Before you tell me that I am retarded I encourage you to read all, or at least most, of this article. My goal with this piece is to attempt to look at these two games from a different point of view from how most people might see this situation. I think most people just assume that God of War III is going to sell like hotcakes because it is a popular title among the hardcore audience. Those same people probably just see Dante’s Inferno as a cheap clone of GoW.
Don’t get me wrong, GoW III will like sell very well. I am simply trying to look at the situation from a more analytical point of view and I think Dante’s Inferno has a chance to outsell God of War III. If, after reading all the way through, you still think I am idiot then by all means tell me and give me a legitimate counter-argument.
The Case For God of War III
1. Sales Figures
MGS2 sold right around 5.5 million units and MGS3 just over 4 million units, both on PS2. Then MGS4 released on the PS3 and has sold between 4.5 and 5 million units. The original God of War on the PS2 sold between 3 and 3.5 million units. Then GoW II sold closer to 2.5 million units. I believe both series are share similarities with both being critically acclaimed and PlayStation exclusives (with a couple of minor exceptions with MGS: Twin Snakes on GC and MGS2: Substance on Xbox).
I think it is also important to look at sales figures of other PS3 exclusive titles. Resistance: Fall of Man, a PS3 launch title, sold slightly more than 3.5 million units. It’s sequel, which released 2 years later, only sold between 1.5 and 2 million units. Motorstorm released very early in the PS3 life reached sales of 3.5 million units.The original Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune sold just over 3 million units. Even after receiving the massive critic acclaim and several GOTY awards, Uncharted 2 has yet to reach the 3 million units sold mark. Little Big Planet, which came out in 2008, has sold slightly more than 3 million units. The trend I seem to notice here, with the exception of MGS4, is that PS3 exclusive aren’t selling more as time goes on despite the PS3 having a larger install base. In some cases, sequels to exclusives are even selling less.
If I assume that God of War sales trend will be similar to MGS sales then I would predict God of War III selling right around 3 million units. We can also see that 3 million units sold is right in line with every other big name PS3 exclusive that has been released outside of the PS3 launch window.
2. Competition
Another important factor to examine is the games that release around the same time. With MGS4, the only other notable game being released was GTA IV which hit shelves 6 weeks prior, the same amount of time that Dante’s Inferno will be released before God of War III. You also have to realize that FF XIII gets released the week right before GoW III and Heavy Rain two weeks before that. I understand that FF and GoW are different genres but it seems silly to release their biggest game this year right after Final Fantasy. While Heavy Rain will be lucky to sell 500k units, it is an anticipated title worth noting.
I think most people dismiss Dante’s Inferno as a cheap GoW clone that isn’t as good. With the game hitting shelves first, it might be able to steal some sales away from GoW III if people decide they don’t want to play a very similar game so soon after.
3. Marketing
The final point when it comes to God of War III is the marketing campaign. Sony has detailed some of their plans which should be in full effect right now. The biggest marketing push will be their partnership with 7-Eleven and Mountain Dew (similar to Halo 3 promotions). 7-Eleven will have four different collected cups along with its own Slurpee flavor, “Kratos Fury”. There will also be a special GoW III Mountain Dew flavor which will be sold in 20oz. and 2-Liter bottles. Outside of this it has been announced that GoW III will be advertised on Facebook in some capacity as well as having TV Spots during the Mountain Dew Tour on NBC.
This is only the marketing that has been announced and detailed. I am sure we will start to see every website on the internet themed with God of War III like we do for any big release as we get closer to its release. With the massive marketing push the game is receiving I can see how sales would be positively effected.
Given all of these factors I think it is safe to predict God of War III sales to be in the range of 2.5 to 3.5 million units.
The Case for Dante’s Inferno
If we assume God of War III will sell on the high end of my prediction at 3.5 million units, Dante’s Inferno will need to sell more than that. The best evidence that I can use in this case are showing examples of other original IP that sold close to or more than 3.5 million units. To be fair I am also going to take a look at competition and marketing.
1. Sales Figures
This might be considered cheating, but I think the original God of War on the PS2 is a good example of a successful new IP. It came out during the same time of year as Dante’s Inferno’s release and reached sales close to 3.5 million units. Rock Band is also another great game to use as an example. It sold between 3 and 3.5 million units between the PS3 and Xbox 360 (closer to 4.5 with Wii sales included). Mass Effect sold slightly more that 2 million units as an Xbox 360 exclusive. Also, Assassin’s Creed sold over 7.5 million units between the two consoles. Fallout 3 sold more than 4.5 million units between the two consoled (not including PC sales).
Fallout 3 obviously isn’t a new IP but I think it shares many similar traits as it is a name mostly only recognized among a hardcore PC audience and yet it sold very well. The rest of the games mentioned are all new IP, like Dante’s Inferno, which sold very well.
2. Competition
Obviously being released around the same time at God of War III, the two games face similar competition. Mass Effect 2 just came out and has been a very popular titles having already shipped 2 million units worldwide in its first week. The point I want to make here, and one that applies to God of War III as well, is that a new IP can still be successful even with big competition surrounding its release. Rock Band, Mass Effect, and Assassin’s Creed all came out during the holiday season of 2007. These titles sold very well coming off the heels of Halo 3 and Guitar Hero III and having been released during the same month as Call of Duty 4. Despite having massive competition, all three games sold well, especially Assassin’s Creed.
I should also not that both Bayonetta and Darksiders just came out in early January. Neither game has broken the 1 million unit barrier and they probably won’t at this point despite both games receive positive reviews. It is possible that they came out too soon after the holiday season. Or maybe the consumer just isn’t interested in this type of game right now, I’m not really sure.
3. Marketing
EA received attention with Dante’s Inferno pretty early on with their unique approach to marketing, sometimes with negative backlash. EA tried to host a fake protest outside the convention center during E3 09 which resulted in actual protesting against EA. They also tried to give away a night of sin at Comic-con by having people submit pictures of themselves with booth babes which didn’t exactly turn out as planned.
EA did manage to have some great marketing schemes, however. The video for the fake Wii game, “Mass We Pray”, actually makes me wish that the game was real because I would totally play it. They also sent out a wooden box to gaming journalists across the country which contained a hammer and safety goggles and RickRoll’d everybody in the process. And let us not forget the 100% real $200 check that they sent out to gaming sites as well.
Outside of these viral marketing attempts, they are doing some major mainstream marketing as well. I am sure you have already noticed most of the gaming and some non-gaming sites that you visit themed all nicely with Dante’s Inferno. EA has also announced that they have purchased a Super Bowl spot to advertise the game this coming weekend. I haven’t checked the actual price of a Super Bowl ad recently but I know that shit costs more money than I would like to think about.
I think the most important thing that all of EA’s marketing tells us is that they believe in Dante’s Inferno 100% and are pushing it as hard as they can. I can’t think of any other game that EA has pushed as hard as they are with Dante’s Inferno. Ubisoft really believed in Assassin’s Creed and did everything they could to sell that game, and it worked. It is possible, and EA is hoping, that we see the same results with Dante’s Inferno.
The Conclusion!
I stand strong that God of War III will sell between 3 and 3.5 million units, but possibly lower. If Dante’s Inferno performs similar to Darksiders or Bayonetta then it has no chance to outsell GoW III. I don’t think this will be the case, however. I think there is a good chance that Dante’s Inferno will catch the consumer’s eye and people will pick up the title like they did when Assassin’s Creed came out. If that is the case, then I think Dante’s Inferno has a good chance to outsell God of War III.
*EDIT*
I just realized that I never really mentioned Dante’s Inferno being multiplatform. When I say that DI might outsell GoW III, I am considering both versions of the game together. And then I guess there is the PSP version, but I don’t want to get into that.
I am going to have to disagree with you. I know alot of games have sold well, but new EA IPs don’t generally sell that greatly. Look at Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge. Also If you look at the preorder charts for America God of War 3 preorders are greater than Dante’s Inferno, and DI is closer to release. The numbers from GoW3 are 327,688 and DI on both consoles added up to 200,415. God of War 3 still has a month and a half to rack up preorders, DI has 2 weeks. I don’t beleive it will sell more. I see 1.3 million for the PS3 version and 850,000 for the 360 version. Bringing it to 2.15 mill.
@Joseph, fair enough. Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge are good examples of new IP not selling much more than 1 million units. I find it interesting that you think the 360 version of DI will sell less than the PS3 version. Any particular reason for that? Most multiplatform games typically sell more on the 360.
GOW3 will win.
Doesn’t really matter though because both games will suck.
Sorry Joseph..the 360 version of Dante will easily outsell the PS3 version. But won’t outsell GOW 3…
I’d like to hope that DI sells well, I liked DI’s demo more than GOW 3’s
I think what’s swaying me is that Sony’s exclusives just aren’t selling the same way the XBOX’s are, let alone in this case a multi-platform. Despite all that hype and critical acclaim Uncharted 2 received it still hasn’t pushed as many units as the original did in the same time. And now it seems to be dropping off, “actually”. For as much as a fanboy of Sony as I am, I whole heart-idly believe that they are incapable of effectively marketing anything. Hence… why I’m buying this prediction. EA’s campaign is too unique and innovative. God! Who doesn’t want a giant wooden box that won’t stop playing Rick Astley until you smash it with a hammer?
Never use the word “might” in an article like this. I can’t believe that a GOW clone would outsell the original franchise, especially such a blatant ripoff as Dante’s Inferno. Stupid article, speculative information and irrelevant examples.
WTF are you talking about!??
You just rambled about sales figures during half of the paragraphs.
You clearly DIDN’T explain WHY Dante’s Inferno might outsell GOW3.
First of all, GOW3 is an exclusive, you’ve highlighted all the exclusive sales for PS3 hyped games. Roughly they sold around 3-5millions. But did you dare to analyse multiplatform sales? Because Dante’s Inferno is a multiplatform game not a PS3 exclusive!
Second, since Xbox fans want to try out GOW and see why ps3fanboys are banging on so much about (even the ps3tard fanboys doubting Dante’s Inferno as a cheap imitation of GOW3). Xbox fans will want to try out Dante’s Inferno because it’s a GOW ripp off.
Third, there’s gonna be an advert for Dante’s Inferno at this American football thing, whatever it is or called. This will drive sales to Dante’s Inferno.
Fourth, ones who have read the book will likely want to play the game, even though the game ruined some stuff and took liberties. There’s already 12 thousand fans for Dante’s Inferno Facebook page. Hack n Slash lovers (bayonetta/darksiders) will get this game.
Fifth, you highlighted ps3’s exclusive sales, though since Dante’s Inferno is multiplatform, I do think GOW3 will not meet Dante’s Inferno’s sale. I mean, everybody hyped up Uncharted 2 (doubt GOTY 2009), yet it only reached 3 million copies! And you do know that multiplatform games do sell more!
It’s the same bull how everyone is hyping up GOW3, and I’m sure it will not reach 4million before Uncharted 2!
Sixth, Darksiders and Bayonetta were released at a bad time because a lot of people were waiting for Mass Effect 2. Bayonetta is doing well in sales on ps3 (Japan). Everyone is sceptical for the ps3 version elsewhere because of SEGA sh* port! Mother farkers couldn’t even make HDD install, Sony had to do it!
Seventh, 18 rated, contains nearly everything: langauge, violence, nudity etc. Dante’s Inferno has heavily use of nudity than GoW3, I’m still not sure on which game has heavy use of Violence. I mean GOW3 has head ripping off, while Dante’s Inferno has gruesome way of killing!
This is hell we are farking talking about, it’s torture and violence, of course people would wanna buy Dante’s Inferno before GOW3 comes out. (ps3tard fanboys will eventually buy Dante’s Inferno even though they bash it!).
“I find it interesting that you think the 360 version of DI will sell less than the PS3 version. Any particular reason for that? Most multiplatform games typically sell more on the 360.”
To Nameless Ted and OldBoy.
Dante’s Inferno will sell more on PS3 than Xbox 360 because EA and DICE are supporting the ps3 platform, they feel that PS3 is good for hack n slash, that’s the reason why they made the Divine Edition on PS3.
More also Dante’s Inferno will sell well on PS3 because PS3 has a good controller responsive and layout for hack n slash games (infact for nearly every genre, more than 360!). Bayonetta PS3 already out sold Xbox 360’s version in Japan. If God of War is ps3 exclusive and Dante’s Inferno is a GOW clone, don’t you think people would buy the ps3 version?
@Xino, I am not really sure what point you are trying to make.
The reason I use PS3 exclusive titles as examples is to compare them to God of War III. I then go on to compare previously new IP to Dante’s Inferno. Both Rock Band and Assassin’s Creed were multiplatform games, as was Fallout 3 (which isn’t a new IP).
Also, with the exception of MGS4, most big name PS3 exclusives have sold closer to 3 million, not 5 million.
Yeah, I’m gonna have to disagree with this article. Most of the new PS3 IP’s you mentioned came out at the start of the consoles lifecycle. And we all know that when a new console is released with new IP’s they tend to sell because of the lack of many good games. That is why those games you mentioned sold as many as they did. But now that we are further into the lifecycles there are more games so people aren’t settling for a game just because it’s new.
Mandel
it’s not about PS3 was released and those game just came out.
Everbody hyped up Uncharted 2 so much with it’s boasting graphics. Yet the game has only made 3 million.
It’s EXACTLY the same thing with GOW3, the fanboys can boast for all they care. The game will only reach 3 million sales!
I can see you have put up some okay arguments, but you also failed in some ways:
1) ur MGS example fails, since MGS4 sold more than MGS3. What that shows is that a new gen version of a game boosts the appeal for a game and many fans return to check it out.
2) In marketing, you clearly forgot to mention the GOW3 NASCAR as well as any further marketing the game will likely get closer to release.
3) You forget how many new fans GOW has since the release of GOW collection.
4) You forget how many pissed of gamers their are, angry at how EA and DICE have shitted all over an epic novel and claim they only used DI to sell the game and not to the novel any justice.
5) You forget that many PS3 owners will not buy DI and wait for GOW3, meaning the 360 may have to keep DI afloat.
6) you forget that many 360 owners will be busy playing ME2 and Bioshock2 and waiting for Alan Wake and Battlefield BC2 than risking playing a wanna be GOW3.
7) New IP’s are not a guaranteed 3-4 million seller success. Bayonetta, Brutal Legend, Mirrors Edge, Dead Space and Infamous say hello.
9) You haven’t taken into account the new trailer SOny will probably show off to the masses nearer to launch that had people like Ngai, HHG and many other journalists gob smacked.
I am not saying I disagree with you, I am just saying you haven’t taken these variables into consideration.
@Nameless ted
The reason I believe the PS3 version will outsell the 360 version is simple. The PS3 version has 130,000 preorders and the 360 version has around 70,000. Last week the PS3 version went up by 18,000 and the 360 version went up by 9,000. This is the “American” charts. If it’s selling more on the PS3 in America it will outsell it worldwide. People know that the PS3 version is getting the better stuff, also PS3 owners are the demographic for a game like that. I won’t be getting Dante’s Inferno, but I sure as hell will be getting God of War 3. Also Sony are heavily advertising GoW3, Neither of the first two games had 7-11 or Nascar adverts, I also never saw a God of War commercial for 1 or 2. This will change with GoW3, and people have seen how sick it looks and will but it, even if they haven’t played either 1 or 2. An example: My friend played GoW1, not 2, but intends to get 3, because it loooks sick. I assume 3.5-4.5 mill for GoW3.
Fei Hung
some nice arguments there but you too failed in many ways
2) Dante is getting Super Bowl advert that will generate sales (18 rated game (hell) being shown with family fun football!) and from Facebook post of Visceral “front page of the New York Times”.
4) Do you really believe some UK gamers will spend £100 for the GOW3 collection? No multiplayer, no online, DLC? unlockable contents?
5) PsP is hungry for games, PsP users will keep the game afloat. And PS3 users are bound to keep it afloat because EA are supporting the PS3’s version with the Divine Edition.
6) Xbots who experienced the Bad Company 2 demo will dismiss in buying it because of the poor quality demo!
7) Infamous sold 1 million (Infamous 2 in the works). Bayonetta should have been released 2009, the game got delayed so people wanted to buy Mass Effect 2 instead.
Dante’s Inferno is a multiplatform, multiplatform games sell well.;)
Sony missed their chance for the Super Bowl ad. After enjoying Dante’s Inferno, everyone would be expecting the trailer and will not be anticipated any more.
well dante is a multi so it doesnt matter…
i dont see why people think Uncharted 2 hasnt sold enough,yeah it hasnt sold what it deserves but still,the first barely reached over 3 mill. in a little over 2 years and U2 has about 2.7 in 4 months.gow3 will sell well with its big fan base with the first 2 and with gow collection.to tell you the truth i think gow 3 is the biggest ps3 exclusive sense mgs4,its a wild thought of mine but i think gow3 will sell more than mgs4.
Yeah.. How many people do you think know about Dante’s Inferno? People are more likely to have heard about Kratos then Dante, and even if they heard of Dante’s Inferno first they probably heard about God of War in the process due to all the comparisons.
Then you have to consider this: A new third party EA ip selling out a first party Sony series? Only if it’s revolutionary, which its not. You have to think about it.. Mirror’s Edge and Dead Space didn’t even do well. Why would Dante?
Normally I would totally agree, but due to the circumstances as of now I’m unsure. I expect God of War to sell somewhere between 2 and 3 million, and Dante to sell about 2 million. Really though, Dante is not a mainstream game, and even a great game like Batman: Arkham Asylum only pushed 2 million, even with one of the most recognized characters in the world on its cover!
But.. We’ll see how it turns out.
You know you lost this discussion ever since you decided to make this shit , all you wanted were some hits and posts any posts and you win but got raped in the same time.
You are stating the obvious here dumbass and there are chances that your obvious might be destroyed.
GOW IS EXCLUSIVE
DANTE IS NOT
Now calculate and STFU fool.
Can’t wait for Dantes’s Inferno to rape GOW 3 sales, then the tears will flow.
I really don’t care how well Dante does. I still wouldn’t buy a crap amateur rip-off no matter how many dumb asses buy it.
Dante misses all the little nuances that makes god of war kick ass. Playing the Dante demo, the game felt shallow and soulless. That bit at the end where you’re riding that beast and killing demons had no weight to it, it felt very mechanical. Games like Bayonetta and Darksiders at least add something to the genre. Dante just rips off god of war 1…..badly.
I think god of war will do well and sell more than dante on the PS3 as it’s a well known franchise.
Another thing is that this article is rubbish. You, sir, are just not good at analyzing.
To anyone who wants a god of war-esque game that isn’t god of war. I recommend picking up bayonetta or darksiders over Dante’s Inferno. Much more enjoyable games.
@Thadd, what about my article is rubbish? And why am I not good at analyzing?
Is my comparison of GoW III to MGS4 incorrect? Are my factual numbers of sales of other PS3 exclusive titles also wrong?
Is comparing Dante’s Inferno to other new IP from a large third-party company with financial backing incorrect?
I think Rock Band is a great example of a new IP being released by EA, which was going up against Guitar Hero III, an established franchise. Rock Band still sold very well. Assassin’s Creed was also a new IP that sold extremely well which was backed by Ubisoft. And I think it is obvious that EA is putting more money into the advertising for Dante’s Inferno than any other new IP, if not any of their games in general.
together including ps3 and 360 version i still doubt it.
one thing people are forgetting is sony has released lost of new IPs for the ps3, they have not released many famous ps2 titles so there is still many people waiting to change.
GOW3 will be the first title for them to do so, besides MGS4.
sequels of well known series always sell better than new IPs, there are many people who are waiting for one of those to buy a ps3.
im expecting GOW 3 to sell a good 5M by years end, i will be very surprised and disappointed if it does not.
as long as sony pulls their finger out of their a$$ and actually markets the game it should sell like hot cakes.
@ mark thats fine, gow3 will still beat di in everything else that matters, and probably outsell it in lifetime sales, i give 3-6 months before di is dropped for the next flavor of the month big game.
Whereas gow3 will have people talking about it for yrs look at part 1 and 2. Which game will be traded in after being beaten 1 time, i seriously doubt it’s gow3. So uncharted 2 has sold almost 3 million, and yet some people seem to use it as a sign of failure. Not every game out there going is going to hit 8 or 10 million units sold.
Di demo was okay, i’ll check it out at some point, but after trying the gow3 demo, man sony needs to let me buy this game already.
Dante’s inferno will sell more just for the fact that its multi-platform………..
Are you serious?? Your logic is not sound at all… Your comparing sales figures for uncharted which has been out what over 2 years to a game that has only been out what 4 months? You say Uncharted one has sold around 3 million units well guess what? That is in over a 2 year time frame which isnt all that good but decent for a new ip. Now you say Uncharted 2 has sold just under 3 million, THATS IN 4 MONTHS!! By the time it has been out 2 years it will easily reach 4 million! God of War 3 didnt win the Most anticipated game of 2010 at the VGA awards for nothing. Every web site iv been on that has done independent surveys show that it is indeed the most anticipated known game of 2010. Now considering DI is a multiplatform title and GoW3 is an exclusive then yes, sales across both platforms probably will out do GoW3 sales. Im sure DI will sell more on the 360 cuz they dont have GoW3 to save there money for coming out just a month later. There is no way that the ps3 version of DI will outsell GoW3. I a have a PS3 and i really liked th DI demo and im ok with it bing a 99.9% clone of GoW because i like GoW. But i have bills and am not planning on getting DI until after i buy and beat GoW3 or i may just rent DI.
I can’t see this happening at all. GOW 3 pre – orders are through the roof already and the game is still more than a month away. Yes, launching it just one week after Final Fantasy XIII is a bit stupid but it will still sell really well and with the massive marketing push it’s getting there’s no way Dante’s Inferno will match it. The only people who genuinely expect DI to outsell GOW 3 are mindless 360 fanboys, Like Mark, who can’t afford a PS3 so will never know what it’s like to play a real game.
Having said that i don’t agree with the general consensus that DI is nothing but a GOW clone. I think DI is taking a very interesting direction and i’ll definetly be picking up both games.
Also, there is one part of your article that is dead wrong – God Of War 3 is not Sony’s biggest release this year. Gran Turismo 5 is.
Why wouldnt it outsell god of war 3 its multiplatform moron. This article is pointless
To finalise this conclusion. i found somert tat might make you think tiwce. heres a chart figures for uncharted 2 this was taken for 21st october last year.WITHOUT NOVMBER AND XMAS PERIOD FIURES.
http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=28733®ion=All
Total Sales
0.11m
Japan
ALSO YOU HAVE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE AME WILL E SELLING WITH COSOLES AS WELL..
1.34m
Americas
1.33m
Others
2.78m
Total
@xino
Uncharted 2 has only been out for about 5 months and it already has 2.8 million sold. I think it’s safe to say that It will outsell the first way before the one year mark of its release.
I dont care about sales but I do hope sony santa monica can get some good sales from god of war 3, also I hope Naughty Dog can get some more sales with U2. Any ps3 gamer that bought MW2 instead of U2 should die. Seriously you dumb fucks why would you pay 60 bucks for the same game every year and not buy one of the greatest games of all time!!! Oh because all you brainless people need floating guns on the screen to play a game. Dante who?? Please played the demo and will not buy. For sure buying GOD OF WAR 3 day one.
If you take your argument and add the fact that many people only get games for online play then that chops off a lot of the sales that people expect. On top of that many people will most likely buy GOW3 because of the hype it is creating and wanting to find out about it. I expect for the sales to be nearly even.
Not the best article on earth. Why do so many jurno’s write pointless articles about game sales. They should be writing articles that bring to peoples attention what really matters and that to me is techical break throughs.
IMO as long as any game sells enough to make a healthy proffit then it is a success, and looking at the sales trends of ps3 exclusives compared to there quality i think it’s clear that the more techicaly ground breaking a game is the smaller the audiance it seems to appeal to. just look at this generation’s best sellers, halo 3 and gears of war no matter how popular those tittles are they don’t push the envelope but sell a massive amount. It’s just the same with Mondern warfare. the first 1 broke the boundries with enabling you to shoot through walls and such and it sold a gigantic amount. but the money they made was in no way used to improve on the technolegy. MW2 does nothing more than the first one did apart from slighty improve Graphics, physics and some gameplay tweeks but no destructable environments??
I’m just pretty happy that i’m not the only person in the world that knows that the amount a game sells does in no way determin the quality and lets just take a second to think about Gran turismo 5. has that not got the potential to sell like nothing on earth??
There is no way that Dante’s Inferno will outsell God of War III. No one with a PS3 will buy Dante’s Inferno and not buy God of War III. But lots of PS3 owners will buy God of War III and not buy Dante’s Inferno.
Dante’s Inferno will release on the same day as Bioshock 2. Xbox 360 gamers are NOT going to buy Dante’s Inferno over Bioshock 2. In fact Bioshock 2 practically guarantees that Dante’s Inferno will sell more copies on the PS3 than it does on the 360.
God of War is going to sell more on PS3 hands down.
Fact is Dante’s Inferno is a solid game, add to that EA’s marketing and it will easily outsell GOW. Sony’s marketing blows and being the retards they are, still think their games will sell on name alone. They had the perfect time ad slot for for GOW during the Super Bowl but once again they failed, just like last year when they failed to advertise KZ2.
Marketing = sales
shitty “wrath of kratos” slurpees aren’t enough, sry kids.
What are you on about??
GoW 3 will be GOTY 2010, just like UC2 was GOTY 2009 and LBP=GOTY 2008 before it.
Sony’s gunna have a triple GOTY in a row!
Currently it’s a double XD
@Balram,
I think you missed the point of my article. Uncharted 2 was considered one of the best games of last year, but it wasn’t even close to the best selling game. Same goes for LBP.
My article has nothing to do with which game will be better, just a look at how I think DI has a chance of outselling GoW III even if GoW is a superior game.
I love God of War as a franchise. It strokes my mythology boner in ways most games try to, but don’t. .I bought a PS3 based on my intent to play God of War 3, which I consider one of Sony’s best franchises. I pre-ordered the Limited Edition God of War 3 Pandora’s Box and purchased the 1-2 collection, and upon my return home, immediately downloaded the demo and played through it a couple of times.
After about a week it dawned on me. This game is fucking ugly. I’m not taking about the number of polygons, or how many pores you can count on Kratos’ face. After a week all I could notice is how 60% of my screen was covered in black. Not dark colours, but almost 100% black. I’m an artist by trade, and you can call me out for being a fanboy or whatever, but ask any artist of repute and they’ll tell you to never, ever, use black for anything.
Somebody needs to remind the art director about God of War 2, which has a brilliant colour palette. Combine that with gameplay that has pretty much remained unchanged, and for me, you’ve got a game that leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Mostly because I was very much looking forward to this.
Here’s another thing: I absolutely hate it when a series jumps console generations. Not only does it often make the previous versions of a game unplayable by comparison, but it forces a consumer to buy a new system in order to continue a series. I hate it so much and I still bought a PS3 with the intent to play God of War 3.
Long story short, I canceled my pre-order, traded-in not only the God of War collection, but my PS3 and all the games I had with it. Games like Uncharted 1-2, Assassin’s Creed 1-2, and LittleBigPlanet. Because if I wasn’t going to play the game I bought the system for, I wasn’t going to bother.
For me, this generation has been a slew of disappointments. Nothing but rehashes of old genres with new coats of paint, sometimes ugly coats of paint. There are a few exceptions of course. Uncharted took the Tomb Raider formula and added-in characters that didn’t suck, and Assassin’s Creed took the idea of open world further than it had been in the previous generation.
Anyway, this is turning into a tl;dr. Bottom line, there are a couple of gems, but for the most part, fuck this gen. It’s the same as the last only more expensive.
First off, Dante’s Inferno is released the same as Bioshock 2 which could potentially hurt sales since it is confirmed that there were more pre-sold copies of Bioshock 2
“I love God of War as a franchise. It strokes my mythology boner”, made me lol. I personally believe it might be a close race as it is far to early to tell who’s going to sell more.I totally agree that DI is a ripoff of GOW, but GOW isn’t exactly 100% original. You use what works, I would rather have a rip off of something that’s time tested to be awesome than them throwing new shit in my face and calling it a game. GOWIII did have some pretty good marketing but DI also got the Super Bowl, and it was loosely based off the divine comedy which has been kickin it since the 14th century. I Personally bought DI because The Divine Comedy was what i studied during my last year of university, and as i said before it was really REALLY loosely based, they took out the boring and added a naked Cleopatra using Marc Anthony as a puppet of doom… fair trade. Time will tell on this one and i hope both seel amazingly well so we can have more awesome sequels to come, anyone with me on that ?.
Also i apologize for butchering grammar, i hope no one out here is a grammar nazi.
I kind of agree with this article. If you look at marketing and sales, DI does have a chance of outselling GoW 3 or coming close to it on the ps3 alone. However, I don’t think will sell over 5M copies. I know UC 2 has sold over 2.8 M in around 5 months, which is good; the problem is that for a game that was highly anticipated and got critical acclaim, 2.8 million units is poor compared to sales from Halo games and other exclusives. There was almost no advertisement for that game as well and as of today, I don’t hear much about UC 2 the way the hype was before release.
The problem is that there is nearly no ads for a particular game or the crowd goes for the safe stuff that they know. It doesn’t matter if a game gets the GotY award and stuff; it won’t do if it doesn’t sell. Some devs complain about how hard it is to crack the wii’s hardcore audience when the same problem applies to the other consoles. Look at Dead Space. That game was critically acclaim and all, but it didn’t brake any sale records. The same applies to The Legend of Zelda series. That series is really popular and whenever a new game is announce, the hype goes to the top. However, those games barely sell 4 to 5 million copies in their life spam. Again, there is nearly no advertisement for that series and Nintendo thinks the way Sony does; that games will sell on name only.
Assassin’s Creed sold a lot because it was multiplatform and because it was heavily advertised by Ubisoft. They bet everything on that game and were rewarded. Assassin’s Creed 2 suffered a major hit; it was released around the time Modern Warfare 2 was hitting the shelves. If gamers had a choice, they would pick MW 2 over AC 2. That’s mostly due to some disappointments the first AC brought with it. It’s a shame really because I played MW 2 and I didn’t like the single player campaign and the online multiplayer was nothing revolutionary (CoD 4 was better); BUT, Assassin’s Creed 2’s story is in a whole other level. It’s really engaging and they kept their word of “variety.” Sadly it will not break any sale records either.
As for Dante’s Inferno… WTF? Ok, I admit that the GoW series is badass and i love it to death, but let’s get something clear, Kratos did not invent the Greek Gods and the bloody death matches! You guys say that DI is a rip off of the GoW games. So then, is it fair to say that the GoW series is a rip off of the animemated series Ulysses 31 and Saint Seiya? Those two series talk about wars and conflicts against the Greek Gods and were created long before most of us were born. Also, have you heard of Conquer Bad Fur Day? Even though it was animated violence, you could tear your enemies apart in that game in gruesome ways, and it was an N64 game. Remember the old Mortal Kombat games? Yeah, those were pretty hardcore games, too. You see some sequential moments were you press a button and you say it’s a GoW rip off. You think that Kratos own everything when you don’t even know your history. I did play the demo for Dante’s Inferno, and even though I agree that the gameplay was a bit choppy, I felt that the ideas were more refreshing that the GoW 3 demo. I’m getting DI this weekend and GoW 3 for sure when it comes out. Btw, DI is still in the best selling games chart at gamestop. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go play some Valkyria Chronicles before going to bed. Cheers!
After playing the GOW3 demo, this article matters even less (if possible). After my xbox red ringed I bought a ps3 out of spite and I’m damn glad that I did. The demo wasn’t anything unexpected, but it was such a great “Fuck you” to all the clones out there (such as Dante’s Inferno), not only is GOW3 going to destroy copycats, its going to piss on them, call their mothers whores and show them how to hang.
Also, Dante’s inferno is a ripoff of GOW because it uses the SAME GAME MECHANICS. Play both before making a comment elgato_8569, DI COMPLETELY copies a ton of gameplay elements, completely forgetting that there is a shit load of people out there who actually play video games and have the very basic ability of being able to call out a piece of shit when they see it. This article sucked so much it hurts, fire this person.