by Ravi Sinha
Ever since December, whenever I finish a Killzone 2 related article, I always imagined that once our review was up, the hype would either outright justify itself with a great game or it would suck and be swallowed by the sheer hate (or denial, if tears work better than popping blood vessels) of PS3 fans. I always think, “This will be the last Killzone 2 article. And then I’m moving on.” However, ever since playing the finished game and engaging in a love-hate relationship with both fans and other media outlets about the game’s quality, I’m now motivated to come out in defense of the game’s reception. And this time, it seems the detractors are those who believe Killzone 2 has not “sold enough”.
It’s an accepted view that no matter how much a game sells, as long as it’s a good game for those who have bought it, it doesn’t matter if it ships a 1000 or 1 million units. Take LittleBigPlanet’s initial beginning. It had everyone doubting its power at the retail counter, though it eventually went on to cross the 1 mil mark. Oddly enough, the same situation seems to have been mirrored in the case of Killzone 2, that is, the game being out for a few days yet a sizeable portion of the media claims its “struggling sales”. One site (you may have read about it, but we’re not linking to it) even said that Killzone 2 was struggling at one of the biggest retail chains in North America, Wal-Mart…even though it was at #2, behind Street Fighter IV, a multiplatform game that’s been out almost a week longer.
Let’s just get this straight: Killzone 2 has the highest number of European pre-orders at 1.1 million. It’s hence written in stone that the game will be a success off pre-orders alone. It’s become the third fastest selling PS3 title ever, just behind Grand Theft Auto IV (a multiplatform and GTA title) and Metal Gear Solid 4 (the long-anticipated summation of the MGS saga) with reportedly 750,000 units being sold this past weekend. And once more we reiterate: It’s been only four days since its release. It’s already far surpassed LBP’s record for the same (470,000 units), even though both received the same amount of marketing attention from Sony (that is, negligible). Whether some people like it or not, Killzone 2 is doing well. And it’s just getting warmed up.
So it’s nice to jump to conclusions and predict the ruin of the PS3, Sony, Guerrilla Games and gas mask wearing soldiers (not necessarily in that order for either case), but could we at least give retailers a week to release their own set of data? They’re busy enough as it is, making sure eager fans get their copies.
6 Responses to “The Falsity of Killzone 2 Numbers Stories”
We have data. First week KZ2 sales are around 100k for the UK. Halo 3 first week was closer to 500k. Is this the supposed Halo Killer? Heh you decide. First month for KZ2 NPD will very interesting indeed. I have a PS3 and I have zero interest, but whatever, people will vote with their wallets.
You probably should have put how everything reported, numbers wise, is bogus. Not until official numbers come out or Sony gives us figures, we can’t assume anything.
Thank you for pointing this all out! I work at a Walmart in New York, and I’ve been sure to spread the word about Killzone 2. That said, our whole stock (of seven [7] copies) sold out on Saturday morning, within roughly 24 hours of being put on the floor available for sale.
I’ve had plenty of customers since then asking for the title, to which I recommended they immediately pick it up at the local Gamestop or Best Buy. People are very interested in this title, but many others don’t know about it. I made it my duty to inform them about the most gorgeous looking FPS, with an online multiplayer that surpasses COD4, and they eagerly rushed to a local retailer that had the coveted game in stock.
Walmart obviously may not have sold many copies because not many copies were delivered to stores. For some reason, Walmart employees cannot order stock in advance, but must patiently wait for all stock to be automatically sent by computer from the Walmart Home Office. It is very inefficient and causes a lot of shortages. The highest profile release of the year should have seen a stock of 20+ copies of the game sent to stores, not a mere 7 that sold out within 24 hours!
I expect this game to sell even further once word of mouth hits. Don’t forget that not many people know about KZ2 yet, but once they see their friends playing it and hear about all it has to offer, they’ll likely be rushing to purchase their copy as well.
here, here.
whilst we wait for the numbers, enjoy playing the game.
It’s fricking awesome – best FPS to date, immersive, engaging
No other game made had such replay value other than COD4
Yup, it seems to be doing great, around 20 people on my friends list are always playing it, the MP is a blast when you get the hang of it. It’s no surprise that there negative articles about KZ2, there has always has been, always something to hate about it I suppose. But tbh im just glad im having a great time with it, the SP is better than I thought it would be and the MP is one of the best online FPS games this gen IMO, so all in all im satisfied and I think many others feel the same way.
Halo 3 is better
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