Games industry data.

[Ginger]

Does anyone know where I can get data of sales from the games industry (for the past 5 or so years), if I get bored during chrimbo it is my mission to show that clumping 75% of great and good game releases into a 1-2 month period is counterproductive. Hopefully I will be able to conclude that it is a good to give people games throughout the year.

I've got a few different ideas for the approach, but these depend on what sort of data (if any I can get my hands on)

[Marek]

Good data is impossible to get. Don't even try.

[DanJW]

You could try looking for a public annual report of somehwere like Game or EB.

[Ginger]

Good data is impossible to get. Don't even try.

Really, it amazes me how immature the games industry is at times.

[Ginger]

You could try looking for a public annual report of somehwere like Game or EB.

I'd be surprised if that would have individual game data in it, the total sales data is probably the stuff that perpetuates such myths. Do games companies only rely on their own sales data, is there no exchange of information?

[n0wak]

As much as I hate to say it, for this kind of stuff the best place might be NeoGAF You'd probably have to dig deep for it though.

There's also http://www.vgchartz.com/ but their numbers/methods are suspect so take all the numbers with a grain of salt

[Wrestlevania]

Really, it amazes me how immature the games industry is at times.

It strikes me that this is one big parade of double-bluffing and "don't ask, don't tell" in the industry. There's a vague sentiment, perpetuated endlessly now, that releasing all the top games around Thanksgiving is the optimum strategy to market for Video game publishers.

It's fucking stupid and really winds me up. I don't have the money to splash on more than one game from one month to the next usually, and even then I have to trade in something else to get it. But aside from my own personal circumstances, it's impossible for your average games player to cover all the worthwhile titles released around this time of year in anything like timely fashion.

I know the press hate this frenzy as well; nothing worth reviewing (typically) for likely months on end, then a glut of titles to complete *cough* and review in about 6 weeks.

I applaud any publisher with the cajones to put out a major title in, say, April and consequently hoover up all the cash in the face of zero competition.

[DanJW]

It's a hang-over from the "games are for kids" days. The industry loves telling people how the average age of gamers is now 33, but it still bases its sales strategy on What Santa Will be Getting You For Christmas.

[n0wak]

It's a hang-over from the "games are for kids" days. The industry loves telling people how the average age of gamers is now 33, but it still bases its sales strategy on What Santa Will be Getting You For Christmas.

Unfortunately the reason publishers all release their games in this time period is because it still IS like that and that is when they are more profitable. I don't have a citation for this (can't remember where I read it), but I do believe some smaller publisher has said that even with the glut of titles, the volume of sales is so high in this period that they are likely to sell more copies with all the competition than they would in, say, April. With all the clueless grandmothers and uncles and OLD PEOPLE buying games, it's not surprising.

[Scrobbs]

There's a vague sentiment, perpetuated endlessly now, that releasing all the top games around Thanksgiving is the optimum strategy to market for Video game publishers.

It's fucking stupid and really winds me up.

This bugs the shit out of me too. While financial issues do not hold me back, I deliberately do not buy all the games available (at the moment, Assassin's Creed, UT3, Mass Effect to name the best ones)- in the past when I got loads of games for a console (e.g. PS1 chipped, games for 4 quid, 5 for £15), I played each one for about 20 minutes beore trying another. It's the same now - if I succumb to the marketing shite and purchase more games that I have the time to play, I end up finishing precisely none of them. Which is pointless.

Having said that, struggling to decide which game to buy is not high up on the list of the world's problems, so maybe I should just shut my whining mouth.

[Marek]

As much as I hate to say it, for this kind of stuff the best place might be NeoGAF You'd probably have to dig deep for it though.

There's also http://www.vgchartz.com/ but their numbers/methods are suspect so take all the numbers with a grain of salt

VGChartz is a turd. Banned in many places (including even GAF) for good reason.

GAF in turn gets 90% of its sales info from NPD, which is a poor source also. It tracks only a certain number of US retailers, doesn't track any online retailers and only publicly offers a top 10 sellers list each month. It's impossible to get total sales numbers from NPD.

There is no sharing of sales information by publishers, unless the information is something like "OMFG HALO 3 SOLD 9 MILLION COPIES ON THE FIRST DAY!!! MEDIA EVENT OF TEH CENTURY".

[Nachimir]

I believe Chart Track keep all that kind of data for the UK, but will charge you an arm and a leg for it. They supply data for the Develop 100 and Screen Digest reports, IIRC.

[Ginger]

I may try seeing if I can blag data from chart track by playing the student card, probably won't work, but I may do.

[ThunderPeel2001]

Yep, I think Chart Track (or whoever does the official games chart) is the only way you'll get this information... and the data should be pretty solid, too.