Topic: Why the obsession with sales figures...!??!?

I just don't understand why people Nintendo fanboys constantly refer to sales figures or why other fanboys refer to them as being proof that the Wii is casual.

Recently, Dead Space came out and it apparantly sold poorly. I can explain why: the Dead Space fans are not on the Wii. This isn't because the Wii is "casual", it's because the original came out and was firmly established on the PS360. It's a very poor idea to establish fans on one particular console and then move on to a completely different one! Plus, there was the fact that it apparently had no advertisement. It's illogical to assume that a game will sell if the publishers don't advertise. And let's not forget that it's an "On-rails shooter", which for some reason must mean that it's bad (sarcasm). Halo 3 was successful because it was an established franchise and was advertised like there was no tomorrow. I can explain many others too:

The Conduit - overhyped and failed to meet many expectations, so many expecting it to be better than sex didn't buy it. If it wasn't overhyped, it would've sold better because some would buy it randomly.
MadWorld - too niche for its own good. Its art style may also present problems - like The Wind Waker, its controversial art style will lead some to think it's primitive.
Muramasa - again, it was niche. Also, it was 2D. Nothing wrong with that, but many will think it is primitive because of that.
House of the Dead - too 70s. And for many, that's a bad thing. It does look kinda cheesy.

My point is: Stop worrying about the sales and enjoy the game!

Sorry to rant, but it is really annoying and hopefully noone here worries about the sales.

I just buy a game when I think its one I want to play.

The real problem isn't so much that fanboys put a lot of emphasis on sales numbers, it's that the DEVELOPERS are looking at sales numbers. I mean, even though we, as Nintendo users, can play something like Dead Space Extraction and think it's a great game worthy of recognition, the fact that it didn't sell very well is alarming. Not to the Wii fanbase, but to EA, who might decide putting a similar effort onto the console wouldn't be financially sound. Sales figures ARE important, because the big guys won't make the games and the consumers won't GET the games if they don't sell.

Well, EA only have themselves to blame if they didn't advertise it. I saw an advert for the original dead space at the cinema!

I also find it slightly ironic that Nintendo fanboys scream out for "hardcore" games, but never buy them.

Seriously. They'll see that a game got only an "8" and decide not to buy it. I've enjoyed every core game I've bought the past few weeks, even though they weren't Epic 9's or 10's.

Because it. Prints. Money.
Yet sometimes, it. Doesn't. Print. As. Much. Money. As. It. Could. Be. Printing.

I only get depressed when a great game doesn't sell. It means there will be no more games like it. You can bet that everyone in the industry pays attention to which games sell on a particular platform and which don't. No one wants to invest millions of dollars in a game if they think it has an excellent chance of failing.

I wish I knew what you were referring to, lol

http://wiiprintsmoneylol.ytmnd.com/

also remember the wii fan base isn't so much the "preorder and wait at gamestop at midnight" kinda gamers. Very few wii games sold all that much at launch.

I should note that Dead Space didn't do well on the 360/PS3 either. In fact many were surprised that the game performed so poorly.

As for obsessing over sales figures, its because to the fan it gives them a feeling of accomplishment, that the company they rooted for came out on top. Its all about a weird feeling of brand loyalty.

Really?

Well, Dead Space Extraction could be like GTA on the DS: sluggish sales at first, but now it's coming pretty close to 1,000,000.

I hate sales numbers and all that crap, call me a billy bob gamer cause i don't care less what sells and the numbers to back them up. If a certain game is on the top ten list it doesn't always mean i will like it.

Yeah, I actually prefer niche titles so I don't really care about sales figures at all. Ps3 and xbox360 fans like to talk about their AAA titles with huge budgets and sales figures and so I guess like blockbuster movie sales point to sales as validity of quality. "its the #1 movie/game it has to be good!", kinda thing.

The only practical use of sales figures is to get an idea if a sequel or whatever will be brought out for a game. That usually depends on the publishers expectations of sales not just raw sales figures.

The OP is kinda weird in that it asks about the obsession with sales figures yet seems concerned about sales figures and makes the games that didn't sell well out to be bad.

The conduit is a solid fps. I rented it and the multiplayer is great when it works and campaign is pretty fun too. Graphics especially effects are nice overall, just some bland and undetailed textures and models bring it down.

Nothing wrong with the other games being too niche, just that others overestimated sales. Its really down to what the publishers say about sales. If they are massively disappointed then that means something but if random gamers look at perceived low sales then that means nothing.

This statement goes for me as well. I know my own tastes in games well enough now to know to give more credit to what I think I'll like than what scores well with reviewers or sells the most.

According to this, it's sold 1,400,000 copies as of early May. I wouldn't call that selling poorly.
http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2009/05/05/dead-space-sales-figures/

The game matters, the sales figures are just really to see if people are getting into the game.

Look at GTA: Chinatown Wars for DS. Sales were low and it was a fantastic game to play.