More food for thought: Remember in 2008 when the PS3 was dead in the water and everyone had declare the "console war" over? Then came the juggernaut that was Metal Gear Solid IV which was considered at the time to be the major system seller. The game reportedly moved nearly half a million PS3s around the week or two of its launch. So does this mean Metal Gear Solid is a system seller? Or was it merely the straw that broke the camel's back? By that time the PS3 had assembled a decent line-up of games including Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Heavenly Sword, Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, and the first Resistance; so was the launch of Metal Gear Solid IV merely a formality for many people who were on the verge of getting the console anyway? Would a lot of these same people have bought a PS3 relatively soon anyway? Or again, was MGS the sole reason? If so, why didn't Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker a legitimate new entry in the series and arguably one of the best entries fail to move PSP units two years later?
Whatever the true reason for the sales boost was, the game gave the PS3 a huge boost for about a month or so before sales went back down to reality and many were back to calling it a dead system with no future. It wasn't until the launch of the PS3 slim, price-cut, and rebranding a year later that really kick-started the PS3's momentum. So in hindsight, did Metal Gear Solid IV really do much of anything for the struggling PS3? Or was it a bit of false hope like a North Korean missile test that started to reach peak altitude before burning out and falling harmlessly into the Pacific Ocean?
Halo 3 was another major release considered to be a true system seller. At the time of release, the Xbox 360 saw sales increases of 55% in Australia, 300% in Japan, and 158% in the US. The console carried major momentum for years afterward. So is this proof that blockbuster system sellers really do exist?
Or could the sustained success of the 360 be more attributed to the better price point, rise in online gaming, and steady flow of big exclusives like Mass Effect, Bioshock, Gears of War II, Fable 2, et cetera? Or was it a combination?
We also can't discount of all the gamers out there with really unique niches and interests. For fighting game fans, Street Fighter IV in 2009 could have sold some consoles. For JRPG fanatics, Persona 4 Golden could have drew them toward the Vita. Some people have significantly more interest in particular franchises than others, so a game one probably wouldn't consider a system seller would be enough to convince at least a few gamers to pick up a certain console.
I could bring up specific examples all day but it would just bring up more questions and more what ifs. We mustn't lose track of the question that I'm trying to answer: Do system sellers exist?
My answer: Kind of. It's complicated however. Here's some millings based on what I've been rambling about for the last 1000 characters.
- As we've seen in the past certain games appeal to many, many people and thus will result in a jump in sales at release.
- But there are also smaller games that can tip the scales for other people.
- Then there are many gamers out there who desire a large library with many options and won't wait for any one game in particular.
- For some a console decision could have to do with social factors, they may just want to game with their friends and games in particular have little to do with it.
- Perhaps people will invest in a console because of the games on the horizon. They know they'll be getting their money's worth eventually.
- On the flipside of that, if a system doesn't have a strong plan for its future, it's unlikely to see any sustained sales and at best can hope for a pop here and there. Like the Vita
- Some franchises seem to push hardware in certain situations but not all.
Sure console sales will see spikes here and there with the launch of certain titles, but it seems like the only way to really push hardware is to have multiple high profile and/or appealing games in addition to having a great variety of games that'll appeal to gamers of all kinds. Having a strong outlook for a console also seems to be a big deal. Long story short, there is no one true thing that carries a console on its own, at least that's my opinion based on everything I've seen over the years.
Straight Ether
