UK: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey physical sales down 26% from Origins

Nirolak · Oct 8, 2018

Notes:

This is retail only and only the UK, in case you skimmed the title too quickly
It is earlier in the year than Origins released (which released last year)
This is probably a larger drop at retail than the rate at which digital is gaining
There isn't an Assassin's Creed game next year
Ubisoft notes they want to bring back multiplayer to the franchise as they feel social components are important to sales

GamesIndustry.biz said:
The biggest new boxed game (after FIFA) in the charts is Assassin's Creed Odyssey at No.2. The Ubisoft game achieved wide critical acclaim last week, but its launch sales are down almost 26% compared with last year's Assassin's Creed Origins

Source: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/artic...the-fastest-selling-game-in-the-series-so-far

juliamcardinals · Oct 8, 2018

Maybe it was too soon for a new AC game? As much as I love Odyssey I think they should waited another year or release it on spring

lowhighkang_LHK · Oct 8, 2018

Jim Sterling killed it.

Seriously speaking, it's natural fatigue. Yearly games have it harder than most to try to stay fresh and keep the demand high.

To be honest, 25% isn't so bad.

Linus815 · Oct 8, 2018

Steam's numbers showed an improvement, so I am not convinced just yet this has to do with fatigue. I expect better legs than Origins, with higher digital %.

Velocity:Design:Comfort · Oct 8, 2018

RDR2 already killing releases and it's not even near its date yet.

Hamster Plugin · Oct 8, 2018

Origins was so gigantic I got some franchise fatigue from that one game alone. Then I heard the map is EVEN BIGGER in Odyssey so I'm not getting it day one.

Seems like there's no "Old habits" trophy equivalent in Odyssey which makes it a bit better, but I'll just wait for the Gold Edition to go €60 or less.

Putty · Oct 8, 2018

Not convinced wholly by this, i'm sure digital will make a good chunk up and also the other games released at the same time...I think people will eventually pick it up and so they should, as for me it's arguably the best of the series so far.

Gamer17 · Oct 8, 2018

Seriously nowadays without digital it's a but pointless to judge success or failure of the game .many people don't even consider retail when purchasing games .2019 can't come soon enough so every week we get combination numbers

Deleted member 2254 · Oct 8, 2018

Hard to draw much conclusions from UK physical numbers alone. Digital is bigger than it was 12 months ago, the competition this Fall is far more insane than last year (Spider-Man, Forza Horizon 4, the most hyped Call Of Duty in a while, Battlefield V, a new Tomb Raider, etc.), and last year was a "comeback" for AC with massive and visible gameplay changes, whereas this year's chapter is visually similar, the real changes are less noticeable from a quick glance. Very different circumstances all around I feel.

Fatmanp · Oct 8, 2018

lowhighkang_LHK said:
Jim Sterling killed it.

Seriously speaking, it's natural fatigue. Yearly games have it harder than most to try to stay fresh and keep the demand high.

To be honest, 25% isn't so bad.

And yet the biggest selling games every year are annualised.

BarryFishFinger · Oct 8, 2018

Possibly a fair few people thinking like me in that, rightly or wrongly, it looks very similar to Origins; which is a brilliant game but at a cursory glance it looks more of the same so not a day one purchase.

unicornKnight · Oct 8, 2018

Would wait to hear how it does on other market but considering Origins had a break year before and RDR2 is coming, this doesn't sound that bad.

Deleted member 12177 · Oct 8, 2018

I plan to get it around Black Friday as I rather play Horizon 4 for now which came with game pass.

I expect this game to have good legs throughout the holidays. I doubt Ubisoft will be disappointed in the long run.

Hasney · Oct 8, 2018

Linus815 said:
Steam's numbers showed an improvement, so I am not convinced just yet this has to do with fatigue. I expect better legs than Origins, with higher digital %.

I'll quote myself from another thread, but I don't think Steams numbers are a good indication of the rest of the market.

Hasney said:
Based on the digital %'s back there (chart showing the only game higher than the average 30-35% digital was Destiny 2 at 40%) I very much doubt it. I wouldn't look at Steam numbers at all as:

Last year, the DRM hurting performance narrative was out there for PC Origins, or at least odd coding which ramped CPUs up to 100% just by moving

There were very cheap uPlay keys going around due to NVidia bundles and I believe you could get it for £25 just around release for a uPlay key. I ended up getting a uPlay code for for the Deluxe version for £30 from Razer and with a £10 voucher off my next purchase.

Linus815 · Oct 8, 2018

Hasney said:
I'll quote myself from another thread, but I don't think Steams numbers are a good indication of the rest of the market.

you are grossly overestimating the impact key markets have on AAA games.

Hasney · Oct 8, 2018

Linus815 said:
you are grossly overestimating the impact key markets have on AAA games.

I really don't think I am with the PC market being as switched on as they are. I'm not even talking cdkeys.com and the like, but the official resellers such as GMG and Razer are all over sites like Hot UK Deals prior to launch.

lowhighkang_LHK · Oct 8, 2018

Fatmanp said:
And yet the biggest selling games every year are annualised.

Yeah, but they end up having the most variability year to year.

Everyone knows for example that long awaited sequels like KH3 and DMC5 are going to be much higher than their previous installments.

-girgosz- · Oct 8, 2018

Origins was already low around 100k, a little less.

That means the FW is around 72k which is less than Watch Dogs 2. :(

BrickArts295 · Oct 8, 2018

They have been pushing their Gold Editions like crazy, I wouldn't be surprised if many jumped on the early digital Gold editions. For $40 you get the season pass and AC3/Liberation remasters, its a hell of a get even if the expansions could end up being mediocre.

OléGunner · Oct 8, 2018

Hmmm interesting drop for AC.
I do wonder if digital can make up the shortfall here for week 1 sales.

BarryFishFinger said:
Possibly a fair few people thinking like me in that, rightly or wrongly, it looks very similar to Origins; which is a brilliant game but at a cursory glance it looks more of the same so not a day one purchase.

Good point honestly.
I also think the game looks a bit too samey for casuals and its possible fatigue is still a thing from Origins last year which was just massive in scope.

Callum_Alexander · Oct 8, 2018

BarryFishFinger said:
Possibly a fair few people thinking like me in that, rightly or wrongly, it looks very similar to Origins; which is a brilliant game but at a cursory glance it looks more of the same so not a day one purchase.

This is pretty much why I have passed on the title so far. I'll pick it up when I can get it for £20 and sell it for not much less on eBay.

henhowc · Oct 8, 2018

how does it compare to syndicate

Hasney · Oct 8, 2018

OléGunner said:
Hmmm interesting drop for AC.
I do wonder if digital can make up the shortfall here for week 1 sales.

Based on the average digital take up in the UK, not likely. Although it will be interesting to see how those early editions do. Weirdly, the WWE game has a physical deluxe which gets you early access too. Not sure why other games don't.

-girgosz- · Oct 8, 2018

henhowc said:
how does it compare to syndicate

Almost 30k lower which is really dissapointing. And about half of what Unity sold FW...

Deleted member 45130 · Oct 8, 2018

henhowc said:
how does it compare to syndicate

It doesn't, it is superior in every way.

Vashetti · Oct 8, 2018

There isn't an Assassin's Creed game next year

I'll believe it when I see it in all honesty. They said words to the same effect about Odyssey last year.

-girgosz- · Oct 8, 2018

HairyFist87 said:
It doesn't, it is superior in every way.

Well he meant sales and it did worse than Syndicate.

To put retail fw in context(correct me if I'm wrong)

AC3 did around 300k
Syndicate around 100k
Odyssey a little more than 70k

Ada · Oct 8, 2018

Waiting for a sale and will pick it up for sight-seeing only.

LossAversion · Oct 8, 2018

Ubisoft notes they want to bring back multiplayer to the franchise as they feel social components are important to sales

I'd love for Assassin's Creed multiplayer to return. It was so unique and criminally overlooked. Unfortunately, the multiplayer got progressively worse after Brotherhood which had the best maps and characters as well as the perfect amount of complexity. And I don't see Ubisoft handling the multiplayer well in today's climate. "Buy this premium smoke bomb that lasts 5 seconds longer! Get this gold outfit so you can stand out from the crowd!". Yeahhhh... no. Not to mention that the new combat system in Origins and Odyssey doesn't exactly translate to the format of previous online modes in Assassin's Creed.

A co-op mode could be cool I guess. But I don't know if they're going to try that again after Unity.

tomofthepops · Oct 8, 2018

People waiting for red dead ?

oni-link · Oct 8, 2018

Looking at just retail sales seems kind of pointless, wasn't FIFA also down at retail?

Without knowing the rate at which people are converting to digital this doesn't really tell us anything other than the fact that yes, as time goes on, more people are happy to buy a digital copy as opposed to a physical copy

We've known this for years, so all this kind of reporting does is let people with confirmation bias talk nonsense (it's down because they release it every year, people are tired, the MXT killed it etc) when for all we know it's up overall and the series is doing better than ever

Hasney · Oct 8, 2018

oni-link said:
Looking at just retail sales seems kind of pointless, wasn't FIFA also down at retail?

Without knowing the rate at which people are converting to digital this doesn't really tell us anything other than the fact that yes, as time goes on, more people are happy to buy a digital copy as opposed to a physical copy

We've known this for years, so all this kind of reporting does is let people with confirmation bias talk nonsense (it's down because they release it every year, people are tired, the MXT killed it etc) when for all we know it's up overall and the series is doing better than ever

Just last month, it seems 75% of copies of AAA were bought at retail in UK, Germany, Spain and France. When we do get digital % of numbers like we did for the yearly 2017 chart, those numbers are backed up. It doesn't appear to be growing that much at all with the large differences in price.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-09-14-why-do-gamers-still-buy-physical-games

Acquiescence · Oct 8, 2018

Don't worry, physical sales might be down, but I bet microtransactions are way up.

Deleted member 35598 · Oct 8, 2018

Not a big deal... The game was released earlier.

-girgosz- · Oct 8, 2018

oni-link said:
Looking at just retail sales seems kind of pointless, wasn't FIFA also down at retail?

Without knowing the rate at which people are converting to digital this doesn't really tell us anything other than the fact that yes, as time goes on, more people are happy to buy a digital copy as opposed to a physical copy

We've known this for years, so all this kind of reporting does is let people with confirmation bias talk nonsense (it's down because they release it every year, people are tired, the MXT killed it etc) when for all we know it's up overall and the series is doing better than ever

It's not really pointless. It gives an important context. Even if it has a craaazy 50% digital share.(It's an SP game so it won't) It's still sold below Unity and less than half of AC3.

FIFA sales are also down. It's easy math. If FIFA 17 had 10% and FIFA 19 had 50% digital(which would 5x digital rate in 2 years lol) it would still be down in overall sales.

oni-link · Oct 8, 2018

Hasney said:
Just last month, it seems 75% of copies of AAA were bought at retail in UK, Germany, Spain and France. When we do get digital % of numbers like we did for the yearly 2017 chart, those numbers are backed up. It doesn't appear to be growing that much at all with the large differences in price.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-09-14-why-do-gamers-still-buy-physical-games

Thanks for the link

Acquiescence said:
Don't worry, physical sales might be down, but I bet microtransactions are way up.

Yeah this is also something to consider, I would imagine most publishers using this model would take a loss in overall sales if they can grow the number of people engaging with the MXTs

-girgosz- said:
It's not really pointless. It gives an important context. Even if it has a craaazy 50% digital share.(It's an SP game so it won't) It's still sold below Unity and less than half of AC3.

Yeah that's a fair point

Premium · Oct 8, 2018

BarryFishFinger said:
Possibly a fair few people thinking like me in that, rightly or wrongly, it looks very similar to Origins; which is a brilliant game but at a cursory glance it looks more of the same so not a day one purchase.

I was on the same boat, but there's some pretty stark differences (RPG mechanics, more robust quests, improved loot system, etc) that really sets it apart.

It really has been fantastic so far.

Coming from someone who absolutely loved Origins, I think this game tops it. It's awesome.

Maximus Odinson · Oct 8, 2018

Yearly releases are dumb af

Theorry · Oct 8, 2018

The article mentions it did less because it released earlier? How does that work?
Also i am not sure about the legs. Red Dead is gonna take alot away from that this holiday i think.

astro · Oct 8, 2018

Too much, too often, too little variance, people will get tired eventually.

I havn't touched this series since 4, and while I'm interested in Origins due to the positive feedback, there are tones of other games higher on my list. Not even started Spider-Man yet...

BladeRunner2099 · Oct 8, 2018

lowhighkang_LHK said:
Jim Sterling killed it.

Seriously speaking, it's natural fatigue. Yearly games have it harder than most to try to stay fresh and keep the demand high.

To be honest, 25% isn't so bad.

COD says Hi!

Just joking, if AC brings back MP and make noticeable changes every year, I think the yearly cycle works.

Deleted member 37092 · Oct 8, 2018

25 % is acceptable considering the period.

Jump_Button · Oct 8, 2018

Ive still not done Origins and they so many good game coming out yearly is just to much and i know in weeks it be £20

xrnzaaas · Oct 8, 2018

The drop isn't dramatic, but AC series needs another year off.

tommy7154 · Oct 8, 2018

Bought Origins but not this one because I'm more of a fan of Egypt. Plus I didn't play it anyway lol, so if I ever get time I'll just play that and probably skip this one.

AC should stick to every couple years.

Crossing Eden · Oct 8, 2018

oni-link said:
Looking at just retail sales seems kind of pointless, wasn't FIFA also down at retail?

Without knowing the rate at which people are converting to digital this doesn't really tell us anything other than the fact that yes, as time goes on, more people are happy to buy a digital copy as opposed to a physical copy

We've known this for years, so all this kind of reporting does is let people with confirmation bias talk nonsense (it's down because they release it every year, people are tired, the MXT killed it etc) when for all we know it's up overall and the series is doing better than ever

^^^

Vashetti said:
I'll believe it when I see it in all honesty. They said words to the same effect about Odyssey last year.

They never said that there wouldn't be a 2018 AC title, only that they weren't going to go back to yearly releases. The biggest amount of evidence that there's no 2019 title in development is the fact that they're remastering AC3 and Liberation and releasing them after Odyssey's expansions are released. It's incredibly likely that they're doing so in order to keep the franchise relevant in the public eye while the next big mainline title is being worked on, (possibly for next gen consoles).

-girgosz- · Oct 8, 2018

oni-link said:
Yeah that's a fair point

Wow someone in sales threads who can actually be reasoned with? Nice ;)

AztecComplex · Oct 8, 2018

Wait so it was two years for Origins then back to n annual release with Odyssey and they're going back to every two years? Did they really confirm there's no AC in 2019?

Of course it's franchise fatigue. This is like the 11th mainline big budget AC game in as many years.

snausages · Oct 8, 2018

lowhighkang_LHK said:
Jim Sterling killed it.

You joke but this is one of the main reasons I haven't picked it up yet.

Like when I do I am probably going to buy that 'time saver' MTX but I can't justify the full fat price of the game just yet cause of that.

King_Moc · Oct 8, 2018

Seems odd given how well received Origins was.

UK: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey physical sales down 26% from Origins

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