NCAA Football 13 - Early Sales Numbers Down

[cdj]

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8152/7434892498_2618919c82_b.jpg

Courtesy vgchartz.com, the first three weeks of sales for NCAA Football 13 are now available. Overall, sales are down 95,000 over the same period from a year ago. Despite the second-best PS3 launch in the franchise's history, the total is dragged down by the second-worst 360 launch. In a month that saw retail game sales down 20% over the year prior, NCAA Football 13 was still the top-selling game in July.

Why the decrease? There's likely numerous factors at hand, such as the economy, gamer burnout following their experience with NCAA Football 12, and/or a portion of the populace making NCAA Football a purchase every few years and no longer annually. In addition, some in the community have stated that they believe the game is becoming stale.

While NCAA Football 13 addressed some of the major complaints from 12 (namely the Online Dynasty 'Transfer Failed'), its wide feature set lacked the depth and/or changes to numerous game areas (Coaching Carousel, Custom Conferences, TeamBuilder, Practice Mode, Online Play, et al.) along with numerous bugs and annoyances still prevalent, including some legacy issues.

Fans who relied on reviews to base their purchase decision saw the game's metacritic score drop (http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/content.php?612-NCAA-Football-13-Review-Central) from the year before with many reviews repeating the theme of bugs (http://www.egmnow.com/articles/reviews/egm-review-ncaa-football-13/) and a lack of (http://www.gamesradar.com/ncaa-football-13-review/) overall differential (http://www.psu.com/a016122/NCAA-Football-13-Review) from (http://www.gametrailers.com/reviews/t2498j/ncaa-football-13-review) previous iterations (http://www.destructoid.com/review-ncaa-football-13-231993.phtml).





NCAA 07
NCAA 08
NCAA 09
NCAA 10
NCAA 11
NCAA 12
NCAA 13


PS3
N/A
162,636
242,982
241,085
275,126
342,068
303,444


360
432,445
423,348
422,908
398,672
343,758
437,182
390,181












Total
432,445
585,984
665,890
639,757
618,884
779,250
683,625



* - Through three weeks after release.

***

You can view the page at http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/content.php?618-NCAA-Football-13-Early-Sales-Numbers-Down

[CLW]

You really should go back to the "glory"/PS2 days. I might be dead wrong but I seem to recall the #s (at least game/unit wise) were larger than all of the next gen titles by a wide margin.

I'd be really interested in comparing what I consider the "best" games (at least for their time) 04-06 to these next-gen titles.


EDIT: I was bored so here are the yearly NCAA unit totals for the last 10 years ordered by just volume of sales:


2007 - 2.96 Million (PS2 Xbox and 360)

2006 - 2.81 Million (PS2 and Xbox)

2005 - 2.53 Million (PS2 Xbox and GameCube)

2010 - 2.28 Million (360 PS3 PS2)

2004 - 2.25 Million (PS2 Xbox and GameCube)

2003 - 2.16 Million (PS2 Xbox and GameCube)

2011 - 2.06 Million (360 PS3 PS2)

2008 - 1.92 Million (PS2 360 PS3 Xbox)

2009 - 1.73 Million (360 PS3 PS2)

2012 - 1.69 Million (360 PS3)

2002 - 1.57 Million

EDIT 2: Assuming 13 doubles it sales the rest of the year it will be the WORST selling NCAA edition since at least 2002!

[SmoothPancakes]

While it's down from 2012, the title is sort of deceptive in that it's only down compared to last year, but otherwise posted the second highest and best three week numbers, second only to last year. I was expecting worse numbers and ranking than that, but while it is down from 2012, it's still fine in regards to number and sales, posting the new second highest number sold through three weeks on the next gen/current gen consoles.

[baseballplyrmvp]

In addition, some in the community have stated that they believe the game is becoming stale.

damn right the game is becoming stale. aside from the passing improvements made this year, the passing off of receivers for zone coverage, and the o-line assignments, the "gameplay" (everything that happens on the field while playing the game) has largely been the same since 08 (i only played 07 for a few weeks and there isnt a point in comparing current gen versions to last gen versions).

other than those 3 items, there hasnt been a huge addition that has drastically affected how the game works. mostly all of the game play additions that we've gotten in the past 5 years have been tweaks and changes to stuff thats already been in place.

[JeffHCross]

You really should go back to the "glory"/PS2 days. I might be dead wrong but I seem to recall the #s (at least game/unit wise) were larger than all of the next gen titles by a wide margin.They were. But
A) The install base was much higher.
B) Games were hitting higher sales numbers across the board.
C) Sports games in general were selling better.

Every year certain commentators (not meaning you, CLW, meaning others), both in the community and outside it, harp on the fact that NCAA's sales are down versus whatever arbitrary measure they decide to use this time. Which is fine, until you start drawing conclusions about Tiburon, NCAA and Madden because of it. Personally, I think the entire sports genre is just getting it's ass kicked. So let's see:

( Because I'm not quite as bored as CLW, I'm using vgchartz's simple search, which shows results by system. I'm not going to take the time to add. )

Madden 2002-07 is the top six selling Madden titles of all time.
NHL 99, on the Playstation, is still the #2 NHL title of all time.
Here we go: NBA 2k12 is the highest seller for that series, even eclipsing NBA 2k11. But ESPN 2k5 is #5.
FIFA's doing well too: FIFA Soccer 12 sold over 10 million units, and is the highest seller of the series. Though, like NBA 2k, until the 2011 version, the PS2 era games were still selling better.
MLB 2000, on the Playstation, is the highest selling title with "MLB" in the name ... ever. And MLB The Show isn't coming close the numbers MVP Baseball put up on the PS2 alone.


Just to reinforce my point:
Major League Baseball featuring Ken Griffey Jr, SNES: .79 million
MVP NCAA Baseball 06: .75 million
MLB The Show 12, PS3: .70 million

But you can't tell me that MLB the Show is not the superior game.

[OSUCowboyofMD]

I think Heisman Mode should be removed. It doesn't really bring anything to the game

[MC1]

The "glory years" were pre-exclusivity contract years, Madden most likely will suffer as well. It wasn't a good idea, consumers are too demanding!

[Rudy]

The game has gotten stale for me and I passed this year. They need to fix the way players move. If you implemented a true physics system in movement it would not only make the game better but add a completely fresh feel to the game which I think is needed.

The other thing that has really grown stale is the announcing. We've had the same announcers for how long now? It's really time to bring in some fresh voices. When I was playing NCAA 12 I was just tuning them out. It's just white noise now to hear Nessler and Herbie. When you fire up NCAA 12 you get the same intro to the start menu as the past and the same announcers you've had for a decade. That leads to a game feeling stale.

The emphasis on online play has led to little improvement in cpu AI the last few years. Whenever you ask someone why they play online it's because they like the challenge of a human who can adapt and not play like the brain dead cpu. Improvement in this area is really needed.

[gschwendt]

Interestingly enough, according to an article on Time (http://techland.time.com/2012/08/10/u-s-video-game-sales-drop-for-eighth-straight-month/), video game sales as a whole are down 23 percent from July last year. If you see it from that angle, NCAA13 actually did better than might be expected.

I think the large parts are the economy but also consumers are starting to learn to only buy the games they know they want at launch... the rest just wait until they go to half price a year later. Case in point, I bought RAGE last year at launch... the only reason I did so was because I got it for $40 instead of $60. However, if I would have waited a year, I would have been able to get it from Steam for $10.

Along those lines, about the only game that I know I'll buy at launch for the remainder of the year is Borderlands 2 and that's only because I know I'll be able to put a hundred hours into it easily. I'm a lot pickier about what I buy... even going so far as to not buy Uncharted 3 yet, and I was a huge Uncharted fan.

[souljahbill]

Interestingly enough, according to an article on Time (http://techland.time.com/2012/08/10/u-s-video-game-sales-drop-for-eighth-straight-month/), video game sales as a whole are down 23 percent from July last year. If you see it from that angle, NCAA13 actually did better than might be expected.

I think the large parts are the economy but also consumers are starting to learn to only buy the games they know they want at launch... the rest just wait until they go to half price a year later. Case in point, I bought RAGE last year at launch... the only reason I did so was because I got it for $40 instead of $60. However, if I would have waited a year, I would have been able to get it from Steam for $10.

Along those lines, about the only game that I know I'll buy at launch for the remainder of the year is Borderlands 2 and that's only because I know I'll be able to put a hundred hours into it easily. I'm a lot pickier about what I buy... even going so far as to not buy Uncharted 3 yet, and I was a huge Uncharted fan.
Yeah, if the Collector's edition of Uncharted 3 wasn't $30 a month ago, I still wouldn't have it. The only game I know I want this year is Assassin's Creed 3 and since it's single player (I don't play the MP part), I can wait until the price goes down or get it as a gift.

[CLW]

Interestingly enough, according to an article on Time (http://techland.time.com/2012/08/10/u-s-video-game-sales-drop-for-eighth-straight-month/), video game sales as a whole are down 23 percent from July last year. If you see it from that angle, NCAA13 actually did better than might be expected.

I think the large parts are the economy but also consumers are starting to learn to only buy the games they know they want at launch... the rest just wait until they go to half price a year later. Case in point, I bought RAGE last year at launch... the only reason I did so was because I got it for $40 instead of $60. However, if I would have waited a year, I would have been able to get it from Steam for $10.

Along those lines, about the only game that I know I'll buy at launch for the remainder of the year is Borderlands 2 and that's only because I know I'll be able to put a hundred hours into it easily. I'm a lot pickier about what I buy... even going so far as to not buy Uncharted 3 yet, and I was a huge Uncharted fan.

Yeah I saw that headline this morning as well. Personally, I've ALWAYS thought video game companies have OVERPRICED the games this cycle. ($60 now versus $40 on PS2). Increasing the price decreases demand.

"Casual" football fans could probably justify in their minds picking up NCAA/Madden/etc... each year for $40 but bump that price up 50% to $60 and you will lose X % of your customer base. Some will buy every other year some will just drop the series entirely.

Combine that with an absolutely awful economy and it is a recipe for disaster.

IF PS4/720 games are jacked up in price even further you are going to lose even more casual fans. I cannot justify spending $90 on ANY game (50% increase from the current price) and I'm not hurting financially (crosses fingers).

Hell, I seriously considered not picking up 13 this year at $45 and only did so due to the mass of Amazon bucks I have accumulated allowing me to get the game for "free".

Bottom line more people even in the "hard core" community consider EA's efforts in NCAA to be ".5s" the last few years (I'm one of them) and if "we" are having a hard time justifying paying "full price" for a .5 + roster update no casual gamer is going to be able to do so (at least logically)

[I OU a Beatn]

Same stale game play = same stale sales.

I actually expect Madden sales to see a nice little improvement solely because of the addition of a "physics" engine.

[mkhsfz]

Also in 2007 I think generally people had more money to spend and the game was getting better and better faster. With NCAA 13 I feel a lot is better but only to the fan of the series. For casual players there is just not enough change. Every year game play gets better but the visuals don't make huge leaps. I don't blame EA for this. I can imagine it's hard every year to give the game a fresh new look.

Look at a game like Halo, yes it has made huge leaps but we don't get a new Halo every year. But if we did, what would that look like and how long before we just get board with it. That is the one thing that drives College Football/sports every year, it's a different story. Unlike Halo you have to write a new story. I think that's why college faithful buy this game we love FB so much. But I am new to NCAAFB first game I bought was 11 but between 11 and 13 I don't see must have features I'm just luckily enough to be able to afford the new game so I buy it.

[SmoothPancakes]

Yeah I saw that headline this morning as well. Personally, I've ALWAYS thought video game companies have OVERPRICED the games this cycle. ($60 now versus $40 on PS2). Increasing the price decreases demand.

"Casual" football fans could probably justify in their minds picking up NCAA/Madden/etc... each year for $40 but bump that price up 50% to $60 and you will lose X % of your customer base. Some will buy every other year some will just drop the series entirely.

Combine that with an absolutely awful economy and it is a recipe for disaster.

IF PS4/720 games are jacked up in price even further you are going to lose even more casual fans. I cannot justify spending $90 on ANY game (50% increase from the current price) and I'm not hurting financially (crosses fingers).

Hell, I seriously considered not picking up 13 this year at $45 and only did so due to the mass of Amazon bucks I have accumulated allowing me to get the game for "free".

Bottom line more people even in the "hard core" community consider EA's efforts in NCAA to be ".5s" the last few years (I'm one of them) and if "we" are having a hard time justifying paying "full price" for a .5 + roster update no casual gamer is going to be able to do so (at least logically)

Oh hell, if the next gen games go up to $90 retail, that's gonna be the death of console games for me. $60 is already bad enough, and a majority of my games, I end up buying on sale down the road for half price or less. If next gen goes up to $90, I'm either gonna stop console gaming altogether, or wait and not buy games for a year or two later, after 70%+ cuts in price.

[morsdraconis]

Same stale game play = same stale sales.

I actually expect Madden sales to see a nice little improvement solely because of the addition of a "physics" engine.

And those people will be fuckin' kidding themselves if they think it won't be the same stall gameplay, presentation, and HORRIBLE franchise mode while also introducing thousands of new bugs.

[CLW]

And those people will be fuckin' kidding themselves if they think it won't be the same stall gameplay, presentation, and HORRIBLE franchise mode while also introducing thousands of new bugs.

Yeah I am OUT on Madden this year. I'll probably download the Season Ticket; trophy whore the hell out of it; and then rent the game at some point to get the trophy pops before mailing it right back to the fine folks at GameFly

[JeffHCross]

The "glory years" were pre-exclusivity contract yearsNCAA hasn't had any competition since 2002 (maybe Gamebreaker released in 2003?). So the exclusivity argument fails a little bit since 2004-2007 were the "glory years".

[baseballplyrmvp]

NCAA hasn't had any competition since 2002 (maybe Gamebreaker released in 2003?). So the exclusivity argument fails a little bit since 2004-2007 were the "glory years".

plus, no one knows how good or bad the game would be if there were competition. for all we know, the game could have went an entirely different direction than what we have now.

[Rudy]

A bigger indication of how NCAA sales are will be comparing it to Madden's trend. If Madden 13 sales are up and NCAA 13 sales down then that means more to me. I agree with IOU that the Infinity engine may be a cause of this. I do think unhappiness and issues with NCAA 12 could have spilled over to this year.

[JeffHCross]

I do think unhappiness and issues with NCAA 12 could have spilled over to this year.Absolutely. PastaPadre likes to say that critics give their ratings a year too late ... as in, if a game is solid one year, the next year it will have higher critic ratings. And vice versa.

However, I think this idea is an even stronger influence on sales. Look at NBA 2k12. I can't think of any reason for it to outsell NBA 2k11. Jordan was, in my opinion, the bigger sale. From what I've heard from friends, the gameplay was better (if ever so slightly) on 11. Yet 12 outsold it, and by a healthy margin. When NCAA 12 kills the sales (comparatively to other NCAA titles of this generation), and yet the end product is ... how shall we say, disappointing? ... the reverberations of that are going to be felt the next year.

IMO, if Amazon and other retailers hadn't pre-sold for $45, the numbers would have looked even worse. The ad campaign generated a lot of talk, but I don't think it translated into sales.

[ram29jackson]

Same stale game play = same stale sales.

I actually expect Madden sales to see a nice little improvement solely because of the addition of a "physics" engine.

heck, they even made MUT more interesting and functional besides everything else they say is coming.

[jaymo76]

NCAA hasn't had any competition since 2002 (maybe Gamebreaker released in 2003?). So the exclusivity argument fails a little bit since 2004-2007 were the "glory years".

I can't help but wonder with NCAA, (which in many ways is a niche market game) how old the average player is? When I got into the series I was in my 20's, single and had a ton of free time on my hands. I could easily run 10+ seasons in a heart beat. Now I am in my mid/late 30's, I am married with children and have very little free time. My expectations for the quality of the game have changed and I am far less tolerant of mediocrity. If I think a game isn't worth my time and $$$ I will pass on it. That wasn't the case when I was younger.

[Rudy]

I don't see NCAA Football as a niche title. The game sells close to 2 million copies. Most games would kill for those numbers. It's not Madden or FIFA but it's a lot better than baseball game sales and worlds better than what college basketball used to sell. College football is a crazy popular sport that generates huge revenue and good TV ratings. I do think if they could somehow get the rights to the player names it would help a lot. I also think all the glitches this series has become known for the last couple years are hurting it's reputation which has taken a hit from the PS2 days.

[JeffHCross]

The game sells close to 2 million copies. Most games would kill for those numbers.Not AAA titles from AAA studios. Some studios have been shuttered after selling four million copies (though that was probably a result of mismanagement). And NCAA doesn't hit 2 million anymore ...

Sports games are enough of a niche anyway (look at E3 and how little time sports games get), and within the sports genre NCAA is a niche. Sports games used to appeal to a significant amount of the install base (remember Sega using Joe Montana football as a system seller?). That's not hardly the case anymore.

That said, the fact that no "MLB _____" title has ever reached 1 million sales is pretty shocking. Only three versions of MVP Baseball did. Wonder if it was the competition (and spread of sales) that stopped them from hitting 1 million on the PS2. Not hitting 1 million on the PS3 doesn't surprise me.

Personally, I don't think the glitches are a bigger problem now than they used to be. There were plenty of game-killing glitches in the "glory years". I remember one year where Ohio State (and probably other teams) could not be used in Year 2 of Dynasty mode. The game simply couldn't do it. That would be utterly unacceptable now, and with a level of outrage that we probably haven't seen since. And yet at the time it was just :dunno:. Annoyed me, but I moved on. I think jaymo's right that we're getting pickier with our money (doesn't help that the price has gone up), and so the issues (especially with patches being available) have gotten more and more of a hot-button.

[Coachdenz]

My game is still in the plastic from
Release day.....I really have no idea why I bought it this
Year....guess just habit, but with that said unless something major
Happens NCAA 14 will not be bought by
Me.