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NPD Sales Results for August 2010
- Thread starter Road
- Start date
MS started cutting back on a lot of things that were considered peripheral to its core business (Windows, Windows Server, MS Office).
I think they realized they were not making shareholders or analysts happy with a flat stock price. Some of the big investors may have had a private talk with them but there was no public talk.
They lost big time on the Kin phone, Windows Phone 6.5 was only sold to businesses, Windows Surface has not panned out, Zune media players were losses, Windows Media Center never got real popular, etc.
The only part of MS outside the core business that did well the past 2-3 years was Xbox and Xbox Live. And they were spending too much money buying exclusives and development houses, so they stopped about 2 years ago. I think they realized the Xbox and Live platform was all they needed to support and the developers would provide the content at their own cost (instead of MS's cost). MS would cut down on expenditures and realize a bigger return on their investment.
I think they realized they were not making shareholders or analysts happy with a flat stock price. Some of the big investors may have had a private talk with them but there was no public talk.
They lost big time on the Kin phone, Windows Phone 6.5 was only sold to businesses, Windows Surface has not panned out, Zune media players were losses, Windows Media Center never got real popular, etc.
The only part of MS outside the core business that did well the past 2-3 years was Xbox and Xbox Live. And they were spending too much money buying exclusives and development houses, so they stopped about 2 years ago. I think they realized the Xbox and Live platform was all they needed to support and the developers would provide the content at their own cost (instead of MS's cost). MS would cut down on expenditures and realize a bigger return on their investment.
Interfectum
Member
Chris1964 said:
Chris1964
Sales-Age Genius
GrotesqueBeauty
Banned
I love how reactionary people are. A couple months off the top spot is all it takes for Wii doom and gloom predictions, huh?
Imo Nintendo is currently setting a good foundation to build upon next year. They stand to reap the rewards if they can hit with the right releases at the right times during the first half of 2011. The lull they're experiencing right now seems like the cumulative result of some of the poorly planned quarters they've had in the past couple years. They're not going to be able to turn that around quickly and easily, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. I don't think they're ever going to recapture the massive craze of the Wii's ealy lifespan, but I also don't think they're going to just sort of stumble a few steps, falter and die like many are implying here. A few more ups and downs are probably in the cards before the end of the generation.
Also, Wii Successor = 2012
I've been calling it for ages. I don't believe for a second that they'll have it by next holiday season. 3DS will have some breathing room to work its mojo first.
Just kidding, the Wii had doom and gloom predictions when it was outselling PS3+360 combined. 
Imo Nintendo is currently setting a good foundation to build upon next year. They stand to reap the rewards if they can hit with the right releases at the right times during the first half of 2011. The lull they're experiencing right now seems like the cumulative result of some of the poorly planned quarters they've had in the past couple years. They're not going to be able to turn that around quickly and easily, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. I don't think they're ever going to recapture the massive craze of the Wii's ealy lifespan, but I also don't think they're going to just sort of stumble a few steps, falter and die like many are implying here. A few more ups and downs are probably in the cards before the end of the generation.
Also, Wii Successor = 2012
I've been calling it for ages. I don't believe for a second that they'll have it by next holiday season. 3DS will have some breathing room to work its mojo first.
Augemitbutter
Member
such a boring top 10.
REMEMBER CITADEL
Banned
Draft said:
That whole post is made of ridiculousness and anti-Microsoft wishful thinking.
OldJadedGamer
Banned
REMEMBER CITADEL said:
Not really, he did provide a link from a quality source.... oh wait.....
you know, this reminded me of thisGrotesqueBeauty said:
And I didn't realized he got banned.Mr.Potato Head said:Yup - looks like i was right a few years ago when i would get BLASTED in here for saying the Nintendo Wii would fizzle in a year or two after mom, pop, grandma, grandpa, uncle Leroy and little johnny jumped into the wii fad during its hayday. I would get called a stupid fucker in here for even stating that back then and would get attacked with violent words from the so called Mr. know-it-all's around here that think they know it all and eveyrone else is wrong with their opinion...god thats so freaking annoying to deal with in here some times..and there a few others that felt the same as i did about the big debates that would go on about this back then so i had some guys behind me but for the most part the arrogant SOB's in here would slit your throat for saying such things..hell i even had a mod ban me for saying the wii was just a fad...im sure you neogaf lifers know who this mod was..he was a nintendo fanboy to the fullest and would use his mod powers to ban someone if they said any thing that ruffled up his feathers :lol
This is EXACTLY what i predicted and this is EXACTLY whats happening right now. Man i wish i wasnt so lazy to go sift through those years old threads we debating to shove them in the assholes that got all personal and resorted to the nasty name calling towards anyone that would even mention what i mentioned..i even ues to get pm threats from some of the nintendo fanboys and i wasnt even bashing the damn thing..i just felt it was a fad that would fizzle out. And before fanboys get pissed at what im saying..i have not said at all that the wii is dead..all im saying is that its like a can of soda that has lost is fizzle...simple is that and no one wants to drink that kind of soda ....you dig?
It all comes down to Nintendo skimping out on the hardware and not going HD which pissed me off royally. To this day i bugs me because although what i've said may come off as me being a fanboy of the 360...im truly a gamer that loves all systems, owns all systems and enjoys pc gaming just as much as console gaming. ..although i no longer have my wii..i gave it to my nephew a year or so ago.
By the way..im VERY happy to see the good ps3 numbers as well...i must admit that i been playing more and more ps3 exclusive games lately and with GT5 around the corner...its gonna be one heck of a winter season for me as im loving some of these ps3 exlusives coming out. I can clearly see ps3 developers are utilizing the cell and rsx in tandom with some impressive results indeed. I cant even imagine what Polyphony Digital has done with taking advantage of the ps3's hardware...
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Busaiku said:
kingdom hearts is a significantly bigger franchise than metal gear in america.
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
The industry is going down the shitter, tbh. Outside of the ultra-huge franchises, games just ain't selling.
Bring back $50 standard pricing and b-grade games.
Bring back $50 standard pricing and b-grade games.
charlequin
Banned
Kilrogg said:
Basically yes. Microsoft is suddenly coming off as penny-pinching lately and the most likely reason is that the finances of the Xbox division are being examined more closely than ever before and they feel the need to proceed in a conservative fashion (that, and there's no one running the ship over there who actually takes a gamer-oriented perspective.)
I don't think they're leaving the market or anything, but I think the distorting effect of being able to throw nigh-infinite money at the problem is basically gone and I think they have to live or die on the merits of their actual success in the marketplace now.
ElFly said:
:lol
Hcoregamer00
The 'H' stands for hentai.
ElFly said:
Yeah, I remember that.
Oh wait, it never happened.
Jive Turkey
Unconfirmed Member
Oh God...I don't know if ElFly being intentionally awesome or not. I really can't tell.
bigtroyjon
Member
Draft said:
They aren't going to hang up the phone when the biggest shareholder calls but Mr. Gates isn't calling about reallocating Xbox money.
REMEMBER CITADEL
Banned
charlequin said:
I don't think the finances are being examined any more closely, they've been losing a lot more money before, especially during the last generation. It's just that their business is finally on firm legs and they are doing very well as far as hardware sales are concerned (the sales were comparable to the reinvigorated PS3 even before the slim) so they can finally concentrate on the money-making part - something they've been neglecting in their pursue for market and mind share.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Boney said:
1. KINGDOM HEARTS 3,3xx,xxx
2. (For reference to compare both series to a known quantity) FINAL FANTASY X 2,4xx,xxx
3. KINGDOM HEARTS II 2,4xx,xxx
4. METAL GEAR SOLID (PSX) 2,4xx,xxx
5. METAL GEAR SOLID 2 2,0xx,xxx
6. METAL GEAR3:SNAKE EAT 1,2xx,xxx
7. Metal Gear Solid 4 - no recent leak, but most recent LTD figure that was leaked was 1,2xx,xxx and it was done selling then, so maybe 1,2xx,xxx or 1,3xx,xxx
8. KINGDOM HEARTS: CHAIN 1,0xx,xxx
9. Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days no recent leaks, LTD should be around 700k
10. Metal Gear Acid (2008 Leak) - 2xx,xxx
11. Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops (2008 Leak) - 2xx,xxx
12. Metal Gear Acid 2 (2008 Leak) - <100k
13. Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops Plus (2008 Leak) - <100k
14. Peace Walker - no recent leaks, but first month was 50k
Every Kingdom Hearts console installment has outsold every MGS console installment.
Every Kingdom Hearts portable installment has outsold every MGS portable installment.
Soooo, yeah. Not even close.
This might be the case, but we do know though that Microsoft's investors are becoming impatient with the Entertainment division and would prefer the company to focus their efforts on the PC market again.REMEMBER CITADEL said:
Even as the company hypes Natal and its new mobile software, Windows Phone7, investors don't expect smash hits; in fact, they'd settle for small losses on these and other gadgets. "It's hard to make the case this has been a good use of shareholder capital," says Todd S. Lowenstein, who runs HighMark Capital's value fund. "I don't fault them for trying this stuff, but investors are getting impatient." Other investors suggest that, like IBM (IBM) a decade ago, Microsoft should refocus its efforts on its massively profitable PC and corporate software businesses. Its cash from operations last quarter alone was $7.4billion, a company record. Yet its shares are down about 50percent since Steve Ballmer took over as CEO on Jan.13, 2000. "The stock would go up if Microsoft exited its consumer businesses," says Bill Whyman of ISI Group.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_24/b4182036703891.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories
It's unlikely that Microsoft will do as their investors wish and exit the Entertainment markets, but it's not far-fetched to claim that they won't pump an infinite amount of money into this divisions anymore. Those times seem to be over.
OldJadedGamer
Banned
REMEMBER CITADEL said:
I think this is true. Now that they have market and mindshare they don't have to worry so much about it since this gen is pretty much set in stone and nothing drastic is really going to happen until the next systems come out so they are going after profitability right now.
Sucks for gamers looking to save a buck but is logical business wise.
charlequin
Banned
REMEMBER CITADEL said:
Well, there's certainly one change from the Xbox (which had essentially a blank check) to the 360, and plenty of evidence that there have been further restrictions since then -- the way Kinect's been priced to sit (despite it being hypothetically the future of the entire Xbox brand) being foremost amongst them.
We have a year in which Microsoft's pricing strategy in the gaming market has grown noticeably more conservative at the same time that there's been increasing public pressure on the Entertainment division and increasing sales competition in their best market. I don't think the conclusion that the Xbox business has been left to fend for itself is unwarranted at all.
Boney said:
Kingdom Hearts is far and away S-E's most successful series in the US.
charlequin said:
I reread the post you quoted, and God, I think I caught your unfinished-sentences-itis :lol.
Anyway, do you think Microsoft can make it in the long run without the financial weapon? With Bungie more or less out of the picture, Rare being Rare, Sony putting up a fight (in the home console arena that is) and Nintendo maybe garnering more third-party support next time around and having the upper hand with motion-controlled games, I think it's doubtful, but I'm willing to hear other people's takes. Again, I haven't been following things as closely lately.
Monty Mole
Member
I was reading in MCV today that Microsoft will be spending more on marketing Halo: Reach than they did on Halo 3. So perhaps not all that conservative then.
Regulus Tera
Romanes Eunt Domus
I can see Birth by Sleep doing better than Dissidia, but worse than Crisis Core
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
farnham said:
there are 11 psp games at 700k or higher,
they were released, in order from highest selling to lowest selling:
2005
2006
2005
2005
2005
Q1 2008
Q1 2008
2006
2005
2006
2007
i'm 90% sure BBS won't crack 700k, and i'm 100% sure Square Enix can look at those numbers the same way I can.
Regulus Tera said:
I am reasonably certain when I had this exact conversation with charlequin and duckroll all three of us agreed with this statement.
REMEMBER CITADEL said:
And why shouldn't they as they are at the top of their game ever in the division by far(they have lost so much why not try to make some return now). Had Kin not been around they would have pushed the billion dollar net profit margin last fiscal year. They are just now hitting that sweet spot and play the cards right it could be the best 3-4 years the division has ever had. They really do not have much to be concerned about until they have to ramp up production into next-gen as this gen is pretty much set and Live shall continue to grow.
Monty Mole said:
60% more to be exact. IIRC the market budget for Halo 3 was $50 million dollars. Nothing conservative about it nor anything having to do with Kinect either. With that said it does seem to be all about that profit margin from here on out and who knows how many more big budget titles get green lit until the end of this gen.
charlequin said:
Well with that logic it would seem MS fared better than ever in the year with all of this said competition so it must be fending for itself fairly well then. An $80 million marketing budget is certainly not conservative, but again they are focusing on profit margin as they should at this point. The call by some analysts as well as some investors to leave the consumer business might be right in the end, but MS makes a sick amount of profit yet it hasnt helped its stock price at all in years. Profit isnt an issue, but they should certainly be focusing on it with a division that has bled until the last few years. I do think it is possible they exit the business at the end of this gen, but fairly unlikely. Still Xbox remains the best consumer hardware product from a retail point they have ever had.