Best-selling PS3 exclusive ranks 51st in overall 2007 sales

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 10th 2008 at 12:45PM }

Regardless of hardware numbers, it's ultimately software that means the most to any publisher's bottom line. Unfortunately, in 2007, PS3 exclusives didn't fare too well. The top selling PS3 exclusive, Motorstorm, managed to become a million-seller worldwide, but ranks 51st in overall 2007 sales (according to Next-Gen).

There are a number of reasons for the sluggish software sales on PS3. Most obviously, the low system install base will keep PS3 sales from ever reaching the highs that many Wii and Xbox 360 titles can produce. However, we've said it time and time again: 2008 is looking to be a banner year for Sony's black box, and we think things are going to look up. If PS3 can push some strong bestsellers this year (we think they will), publishers and developers are very likely to strongly reconsider how much effort goes into PS3 development. If not, then there's a serious problem.

Check out key PS3-exclusive bestsellers, after the cut.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma - 470k sold (99th place)
Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction - 600k sold (81st place)
Heavenly Sword - 630k sold (78th place)
Uncharted - 730k sold (64th place)

At least Uncharted, a PS3 Fanboy reader favorite, did respectably. However, it does come with a bit of sadness that none of these titles managed to sell a million copies worldwide. (Update: These numbers reflect US and UK combined sales only. However, that doesn't dispel the PS3's need for better software sales in these territories.) Hopefully, the ever-growing PS3 install base will give these titles the sales that they need/deserve.

[Via Joystiq]

Tags: motorstorm, ps3, sales

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

NaCHOburger @ Apr 10th 2008 12:52PM

So Warkhawk didn't even make the top 100?

-Ouch!

Andrew Yoon @ Apr 10th 2008 12:53PM

Granted, I don't think downloaded numbers were included in that list. Warhawk may have sold pretty well--just not at retail.

Hashbrown Hunter @ Apr 10th 2008 1:46PM

Yeah, games that are released digitally aren't recorded in sales except by the host (i.e. Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, etc.)

NaCHOburger @ Apr 10th 2008 2:05PM

your right, I wasn't thinking that they might only consider retail products

Philip @ Apr 10th 2008 1:07PM

Does this include mororstorm that was bundled with the ps3??

dabamf @ Apr 10th 2008 1:16PM

Yes, I believe so...insult to injury, no?

Eggy @ Apr 10th 2008 5:31PM

* Pack-in titles were not counted.

So no bundles did not count.

Spoony @ Apr 10th 2008 1:10PM

Don't Forget Oblivion. The numbers counted on that are for the PS3 Version Online.

sUnHeAd @ Apr 10th 2008 1:11PM

this is BS accorrding to VGCharts

uncharted:1.44m
ratchet: 0.99m
heavenly sword: 0.96m

it also says in the notes of next gen that Numbers take into account North America and Western Europe only.

Spoony @ Apr 10th 2008 1:11PM

Don't forget Oblivion It's sales were only for the PS3 version since it was the only version released in 2007.

Dan Davis @ Apr 10th 2008 1:13PM

MGS4, GT5:P, SOCOM, FFXIII, Killzone 2, Little Big Planet, Tekken 6, RFOM2(?)...

I'm sure I'm missing a ton more, but I'd say 2008 is looking a lot better.

Watcher @ Apr 10th 2008 1:30PM

I'm not sure why this is a suprise. 07 was a rough year for Sony. Sales didn't take off until the price cut and the holiday season.

This year will be different. GTP is already showing promise. Sony has a killer lineup this year, and MSG4 will take the crown in exlusives. I'd like to revisit this topic next year and wouldn't even bother with polling anything for PS3 in 07.

DMeisterJ @ Apr 10th 2008 1:43PM

Too bad they don't use Japanese numbers also. That'd change a lot up

Lars @ Apr 10th 2008 1:43PM

I don't find this type of stuff all that useful or important. My personal decisions are all that matter. I'm glad that a lot of people make the same decisions, but it's meaningless to me whether my decision was #1 or not.

I mean, most people buy (pun alert!) shitty toilet paper, but my ass thanks me for always buying charmin with aloe. As long as that product exists, I'll be happy, I don't need it to be the best selling TP out there.

And anyways, getting in the top 100 is pretty damn respectable. How many games came out last year? Many thousands, a lot of which were so crappy they didn't even get reviewed let alone sell hundreds of thousands of copies.

lucious @ Apr 10th 2008 1:51PM

vgchartz.com shows Motorstorm selling 3.10 million. Also, there's only 3 or so xbox titles that were exclusives ahead of it. This article is not really all that telling other than to say the Wii is really doing good. If MS had a year headstart and was at full steam last year, you'd think they would have saturated the charts........not so.

Doug @ Apr 10th 2008 2:18PM

vgchartz is hardly what I would call a reliable source. The published numbers in this post may or may not be giving enough credit to game sales, but vgchartz' numbers are notoriously highly dubious.

PS3FanxD @ Apr 10th 2008 2:03PM

WOW. You guys make the PS3 look bad. Uncharted sold 700k. Almost a mill, isn't that good? It will be still selling when MGS4 gathers a lot more people over. If you look at the list, almost 80% of the games are multiplatform games. The only ones that are not are the obvious ones, Halo 3, Pokemon, Mario, Bioshock, and Mass effect. We all knew those were going to sell very well. PSP on the other hand, is kinda sad.

Lars @ Apr 10th 2008 2:03PM

Real Gambler @ Apr 10th 2008 2:38PM

It's hard to fight HUGE titles like:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle 1.2 M
High School Musical: Makin’ the Cut! 1.2 M
Transformers: The Game 3.3 M
Spider-Man 3 3.4 M
The Simpsons Game 3.9 M
Pokemon Diamond/Pearl 5 M

; )

marklar @ Apr 10th 2008 3:12PM

yup, that's highly embarrassing

ptaylor7805 @ Apr 10th 2008 2:40PM

My friends and I have all of these games and they are great, scratch, excellent games.

Some bigger problems with the PS3 (at least mainly in 2007) was:

1) Price (which is one of the main reasons the Wii sold very well. Being the most expensive console with few must have games and fewer exclusives hurt sales)
2) Network (missing features, content, and exclusives caused Live to grow and the PS3 to struggle, especially with games like COD4 where Live was the only difference)
3) Bad press and PR (both professional and amateur media outlets gave the PS3 and Sony a beating in 2007. this swayed gamers and developers view of the PS3 and led to the system as being a lightening rod for criticism and snubbs.)
4) Sony management (for the first time in the console "wars", Sony is a market follower and it showed. Bad decisions to remove rumble and try to justify it by calling it last gen, taking out BC for the 40gb model, not getting dev kits to devs soon enough, etc. made 2007 pretty bad.)

I guess the first three reasons could easily link to the fourth, but I figure they deserve there own points.

By the end of 2008, I should be able to voice (or video) chat with buddies that are playing SOCOM Confrontation while I'm playing Resistance 2 as they are telling me a rival clan has just challenged us and I need to get in SOCOM ASAP. I finish another level of Res 2, get an accomplishment, got to Home to check and see what accomplishment I just got, then select a music playlist to go into SOCOM with. I see I have various wonky videos and messages friends have sent as well as a message that let me know that several new movies, music tracs and TV shows are now ready to purchase, but I choose to see all that later as I pop in SOCOM (I'm just more comfortable with my games on disk) and get ready to win another Team Deathmatch. A scenario like that should exist by the time snow hits the ground this December. If not, Sony will be in some trouble...

Vcize @ Apr 10th 2008 2:59PM

Arg, 700m for Uncharted is just retarded. Smaller install base or no, there are what, 10 million PS3s out in circulation? So given the assumption that most people can appreciate a good game it should have been in the several million category.

But I guess the tards were too busy buying Shrek the 3rd, Transformers, and that kind of crap to make time for a game that's actually good.

Apparently, the rejects that love their American Idol and Scary Movie 11 have made their way into the videogame market.

toefer @ Apr 10th 2008 3:11PM

Let's keep it all in perspective. There are only what, 3 Xbox 360 exclusives that came in higher than Motorstorm, so who really cares. It's easy to think that Xbox was dominating the top 50, but it really wasn't. They're almost all multi-platform or Nintendo (Wii/DS) titles. Mass Effect is eventually coming to PC, so they're down to just two (Forza and Halo 3). Whoop-a-dee-doo. Fast forward 12 months, and I think it's safe to say the PS3 will have more -- and better -- exclusives.

LJ @ Apr 10th 2008 3:47PM

Andrew, you missed the part on this article that says that this chart is only for North America and Europe. Uncharted and R&C did manage to sell more than a million copes worldwide

drdre74 @ Apr 10th 2008 4:25PM

yeah those numbers are off. Uncharted sold a million copies a few months back. I remember reading about that.

Dmas @ Apr 10th 2008 4:38PM

I didn't buy Uncharted because I'm left handed, and I read it doesn't support southpaw control - the demo for me was unplayable because of this. Let that be a lesson to you Naughty Dog.

Can anyone tell me if Resistance supports southpaw? The demo, once again doesn't. Same for Ratchet and Clank.

2Perfect @ Apr 12th 2008 6:19AM

Hmm I'm left handed too. never really noticed. I don't remember the controls now but I know for sure the demo made me want to buy it. Still haven't bought it but plan to (just got my PS3 a month ago).

raiser @ Apr 10th 2008 5:36PM

Gosh.. im so tired of hearing that low installed base crapola... nearly 12 million sold close to 5 mill in us and over 5 million in europe is considered low installed base these days? why the 360 doesnt have much of a lead in europe.. in the americas maybe.. but if u have a game thats suppose to be good and cannot sell more than 500k in a market of 5 million maybe ur game isnt as good as you think.