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PC Games (Games) The Almighty Buck

PC Game Sales Dropped In 2005 60

Posted by Zonk from the sigh dept.
Gamasutra reports on the not-terribly-surprising news that PC game sales were down in 2005. From the article: "Also doing excellently was EA's The Sims 2 and its two associated expansions, and The Sims franchise collectively took up four of the top ten spots. The rest of the top ten is made up of a mixture of the mass-market accessible games, such as Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, with the more 'hardcore' shooter and MMO titles such as Guild Wars and Battlefield 2."
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PC Game Sales Dropped In 2005 More

PC Game Sales Dropped In 2005

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  • The number of PC game releases was down in 2005.

    The rest of the top ten is made up of a mixture of the mass-market accessible games

    Shocker.

  • Meanwhile, in the EA's headquarters (Score:5, Funny)

    by Alarash ( 746254 ) on Wednesday January 18, 2006 @03:37PM (#14503422)
    Oh noes! Nasty, meany peer to peer! We need to make anti-piracy laws even stronger! Piracy is the only possible explanation for this drop in sales! What? What do you mean "no innovation, sequels and bugs are to blame" ? I bet YOU are a pirate! Show me your ID!
    • Thanks to the wonder of copy protection. And lets give a hand to Starforce, the wonderful copy protection that installs on the driver level and intercepts all your HD access. Nice! That one won't cause any problems.
      I'm really disappointed that Heroes of Might and Magic V is going to use Starforce. I've bought every Heroes game since the first but I guess I'm just going to have to pass on this one.
  • I might be able to explain this. I think that most teenage gamers are now constantly finding new ways of getting these games illegally, for free. With the recent explosion of Bit-Torrent sites, pirating just got easier. These "kiddies" can now communicate easily and rate which files work and which don't.

    I've interacted with many gamers in my life, and most of them never buy games. And no, there aren't a lot of people who will buy the game to support the company. In fact, some have become very very ignorant

    • Re:My presumptions (Score:2, Insightful)

      by sarabiz ( 899013 )
      Wow, I had no idea that a dick, even one as small as yours, was required to figure out how to pirate games! Damn my moronic lady lumps.
      • What are you doing on slashdot? This is only for men. Real men you know the kind that never take a show and the closest they will ever come to a woman is their DnD elf figure that they have spent six months painting just so.
        Man if my wife see that parent post she will flip out, Considering she is the head of technical support at a software company.
        You go girl.
    • As for The Sims 2, I would presume that their main public are girls. They don't exactly know or want to know the computer knowledge required to pirate games.

      It's not just girls though. A few of my buddies in college that had absolutely no idea how to download programs were hooked on The Sims (A friend installed it for them). Personally I think the game is boring and focuses on the worst part of the original Sim City game; only this time instead of rebuilding after an earthquake or tornado, we get to pi

      • Personally I think the game is boring and focuses on the worst part of the original Sim City game; only this time instead of rebuilding after an earthquake or tornado, we get to pick up people's garbage or they die. Fun...

        I, too, couldn't care less about virtual people. However, the Sims is great for designing buildings (OK, not great, has lots of problems and limitations, but better than trying to use some 3D modelling program for it). I had great fun building and decorating my fantasy castle...

        • Good lord, I though I was the only one.

          I spent like 4 or 5 hours solid working on a Sims house. Spent a fair while designing the people living there as well.

          2 Minutes in to the game. Got bored, killed everyone horrifically, played something else.

          • I spent like 4 or 5 hours solid working on a Sims house. Spent a fair while designing the people living there as well.

            5 days. But then again, it is a medieval castle, complete with barracks (and their own bathroom and lavatory), the queen's chambers, audience chamber, prison (just a single cell - darn the size limit), kitchen, and the grand social hall upstairs. All built with defense in mind, of course, from making the road to the main gate a killing grounds of bowfire from every direction to putting t

    • Re:My presumptions (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      I'm sorry, this year I couldn't even be bothered to steal games for the PC; nothing is interesting of fun anymore. First Person Shooters have become tech-demos built on top of a standard game (you could honestly re-release Half-Life with prettier graphics and be producing the same game), RTS games have evolved little since Dune 2, there were no major RPGs released, and little inovation in turn based strategy; the only games worth playing this year were MMO games which require you to purchase the game.

      Steali

    • Re:My presumptions (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Trepalium ( 109107 )
      Or it could simply be the fact there were very, very few "must have" games released in 2005. I can't think of one game I wanted to rush out and purchase in the last twelve months (hard to think of any I wanted to download, either). But, of course, that can't be the reason. Nope, must be piracy.
    • Well, first off, you're an ass - but I attribute that to a lack of experience / knowledge that there are female gamers out there - and ones that pirate games.

      Second, you're also right about the kiddies and bittorrent.

      I think that the new copy protections being used are almost a pain in the ass enough to buy the real game. SecureRom7, to bypass it, you need additional software that dupes the security measure. That may have changed in the last...3 months (?) but I'm not sure.

      • Re:My presumptions (Score:3, Insightful)

        by ultranova ( 717540 )

        I think that the new copy protections being used are almost a pain in the ass enough to buy the real game. SecureRom7, to bypass it, you need additional software that dupes the security measure. That may have changed in the last...3 months (?) but I'm not sure.

        Actually, copy protections are enough of a pain in the ass to get the crack even if you bought the game. I don't know about anyone else, but I find it extremely annoying to have to keep the CD around.

        • I bought a Starforce-protected game last year and it led to my decision to stop purchasing games. I still download occasionally, since the protection can be removed and zero is a much more fair price for the crap the industry is curently producing.

          The games industry could reverse my decision (and maybe many others) by doing two things:

          Ditch Starforce and any similarly intrusive or demanding security measures. Wakey wakey people, these measures are costing you far more in lost sales than casual piracy was!

  • Better graphics only go so far (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dar ( 15755 ) on Wednesday January 18, 2006 @03:45PM (#14503538) Homepage
    There's an obsession lately with better graphics. What I'd rather see is an obsession with interesting gameplay.
    • Interesting gameplay doesn't require better graphics. That would mean that you don't need a new video card or a new console to play these multimillion dollar games that are being shoved out. Without the software, the hardware market crashes, and vice-versa (at least with the current mode of thinking employed by publishers).

      I don't expect gameplay to improve until all of the jaggies are off of Lara Crofts' boobs. I'm sure there are plenty of developers who have great ideas when it comes to innovative g
  • Meanwhile, as reported here four days ago, console game sales set an all-time record in 2005 [slashdot.org].

    • Re:Meanwhile... (Score:3, Informative)

      by Soulslayer ( 21435 )
      Incorrect. Sales of home console hardware, portable console hardware, home console software and portable software combined set a new overall record.

      Home console software sales were actually down 12% in 2005.

      • Thanks for the correction. Mod parent up!
      • Home console software sales were actually down 12% in 2005.
        Could it be because consumers are spending more money on home/portable console hardware?

        I'm just agreeing with others who say that it is other factors besides pirating.

        I really do buy games to support companies. I bought Doom3 and Sims2 the opening day to show my support for those types of games. Sadly though, I jumped the gun on BF2. It pains me to have supported such an inferior sequal.
        • Home console sales were down (even with the 360 launch), but portable sales were up. I was responding to the previous poster's assertion that the console market saw an up-turn in software sales. Both console and PC software sales were down. Console hardware sales were significantly down, while portable and PC hardware sales were up.

          I doubt piracy has increased or declined significantly over the past year so it is unlikely that ir had any effect on the change in bottom line one way or the other.

  • Whodathunk? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by KDR_11k ( 778916 ) on Wednesday January 18, 2006 @04:08PM (#14503814)
    Who would have thought that PC game sales would drop off after a year seeing hyped up megasellers like Doom 3, Half-Life 2 and World of Warcraft? Especially after lacking any major hyped up titles (BF2 and GW weren't hyped nearly as much as those FPSes with flashier graphics)? Sure, there was Civ 4 but that's hardly going to make up for the lack of those hyped FPSes.
    • Well I would not consider WoW a mainstream game, as not every kid is on MMORPG, so despite it's a top seller, it's not like every guy wants to play it, not even when you have to pay a monthly fee to do it. After being a gamer for over 22 years, i have had my console moments and pc moments, and i use to switch to one system or another when i feel like this or that system has nothing more to offer, or like i'm getting bored of playing the same games. Nowadays, due to my work/wife situation, i am more into con
  • As analyzed here:

    http://www.costik.com/weblog/2006_01_01_blogchive. html#113760404896764843 [costik.com]

    If you factor in online sales and MMO subscription fees, it's possible PC revenues have actually gone up.
  • I used to buy several games a year, the cool shooters, RPGs that caught my eye, the Sims 2 for my girlfriend. However, since I bought WoW, I haven't played anything else. Oh I BOUGHT Battlefield 2, and Civilization 4, but I still haven't really played them.

    Here's the thing though, one of the main reasons keeping me on windows was PC gaming. If the mac version is as good as advertised, my next PC will be a mac. All of the other programs I need are platform agnostic.

  • Someone wake me when the surprise appears (Score:4, Insightful)

    by WidescreenFreak ( 830043 ) on Wednesday January 18, 2006 @04:17PM (#14503923) Homepage Journal
    Really, though. Is this newsworthy? Look at what we got in 2005:

    • Faster Internet access in more and more homes
    • Increasing dislike for DRM and copy protection
    • Fewer games of any real interest that were not sequels
    • Fewer games that were driven by story and plot or were of respectable over all quality
    • Increasing sales of consoles and console games
    • Increasing popularity of MMORPGs

    Okay, faster Internet can lead to increased downloading. That in conjunction with the continued use of copy protection can certainly make it more appealing to just download the game rather than purchase it out-right, particularly when downloading a game can take less time than running out and buying it. I do not put the blame for a decrease in sales on these factors, however. I think these are minor, although I'm sure that the developers would love to make faster downloading the scapegoat.

    For me, the main reason (besides lack of time due the wife giving birth to another urchin) was that with few exceptions the games in 2005 sucked. Even games like Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, F.E.A.R, and Battlefield 2 really had nothing unique to them, but - damn - they're fun and I gladly bought all of them. Unfortunately, they're in the minority. The majority of PC games just were not worth putting down my money. That's all there is to that.

    The skyrocketing popularity of games like World of Warcraft certainly would not have helped. Look at how many people are so engrossed by their favorite MMORPGs. Given the choice of playing another game or utilizing the MMORPG that often includes a monthly fee, I'm sure that most people figured that they might as well play the MMORPG that they're paying for rather than buy another game. Hell, I'm paying for it! I might as well just keep playing it!

    The simple fact is that 2005 just didn't have a whole hell of a lot of PC games that were worth buying. History shows that if a game has mass appeal, it will sell and sell very well. The number of PC games that were released in 2005 is lackluster at best.

    Funny thing about PC games and movies. Release crap and then be shocked when sales are down; so blame anything else other than the quality (or lack thereof) of the games and movies. Damn pirates! They prevented the gaming industry from releasing games worth buying -- apparently.

  • Console Game Sales Down Nearly as Much (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Soulslayer ( 21435 ) on Wednesday January 18, 2006 @04:33PM (#14504100) Homepage
    http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060115-5983 .html [arstechnica.com]

    PC game sales are listed as being to the tune of $950+ million. Console sales figures are often quoted as being $10.5 billion in sales. But wait, that is not console software sales. That is the total sales volume for the physical consoles themselves, hand-held consoles, peripherals, and software. The home console system and peripheral sales account for $2.5 billion of that total (that's including a launch year numbers for the XBOX 360). The hand-held market accounted for $1.6 billion. Home console software sales accounted for $4.7 billion (a drop of 12% from last year) while portable system software rose 42% to $1.4 billion. Total unit sales of portables and consoles combined were down 6.3% from last year.

    So looking at the raw NPD data (some of which appears to be suspect) the best way to sum up PC sales is to say that they fell marginally sharper than console sales. Effectively we are saying the proportion of console to PC sales has remained nearly the same from 2004 to 2005. And that isn't counting revenue generated by subscription services (for either consoles or PC's) or direct digital sales (which consoles are just starting to get into and PC's got into in a big way last year).

    On top of that realize that the PC platform is really the equivalent to a single console platform. To really make a 1 to 1 comparisson you have to compare PC game sales figures to PS2, XBOX, XBOX 360, and Gamecube sales figures. By that measuring stick, the PC is the second largest after the Playstation 2.

    To sum up, the sky isn't falling, but the market is changing. Cling to the old ways and sales figures from channels becoming increasingly less relevant to your industry and you are going to make the wrong decisions and miss the next wave.

    BTW Personal computer sales rose 15.6% by volume (worldwide) over last year to a staggering $202 billion while PC video card/chipset sales (for NVIDIA and ATI only) rose to $4 billion (up 12.9% over last year).

    • Oh and if one fully RTFA's you will see that Gamasutra notes:

      As a result of this skewing away from retail, NPD will be changing its PC chart calculation in the near future, as NPD's industry analyst Anita Frazier commented: "NPD will be launching its new definition of the U.S. PC game market this spring which will include a combination of sales from retail, downloads, and both casual and MMO subscription revenues. We expect this will add significant dollars to the PC game market size."

      So even NPD concedes t
    • I guess portable system software rose because two new systems where introduced in the market. And we should wait and see what are these figures when PS3 and Rev are out, and there are more games available for the 360 and these new systems. If the lineup for the 2 upcoming systems is appealing and the 360 "counterattack" with some blockbusters, expect the sofware sales to rise a lot. We are now at the end of a console generation era, and in the middle of transition to the new one. Once these new systems are

  • Game Sales Dropped... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Bellum Aeternus ( 891584 ) on Wednesday January 18, 2006 @04:40PM (#14504174)
    Because you only need one copy of WoW...

    Seriously, were there any other compelling games out this year? Sounds to me like EA's RIAA inspired 'do the same damn crap all the time to maximize profit' mantra isn't working. Suprised? I'm not.

    • I've been buying older games like KotOR2 and Baldur's Gate Collection just because I know they are good games and yet still cheap at the same time. I snagged KotOR2 for $30 and BG for under $20. I know I have to wait a while for prices to drop so I'm not playing the game immediately but at the same time, I don't have as much time to play games these days.

      But I whole-heartedly agree with the lack of compelling games. There really weren't any titles that made me say 'Wow' (pun not intended). I just haven't

  • only ONE (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Jacek Poplawski ( 223457 ) on Wednesday January 18, 2006 @05:23PM (#14504582)
    The only interesting game relased in 2005, and the only I bought in last year was Civilization IV.

    There is really nothing new in new FPSes, things planned for first Doom (like "not just hit ctrl to shot" or "monsters morphing") are still not implemented in any!

    So called "strategy games" (RTSes) are just clones of Dune 2 with new units and multiplayer modes.

    The Sims are nice idea (alife-like), they are popular, because girls can play them just like with dolls.

    Stop bitching on p2p and start working you dumb game designers.

  • Huh? (Score:2)

    by Guspaz ( 556486 )
    "Also doing excellently was EA"

    Is excellently even a word?

    Besides, I read another article not too long ago saying that this was a bumper year for the game industry. I guess it just goes to show how unreliable the game press are.

  • The reason I bought almost no games in 2005 (Score:3, Interesting)

    by miu ( 626917 ) on Wednesday January 18, 2006 @11:58PM (#14507032) Homepage Journal
    Ever increasing hardware requirements. Simple as that.

    I bought a couple games based on the required and suggested hardware levels and discovered something shocking. They lied. I'm sticking with the last generation of games (hl2, WC3, civ3, aoe2, wow) because they are fun and run acceptably on my hardware. I don't care how incredible AoE3, Civ4, F.E.A.R, etc are - I have to turn all the graphics and effects down to almost nothing to get acceptable framerates.

    This probably also explains how consoles are picking up. People are just plain tired of the upgrade treadmill for PC games. If the graphics and effects levels degraded acceptably it would be one thing, but the vast majority of games do not, these games are designed around graphics and effects that run very poorly with the 'suggested' hardware from the box.

    • Yeah - but I don't want the requirements to drop. Admittedly I'm not a poor student anymore so my opinions have changed.

      But Guild Wars or Civ 4 at 1600x1200 with full graphics... drool. It does really add to the feel of a game.

      That said, even my P4 3Ghz Geforce 6800 can't run Battlefield 2 at full detail (at least, not if I want a very responsive game, as one does). Although running at 1600x1200 is a killer (20" flat panel optimal res).

      I may get a new graphics card for Oblivion though. Having seen the scree
  • This article is an example of lousy game journalism. The game journalist simply copy and pastes the NPD numbers without verifying if any of it is true or not.

    Luckily, we have some journalists who DO check out these numbers. Business Week found that PC Gaming sales were solid and growing. If NPD is so far off on this, how far off is it on console sales?

    http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/dec20 05/id20051220_720594.htm?campaign_id=rss_tech [businessweek.com]
  • I think there are several factors at work here. One is that publishers are investing more and more on the development of games, just as Hollywood does with movies. Similarly, just as Hollywood is reluctant to try anything too daring or experimental, the game industry would rather produce a "me too" title (i.e., "another" Quake/Doom/Halo title) than something more innovative. Personally, I can only play so many first-person shooters (one?) before I need something with a bit more meat for my brain to chew
  • I downloaded the demo of F.E.A.R., installed it, started it up and... it ran terribly. Doom 3 runs like a dream on this system and F.E.A.R. barely chugs along at 640x480.
    Game developers are getting greedy on behalf of the hardware manufacturers. A 1GB minimum RAM requirement is just too much. The solution? I'm going to play Guild Wars on my PC for as long as it'll run (hopefully the expansions won't push the requirements too high), and spend the rest of my gaming budget on my console. I could easily buy all

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