Part of the reason Koei Tecmo teamed up with Sony on Nioh in the West was to raise the title's profile, and the manufacturer's managed to do just that. For the past few months, the game's received a lot of PlayStation Blog coverage, and we've been seeing a fair few commercials on websites that we frequent as well as on YouTube.
The problem is that the platform holder doesn't appear to have shipped enough copies. Amazon.com is currently sold out, with the retailer quoting a 1 to 2 month fulfilment timeline. There are copies available at Amazon UK, but we've been contacted by a couple of readers who have told us that GAME is completely out of stock. We reached out to our local store and were informed that the shipment wasn't big.
This is a problem that's been happening quite a lot lately actually. This author had to wait an extra week for Yakuza 0 because stock completely ran dry, while Gravity Rush Remastered is currently commanding a premium price in the US due to its rarity. But is this a case of undershipping or a sudden surge in demand for these more niche releases?
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Comments 29
Definitely a bit of both, I think. Critical acclaim, press coverage, and a lot of praise from YouTubers and the like leads to more people talking about the games in question - more mindshare means more people are tempted to try them, which results in bigger demand.
Having said all that, though, there's been a weird trend recently. With so many big games all hitting before Christmas and doing relatively poorly, are we starting to see tastes shift away a little from the typical mainstream-focused titles?
I certainly wouldn't bet against a lack of shipped copies, either, but at the end of the day, there's clearly demand, which is a good thing.
Some retailers didn't seem to be stocking the game, period. I use The Game Collection a lot, but they're not selling it at all for some reason.
"Having said all that, though, there's been a weird trend recently. With so many big games all hitting before Christmas and doing relatively poorly, are we starting to see tastes shift away a little from the typical mainstream-focused titles?"
This is a good point I hadn't really considered. Given the scale of the units these niche titles are moving it's probably not connected to last year's big games underperforming, but there's definitely been more enthusiasm in hardcore circles for the likes of Nioh, Yakuza, and Resident Evil than last year's big blockbusters.
I think it is to do with people accepting more kinds of games due to indie titles along with these games getting high review scores.
Another factor could be becuase people are getting tired of the type of games we usually get.
nioh is the best 10 out of 10
I think they didn't make enough to get people to buy digital copies.
@get2sammyb Could it be more about price point to profit over manufacturing costs over digital? I mean, if they don't make enough discs, they force more into digital copies which is more profit. We might see more of this model in the future with less physical copies available.
I wonder what the digital/disc ratio is these days for games.
Purchased the digital deluxe edition, but I did want to pick up a retail copy as well, for the shelf on launch day.
My GAME was completely sold out. This is despite featuring it as #1 on their charts display. Apparently they only got 5 store copies (apart from preorders). This is the only GAME in city centre with a population of 300,000+. Ridiculous. Guy even said that I really should've preordered such a niche title! The game is practically being billed as a first party exclusive.
They couldn't even give me a date, when more stock was available.
My Argos was also sold out, but I was able to order a copy in which is actually ready for collection. So if anyone really wants a retail copy, Argos is probably your best bet.
@get2sammyb It would be nice if more niche games started selling but sadly when games like The Last Guardian and Gravity Rush 2 sinking without a trace here makes me dispute that.
@starhops I mean it could be but seems a little conspiracy theory to me. It'd certainly be the first we've heard of a publisher purposefully printing fewer discs in order to push people towards digital.
If that was happening I feel like retailers would be kicking up more of a stink.
720p on the Pro though, is that really the best they could do given it doesn't even look that good.
Why do these games have to be so dark and use such dreary colour pallets. I was hoping for a lot better from this title but I guess I'm in the minority. The demo put me right off so I won't be purchasing it until it's really cheap in a sale.
This game has an awful lot of positive buzz - as it should, it's great - so I guess the strong reviews and good marketing are working wonders. Sad news for people who can't get it until shops restock, but wonderful news for everyone that wants a Nioh 2.
Lol I love Portugal! Every new videogame released is always in stock xD Yakuza 0? No problem! Nioh? Saw like 10 of those today! Playstation VR pre order? Why would we when we can go to stores and get one x)
Same with my PS4, got it day one at a store!
It's sad that Portugal doesn't have enough gamers to sell out a game, but it's good for people like me I guess
@GBMatthew They provide options for the players...high frame rate with lower resolution for players more interested in fast action...high resolution with lower frame rate for those more interested in graphics...and a middle ground...I think Nioh is great and I applaud the Devs for catering to different preferences.
My local game only had 6 copies available at launch and they all sold by 10am. I would download but my internet is terrible so I'm on a limited 4g mobile broadband connection! No supermarkets have copies yet so I've ordered from Argos, will be delivered tomorrow 👍🏻 These things shouldn't be happening anymore!! It's not the days of n64 cartridges
@get2sammyb "If that was happening I feel like retailers would be kicking up more of a stink."
Yeah, that makes sense. Thanks, Sammy.
@get2sammyb
I know Resident Evil 7 was a tone shift, but I'm not sure it should be placed in the same niche category as Yakuza 0 and Nioh. RE is still a big name, and RE 7 didn't seem as low budget as I thought it might be. Yakuza and Nioh are about as niche as it gets though, fortunately it seems like they might be out-performing expectations. That's a good thing. The better these games do in the West, the better the chances developers will continue to bring over titles that might initially not have been in the cards for North America or Europe.
Screw it I'll ask. How the hell do you pronounce this game? Just Knee-hoe? Kni-hoe?
They want us to buy digital.
Bloodborne only got a GOTY in the UK, for chrissakes.
There goes my hopes to pay less for a used copy...
@kyleforrester87 simply neo
@Shellcore ah, they should spell it properly then!!
@get2sammyb for me personally the games released in the first few months of this year are far more interesting and fun than the so called big guns which came out just before Christmas. It seems Playstation gamers in general have a bigger appetite for these types of games and I'm loving every minute of Yakuza 0 and Resident Evil whilst waiting for Horizon and Persona 5 😃
Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja are both low profile developers, but I love Warriors and Ninja Gaiden games, so I'm really happy to see they growing!
I do think that people are looking for different gaming experiences - I think, critically, the big hitters over the last year have been games that aren't your typical big blockbuster and those who are intersted in gaming and read sites/publications are looking for AAA experiences that are new or different.
The sales won't threaten the big brand names but a good game with solid buzz is doing better than expected.
It deserves to sell like mad. Personally, the best PS4 game that's released yet, with UC4 very close behind.
A few friends bought PS4s just for Nioh. Real 10/10 material with actual content and replay value in the base game.
I think people are keen to try new and different genres of games, folks are getting fed up with the same old same old and they want a change.
Hopefully Sony publish more of the game.
@FATPC I'm well aware of the options but you missed the point. Even when choosing to run at 60fps mode on the Pro the game spends a lot of time at a 720p resolution. Which is pathetic imo.
I think sony is just an idiot and didn't run off enough copies, these were the same people who passed on publishing demon souls in NA.
@GBMatthew Fair enough. I guess I haven't noticed the drop in resolution, because I've been too busy running for my life from the enemies!
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