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Demon's Souls (PS5) Sold Over 1.4 Million Units

arvfab

Banned
$25 off from Amazon 10 months after release.
30% off PSN 7 months after release.

Nintendo evergreen this is not.



A temporary sale is not a price drop.
 
1.4x $70 is right around 100 million so I suspect that more than paid for the costs.

I know there is lots more to it than that but still probably very successful.
Just imagine the numbers Horzion and God of war Ragnok will do when they release.

This is why I don’t think Sony will create a game pass like service because it would make zero sense when they can do these kind of numbers from most of their first party games.

This game didn’t even go on sale until a few months ago and even then I don’t think it sold for under $50
 
$25 off from Amazon 10 months after release.
30% off PSN 7 months after release.

Nintendo evergreen this is not.


30% off... To 50. Selling at 50 isn't some kind of bargain price.

Why is there another concerned about price and sales? You're not concerned about xbox sales metrics they don't matter right?
 
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Topher

Gold Member
$25 off from Amazon 10 months after release.
30% off PSN 7 months after release.

Nintendo evergreen this is not.



How are promotional price drops 7 and 10 months after release "pretty quickly"?

The Last of Us 2 had a $20 price drop 3 months after release and was the third highest grossing game ever for PS in the US.

https://www.theverge.com/good-deals...-us-part-ii-ps4-deal-sale-amazon-kindle-oasis

Semantics.

The point is that you really cant say 1.4 million X $70 = success.

Why? Bloodborne sold 2 million in 6 months by the time 30 million PS4s had been sold. Demon Souls Remake has a third that install base.

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/ps4s-bloodborne-sells-2-million/1100-6430572/
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
These numbers are okay. That's about it. Probably under Sony's expectations.

This "it's a new system" reason doesn't really jive with reality because big launch IP's are usually a consoles best selling title due to it being the defacto title to purchase at launch.

Hopefully Sony's future in exclusive Souls titles don't begin to wane when their other big cinematic games are selling so well.
 

noise36

Member
I bought it when it hit the bargain bin, seems to be more accessable then previous games in the genre, but hasnt really clicked for me yet, kinda boring, will give it more time.
 
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Marty-McFly

Banned
I really need for you cucks saying that it's below expectation to actually put a number out there of what YOU expected so we can see if it's reality or a crack dream.
I'm going to say that Sony expected to knock it out of the park with Demon's which is why it was positioned as their launch killer app.

Dark Souls 3 did over 10 million, and while that was multiplat to a much larger userbase, it also had a lot more competition than Demon's did at launch.

If we look at launch killer apps, in 2017 BOTW opened up selling more copies than Switch did. It had over 100% attach rate selling 1.3 million copies on Switch with 102% attach rate during its launch. Yes, the Switch version alone sold more copies of software than Switch did hardware.

My point is simply that when people buy new consoles it is often paired with an "it" game and becomes a killer app.

Respectfully, Dark Souls obviously doesn't have the same recognition, so I would agree Sony wasn't expecting that kind of reception, but I think after 10 million console sales, they would have been impressed with anything in the range of 2.5 million units in sales. I don't think 1.4 million is a failure but it's not the killer app they probably hoped for either.

Let's not forget, that Demons Souls is the OG of the entire Souls movement that has spawned an entire genre and the games graphics are truly next gen. With Mo-Cap and a live orchestra I'm sure it wasn't cheap.
 
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I'm going to say that Sony expected to knock it out of the park with Demon's which is why it was positioned as their launch killer app.

Dark Souls 3 did over 10 million, and while that was multiplat to a much larger userbase, it also had a lot more competition than Demon's did at launch.

If we look at launch killer apps, in 2017 BOTW opened up selling more copies than Switch did. It had over 100% attach rate selling 1.3 million copies on Switch with 102% attach rate during its launch. Yes, the Switch version alone sold more copies of software than Switch did hardware.

My point is simply that when people buy new consoles it is often paired with an "it" game and becomes a killer app.

Respectfully, Dark Souls obviously doesn't have the same recognition, so I would agree Sony wasn't expecting that kind of reception, but I think after 10 million console sales, they would have been impressed with anything in the range of 2.5 million units in sales. I don't think 1.4 million is a failure but it's not the killer app they probably hoped for either.

Let's not forget, that Demons Souls is the OG of the entire Souls movement that has spawned an entire genre and the games graphics are truly next gen. With Mo-Cap and a live orchestra I'm sure it wasn't cheap.

Demon's wasn't the "it" game. That was Miles. Don't get why you people can't seem to figure that out
 

Chiggs

Member
Glad to see it's done well. Best launch title ever. I can't even imagine how cool it would have been to play the game with virgin eyes on PS5.
 
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JaksGhost

Member
I'm going to say that Sony expected to knock it out of the park with Demon's which is why it was positioned as their launch killer app.

Dark Souls 3 did over 10 million, and while that was multiplat to a much larger userbase, it also had a lot more competition than Demon's did at launch.

If we look at launch killer apps, in 2017 BOTW opened up selling more copies than Switch did. It had over 100% attach rate selling 1.3 million copies on Switch with 102% attach rate during its launch. Yes, the Switch version alone sold more copies of software than Switch did hardware.

My point is simply that when people buy new consoles it is often paired with an "it" game and becomes a killer app.

Respectfully, Dark Souls obviously doesn't have the same recognition, so I would agree Sony wasn't expecting that kind of reception, but I think after 10 million console sales, they would have been impressed with anything in the range of 2.5 million units in sales. I don't think 1.4 million is a failure but it's not the killer app they probably hoped for either.

Let's not forget, that Demons Souls is the OG of the entire Souls movement that has spawned an entire genre and the games graphics are truly next gen. With Mo-Cap and a live orchestra I'm sure it wasn't cheap.
It is fucking crack 😭 I knew it. The killer app would be Miles Morales just like the CROSS-GEN title you just used as an example.
 
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Klayzer

Member
If only Bernd was here to enjoy this success with us.

cry crying GIF
Lol. GHG GHG , you vicious son of a bitch. You just know he's frothing at the mouth with rage after this news.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
Demon's Souls (PS5) turned out to be massively successful. For reference:
  • Demon's Souls (PS5) has an attach rate of 14%.
  • Dark Souls 3 had an attach rate of 4%.
  • Bloodborne had an attach rate of 3% on PS4.
The game still hasn't sold below $50 yet. I suspect it will sell at least more than 3 million copies by the time Bluepoint's next project releases. Considering it's a remake, it would have cost Sony no more than $20 million. 1.4 million copies at $60 (not $70) means $84 million.

That's a 4x ROI already. Fantastic!
 
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MrFunSocks

Banned
That's not exactly great sales for a launch title in a lackluster launch lineup when it was so hyped up. Considering there would be probably 11+ million PS5's out there now, selling to just over 10% isn't great.

Considering it's a remake, it would have cost Sony no more than $20 million. 1.4 million copies at $60 (not $70) means $84 million.

That's a 4x ROI already. Fantastic!
Do you have anything at all to back up what you're saying here? You've jumped to some massive conclusions based on something you literally just pulled out of thin air.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
Demon's Souls (PS5) turned out to be massively successful. For reference:
  • Demon's Souls (PS5) has an attach rate of 14%.
  • Dark Souls 3 had an attach rate of 4%.
  • Bloodborne had an attach rate of 3% on PS4.
The game still hasn't sold below $50 yet. I suspect it will sell at least more than 3 million copies by the time Bluepoint's next project releases. Considering it's a remake, it would have cost Sony no more than $20 million. 1.4 million copies at $60 (not $70) means $84 million.

That's a 4x ROI already. Fantastic!
DS3 and BB at 3-4% of a 120 million PS4 base is much more than 1.4 million sales.

Where did you get $20 million dev costs from? And who says Sony gets 100% of all sales? 100% of sales were digital?
 

skit_data

Member
Miles was available on PS4.
Yes I know and Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite are available on Xbox One, yet they will probably be the biggest games on the Series consoles this fall.
Does it even matter as long as there is evidence in the charts that they are the top sellers on their respective consoles? Isn’t that what we are talking about?
 

Shmunter

Member
For being a niche game in a very small user base, that's pretty good!
Hopefully Returnal reaches that mark soon, the best PS5 game so far IMO.
Yeah, I’ve yet to get it, and I get everything just about. Waiting on a decent deal incase I pack it away in 10min never to play again.
 

zombrex

Member
Not great but not bad either. Probably would have sold more had they gone full remake rather than remaster.
After all it is the same game we have all played through multiple times just with better graphics.
And as much as I love the game it feels antiquated and janky in many ways compared to newer entries in the souls series.
 
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Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
That's not exactly great sales for a launch title in a lackluster launch lineup when it was so hyped up. Considering there would be probably 11+ million PS5's out there now, selling to just over 10% isn't great.
A 14% attach rate for a hardcore niche game is lackluster. That means games like Dark Souls 3 and Sekiro have been absolutely awful, right? What were you expecting?

Do you have anything at all to back up what you're saying here? You've jumped to some massive conclusions based on something you literally just pulled out of thin air.
How much would it have cost? A team of ~70 people worked for two years on it. It's a remake, not a new game from scratch. For reference, Horizon Zero Dawn was developed in $45 million, and Control was developed for less than $30 million.

Both were new IPs with new game mechanics that needed to be built from scratch.

Do you expect Demon's Souls remake to cost more than those games?
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
DS3 and BB at 3-4% of a 120 million PS4 base is much more than 1.4 million sales.
What do you mean?

I'm comparing attach rates. 14% vs. 4% and 3%.
Where did you get $20 million dev costs from? And who says Sony gets 100% of all sales? 100% of sales were digital?
I am estimating the $20 million dev cost (as mentioned in my comment). For comparison, Control's cost was < $30 million. Horizon Zero Dawn was developed for $45 million. Both were new IPs with new game mechanics, story, and world-building, mo-copap / voice-acting, etc. Demon's Souls Remake can't cost the same amount, obviously. A team of 70 people made this game in two years.

It's a PlayStation IP, so Sony does get 100% of sales, for at least 70% of sales that are digital. But yes, retail sales will have only 70% or so. I took that into account partially by ignoring the $4 million revenue on top of $80 and putting the price at $60, not $70. It's a ball-park estimate after all.
 
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StreetsofBeige

Gold Member
What do you mean?

I'm comparing attach rates. 14% vs. 4% and 3%.

I am estimating the $20 million dev cost (as mentioned in my comment). For comparison, Control's cost was < $30 million. Horizon Zero Dawn was developed for $45 million. Both were new IPs with new game mechanics, story, and world-building, mo-copap / voice-acting, etc. Demon's Souls Remake can't cost the same amount, obviously. A team of 70 people made this game in two years.

It's a PlayStation IP, so Sony does get 100% of sales, for at least 70% of sales that are digital. But yes, retail sales will have only 70% or so. I took that into account partially by ignoring the $4 million revenue on top of $80 and putting the price at $60, not $70. It's a ball-park estimate after all.
A 14% attach rate isn't great considering there were only a handful of PS5 exclusive games to pick from. And DS was probably the second biggest hyped game too after Spiderman MM. After DS, the games drop to Returnal, Godfall, Sackboy and Bugsnax.

I'm sure Thunder Force II and Tommy Lasroda Baseball at Genesis launch had high attach rates too. I did my part. Got Super Thunderblade, TF2, TL Baseball and Arnold Palmer Golf. It was such slim pickings I think the only launch games we didnt get were Space Harrier II and Super Hang On. And when the new year rolled around, we got Revenge of Shinobi and that shitty Last Battle game.
 
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Airbus Jr

Banned
A 14% attach rate isn't great considering there were only a handful of PS5 exclusive games to pick from. And DS was probably the second biggest hyped game too after Spiderman MM. After DS, the games drop to Returnal, Godfall, Sackboy and Bugsnax.

I'm sure Thunder Force II and Tommy Lasroda Baseball at Genesis launch had high attach rates too.
1.4 million for niche game like this when PS5 releases is a very good numbers the hell are you tallking about
 
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arvfab

Banned
A 14% attach rate isn't great considering there were only a handful of PS5 exclusive games to pick from. And DS was probably the second biggest hyped game too after Spiderman MM. After DS, the games drop to Returnal, Godfall, Sackboy and Bugsnax.

I'm sure Thunder Force II and Tommy Lasroda Baseball at Genesis launch had high attach rates too. I did my part. Got Super Thunderblade, TF2, TL Baseball and Arnold Palmer Golf. It was such slim pickings I think the only launch games we didnt get were Space Harrier II and Super Hang On.

So we are going to ignore the fact that people not only had access to all PS4 games, but also that 20 of them were and are part of the PS+ collection, giving gamers lots of alternatives.

Sony must be really dumb after such disastrous sales, to buy them....
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
A 14% attach rate isn't great considering there were only a handful of PS5 exclusive games to pick from. And DS was probably the second biggest hyped game too after Spiderman MM. After DS, the games drop to Returnal, Godfall, Sackboy and Bugsnax.

I'm sure Thunder Force II and Tommy Lasroda Baseball at Genesis launch had high attach rates too. I did my part. Got Super Thunderblade, TF2, TL Baseball and Arnold Palmer Golf. It was such slim pickings I think the only launch games we didnt get were Space Harrier II and Super Hang On. And when the new year rolled around, we got Revenge of Shinobi and that shitty Last Battle game.
There were 8 PS5 exclusive games in the first 8 months -- not to mention the numerous cross-gen exclusive games and multi-platform third-party games. That's on top of the PS+ collection for PS5 users that had 20+ of the most popular games of the generation. In addition, the whole PS4 library via BC.

You're implying that there was a shortage of game at launch for PS5 gamers. There wasn't ... at all.

So, a 14% attach rate is freakin' fantastic, no matter how you put it, especially for a hardcore niche Souls-like game. Tell me, what other recent PlayStation or Xbox game had this kind of an attach rate?
 
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Klayzer

Member
There were 8 PS5 exclusive games in the first 8 months -- not to mention the numerous cross-gen exclusive games and multi-platform third-party games. That's on top of the PS+ collection for PS5 users that had 20+ of the most popular games of the generation. In addition, the whole PS4 library via BC.

You're implying that there was a shortage of game at launch for PS5 gamers. There wasn't ... at all.

So, a 14% attach rate is freakin' fantastic, no matter how you put it, especially for a hardcore niche Souls-like game. Tell me, what other recent PlayStation or Xbox game had this kind of an attach rate?
Shocked at the Xguys not being impressed.
 
A 14% attach rate isn't great considering there were only a handful of PS5 exclusive games to pick from. And DS was probably the second biggest hyped game too after Spiderman MM. After DS, the games drop to Returnal, Godfall, Sackboy and Bugsnax.
You forgot Ratchet and Clank.
Sounds like good line up compared to competition.

I'm sure Thunder Force II and Tommy Lasroda Baseball at Genesis launch had high attach rates too. I did my part. Got Super Thunderblade, TF2, TL Baseball and Arnold Palmer Golf. It was such slim pickings I think the only launch games we didnt get were Space Harrier II and Super Hang On. And when the new year rolled around, we got Revenge of Shinobi and that shitty Last Battle game.
Why are you crying about your bad choices?
 

tommib

Member
Should easily pass 2m when it comes down in price and the ps5 supply is improved.
I don’t think first party ps5 games will come down in price any time soon. I still think Sony is following the Nintendo model sticking to premium prices for a very long time. Minimum 3 years.
 

Shubh_C63

Member
Seems a little low but we all know souls game have passionate fanbase but sells ok-ish.
If this was named DarkSouls4 then that would be underwhelming.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
I don’t think first party ps5 games will come down in price any time soon. I still think Sony is following the Nintendo model sticking to premium prices for a very long time. Minimum 3 years.
Yeah, until PS5 becomes more common, i.e., > 25-35 million units sold.

There are still plenty of people who want to play Demon's Souls, Returnal, R&C, and Spider-Man, but aren't buying those games because they cannot purchase a PS5. This is proven by the fact that these games start topping sales charts as soon as the PS5 stocks drop.

Until that situation changes, there won't be deep discounts anytime soon. Hell, it has been a year and Sackboy just hit 45% discount.
 

Cyberpunkd

Gold Member
Less than I would have expected given the universal praise for the series. I guess this is why we're going to see cross-gen for a while.
The series started gaining traction with Dark Souls. Demons Souls is still Asian import copies with ENG language. From Software also massively improved with Dark Souls.
 

Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
It will go far beyond as long as they keep it PS exclusive with no PC porting BS.
They will release the game 2-3 years later when the PS sales die down. Then they will double dip and get an additional 100,000 - 1 million sales on PC, which means enough money to fully or partially fund their next game. Or 2-4 PC releases can actually fund a new AAA studio.

They obviously get the data and can time these releases to perfection.
 
Unfortunately, this series is still turning away many people due to its pedigree of being intimidating and unforgiving, despite that hardly being true anymore (there are many “easy modes” within the game). I don’t think it’s bad on 12M install base. Souls is still niche franchise.
 

Topher

Gold Member
That's not exactly great sales for a launch title in a lackluster launch lineup when it was so hyped up. Considering there would be probably 11+ million PS5's out there now, selling to just over 10% isn't great.

But in the Game Pass thread you said.....

Ugh I hate this "we need more transparency around sales numbers and subscription numbers" rubbish. No, we don't. You shouldn't care *at all*.

Sony thanks you for caring.

Bill Murray Thank You GIF by filmeditor


A 14% attach rate isn't great considering there were only a handful of PS5 exclusive games to pick from. And DS was probably the second biggest hyped game too after Spiderman MM. After DS, the games drop to Returnal, Godfall, Sackboy and Bugsnax.

But it is still a Souls game which has limited appeal. Compare it to other Souls games and that attach rate is pretty damn good.
 
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yurinka

Member
These numbers are okay. That's about it. Probably under Sony's expectations.
Bloodborne sold 2M in around half a year when the console had a installbase of 30M instead of 10M and it exceeded Sony's expectations. And this was a critically acclaimed brand new game by From.

Demon's Souls is a remake of a game nobody bought made by a way smaller team, which means way cheaper to develop so way more profitable. In aprox. that same period sold 1.4M but at $70 with some occasional temporal discount.

If Sony was happy with Bloodborne, they must be happier with Demon's Souls remake. In fact, they bought the studio, which proves they must be happy with them. And probably will recoup the investment of this acquisition with the profits coming from Demon's Souls and their previous remake.

There are still plenty of people who want to play Demon's Souls, Returnal, R&C, and Spider-Man, but aren't buying those games because they cannot purchase a PS5. This is proven by the fact that these games start topping sales charts as soon as the PS5 stocks drop.
I assume that in addition to this there's some people who already has the console but are waiting for price drops of these games. In my case, I recently got Sackboy for 30€. And I'm waiting for a similar deal for Morales. I assume many people with PS5 may be waiting to see Demon's Souls, Returnal or Ratchet discounted to $30 or $40 and until then they are playing other games.
 
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Heisenberg007

Gold Journalism
I assume that in addition to this there's some people who already has the console but are waiting for price drops of these games. In my case, I recently got Sackboy for 30€. And I'm waiting for a similar deal for Morales. I assume many people with PS5 may be waiting to see Demon's Souls, Returnal or Ratchet discounted to $30 or $40 and until then they are playing other games.
True. I' m actually waiting for deeper sales on all three games. Bought Returnal and R&C on day one though.
 
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