Anthem Was Bioware's Second Best Launch

AlphaAtlas

AlphaAtlas

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Following their trouble with Mass Effect: Andromeda, Bioware has a lot riding on their last big release: Anthem. Recent reports of low physical sales, as well as mixed feedback from the players in the game, suggested that the title might not be doing particularly well. However, a recent report from NPD claims that Anthem was the best selling game of February 2019, and that it was Bioware's 2nd best launch to date, behind only Mass Effect 3. Interestingly, the report also claims that monthly "video games hardware" sales are down about 12% year to year, while software sales are up 15%.

And that doesn't even include Anthem's PC digital sales. More importantly, it doesn't count the people who signed up for EA's Access Origin Premier service for $15 per month. That figure is likely significant since that membership now gets players access to a library of older games as well as Battlefield V and Madden NFL 19.
 
I didn't buy the hype after I played the alpha. I didn't like the story or game play mechanics...I guess enough people did. I didn't think it had theat great of a launch? Or is Bioware that bad?
 
SomeoneElse said:
I didn't buy the hype after I played the alpha. I didn't like the story or game play mechanics...I guess enough people did. I didn't think it had theat great of a launch? Or is Bioware that bad?
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It means that as much as people liked the previous bioware games, they didn't have the same mass appeal. It's actually not too surprising if you think about it. The old RPGs were great, but it's not like they sold anywhere near what an action game would. The Mass Effect series was also generally highly regarded but... again an RPG that doesn't have the same mass market hype appeal of an action game.

Baldur's Gate 1&2, and Neverwinter Nights weren't even on console. Kotor was and definitely liked but there's no way it sold as well then as something like anthem would today with the modern preorder hype train. Jade Empire, MDK2, and Shattered Steel aren't more than cult classics. Dragon Age has been hit and miss the entire time. Mass Effect obviously built a massive base, but that took 3 games to do so. Other than that, you've got what... a portable sonic game, a ME mobile game, and a couple other cancelled projects?
 
I bought the game because a few buddies bought the game. I've enjoyed my time with it. That's not to say it doesn't have issues, because it has plenty of issues. However, it definitely scratched the itch of an "Iron Man simulator" game that I've been wanting for a long time. I don't regret the purchase, though I probably won't spend as much time in this game as I did in Rimworld (160hrs and counting), which I spent half the money on.

So long as you go into this game with the right expectations, I think you'll be fine, and probably enjoy it. This is why I don't jump on hype trains.
 
ryno9100 said:
I bought the game because a few buddies bought the game. I've enjoyed my time with it. That's not to say it doesn't have issues, because it has plenty of issues. However, it definitely scratched the itch of an "Iron Man simulator" game that I've been wanting for a long time. I don't regret the purchase, though I probably won't spend as much time in this game as I did in Rimworld (160hrs and counting), which I spent half the money on.

So long as you go into this game with the right expectations, I think you'll be fine, and probably enjoy it. This is why I don't jump on hype trains.
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That is about how I felt with it too. Felt like iron man, blow some stuff up and fly around. Might have to go back to it in a few months after im burnt out from div2 and see what theyve done.
 
It makes you wonder how niche they actually are/were. Reviews were a mixed bag at the very best and I remember seeing a lot more commercials, ads, and articles focused on Mass Effect and Dragon Age than this.
Then again, I'm not so sure people aren't so jaded by reviews that they've stopped caring. I know that's the case for me.
 
ryno9100 said:
So long as you go into this game with the right expectations, I think you'll be fine, and probably enjoy it. This is why I don't jump on hype trains.
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That's pretty much the advice that should be had for every video game ever released ever!

I still wonder if we're in a different mindset\culture now, than say 15 years ago. When World of Warcraft released it had an endless supply of bugs and crashes. I wonder how well WoW would do today if released the way it did back then. Or would all the social media influencers(?) trash it into the ground?
 
Calling BS on this one, especially if they didn't even bother to include PC sales. No one I personally know ran out and bought this.
 
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How much of that is from being a free game bundle with a bunch of GPUs? I am sure they got a huge check from Nvidia.
 
Sounds good on the surface (second best selling Bioware game evar) but I wonder if they'll meet EA's sky high expectations.
 
Armenius said:
They dialed the hype train for this one up to 11. And now that they have everyone's money they'll never get around to fixing the game's inherent issues with its gameplay systems.
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understandable to see it that way after EA dropped MEA just a few months after release but with the announcements being made by Mr. Hudson as of late and now Mr. Bennett becoming Director of Enthusiast Engagement for Intel’s Technology Leadership Marketing group :) ...

we'll see where this leads.

Also, it's a stretch at best for me to believe Anthem out-sold Metro Exodus :barefoot:
 
I came for sales figures, no those arn't available? Well if I sold a turd in February and no one else was selling anything I would have the best selling turd for February.
 
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Hopefully this means it will do well enough for EA to keep funding fixes and improvements over time. The game is a mess at the moment, but there is good stuff buried under it.

Burticus said:
Calling BS on this one, especially if they didn't even bother to include PC sales. No one I personally know ran out and bought this.
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Anecdotal evidence does not trounce actual researched data.
 
Derangel said:
Anecdotal evidence does not trounce actual researched data.
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But I read something else that said they didn't even meet half the sales of ME Andromeda's launch..... let me see if I can find it

edit : found it.


caveat that it says "retail" sales. I'd like to see numbers of physical vs digital sales but can't find. Also this is console only too, but I think the OP article is too.

edit 2 - oh and I see now it also refers to UK, which makes the physical vs digital more interesting because physical is usually more popular in UK
 
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good to see the game doing well in terms of sales...there are issues but the core gameplay is a lot of fun...
 
The flight and combat shine, everything else is pretty trashy in this game.

Also why the hell did they limit flying instead of make it a core part of combat... Lazy and stupid, that's why.
 
Just goes to show, you can wrap a turd up in a shiny package and it will sell.
 
Didn't buy it. Won't buy it.

Fuckea should be a new word.

They plain rushed this game. Just like battlefield, battlefront etc. Fuckea
 
Krenum said:
Just goes to show, you can wrap a turd up in a shiny package and it will sell.
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humans are often likened unto sheep and sheep are perhaps THE dumbest animal on the face of the planet. In other words, most humans are EASILY deceived
 
As of the 1.0.3 patch the technical issues I have are basically just the health display glitch and the odd issue with random strongholds, my internet sucks so I can't really tell if any DC issues are on their end or mine so 50/50 on those are likely. That aside it is a game me and a few buddies can pop into crush out some stuff over a few hours, have a beer or 3 and bitch about our days while making things explode while wearing jet powered rocket pants in wonderfully immersive 7.1 surround sound glory. Not a title that you feel the need to sit down and play for 3 days straight but fun enough that with a few hours here and there and just feel good.

Most other online titles leave me wanting to punch puppies after dealing with the online unwashed hoards of prepubescent potty mouths, not Anthem!
 
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Burticus said:
But I read something else that said they didn't even meet half the sales of ME Andromeda's launch..... let me see if I can find it

edit : found it.


caveat that it says "retail" sales. I'd like to see numbers of physical vs digital sales but can't find. Also this is console only too, but I think the OP article is too.

edit 2 - oh and I see now it also refers to UK, which makes the physical vs digital more interesting because physical is usually more popular in UK
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Yeah, I remember that. Something to remember is that the NPDs are North America only. So both reports are correct, for their specific locations. Interestingly its actually doing some amount of numbers more than expected in Japan. Its not setting the world on fire or anything but it remains in the upper half of the chart.
 
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