GTAIV and/or WIIFIT

First of all- what the bloody heck is a "console game?" I have no idea.

Console game would refer to video games not sold for computers: PS3 Xbox 360, Wii are all consoles and games made for them are console games. Some games are released for both consoles and computers but this proposition will exclude sales of games which run off of a personal computer.

Clear as mud?

No, just clear. I get it. Thanks for the info.

Here's an interesting article about how GTAIV is smashing all sorts of sales records: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7379624.stm

What kind of competition is GTAIV going to face this year? Is there something waiting out there that could compete with the amazing opening sales they've had?

Well, there's the awaited release of Wii Fit. But check out this article:

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18535

In the UK, where WiiFit was released three weeks prior to GTAIV, GTAIV has caught up with and passed it in sales... in only one week.

Further, WiiFit was suffering (as the Wii itself did during the holidays) from production and supply issues. And it hasn't even been released in the U.S. yet.

Now let's look at the Wii console itself. According to
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=11591

"Nintendo shipped 18.61 million Wii console to the global market, bringing the worldwide total to 24.45 million since its debut in November 2006. For its upcoming fiscal year, Nintendo forecasts global shipments to hit 25 million."

So we're looking at around 50 million Wii consoles to be out there by the end of the year.

Now look at the predictions for GTAIV's sales predictions at http://www.gamespot.com/news/6190011.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6190011

""There is no question that GTA will be huge," Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter told GameSpot. "I think that the game will sell 11 to 13 million copies by calendar year end, with probably 4 million the first week and 6 million the first full month."

So just to equal the GTAIV unit sales, Nintendo would have to sell WiiFit to about 1 IN 4 of all the Wii console owners by year end! And since they can't keep up with demand in the UK, how will they keep up with supply in the U.S. market as well?

GTAIV looks very much long here, and WiiFit is looking very much short.

GTA4 will slam wiifit, it has a much much larger dedicated fanbase established over 3 previous iterations. It also has wayyyyyy more hype and media coverage then Wiifit.

Nintendo will also suffer from hardware production issues , which is a shame for them really because it is really holding them back. They need to capitalize on their popularity right now, before the "fad" moves away and people realize that they don't have alot of good games and their hardware is from 1998 and that it looks like crap on their new 1080p HD television.

If they can make enough of those surf boards to feed the demand they will do very well, but gta4 will still do much better, its just sold 500 million dollars of units, already. it will sell a billion dollars worth after a couple more weeks.

Is the title of 'top selling console game' based on total units sold or total amount in dollars generated from sales of each of the games?

I mean GTAIV is $59.99 and Wii Fit is $89..99. So if it's units then GTAIV has a good chance of taking that title but if it's total revenue then Wii Fit has a chance at it as well.

This needs to be cleared up.

I would assume that it would be copies sold in this case. Good luck trying to get clarification from the admins, I've been trying to get clarity on a couple of other props but no response yet.

@ Vulgarian: nothing really I can see coming up will challenge GTA IV in terms of sales. Sure, there are some console exclusive games that may match sales with GTA IV on that ONE console (Haze, Fable 2, Metal Gear Solid, others). We need to remember that GTA IV was released on TWO consoles while WiiFit is only for the Wii. High profile games to be released in '08 on several consoles? Guitar Hero IV, Fallout 3, Star Wars the Force Unleashed, Soul Caliber IV... Can these meet GTA IV sales? I doubt it.

Long (if only I can get my money back out of EUCROP so I can get a full 1000 before this gets too high).

Nice point about how GTAIV sell on two consoles, whereas the WIIFIT only on one.....

With all the supply problems highlighted above, it looks like GTAIV is going to take the lead.......e

Also, might I add that even if we were to go by total revenue and not by the number of copies, GATAIV would still won due to the fact it sells on 2 consoles..... and appeals to a wider fan base...

P.S: why is the prop going up, MANIPULATION AGAIN!!!!!!!

Does anyone have any idea when WIIFIT is going to pay out? There's no date set.

Props about games' popularity pay out when the official stats are released, usually Feb of the following year

Numbers out on April units sold:

April Software
1. GTA IV – Xbox 360 – 1.85 million*
2. Mario Kart Wii – Wii – 1.12 million
3. GTA IV – PS3 – 1.00 million*
4. Wii Play w/ remote – Wii – 360K
5. Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wii – 326K
http://www.joystiq.com/2008/05/15/april-npd-gta-iv-mario-kart-wii-race-to-the-top/

Notes: GTAIV was released on April 29th so these numbers are for *2 days* of sales. Total GTAIV sales: 2.85 million.
MK Wii was released on April 27 in North America but as early as April 10th in Japan (wikipedia)
SSB Brawl was released in March and as of March 31st has sold 4.85 million (http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/pdf/2008/080425e.pdf#page=6)

Here's an interesting note...

WIIFIT doesn't contain any date information.

Does that mean it pays out at PPX$100 if it hits #1 for ANY time period? Like, say, this week when it's a new release?

I think the intent is clearly 2008, but the wording....

Ah, sweet ambiguous wording! Anyone who says that the Wii Fit wasn't the top selling console game in the US last week is fibbing. According to the wording of this prop, if the Fit is the top selling game during any time period, it pays out long. Right?

...We've had troops in Japan and Germany for over 60 years. Does that mean we LOST WWII ?!?!?...

We're starting to see numbers come out for the week of WiiFit's release. That, and I've found a new website that tracks video game sales.

WiiFit: http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=7480
GTAIV 360: http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=7103
GTAIV PS3: http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=7102

America ytd 2008: http://vgchartz.com/ayearly.php
Japan ytd 2008: http://vgchartz.com/japyearly.php
Other ytd 2008: can't seem to find easy way to display this.

Moving past the link dump:
Wii fit had a less than stellar first (1/2) week in the States, comparatively. For one, it's not the kind of game, like GTAIV, where people pre-order or wait in line until midnight for a copy. I also understand its been plagued by supply issues (not surprising for Nintendo). Having said that, Wii Fit has now sold 3.63M worldwide in 2008 (took total sales minus Week 1-4 for JAP). 819,000 in US at $90 a piece is not too shabby either.

GTAIV on the other hand, is showing total sales of 5.13M for 360 and 3.61M for PS3 for a total of 8.92M copies. That's going to be really hard for any other game to match. Most challengers will either be nintendo specific (Fit, Kart, SmashBros) or single console specific (Fable 2, Haze?, Metal Gear Solid 4) or late release dates (Fallout 3, Fable 2).

Conclusion:
We haven't learned much we didn't already know. These two props are still plagued by interpretation of the wording (units or dollars?; timeframe for WIIFIT, GTAIV = 360 + PS3). WiiFit has some hurdles to overcome (supply issues, single console, higher price point) but does have the advantage of being bundled with a peripheral that may see more potential usage for the Wii. (argh, I still hate that name)

i dont know why this one hasnt paid out yet the wii fit has passed gta 4 in the u.s., in its first week it out sold gta

I think WiiFit will become #1 at some point. Just look at the demographics. The majority of people who bought GTA4 had been waiting for it for a long time. More than likely, most of the people who wanted it already have it.

Now look at the Wii. The Wii currently has 26 million units worldwide, compared to 17 million for the Xbox and 13 million for the PS3.

A lot of people that I know that purchased the Wii got it for the ability to move around. In this day and age, where diet pills, vitamin water, 100-calorie packs, and the Wii are things on even a grandmothers list of things to buy, the WiiFit is the must have accessory for gamers worldwide.

Considering the fact that it is already sold-out in America, I have no doubt that this will beat any other video game released this month, since the surge of GTA4 has already passed and there aren't any other Blockbust games scheduled for release anytime soon.

If it's sold out, how are they going to sell more?

Good point, but supposedly there are more due for release soon. If they can release decent numbers of consoles throughout the month, then it will probably end up with Best Selling Game of June. Nintendo has had a problem with stock, but just think - if they are sold out and can't sell anymore, then they are selling them as fast as they can make them. How can that not be at least a good candidate for a best selling game?

Good point, but supposedly there are more due for release soon. If they can release decent numbers of consoles throughout the month, then it will probably end up with Best Selling Game of June. Nintendo has had a problem with stock, but just think - if they are sold out and can't sell anymore, then they are selling them as fast as they can make them. How can that not be at least a good candidate for a best selling game?

Keeping up with demand has seemed to be the Wii's Achilles heel this gen. As anybody trying to buy a system or one of the popular games since Christmas knows, you have to show up at the store and cross your fingers that what you want is in stock. Surprisingly (or not), this has resulted in extra hype for these SKUs and results in a more prolonged sale of the item (rather than in one giant launch ala GTA).

In fact, Peantoo, WiiFit was the top selling game for the week in which it was released (released May 21st in US, 1st in US sales for week ending May 24th: http://vgchartz.com/aweekly.php). "How can that not be at least a good candidate for a best selling game?" - Well, you are right, it IS a candidate for best selling game, THAT'S WHY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IT! What's making this fun now is to see how long GTAIV can draw out its sales and how quickly the support for WiiFit will drop off.

Well, WiiFit has topped the charts for the second week in a row (unless you count Wii Sports, but that comes with the Wii so should that count?). According to VGChartz.com WiiFit topped sales for the week of May 24th and the May 30th week. It has beaten GTA4 and every other game in weekly sales yet again.

So did we ever figure out when this will pay out? Does it have to outsell everything for a year? Does it have to reach 8 million copies?

I think the consensus is that it needs to be top selling for the year. Otherwise, as you said, it should already be satisfied.

And technically no, GTAIV outsold WiiFit in the Americas ending May 31st, GTAIV (360 + PS3) sold 147,682 copies while WiiFit was only 130,067. (what a drop off for wii fit! Hopefully they get their supply issues sorted out. I'm starting to see some articles suggest that it's not supply issues but instead profit issues as to the shortages in the US)

Ah, I forgot to count both systems. My mistake. Well, time to sell sell sell for me, since the dumb stock issue means that it may sell constantly for a while, but once the new content for GTA4 comes out in the fall, it will no doubt fall behind again.

. : . Update from the vgchatz.com weekly sales for June 7th . : .

On the America front (of concern for WIIFIT), wiifit had a abysmal third week selling only 63,924 in the Americas. This is down from 130,067 week 2 and 739,598 week 1. It certainly has a LONG way to go to get on par with the combined console sales of the front runner GTAIV with sales of 5.57 M.

So we're starting to see that GTAIV is so far able to exceed weekly sales of WiiFit and, with its huge boom to start, is well ahead of wiifit in the marathon race. I chalk it up to both the dual console sales of GTA and the higher price point for WiiFit.

NapkinG-

the PPXer formerly known as theKovenant

I want to get some opinion before I make up my mind on this:

WiiSports is a software game just as much as Halo 3, Madden, and WiiFit and as such should be included in determining the winner.

The prop GTAIV has no location conditions, thus we can assume it accounts for all known sales in the known universe. While the prop WIIFIT specifies 'in the U.S.' there is no reason to assume GTAIV is confined to the same regional constraints.

I just have to hope my interpretation matches that of the guy who decides which way things payout.

-NapkinG-

Maybe I'll try again, this time re-formatting as a question instead of a statement.

Is Wii Sports to be considered when determining the top-selling console game?
It comes pre-packaged with the wii console in all regions except Japan. So, for each wii console sold in those regions, does it count as a sale for Wii Sports? Or, would Wii Sports only count the direct sales within Japan?

Do you agree? Disagree? How do you think the admins will rule on this?

-NapkinG-

I don't think Wii Sports should count for a simple reason; people buy the Wii, and they get the game as part of the package. It would be like a restaurant counting the soup and salad as separate purchases when their menu includes them with the entree. For bookeeping and marketing purposes, they are part of a package, not a distinct sales item.

In this same vein, does Wii Fit really count as a game? Consider this; the heart of Wii Fit is the balance board, which is a peripheral, not part of the software. But GTA IV and every other game out there is just software (okay, Guitar Hero has the guitar, but you can play it with a regular controller, too). The balance board is not part of the game, no more than the guitar for Guitar Hero or the controller for GTA. These items are peripherals, not the game itself.

The game is the software.

So, since Wii Fit is a peripheral with a game attached to it, is it any different from Wii Sports, which is a gimme attached to a piece of game equipment?

If you read the article on how Wii Fit might outsell GTA IV this year, you'll see this quote from Michael Pachter, a top gaming analyst; "I consider Wii Fit more of a platform than a game...as I think the compelling feature is the potential for other games like Shaun White, Rayman, or even a new Tony Hawk game. And don't forget Jillian Michaels Fitness." "

Check out these links to other games using the balance board:

http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/05/rabbids-shaun-w.html

http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2007/10/24/tony-hawk-talks-wii-fit-board-as-a-controller/

http://kotaku.com/5016379/jillian-michaels-going-after-wiis-biggest-losers

Clearly Wii Fit is a new GAME SYSTEM, and should not be compared with software-only games. The fact that the Wii Fit system is being used for other games clearly sets it apart from software-only titles like GTA, COD, Ratchet and Clank, and others. No one can use these games to build their own, while Wii Fit obviously can.

So Wii Fit is a software program bundled with a device, and should not be considered a "game" on its own. It's another animal altogether.

I'd like to clarify you a bit there vulg,

Wii Fit is sold as a package that includes the Wii Balance Board and the Wii Fit Software. It is similar in its SKU as Mario Kart Wii (software + Wii Wheel) and Scene It! for the 360 (software plus buzzers) and your example of Guitar Hero and Rock Band.

The Wii Balance Board is what you refer to as a new 'game system'. Wii Fit is still a game that happens to come bundled with the controller you need to play the game. (interesting asside, 3 of the top 5 selling games this year come bundled with the controller to play the game (Mario Kart, Wii Fit and Guitar Hero III)
http:// news.cnet.com/8301-13846_3-10022181-62.html

Oh, and I've had time to digest the 'Wii Fit surpasses GTAIV' news. The article (dated Oct 21st) quotes Wii Fit at 8.7M units and GTAIV at 10.6M copies. However, Wii Fit was released December 1st 2007 in Japan and was delayed until mid-summer elsewhere. Wii Fit actually sold 1M units within its first month of which was not in 2008. www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/wii-fit-sells-1m-in-japan
So, any numbers you see, make sure you differentiate between total sales and 2008 sales.

vgchartz current volume:

• Wii Fit - 9.32M Total Worldwide - 8.32M 2008 Worldwide - 297k weekly sales
• GTA IV (both 360 and PS3) - 10.62M 2008 Worldwide - 52k weekly sales

With those numbers:

• Wii Fit - Total Est. 2008: 11.29M
• GTA IV - Total Est. 2008: 11.14M

Its gonna be hella close.

-NapkinG-

News Alert; GTA IV strikes back at Wii Fit with new sales stream.

Just found out that GTA IV was finally released in Japan. Sales for the week ending Nov 1st are 123,715 for PS3 and 39,244 for 360 (Japan Only).
[ www.vgchartz.com/japweekly.php?date=39754&disp=Japanese+Name&boxartz=1 ]
or [ www.videogamer.com/news/06-11-2008-9868.html ]

A 163k boost to the GTA IV numbers which covers the difference I calculated above.
This just got much more interesting.

-NapkinG-

PS. anyone feel free to sanity check all my assumptions and values.

I found a more recent article on the wii fit sales.

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1602853/20090115/story.jhtml

It sounds to me like it just barely out sold GTA IV.