Anthem tops UK boxed charts
gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-02-25-anthem-...Posted Feb 25, 2019, 3:17 PM UTC
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the most interesting part about this, to me, is that PC made up 6% of physical copies. It's so weird to see physical be completely dead on PC. I don't even know when I opened my dvd drive the last time...
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The last time I used my dvd drive was when I installed windows.
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I haven't even had an optical drive on my desktop for like 7 years or something like that.
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Modern cases dont even have an optical drive bay anymore.
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Which is frustrating because some of us still use Blu-Ray drives for ripping movies. External 5.25" enclosures are expensive for some reason.
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I remember looking at laptops several years ago and having no optical drive was a dealbreaker. My how the times have changed.
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I don't even have a DVD drive. I have to install Windows via USB.
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i bought a USB CD drive for installing windows. I didn't have a USB stick big enough back then.
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This!
Last thing I used a CD drive to install was probably Fallout 4 in 2015
Even my Diablo 2 is digital
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ive not had a dvd drive for 10 years
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I just upgraded to windows 10 last night and it was via usb. I opened my cd drive out of habit and there was a cd in it. That cd was my copy of windows 8 from when I first installed it hahaha.
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Oh yeah, I upgraded to windows 10 online from windows 8, which is the one I installed via DVD. I thought I would watch movies on it but now I just get basically all of those over the internet.
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I have a DVD drive, but the device itself isn't connected because I needed the ports for other devices.
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the anthem copy doesnt even have a disc inside. its just a slip of paper.
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so there's pretty much no reason to buy physical at all. You can't resell it because of Origin and you can't reduce the download size because there is no DVD inside.
No wonder physical died on PC.
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Some big publishers started omitting DvDs in the physical boxes. But there's still a lot of games that come with a disc. Metro exodus had a disc, Ubisoft still includes discs with their releases. I've seen only EA and Activision starting not including discs.
FIFA 19 still had a DVD surprisingly thought.
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I bought Mass Effect Andromeda on sale for 5$ on PC and it also didnt have a disc, just a code for origin.
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I just burned some mp3 cd's for my car stereo. I think that was the maybe third time I've used my dvd drive in about four years.
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I havn't had a dvd drive on the last 3 Pcs I have owned.
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When I bought a second SSD, I didn't have enough SATA power supply cables, so I used the one for my DVD drive. I then had a not working DVD drive for about a year in my rig. Eventually I bought a cable for a buck and fixed it, but every once in a while I start to wonder if I actually did fix it because I never use it.
Now I wonder why I even took the effort to fix it.
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I have an external DVD drive that I can just plug in with a USB. Love it since I can use it on my laptops as well.
I think it was worth the $15 to have just in case.
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the only thing that sucks about that is that you have to install drivers onto a usb instead of using the disc (only for drivers you need when you first setup your pc tho)
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Why you have a DVD drive?
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because I bought one like 15 years ago and it still works ;)
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My newest PC doesn’t even have an optical drive. Ive got a USB one I used to install essential drivers and that was it.
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DVD drives have been going the way of floppy drives in most enthusiast PCs. Because a thumb drive is more versitile than a limited size disk.
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I unplugged my drive years ago because my front USB wasn’t powered (or something like that, maybe it was an SSD thing, it was long ago) - haven’t had a reason to plug it back in since then.
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My PC doesn't even have a disc drive.
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I wonder at what point they move to USB drives for games.
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never. those are more expensive than discs would've been. they just make you download it. It's the least cost for publishers.
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True enough.
Though if i was buying a box for a game and wants a physical media at this point USB would be way more enticing than DVD or BluRay disc.
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I took my cd drive out when I got my gaming laptop to stick another fan in. Hideous thing. I don’t even know where it is.
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I dont even have a DVD drive. ...
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When I was building my gaming PC, I sent over a part list to my buddy who does cyber security for a living. I had included an optical drive because duh, cds and he laughed in my face. I removed it from the list and since then have never needed to use it. Physical media for computers is dead baby, long live software downloads!
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I don't even know when I opened my dvd drive the last time...
Installing Windows XP was probably the last time for me... Haven't even bothered including a drive since.
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I don't even know when I opened my dvd drive the last time...
Mine was to watch a DVD. :p
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When I rebuilt and kept the same case, I didn't plug in the Blu Ray drive, but didn't remove either it because I don't have the bay covers for this case. Would rather have it take up space, then remove and replace the cover.
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physical sales seems like such a dated way of judging a game's success. nobody i know has bought a physical copy of a game in years.
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Yet the post about Anthem selling half of Andromeda (when only considering physical UK sales) is at the top of the subreddit right now.
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Because it's a massively relevant metric?
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physical sales seems like such a dated way of judging a game's success
ok so which is it then?
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Both? The physical sales arent the whole story about a games sales if you know only that, but comparing the physical sales of one game with the same of another where you know total sales too, can give a reasonable indication of how the newer one performs.
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how is physical sales in the UK a massively relevant metric? seems pretty arbitrary to me
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It's relevant because physical preorders are where these first week numbers shine, and it appears that not many bothered or were hyped enough to even preorder the game in the first place.
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It's relevant because physical preorders are where these first week numbers shine
Anything to back that up? Digital preorders are a thing too.
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Anthem was showing weak US preorder numbers back in December 2018 (physical, as digital aren't disclosed) and that matches with the results you see now. UK charts almost always reflect US sales and product popularity.
Preorders show players interest and trust in the product. With Andromeda they trusted BioWare to make a proper Mass Effect sequel blindly thus higher first week sales with more preorders compared to Anthem. You can even compare both games and their preorder numbers 2 months before launch and see how Andromeda had twice as many preorders at that time which resulted in higher first week sales.
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why would anybody physically pre order a game? being able to pre-load the game is like the whole point of pre ordering...
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I think this game pushed EA access and Origin premier massively. Those numbers will skew the results a bit.
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Conversely nobody I know has bought a digital AAA console title recently - all my friends still buy physical unless it's PC. It's always cheaper and you can sell the game when you're bored of it.
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Hi, nice to meet you. I haven't bought a physical console game in 5 years.
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Conversely only one person I know has bought a digital AAA console title recently - all my friends aside from u/thebuggalo still buy physical unless it's PC. It's always cheaper and you can sell the game when you're bored of it.
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Its the metric we have. Digital sales metrics are much harder to get.
I wouldn't be surprised if we reach a point where we only know sales figures through press releases and quarterly reports to shareholders.
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nobody i know has bought a physical copy of a game in years.
Anecdotes aren't really data though.
Indeed, when it comes to AAA launches, an estimated 75% of an average game's sale still comes via physical goods sold via Amazon, GAME, GameStop and the rest.
While digital sales continue to grow as a percentage of total sales, physical still rules (outside of PC).
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Which is suprising. Specially on console side since you can sell game once you are done and digital you can't and it costs even more in some EU countries.
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A. People forget that ME: Andromeda sold really well before the shit show really took off.
B. Physical sales continue to decline as more people migrate to digital only.
There is no denying anthem has some big issues but the hate on this sub is hilarious.
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The shit show for this game has been kicking off for a week since it went live early for Access members.
For what it’s worth though I’m having fun with the game. It’s a solid looter shooter that’s actually pretty fun with some friends in voice chat. The core gameplay loop is satisfying so I’m looking forward to where the game goes if it doesn’t get canned.
I may be looking at this completely different though because I pay for Origin premiere for all of the other games the service offers so I didn’t actually pay full price.
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C. Anthem has been pushed hard on Origin Access. A digital subscription service. I bet a lot of people signed up for that to play instead of buying it outright.
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Thread about Anthem selling less boxed copies than Andromeda: 91% upvoted. Thread about Anthem Topping UK Boxed charts: 72% upvoted.
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Both can be true.
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It's not about truth, it's about what the r/games audience wants to see.
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How about this thread title, would you be satisfied?
Anthem tops the UK Sales charts, with half the sales compared to Andromeda
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Again, this isn't the point u/SpoonBasim is trying to make. He's comparing the upvote % not whether or not the articles are factual.
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So what you’re saying is the up/downvote system works?
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So which one is it?!
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Both, it is the same numbers - just that Andromeda sold more physical copies in the UK; but since their release weren't simultaneous Anthem can still top the charts.
But given that physical sales are going down and so on I don't think they are that interesting - not that I would be surprised to hear that Anthem sold worse on both (new IP vs old - poor review scores and so on).
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So, ironically, in a stark contrast to a previous article detailing how Anthem's physical sales were down when compared to ME: Andromeda.
However, as the title states, Anthem is currently boasting the top sales performance, again physically, in the UK, for the week ending Feb. 23, the day after release.
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You can sell leas copies than before but still top the charts if you're the only major AAA release in a two week window.
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only major AAA release in a two week window.
Metro Exodus and Far Cry New Dawn, both AAA titles, both released the week prior and were both up at the top for that week. The latter still retaining a place up top for the newest week.
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Metro Exodus being a AAA-title is a pretty absurd claim, and also the Farcry:New Dawn retail sales are 80% down compared to Farcry 5.
So yes, it is a very easy top spot to take in this week and there is nothing "ironic" about this at all.
Anthem is the most sold game in the UK retail charts this week, and it's still performing poorly compared to their previous title.
Both claims can coexist and there is no need to turn this into freelance propganda for EA & Bioware.
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Metro Exodus is a high-budget game with advertisement campaigns that should appeal to a meaningful demographic since its a shooter. I don't care how many A's you give it, it's a big game.
But your point stands, Anthem is under performing. This was supposed to have Call of Duty and Destiny levels of hype, and it clearly does not. It's still selling at a slower pace than RE2 and KH3, which is a bad sign for a Destiny-style shooter.
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Metro Exodus has commercials airing on TV, and wikipedia lists their dev studio as having 100-200 employees. Seems AAA to me.
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FC new Dawn is what us oldtimers call an expansion or spinoff, and metro is AAA in scope but it's still a midshelf series plagued with troubled launch policies.
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Neither of those are AAA games.
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I'm struggling to understand your reasoning.
Metro is one of the most graphically impressive games in a long time with a fully fleshed out engaging story with good voice acting.
What about the game isn't AAA? Because it's developed in eastern Europe?
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How?
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Deep Silver is very much a AAA publisher, and the game is a AAA game in production value. Saying Exodus is not a AAA game despite all of Deep Silver published games are AAA is just wrong.
FC New Dawn may not have the AAA price tag or size, it is still a AAA from production and marketing.
The level of production and the studios developing and publishing determine it being AAA.
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There's no contrast. Both articles are based on the exact same information. Yes, Anthem topped the physical sales charts, and yes, it still sold many fewer physical copies than Andromeda.
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Hardly a stark difference, nothings out atm so no wonder it tops the charts.
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Didn't Metro Exodus and Far Cry: New Dawn come out last week?
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Correct
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"In stark contrast", the game underperformed but doesn't have much competition so its 1st. 2nd is a lukewarmly received Far Cry New Dawn that came out 10 days ago, 3rd is Fifa and 4th is Red Dead, Metro Exodus is 5th and didnt have anywhere near the marketing power behind it of Anthem and also came out 10 days ago.
Half the games on this list didn't even come out this year, its only real competitors were New Dawn and Metro Exodus, games far below the advertising capabilities of the EA money hype train of Anthem.
TLDR: New hyped AAA game is top of the charts surprisedpikachu.jpg
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I was the one that submitted t he article you talk about. It specifically mentions that it was the best selling game, and even has the chart. However, it was also pretty much the only new game released in that period, and its performance is not great when contrasting to the developers past work and similiar games in the genre.
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It sounds a lot like Anthem is just king of shit mountain. Didn’t Farcray sell wildly below expectations.
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Both can be true though, so im not sure who or what you're feeling indignant at.
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