Video Game Market Analysis Thread

Maybe this could be a thread for discussing the various market impressions and how sales relate to that?

Related to Japan, there a chain is opting to no longer carry the Xbox Series consoles because of low physical game sales. Many retail stores make their profit on physical sales, so selling consoles with higher digital presence or a service like GamePass may not make sense for them.

Edit: Tweet Response claims this is OG Xbox only. The tweet lists old generation consoles they are stop dealing with, PSP, PS1, PS2, GBA, and Xbox.

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That is unfortunate. I guess with things going digital, retailers will better profit margin on hardware.

They’ll go out of business soon enough. Yeah physical xbox games are slow but a lot of jpn games don’t get physical releases.

They’re just upset they can’t make profit from resales.

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Oh that’s not a good look. Perhaps Xbox should step in, I think they made a deal with Gamestop in the US to share in the profits of digital sales?

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Not a bad idea at all, but curious if the parent corporation would be willing to switch over their backoffice to Microsoft’s products. Even if they just use an auxiliary Microsoft portal, it may take too long to work out before their scheduled droppage.

According to the data from that tweet, the PS5 has an attach rate under 0.5. While not as extreme as Xbox, it’s not good at all. Maybe the stores are making enough off their more expensive controllers and headset accessories?

The stores will just close down soon. Unless they start selling digital goods dedicated gaming stores will become 2nd hand retro ones. Times are changing.

It’s all well and good saying they’ll stop selling xbox games now but it will be a lot of games down the line.

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Hm yes, I guess retail is in a tricky spot overall and a lot of creative solutions has to be made. But like you say, there has to be a willingness from all parties too.

I saw a similar thing from an Austrian retailer last year (or two years ago, I don’t remember well), but this is no big deal really, MS has its own store and partnerships with major worldwide retailers. The real issue imo is lack of marketing presence outside anglosphere, people nowadays mostly buy things on Amazon and/or big chains anyway, but if you don’t advertize shit, people don’t know why they should buy your product, it’s basic stuff, lol.

In my country, Italy, outside hardcore gamers, nobody knows about Game Pass and I’m not exaggerating, it’s real because of total lack of advertising outside Youtube/Twitter, mostly in English, lol (and Italy is the third continental EU market, so it’s MS loss ultimately).

Bethesda on the contrary does a great work in this department, I can only hope they can teach some lessons to MS, while they shouldn’t be necessary, during 360 era Xbox had a great marketing presence here, then sometimes after X1 big fail, they dropped it completely: imo it’s only lack of funding/confidence about the region.

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Also this could be the place for discusions on localization, the anglospere, generizations about how awful US companies are, etc.

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IDK if you are joking, but MS really treats western EU like some third world country and it’s only their loss ultimately. For example Apple does a much better job here. I can make a never-ending list of how Xbox experience is inferior to US/UK and we pay even more than americans for games, lol, how ironic (that’s not MS only fault obviously, but 80€ =~ 95$, I laughed when US people whined for 70$ games XD).

All I wanted is these conversations kept in one, tight thread
so I could more easily avoid them

Ok
I suspect it’s easier to avoid the truth if it’s contained. XD

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Xbox is selling great in Japan, at least judging from my Twitter feed. This just means Gamepass is a hit there as well. Also Xbox is selling out in Europe as well based off Twitter. It’s a new generation, anybody claiming Xbox is doing bad in those markets is clearly stuck in the past and must be talking about last generation.

This is gonna be the new narrative for the next few days isn’t it?

Sigh

I wonder if Microsoft could offer them the same deal as gamestop, that they get a percentage of all digital purchases made for consoles bought through them. But the question would be if they would even take the deal? and is that deal even making anything for gamestop?

Mostly the same in France. Deathloop PS5 ads everywhere (even 2 or 3 weeks after launch), Nintendo Switch TV ads all the time. FIFA PS5 too if I recall correctly.

I think it has been years since I last saw a Xbox TV ad. Maybe I missed it but I saw nothing for their 2 last XGS releases Flight Simulator or Psychonauts 2.

The only marketing I’m seeing from Xbox in France are some Series S All Access ads on Twitter or some sponsored tweets.

I often read that this is worse in Germany.

The real test to see if they are content with the situation or if they plan to expand and invest in mainland Europe will be Forza Horizon 5 (and maybe Age of Empires 4).

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Xbox talked about how Japan is their fastest growing segment and keep making strides to fix their back catalogue and add content to Gamepass.

I anticipate this gen will be a good one for Xbox in Japan.

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Aye, pretty much the same in Sweden. The only Xbox stuff is from other companies; the Deathloop ads for PS5 are still running, Far Cry 6 is being promoted by Ubisoft with an Xbox logo at the end
 That’s it. Xbox games like Psychonauts 2 and Flight Simulator got a few website banners for a day or two at release.

Bethesda has a little better precense here too, I hope they will influence Xbox a bit on that front. They have nothing on PlayStation though, they are everywhere all the time.

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I think you guys over estimate the amount of marketing done here (in the US). Honestly can’t remember the last time I’ve seen an advertisement.

Idk if others see this but I see gamepass ads everything online. Facebook, Twitter, banners on sites, YouTube, I think it’s over half the advertising I see (I’m in the US).

I know demographics can be targetted more online, maybe I hit every demographic :joy:

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