ANTHEM hasn't done too hot in the UK, according to initial sales info from industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, also known as ZhugeEX. We'll have more details soon, once the full UK charts are available, but right now, it doesn't sound good as far as BioWare's latest is concerned.
According to Ahmad, ANTHEM only managed to sell around ten percent of the copies that the original Destiny did back when it launched in 2014. Perhaps even more damning, Mass Effect: Andromeda's first week sales were more than double that of ANTHEM. Neither example paints a particularly pretty picture.
The one caveat here is the growing digital market. ANTHEM may have done significantly better through platforms like the PlayStation Store, but there's no sure way of knowing at this point. Still, it's not like physical sales suddenly don't matter -- this could well be an early sign that ANTHEM's going to struggle commercially.
And let's not forget: EA wants ANTHEM to sell six million copies in six weeks. The publisher better hope that those digital numbers really do make up the difference.
[source resetera.com]
Comments 38
Based on the reception this game has been getting, is anyone really surprised? It will be lucky to get a 6 on this site.
That happened because its a single-player game, these games are struggling.
Oh wait...
A shame, I really do enjoy it buts its far from perfect. Glad I picked it up, but I understand why people are staying away.
Comparing Mass Effect Andromeda to Anthem is kind of pointless, Mass Effect is an established franchise and most were excited for the game but most didn't expect it to be that bad.
Anthem now has the problem of the EA hate at an all time high, people know bioware for the singleplayer games, people are still mad Andromeda got the B team while Anthem got the A team, it was always going to end bad unless they knocked it out the park which they didn't.
Not into people losing their jobs but GOOD. Make this GaaS crap go away. It is toxic for everyone. And allows people to get swindled for half (or less) finished products
This won't hurt EA, between Apex Legends and the fact that the company itself is pretty cushioned.
That said, I do hope this doesn't shutter Bioware...man, this whole game is a bummer from every angle. Leave it to EA I suppose.
Release incomplete, new ip, expect 6M sales. Sure buddy 🙄
Into the Spider-Verse won an Oscar!
The Destiny bubble has burst, oh dear.
@Enuo I think it's the best spider-man story ever made (for movie and games), with sam raimi spider-man 2 in number 2 posisition
The opening portion of the movie still haunt me after I finished watching it in theatre, man that was brutal..
@Enuo Saw that movie like...3 times in the cinema. Man...first time in a while I remember that the best animated movie of the year actually got the Oscar.
Good. Let's keep it that way. Death to unfinished games.
A lot of perfectly good games don't even hit the 1 million mark, 6M is way way way above and beyond for a game that apparently wasn't even finished.
I think this says it all:
@Enuo So happy for this. Now I can't wait for the blu-ray and the sequel.
@wiiware nope nothing still comes close enough for spider man 2.
Whilst I'm enjoying the game, I doubt sales will be good given the mess the demo showed everyone along with all the negativity around the game.
How many people still buy physical copies? Even with garbage internet I buy all my stuff digital.
They also must have wasted a huge huge amount on marketing, I've been seeing it advertised everywhere online. Garbage.
A shame as I am enjoying it a lot, so would like to see it do well so it continues to be supported. It is what it is, I guess.
@KingdomHeartsFan This. Sadly EA and other publishers repeatadly refuse to tale away the right message and they will blame something or someone else.
The lessons from destiny and battlefront 2 are there for all to see. The community are sick of incomplete, microtransaction fuelled nonsense.
I'm not happy in a way this isn't looking good - EA does not take failure well. Or responsibility - making a single player narrative driven development studio and forcing them to clone another style of game that they have no experience if is no doubt going to be risky. I really hope Bioware are able to pick themselves up from this.
@Gamer4Lyfe
At least MEA was single player focused, even if theres a mp part which I never cared about. It was never 'bad' either but just not as immersive as the original trilogy.
@Neolit
I agree. I was so disappointed with the reveal. I dont know why people were so excited with the obvious focus on pointless mp and services.
It's a damn shame, loved the Mass Effect Trilogy and KOTOR. I'm not interested in these social games they keep putting out. Decided to have a go of For Honour after getting it on Plus, the second i was asked to sign up to a ubisoft account in order to even experience the game i just quit and deleted it from my HDD!
I bought it digital, as did everyone else I know, with games worth very little when selling secondhand why bother with physical anymore, plus I have two consoles, so it means not carrying a disk around between two places. I've got 50 hours in the game now and still enjoying it so far. I feel it has been given a rough deal by the press and reviewers, if you don't like grindy games then it's probably not for you. I have a clan that play Warframe and Destiny together, so we already have teams ready to go, so only played a bit with randoms.
@TheVicinity 'with games worth very little when selling secondhand why bother'
Highly dubious statement. I got £40 back for RDR2 when I bounced off it. I'm looking to sell Astrobot and Moss now and it's either £27 Game or £32 CEX for the pair. I know retail is dying but as long as its available that's my preferred option as getting something is better than nothing.
"The publisher better hope that those digital numbers really do make up the difference". — it won't, not in the UK anyway. why would you pay £60 for something, when you could have bought it for just over £30?. there were some crazy pre-order discounts just to try and boost numbers. and it's not like ME:A sold zero copies digitally. the latest patch seems to be causing a lot of PS4s to completely shut off, resulting in a necessary unplug and storage recovery cycle every time. they may fix it over time, but sometimes the first impressions can be pretty damning, and neither the VIP/demo or game launched in an acceptable state.
I only bought it cause I got it for £30 and knew I could probably sell it for same price if I didnt like it. Not many games I buy digitally day one due to the excessive cost and the inability to resell. There is a good game in there somewhere just multiple mind boggling decisions they made let it down in my opinion will probably finish the campaign then sell as long as I can muster up the will power to do those challenge road block.
@themcnoisy when backwards compatibility finally comes to PS wouldn't it be great to have a library to be able to go back to? I know from my 360 that playing games I bought digitally it's wonderful to be able to go back and play them again on my One. I know I've played games for years sometimes that I purchased new, I didn't mean selling them a couple of months after they came out 😀. I have loads digitally on my PS3 I'd love to play again without having to get the console out of the loft!
@TheVicinity You can trade Anthem in at CEX for £40 (voucher, or £36 cash) at the moment and it'll be around that level for a few weeks, more than long enough to do all the content. Plus physical is cheaper than digital, usually by at least a tenner at launch and the difference only grows with time (and you can trade in stuff to get physical for free).
I do like the slight added convenience of digital, but it's a massive waste of money.
The EA tag will hinder any game from maximising its sales. I personally won't buy anything EA related until its been out for a while and its proved it isnt ruined with loot boxes and bugs. Sorry EA, but you've only f**ked it for yourselves 🤷🏻♂️
@Nyne11Tyme
GaaS is not the actual problem but it's the implementation of poorly designed and conceived games because companies think on a simple level "GaaS = Fat Profit" and not much beyond that.
Same for films with "Universes", companies think that substandard films with shared cast and unfinished loose plot ends that set up endless sequels equals profit because Marvel do it, while missing all the ingredients that make Marvel movies successful, of which a "shared universe" is part of that.
GaaS when done right is the future of gaming, though I'm not by any means someone that plays them now . Imagine constant City That Never Sleeps DLC and plots in Manhattan for Spider-Man that has a level of care the main game had. With physical Releases like Destiny does to bring players up to date without the Internet.
This coupled with Andromeda has me kinda worried about BioWare's future. Really hope EA don't pull the plug based on two commercial disappointments. But at the same time, I really don't think I'll be buying Anthem.
@Flopsy I'm honestly more surprised that Fallout 76 managed to sell that many copies...
@RPE83 i just dont agree that "GaaS done right" is a quality future for gamers. Everything just going to be a mmo style never ending update. F that. We already started blurring genre lines with rpg elements in fps and action titles. I want to experience lots of different games. Not one never ending money pit.😞 I might also be a lot older and part of a dying mindset for what/where gaming is. If i wanna play Spider forever then make a Spidey mmo (i get that doesnt work exactly in that context but you get my point) and not just one never ending Spidey game. I hope developers dont want that either because you then become shoehorned into zero creative freedom
Hmmm... Maybe the title is a little odd/confusing aiding their woes? Anthem... A musical word used for a robotic action RPG to describe an anthem of creation... What? KISS keep it simple silly. Maybe a re-release with a new title and fixed all bugs could help it. Cypher's Tale?
Im enjoying the game, played about 30 hours over the weekend. Yes, it can get repetitive, but I find it fun, the flying mechanics are spot on.
Also, focusing on retail copies and not waiting to take into account digital figures? Just shaming for the sake of instead of getting the full picture.
I have no intention on trying this out, and honestly will be surprised if it moves six million period, much less in six weeks.
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