How Did PS3 Exclusives Fare In 2008?

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots

Well, we know they were excellent in terms of quality, but how about sales? That is the one question that has resulted in facing the Achilles Heel of the PlayStation 3 thus far, but as the user base grows, that drawback continues to disintegrate (thankfully).

Exclusives did relatively well in 2008 - especially for Nintendo, but what else is new? - and that includes the likes of Fable II for the Xbox 360 hitting 1.2 million sales worldwide, and Konami's masterpiece, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, topping the 1 million mark in the U.S. alone (over 4 million worldwide). Unfortunately, the other two major PS3 exclusives for the year, while both of excellent quality, didn't perform quite as well. They're not exactly disappointments from a sales standpoint, but considering initial projections, both LittleBigPlanet and Resistance 2 have underperformed: Media Molecule's innovative platformer (which dominated the recent AIAS Awards nominations), sold around 611,000 copies in the U.S., while Insomniac's awesome sequel sold just over 600,000 in the same region. Now, we're always saying we should see more IPs, but it can be extraordinarily difficult to compete against established franchises. Still, with over one million sold worldwide for both LBP and R2, that should be enough to encourage IP-minded developers.

It's just that, if you're wondering how any of this compares to games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Gears of War 2...well, just don't bother to make that comparison.

1/28/2009 John Shepard

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Comments (46 posts)

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King James
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 @ 10:04:58 PM
Reply

LBP was affected by that small delay it had. But I'm still surprised that R2 didn't sell better in the US. It's a shooter. A damn good shooter. Oh well, I know Insomniac isn't phased by it so R3 won't disappoint in anyway.

KILLZONE 2 - FEB 27!!!

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ec0li
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 @ 10:58:33 PM

Call of Duty World at War Totally ate up R2's sales in the shooter category. It sold 2wice as much as R2. Sony's marketing this holiday season just didn't connect at all with it's audience.

Last edited by ec0li on 1/28/2009 11:13:17 PM

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Xra897
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 @ 11:52:42 PM

well cod5 was on ps3, xbox360, wii, pc, and ds. resistance 2 is only on ps3 so what do expect. besides the only reason people actually bought it was because of cod4 and cod5 doesn't live up to its expectations.

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N a S a H
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 1:14:33 PM

FACT: COD5 sold over 7 million copies over all platforms, worldwide. I'm sure at least 1.5-2 million (if not more) were PS3 and possible R2 purchasers.

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ray taylor
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 @ 10:10:24 PM
Reply

Advertisement. That one word says it all. LBP had some, but mostly because of the Quran issue. It was also nice that we got a MGS4 demo, to bad it was around Christmas time; if I remember correctly. Granted I had both of those games on preorder but for most people they want some hands on or a actual video of what game play is like. Not just some pictures from a magazine. Like I said before advertisement seems to be the major downfall when it comes to Sony, but that is just my opinion

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DragonSphere
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 @ 10:18:37 PM

Seriously, what's the deal with the poor effort on sony's PR team to promote their exlusive titles? MS markets the beejeezus of it's key franchises, and while I don't think Sony needs to reach Halo-proportions of advertisement, more visibility for the mass market consumer would help.

Sony is not the only culprit though... The dismal sales of Valkyria Chronicles speaks volumes about the nearly non-existant marketing for the game (cmon Sega, get on the ball here!)

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chilker
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 @ 11:52:06 PM

Yeah... most of the advertising I get about upcoming games is through the PSN... and well, that probably doesn't help sales a whole lot, because all the people on the PSN already have a PS3! If you're going to sell PS3s, advertise them to people who don't have them!

They are getting a little better though, over Christmas vacation, family members saw the PS3 commercial about "our new movie download machine" and they said, "hey! You've got one of those!"

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laxpro2001
Friday, January 30, 2009 @ 1:22:10 PM

@DragonSphere
Just so you know PR is Public Relations. That would really not have much to do Sony at all let alone them marketing it. PR comes into play with events like E3 where Media Molecule generates favorable hype about LBP.

However I agree with you that Sony should have marketed it better. Probably could have seen a lot more T.V. advertisements especially on stations with younger audiences. They could have also probably used Word of Mouth to get intouch with the younger adults like me who don't pay attention to gaming news. (I do pay attention obviously but I think you get what I meant)

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Aftab
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 @ 10:20:40 PM
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Man, I tried playing Gears2 on my new lcd, and it was just too boring. Graphics were pretty cool, but that's it. R2, on the other hand, was just as fast-paced and exciting as the first time. So for myself, I could care less for sales numbers, but, yeah, I'd like the advertising to be improved for Sony's own sake.

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isaya85
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 @ 11:02:25 PM
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Yep I agree with ray Sony didn't do LBP any justice by not advertising the game like it deserved to be and I hate the fact they released all those exclusives around the same time as the other third party big hitters they should have scheduled their games better

PSN ID Biggest_GMoney

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WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 @ 11:12:31 PM
Reply

For a long time all we heard was 360 has more games, but when you talk to an owner they tend to only have Halo3, Gears 1 & 2, and one or two multiplats.

My point is PS3 isn't a broken record trapped in it's own fortress of 2 exclusive franchises. Many people didn't jump on board till this year and just seeing the likes of Uncharted. I think old and new PS3 exclusives are duking it out this year and sales are reflecting that, I mean these are some primo franchises we have and with KZ2 and GoWIII on the way the exclusive list is just going to keep going strong and folks gotta prioritize where their money goes.

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kreate
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 12:01:23 AM

i know a lot of 360 guys who only has a couple sports games.

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Itdoesntmatter
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 12:21:18 AM

That is precisely what makes my blood boil more than anything in gaming. The entire American population has been hypnotized through Microsoft commercials to think that the 360 has sooo many great games. In reality, if you ask a 360 fanboy what games they are refering to, they usually only say "Halo and Gears of War, Gears of War and Halo, Halo and Gears of war...then they sprinkle in a mid-level game or two and go right back to repeating Halo and Gears of War, Gears of War and Halo"

It makes my blood boil even harder when a PS3 owner agrees that the 360 has sooo many crazy good games..."I can't name which ones are good, but I guess they just are"

Last edited by Itdoesntmatter on 1/29/2009 12:22:16 AM

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kreate
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 4:00:48 AM

well do u remember when bioshock was first released?

xbox owners were all about bioshock. but when it was announced for the ps3. xbox owners stop talking about.

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Deleted User
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 6:08:03 AM

You know the 360 has the highest attachrate right?

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PS3_Wizard
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 9:00:42 AM

clarify what you mean about attachrate Josh.

And Don't undermine the 360 either Kreate. The had a bit more than just gears and halo.

Yes PSXEXTREME did report on how the PS3 had more AAA titles than the 360, but you have to give them more credit than Halo & Gears and only 2 other multiplat titles.

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Deleted User
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 9:04:54 AM

Attach rate is how many games per console. The 360 has a demanding lead in this area.

And even tho the Wii sells more hardware. MS makes more money on software.

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PS3_Wizard
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 10:58:33 AM

Just because they have more games doesn't mean everyone will buy them all. The PS3 does have more games that scored higher than a 8.5 than the 360 does. Its quality games that matter.

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coverton341
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 11:32:51 AM

Good point Wizard I think the quality of games on the PS3 speaks volumes for the system.

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Itdoesntmatter
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 1:53:11 PM

What makes my blood form a volcano, is to think that because the PS3 has more of a mature crowd, it suffers because of it. This crowd seems to take the "why should I ever advertise for Sony" approach while 360 fans basically forgive having to send their systems back to Microsoft 6 times (while still offering only Halo and Gears of War which are played out). They ignore the largest failure rate in consumer electronics history as if it's no big deal and they advertise that system like it's the second coming while take every opportunity to bash the PS3. They have the entire Gamestop corporation bashing the PS3 in favor of the 360, for christ-sakes! As if having the support of every high school teen in America wasn't enough?

Is it because we want to favor American products over Japanese products? Or is it a widespread conspiracy that I'm unaware about? I had the 360, that system was a joke and I can't stand what is going on.

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ec0li
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 12:00:01 AM
Reply

Fable2 actually is 1.2 mil in US alone. It's over 2 mil world wide.

LBP deserves much better in terms of sales. Sony has not done a great job with their marketing but you can't blame it all on that. It will always be up to the gamers themselves. LBP is critically acclaimed, was heavily hyped, and it's been out for almost 3 months now. There's really no excuse and it's time for PS3 gamers to put their money where their mouths are. Buy the damn game because it deserves a sequel. :)

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kreate
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 12:02:11 AM

do u have that game? just making sure.

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ec0li
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 12:08:14 AM

If I say no would you hold it against me? I'm amazed that a person who has posted as much as you in the past 2 months is asking me that question. Maybe you should read some of my posts in the past and think about asking me the same question again.

Would you like to ask me what other PS3 games I own?

Last edited by ec0li on 1/29/2009 12:09:23 AM

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somethingrandom
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 1:28:23 AM

LBP does NOT need a sequel. The developer's levels sucked. The user created content is awesome though. If we keep getting user content, there's no need to have a sequel.

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ec0li
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 1:54:44 AM

I'm not saying it needs one now. I want to see one in the future. This was just the beginning. They can add so much more in the future and improve what is already an impressive game. I'm not only talking about future downloads. I'm talking about game mechanics and maybe other surprises because we know these guys are some of the most creative minds in gaming this generation. I guess you don't want a new LBP maybe 2 or 3 years from now?

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kreate
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 3:58:40 AM

no i would not hold it against u. its totally understandable. i also need to buy that game but valkyria chronicles is on the top of my list and i am looking forward to killzone2.

ah! only if time just stopped so i can catch up with the games ;)

Last edited by kreate on 1/29/2009 4:01:10 AM

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somethingrandom
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 8:32:25 PM

Maybe 5 years from now...

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Scarecrow
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 2:42:20 AM
Reply

Pretty well imo

They just need to overhaul SCEE and hire someone smart who can get LBP, RS2, etc. out there for all to see.

And I agree, that dumb initial delay really hurt LBP.

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Lord carlos
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 5:29:29 AM
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Hello to everybody :) i'm new to this site and glad to be here!
I belive that as more people adopt the ps3 all the old exclusives sales will grow over time & the new ones will sell very well anyway(kz2,gow3 GT5 ect.).
As for advertising,Sony needs to shape up especially with new IP"S because they don't have hardcore followings like mgs or gran turismo.Resistance 2 was a surpise in that it sales were lower that expected but i'm confident it will push 3 mill by the time Resistance 3 is relased.
I played the 8 player co op mode with my bro and the first time i saw 30 hybrids swarming around a titan i was stunned(like when the hobbits see the orcs for the first time in morria),my bro actually screamed 'cmon fight ',it was hilarious & amazing.
My blue ray rom failed in october(i'm a bum at the moment) so i'll be picking up LBP,R2,KZ2 & RE5 when i get it fixed(need a job first)
YAY my first comment is at an end.

PSN ID:lord_carlos
add me !!!!

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PS3_Wizard
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 9:03:17 AM

Welcome to PSXEXTREME, call me Wizard, cuz when I touch a dualshock3, magic happens!

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coverton341
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 11:03:13 AM

Welcome carlos. You can ignore the wizard every time he goes to the bathroom that is when the magic happens. Temptation and all.

J/K Wizard have to give you are hard time sometimes.

My PSN is: Groovy341
and you can add me when you get your PS3 fixed but I also need to get mine serviced the damn fan burnt up on it and I have to pay for school books and three ring binders and highlighters and whatnot......Substance Abuse Counseling Certifications and Computer Science Degrees require way too much.

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Deleted User
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 6:10:28 AM
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Fable 2 sold far more worldwide. Was that U.S sales ben?

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Godslim
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 9:31:42 AM

The us are mostly 360 owners thats y!

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Deleted User
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 9:53:43 AM

You expected different in its home turf?

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Godslim
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 11:03:56 AM

nope thats y i expected

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LCF
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 7:06:09 AM
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Not only that, but Sony reported a profit in their gaming division for 2008.

Last edited by LCF on 1/29/2009 7:06:40 AM

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rcrodgers
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 8:54:32 AM
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I would just like to remind you that both R2 and LBP came out in the last three months of the year. I suspect, had they been released in June, that they each would have sold more than a million copies by the end of 2008. 600k copies in three months is pretty damned good if you ask me, especially if you consider that R2 was released on 11/4... That works out to 10,000 copies a day for R2.

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Godslim
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 9:32:50 AM
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i think releasing r2 an lbp at that time was a bad move on sonys part....because it was going up against codwaw which loads of people were gonna by due to cod4 being so good

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N a S a H
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 1:21:06 PM

People should have known Treyarch's COD5 would be a game which is totally useless when compared to Infinity Ward's COD4.

COD5 is EVERYTHING I didn't want it to be and more.

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Lord carlos
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 10:34:12 AM
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LOL! :) thanks wizard

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Kevadu
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 11:24:55 AM
Reply

I'm really curious how Valkyria Chronicles did in the end. No, that's not a joke. We've all heard the dismal numbers for the first month, but how did it do after that? Has word-of-mouth helped it at all?

It's a fantastic game that any strategy or RPG fan ought to check out...

Last edited by Kevadu on 1/29/2009 11:25:34 AM

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BeezleDrop
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 1:37:11 PM
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Initially VC did fair at best, it is in fact a highly underrated game. Which one day I can afford, Im suprised LBP didn't do better in terms of sales. Its a pretty great game. I figured COD5 wouldn't be too great so renting it paid off, everyone was excited about it then when it came out they picked up they're copy and loved it at first then the flaws caused frustration. As for R2 it was a great FPS full of action and great graphics but I hate to say there was something about it that just wasn't completely satisfying.

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city96
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 3:36:19 PM
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KKZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2KZ2vvZ2

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somethingrandom
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 8:33:23 PM

WTF! That trails off of the page...

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Deleted User
Friday, January 30, 2009 @ 11:12:16 AM

Orgasm.

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bamf
Thursday, January 29, 2009 @ 6:23:04 PM
Reply

Looking aroud the net I'm not finding total world-wide sales of LBP so I've opted to see what vgchartz have the game at. It seems that LBP still sells very well on a weekly basis and so far has reached 2 million global sales. I think LBP is one of those games that gamers will get eventually after finishing all those quick fix games like gears and resistance. One they've had a blast at those kinda games, LBP is next on their list I imagine.

Resistance 2 is on 1.36 mill world-wide, but like its stated in here before, GoD: WaW has gotten in the way and without much advertisement for R2, you can see why sales haven't been strong as expected.

I think any exclusive that sells over 1 mill is successful.

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