Max Payne 3 sells 440K in debut month, called 'a flop'
Although Max Payne 3 managed to secure the number two spot in last month's NPD numbers, actual sales figures suggest Rockstar's latest has seriously underperformed, with millions of unsold copies sitting on store shelves.
Although Max Payne 3 managed to secure the number two spot in last month's NPD numbers, actual sales figures suggest Rockstar's latest has seriously underperformed. According to NPD stats, Max Payne 3 managed to sell 440K units.
While that number may seem impressive to some, it is a far cry from the first-month sales of Rockstar's big 2011 game, LA Noire. That game sold nearly 900K units, but even that game fell short of industry expectations. With Max Payne selling even fewer copies, it's unsurprising that Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter would call the game "a flop."
Pachter points out the game's eight-year development, and claims "Rockstar put off releasing GTA" to work on MP3. Rockstar has admitted that the long-troubled development of Max Payne 3 eventually required the work of many of its global studios.
It's clear that Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Rockstar, was betting big on Max Payne 3's success. In its last financial report, Take-Two claims retail sell-in of about 3 million units. With only 440K units sold in the US, that means there are a few million units of unsold inventory sitting on store shelves. If you haven't bought Max Payne 3 yet (and by the looks of these numbers, you likely haven't), retail markdowns are likely to happen in the coming weeks.
-
Shacknews
replyAndrew Yoon posted a new article, Max Payne 3 sells 440K in debut month, called 'a flop'.
Although Max Payne 3 managed to secure the number two spot in last month's NPD numbers, actual sales figures suggest Rockstar's latest has seriously underperformed, with millions of unsold copies sitting on store shelves.-
-
Thanks for the correction. Fixed.
-
-
-
I wouldn't be surprised if MP3's day-and-date release with Diablo 3 also hurt sales. MP is a big name, but Diablo is bigger.
-
-
I find it remarkable that people prefer D3 to mp3.
D3 is a massive mouse click fest(why anyone would like that is beyond me), and the graphics are the same as the warcraft 3 engine.
There were quite a few Diablo 3 maps made for warcraft 3, and when I saw D3 come out, it looks exactly the same.
Oh well, each to their own I guess.. poor Rockstar. I think people are a bit annoyed that Remedy didn't make mp3. Looking forward to GTA 5 and Watchdogs.
-
Do you think if money or your life was on the line you could tell the difference between the d3 and war 3 engine?
-
Umm, I am sure I could think of something if I was about to die, or lose money..
like I saw a pixel that was a different color...
-
-
First, yes, people like different things and when you say "why anyone would like that is beyond me", same thing comes to my mind when i see another shooter... 8 out of 10 game now are shooters, to be honest, i don't see the point in buying another one!
Second, many PC user would like to buy it, i am sure of it, but, they delayed it for PC and they released it along with D3... not smart!
Third, it seems that this game has about 3 hours of game play and 4 hours of unskippable cut scenes, i don't think i want that...
and i love the first 2 games, and i feel bad for mp3, i wish it would do better, but it didn't...
-
-
-
Conviction was an excellent game, both singleplayer and coop.
-
In fact, I'd say the coop campaign in it is one of the best coop games ever made.
-
[deleted]
-
-
what did rockstar do in the 8 year development that was focused on chasing money instead of attempting to make a good game?
-
-
-
-
-
[deleted]
-
-
yo dawg
-
-
-
-
I gave it a chance and I found it merely ok.
-
[deleted]
-
Is there really a big audience for noir? I would assume any fans they lose from moving away from a noir setting would be replaced by those who were not into noir in the first place.
-
-
-
-
Just because you slap Rockstar on it doesn't mean it's going to have wide appeal. They took a fairly old IP, which the most recent iteration for most people is a Mark Whalberg movie, and expected it to sell what, a million?
They need to fire their analysts then. Max Payne is niche, will always be niche, and when you exclude the largest segment of it's fanbase (the PC guys), it's not going to sell that number.
If you take #2 on NPD and its considered a failure, you fucked something up in your business plan.-
In what world is a graphically impressive bullet time shooter developed by Rockstar niche? That Max Payne may not be a huge IP with newer gamers is irrelevant. It could've been a brand new IP in the exact same style and expectations would be far above 500k copies sold out of the game.
Being #2 in NPD means nothing. Sales totals are what matters. It doesn't matter how you did next to a bunch of unrelated games with unrelated budgets.-
It must be niche, otherwise it would have sole more, unless it is a bad game, but people seem to like the game, so it appears that people are just not interested, which means it has a small audience, hence niche.
-
-
-
"...ultimately you need to get to audience sizes of around five million to really continue to invest in an IP like Dead Space. Anything less than that and it becomes quite difficult financially given how expensive it is to make games and market them. We feel good about that growth but we have to be very paranoid about making sure we don't change the experience so much that we lose the fanbase." -- EA Games President Frank Gibeau, to CVG
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/353554/interviews/exclusive-a-frank-chat-with-eas-gibeau/?page=4#top_banner
I realize that this is what AAA game production has become, but in terms of the artform itself, AAA games are driving themselves off a cliff. We've already seen signs of this, like Call of Duty turning into a linear "always at 11" corridor-fest, of Need for Speed turning itself into that with "Need for Speed: The Run", and so on.-
The analysts are going to drive it all off a cliff because they obviously expect anything from the same developer to sell more than the last game. And that's not going to always work out.
Calling this a flop is mind-boggling to me. I mean obviously we don't know the budget, but we do know Rockstar games typically keep selling for months, so it seems a bit pre-mature to call this a flop... but oh well. I guess Patcher needed some extra pageviews this week.-
I really don't think it takes inside info to know just based on looking at the game's visual fidelity and marketing push and Rockstar's pedigree (they don't exactly do niche games) that they would've expected much better sales than this.
Whether Rockstar games generally have a longer tail than average or not the fact is it's a tail, so you expect a reduction from a high number to start with. 440k is not a high number for a Rockstar launch.
-
-
That's precisely it. They're overdoing the production and not spending enough time making sure the gameplay is fun. The success of indie games that are incredibly fun like Terraria and Amnesia shows that you don't need a massive budget to make fun games. They need to prioritize better on those AAA titles and focus more on fun gameplay before pumping millions into the production quality, which will increase the chance of success.
-
-
-
Maybe because they picked a pretty bad day to release it
-
-
-
PC sales are not included, as the PC release did not come out in May.
-
-
Maybe don't release right on top of Diablo 3... is releasing a month later really that much of a problem?
-
[deleted]
-
I've enjoyed the game, but bought it on a whim without seeing much advertising for it
-
[deleted]
-
-
I plan to pick it up eventually.
-
Well... its an old franchise that todays kids cant really relate to.... and you seiously thought people were just gonna go "Hmm since I'm getting Diablo 3 i should pick up Max Payne 3 to play when i get bored of Diablo",,,,, NO !!!
-
[deleted]
-
That makes no sense at all.
-
-
[deleted]
-
Just want to add a correction.
There probably are not 2.6 million units unsold. NPD is only for the US while Rockstar's 3 million units number is referencing worldwide.-
Also, 440k units in a couple of weeks is not a complete disaster, though not good.
At least they released it!-
I would assume they need to sell 2 million units to 4 million units to break even depending on the budget, so 440k sell through is not great.
-
Like I said it's not good, but still far from a disaster (at least yet).
That's for retail only in it's first 2 weeks, it will probably double that by the end of it's first year.
Keep in mind this is US only. It will probably pull something similar in Europe, and some fraction of that in Asia.
That's also just retail, not digital. Steam, Origin, and others, which are not tracked by NPD, will probably give it a bit of a boost.
All in all, I would think that it will at least come close to breaking even.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Well...it did happen. Whether or not that's healthy is a separate issue.
-
it happens all the time in other industries too, I gave examples. No one smart is going to be releasing their big movie on the same day or week following The Dark Knight Rises
-
No way man, that's totally unhealthy, therefore it doesn't happen!
-
-
Money didn't run out. Time did. With something like Diablo 3 you can easily spend a few months playing w/o so much as blinking an eye at other games being released.
-
Yeah, I think a lot of games are made addicting and are artificially extended purely so gamers spend less money on competitors products.
-
-
-
-
why is it fucked up? We all ha e limited time and money. It's no different in any other medium. You don't release your movie the same weekend as the next Batman movie, no matter how big you think you are, you're only going to get hurt even if you survive it. You don't release your book when the next Harry Potter is coming out. Etc.
-
-
timing is almost always closely calculated and the competitive landscape plays a huge role in deciding when to release a game. sometimes games are announced after you announce your date, though - nothing is ever perfect.
also, i am sure Diablo fucked with all game sales around its launch.
-
-
-
Yeah maybe Rockstar's name isn't that much of a drawl anymore.
-
worked pretty well for LA Noire and Rockstar wasn't even the developer
-
I think their drawl worked better for Red Dead Redemption.
-
-
I was nothing but happy with the console version.
-
-
-
-
-
-
Maybe in R* terms, but a lot of other titles would be happy with 440K in the first month.
-
and those titles wouldn't have had the same budget so the comparison doesn't mean much
-
True. Then again, the budget on this game was as big as it was because of shitty management and direction as much as actual work that went into the game. There was no need for a Max Payne game to have a GTA style budget.
-
-
-
Game looked interesting, I will probably buy it eventually, but it was classified as a "buy after all the DLC comes out and it's cheap" game for me. Too many other good games this year.
Now if it had come out during a "dry period" when I was bored, I'd have grabbed it right up. -
Pachter points out the game's eight-year development, and claims "Rockstar put off releasing GTA" to work on MP3. Rockstar has admitted that the long-troubled development of Max Payne 3 eventually required the work of many of its global studios.
Wut? It's possible MP3 has been in development for 8 years, but not with R*. That's kind of misleading. Then again, this is Pachter. -
I'm an easy audience, but I thought the game was a blast with a nice style that was different but not alien, and the mp was surprisingly fun. I've played more MP3 than Diablo.
-
[deleted]
-
how do i play it "correctly" out of curiosity?
-
Not as a cover shooter. Which was impossible on Hard.
-
[deleted]
-
-
[deleted]
-
-
I don't get the whining about the cover. I did a ton of wall strafing in MP 1&2.
-
I don't remember doing it enough to be a significant gameplay mechanic in either of the first games. I had plenty of bullet time and kicked ass with or without. Not like the first two games were hard, for big fights you had plenty of bullet time and for small ones you did not need it.
-
-
-
-
I would have bought it if it didn't come out at the same time as D3. Why buy it for $60 when it comes out when I know full well I won't get around to it for several months. I'd rather just get it on sale for $10 in a year. Now that it's a "flop" it will probably be bargain bin in no time.
-
Same here. I've been playing D3 obsessively to the exclusion of everything else, it's pretty pointless buying any other games in the short term. I hadn't even looked at Max Payne 3. Now that I do look at it on Steam, I notice that I'm predictably being charged $30 more than US customers for the same product delivered the same way.
When I'm done playing my first thousand hours or so of D3 I might consider buying MP3 if they'll offer it to me at a fair price.
-
Best game I've played in a long while, Rockstar production values are almost faultless to me and they seriously pour their heart and souls into the games they create. It's such a great game that stays true to it's roots. Harsh, violent and it makes you feel like a total fucking badass. The multiplayer is so much fun to
-
I think the market is contracting and the current generation of consoles will see fewer sales. They waited too long for a new generation.
-
This makes me kind of sad as I just finished the game and I found it amazing. It's a little slow to start up, but when it gets going it is truly amazing.
Great game! -
-
[deleted]
-
They were like, "It's a PC Game, PC gaming is dead".
Baz-zinga!!!!
-
-
Try an easier difficulty?
-
[deleted]
-
About a quarter to a third of the game takes place in New Jersey. The writing IMO was lacking though. It came close to Max Payne 1 & 2 sometimes, but ultimately, Max wasn't narrating a noir story. It felt like he was just a commentator. There's a big difference. Max talks way too much in this game too and none of it is the over-the-top "flesh of fallen angels" type stuff. No Jack Lupino crazy or Vinny Gognitt antics. There's no borderline madness either. It's serious as can be. Felt more like a Die Hard game than Max Payne.
Still, it was a good game, just the weakest in the series.
-
-
Market is just saturated with these games now. Back when MP1 came out, it was revolutionary in many ways. One of my favorite games ever. MP2 wasn't quite as good IMO, but still great, but it just didn't seem as special as MP1 to me.
MP3 looks great and I will be picking it up eventually, but third person shooters are pretty passe now. -
I will definitely be playing this... as soon as I'm no longer having fun playing D3.
-
[deleted]
-
-
-
true, you can't generate a headline quote if its coming from someone like him. more substantial source, maybe
-
-
-
PC sales not a part of this, right? Article says May 29th was the PC release date, which is wrong, as it got moved to June 1st...
-
Totally. i held out for pc like most other players. these numbers are not good representation. i wonder if it gains top stop over this month.
-
-
[deleted]
-
I've been waiting for Max Payne and 2 to be rereleased either on GOG or 360 so I can finally play them, before playing their sequel. I would have thought that would be a no-brainer leading up to the release of Max Payne 3. Apparently not, though. Well, I guess MP3 can keep on waiting.
-
-
[deleted]
-
-
It sucks to hear this because i have been having a blast playing through the single player and playing multiplayer with my friends.
-
-
Lots of people talking here, but bottom like is many didn't buy it. So if you count yourself among the FEW that did buy it. Then like me, you loved it. But if you saw your mom play it, your best friend play it, you stole it, you rented it, you borrowed it and then came here and left a comment or worse - convinced OTHERS NOT to buy cause you didn't like it.
Then you suck monkey balls.
This Max Payne was the best of the bunch and it was a natural progression for the series.-
No it really isn't. It's the worst max payne. The games mechanics are a step down from max payne 1/2. You can only carry 2/3 weapons which i absolutely freaking hate. In MP2 not only did you receive bullet time for killing enemies but time would also slow down more and you would speed up allowing you to dodge bullets. This is not present in mp3 and bullet time is extremely short and almost useless.
Shoot dodge in mp3 is retarded and basically stops time and turns you into a UFO capable of sniping 4-5 or more people with head shots from a single pistol. Pistols in mp1/2 where not that accurate nor did it give you much time during a dive and was more about spraying/dodging bullets during a dive. It also takes forever to stand back up from a shoot dodge while in mp1/2 you could chain dives and keep dodging bullets.
The presentation in MP3 is freaking annoying with the constant seizure effect makes me want to skip every cut scene in the game.-
Why oh why would I want to buy the same Max Payne game I played in 2003. That's nine years ago. I don't want the same setting, I don't want the same story, I don't want the same Max. If Rockstar bought the rights its because they thought they could do something different with it and they did.
They made Max believable, cause I gotta tell you, that skinny ass Max NEVER felt like an ass-kicker. I was never convinced that his voice went with that body, even though I know Max was modeled after the voice actor.
Nope, this is a character that is run down, out of luck and out of time. The presentation although annoying (I will grant you that) is essential, why? cause we are supposed to be in Max's head. This is guy that drinks like mule and takes pain killers like his eating M&M's, his probably hallucinating 24/7 and he is in a country like Brazil where he doesn't understand a THING, he might as well be in Wonderland...no, the setting and the story are spot on.
He is NOT a super hero and that is what I loved about the game play. He aint Master chief or Duke Nuke'em He can take 2 guns guns that's it! If he falls , he has to pick himself up, he has to look for cover and bullet time should be used sparingly.
I don't get how "gamers' PRAISE games like Dark Souls for one hit kills by skeletons, which historically are cannon fodder, but if it takes you 6 hours to go up some stairs cause 3 skeletons are kicking your ass, this is the sign of a great game and it gets bought in flocks.
But cause Max is overweight, which he should be. his older and beat down. I'm surprised he hasn't eaten a bullet by now. The game gets no love.
Yet another reason why we keep getting sequels and there is nothing new under the sun to say nothing about how people think.
-
[deleted]
-
-
-
You know it IS possible for people to have different opinions/tastes in video games.
Yours, unfortunately, is terrible.
Unless you're trolling, in which case, bravo.
Oh, and I fail to see how borrowing/renting a game makes someone's opinion invalid, not throwing your money away on trash games is smart consumerism, IMO.-
No your opinion is terrible.
IF you didn't buy it. Then please don't leave opinions.
That's the bottom line.
You Tubbing it, and borrowing, renting it and bulling shitting that's posing.
Put your money where your mouth is.
Otherwise go back to playing COD and holding up the status quo.
-
-
-
I own and finished it on the pc.
MP1 is still my high point of the series, not just cus it's got Kung Fu 3.0. MP3 just has too many unskippable cutscenes pretending they're not loading screens. I've finished it once and just can't stand waiting through all those damn cutscenes again.
MP is pretty shallow affair. It's alright but there's no depth here.-
-
The levels are huge so this is how they mask the loading of the levels. Once loaded, no more but this is how they did it.
I think it might be a shortcoming of hardware and therefore a decision was made to do it this way in order to keep the flow of the game going. Its not a problem if you are playing the first time around since you are engrossed in the game and story but can get annoying once you've seen it all.
However the game does a decent job of auto saving at key points so its not horrible.
I don't know if installing the game to hard drive makes things a little better.
-
-
-
It really is a crying shame that this game isn't more popular. its one of my favorite single player games and the MP isn't bad ether.
-
As soon as it goes on STEAM SUMMER SALE, I will be buying it. I really try not to pay full price these days with very full exceptions...like if HL3 were to actually ever be released or maybe STALKER 3. Those would be a couple titles worth full price, day one purchase. For that matter, the next Fall Out will most likely be a full pricer as well. Ok, that is it for now. Those three I will pay fill price on the day of release. Others, 1. you have to release on STEAM and 2. you have to wait for it to go on sale on STEAM.
-
Max Payne 3 did very well compared to what it was going up against in Diablo 3. I loved Max Payne 3, its one of my favorite rock star games I have played that I actually finished. Great Story telling. Hopefully the sales don't dictate that Rockstar stops making another sequel of their franchise.
-
