Bulletstorm Sales Unimpressive So Far

We sorta liked your crazy, over-the-top style, Bulletstorm, but sadly, your name is not "Call of Duty."

Based on the recent sales numbers, it seems the FPS that urges you to "kill with skill" isn't exactly burning up the charts. According to Cowan & Company analyst Doug Creutz, People Can Fly's in-your-face shooter has been "disappointing" thus far: it has sold around 279,000 total units on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The analyst compared that number to the impressive 790,000 tallied by Capcom's Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. It's interesting because both games in question hold just about the same average review score (about an 8.5), and one would assume that the latest, hottest shooter would hit big. But Killzone 3 sales haven't skyrocketed, either, so it appears that only one FPS is allowed to own the sales charts this generation... Then again, we shouldn't forget about that bad-ass Battlefield franchise, now should we?

But anyway, the competition continues to be extra stiff in most all categories of gaming, and it seems as if everyone is saving their money for the elite titles.

Related Game(s): Bulletstorm

Tags: bulletstorm, epic games, people can fly, bulletstorm sales

3/11/2011 12:38:21 PM Ben Dutka

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Comments (54 posts)

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Jawknee
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 12:55:17 PM
Reply

Didn't care for this game myself but that is disappointing to see their effort go unrewarded.

4 up, 2 down

maxpontiac
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:35:44 PM

I feel for the developers, but I am not surprised on bit.. the demo sucked.

7 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 2:16:38 PM

Very true.

2 up, 0 down

Nlayer
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 3:03:11 PM

I actually enjoyed the demo but still didn't buy it. It didn't seem like it was worth a full $60 to me.

3 up, 0 down

Qubex
Saturday, March 12, 2011 @ 2:04:14 AM

Problem is people just cannot be spending $60 every week on new games. Simply put, a lot of developers are gonna go out of business until they realise that their game is not likely to sell very well in a hit and miss economy with a hit and miss title.

Timing, price and marketing go a long way in helping sales; but I believe gamer fatigue can also set it too, when there is just too much to get... if one takes collecting seriously...

Q!

"play.experience.enjoy"

1 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 12:59:49 PM
Reply

FPS is just too saturated. I hope devs think about this before saying "Well let's just make an FPS."

9 up, 1 down

Excelsior1
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:10:56 PM

fps have been oversaturated for years imo. cod, one game to rule them all?

2 up, 2 down

JSwayze
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:16:55 PM

Yeah I think people are burn out of FPS...I know I'm am

4 up, 0 down

slugga_status
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:54:54 PM

I don't think FPS are too saturated. In the case of Bulletstorm I just don't think it really appealed to those who enjoy the genre.

2 up, 0 down

SvenMD
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 2:13:36 PM

Amen World - Thinking "outside the box" doesn't equate to slow-mo kills and flashy words across the screen.

FPS's are definitely saturated, and I think we could all do for a little break.....

inFamous 2 anyone???

6 up, 0 down

Excelsior1
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:06:58 PM
Reply

i'm not surprised by bulletstorms numbers, but i thought kz3 would do a lot better. i don't get it. kz3 looks spectacular compared to cod. did the review scores hold it back?

4 up, 2 down

MyWorstNightmar
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:16:09 PM

Well for one, Killzone 3 didn't recieve the same marketing blitz as say Call of Duty:Black Ops did, or any Call of Duty for that matter. Take it a step further, compare Killzone 3 marketing campaign to say any Halo game, or for what we are going to experience with Gears of War 3 coming.

6 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:32:31 PM

Consumer stupidity holds it back.

10 up, 1 down

Alienange
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:33:02 PM

And of course graphics don't make a game great.

7 up, 10 down

slugga_status
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:56:39 PM

Killzone isn't great simply b/c it's graphics. This game is better then all FPS out right now..until we see what Battlefield has to offer.

6 up, 1 down

MyWorstNightmar
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 2:10:12 PM

We perhaps are judging a bit too soon on K3's sales success due to the time of the month it released, but if K3 does fail sales wise (fail is probably the wrong term to use, maybe underperform would be more appropriate), could GG go the way of Insomniac, with their next project and multiplat it?

I remember Insomniac stating they were disapointed with R2's sales numbers. And now they are going to bring their next IP to the 360. One might not have anything to do with the other, but just a thought.

For the record, I don't know if Sony owns GG and doesn't own Insomniac, or how all that works, so perhaps what I mentioned isn't even possible.

1 up, 0 down

Jawknee
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 2:18:32 PM

I thought Sony owned GG. I don't think Killzone 3 under performed. It was released on the 22nd and still ranked number 8 with only 6 days of recorded sales numbers for the month.

4 up, 0 down

maxpontiac
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 2:34:12 PM

6 days for 250k plus isn't bad. Let us see the KZ3 sales this time next month.

3 up, 0 down

RadioHeader
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 3:01:55 PM

KZ3 sales are beating BS sales here in the UK. That's not bad for a PS3 exclusive in what is supposedly a 3suxty domain.

2 up, 0 down

Clamedeus
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 3:05:30 PM

I believe they do own GG, but Insomniac is a different story Sony doesn't own Insomniac.

3 up, 0 down

Shams
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 10:12:35 PM

GG was acquired by Sony roughly during the same time period MM was. So both MM and GG are 1st party studios, as ND, Santa Monica, Zipper Entertainment and Evolution studios are.

Insomniac was 2nd party, as Sucker Punch is, independent, but exclusive (as the IP's they developed while under Sony are still owned by Sony). Now, Insomniac is considered 3rd party after going multiplatform. However, Ratchet and Resistance are still Sony-owned IPs.

0 up, 0 down

HighOnFire
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:08:06 PM
Reply

I for one love this game. I hope it eventually does well in sales cause I already want part two to get underway. It probably wont sell so well because there is no true multiplayer mode, but it deserves support. Not to mention that other than the first Bioshock, the game is the best looking Ive seen on the PS3 using the Unreal engine.

1 up, 2 down

MyWorstNightmar
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:10:02 PM
Reply

Will probably see a quick price plummet on this game similar to Enslaved.

Enslaved is 19.99, while Castlevania is 49.99 and they released the same day if I remember right.

1 up, 0 down

Excelsior1
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:15:15 PM

castlevannia is a great game. it's worth the 49.99.

2 up, 1 down

MyWorstNightmar
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:17:43 PM

Yes, from what I hear, it is a can't miss. I really liked the demo. I will pick it up down the road. Fortunately for my wallet's sake, I have PLENTY of games to keep me entertained until it will come down in price dramatically.

1 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:33:56 PM

Castlevania is the shiznit, but with all the top exclusives coming nobody would fault you for waiting a bit.

1 up, 1 down

Jawknee
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:36:54 PM

You can probably find Castlevania for even less than that if you look hard enough. I thought I saw it for 29.99 the other day at Walmart.

1 up, 0 down

oONewcloudOo
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:20:44 PM
Reply

Im not shocked by these numbers that marketing campaign was awful (these cliffy b ads were a joke) and releasing it next to killzone, i thing they were asking for a flop

2 up, 0 down

spiderboi
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:25:18 PM
Reply

On the mention of Battlefield, w/c is better: Battlefield series, or the BF:Bad Company series?

0 up, 0 down

WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:33:15 PM

That's just inviting an argument between PC and Console Gamers.

3 up, 0 down

Alienange
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:37:40 PM
Reply

The game is over the top gory for one and has some weird nonsense electric lasso mechanic that never sits well with the fps crowd. Who exactly are they trying to attract with that kind of game? And really, how much replay value does it have? I think the grand majority see the box and go "meh" while a few gamers read the review and think "bargain bin."

1 up, 1 down

Lairfan
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 4:07:36 PM

Why would the lasso mechanic not sit well with FPS gamers when its never really been put into an FPS before? And why would over the top gore not sit well with FPS gamers when that's all most of them want anymore?

Other than those two questions, I agree with you.

Last edited by Lairfan on 3/11/2011 4:08:16 PM

1 up, 2 down

Alienange
Saturday, March 12, 2011 @ 12:15:37 AM

Where you're wrong Lairfan, is the two biggest selling fps franchises in the world do not have this kind of gratuitous gore. That leads me to believe the fps crowd don't want that at all. You only have to look at Gears of War to know that some do, but the bigger percentage does not. Most are simply looking for a great gun toting online competition.

1 up, 0 down

Slime
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 1:40:06 PM
Reply

My last full-price purchase was GT5 and for one simple reason ... I got no money left !

To me theres just too much technology + games out at the moment new phones , 3ds soon NGP, ipad2 , 3dTV etc etc money only stretches so far, maybe people are becoming more carefull with thier selections.

Either that or everyones just suckers for marketing campaigns :D

2 up, 0 down

slugga_status
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 2:03:33 PM
Reply

The game just never really had any appeal that made me feel like I wanted it. Seemed too repetitive from the demo I played. Plus releasing same day as Killzone wasn't really a smart idea. People who play FPS don't simply want to kill or kill with skill for that matter. I'm speaking of people who play more then just CoD as their FPS of choice.

3 up, 0 down

Danny007
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 2:06:08 PM
Reply

Mostly every PS3 user picked Killzone over Bulletstorm on February 22nd, so first off, Bulletstorm came out at a terrible time.

I decided to give Bulletstorm a try even though I absolutely hated the demo which is what I think turned even more people away from the game. After playing both Killzone 3 and Bulletstorm, in my opinion, I like Bulletstorm more. It was just plain fun and I didn't want to stop playing it. This sucks that more people didn't try it out.

6 up, 6 down

hadouken
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 2:54:07 PM
Reply

The bulletstorm demo was weak sauce but I came across a used copy fairly cheap on ebay, so I bought it and it's not that bad but KZ3 is the better product.

5 up, 0 down

Dukemz_UK
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 3:26:21 PM
Reply

I tried both the Bulletstorm and Killzone 3 (single and multiplayer)demos. In my opinion there is no contest about which title is better quality and value for money: KZ3 wins! I found BS too repetitive. I was quite disappointed with the negatively biased KZ3 reviews from large, unscrupulous gaming websites. (M$ obviously has the ability to buy "professional opinion"). I traded in Black Ops after completing the 'so-so' single player campaign and playing several frustrating hours of mediocre, glitchy online multiplayer. That's the last CoD 4me! I don't care how many million copies they sell or how many sheeple on my PSN friends list are playing CoD. PS3 exclusive titles are leaps and bounds ahead of most multiplats in most aspects.

7 up, 0 down

OxyFenix
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 3:33:28 PM
Reply

I liked the demo and would like to get the game but it's not worth 60 for me. I'll wait three weeks. Probably do the same for crysis unless the demo blows me away.

1 up, 0 down

evilmunkie
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 4:06:03 PM
Reply

Picked up Killzone 3 on day one (also read Ben's article about gamestop and laughed upon remembering how much those guys pushed to try and sell me the move gun with the game, even after I said I didn't have a move, back on topic), not diappointed at all. I gave the Bulletstorm demo a try but I realized something. I came to the conclusion that you can only kill people a certain number of ways with the firearms in Bulletstorm untill you start repeating them, kills with slide kicks/energy whip/kick combos included. This would mean that the only thing I would really have to look forward would be finding new enviromental kills and thats when the game started feeling kinda shallow to me. I got to admit what got my attention is the humor and that the main guy is the voice of Frank 'The Tank' Dempsey from nazi zombies. After taking it all in I couldn't see myself getting too exited just cause a game was funny and had a , imo, good voice actor at the leading role when I could continue from the great plot cliffhanger of KZ2.

1 up, 0 down

Lairfan
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 4:12:49 PM
Reply

Funny how CliffyB (supposedly) said he wanted to f*ck with KZ3's sales by releasing Bulletstorm the same day. Looks like that backfired a bit. Although KZ3's sales are still not as good as they should be, but its obvious that Bulletstorm didn't affect them much.

1 up, 1 down

KOLDKUTT
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 4:31:34 PM
Reply

its duke nukem on drugs. bad ones!!!;)

0 up, 0 down

Snaaaake
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 5:46:20 PM
Reply

Looks like a slow month.

0 up, 0 down

MadPowerBomber
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 6:21:32 PM
Reply

I like it, but it's been hard to focus on it. Killzone 3 sucked me in easily, and then I started playing Resident Evil 5 and Dragon Age again, so it isn't the most captivating game out there. But it is fun, and I think a lot of folks would enjoy it if they played it.

However, I did buy two copies of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (one for me, one for my nephew's birthday) and two copies of Killzone 3 (one for me, one for my roommate's birthday), so... that's kinda funny to me.

0 up, 0 down

CrusaderForever
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 8:12:30 PM
Reply

Not surprising at all since it came out with Killzone 3 and CoD had First Strike pounce too. This game had no chance. It will start showing up on Craig's List for $35. This is one of the 2011 that I may not get to even in the bargain bin.

0 up, 0 down

just2skillf00l
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 9:19:46 PM
Reply

Well it kinda makes sense. Bulletstorm is a new IP and didn't really have much hype to it. The fact that it released on the same day as KZ3 for PS3 fans didn't help. Not even to mention they're both FPS.

Competing in a a market overflowing with FPS surely wasn't helpful either especially with the great ones coming out later in the year. C2, R3, and B3 by the end of the year...come on now Bulletstorm simply didn't stand a chance. I know this influenced my decision. Savin up for C2! It better be good!

1 up, 0 down

kaygee_96
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 9:21:24 PM
Reply

bulletstorm did look a bit overdone and was to me overrated but still a great game but not the best

0 up, 1 down

Beamboom
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 9:28:41 PM
Reply

... Why it don't sell? Because there are way too many over-the-top action shooters (1st or 3rd person) already, and most of them are just average, no-replay value no-brainers.
When I look at my pile of hardly-played games I find titles like Mercenaries2, Just Cause 2, Dead Rising 2, Prototype, Red Faction Guerilla...
And then there's the really good over-the-top action games, like inFamous and Borderlands... And that's just titles picked from my personal pile, and I'm not even that into action shooters in the first place!

Last edited by Beamboom on 3/11/2011 9:29:06 PM

1 up, 0 down

just2skillf00l
Friday, March 11, 2011 @ 9:30:13 PM
Reply

Wait I forgot to name Homefront. Surprisingly that game is pulling down some really high review scores. Go and figure.

0 up, 0 down

___________
Saturday, March 12, 2011 @ 12:29:55 AM
Reply

its a shame, only game thats released this year thats actually different!
thats why we keep getting COD wannabees, because they sell!
people bi*** and bi*** that all they get is war games, then when something different releases they dont buy it!
i wonder why all we get is war games!?
seriously, why?
why did my boss fire me after sleeping with his wife, trashing his Ferrari and running over his favorite pet!?

1 up, 0 down

Geobaldi
Saturday, March 12, 2011 @ 12:31:47 AM
Reply

It's fun for a little while but it's never a good sign when you see a brand new game already going on sale for $20-30 less two weeks later.

0 up, 0 down

Ignitus
Saturday, March 12, 2011 @ 3:10:16 AM
Reply

Yes, Bulletstorm sales might be dissapointing, yet acording to NPD it managed to sell better than KZ3 and it's a new IP. Go figure. That being the case I wonder how many copies KZ3 sold.

0 up, 0 down

RebelJD
Saturday, March 12, 2011 @ 3:56:38 AM
Reply

Bulletstorm should have left the adult-orientated tongue in cheek dialogue in the game rather than tame it with a patch.

Killzone 3 needed a better marketing stretch than just a Kevin Butler commercial.

Playstation needs to expand their marketing further than Kevin Butler. Who wants to take a serious-epic game seriously if the commercials to just about every awesome Playstation exclusive are so....cheesy.

0 up, 2 down

psychotoe
Sunday, March 13, 2011 @ 7:16:06 PM
Reply

I think Bulletstorm is a really good game, different enough to keep me interested where I find myself constantly going for the skill points because it's just that fun kicking ass. Given that it was released around the same time as KZ, the sales part does not surprise me one bit, but I don't think this should concern us gamers. Buy it when you can afford it and just have fun with it.

0 up, 0 down

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