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[KingT731]

Well that was easy to predict.

This was legit why I posed the question in the first place. I know I wasn't reading the store page incorrectly before release.

To add on, i also remember people questioning how a F2P game like Multiversus could top the sales charts when it launched and how do those sales count.

 

[kaizenkko]

Yes being number 2 = dead

When the number two is miles away from the number one, even with a lot of investments, yeah, it's dead.

 

[adamsapple]

Changing the goalposts?

No, that would be saying something like "Starfield is not #1 though. Baldur's Gate 3 is likely at the top" in a thread where we're using objective data, you know, a sales thread about unit and dollar revenue.

But since you ignored the main question I asked, I'm gonna assume you have no idea of BG3's US sales, so moot point anyway

Starfield is the top seller in the month of September, that's a fact.

 

[Heisenberg007]

No, that would be saying something like "Starfield is not #1 though. Baldur's Gate 3 is likely at the top" in a thread where we're using objective data, you know, a sales thread about unit and dollar revenue.

But since you ignored the main question I asked, I'm gonna assume you have no idea of BG3's US sales, so moot point anyway

Starfield is the top seller in the month of September, that's a fact.

Of course we don't have BG3 data. Otherwise, BG3 would be sitting at #1 on this chart, just like Chris Dring confirmed that Starfield is not the real #1 in the GFK September chart.

 

[adamsapple]

Of course we don't have BG3 data. Otherwise, BG3 would be sitting at #1 on this chart, just like Chris Dring confirmed that Starfield is not the real #1 in the GFK September chart.

He's talking just about the UK market here. Besides, in the next tweet he says they can't process the data, how does he know? Don't forget he also counted game pass as sales, something you likely disagreed with.

But I digress, the rest is very much a presumption on your part to correlate it to Europe (where FC'24 is #1) and US (where Starfield is #1).

 

[Gavon West]

It sold GP subs. Didn't you hear the 2 million people shouting they were just gonna sub for a month to play it instead

Let them be. They have to ignore that even Phil said that Starfield can be an 11/10 game and it still wont be enough to surpass Sony in console sales. The man literally expected the very result that happened. Shit is crazy to witness....Lol

 

[Heisenberg007]

He's talking just about the UK market here. Besides, in the next tweet he says they can't process the data, how does he know?

I don't know. You should ask him

Don't forget he also counted game pass as sales, something you likely disagreed with.

I do disagree with that. But if counts that, it is only gonna favor Starfield, not Baldur's Gate 3.

But I digress, the rest is very much a presumption on your part to correlate it to Europe (where FC'24 is #1) and US (where Starfield is #1).

At least there is some precedence here. And common sense too because we can see Starfield (#48) lagging behind Baldur's Gate 3 (#8) on Steam. And ranking #2 on PSN.

The majority of Starfield's sales came from PC in the US. So a straight-up competition between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield on Steam can easily tell us which one would have ranked number one.

 

[Gavon West]

The problem is that the only positive here is a good debut month thanks to strong PC sales.

The rest is far from positive:
1. Negligible impact on Xbox hardware sales for what has been the biggest exclusive in years and what will likely stay the biggest exclusive for a considerable a time.
2. Charts on Steam and other markets are already suggesting the game is not having legs so the drop in future months might be brutal.
3. Microsoft is accepting to pay the price to make these big productions available day one on Gamepass hoping for some major growth turnaround in the number of subscribers.
They gave up a lot of retail sales and the uptick they got in GP subscriptions doesn't seem to have been anything special, only comment from NPD was there was "a bump" with no qualifier meaning it's nothing major. Still let's see if Microsoft can provide a higher than 25m figure in their next fiscal report after almost two years of stalled growth.

What is sure is that Microsoft is being successful in killing the Xbox console platform by refocusing on PC and GP.

Bruh, Phil stated that even if Starfield was a 10/10 or 11/10 game it wouldnt be enough to surpass Sony in console sales. They expected this. But Starfield is still hugely successful. And BG3 isnt #1. Starfield is.

Starfield best selling game despite being on gamepass

 

[Heisenberg007]

Bruh, Phil stated that even if Starfield was a 10/10 or 11/10 game it wouldnt be enough to surpass Sony in console sales. They expected this. But Starfield is still hugely successful. And BG3 isnt #1. Starfield is.

BG3 is still #8 on the Top Sellers list on Steam.

Starfield is at #48

And this is Steam data where Starfield sold the most. Its performance on Xbox is even worse in terms of total units.

Some folks really are delusional.

 

[adamsapple]

I don't know. You should ask him

I do disagree with that. But if counts that, it is only gonna favor Starfield, not Baldur's Gate 3.

At least there is some precedence here. And common sense too because we can see Starfield lagging behind Baldur's Gate 3 on Steam. And ranking #2 on PSN.

The majority of Starfield's sales came from PC in the US. So a straight-up competition between Baldur's Gate 3 and Starfield on Steam can easily tell us which one would have ranked number one.

I guess we'll never know since Larian doesn't report to Circana

Ah well. In the here and now, Starfield is #1 in the US and #2 in Europe only behind Football.

All the while being on game pass, which makes the above even more impressive.

GG.

 

[DForce]

Bruh, Phil stated that even if Starfield was a 10/10 or 11/10 game it wouldnt be enough to surpass Sony in console sales. They expected this. But Starfield is still hugely successful. And BG3 isnt #1. Starfield is.

Starfield best selling game despite being on gamepass

1 game won't do it, but many 10 out of 10 games will help console sales.

You also have a habit of making bogus claims about Starfield's sales.

 

[Gavon West]

BG3 is still #8 on the Top Sellers list on Steam.

Starfield is at #48

And this is Steam data where Starfield sold the most. Its performance on Xbox is even worse in terms of total units.

Some folks really are delusional.

You're still going off of hardware sales. No one said it this ONE GAME would somehow escalate Xbox console to Sony levels. That was never the plan. That said, its still an xbox exlusive that sold/is selling very well for a title that just came out a month ago. I dont know about "delusional" but there are some who are being willfully dense. JC

 

[H-I-M]

Bruh, Phil stated that even if Starfield was a 10/10 or 11/10 game it wouldnt be enough to surpass Sony in console sales. They expected this. But Starfield is still hugely successful. And BG3 isnt #1. Starfield is.

Starfield best selling game despite being on gamepass

It wouldn't be enough for them to outsell the PS5's total sales, which makes sense.
HOWEVER, it should have been enough for them to be first just for ONE month in the year.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Starfield is a beast!

 

[Heisenberg007]

You're still going off of hardware sales. No one said it this ONE GAME would somehow escalate Xbox console to Sony levels. That was never the plan. That said, its still an xbox exlusive that sold/is selling very well for a title that just came out a month ago. I dont know about "delusional" but there are some who are being willfully dense. JC

I'm not talking about HW sales in that post. I'm only talking about software sales.

 

[Gavon West]

It wouldn't be enough for them to outsell the PS5's total sales, which makes sense.
HOWEVER, it should have been enough for them to be first just for ONE month in the year.

Based on what, EXACTLY? Genuine question...

 

[Gavon West]

I'm not talking about HW sales in that post. I'm only talking about software sales.

Strictly speaking software sales Starfield is selling bonkers, and thats not including subs added to Gamepass since it released. Unfortunately we probably won't get those numbers and without them, its hard to fully understand just how well Starfield is really doing. That said though, Xbox doesnt care what platform you play on - hence - why they open their platform up to so many devices. This has always been their M.O.

Its crazy how folks are literally trying to find a way to spin this new IP selling huge into a negative.

 

[Mowcno]

Strictly speaking software sales Starfield is selling bonkers, and thats not including subs added to Gamepass since it released. Unfortunately we probably won't get those numbers and without them, its hard to fully understand just how well Starfield is really doing. That said though, Xbox doesnt care what platform you play on - hence - why they open their platform up to so many devices. This has always been their M.O.

Going from "selling bonkers" to "we don't know how well it's doing" in the next sentence. Blimey.

 

[Darkkahn]

Starfield at #7th for the year. Now that's a game that loves the number 7.

Ouch.

 

[Jigga117]

These are some interesting results for sure.

Yet there are not top 20 games for Sony in the list at all mostly multiplatform so I am lot sure why your focused on hardware sales of one console when the company has clearly had revenue in all aspects of the business in addition with the ABK deal. Why isn’t God of War number one for the 2023 or even top 5 on the console that’s number 1? Customers have options on both consoles how they play. The hardware doesn’t need to be number one to be successful and I am not sure why that isn’t understood to this day. All the doom and gloom about console sales over the last 20 years yet one company has moved on to be a 2 trillion dollar company vs one(by you and some) keep bragging the physical console sales is the only thing going for it

 

[Jigga117]

Yet there are not top 20 games for Sony in the list at all mostly multiplatform so I am lot sure why your focused on hardware sales of one console when the company has clearly had revenue in all aspects of the business in addition with the ABK deal. Why isn’t God of War number one for the 2023 or even top 5 on the console that’s number 1? Customers have options on both consoles how they play. The hardware doesn’t need to be number one to be successful and I am not sure why that isn’t understood to this day. All the doom and gloom about console sales over the last 20 years yet one company has moved on to be a 2 trillion dollar company vs one(by you and some) keep bragging the physical console sales is the only thing going for it

Sorry I meant to reply to the post above yours

 

[Jigga117]

Starfield not being enough to push XS to #1 and only giving it a single digital % increase YoY is really not a good sign for Xbox as a hardware business. I'd love to see a breakdown in sales/users between Xbox and PC to confirm.

If (the admittedly mid) Starfield can't do it, I'm not sure anything can.

Yet there are not top 20 games for Sony in the list at all mostly multiplatform so I am lot sure why your focused on hardware sales of one console when the company has clearly had revenue in all aspects of the business in addition with the ABK deal. Why isn’t God of War number one for the 2023 or even top 5 on the console that’s number 1? Customers have options on both consoles how they play. The hardware doesn’t need to be number one to be successful and I am not sure why that isn’t understood to this day. All the doom and gloom about console sales over the last 20 years yet one company has moved on to be a 2 trillion dollar company vs one(by you and some) keep bragging the physical console sales is the only thing going for it

 

[Gavon West]

Going from "selling bonkers" to "we don't know how well it's doing" in the next sentence. Blimey.

Um......because surely there was a bump in added subscriptions so its hard to get the full picture? But, like, its still the number one selling game in September - it can only get better if you add in Gamepass subs? Lol.

Like, wha??

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

Yet there are not top 20 games for Sony in the list at all mostly multiplatform so I am lot sure why your focused on hardware sales of one console when the company has clearly had revenue in all aspects of the business in addition with the ABK deal. Why isn’t God of War number one for the 2023 or even top 5 on the console that’s number 1? Customers have options on both consoles how they play. The hardware doesn’t need to be number one to be successful and I am not sure why that isn’t understood to this day. All the doom and gloom about console sales over the last 20 years yet one company has moved on to be a 2 trillion dollar company vs one(by you and some) keep bragging the physical console sales is the only thing going for it

I'm not reading all of that but I'll say it's simple.

More hardware sold = more revenue from all purchases on that hardware
More hardware sold at a profit, which the PS5 is = more revenue

Using hardware and services as a loss leader only works when it actually ends up growing your install base. Especially when you are losing $100-$200 per console sold. The European numbers really shows that Xbox is toast.

Microsoft would make more money as a third party publisher.

 

[DaGwaphics]

The point?

The fact that I enjoy the Starfield game and had anticipation for it is hardly a secret. I've posted in the OT quite a bit.

Or it's a reference to the misguided logic of that other user that thinks any reactions or acknowledgement of those with opinions that don't align with your own beliefs = they are under your skin. Though I don't see how my post factors into that discussion at all either.

 

[HeWhoWalks]

The point?

The fact that I enjoy the Starfield game and had anticipation for it is hardly a secret. I've posted in the OT quite a bit.

Or it's a reference to the misguided logic of that other user that thinks any reactions or acknowledgement of those with opinions that don't align with your own beliefs = they are under your skin. Though I don't see how my post factors into that discussion at all either.

It's clear that negative talk about Starfield bothers you.

I'm not necessarily against it either, it bothers me when games I love are bashed/trashed/critiqued harshly, etc.

 

[Jigga117]

I'm not reading all of that but I'll say it's simple.

More hardware sold = more revenue from all purchases on that hardware
More hardware sold at a profit, which the PS5 is = more revenue

Using hardware and services as a loss leader only works when it actually ends up growing your install base. Especially when you are losing $100-$200 per console sold. The European numbers really shows that Xbox is toast.

Microsoft would make more money as a third party publisher.

Well I stopped at your first sentence no need to go beyond since you can’t give me the same courtesy good day

 

[DaGwaphics]

It's clear that negative talk about Starfield bothers you.

I'm not necessarily against it either, it bothers me when games I love are bashed/trashed/critiqued harshly, etc.

It really doesn't bother me though, I find it entertaining tbh. There is a difference between a comment here and there and someone relentlessly, obsessively defending or bashing something. That seems to be the disconnect with what you are putting forward. You are applying an adage that best fits the obsessive and using it far too broadly, IMO.

People that don't like a game I like or like a game I don't (the amount of people that enjoyed that pressure washing game was mystifying to me) don't bother me at all. People that don't like a game/platform but spend a hilarious amount of time and effort making their opinions known, these are the people that are very entertaining to me. But even there, I don't care about their opinions in the least and rarely even engage with it, but it is still entertaining, it is what it is. I might not post often about games I'm not interested in, but that doesn't mean that every post I make is about something I'm deeply concerned about.

 

[Thirty7ven]

People talk about Starfield because of the expectations that were created. Xbox fans wouldn’t shut up about it for two years prior to release, bringing it up constantly. Now the same people get annoyed that people talk about it a month and half after release.

Get used to it, talk will die down but it will keep being used as the butt of the joke, that’s just what happens. Maybe next time the community shouldn’t be so obnoxious about a game pre release.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Claiming BG3 is #1 with zero data to back it up This place is amazing sometimes. I love it.

 

[adamsapple]

Claiming BG3 is #1 with zero data to back it up This place is amazing sometimes. I love it.

If you extrapolate from non-existing data from tweets, it's actually the best selling game of all time.

 

[HeWhoWalks]

It really doesn't bother me though, I find it entertaining tbh. There is a difference between a comment here and there and someone relentlessly, obsessively defending or bashing something. That seems to be the disconnect with what you are putting forward. You are applying an adage that best fits the obsessive and using it far too broadly, IMO.

People that don't like a game I like or like a game I don't (the amount of people that enjoyed that pressure washing game was mystifying to me) don't bother me at all. People that don't like a game/platform but spend a hilarious amount of time and effort making their opinions known, these are the people that are very entertaining to me. But even there, I don't care about their opinions in the least and rarely even engage with it, but it is still entertaining, it is what it is. I might not post often about games I'm not interested in, but that doesn't mean that every post I make is about something I'm deeply concerned about.

My point is people affect you.

Besides, your interpretation of the situation may not even be the correct one. What you think is "obsessive", bashing, or whatever may simply be their idea of critique. What's the intent? And this isn't exclusive. I mean as a species (I've been guilty countless times of misinterpreting someone). This is why I said ignoring them is the best option. They can speak within their own vacuum and only affect those who choose to engage. Companies/Games/Hardware don't need our defense. We defend out of desire, not need.

 

[JTCx]

Now the same people get annoyed that people talk about it a month and half after release.

What's funny is that these same people are trying to gaslight folks into thinking there was no hype for starefield to begin with.

 

[graywolf323]

What's funny is that these same people are trying to gaslight folks into thinking there was no hype for starefield to begin with.

“There was never any hype for Starfield.”

 

[demigod]

What's funny is that these same people are trying to gaslight folks into thinking there was no hype for starefield to begin with.

You know how your parents teach you when you were young and it’s ingrained into your head? Well it’s the same thing here. Daddy phil teaches his kids how to lie. Just like daddy phil, they get caught with their lies.

 

[Fredrik]

If you followed the review thread, this isn't surprising. There is an intense need for the game to not succeed. It's extending to the Circana thread now.

I looked in it a little bit but the outlets I usually check gave it 8s and 9s so there wasn’t much more to see. And I jumped in on the Premium version and could make up my own mind fast and I’ve played longer than most reviewers.

But yeah I’d say in general it seems like people just can’t talk about MS exclusives in a normal way anymore. It’s like the ABK deal turned everything toxic, which infects all the talk. Normal criticism is fine, but there is so much obvious trolling and exaggerated negativity now, impossible to have normal talks.

The Starfield OT has been awesome though, there is critique but also love.

I want to see player numbers. The first achievement was used to see the total player count on Forza Horizon 5. Is there something like that for Starfield? I play on PC/Steam so can’t see Xbox stats.

 

[adamsapple]

I want to see player numbers. The first achievement was used to see the total player count on Forza Horizon 5. Is there something like that for Starfield? I play on PC/Steam so can’t see Xbox stats.

Sure. They don't give a #, but you can see that 74% of Xbox players have finished the first main story quest.

 

[Fredrik]

Sure. They don't give a #, but you can see that 74% of Xbox players have finished the first main story quest.

That says nothing about the amount of people. On FH5 you could see a total player count. Or maybe it was a leaderboard thing? Idk

 

[adamsapple]

That says nothing about the amount of people. On FH5 you could see a total player count. Or maybe it was a leaderboard thing? Idk

Yes, FH5 had a in-game leaderboard that showed the count, it wasn't tracked via achievements, those only show %. Starfield doesn't have an in-game leaderboard like that unfortunately.

 

[Fredrik]

Yes, FH5 had a in-game leaderboard that showed the count, it wasn't tracked via achievements, those only show %. Starfield doesn't have an in-game leaderboard like that unfortunately.

Bummer, that would’ve been cool. Could’ve had a Red Mile run leaderboard. Too optional and late in the game though.

 

[graywolf323]

Sure. They don't give a #, but you can see that 74% of Xbox players have finished the first main story quest.

Steam Community :: Starfield :: Achievements

steamcommunity.com

88.8% on Steam, 78.9% for joining Constellation, and then it goes all the way down to 40.1% for completing Into the Unknown (though 60.9% have reached level 10)

 

[DaGwaphics]

What's funny is that these same people are trying to gaslight folks into thinking there was no hype for starefield to begin with.

Obviously there was some hype for Starfield, you don't open as the 7th best selling game of the year and stay in the top 4 or 5 most played games on a console platform for a month without some hype. This is true.

As the smallest console platform MS doesn't do that well in the year end best sellers lists vs. games that are either multi-platform or exclusive to consoles with considerably larger user-bases. When you add to that the fact that half the Xbox user base are likely GP subscribers and they will be over the moon even if they dropped a few more spots and finished the year at #10. Might be the highest year-end showing for MS since the X1 generation started, unless maybe in the early going they had a few. I don't remember.

 

[Jigga117]

People talk about Starfield because of the expectations that were created. Xbox fans wouldn’t shut up about it for two years prior to release, bringing it up constantly. Now the same people get annoyed that people talk about it a month and half after release.

Get used to it, talk will die down but it will keep being used as the butt of the joke, that’s just what happens. Maybe next time the community shouldn’t be so obnoxious about a game pre release.

Hasn’t that been the same with PlayStation Exclusives yet, none are even in the top 20 for 2023 and they released well into the first half of this year. I get the difference of the hype you’re talking about. But NONE are in the top 20. Those are clearly not pushing consoles then since that’s been part of the discussion about SF being a system seller even though it shouldn’t need to be said the game is available beyond buying it outright.

 

[adamsapple]

Shout out to Sea of Thieves. Game launched almost 6 years ago, had a poor launch but has had one of the best comback stories. Routinely in the top most played games on game pass, and charted in the top 20.

You da real MVP.

 

[DaGwaphics]

Shout out to Sea of Thieves. Game launched almost 6 years ago, had a poor launch but has had one of the best comback stories. Routinely in the top most played games on game pass, and charted in the top 20.

You da real MVP.

Yeah, I think Minecraft makes it on the year-end lists some times as well, I often forget that it is a MS published game. SoT shows why you can never count a game out, maybe they can work that magic with Redfall. Completely forgot that CoD will be a MS release going forward, so, in that case Starfield would likely be the second highest ranking game for MS.

I've never really given SoT a chance though, outside of Madden and maybe something light like Fall Guys or Knockout City I'm more single player. Though I have heard some people say they enjoy going it alone.

At any rate, no matter how you look at it, Starfield is a huge launch for MS and a very successful proof of concept for their GP + acquisition strategy.

 

[Three]

Hasn’t that been the same with PlayStation Exclusives yet, none are even in the top 20 for 2023 and they released well into the first half of this year. I get the difference of the hype you’re talking about. But NONE are in the top 20. Those are clearly not pushing consoles then since that’s been part of the discussion about SF being a system seller even though it shouldn’t need to be said the game is available beyond buying it outright.

You reading the charts

 

[poppabk]

No, these companies are not tracking it.

Chris Dring also confirmed the same. Starfield was #1 in GFK data, but Chris said that it would have been Baldur's Gate 3 if they were adding that to the chart.

They aren't tracking it but know how well it sold?

 

[DForce]

Hasn’t that been the same with PlayStation Exclusives yet, none are even in the top 20 for 2023 and they released well into the first half of this year. I get the difference of the hype you’re talking about. But NONE are in the top 20. Those are clearly not pushing consoles then since that’s been part of the discussion about SF being a system seller even though it shouldn’t need to be said the game is available beyond buying it outright.

Starfield released last month and they just acquired ABK.

And you're sitting here talking about they don't have anything in the top 20 even though Spider-Man is getting released very soon.

 

[Woopah]

And we're comparing against Xbox One results here. Hardly a high bar.

Xbox One did fairly decently in the US, so I'd say its a good bar.

Sales for the month:
PS5: 480k
XBS: 300k
NSW: 200k

~220k PS5
~180k PS5 SM2
~80k DE

~170k X, ~130k S

PS5 outselling Xbox on its biggest month of the year by basically 200k.
PS5...sold virtually half a MILLION in the USA alone in September without a single game release.

October will be...interesting.

Not a game release, but PS5 did have the Spiderman edition launch at the start of the month.

Why are people saying this? I think Mario has a good chance of being October's #1 game. and then probably call of duty. is it like pre-emptive gaslighting.

I wouldn't be too sure of that with Mario releasing the same day

It definitely will be.


I'm not so sure either. It could be close, but I'm more curious about how much Mario Wonder will boost Switch hardware in October and November.

could go either way, mario is ahead of spidey on amazon, 50k+ vs 30k+
Regardless friday is going to be mental

Spiderman 2 should top the chart next month since:

1. Mario won't include digital
2. Spiderman 2 has a higher price

Beating the Switch for that month gotta count for something. Unless people are finally starting to stop buying Switches and waiting for Switch 2.

Switch numbers were okay, but down a lot from last year. It'll recover next month

 

[MrA]

Xbox One did fairly decently in the US, so I'd say its a good bar.

Not a game release, but PS5 did have the Spiderman edition launch at the start of the month.




Spiderman 2 should top the chart next month since:

1. Mario won't include digital
2. Spiderman 2 has a higher price

Switch numbers were okay, but down a lot from last year. It'll recover next month

Ah yes I was only thinking about totals sales not circanas trackin, even if mario sells double physical copies and digital brought them even, spideys physical Spiderman would still win on that 16% price difference
Still yesterday's software totals must have been bananas