Destiny 2’s physical sales are less than half those of its predecessor in the UK – even if it is still the biggest launch of the year thus far. According to leaked numbers which we believe to be accurate, the title sold around 175,000 units in its launch week – a gigantic decline compared to the first game’s tally of 417,000 units.
Of course, the numbers alone don’t tell the full tale: Destiny launched on four platforms as opposed to two, and had an extra day of sales due to releasing on a Tuesday rather than a Wednesday. More pertinently, none of this data includes digital numbers, and while that applies to the first game too, sales of software through venues such as the PlayStation Store have been steadily increasing since 2014.
We already know that Destiny 2 has been successful, as Bungie tweeted over the weekend that it had topped 1.2 million concurrent players, which is an impressive feat. However, it’ll be interesting to see whether – with digital data included – it can ultimately hang with its predecessor, or if fence-sitters have been put off.
As an aside, 58 per cent of the game’s retail sales were made on the PlayStation 4, where Sony has exclusive content as part of a marketing deal. Speaking of exclusives, Knack 2 debuted in a disappointing 12th position, despite it reviewing much better than its infamous predecessor. We’ve included the full top ten below.
UK Sales Charts: Week Ending 9th September, 2017
- Destiny 2
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- Forza Horizon 3
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Fallout 4
- Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy
- F1 2017
- Dishonored 2
- DOOM
- Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
[source chart-track.co.uk, via neogaf.com, eurogamer.net]
Comments 62
I suppose it's understandable when you factor in everything that was mentioned in the article. On top of that, I'm sure there are a lot of people who bought Destiny who are cautious of buying Destiny 2 based on their disappointment with the first game. If it starts getting good reviews over the next couple of weeks it might have legs.
I went digital over physical this time.
Edit: would have expected a bigger margin on PS4 though given the marketing deal and the sheer number of consoles in people's homes. Suppose it makes some sense though when you consider Bungies history on the Xbox, and new releases have been a bit thin generally as of late for those on the dark side.
@ShogunRok I think Destiny 2 came too soon.
You have yearly expansions for the original at £30 and up, and then the year after the last expansion they release a sequel, with the same model in mind, and some questionable changes.
Burnout is a very real factor.
Also of note, only 58% on PS4? That's....huh. Maybe the whole marketing deal exclusive DLC thing is becoming less of a draw. As it should.
Still, 1.2m came from somewhere, and it's a mix of digital, and the rest of the world really picking up the slack.
Also, lol at Mario + Rabbids. How fast can you fall?
Two big factors playing into this IMO. First digital as you say in the article has now taken off and no doubt played massively into this. Secondly the people who were burned by the first and fence sitters are waiting for final reviews before buying. So I think the bigger picture won't play into account until a few weeks after release.
@BLP_Software Too soon? Couldn't come soon enough for the huge fan base. The longer Bungie waited the more potential players they'd have lost for good.
Destiny players will devour content as quickly as Bungie can get it out.
@jonny_aces I can't see digital sales making up a 58% deficit, though — particularly not in the UK where the game costs upwards of £10 more digitally.
But yeah, agree with your second point.
@kyleforrester87 Well, it's one thing to the huge fanbase. Its another to everyone else.
Its like a Wii U situation. The huge fanbase will always be there, but said fanbase isn't as big as it appears.
I'm willing to bet the huge fans are the 145k, and the deficit is people who had their fill with the original and its business model.
After the slap in the face that was Destiny 1 I think I'll pass this one.
Yeah everything might be better than last time, but screw it been there, done that.
@BLP_Software I'd say 3 years between sequels and a year since the last expansion is a good compromise between keeping the current player base satisfied and avoiding oversaturation.
@kyleforrester87 I dunno. There is something egregious about buying a game for $60, spending $40 more yearly, not including microtransactions, for two years, then the following year be told "Hey, another $60 please, and get ready for the extra $40 yearly and MORE microtransactions".
@BLP_Software Well, thats something else.
@BLP_Software Is it egregious when many people are solely playing that game for years at a time, though? Surely the developer is not obliged to add thousands of hours worth of content for free?
@kyleforrester87 That was me just basically breaking down what Destiny and Destiny 2 is, from the outside looking in. Nothing wrong with that.
@get2sammyb They aren't. But at the same time, I feel like for the amount of money that has to be put into the original, they could have spent maybe a year before Destiny 2 with no expansions, which would mean more Destiny 2 from day 1 ideally, and it would also allow the more casual players to catch up and finish the original before the community leaps over to 2.
A similar thing happened with Splatoon. As soon as the sequel landed, the first game effectively had its user base demolished. Thankfully that was only one purchase.
I do think Destiny should have had a year cooldown. For the hardcore fans, its great. But for others, burnout is a real thing, remembering people don't play as much or as many games as we do. And when Destiny 2 did land, after having a year of the community settled, the appetite would have been seriously ripe for a full fledged sequel at that point, and probably would have had higher sales out of the gate.
Either way, what is is. And its unfolded this way. That's just my take on it. Don't get angry
Dishonoured 2 still in there. Respect.
Also, don't forget that the original launched as one of the final new titles on the last gen and one of the only new games on new platforms that were starved for content. So, I think that affected decisions whereas this year, there has been hit after hit. Of all those, a lot were disappointed and probably lost interest.
I am sure they will be fine but I am still slightly surprised. The marketing machine has been going super crazy.
Was expecting this overall but either
A: They waiting on the PC ver.
B: Burned hard... on Destiny 1...
I bought digital this time over physical and imagine a large chunk of destiny fans have to be honest. Also they'll be people waiting on the PC release. Regardless of sales, seems to have been received much better than Destiny 1 overall
Everyone that I know that has it went digital myself included.
I think it's because 4 vs 2 platform + more people buying it digital. And yes destiny 1 is disappointing so more people wait for the reviews before buying destiny 2.
@ApostateMage Unfortunately, they've resorted to virtually giving it away.
Knack 2 at 12 is a disappointment. Sure the first game wasn't brilliant (though I enjoyed it) but the new one is in a completely different league. It's one of the only games this year that I've really had the urge to just binge until I'd finished it. Unfortunately the negative reaction to the original has hit the sequel, and I've seen quite a few people calling it out as a bad game purely based on the originals reputation.
I like physical games, but it seems more logical to pick up a game like Destiny digital.
I'm on the fence about Destiny 2. I don't typically like shooters & I even less like only online games, but the original Destiny was an anomaly- Bought it twice, hated the base game, loved the collection.
The initial reaction seems to be pretty positive, but I'm still not sold.
Also part of me wants to just pick up the collection for half price in 2-3 years.
I did pick up Knack 2 & it's pretty decent. Disastrous showing. Don't know why Sony put it up against Destiny, especially as they have the marketing rights to Destiny 2.
... I don't get the hate around the Destiny franchise... I'm not a massive fan (I bought the first, didn't bother with the expansions) - but I really enjoyed it.. and I got this middle of last week and haven't stopped playing it so far! Sure, it feels like more of the same - but to those who enjoyed the first - that's good (nothing broken so far!) and for return visitors like myself (I bought it physically just in case, so I could part-ex it if I didn't enjoy it!) it's packed with content, I even tried the PVP Crucible for the first time and it was really fun! I can see this becoming a staple game for quite some time... at least until XB1X comes out (itching for the new NFS on it, and Battlefront 2) - that should be 4K gaming and then some!
I know a fair few who haven't bought it as they're wise to the Destiny business model now. If you think the prices are justified that's your opinion but there are many that disagree.
@1ManAndHisDroid
As you said, you didnt buy the expansions.. Thats where the hate comes from IMO.. Paying for the game three times over.
Knack 2 is great. That is all.
@FaultyDroid - hey you might be right there, also no Destiny fatigue as it's been years since I played the first... I thought the DLC got good reviews though (Taken King, etc.) but yeah, maybe because I didn't invest hundreds of hours into the first I can appreciate the second a bit more... if I'm honest, I doubt I'll get the DLC on D2 either, but I'll enjoy the base game and if the new raid is good, who knows?!?
A lot of people buy digital now and you still have PC to come which will bring in massive numbers of sales during October.
@JoeBlogs Yeah, I know a few PS4 earlyish adopters who bought it, played it, and either traded or just let it gather dust.
I am the same, part of me wants to drop in as the gameplay looks good and I want to see what all the chat is about but I have other games I want to play first (that don't contain microtransactions)!
Probably in part because the first Destiny was undercooked at launch. It might have got a lot better with expansions and whatnot, but you only get one shot at a first impression. Those folk that bought the original game after all the hype and were met with a bunch of missions that were all exactly the same and a threadbare story kinda holding it all together didn't necessarily stick around for when it got good a year down the line. That was my experience with Destiny and I've had absolutely no inclination to part with cash for another one when I've got other things to be spending my money on, like Pepperamis and wine.
My guess a lot of people are waiting for the good word of mouth.
Always thought it would be handy if Sony added a digital sales chart to the store just so you could see what games are selling best.
Digital sales are going to be huge on this I think as people wanted to play at midnight. Plus 1.2m concurrent players with a much larger install base on PS4 compared to Xbox suggests that digital has gone very well indeed!
Glad I got the original Destiny for free. Mediocre at best, co-op was its one saving grace. I'm certainly not going to be persuaded by Destiny 2.
@BLP_Software Not as fast as Knack 2? 🤣
I want to buy Destiny 2 but I haven't and the reason is I got bitten buying Destiny 1 and then brought all the DLC for it in total over £100!! Then less than a year later it was on the PSN store Destiny 1 with ALL DLC for £25! So this time I shall wait a year and buy the lot for £25!!
When the original came out, combined PS4/XB1 install base in UK was 1.7m, it's now about 9m - then PS4 accounted for 48% of sales and PS3 just 3%. Given the PS4 install Base is almost 5 times more this is quite a sizeable decline imo. Anecdotal I know, but the number on my friends list playing it is about a dozen or so, compared with 60+ for the original.
Also the 58% thing, that's ~40% more on PS4, the install base difference is about 25% - 4m v 5m.
Crash N Sane Trilogy still strong!! Stronger than Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle that's for sure.
@TheHatredDMC why are you comparing a new IP on a new console to a nostalgia-driven remake on an established console?
Well I bought it digitally instead of physically this time around.
Plus I imagine a fair few people are waiting for the PC release...
Also yeah fair enough a good number of people bought Destiny 1 and were disappointed by it.
@Bread-Not-Toast Agreed. I think good word of mouth will work out in Knack 2's favor in the end.
@manu0 Oh yes, Mario and Rabbids, those completely unknown niche indie properties, on a system starved for games, compared to a remake that came out in June, on a system with a ton of other games... it's just unfair!
@Mahe it's a completely pointless comparison. and considering UK have terrible taste in games it's actually doing quite well.
@manu0 "it's a completely pointless comparison. and considering UK have terrible taste in games it's actually doing quite well."
What? Just what? I thought Switch fans couldn't get any more ridiculous but here we are.
@Mahe dude just look at that top 10. the first nine games are horrible.
Hang in there gang I'm sure Bungie and Activision will cook up a free trial weekend after the sales numbers get softer. I like The Division more.
@Midzark With the amount of sales on these days, I don't bother buying anything day 1, even if it is months, or years down the line.
Hopefully it is a sign people are starting to realise that it is not a good idea to buy things blindly or preorder now they've been bitten by doing it so many times. I somehow doubt it though...
@Dichotomy @BoyFromMars82 this!
Why risk it? A few months down the line the game will be fleshed out and cheaper. Im made up people grab new games (I still do for my must haves) for £50plus but with an online game like Destiny I would rather wait and check out reviews and see who has the best deal a week later. Tesco is at £34 now so made up with that!
@Kidfried I think software sales on Switch have been decent, i was worried all third parties and indies would sell terribly with only first party games doing well but thankfully that doesn't seem to be happening, quite a few devs have come out to say they're pleased with their games' performances, the Neo Geo games, Ultra Street Fighter II, Blaster Master Zero, Disgaea 5, Bomberman and Wonderboy having all done well on Switch so far, i'm hopeful it'll continue, the draw of having games in portable as well as at home might finally get third party games selling well on a Nintendo home console.
I'm not really surprised to see Mario x Rabbids slip dramatically, strategy games have always been a hard sell, XCOM has always sold badly on consoles too unfortunately.
I'll pick this up in a few years with all dlc included for £30. I was so glad i didnt pick up the first after I seen how much they milked the players for so I'll hold off and pick up a bargain later down the line.
If only Activision advertised it some more
I’m in a small clan, and almost all of us that bought D1 on disc have bought it digitally this time around.
People are just more comfortable buying digitally than we were three years ago.
I generally do still buy on disc, but with D2 the main draw for going digital was (a) knowing just how much time I sunk into D1 (not a lot compare to some Destiny players, but still 260 hours), (b) how useless that disc is long-term for an online only game (both for use and retaining any value) and (c) if I get the same play time out of the sequel, it saves me having to keep swapping discs a gazillion times!
Like others have said, this one could be chocked up to more digital sales than physical. Either way, Bungie will stay vague about the details.
Personally, I think the majority will drop off quicker than with the first game.
I would have guessed that sales would be lower to be honest. I think that burn out will be a big factor, given that 2 is so similar to 1; something that I hope reviewers are intending to be honest about. I mean, if Bungie are expecting those who played for 3 years on D1 do the same with D2; hmm...that's 6 years of playing essentially one game. Seems unlikely.
Different story for those new to the game of course.
@themcnoisy Agreed, price being one factor but I like to check reviews too. I cant afford to not play a full priced game.
@Toadie "might finally get third party games selling well on a Nintendo home console."
Have you seen the NES, SNES and Wii? Those things sold loads of third party games.
Also, Switch isn't a home console. It's a portable system by definition. Nintendo have already abandoned their home console line and it looks like they might never produce a new home console again.
And just look at the full UK charts. Switch games aren't selling, especially not third party titles.
@manu0 "dude just look at that top 10. the first nine games are horrible."
The first 9 games also happen to be PS4/XB/multiplatform titles, and the tenth game is the only Switch game. Yes, "horrible", obviously.
@Mahe I wasn't just talking about the UK, i thought that was blindingly obvious, the UK has never been a strong market for Nintendo so there's not much to be gained by using it as a basis of how well or not they are doing.
Just today another story has come out, this time from the Oceanhorn devs, the Switch version has outsold all other versions, so yes, third party games ARE selling well on Switch so far, for how long its been on the market, however much you might hate to admit it.
There's also not much point referring to the NES or SNES, the industry is completely different from when they were out, and most third party Wii games that sold well were shovelware, Switch seems different as it's got a good quality line-up, with ports that are optimised well for the console.
I'm not even going to bother getting into the whole its a portable/its a console rubbish, it's a hybrid, end of.
@Mahe Pffffft only the true, cream of the crop, best, super fantastic gamers play games on the Tiger Game.com.. IMO Dude, anything else is just garbage, and you have horrible taste if you play games ANY other way!
Puh-leeaase PS4, Switch, Xbox 1, or PC, nonononononoh, get that outta here.
LITERALLY no one like those, and those that do are just sheepformists that just follow trends and fads!
Sheesh. 😂
@Toadie Wii had a lot of quality third party games that also sold well. Just because you say they're "shovelware", doesn't mean they actually are.
@Constable_What Yeah, that's right!
@manu0 a new IP with Nintendo's Money Maker on the cover on it. You'd think that alone would defeat nostalgia. But the other also has a larger install base (but that's another story)
If it dropped the always on/MMO rubbish it would make a half decent game. Why everything keeps chasing the MMO or e-sport model i dont know. Not getting this for that reason.
Everyone in my office got Destiny first time around. Only one person got it this time. Last time it was new enough to be a good looking title compared to other games. Now it looks ordinary.
If i want an always on MMO i will use my PC thank you. Getting the weapon that you took ages to get then look like a water pistol when the next expansion comes out annoys players. Trying to make it a little bit MMO-like will gain you players but will lose you many too. Maybe too many.
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