Tomb Raider sold 3.4 million copies: “Despite the high critical acclaim, failed to meet each target”

[gordonfroman]

Remember in North America there aren't selling the PC version retail, its all digital. Also Tomb Raider hardly forced grittiness onto you after the first hour or so, and the amount of QTEs were pretty scarce in my opinion. There is hardly any consistent survival in this game too, its just upgrading your stuff and skills a bit like Far Cry 3.

Though I'll agree with saying that it isn't a truly proper successor to the old Tomb Raider game structure, it is a fine game indeed.

[SteakStyes]

I don't even like Tomb Raider, but when I read this yet again I see "we failed to sell to every individual on earth, even those who can't even play this, so we failed". Seriously, are sales numbers EVER high enough that something that isn't an indie title isn't deemed a failure?

[Ralakis]

[QUOTE=Generic.Monk;40045610]How is 3.4million sales remotely bad? This is just an example of the hole AAA gaming is digging itself - spending millions on protracted development cycles and massively overblown marketing, then needing the game to sell an absolute shitload to break even. This just forces them down the route of homogenizing everything into some cod-style trash because that's the thing that garners mass appeal.

Tomb raider underworld sold 1.5million copies in the same amount of time in 2008. While this failed to meet expectations, it went on to sell 2.6million by feb 2009 whic met them. Just shows that this industry is operating on more and more razor thin profit margins, and it needs another crash to convince them.[/QUOTE]

You need to factor in that this game was probably in development since 2009. That's roughly 3 and a half years of development meaning 3 and a half years of wages for how many people worked on it. According to the credits, a TON of people worked on this game, comparable to a high budget Michael Bay film. Artists, programmers, designers, composers, orchestral arrangements,

3.4 million sales across three platforms (not including digital platforms). Factor in the cost of manufacturing, the cost of voice actors, marketing, trade show appearances (E3/PAX/Gamescom).

Then factor in licensing fees, Sony/Microsoft wanting their cut. Steam probably takes a good 17% of total sales.

Not too good. I hope we see a sequel because it was a really really good fucking game.

[Ganerumo]

[QUOTE=SteakStyles;40052299]I don't even like Tomb Raider, but when I read this yet again I see "we failed to sell to every individual on earth, even those who can't even play this, so we failed". Seriously, are sales numbers EVER high enough that something that isn't an indie title isn't deemed a failure?[/QUOTE]

The amount of money waged in when making a AAA title is enormous. The budget for the actual development, the salaries of the devs, the marketing, etc, there is a ton of things that cost a fuckload.

[Mooe94]

imagine the developers partying the shit out of themselves in their offices and then the publisher comes up and says

"no. stop partying. we only delivered 3.4 million copies. NO FUN ALLOWED"

partypoopers inc

[Zeos]

You know what's sad, prior to the release, I was really wary about the game, I don't know why, maybe because I was kinda wary of something digging into Uncharted's territory, and my attachment of the series made me kinda off about games that look like they're taking from it.

I'm glad I was wrong, it's very Uncharted, but it's a fantastic game in its own right.

[BCell]

They should have a projected sales of 1 million copies sold instead. Why give it a high expectation.

[Niklasgunner]

I wonder what ArmA 3 sold, both games came out the same day, but arma has constantly been outselling Tomb Raider since then.