to have an effect on people who use reviews to buy their games. (reviews are all subjective anyway and shouldn't determine buying it themselves, that's what gameplay walkthroughs and trailers are for right?)

 

Also, sharing a month with Call of Duty x2, Watch Dogs 2 and Final Fantasy x2 would effect it big time in my eyes. 

Trailers can be misleading and why would I watch a gameplay walkthrough and spoil the game for myself?

 

This will be an ongoing trend. Games won't have the same release sales numbers as previous titles as to the new review polices. We shouldn't be preordering anyways. Wait a week or so and check out twitch or youtube streams

Trailers can be misleading and why would I watch a gameplay walkthrough or streams and spoil the game for myself? reviews ultimately are trust worthy when you take them in as a whole.

 

There are multiple reason why it didn't sale as well as dishonored 1 and it has nothing to do with the review policy change. The first reason is in the report for everyone to see, it had to deal with COD IW, FIFA, BF1, TF2, and other games I'm probably forgetting about. The second is the current economic climate of the world. To make a long story short, people don't have as much money to spend on games as they did when Dishonored 1 came out. Plus think about what else just came out, the PSVR and the PSPRO. Both of those are big money drains and if people bought them they may not have any splurge money left for Dishonored 2.

Also like Daiv is saying if they are not counting digital sale then this headline is not factual and just seems like clickbait. Once they have the digital sales numbers then they can make a more factual claim.

Eh I disagree. I mean the economy isn't actually doing great right now but nothing so dramatically drastic has happened since 2012 when the first game released.

[adam1984123]

Its still early days for sales results.

 

As previously mentioned, the review policy, people transitioning to digital and the stack of other great games that have been released in the last couple of weeks have probably had an influence on this.

 

Also, with Christmas only a few weeks away, people could be hanging out to but this for a present and will get it in a couple of weeks time rather than on launch.

 

I think it will probably recover as word gets around how good it is. I have purchased it, but haven't played it yet. Everything I have seen looks promising.