A report has been issued by investment firm Cowen & Company about sales regarding Gears Of War Judgment and God of War: Ascension, which predict dismal sales for either title in the US. The company is suggesting that Judgment only sold 425,000 units in the first month of sale, while Ascension is predicted to have sold just 360,000 units.
It is unclear though whether the figures predicted include digital downloads.
There could be a number of reasons for why both titles in otherwise popular franchises haven’t managed to perform well. Publicity may be one of the biggest culprits as there didn’t seem to be as big an advertising push for either titles, compared to both Gears 3 and God Of War 3.
We’re also looking at the end of a console generation so many consumers could be holding off purchasing anything new, instead waiting for the next gen to launch and spending money then instead. Game sales also tend to drop around this time of year following a huge sales spike during the Christmas season.
These figures are US only, so we’re not sure what the figures are globally. However, considering the US is the largest market sales internationally may not have a large impact on projected sales. This blip probably won’t see MS dropping Gears Of War or Sony getting rid of God of War, but there may have to be changes in how big franchises are now created to meet expectations.
Source: GI.biz.
Tuffcub
Probably due to a combination of console fatigue, too many sequels and not enough money.
cc_star
One sequel too many for both franchises imo.
Like GoW:A though, but haven’t been back to finish it off yet which probably speaks volumes.
webby_15-0
When god of war III came out, I couldn’t wait. I hadn’t played any of the previous games but it looked amazing. I did enjoy playing it, I just never went back to it after playing through the story. As for Ascension, I don’t know why, but I’m not even slightly interested.
Taylor Made
Both where games no one wanted tbh, they were released for the sake of it I think
matthangzhou
Yup. I was happy with end of GOW3 & didn’t want anymore of the same tired formula.
bunimomike
I feel like that too. Consumer interest seemed so very low compared to previous outings from the same franchise. Weird how that works out, eh.
Forrest_01
If you have the same sandwich every day for a year, it’ll get pretty boring. Same sort of deal here really.
Yes, bread based analogies are now my thing. :)
Eldave0
Judgment would have been great if it had been a) handled by the original team and b) it focussed on the Pendulum Wars, something fans have wanted for some time.
Ascension on the other hand was simply a pointless sequel with no major focus and a half-baked multiplayer thrown in for good measure.
How they expected either to sell is beyond me.
Jakster123x
I’m a big God of War fan and have all the games, but i think Sony should move away from it now.
I’d personally like to see a new IP with a new hero and a different mythological setting.
This allows SSM to start again in terms of creating a more likeable character in a world which none of us have seen before, and excite us once again.
I would say that Sony leave the God of War name behind though, i don’t think people would be happy having that name without Kratos in it. It’s like having a Bourne film without Jason Bourne…
Taylor Made
But they did have Bourne without Jason Bourne in it!!! Na I disagree they can keep going with the name God of war, as there is a lot of myth out there with a God of war, they just need a new story that ain’t based on revenge.
Jakster123x
I lnow they did, and everyone thought it was stupid because they were just using that name alone to try and make money.
I think 6 games has been quite enough for Kratos personally. I like playing as him, but there’s no more stories to tell with him. I quite liked the end to God of War 3. It felt satisfying to me as Kratos had fulfilled what he wanted since we first met him.
Perhaps Sony could turn the God of War series into something more like Assassin’s Creed, but without the yearly installments? A new trilogy, 3 different characters in standalone adventures in seperate mythologies. That sounds interesting to me.
jimmy-google
I think the PS4 announcement may have impacted their sales and that neither game had the naturally excitement that a few of the new IP have this year like The Last of Us.
A new God of War with different mythology or a different lead may have raised the interest. Ascension would have been better released on the Vita that needs a game like this. The PS3 didn’t need another Kratos game.
I think naming can impact games too. Neither of these were numbered and that can feel as though the game doesn’t have the same weight behind it and isn’t as important as the others in the series.
Kennykazey
To be fair, they haven’t been promoted as the “events” the previous titles were. There wasn’t as much buzz before and during launch.
And with the God of War collections it didn’t feel like a long time since the last game in a way. And I think the same goes for Gears, which wasn’t made by the same developer as the others either.
tactical20
I think blaming the PS4 announcement/end of generation is clutching at straws.
cc_star
Combination of franchise fatigue, weak marketing & game not being a compelling enough proposition IMO.
tactical20
Agreed.
On the plus side, will probs be under £20 in a fortnight.
KeRaSh
Kill Kratos and move on, please. Santa Monica is a very talented bunch but they are putting it all in a franchise that I can’t stand… I’d love to see them tackle Egyptian mythology through the eyes of a female Pharaoh. Either that, or something completely new (genre wise but not an FPS…).
mrfodder
Would have much preferred a vita God of war. So much so I went and played the 2 PSP titles on my vita instead of getting the new PS3 one.