What makes a XBLA game sell?
While reading the sales top 10 every week, I've been thinking about this. Why do some of the new games flop and others stay on the chart week after week? One thing is clear, it isn't solely the quality of the title that decide.
* Price is a big factor. Simply put, all 400 pointers make the list. They may not stay there very long, but most of them actually top the chart at one point. 1200 pointers... Not a good idea so far. I think I've never seen neither Roboblitz nor the billiard game, and a game like Lumines should have sold much better. 800 points must be the upper limit.
* A well-known name. Underserved or not, many of the new IPs could have sold better. Instead, people buy games with names they recognize, wheter it may be an old game like Worms or something like Uno.
* Casual appeal, which is somewhat connected to name. This is the reason games like 3D Ultra Minigolf sell so greatly. Many people think "minigolf is fun"and buy the game. Pinball and the card games also belong in this category I think.
It's easy to explain the huge success of Uno when you think like this. A cheap, well-known game that appeals to both mainstream and hardcore gamers.
I think that's the main reasons. I'm not really sure why I wrote this, all of this may seem obvious to some ;) Any thoughts? Do you agree? Did I miss something?
Obviously marketing can be a huge help too. Established IPs were new at one point and spending money to create buzz helped get them off the ground in the first place. That's one way were indie devs doing new IP have a huge disadvantage on XBLA.
But on the other hand, people like me stick more to the indie stuff than the established stuff. I like new ideas but that's definitely out of the "norm".
I think you've hit the nail on the head, those three factors, and in that order (price first, then name recognition, then casual appeal), are probably the biggest drivers. I certainly don't think review scores make any difference.
One of the implications of this would be that if you're a developer bringing a new IP to XBLA, you would probably be better off getting your game priced at 400 points, even if it had 800 point content, as this seems to be the impulse purchase price point.
It would be a bit of a tough call for the developers, as if the game doesn't sell any better at 400 points, then you only make half the money (yes, I know the math is insultingly straightforward, but sometimes it helps to spell it out).
However, I do think 400 points is "impulse buy" territory, where 800 points is "rational purchase" territory, and certain games would benefit far more from being in that zone. If the game appears simple and catchy (regardless of any hidden depth or lack thereof), I think it would be better to go in at 400 points, as you'd get a whole bunch more sales. I would have thought games like Small Arms and Pacman CE would have done better at 400 points. Games which are more like low-budget retail games than casual or indie-type titles would probably not get much more attention, and so it is probably better for them to stick to 800 points. Games like Mad Tracks and Street Trace probably fall into these categories - they're possibly too specialist to get the masses in. I know that having Street Trace be 400 points wouldn't have made a difference to me, as I didn't even download the trial.
I know that having Street Trace be 400 points wouldn't have made a difference to me, as I didn't even download the trial.
You're missing out, Street Trace is a pretty good game. I'm not sure why it hasn't had the sales it deserves though.
I'm not sure I'm really the typical XBLA buyer, but a number of things put me off Street Trace. Firstly, I didn't really have an existing desire for a hoverboard racing game. Early reports of the controls being very complex didn't help, as I generally look to XBLA to provide an easy-to-pick-up experience. If I wanted to master complex controls I'd rather play a retail game. Screen shots didn't appeal to me, either, and it didn't help that the game got mauled by reviewers, who pointed out that the racing element of it wasn't really worthwhile. Basically, it just came across as seeming like a rubbish, low-budget retail game than an XBLA title.
I'm not sure I'm really the typical XBLA buyer, but a number of things put me off Street Trace. Firstly, I didn't really have an existing desire for a hoverboard racing game. Early reports of the controls being very complex didn't help, as I generally look to XBLA to provide an easy-to-pick-up experience. If I wanted to master complex controls I'd rather play a retail game. Screen shots didn't appeal to me, either, and it didn't help that the game got mauled by reviewers, who pointed out that the racing element of it wasn't really worthwhile. Basically, it just came across as seeming like a rubbish, low-budget retail game than an XBLA title.
Well...their is one way to find out for yourself :)
Yeah, Street Trace suffers from many things that can put you off an initial interest or purchase. The racing elements are actually much deeper than I anticipated when I sat down to play for the first time but I had a developer sitting over my shoulder explaining all the little tricks of the trade built into the game.
So, agreed, knowledge of the controls and the hidden depth is required to really get the most out of the game. And that right there can indeed put many people off the game before they even give it a chance.
And it's not like there aren't a TON of great other games coming down the pipe to tempt you.
I would say it is primarily a perception issue due to customers used to retail pricing.
I have a hard time convincing people I personally know that a XBLA title can be of high quality. Most people consider any game $20 or less a budget title and fully expect a XBLA title to be as rough and have technical issues like a bombed retail title. We know this isn't true, but that is the perception.
Also the reviews in magazines are very inconsistent. A favorite old arcade game with technical issues will easily score a 70% or higher, but indie titles routinely get scored very low for minor glitches (often fewer glitches than in retail games). Since there is no way to return an XBLA purchase this makes buying a title a gamble and with so many off base reviews people just aren't willing to give XBLA titles much of a chance.
If that wasn't enough companies, such as EA, throwing overpriced token titles onto XBLA hurts the perception of downloaded games even more. People who have purcahsed some of the overpriced games are put off of XBLA entirely.
Hopefully MS will put some effort into changing this perception. If not then Wii VC and PSN will be much more appealing to developers of quality download titles. The fight for exclusive downloadable games is starting to heat up now with a few titles changing systems or losing exclusivity.
Joined: 2007-02-10