Top 50 Highest Pre-Orders 2009-2010 - News
by Miles Taven , posted on 15 January 2011 / 11,622 Views
With final pre-order data in for the year 2010, VGChartz can present the top 50 highest pre-ordered games 2009 - 2010. The data used dates back to when we started our pre-order charts, 22nd August 2009, up to 1st January 2011. The data is specifically from the Americas region and not Worldwide.
In this article, as well as the top 50 highest pre-orders chart, I'll be talking about percentage increases in week one sales across different systems and genres, as well as explaining why people pre-order, and the different type of consumers that pre-order.
Why do we Pre-Order videogames?
There are many different reasons why we pre-order videogames. One of the most common is bonus content, physical or digital, be it limited edition night vision goggles or even something as small as an alternate character outfit. It’s imperative you pre-order if you want a special/collector’s edition of a highly sought after game, or risk the chance of missing out. Then there are times when the standard edition (GTAIV springs to mind) is in short supply. Another good reason is double points for loyalty card holders; over time retailers recognize your history and send you bonus promotions and extra points. Lastly, whenever pre-ordering online, there is always the chance you’ll receive the game a day or two early.
Consumers, Casual vs. Core
The true meaning of casual gamer and core gamer have blurred over the years, so perhaps the best way to describe both would be by using the stereotypical view. For the purposes of this article, 'casual' is the wider audience Nintendo created with the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, a consumer whose family more than likely joins in on the fun, doesn't keep up to date with game release dates and picks up games based on boxart. Now this isn't the entire Wii audience, as the chart below will prove, but it does go some way in explaining why Wii doesn't have a dominating presence on the chart. Core gamer could mean a 12+ hour a day WoW binger or elitist PC gamer; in this case, however, it's more likely to be your typical forum-posting gamer, trawling the net for the latest screenshots of their most anticipated game. Core and casual gamers aren't exclusive to any system, but it gives you a rough idea. Based on the information above on why people pre-order, your typical core gamer ticks most boxes. Not only are they more aware of release dates and bonus content, they're more likely to want to purchase a limited edition version of a game than a casual gamer would.
Below are the top 50 highest pre-ordered games 2009-2010, their Americas first week sales, and the increase from pre-orders to actual first week sales in percentage form.
Top 50
Halo: Reach takes top honours, with ODST also making an appearance in the top 10. Call of Duty is most reoccurring franchise on the list with 5 skus, with 3 skus each for Mario, Assassin's Creed, Fallout and Final Fantasy. 36 of the 50 games on the list are in the top 50 highest selling games in Americas for the year 2010. Xbox 360 holds the top spots for highest pre-ordered RPG, FPS and Action game, Wii holds Platformer and Music, PS3 holds Sports and Racing, and PC holds MMO and RTS. This compliments each console's library perfectly. Games like LittleBigPlanet 2, Dead Space 2, Dragon Age II and Pokemon Black & White have broken into the top 50 but are not shown here - they will likely make next year's list.
Console Breakdown
Given the information I've already detailed, it shouldn't come as a shock the Xbox 360 is the dominant console on the list, holding 40% of the chart, with PS3 in second holding 30%, and Wii, despite being market leader in Americas in both hardware and software, a distant third along with the PC, both with 14%. The DS manages just 2%, whilst, unfortunately for discussion's sake, PSP doesn't have any games charting.
According to NPD's latest report, the NDS has taken the crown from PS2 as the all time highest selling hardware in history in the U.S., so why does it only have 1 game charting? The main reason is the fact the DS appeals so well to females, a Nintendo Japan survey found there are more females playing DS than there are males, at least in Japan, but this is more than likely replicated worldwide. Females are - dare I say it - the epitome of casual gamers. Another factor is the overall low attach rate for the DS in Americas. Despite the userbase being 24 million higher than the X360 (shy a few million from being double), the overall software for DS is in fact lower. The PSP is in a similar state, but not because its userbase is made up primarily of casuals, quite the opposite. When this generation is over the PSP won't be most remembered for being a perfect companion to the Xbox 360 or PS3, or the fact it sold, so far to date, over 65 million units. No, the PSP will be most remembered for being probably the most pirated system ever released, bar the PC of course. Whilst the DS is also a favourite for pirates, it has the benefit of having a large chunk of its userbase that don't have a clue how to pirate games in the first place. Because the PSP appeals to the core gamer, they're more tech savvy and likely to pirate.
The Wii also appeals to females and families, but does have 7 games chart. Despite all this talk about casual gamers, the Wii does have a loyal core audience - mainly those who have grown up with Nintendo. Five of the seven Wii games that charted feature iconic Nintendo mascots; Mario, Samus and Donkey Kong. Mickey Mouse, although not a Nintendo mascot, is a much loved character in the U.S and so it's no surprise that Epic Mickey made the list. The standout game, however, is Just Dance 2. Not only is JD2 a 3rd party game (not notorious for doing massive 1st week numbers on the Wii), it's also viewed as a typical casual title, something hardcore Nintendo fans wouldn't normally touch. So was this a case of core fans embracing the unknown, or the sheer amount of casual buyers boosting it up the charts? Overall sales confirm JD2 is a breakout hit for the Wii, however first week sales actually fell 21% from total pre orders. Normally, when first week sales are below pre-orders, it indicates bad reviews or word of mouth, causing cancellations, but neither of those would really affect Just Dance 2. Whatever the reason, JD2 is proof there are some casual gamers out there that liked to pre-order.
The PS3, despite being a distant 3rd in Americas, actually holds up rather well. It seems the PS3 and Xbox 360 have switched roles from their previous consoles, with the PS3 having a more dedicated core base like the original Xbox, and the 360 being widely accepted in Americas as the #1 hardcore gaming console, just like the PS2 before it. Lack of PS3 piracy (up until now) can only have helped PS3 in terms of software sold, but it's probably more attributable to software picking up when the PS3 became more affordable with the PS3 Slim launch. 4 of the 15 PS3 games on the list are exclusive - games synonymous with the Playstation brand such as God of War III, Gran Turismo 5 and Final Fantasy XIII.
Boasting an attach rate of over 10 games per console in Americas, it's clear the X360 is a software beast. Coupled with a library that appeals to most core western gamers meant that achieving first place was an easy feat for the X360. 7 of the 20 games on the list are exclusive, a higher ratio than PS3 but a tie with Nintendo.
Given we only track physical pre-orders, it's a surprise to see 7 PC games on the list. Of those 7, 5 are PC-centric games, which might explain why they made the list. Only 2 multiplatform titles - Fallout: New Vegas and Modern Warfare 2 - are present.
Console % Increase Breakdown
Unfortunately, with only sales data for 4 of the 7 PC games, and 1 for DS, it's hard to gauge anything from those numbers. For the 3 home consoles though it's easy to see a pattern forming. On average across the 20 X360 games on the list, first week sales were 79.8% higher, suggesting that, despite a core userbase, and most of the 20 titles being typical core games, the X360 is more casual orientated than the PS3. Across the 15 games for the PS3, first week sales were 63% higher than pre-order totals, 16.8% lower than X360, which is quite a gap. This further indicates the PS3 has likely the most core centric userbase, taking a look at MAG and Dante's Inferno shows their first week's sales likely fell below expectations due to bad word of mouth and poor reviews, which wouldn't affect a more casual audience the same way it would the core.
The Wii's boost, 56.7%, isn't actually all that surprising. You might expect that because most of the Wii userbase doesn't pre-order, its first week sales for most games would be much, much higher. But the Wii games on the list are core Nintendo titles that also appeal to casuals (who are less likely to pick the game up at launch). It's not uncommon for a Wii game to start off relatively low and then build solid legs.
Genre Breakdown
* Action includes Hack 'n Slash, Action/Adventure and Sandbox.
The rise of the FPS ensures that it takes 28% of the total top 50, with 16% of that being on the Xbox 360 and 26% on the HD consoles combined. Wii dominates the Platform genre with 100% of the games on the list belonging to the console. PC, unsurprisingly, holds all the MMOs. Racing, Action and Sports are tied for the HD consoles, with RPGs (which includes JRPG & WRPG) falling in the X360's favour.
No surprises here then, with each console staying true to the tastes of its userbase. 360 dominates FPS but still has some variety, PS3 has a diverse library which is actually similar to the Xbox 360's, and Wii dominates Platformers and PC MMOs.
FPS, RPG and Action hold 75% of the chart, which is more evidence (if you needed any) that pre-ordering is definitely a core gamer thing. In actuality only a handful of titles on the list are casual-centric. One could argue that Nintendo's platformers count, but they're only on the list thanks to the Wii's core audience.
Genre % Increase Breakdown
Again, some genres have little data to go on, Music, Sports, Racing and RTS being the main ones. That said, however, the increases in first week sales ranges mainly from 60% to 80%. RPG is the lowest of the main genres at 61.3%, suggesting it's the most core genre. Action, being the most diverse genre using my measures, shows the biggest increase in sales (80.1%). However, like RPG, core games on the list like God of War III (67%) don't increase as greatly as some casual-friendly games like Kinect Adventures (174%)
Conclusion
This is rather easy to wrap up. If I ever had any doubts before then they're well and truly squashed now; pre-ordering is catered towards your average core gamer. The incentives, the pre-eminence of the HD consoles and the FPS and RPG genres being on top all point towards this.
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@gergroy
No there isn't any games at all on 360 that are online only except for a few you can download on Xbox Live Arcade. In terms of standalone software games though I believe every 360 game has an offline component as well.
@mchaza
kind of a weird fact to throw out there. Is there even any online only games on the 360?
Medal of Honor and MAG had higher pre-orders than sales the first week? Did people cancel their pre orders?
Is this US or WW? Why isn't it specified especially if NPD?
MAG sold an Million units world wide which is good for an Online only PS3 only game. PS3 has the most sold Online only games on the consoles with Socom Confrontation and MAG (prove me wrong if there was an older 360 game) and both were reviewed poor and confrontation was plain BAD game due to not being developed by Zipper Interactive.
This article says that MAG sold less than its pre-orders in its first week due to poor reviews. Actually, it got pretty decent reviews. The real reason it sold less is the pre-order exclusive beta. Some people just might have bee put off by the beta.
Goes to show individuals are buying the PS3 for more than the software. Blu Ray and a PSN for free I would suspect is a reason.
It will be interesting to see when Sony inevitably starts charging annually for PSN whether this will have an impact on console sales. Then again, they are the only Blu Ray system right now...
All right, so this part of the article is pretty poorly worded
"4 of the 15 PS3 games on the list are exclusive - games synonymous with the Playstation brand such as God of War III, Gran Turismo 5 and Final Fantasy XIII"
Makes it sound like Final Fantasy XIII is one of the exclusive games. It would make more sense if you put uncharted (as final fantasy brand really isn't or has been synonymous with playstation ever)
My best guess for JD2 is casuals not picking up their preorders first week? Who knows.
It's amazing that Call of Duty games, even with thier massive preorder numbers, manage to have some of the biggest increases from preorders to actual first week sales.
I'd be embarrassed if I was one of the games that went negative from preorders to first week sales.
waoooooo ..xbox360 is a sorfware machine
Should have been Halo:Reach beating Call of Doody:Shit Ops in week 1 sales
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