Rock band 3 sales thread

[GNFfhqwhgads]

HMX has money coming in from DLC, RB1-3, Instrument sales (They likely get a bit from that), possibly still from some GH residuals, as well as Dance Central and any DLC/extras off of that.

To add to this, Harmonix DOES have copyrights for the tipped highway(which is why only GH does it, since they had to maintain the same look), so they've possibly been receiving royalties on that when GH was outperforming them and now. Plus, DLC is evergreen. It's never worth any less, so they can sell it for the same price, and people can buy it for the same price since only RB3 versions make them 'outdated', and hell, even Queen Pack 01 still moves on the charts while most of it has RB3 versions.

[tnevaker]

Has anyone realized that Rock Band 3 near the top (only behind the Rock Band Music Store) of the Best Selling Games of All-Time on Xbox.com?

Perhaps the digital sales of the game have been doing wonders for HMX. Pair that with a lesser amount of songs released each week, and HMX could be making quite a profit off of the platform.

EDIT: I apologize for the necro.

seems to bolster the case for releasing RB4 as DLC instead of a disc-based game

[Musashi]

seems to bolster the case for releasing RB4 as DLC instead of a disc-based game

Lot of games are released as both these days.

[bonethug0108]

seems to bolster the case for releasing RB4 as DLC instead of a disc-based game

if you mean don't release a rb4 but just keep doing dlc songs, then I highly disagree. If you mean as a game through the live arcade and psn store, then I agree it may be better.

And the reason I disagree with the first is because if you don't release something new most people will move on and dlc sales will dwindle to almost nothing.

A dlc game will have positives and negatives. The biggest plus is manufacturing and distribution is a HUGE cost so you save on that(though you will pay a little for hosting, it's a fraction of the other costs). The biggest negative is it will be available to less people and people are still in transitional stages of moving to buying digital, so this means less sales.

So the question is are you saving enough on manufacturing and distribution to offset the loss of sales? I think rb3 on demand may have been a slight test run on that.

[tnevaker]

if you mean don't release a rb4 but just keep doing dlc songs, then I highly disagree. If you mean as a game through the live arcade and psn store, then I agree it may be better.

And the reason I disagree with the first is because if you don't release something new most people will move on and dlc sales will dwindle to almost nothing.

A dlc game will have positives and negatives. The biggest plus is manufacturing and distribution is a HUGE cost so you save on that(though you will pay a little for hosting, it's a fraction of the other costs). The biggest negative is it will be available to less people and people are still in transitional stages of moving to buying digital, so this means less sales.

So the question is are you saving enough on manufacturing and distribution to offset the loss of sales? I think rb3 on demand may have been a slight test run on that.

yes, i meant releasing RB4 as a new downloadable game. if the RB3 on demand release was a test, seems like those numbers would indicate it was a successful one (though really you'd have to compare the numbers to disc-based games, not other downloadable games, to really tell).

i think, given the distribution difficulties (look at how well that madcatz holiday "re-release" did) and the fact that this type of game is increasingly becoming a niche product, the downloadable route might be the way to go to keep the franchise alive and going, without having to pour more money and resources into it than hmx can afford right now. also, they can get away with a somewhat scaled-back release if they go the downloadable route.... a smaller setlist (say 40-something songs or so), few if any major new features, but just concentrating on improving the existing features introduced in RB3, smoothing out some of the bugs, and maybe including a few "fan requests" like new goals, a new tour mode, additional online options, or whatever they think people would want. sorta like an RB 3.5 in a way.

[bonethug0108]

I could see that.

I think the main issue is with the instruments though. You need them to play the game. I think that more than anything is why this genre has shrunk. People naturally tend to move on to new stuff so the gamers you had have shrunk, and with the huge investment cost with instruments you don't get many new customers at the rate you lose customers.

So while doing digital distribution is likely the way to go with the game, you have to have a way to get instruments in people's hands. If the madcatz partnership is still going strong, they will have to find a way to advertise the instruments to people.

[GNFfhqwhgads]

The reason they sold instrument rights to MadCatz is because instrument sales were rapidly declining and not turning a profit.

[tnevaker]

the instruments situation, in a way, kind of supports going the downloadable route. the only way you can get new instruments anymore is by ordering them on the internet, so it makes sense that buyers of the new game, other than the majority who already have instruments, will be going online to get them. so why sell a game in stores if you can't get the necessary instruments along with them? perhaps the game can contain info on how to obtain instruments, maybe links to the gameshark site or other partnered sites that sell instruments.

[bonethug0108]

The reason they sold instrument rights to MadCatz is because instrument sales were rapidly declining and not turning a profit.

I know that and it was a good decision for both companies at the time. Madcatz had the know how and ability to do it. I just wonder if madcatz is starting to regret it or if they are just doing the bare minimum.

With all the clearance stuff going on it makes me a bit more nervous.

And with all that, I wonder if this has something to do with the new direction rock band is taking. It's been on my mind for quite a while. Can you do a instrumentless rock band?

[bonethug0108]

the instruments situation, in a way, kind of supports going the downloadable route. the only way you can get new instruments anymore is by ordering them on the internet, so it makes sense that buyers of the new game, other than the majority who already have instruments, will be going online to get them. so why sell a game in stores if you can't get the necessary instruments along with them? perhaps the game can contain info on how to obtain instruments, maybe links to the gameshark site or other partnered sites that sell instruments.

Yup all that crossed my mind while typing.

But I think the big issue is you have to advertise the instruments outside the game. People will be pretty pissed buying a game and then getting a notice to go to so and so to get the instruments.

Though If they put a link or something in the description it may work.