[Chris Dring] Astro Bot's UK launch is solid. First week sales are 21% higher than the debut of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in 2021

SuperPotato

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Not sure what to feel here.

I want Astro to reach over 10 million sales and not 21% the niche R&C.

It deserves more.

But Ratchet managed to sell 4 million and Astrobot is already starting out higher. Plus, it's a much much better platformer.
 

Evilms

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image.png


credit to @Astral_lion02 on IB
 

Gods&Monsters

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This has been his format for over a decade, why are people still mad about him releasing physicals first? He goes out of his way to make it knows. Physicals is still a huge chunk of PS5 game sales across the European / Uk market most times.
People in big threads are randoms that don't follow sales threads normally, so they have no idea what's going on.
Chris obviously always gets retail data first before digital, he can't help that.
Yes but his stats usually don't get much attention unless it's FF/Sony first-party and he knows it. His tweet about Astrobot physical made the internet explode with hundreds of replies. Astrobot was considered a flop until today.

He also downplayed the sales before release saying the game would sell more if it was on Nintendo Switch. Chris and Mat are active on all the platforms, they know the attention they get.
 

Evilnemesis8

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But Ratchet managed to sell 4 million and Astrobot is already starting out higher. Plus, it's a much much better platformer.

In one market, for a week, let's wait a bit.
Although Circana for September is going to be in a long ass time...


Yes but his stats usually don't get much attention unless it's FF/Sony first-party and he knows it. His tweet about Astrobot physical made the internet explode with hundreds of replies. Astrobot was considered a flop until today.

That's blaming the messenger for the dumb gaming discourse.
Why should he change how he does thing because certain games get more attention from console warriors?


He also downplayed the sales before release saying the game would sell more if it was on Nintendo Switch. Chris and Mat are active on all the platforms, they know the attention they get.

I mean, is that even a controversial take? Of course adding another SKU means it'll sell more.
This is beyond the fact that PlayStation users, at this point in time, show up for Spyro and Crash and very little for other platformers. It's just a consequence of cultivating an audience that wants the big blockbusters.

Like, I remember how indies and smaller games would sell in the early part of the PS4 generation, and then over time the Switch audience gobbled up a progressively larger piece of the sales of indie titles.
Kinda sad actually, I remember when my fellow PS bros would support a lot more varied games.


SIE themselves put the LEGO Horizon game on Switch because they know LEGO games sell the best on Switch.
Making a great game is good, but also putting in on the platform where people want to buy your game is also an important part of making products.

AstroBot will be fine and possibly outsell Ratchet when all is said and done(TBD), that's great.
 
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mibu no ookami

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Sony should also create an Astro PS5 Bundle.

Surprised there isn’t one neither a collectors edition.

It's not really a system seller.

The people you'd generally advertise it to won't be able to afford the PS5 at its current pricing.

Families + kids.
 

AllBizness

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Not sure what to feel here.

I want Astro to reach over 10 million sales and not 21% the niche R&C.

It deserves more.
It's the UK tho, even Super Mario platformers has trouble selling in that territory as much as he sells in others. I wouldn't read too much into it.
 

Danja

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Pack in has to draw interest.

This isn't the type of game you really draw people in with.
Packs in are also to push software and expose a game to an audience at times.

Astro deserved a bundle but they still can do that during Xmas. The entire game revolved around the PS5 hardware it's no brainer
 

Gods&Monsters

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I mean, is that even a controversial take? Of course adding another SKU means it'll sell more.
This is beyond the fact that PlayStation users, at this point in time, show up for Spyro and Crash and very little for other platformers. It's just a consequence of cultivating an audience that wants the big blockbusters.
He would never dare say the same thing if MS was launching a new IP exclusive on Xbox "It would sell way better on PS5". Did he say that about Hifi-Rush or Hellblade 2? Those sales were buried and never compared.

I remember he made up a new stat specifically for Starfield (fastest-selling new IP and fifth biggest launch). We never saw these articles before or since, it was just a way for him to hype Starfield and downplay the FF16 numbers in the same article (Starfield was actually on sale for a whole week more so it wasn't even an honest comparison, just BS numbers).

You might not notice these things but we do. There's a pattern with Chris. Same with Mat.
 
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Men_in_Boxes

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Imagine an entire media industry giving you GotY accolades and this is the performance you get.

Now you're learning where gaming is going. The gears are turning.
 
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Yurinka

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The most recent sales data we got from Rift Apart was 4M as of June 2023 (2 years after launch). Meaning, Rift Apart very likely will end selling over 6M or so (PS only, not counting PC). Meaning, it's the best selling Ratchet game ever.

If launch UK retail sales would be representative of the global sales (spoiler: they aren't), then Astro Bot would be on track of selling around over aprox. 7.3M copies. Which already would be the best selling internally developed Japan Studio game ever and would be almost the 7.5M copies Bloodborne had as of Feb. 2022. Which is the best selling 2nd party Japan Studio game.

Looking at PSN and Amazon rankings in the main PS countries, I think it's pretty likely that will sell a bit more than that, closer to or maybe even above 10M (after its whole lifetime, not at launch).

It would be far from the over 60M units sold of the best selling platformer ever in any console, Astro's Playroom.

UK launch (Physical)
  • Gran Turismo 5 (WED) : 269k
  • Gran Turismo 4 (THU) : 253k
  • The Last Of Us Part II (FRI) : 194k
  • Uncharted 4 A Thief's End (TUE) : 192k
  • Marvel's Spider-Man (FRI) : 190k
  • God Of War Ragnarok (WED) : 145k
  • Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (FRI) : 116k
  • Uncharted 3 Drake's Deception (TUE) : 116k
  • Horizon Zero Dawn (WED) : 114k
  • The Last Of Us (FRI) : 110k
  • Gran Turismo 3 (FRI) : 100k
  • God of War 2018 (FRI) : 96k
  • Heavy Rain (WED) : 86k
  • Uncharted 2 Among Thieves (FRI) : 84k
  • Uncharted The Lost Legacy (WED) : 80k
  • Ghost Of Tsushima (FRI) : 75k
  • Horizon Forbidden West (FRI) : 74k
  • Grand Turismo Sport (WED) : 74k
  • Days Gone (FRI) : 70k
  • Infamous Second Son (FRI) : 69k
  • Marvel's Spider-Man Miles Morales (THU) : 58k
  • Gran Turismo 6 (FRI) : 54k
  • Gran Turismo 7 (FRI) : 54k
  • Death Stranding (FRI) : 45k
  • Bloodborne (WED) : 43k
  • The Order 1886 (FRI) : 39k
  • Ratchet & Clank (FRI) : 38k
  • Beyond Two Souls (WED) : 36k
  • Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart (THU) : 29k
  • Detroit Become Human (FRI) : 22k


Astro : 19~20k
If Rift Apart did 29K, if Astro did 21% more than that then Astro did 35K, not 19-20K.
 
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Men_in_Boxes

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Why play this character?
I love educating.

The industry moved AWAY from single player almost as much as it moved TOWARDS GAAS. Almost all of the comments I read online are from GAAS haters but the old business model wasn't working. People like to ignore that fact.
 
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Cool hand luke

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Incredible start for what is essentially a new IP for the PS audience. It's one market from many, but it looks to be shaping up to be an evergreen.
 

Gediminas

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21 Jun 2022
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I love educating.

The industry moved AWAY from single player almost as much as it moved TOWARDS GAAS. Almost all of the comments I read online are from GAAS haters but the old business model wasn't working. People like to ignore that fact.
Your head isn't working not old model.

What are you educating? How to write stupid ass comments?
 

BillyZ

Well-known member
18 Jul 2024
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I love educating.

The industry moved AWAY from single player almost as much as it moved TOWARDS GAAS. Almost all of the comments I read online are from GAAS haters but the old business model wasn't working. People like to ignore that fact.
So true, hopefully Team Asobi will start working on the extraction shooter Escape from Astro immediately.