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[Amused_To_Death]

Just used PS2 and Xbox unit numbers through June NPD. Gamecube numbers were insignificant other than Madden. Some interesting observations:

1. EA Sports outsold 2K Sports games 2:1 in on NFL, NBA, and MLB on the PS2
2. EA Sports and 2K Sports sold almost equally on the Xbox
3. NHL 2K5 outsold NHL 2005 by 2:1

Madden PS2 3,167,947
Madden Xbox 1,207,901

NFL 2K5 PS2 1,667,724
NFL 2K5 Xbox 1,185,436


NBA Live PS2 1,616,214
NBA Live Xbox 608,334

NBA 2K5 PS2 893,014
NBA 2K5 Xbox 704,812


NHL 2005 PS2 162,276
NHL 2005 Xbox 87,379

NHL 2K5 PS2 305,136
NHL 2K5 Xbox 230,306


March Madness PS2 342,213
March Madness Xbox 147,775

College Hoops 2K5 PS2 294,290
College Hoops 2K5 Xbox 204,641


MVP 2005 PS2 636,170
MVP 2005 Xbox 326,642

MLB 2K5 PS2 396,964
MLB 2K5 Xbox 282,847

 

[The Bookerman]

In before DM....



And also I'm happy NHL 2k5 wipes the floor with NHL 2005....

It was DEFINETLY the superior game.

 

[bdoughty]

Thanks good stuff. The numbers make sense as it seems the more diehard sports gamers play the Xbox (based on the sports gaming forums) which equates to a more even number since they are willing to try all sports games.

 

[DMczaf]

Go EA, its yo' birfday!

The Champ...is HERE!

 

[TheDiave]

Go EA, its yo' birfday!

The Champ...is HERE!

The Champ? More like the coward. I still think the NFL exclusivity deal was a move of desperation, because they didn't stomp the 2K games as much as they did in prior years. They were scared!

 

[bdoughty]

I only own an Xbox so the CHAMP is 2K

Madden Xbox 1,207,901
NFL 2K5 Xbox 1,185,436

NBA Live Xbox 608,334
NBA 2K5 Xbox 704,812

NHL 2005 Xbox 87,379
NHL 2K5 Xbox 230,306

March Madness Xbox 147,775
College Hoops 2K5 Xbox 204,641

MVP 2005 Xbox 326,642
MLB 2K5 Xbox 282,847


Total for EA - 2,378,031
Total for 2K - 2,608,042



Winner is

The Xbox owner for not being such a shill to EA Sports.

 

[strikeselect]

The Champ? More like the coward. I still think the NFL exclusivity deal was a move of desperation, because they didn't stomp the 2K games as much as they did in prior years. They were scared!

Quoted for truth.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

The Champ? More like the coward. I still think the NFL exclusivity deal was a move of desperation, because they didn't stomp the 2K games as much as they did in prior years. They were scared!

:lol

that's right, a $50 game beat a $20 game by only a 2-1 margin. if both games were set @ $50 madden would have outsold it by 10 times again (which they did with madden 2004 i believe).

people need to realize that a bulk of the NFL 2k5 sales came because it was $20, not because it was a superior product.

either way i credit VC/Take 2 for taking the cheaper game route. it is a good way to establish a userbase. and contrary to popular belief, there is still a userbase for a football game created by visual concepts, whether it has the NFL logo on it or not.

 

[DMczaf]

The Champ? More like the coward. I still think the NFL exclusivity deal was a move of desperation, because they didn't stomp the 2K games as much as they did in prior years. They were scared!

What can I say? With facts like these I cant argue you. I knew the NFL lied, saying they came to EA first. What a bunch of liars! UGH!

 

[Cloudy]

Who cares? EA won

 

[bdoughty]

Yes but the NFL has coverd EA's behind by saying it was THEIR IDEA for exclusivity, not EA's. Even thought EA had gone to the NFL previous years and asked for it. Of course the average PS2 consumer was not even smart enough to try the competitions game so why bother with a good excuse.

Sadly it works both ways. MVP was becoming one of their better titles and now it will be limited to sales by becoming a college baseball game. Sadly when EA can't stand having cometition we all lose.

 

[DMczaf]

Yes but the NFL has coverd EA's behind by saying it was THEIR IDEA for exclusivity, not EA's.

So is this from your source inside the deal or are you just making this up to make yourself feel better?

 

[bdoughty]

that's right, a $50 game beat a $20 game by only a 2-1 margin. if both games were set @ $50 madden would have outsold it by 10 times again (which they did with madden 2004 i believe).

Oh ye of selective memory - Madden was $29.99 in NOVEMBER. Ever recall seeing a Madden title at $29.99 within the same year? Nada. Do you think EA will discount Madden before then end of the year? :lol


Typical EA fan, too busy humping EA's nuts to give an accurate account of what happened.

 

[Matrix]

Who cares? EA won

Konex has seen the light.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

not to derail the thread but MLB 2k5 is the worst sports game i have played in the past 6 years.

im being completely honest when i say this: i would rather buy MVP Little League Baseball 2006 @ $50 than play 5 minutes of MLB 2k6 for free (assuming VC doesn't drastically change the game.... the amount of turning around it needs is not feasible in 1 year)

 

[Rorschach]

Looks like all the better games got better sales. That doesn't happen often.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

Oh ye of selective memory - Madden was $29.99 in NOVEMBER. Ever recall seeing a Madden title at $29.99 within the same year? Nada. Do you think EA will discount Madden before then end of the year?

i guarantee you a good majority of maddens/NFL 2k5's sales came in the first 2/3 months of release. i believe madden was already over 2.5 million copies by the end of august. i could be off on that number but i know it was close.

 

[bdoughty]

So is this from your source inside the deal or are you just making this up to make yourself feel better?

If you knew some of the editors to that I have run across over the past few years you might be able to answer that yourself. You ever wonder how a certain non-video game related magazine mentioned the exclusive deal between EA & the NFL and then the NFL denied the article, fearing a lawsuit since they were still under contract with Sony and Visual Concepts. Then once the contract expired they admitted to the exclusive.

 

[newsguy]

Here are the simple facts from a fan of both VC and EA:

Madden > NFL 2K

NBA Live = NBA 2K5 both are no good

NHL 2005 < NHL 2K5

March Madness < College Hoops

MVP 2005 > MLB 2K5

 

[bdoughty]

i guarantee you a good majority of maddens/NFL 2k5's sales came in the first 2/3 months of release. i believe madden was already over 2.5 million copies by the end of august. i could be off on that number but i know it was close.

It was not even 3,000,000 by the end of the Sept NPD. I checked but that still does not matter. Competition does and unfortuantely your software gods do not. I have bought NCAA and will buy Madden. I love football games, but I loved it more when I had a choice.

Again try a few facts, check sources, it can be fun.

 

[bdoughty]

Here are the simple facts from a fan of both VC and EA:

Madden > NFL 2K

NBA Live = NBA 2K5 both are no good

NHL 2005 < NHL 2K5

March Madness < College Hoops

MVP 2005 > MLB 2K5

I would agree with all but the Madden one. I prefer 2K4 to Madden, though 2K5 had issues I could not stand. Had Madden not screwed us by limiting the control scheme I might have kept it for more then a month. I just prefer my sprint button to be the same on offense and defense. It looks like EA finally figured that out with this years setup, thanks to VC for showing them the way.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

It was not even 3,000,000 by the end of the Sept NPD. I checked but that still does not matter. Competition does and unfortuantely your software gods do not. I have bought NCAA and will buy Madden. I love football games, but I loved it more when I had a choice.

:lol it was "not even 3,000,000" by the end of september, but the deal went through in november. So what was it at the start of november? did NFL 2k5 even go over 3,000,000 in its lifespan yet? how about you compare JUST madden @ $50 (august - october) with NFL 2k5 in that same span.

 

[bdoughty]

I was simply correcting your attempt at making a point about August sales and your inability to remember that Madden dropped to $29.99 (which I am sure they did because they love their customers and had no fear of what VC/2k were doing at $19.99). You are a big boy and can look up the NPD's just as easily as I can. I am sorry that I can not babysit PS2 owners to remind them that there are games outside the EA Sports Brand.

Winning Eleven 8 is one of the best soccer/sports games of all time yet EA Sports is demoloshing it in sales with the crapfest that is Fifa Street. EA has advertising power that most can not match. So sales figures simply give you an idea of what people are buying but has no bearing on the QUALITY of the product. If it did then those guys who make Deer Hunter 46 would not have to make another sequel and could retire.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

Winning Eleven 8 is one of the best soccer/sports games of all time yet EA Sports is demoloshing it in sales with the crapfest that is Fifa Street. EA has advertising power that most can not match. So sales figures simply give you an idea of what people are buying but has no bearing on the QUALITY of the product. If it did then thos guy who make Deer Hunter 46 would not have to make another sequel and could retire.

i concur with you. make no mistake about it i'm not an EA sports fan in general. i think fifa is terrible, i don't like NHL, i think NBA Live is a decent game but when all is said and done is no better than NBA 2kx, and i think that ncaa (this year and last year) has been a pretty big disappointment. i am only a hardcore madden fan.

and you saying sales figures simply give you an idea of what people are buying and has no bearing on the quality of the product is spot on. that is what i'm saying about NFL 2k5. i bought the game (as i have every year of its existence), and if it weren't for the awesome online leagues setup it would have been an absolutely worthless game not even worth the $20 i paid for it, but it still sold a million copies.

 

[newsguy]

I would agree with all but the Madden one. I prefer 2K4 to Madden, though 2K5 had issues I could not stand. Had Madden not screwed us by limiting the control scheme I might have kept it for more then a month. I just prefer my sprint button to be the same on offense and defense. It looks like EA finally figured that out with this years setup, thanks to VC for showing them the way.

I've always liked the 2K series, but these past couple of years the gap has widened for me. 2K4 was very fun, but as a Dolphins fan I have to admit the broken tackle bug for RBs was a game killer online. People thought I was a cheeser cause I used the Fins online :lol So actually having to play with another team just so people wouldn't quit on me was a thorn in my side. 2K5 just didn't compare to Madden IMO, the DB animation issues cause my hairline to recede prematurely. Even without the bugs though, I think I would have chosen Madden cause the on-the-fly defensive adjustments were so well implemented.

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

Winning Eleven 8 is one of the best soccer/sports games of all time yet EA Sports is demoloshing it in sales with the crapfest that is Fifa Street.

Yeah, in the US perhaps. The least lucrative market for soccer videogames. WE/PES has since overtaken FIFA everywhere else in the world that actually plays and follows the sport itself. Its Konami's cash cow like Madden is to EA.

Look I know EA is the devil and all but their sport development houses still make quality games. Attributing their success strictly to the power of advertising and "naive PS2 owners" (as if Xboxers arent all over EA products) is either being remarkably obtuse or equally disingenuous.

 

[bdoughty]

i concur with you. make no mistake about it i'm not an EA sports fan in general. i think fifa is terrible, i don't like NHL, i think NBA Live is a decent game but when all is said and done is no better than NBA 2kx, and i think that ncaa (this year and last year) has been a pretty big disappointment. i am only a hardcore madden fan.

and you saying sales figures simply give you an idea of what people are buying and has no bearing on the quality of the product is spot on. that is what i'm saying about NFL 2k5. i bought the game (as i have every year of its existence), and if it weren't for the awesome online leagues setup it would have been an absolutely worthless game not even worth the $20 i paid for it, but it still sold a million copies.

Fair enough and I can see your point on 2K5. I am simply a fan of sports games in general. I loved the 2K series but 2K5 turned me off and I had no problem ripping it. While I did hate NCAA 2005 I am enjoying 2006 due tot he running game (especially the CPU's ability to run).

The closest I come to being a hardcore fan of is the WE/PES series. They are the very definition of the UNDERDOG in gaming. Fortuantely their games sells like hotcakes in Japan.

 

[bdoughty]

Yeah, in the US perhaps. The least lucrative market for soccer videogames. WE/PES has since overtaken FIFA everywhere else in the world that actually plays and follows the sport itself. Its Konami's cash cow like Madden is to EA.

Look I know EA is the devil and all but their sport development houses still make quality games. Attributing their success strictly to the power of advertising and "naive PS2 owners" (as if Xboxers arent all over EA products) is either being remarkably obtuse or equally disingenuous.

In Asia yes. The rest of the world NO. Last I checked Fifa and Fifa Street were outselling PES in Europe. Unfortuantely I do not have the numbers but if you follow the wekely charts Fifa was almost always ahead of it sad to say.

I am not being obtuse. The numbers show that PS2 owners lean toward EA games. They have the largest market which means they have the largest % of casual gamers who see (Madden/NBA Live/ETC) and buy it for that reason only. They call it BRAND RECOGNITION.

 

[bdoughty]

I've always liked the 2K series, but these past couple of years the gap has widened for me. 2K4 was very fun, but as a Dolphins fan I have to admit the broken tackle bug for RBs was a game killer online. People thought I was a cheeser cause I used the Fins online :lol So actually having to play with another team just so people wouldn't quit on me was a thorn in my side. 2K5 just didn't compare to Madden IMO, the DB animation issues cause my hairline to recede prematurely. Even without the bugs though, I think I would have chosen Madden cause the on-the-fly defensive adjustments were so well implemented.

Ah dont remind me of the DB play. I feared manually changing them because I knew he would do a 180 and face the wrong way.

That to me was the problem with the whole 2K series (Football and Hoops). They forced animations on you in an effort to make it look real. I hate the little AI implemented jukes that a runner would use when you accidentally rotated to much on your control stick in a lame attempt to create momentum... The 5 minute animations in the basketball games used to get around the defender was even worse. The moronic zoom camera in the Baseball game and 5 second delay in fielding round off the rant.

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

In Asia yes. The rest of the world NO. Last I checked Fifa and Fifa Street were outselling PES in Europe. Unfortuantely I do not have the numbers but if you follow the wekely charts Fifa was almost always ahead of it sad to say.

FIFA Street perhaps. That would make sense on a weekly or monthly chart since it came out well after PES. But for overall total sales WE/PES has outsold FIFA on the PS2 last I heard. Yes on the PS2, that land of the casual scourge who dont know whats best for them. While Xbox/PC sales went to FIFA, go figure. Either way calling WE some kind of underdog is ridiculous.

I am not being obtuse. The numbers show that PS2 owners lean toward EA games. They have the largest market which means they have the largest % of casual gamers who see (Madden/NBA Live/ETC) and buy it for that reason only. They call it BRAND RECOGNITION.

Attributing superior sales on the mainstream platform strictly to brand recognition is being obtuse...or fanboyish. Take your pick.

 

[bdoughty]

Either way calling WE some kind of underdog is ridiculous.

You are kidding right? WE comes out on the PS2, PC and Xbox. Fifa is put on any piece of electronics that EA can get it's hands on. In the US (one of the largest markets for video game software) it is outsold by such a large margin that EA made a Subgenere soccer game that outsold it by a substantial margin.

Sorry but the Underdog thing fits, at least where I stand.

Unless you can provide sales figured I stand by the statement that WE has been outsold everywhere but Asia. I did watch the charts as both games were released on the PS2 and Fifa spent more time at the top.

As for the obtuse angle, you can call me what you will. The numbers still say otherwise.

 

[FightyF]

Ahahah EA got owned in Hockey.











The only sport that matters.

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

In the US (one of the largest markets for video game software) it is outsold by such a large margin that EA made a Subgenere soccer game that outsold it by a substantial margin.

Sorry but the Underdog thing fits, at least where I stand.

What part of "least lucrative market for soccer videogames" is hard to understand? Who blinks if FIFA outsells WE in the US? And I seriously doubt FIFA Street has sold more units than PES in Europe, unless a weekly UK chart in a vacuum has some kind of odd importance to you.

Anyhow heres the Konami fiscal reports I quickly googled up. Details how their struggling franchise is fighting the good fight in Europe. 3.5 million copies sold, goddamn how do they cope?

http://www.konami.co.jp/en/ir/pdf/meeting/2005/050127.pdf
http://www.konami.co.jp/en/ir/pdf/groupreport/2005_3/pdf/all.pdf

 

[bdoughty]

I never said it was struggling worldwide, I called it the underdog. There is a difference. Although here in the US it is struggling and belive it or not soccer does continue to grow here. Again you listed the PES sales but no comparison as to what Fifa did in that same region.

 

[Eric P]

The Champ? More like the coward. I still think the NFL exclusivity deal was a move of desperation, because they didn't stomp the 2K games as much as they did in prior years. They were scared!

It was my understanding that the NFL was actually the one to shop around the contract and EA won the bid.

edit: found the article i was thinking of.

"We (EA) have proposed exclusivity several times in the past, but this year, in the spring the NFL had an off-site meeting, and they decided to consider bids for exclusivity," Brown told IGN in an exclusive interview. "Several bids were submitted but they accepted EA's. I cannot tell you how much this cost, but exclusivity is expensive, we are paying a premium. It wasn't cheap. I can tell you this, though, all parties all happy with this agreement, and Wall Street seems happy with it too."

http://sports.ign.com/articles/572/572886p1.html

 

[Matlock]

there is still a userbase for a football game created by visual concepts, whether it has the NFL logo on it or not.

Since this year's football titles have VC team members on them...hrrrrm!

 

[bdoughty]

As much as I enjoy reading fiscal reports and financials on my days off you might want to read with a closer eye.


-------------------------------------------------------------
In the Computer & Video Games Business Segment,
WORLD SOCCER WINNING ELEVEN 8, the popular soccer
game for the PlayStation 2, became a million-seller for the
third consecutive year in Japan. In Europe, we released
PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 4 for PlayStation 2, Xbox and
PC. The title proved to be a big hit, boosting sales for the
whole series to 3.5 million copies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Whole Series (WE8 + PES4) = Sales WORLDWIDE, not just Europe. Out of that number almost 2 million of those copies belong to the multiple versions of WE8I sold in Japan.


They say

In Europe, we released
PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 4 for PlayStation 2, Xbox and
PC.

Had they dethroned Fifa in European sales I promise you that would have been mentioned. You will also notice that while Japan was refered to as a "million seller" - Europe did not get such a mention or even a sales figure. Gee wonder why.

 

[SonnyBoy]

I dont think it was the PS2 owners who supported EA moreso than Xbox gamers. I think it was multi-console gamers who choose to purchase it for the PS2. The PS2's controller is more Madden friendly than the Xbox.

I owned both games last year (Madden/ESPN).

Its my opinion that Madden was superior overall. However ESPN definately excelled in places Madden didn't and it was only a matter of time before gap completely closed. I definately would have purchased this years ESPN if availabe.

Im sad to have my choice taken from me.

 

[TheDuce22]

Xbox owners have better taste in football games apparently. I sure do love elitest madden fans who think their opinion is fact.

Edit: High level madden play is far more broken than high level Espn2k5 play. EA proves it every year with that stupid madden tournament.

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

You will also notice that while Japan was refered to as a "million seller" - Europe did not get such a mention or even a sales figure. Gee wonder why.

Ugh...look at the bar graph in the middle of the page. "Million Copy Sales respectively in Japan and Europe for three years in a row". Is there a new definition for "respectively" to go along with "underdog" now?

And according to the graph (which I admittedly read wrong at first) Europe is responsible for over 2/3rds of that 3.5 million. Which would make it double platinum in that region alone.

I cant find the exact EA numbers to compare to, maybe somebody will clear it up. I did read a report that said WE/PES overtook it on the PS2 though, I think it was on Magic Box. Bottom line WE is doing just fine, no need to use it as a martyr in your "EA boinks daft Playstation fans out of their money with advertising and branding" schtick.

 

[Yusaku]

Hockey fans know whats up.

 

[Lazy8s]

ESPN 2K5 was the top football game on Xbox until recently, too, before the effect of the exclusivity announcement changed the competitive landscape.

 

[bdoughty]

Ugh...look at the bar graph in the middle of the page. "Million Copy Sales respectively in Japan and Europe for three years in a row". Is there a new definition for "respectively" to go along with "underdog" now?

And according to the graph (which I admittedly read wrong at first) Europe is responsible for over 2/3rds of that 3.5 million. Which would make it double platinum in that region alone.

I cant find the exact EA numbers to compare to, maybe somebody will clear it up. I did read a report that said WE/PES overtook it on the PS2 though, I think it was on Magic Box. Bottom line WE is doing just fine, no need to use it as a martyr in your "EA boinks daft Playstation fans out of their money with advertising and branding" schtick.

Ugh? You are the one proclaiming 3.5 million in Europe. I am done with you and your inability to read Konami's financial. It's hard to admit you are wrong so feel free and get in the last word.

 

[hukasmokincaterpillar]

Ugh? You are the one proclaiming 3.5 million in Europe. I am done with you and your inability to read Konami's financial. It's hard to admit you are wrong so feel free and get in the last word.

Oy vey, you've got to be f'n kidding me. I admitted I mis-read the graph in my reply to you and explained why. I'll try again. PES sold over 2 million in Europe during Konami's fiscal according to the graph shown (which you cant even seem to find for some reason, let alone interpret). It did BETTER in Europe than it did in Japan. Europe is responsible for roughly 2/3rds of total units sold. Underdog my hiney.

Try reading a little slower next time.

 

[SickBoy]

Re: NHL, I'm glad to see that the better game is getting the sales. I'm sure it's price in part, but definitely lays groundwork for a real head-on battle.

On Madden, it's no surprise. I don't mind 2K, but it's telling that I bought only 2K5 and I'm actually playing Madden 2004 more than it.

With regards to the FIFA hate, I too prefer Winning Eleven, but I will give EA this -- the current edition of FIFA is leaps and bounds better than other recent efforts

Baseball? I don't really care for the "sport" or the games. My brother, not a big baseball fan either, likes 2K5, and the game that I play mostly is Slugfest 2003 or 04. It's all about the arcade action for me

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

Xbox owners have better taste in football games apparently. I sure do love elitest madden fans who think their opinion is fact.

Edit: High level madden play is far more broken than high level Espn2k5 play. EA proves it every year with that stupid madden tournament.

you again? mr. i-run-for-80-yards-on-one-drive-with-josh-mccown? dude you proved it yourself which game is bigger garbage. you say high level of play is more broken in madden, what do you define as high level of play? official tournament videos? did you happen to see the official NFL 2k5 tournament video? it was a fucking joke. and how did the tournament winner justify his play? "if he can't stop the run it's not my problem." Newsflash asshole: ALL YOU DID WAS HIT Y Y Y Y Y!


p.s. i sure do love elitest NFL 2k fans who think their opinion is fact

 

[bdoughty]

Oy vey, you've got to be f'n kidding me. I admitted I mis-read the graph in my reply to you and explained why. I'll try again. PES sold over 2 million in Europe during Konami's fiscal according to the graph shown (which you cant even seem to find for some reason, let alone interpret). It did BETTER in Europe than it did in Japan. Europe is responsible for roughly 2/3rds of total units sold. Underdog my hiney.

Try reading a little slower next time.

Okay I saw the chart and on that end you are correct and I am worng. See how easy that is. Yet you still have not shown where it outsells Fifa in any part of the world. We can agree it owns Japan, I have seen the numbers and it's not even close. So until you show otherwise, or every country on the face of the earth (except for Japan) falls into the ocean.

I will stick with.

You can call it whatever you like.

 

[DMczaf]

Xbox owners have better taste in football games apparently. I sure do love elitest madden fans who think their opinion is fact.

Edit: High level madden play is far more broken than high level Espn2k5 play. EA proves it every year with that stupid madden tournament.

ESPN 2K5 was the top football game on Xbox until recently, too, before the effect of the exclusivity announcement changed the competitive landscape.

I knew this thread was missing something.

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=ESPN owns

 

[FightyF]

I knew this thread was missing something.

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=ESPN owns

What difficulty level was that at?

 

[bdoughty]

What difficulty level was that at?

EXACTLY - They did it on the easiest level. They also have one showing just as many flaws of Madden.

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=madden