260°

How Did Pokemon Scarlet & Violet Sell More Than God of War Ragnarok? | Podcast 61

TechRaptor, "On this week's podcast, we chat about Netflix Games, Ragnarok Sales, and Pokemon Scarlet Violet's Sales too. Plus Impressions of both!"

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techraptor.net
Neonridr551d ago (Edited 551d ago )

the Switch has almost 100 million more units in the wild. Not hard to see why a game as popular as Pokemon would sell more than God of War.

Vits551d ago

That would be a good justification if GoW wasn't a cross-gen released with a market potential of over 130 million. Whereas the Switch moved only around 114 million.

The reason is more likely to do with the franchise power. On that front Pokemon is miles ahead of GoW.

Neonridr551d ago

fair enough, I totally wasn't thinking about the PS4 install base. I'm curious to know how games like Horizon and GoW sold on last gen vs current gen though. Seems like the PS5 was doing better sales.

Eonjay550d ago

Two reasons:. It's the biggest franchise on Earth and the the games sales aren't counted individually like all other games. They are added together. Always have been. So GOW can be the highest SKU but when we add the two Pokemon skus together we can say it outsold GOW.

1Victor550d ago (Edited 550d ago )

Remember if you want to catch ‘‘em all you need to buy 2 games 🤷🏿
That’s a potential 228 millions games 😱

shinoff2183550d ago

To be fair vits

My friend is specifically waiting until he gets a ps5 to get the gow. He might be just one person but where there's one there's many.

Vits550d ago (Edited 550d ago )

@shinoff2183

Congrats? Like that does not has anything to do with anything. But good for your friend.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 550d ago
-Foxtrot551d ago

I think the answer to the question is obvious

It's still sad though we live in a time where a game which is poorer quality, not as good as what the franchise could be and also just barebones sells more than something which is overall better quality.

Again the Pokemon franchise is huge and so is the appeal but because of that people give it a free pass and continue to eat whatever shit is thrown at them. Literally the responses to it are like...

"Yeah it might not be the best quality, there's bugs, there's glitches, there's not a lot to do, the level scaling is rubbish, the designs are still not the best, the world feels empty or barren, there's very limiting character customization choices, there's not many engaging side quests, it's far too easy or even dumbed down...bu bu but it's still the BEST Pokemon experience we have and I'm having fun I guess"

We've been given so many subpar Pokemon experiences over the years that we settle anything just a tiny bit over the low bar set.

Neonridr551d ago (Edited 551d ago )

again, aside from the technical issues it is generally seen as the best pokemon game in a long time. Maybe that bar is low, but generally speaking people enjoy the games for the most part. I see my kid and the enjoyment he's getting from the game. You know what he hasn't said to me once? Why does the game slow down here and there.

God of War doesn't appeal to as many people, plain and simple.

Chard551d ago

Well yes, technical issues can be overlooked if the gameplay is fun.
It’s a bonus that many of the glitches are hilarious

senorfartcushion551d ago

It’s definitely worse in terms of quality but everyone I know who has both games have finished Pokémon first.

343_Guilty_Spark550d ago

Game isn't targeted to 50 year olds like you.

Stopac550d ago (Edited 550d ago )

That's a little presumptuous. Sometimes a game doesn't have to be technically optimized to have fun with it. I mean I played it everyday straight from release date to today and it's great. Makes me wish there was a switch pro but I'm having fun.

When did fun stop being the major contributing factor to what makes a great game?

Mr_Writer85550d ago (Edited 550d ago )

@foxtrot
"that people give it a free pass and continue to eat whatever shit is thrown at them"

A) The game is fun, performance can be poor and still be a fun game

B) It's more popular with children who don't care about performance.

Should I feel bad because I've bought three version, one each for my children and one for me?

You may deem me "part of the problem" and maybe I am, but when I not only have fun, but have fun with my children and we have some quality bonding time then you can't tell me I am not having fun.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 550d ago
SeTTriP550d ago

Pokémon is older then I am it's a brand that far exceeds gow fan base why is this news, why is this surprising?

dekke551d ago

and its 2 games not one :P

Neonridr551d ago

even if you broke them up they'd outsell most titles.

DOMination-550d ago

When I was younger I worked in gaming retail and not once did I see someone buy both Pokemon games. Not doubting there are people out there who would but its a very small percentage and not the reason it has so many sales

SoulWarrior551d ago

How did one of the largest entertainments products ever outsell virtually every other game?

kayoss551d ago

Because
1. Pokémon is a very popular name brand across the world.
2. Pokémon appeals to a larger and diverse (in age) audience vs God of war which is targeted at a more mature audience.
3. Pokémon games are better advertised

gold_drake551d ago

i think age has little or next to nothing to do with it. look at call of duty. all of the kiddies play it.

Mr_Writer85550d ago

Kiddies who parents don't know how to parent sure.

I wouldn't let my 6 and 9 year old play them, but they have been playing Pokémon since the age of 4 (with my help obviously)

Most kids their age are more into Pokémon and Minecraft than COD.

Hence why especially outside of gaming both IPs are bigger than COD.

MajorLazer550d ago

I'd say 11/12 is a decent age to start playing more mature titles, whilst Pokemon is pretty much appropriate since birth.

Mr_Writer85550d ago

@Major

But still not old enough to play COD.

If you have a child who is under 15 years old playing COD you're a bad parent.

Fortnite
Overwatch 2

That's at least 2 age appropriate shooter games suitable for 12 years old and above.

masterfox551d ago

pokemons games are for people that are........nah I wont say anything. :D

Show all comments (56)
70°

God of War Ragnarok gets PC release date, but Steam Deck compatibility is still uncertain

God of War Ragnarok gets an official release date on the Steam Store, but Steam Deck fans are left uncertain about its fate on the handheld.

anast17h ago

It will be listed as "playable".

Michiel198917h ago

I don't see it running any good on the steamdeck but maybe if they introduce enough options to lower the settings it might run semi decent.

Amplitude14h ago(Edited 14h ago)

Its literally a PS4 game, and likely will be able to lower settings even lower than that.

Assume low and medium settings, FSR2 Quality mode 720p, and an unstable 45fps or a stable 40fps like any other PS4 era port (Uncharted 4 for example). It'll be fine on the Deck if it's your only option

anast14h ago

Same, it won't be "Deck verified" for sure.

smashman989h ago

Amplitude beat me to it. I'd like to add that games like returnal and ratchet and clank rift apart run on the deck and those are actual ps5 games.

smashman988h ago

Most games listed as playable are only that way due to needing to use the on-screen keyboard or some adjacent thing.

anast8h ago

GoW will be playable on the lowest setting possible, but it wont look good.

200°

Sony shares big new PS Plus stat, but not the one we want to see

PlayStation Plus has improved the split of PS4 and PS5 players on its priciest tiers, but Sony continues to hide total subscriber numbers.

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theloadout.com
mandf1d 14h ago

lol acting like it’s equivalent to ms numbers

Mr Logic1d 14h ago

Uh...They're definitely not equivalent.

"Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass service now has 34 million subscribers."

"the total number of PS Plus subscribers across all tiers was 47.4 million"

darthv721d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

That PSN number seems like it should be much higher... especially when you consider that PS4 alone has a sell through of over 117m. To not even be at least half that is rather interesting.

To the XB side, having 34m to an install base of roughly 50m (XBO sell through) or even 85m (360 sell through) is a greater percentage of unit to member ratio than PSN.

bloop1d 10h ago

That's not the "gotcha" you think it is Darth.

darthv721d 9h ago

^^it's not supposed to be bloop.... it's just an interesting observation.

Einhander19721d 8h ago

darthv72

"That PSN number seems like it should be much higher... especially when you consider that PS4 alone has a sell through of over 117m. To not even be at least half that is rather interesting.

To the XB side, having 34m to an install base of roughly 50m (XBO sell through) or even 85m (360 sell through) is a greater percentage of unit to member ratio than PSN."

Have you ever heard of a PC before? I hear they are pretty popular.

fr0sty1d 2h ago

MS started lumping gold subscribers in with those GP numbers... keep in mind.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1d 2h ago
shinoff21831d 13h ago (Edited 1d 13h ago )

What. Definitely more os plus subscribers but that makes sense due to actual console sales

Darth the difference between the bases are huge your right but you gotta think. Ps players buy more games, where as the Xbox base relies on gamepass for their gaming. So it makes perfect sense

darthv721d 13h ago (Edited 1d 13h ago )

What makes perfect sense though? You say PS players buy more games... so then logically there should be more PS+ subscribers given the increased number of online multiplayer games in the PS4 generation alone. The PS4 was the first time that + was required for online play much like Gold was for 360 users.

Keep in mind we are talking subscribers, not simply XB/PS users. I assume you meant to say offline single player games, which is most likely true as well. That gen also saw a significant increase in games with an online component comparted to the previous gen.

victorMaje1d 12h ago

I for one will be going back to essential at the next renewal. When I feel a game is good & right up my alley, I’ll check trusted reviews & just buy it.

jznrpg1d 11h ago (Edited 1d 11h ago )

I have the top tier until 2028 as they gave me a massive discount for all the years I had left but I’ll most likely go to essential as well. I buy my games but my kids do use the service occasionally. They do prefer to own their games as well since any game can leave the rental service at some point and they don’t like that idea. They mostly use it to demo games then ask me to buy games if they really like it.

RedDevils1d 7h ago

For me, I will cancel it all together but unfortunately I still have it till 2030 lol

meganick1d 11h ago

I would like to see Sony add a fourth tier of PS Plus for people who just want to be able to play games online without any of the perks like monthly games, store discounts, or anything like that, and it should cost $20 annually, $30 maximum. There’s no way I’m paying $80 just to play games online. Even the original $60 fee was too much, and I would often wait for sales to re-up my subscription.

P_Bomb1d 7h ago (Edited 1d 7h ago )

Essential is too expensive, I agree. We’ve got one Essential and one Premium sub. Dropping the Premium when it expires.

gamerz1d 3h ago

Just let my subscription lapse for the first time since 2010. Will sub again every now and then for a month or so to access my old ps+ games but for me it's the end of an era.

DivineHand1251d 3h ago

Let those numbers continue to drop because it is now too expensive. $80 per year just to play online. I noticed they didn't offer any discounts on the subscription or controllers during this year's days of play for the first time in many years and they will feel it when people choose not to renew.

My subscription will lapse next month and it will stay that way until further notice.

KevtheDuff23h ago

There were savings on subs and controllers here in the UK? I bought a controller yesterday in the sale..
It would be weird if those deals were not in other territories too?

310°

Single-Player Titles God Of War Ragnarok & Until Dawn Will Require PSN Account On PC

Sony Interactive Entertainment's upcoming single-player PC games like God of War Ragnarok and Until Dawn will require a PSN account.

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twistedvoxel.com
PrinceOfAnger1d 22h ago

Sony will lose support and money from 177 countries that support Steam but do not support PSN!
Tell me about stupidity, I'll tell you Sony.
Its concern is to increase the number of PSN subscribers, at the expense of profit and
More sales for their games from 177 countries.

purple1011d 15h ago (Edited 1d 15h ago )

Thing is it’s free to create an account (for pc players)

So they don’t need essential / extra / premium tiers, there is literally no good reason. Stupid but I don’t know the ins-and-outs but I can imagine it’s just a dumb reason

Ohh actually maybe it’s to combat piracy, so the game will not launch unless you have psn, then Sonys server end would validate if it’s a real copy or a cracked one

That could be it

ApocalypseShadow1d 15h ago

Ding ding ding. Your edit brought the answer. Lol

Sony wants to validate their games on PC so that they know who's legit and who stole them. I understand Prince in that we have too many accounts we have to make. And it's a slippery slope. Like ported Xbox games to PlayStation will require a Microsoft account. Besides the already Ubisoft accounts and Epic accounts. Hard to keep up with all these names and passwords.

But you figured it out.

blacktiger1d 15h ago

so you are saying it's another DRM? And is it always online? even though it's single player offline game?

darthv721d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

Its free... sure. The main issue are the countries that are not on the list to select when creating the account. And I don't think Sony allows nearest neighbor, where you pick the one closest to you that is supported. People can obviously pick any country they want from the list, but that then becomes saddled to them going forward. Personally my country is supported, and I have not felt the need to change it so I dont even know if you can after the fact. If I were to move to an unsupported country... would the games even work if it detects me playing it from one when I am registered in the other?

This all stems from the whole Helldivers fiasco. Countries that support steam, and let them buy it and play only to have them cut off because their country was not officially part of the PSN account creation which was later enforced after the fact.

Andrew3361d 14h ago

I believe every Sony single player game has leaked online the same day it releases. Needing a psn account to play the game legally isn't gonna change the fact it'll be pirated same day.

Jingsing1d 13h ago

They'll find out sadly that most of their games are pirated, Ghosts of Tsushima over 500k people downloading it not on Steam, It sold below 70k on Steam.

ApocalypseShadow1d 11h ago (Edited 1d 11h ago )

Black tiger, we all know games are stolen all the time on PC. Stolen to play. Stolen and emulated to play older system's games. The only way to stop it or slow it down is to have some type of security measure.

They're businesses. They have every right to protect what they make. PC gamers don't have ANY right to steal it.

There's a grey area when it comes to games purchased and the companies make your purchase unplayable through updates it closing servers. And we decide to take measures in our own hands to continue playing what was rightfully purchased by downloading it modding the code. But it's still theft.

Some gamers don't like the measures because they want the option to steal. Not everyone does. But many on PC do. That's just the reality. You can hide from the truth. But the truth is still there.

--Onilink--1d 11h ago

What good does it do to create an account (with fake information from another country) if the game isnt released in Steam in that country anyway?

Or are you expecting people to also have to create another steam account in another country in order to link it to the PSN account they now have to make, just to be able to play Sony games?

Its a dumb and unnecessary situation, simple as that

shinoff21831d 10h ago

You make a good point about piracy. Still weird Sony is the only one under fire about this even though they aren't alone, ea, ubisoft, Microsoft, etc. I don't know why Sony doesn't sell in those countries, but it's their prerogative.

1d 1h ago
+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 1d 1h ago
ApocalypseShadow1d 15h ago

I understand the account thing but you're way off on the subscriber thing.

just_looken1d 11h ago

@prince

I agree and i see the defenders are here

Once again everyone you need real information to make a psn account so you can only have one account you loose that then you loose all your playstation digital games and have bricked consoles.

The use of programs like vpns are a banable offense to sony and like so many other companies are monitoring your chat/activity via ai bots.

You should not half to buy a game then fill out a form like your buying a gun just to play a single player game.

Every other launcher like ea/ubi/rstar/acti/blizzard/bet h You just need a email address/password acti has on some game the bs phone # crap or unless your going to buy something then yeah real info. But sony like i said you need to give everything but a nude selfie/dna sample but that will be for psvr 4 and or ps6.

Magatsuhi1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

You're full of bs. I literally just made a fake psn account in el salvador and i had no issues. All i did was google map an address and a zip code and voila, psn account. Did not need to add any personal information.

Where does it state you need ps+ to play online on steam? You're being purposefully hyperbolic and dishonest or just stupid in order to spin outrage because you hate sony for very dumb reasons.

just_looken1d 8h ago

choo choo here comes the sony blind boys

I never said you need psplus for steam never

I also said sense 2023 again 2023

But i get it its sony they do 0 wrong

P_Bomb1d 7h ago (Edited 1d 7h ago )

“…you need to give everything but a nude selfie/dna sample”

Nobody wants your dna. I promise you.

badz1491d 6h ago

"...you need real information to make a psn account so you can only have one account you loose that then you loose all your playstation digital games and have bricked consoles."

It's one thing to be a hater but it's another to be full of crap.

1. I have multiple accounts in 4 countries for several reasons. And making the PSN accounts is free.

2. Lose your account, you lose everything associated with that account? Wow...like every other accounts too? WTH are you on about?

Amplitude1d 1h ago (Edited 1d 1h ago )

Though I agree with you it sucks to have to create an account - literally not a single thing that you said was true.

-You don't need real information.
-You can have any number of accounts.
-Its rare to lose a PSN account, but the game is still tied to Steam no matter how you slice it. Once you have it, your game can't be taken away by anybody but Valve.
-You won't be banned for playing a single player game with a VPN on.
--There is no form or ID required.
-The Sony "form" requires the exact same details as Steam. It also doesn't need a phone number.

There are very real reasons why the account requirement is bs but every other comment covers that.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 1d 1h ago
StormSnooper1d 8h ago (Edited 1d 8h ago )

Who gives a shit, they don’t want to sign up, they can always play other games and sign up to their requirements instead. You want PSN games, you sign up to PSN. Same applies to every other platform.

PhillyDonJawn1d 8h ago

Kinda wild how Sony and MS care more about accounts/users than actual sales

TheEroica1d 7h ago (Edited 1d 7h ago )

Sony fans don't care... They don't get the concept of why this screws gamrers over. Sony fans only know how to shill for the Corp.

fr0sty1d 2h ago

We're too busy playing these games on our playstations to care.

jznrpg18h ago

This is extra money for them.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 18h ago
CrimsonWing691d 15h ago

Are we always going to get news articles on this? Yes, any Sony game on PC now requires a PSN and won’t be accessible to regions that don’t have the PSN infrastructure.

neutralgamer19921d 15h ago

Exactly ots not like.on PC we already have so many different launchers.

Rockstar
Ubi
Epic
Battlenet
Steam.
GOG

What's one more and I already have a PSN account

Number1TailzFan1d 13h ago

Meh, I mean in the 90's and early 2000's some games had built in server browsers or built in lobby/chat systems like Worms 2 and it's sequels, if not we had GameSpy or Wireplay to find online players.

Multiple launchers is kind of annoying though, TBH I would prefer just one..

just_looken1d 11h ago

If you read the 2023 psn terms of service but this is sony so i know 90% here did not this is a pc killer.

Not only do you need real information so one account no way to make a dummy account and they need your address/real name some countries a drivers license but they also use ai to monitor you.

In there terms they are checking your ip address as the use of VPN's is against the terms and programs that cheat are also bannable but in the list they think 3rd party antivitus is cheating.

So yeah paying for god of war then filing out a form like your going to buy a gun just to play the thing to me sound's stupid but i am not a sony blindboy.

neutralgamer19921d 2h ago

Looken

I didn't know that. It sucks and I for one will be very watchful of what I buy in the future from Playstation on PC. It's like Sony can't stay out of its own way when it comes to success of their games

hiroyukisanada1d 15h ago

Why is this a problem? Just curious. Don't you need accounts for Steam, Xbox, Gog, Epic Games,EA, Blizzard,etc..? Why is it a problem if you need PSN?

darthv721d 14h ago

There are close to 200 countries around the world. MS is supported in 98%, Steam 90%. Sony... less than 50%.

Grilla1d 14h ago

You guys keep crying about these 177 3rd world countries.

CrimsonWing691d 14h ago

How much of a % do these 177 countries equate to Sony’s overall sales by region?

InUrFoxHole1d 12h ago

@Crimson
Would you say this is more pro or anti consumer?

romulus231d 12h ago

LOL, I saw the list of countries that aren't supported by PSN, I don't think Sony has anything to worry about with any of them. These aren't the kinds of places where game consoles and games are selling significantly enough to matter anyway. Just certain people are trying to blow this out of proportion.

Hofstaderman1d 2h ago

Trust me in those countries its cheaper to buy a console than build or buy a pc that can run ps5 games. Taxes and import duties are a real killer for graphics cards etc.

Giga_Gaia18h ago

The countries where PSN isn't supported definitely wouldn't move the needle in term of sales. In the end, they don't really matter. You can bet Sony did the math and have a lot more data than some stupid fanboys like you people.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 18h ago
buffig1d 14h ago (Edited 1d 14h ago )

@ Darthv72 Ahhh yes. All the people complaining on forums are people from Cameroon. It's definitely not people who it won't affect making a massive deal out of nothing

darthv721d 14h ago

...doesn't affect me one bit. All I did was provide a logical answer to the question hiro asked. People disagreeing does not refute the facts presented.

just_looken1d 11h ago

@buff

Its funny you can tell the Americans so much now

Japan is part of the list sony has banned ghost of tsumia pc version people in japan wtf? every American meh im fine with this as they give sony all ther information.

Not to mention in alot of countries that this game is supported you still have issues with getting a valid working address then the whole information that they need. I would never give sony my govt id fuck that.

staticall1d 13h ago

IMO, because it's a dumb requirement. Steam already has DRM built-in and it's working fine. And affected games are offline singleplayer games. This requirement doesn't help the players, only Sony stats.

Does this make tbe game better? No. Does this help the player or does it improve their experience? Also no. So why is this required? Just cause. So why anyone defends this again?!

just_looken1d 11h ago

All those compaines need a email/password that is it oh your ea account got banned well unlink that one from steam make another relink sesne the game is on steam.

Sony need You email address password first/last name home phone home address/postal proof of age location country and ip address then will monitor you 24/7. You will also need payment information on console for ps +

You can only have one psn account sense it need's your real info in some countries it needs a attached govt id.

Your psn account gets banned then all these games are dead to you and your playstaion consoles are bricked sense you need a psn account/ps + to go online/get updates etc

You can not make a new account sense it will say hey you already have that info on this account that is banned sorry gtfo.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 18h ago
truthBombs1d 14h ago

MAUs is clearly just as important to Sony.

I say make signing into PSN optional. Give players a reason to use it.. like the recently announced layer that lets you earn trophies.

I'm not bothered but there are countries who won't have access to the game because of this.

DustMan1d 13h ago

Oh noooooo! A common business practice! Still buying day one lol.

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