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LittleBigPlanet sales are lacking, Sackboy develops a drinking problem photo

Media Molecule’s LittleBigPlanet is not experiencing the consumer impact that Sony was hoping it would. According to a Gamasutra report, the quirky platformer sold a meager 141,000 units this November in the US. This places it outside the top 20 games sold overall and just fourth on the list of Playstation 3 titles in the month of November.

Contrast this with the 215,000 units sold in October and it appears as though Sony may have a LittleBigProblem on its hands. LBP simply isn’t selling as well as it should. The critical reception of the game has been stellar thus far. It currently has a Metacritic average of 95 out of 100.

We’re interested in your take on this. Are LBP’s low numbers attributable to the poor sales of Sony’s console in November? Does this have something to do with the zany marketing campaign for the game and how it really doesn’t speak to what LBP actually is? Also, what did I have for lunch this afternoon?


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72 comments | showing # 51 to 72

sluxi's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 00:39
sluxi
Yeah.. 4th best on the platform is SUCH a terrible spot to be at and 100k one month is so low.

Get real, reviews have never translated to sales. Not before, not now and this day and age what typically sells is the 10th sequel of a series. Bioshock was a refreshing change to that but then again it still was a first person shooter.

I kind of predicted this and wondered about why Sony thought this title was going to be so huge when it obviously was a little problematic one to translate into actual sales. Maybe they believed in it because of the example Bioshock set and I'm sure similar things can and will happen to those who are willing to take risks.

But still to put it all in perspective, while LBP doesn't seem like it is going to sell millions it will still move a respectable number of units by the looks of it so failure it is not. Maybe 0.5-1 million, maybe even more if the user created content keeps pushing sales in the long run.
Magesx's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 00:45
Magesx
The thing that will "save" LBP is a good marketing campaign, because the one Sony is running now is one of the worst I've ever seen for any game ever.

Still Game of the Year in my book.
Magesx's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 00:46
Magesx
oh jesus RJG you best be trollin
pandarelated's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 00:49
pandarelated
it's an exclusive. on the lowest selling / installed platform.
and bad bad marketing. i read game blogs and i don't know if its game, or a game maker. i would love to play it. once its out on the 360, or steam/pc/mac.
jjwet35's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 00:53
jjwet35
its the wii. that's the problem. they're crushing everyone, hardware and software. while the 360 made it out alive, the ps3 unfortunately has not. you can blame the wii for ps3's woes, and littlebigplanet's lack of sales. its a critically acclaimed game, but it is what it is. the lack of sales point out that the majority of people have a preference to play something else at this point in time.
Higgz78's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 01:05
Higgz78
Hey D-toiders! Try out my levels...FALLOUT 3:ESCAPE FROM VAULT 101 and FALLOUT 3:WASTELAND TO MEGATON by HIGGZ are out now, with an original level hopefully out by the weekend..thanx for the support. I'm curious about how core gamers feel about my creations, so please comment!
Noah's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 01:11
Noah
I just said this in the tic-tac-toe story, but it's more appropriate here...

I wonder if in the long run they could have made more money by making LBP multi-platform?

I\'m one of many Xbox owners who want this game really bad, but not $60 + $400 for a new PS3 bad.
BattyAdroit's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 02:50
BattyAdroit
The people who cry about LBP's controls are post PS1 gamers.

It's a solid, excellent game. Worth the hype.

Perhaps you guys would dig it better, if they called it Gears of Littlebigplanet.
CALkulon's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 03:36
CALkulon
Lack of content? Wtf? Some people are so stupid.
whatisdelicious's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 04:12
whatisdelicious
Sony needs to bundle LBP in with an official headset for $299. That's all they need to do to get market share, boost LBP sales, and get more market penetration with that headset so that developers will actually have incentive to care about voice chat on PS3 and so people can talk to each other.
koheed's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 06:36
koheed
I have absolutely no desire to play Little Big Planet. I played a little bit a friend's house, and wasn't impressed. I have no desire to spend the time creating levels, and I have plenty other of games to play that I have more interest in.
Sirapak's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 07:34
Sirapak
I personally have all three console systems. And when LBG gets delayed a week like others here have said and games that make your balls explode like Gears of War 2, Fallout 3, Dead Space, Wii Music AND Fable 2 come out... games are freaking expensive right now we can't buy everything at ounce. We make our own first buy priorities and wait for other games to go down in price after a year (used games bin). I bought Gears of War 2 btw ahuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu! YA BABY!
Rhyno's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 08:25
Rhyno
Personally, I have seen it sold out in many places recently. I don't think it will ever have earth-shattering sales, but it'll end up selling well enough, imo.
AClockWorkMelon's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 08:41
AClockWorkMelon
@Hiltz

Honestly. You named Wii Play as a system seller for the Wii? Have you lost your fucking mind?
twentythoughts's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 10:51
twentythoughts
The game is Good right now, and pretty damn fun in multiplayer. Once they fix the search system for online levels, it's going to be Excellent. However, I think it's one of those slow sellers... It's going to be there, steadily charming people, for a long while, but it's never going to be an instant mega-hit. Why? It's simply too weird. It's not the kind of thing that sells huge numbers instantly.

The Donkey Kong Country VS Yoshi's Island analogy works perfectly for this one. Yoshi's Island was a far more interesting than Donkey Kong Country, but "interesting" doesn't sell millions. OMG hot graphics and buzzwords sell millions.
JonDarkwood's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 10:58
JonDarkwood
I was in love with the idea of this game. But I am skeptical after playing the beta, so I haven't dropped the cash to pick it up yet.
Joe Burling's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 11:54
Joe Burling
Brad, I think the thing that would help LBP the most is time. It's a game that has a very "casual" feel, but the most expensive console isn't usually the console that "casual" gamers have.

The game will have legs but Sony needs to drop the price of the PS3 to at least $300 and build up the install base. LBP2 will be a much bigger success, me thinks.
Zerozaki Ishiki's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 12:04
Zerozaki Ishiki
It was a system seller for me when it first popped up.
Then I lost my job.
And then every video I saw suggested the controls were floaty, imprecise bullshit, which is DEATH to a 2D platformer.
Lost all interest.
robotplague's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 13:30
robotplague
To me it seems like it's just an issue of community. I bought a PS3 pretty much just for this game. The bubble burst when I realized I have no one to play it with. I played it for a few hours and really enjoyed it. But the simple fact is I know literally only 2 people in real life who have PS3's and both of them don't own this game. On the 360 though, I know maybe 20-30 people who I play with on a regular basis. The community just isn't thriving like it is on 360. If this were on 360 it would be selling like gang busters or even on the Wii. I know I'm not the only person out there like this. If I had more friends with PS3's and were online I'd probably be playing this a lot more. It's a shame, because Media Molecule deserves better. I don't see what they could have possibly done to make a better game (aside from online issues).
Frohike's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 20:15
Frohike
A couple of mistakes in my mind. Console exclusivity, firstly. This should not have been perceived as a "system seller." Is there a track record for this type of game really pushing console sales? It would have been more successful if released simultaneously on XBL (and probably would have been released sooner to boot). The game jumped on the wrong ship... I really think it's as simple as that.
Frohike's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/13/2008 20:17
Frohike
Oops "couple" would imply 2 right. Reason number 2: most "mainstream" players don't like to put in the work to create a game. They like to consume it. So the game has niche-ness built into its very premise.

So there ya go, niche game on a mismanaged console. Sorry for double post.
wvss's Avatar - Comment posted on 12/15/2008 01:29
wvss
As previous posts mentioned, I don't even know what LBP is when I saw the commercial. I just saw the SackBoy kept running like a Mario with all other friends. What¡¦s the fun with that? In GTA4 commercial, I know I can go steal things and kill someone. In racing game commercials, I know I can drive a car. In FPS game commercial, I can just judge the graphic by watching the commercial. The LBP? It looks like a game for 4 years old kids. Yes, the graphic looks nice in 3D, but the game play in the commercial looks like NES Super Mario Brothers. What would I even bother to buy some kids game? I would spend the same money to buy games for Wii instead.

I found The Last Guy to be extremely entertaining, but it's just US$10. If the LBP is US$10, I would download it and try it out. But for that price tag? I would not gamble on it. I would rather wait until I really know I am will be getting out of this game. From the commercial I see? I am sorry I am not going to pay that price to try that.

Yes, I do own a PS3, and I have played LBP for about 30 mins in my friend's house. Is it fun? Kinda. I could keep running just like Sonic does. I admit I did not play it through, but the childish feel of the game just will not drive me to go buy this game. It doesn't have the cool feel for me.

It's a long story, and I think SONY and the producers of LBP can easily found out what went wrong with the Marketing direction. It's just whether they really want to push it or not.

I am a game developer myself. I think PS3 is by far is best system for development due to its protection system. It ensures that your work will not be pirated. Someone people might say it will eventually be cracked; please go and understand PS3's security design and then say it out loud. It might be cracked, but not in a short time for sure. However, it is ironic that pirate games also boosts console sales, and, thus, boosts game sales too. It is hard to say which one boosts more, but it just hurts when you see your hard work turns into a torrent seed.

http://www.photorz.com/photo/wvss/125
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