'Mad Max' Is About To Have A Serious 'Metal Gear Solid 5' Problem

Forbes:
If you’ve been reading video game blogs, or viewing their advertisements, it would be pretty hard to miss the fact that Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain comes out on Tuesday. It’s got a few things going for it, coverage-wise. It’s what looks like the last true installment in one of the most beloved franchises in videogames, it comes dogged with various sorts of controversy and, to boot, reviewers have been giving it near-perfect scores. Metal Gear Solid 5 is the game that’s here to kick off the fall release seasons, and it’s doing so with quite a lot of fanfare. But it’s not the only dust-oriented open world action game! WB and Avalanche’s adaptation of Mad Max is also coming out on Tuesday, but it risks getting completely overshadowed by its competition.

[FallenAngel1984]

It wasn't the wisest thing to release Mad Max on the same day. I'm surprised they didn't delay it by at least a week to give it a better chance. The best it can hope is to be another sleeper hit in 2015.

[XBLSkull]

Plenty of people are not interested in MGS, stealth just isn't for them. The truth is there are more people who don't play MGS compared to the people who do. Mad max has wider appeal and plenty of people can just buy both if they see fit. Wouldn't be surprised at all to see mad max out sell MGS.

[Paleblood]

"The truth is there are more people who don't play MGS compared to the people who do"

What truth? Lol you mean your "truth"? What is your source? Your mind?

Mad Max outsell MGS5 LOL, what a joke.

[NewMonday]

@XBLSkull

based on your prediction record its safe to say you prediction will fail again like usual, I'm sure you don't make actual bets because you would be broke.

[Imalwaysright]

"Plenty of people are not interested in MGS"

Same is true for Mad Max.

" stealth just isn't for them"

Those people can go with guns blazing in MGS.

"The truth is there are more people who don't play MGS compared to the people who do"

That is true for every game ever made.

"Mad max has wider appeal"

Many games have wider appeal than MGS. That doesn't change the fact that MGS is one of the biggest franchises in this industry and easily outsells many of those games.

"Wouldn't be surprised at all to see mad max out sell MGS."

I wouldn't be surprised if MGS sold 5 million copies more than Mad Max.

[UnHoly_One]

Just for the record, he is right, a lot of people don't care for MGS.

I have no interest in either, but I would play Mad Max before I would ever consider MGS.

I was just talking about MGSV to a group of my gaming buddies on another forum the other day and we all pretty much agreed that MGS2 was so awful we'll never play another one.

I know that a ton of people still love the series, and that's fine, but denying that there are also people that don't like it is pretty silly.

[sactownlawyer916]

There are plenty of ways to be able to play new releases without spending full price. Gamefly and redbox are both options in the U.S. not sure about abroad. Redbox lets you reserve new releases and pick them up the day of release. And im sure most people know how gamefly works. Those are just two options for people who want to new releases on limited funds.

[XBLSkull]

Man you people are way to sensitive. MGS4 did 4.3M in sales, that is like 1/20th of the PS3 install base, not to mention all the gamers who didn't own a PS3, gaming on Wii, 360 and PC. You wanna take it further MGS4 sold 4.3M with a global population of over 7 billion. I wasn't wrong, it isn't just my "truth," it is reality. Sorry you don't agree but you are wrong
MGS5 will sell better because it is jumping from one platform to 5, but don't be fooled, all the huge MGS fans are on PlayStation, many, many people don't care whatsoever for the franchise. I for one have had MGS5 installed on my Xbox for 2 weeks now, and I'm not buying mad max.

[DarXyde]

And how many of those people who are Mad Max fans are gamers? I've enjoyed all of the movies myself, but there's simply no debate. Metal Gear Solid V is going to do very well. Better than Mad Max. I'm quite confident in that, being on 5 platforms and all. Even then, I doubt the PS3 and Xbox 360 will be necessary to do that.

You must be trolling.

EDIT: about Metal Gear Solid 4's sales... You must have forgotten that Metal Gear Solid 4 was not released when PS3 had 80 million sales. At that point, you couldn't find it new and, surprise, people bought it used.

Common sense on that one.

[sinspirit]

@XBLSkull

MGS is an iconic video game franchise no matter how you slice it. This new entry is far more easier for a modern gamer to get into. Sure, they don't know a lot of story. But, the gameplay is very inviting in this one.

Mad Max looks fantastic. But, to even think it will outsell MGS as a chance is purely stupidity. It won't.

Everyone knew what you meant by "there are more people who don't play MGS compared to the people who do". You were trying to belittle the total amount of gamers that want MGS to that of Mad Max. MGS isn't a niche game. You think 4 million sales is nothing just because the console sales are twenty times higher? This one game has 4 million sales on one console. Millions of which are fans of the entire franchise ready to purchase the new one. The new entry is far more accessible and likeable for a modern gamer because it has everything they want as well as the unique MGS style.

Ah, and. As of 2012 MGS4 was just under 6 million sales. That's a bit higher mate.

Why do you have to go and mix opinion with what you believe will realistically happen? Mad Max will sell very well and it looks like it deserves that. Whether you think it looks better doesn't matter to what is real here. Yeah. Sure, you have the new MGS on your XBox. Sure, you also aren't supposedly going to buy Mad Max when it looks great as a video game. But, here you are hyping a new IP with no coherent thought or reason other than 4 million sales on a single platform not being good enough for you.

MGS is getting perfect review scores left and right, has a huge established fan base and is also possibly the last in the vast franchise and is going out with a tremendous bang in all areas to finish the story, also Kojima's last confirmed MGS title and he made the franchise, every serious gamer knows about him. Perfect scores, well established franchise, last game in franchise with giant hype train, from the reviews it looks to surpass the hype, it is more accessible to new games used to open world and more freedom with missions(you do NOT have to be stealthy in this game and stealth genres are NOT unpopular).

You're just silly.

[showtimefolks]

XBLskull

But couldn't we say the same about every gaming series? The number of people who don't play it will always outnumber those who actually will

Metal gear solid 4 came out back Than when the ps3 install Base wasn't as big

Also for a console exclusive it did quite well and made an impact for ps3

I am buying mad max and mgs 5. But to say mad max may outsell mgs 5 is just insane. There has been no review for mad max yet and that's not a good sign for a newly released game

Mad max may do 3 plus million max

Mgs 5 can do 7 to 10 million on 3 platforms(os4, Xbox one and pc)

There will be those who will buy mgs 5 and those who will buy mad max and than some like me who will buy both and enjoy

[blvdnights1414]

Do your "off the top of your head statistics" include people that don't own a console, pc, a home, electricity and/or a pulse because then yes you're correct in your statement.

[XBLSkull]

Lets just look at some MGS sales figures

PS MGS 6.03M (102.49M consoles) 5.8% attach rate
PS2 MGS2 6.05M (153.6M consoles) 3.9% attach rate
PS2 MGS3 4.23M 2.7% attach rate
PS3 MGS4 5.97M (80.46M consoles) 7.4% attach rate.

Xbox MGS2 0.62M (24M consoles) 2.5% attach rate

PS3 Ground Zeros 0.55M 0.6% attach rate
PS4 Ground Zeros 1.10M (24.8M consoles) 4.4% attach rate

X1 Ground Zeros 0.24M (13.6M consoles) 1.7% attach rate
X360 Ground Zeros 0.12M (80.44M consoles) 0.1% attach rate

An average of 3.2% attach rate for these titles. Times that by the sales of all consoles it will be available, roughly 199M, and you get 6.37M sales - now that isn't counting PC and who knows how good it'll do in that space, but PC elitist mentality is that console games suck and they just want Star Citizen cause its the best thing ever, lol. I think it would be real surprising if we see 7 million with this game.

First off my 4.3M sales figure for MGS4 was just a quick google search, I apologize if that was incorrect, these figures are from vgchartz.

I mean you can clearly see the trend with PlayStation that it is around 6M people who play MGS. It has stayed nearly the same throughout its history. We all know the people who bought MGS were the people who bought 2, bought 3, and bought 4. It's a good amount of sales for sure but not amazing. You can also clearly see Xbox fans buy somewhere between 1/10th to 1/5th the copies that PS owners bought in their respective games, in short most people on Xbox don't really care for the most part. And judging off of Ground Zeros sales, 1.1M on PS4 with like 20+ million consoles sold, we are still looking at a attach rate of around 1/20th of the available consoles. We'll probably see that 6M figure the past games did across all 5 platforms combined. I myself am not a MGS guy, but I am a stealth guy and that is why I'm picking it up. Though I do find Splinter Cell to be a much, much better stealth series, there is no Splinter Cell on the horizon and that's why I'll be using this as my fix for now. I don't really know anything about Mad Max, but in the real world I haven't heard anyone say anything about MGS5 but I know a lot who are excited for Mad Max, I'm not interested in it at all myself, I only watched the reveal trailer years ago or whenever and didn't care about the game. I'm not saying Mad Max is going to sell more copies than MGS5, I'm just saying that it would not surprise me if it did.

[DarXyde]

@XBLSkull,

Since you conveniently ignored my comment that pokes a hole in your entire sales argument, I'll offer you an annotated version for the sake of brevity:

Sales only count new copies, but keep telling yourself that "only ~6M people play Metal Gear Solid games".

Used copies of any game are not accounted for. Even then, your are counting final console install bases when the games don't release at the end of the generation.

Since you and others so quickly suggest the PlayStation 4 has no games for the rest of the year, I'd say it's going to do swimmingly.

Don't you think?

[Dark11]

MGS and Mad Max doesn't share the same audience

i'm buying Mad Max and i don't care about MGS.

[OpieWinston]

Guess a lot of people on N4G don't watch good movies. Considering the fact that Mad Max Fury Road is one of the best movies of the year... And the DvD/Blu Ray release is on the same day as the game release. There will be quite a few people picking up both so they can be a true Road Warrior.

I'll get MGSV some day. Why support Konami? When I can support something Epic instead.

[_-EDMIX-_]

@Opie- I agree...its a great film...still not getting the game.

MGSV is getting perfect scores across the board, I paid my copy in full months ago. I'm currently playing every MGS game right now leading up to it.

Done with MG1, MG2, MGS Peace Walker, Ground Zeros.

Started MG Rising and MG2 and need to finish MG3 and MGIV.

One must be out of their damn MINDS to miss MGSV. Mad Max is getting trashed next week!!! MGSV will do MEGA MILLIONS! We talking 12 million plus if not higher!

This is the first MGS released on 5 platforms at once. They will BANK.

[antz1104]

EDMIX,

I also have no interest in MGSV, too much heavy handed exposition in the series for my taste. People can have varying views and still be sane lol.

[_-EDMIX-_]

Agreed. The game doesn't look bad either. but its getting bought used by me.

Can't get it, MGSV, then Fallout 4, Star Wars ...its getting lost.

[DerekFlint007]

I have been playing Mad Max all day today as my copy turned up early. So far i have been greatly impressed by the fantastic visuals and dynamic weather.

The game is very smooth to play and the melee fighting is brutally top notch and the writing and production values are all top drawer.

My only small gripe so far, is that i'm finding certain aspects of the car combat a little fiddly to control, but i put that down to my inexperience having only played for an afternoon.

Overall i'm chuffed to bits with what i have played of this title and i am enjoying it every bit as much as the absolutely stellar Phantom Pain.

[Azzanation]

Two completely different games. Mad Max fans wont be buying MGS5 over it same goes for MGS5 fans wont be buying Mad Max over MGS5. Same goes with TB and FO4.

[Fro_xoxo]

nawh.. it'll be fine.

[ICANPLAYGAMES2]

Yeah, I agree it'll be fine. Metal Gear is still somewhat niche, but don't get me wrong MGS is big and the one I'm opting for, but I still see plenty of posts and hear from fellow gamers that seem to feel meh about it (who knows maybe Mad Max is more to their liking, hell some I've talked to are simply holding out for Fallout 4).

Plus, I like the confidence the producers of MM are showing in their product, good on them.

[Summons75]

Niche? Maybe in 1998 but now it's one of the most iconic gaming franchises as well as one of the most anticipated game of this generation. It's nowhere being a niche title. Mad Max is the niche title here being a car centric game and in a franchise that was always niche and just recently generated interest with the new movie that did okay.

[Paytaa]

Metal Gear is one of the most iconic games in the industry and has paved the way for many other games. Niche? Yeah maybe 16 years ago but your average person knows what MGS is. Mad Max chose an unwise release date.

[Fin_The_Human]

I think what he meant about niche is that MGS is not everyone's cup of tea.

I love the MGS universe but I could never finish one game due to the fact that I am not much into stealth games with a lot of cut scenes.

So with this said I would buy mad max over metal gear for gameplay wise.

[ICANPLAYGAMES2]

@Fin_The_Human - Yes, you would be correct, I was referring to the fact that MGS is a sub genre of Military Action games (spy craft, for lack of a better term) heavily reliant on stealth gameplay mechanics, it has a very specific demographic it caters to (it isn't out to cater to everyone).

@Summons75 & Paytaa - Its audience might have gotten bigger, but that doesn't make it any less niche (neither does the fact that MM is also niche). Besides, household name? That's a bit of a stretch don't you think? I know plenty of people that wouldn't recognize the Metal Gear name, its elements, or that it is even a game.

[cfc78]

Im about to find out as both games just turned up,so buzzed !!!! right now.

[thexmanone]

Mad max will be fine, people will have MGS5 beat in a day or two then move on to Mad Max.

[Zefros]

Are you serious?

[138]

Interesting. I'm actually planning on doing it the opposite. Figure I'll get more mileage out of MGSV, so I'll run through Mad Max first.

[rmw2hot]

@thexmanone Mgsv is 40-50 hrs long

[FITgamer]

A few hundred if you are a trophy and achievement whore. Not to mention MGO.

[FITgamer]

"Mad max will be fine, people who are terrible at MGS5 will trade it in a day or two then move on to Mad Max."

*Fixed.

[KTF26]

Agree
stealth games aren't for everyone but the hype will make them get MGS V instead of Mad Max

[138]

I've got both pre-ordered. I also would have bought Tomb Raider on PC the same day as Fallout 4 launches, had Microsoft not pulled a Microsoft. 2 games are better than 1.

[FullmetalRoyale]

I'm getting Metal Gear, and my best friend is getting Mad Max. At some point we are going to Share Play our respective games with one another, showing the other some cool things about our game. Which might lead to him getting Metal Gear, and me getting Mad Max. It'll be fun regardless. I like talking about new games with friends. Even in our adult years we still do it with the same level of excitement.
MG vs MM, Metal Gear wins, and wins easily. But that doesn't mean Mad Max won't do respectably, and I think it will. Plenty of people want to play Mad Max. I'm looking forward to seeing it later next week.

[Zefros]

Going to get mad max myself, but i am in no rush, it's notl ike you HAVE to buy the game on day one even if it's good. I just got until dawn right before mgs5.

[FullmetalRoyale]

Completely agree. Arkham Knight I purchased the Friday after it came out. Didn't feel the need to be "day one", know what I mean? But Metal Gear is exactly what I want to play, so I'll be picking it up Tuesday. What I think you are alluding to, and correct me if I'm wrong, is that a great game is a great game. It doesn't matter if you play it the second it comes out.
I think some people do feel pressured to buy everything the day it comes out. I played FFVII for the first time in 2012, and it completely blew me away. How is waiting a few months going to make the experience lesser for you, assuming we aren't talking about a multiplayer game?
Though there is something to be said about knowing that everyone else is discovering things when you are, and that's pretty fun.

[Iberius]

I'm picking up Mad Max first because it reminds me of Rage, which I really really enjoyed. It won't do Metal Gear numbers, but I think it will sell respectably.

[Twinblade]

I'm buying both.

[parentsbasement]

If Metal Gear is still stelth and sneaking around , I won't last long, so mad max may be more my liking ...

[FullmetalRoyale]

You can play Metal Gear however you like. Not just "stelth."

[parentsbasement]

Well I'm in then , I just suck at stelth , I can't even sneek home late after a nite of drunkenness, I rather just burst in , guns a blazing. ... (I'm dead either way)

[Tankbusta40]

Mad Max looks cool, perhaps I will pick it up around black friday for half price

[Bathyj]

Yeah I've gotta say, I've been watching a few Germans stream Mad Max the last couple days and I haven't been very impressed. Maybe after you can sink your teeth into it there's a good game there but after the incredible (and surprising) movie this year I was hoping to be blown away.

I've also been playing a lot of Ground Zeros for the last month. I am beyond primed for The Phantom Pain. I think is definitely going to be my GotY. Releasing the same day will hurt Max in sales for sure.

[PR_FROM_OHIO]

Yea i agree I've been watching streams of Mad Max as well and it looks very average to me it actually it made me no longer want the game lol And yes MGSV will hurt it in sales imo

[Tankbusta40]

The fact that there have been no reviews is kinda suspect...considering it is going up against MGSV which allowed reviews almost a week ago and has a 95 on metacritic makes me think they are trying to keep preorders

[dolphin22]

Bathyj i have been a jammy lucky wee sod, as i have been playing both games non stop since yesterday morning.

I can say though, you are in for one hell of a rollercoaster ride with Phantom Pain, so far the game has surpassed all my expectations.

Mad Max is an absolute visual feast and the kinetic dynamic car combat and weather system are tremendously well implemented. The melee combat is brutally satisfying and the games script is well written.

My only minor niggle so far would be certain elements to the car combat are a smidgeon fiddly to get to grips with.

So far, from what i have played of both titles i would score Phantom Pain a 10 and Mad Max a 9.

Both games are incredible and gamers are in for a heck of a treat next week.

[Bathyj]

That's good to know about mad max, I hope it turns out well. I'll have to skip it for now, I can't play two open world games at the same time, and I still have Batman I've barely touched.

[The 10th Rider]

People who are into Mad Max will buy it regardless, people that don't find it appealing aren't going to buy it anyways.

[FITgamer]

I wasn't going to get Mad Max, but found it for $20 so i figured why not? So both games will be getting my attention.

[susanto1228]

Reminds me of the release of Halo 2 during the busiest Movie weekend and saw the cinemas tank while everyone played Halo 2
and I don't know what WB was thinking with their marketing team going toe to toe with MGS BIG MISTAKE @10th Rider yah but what if you only have 60 to spare this month and maybe into next month?

Don't matter too me after BAK I will never buy another WB Game EVER....

[SaladSnake]

Mad max looks pretty decent, however, I got my copy of MGS5 in the post this morning and started it straight away. No spoiler, but the opening part is long lol. Anyone want to add my PSN it's Freeman-Fly

Cheers.

[T2X]

I must get MGS, but I will be game-flying Mad Max as well.

[MookaTek]

Just downloaded this game. This is actually my first digital download for a big release. I'm trying something new. Typically, I get off of work at 3:30am and drive to Walmart to purchase games I really want on release day, along with a huge sandwich and some Pringles to eat while I wait for the game to install. I then take a shower and exercise. This tradition typically takes until around 5:30am.

I think I'm going to like it better just driving straight home, eating, showering, and whatnot, and then just diving into the game probably around 4:30am, saving an hour or so, since the game is already downloaded and ready to go. Yeah, I miss out on the physical copy, but since most physical copies these days are just a case and a disc, I don't think I'm missing out on much. I have a big bookcase filled with games as it is, and I'm running out of places to put stuff, so I think it's time I joined the digital revolution on consoles. Already did it with books and PC games a while back and have no regrets.

Anyway, I'm sure Metal Gear is good, but I got Mad Max. Never got into Metal Gear.

[TheLordOfStuff]

Well I've already had MGSV pre ordered for weeks now but I WAS going to pic up mad max when I go to get MGSV, but after watching a bit of footage it seems a bit... Boring? I dunno something just seems off with it, and the fact that they still don't have reviews up is always a bit of a worry...

[oIITSBIIo]

I think Most gamers prefer action games to other types when it comes to story games, so MM will probably be OK.
I will play MGS day one then I will get MM later if it turns out to be good.

[smolinsk]

Mad max for me, tied of the MGSV univers.

[reaperman]

I received both Mad Max and MGS V through the mail this morning for PS4 and I think they are both great.
I fired up MGS V first and had a bash on that for about an hour before firing up Mad Max and to be honest I'm surprised how much I am loving MM I enjoyed the movie this year and decided to get the game without having read much about it and I'm really happy I did. Getting new upgrades for the Magnum Opus is awesome and pulling down towers and pulling enemies from vehicles using the harpoon and driving off with them being towed behind the car at break neck speeds doesn't get old. I would easily recommend both Mad Max and MGS V. If you can't decide on which to get.... get both!!!

[hiawa23]

Really, Mad Max is not in direct competition with MGSV. This is hilarious. It is a game based on a movie, which usually are not good anyways, so the release date did not matter, did anyone expect GTA numbers to begin with? I bought the digital copy of MGSV, gamefly'd Mad Max, so how one does compared to the other I really don't care about.

[Der_Kommandant]

Do i have to choose one game just because they're released on the same day?

[Psychotica]

I suppose it's a big problem for kids who rely on their parents to buy them games. But for adults who have jobs, buy both...

[Paleblood]

Sometimes is not about money. I have money to buy both but I don't have time to play both so I have to choose one and that is MGS 5.

[Sheikh Yerbouti]

Buy later if you still want it then.

[Dario_DC]

I got MGS5 today and loving it, servers on PS4 are still offline and the day one patch isn't available yet.
Saw a Mad Max stream yesterday and it seems like another open world "go here do this, go there do that",... From what I saw is very average and repetitive but the whole game might be different. My decision is not to buy Mad Max at full price.

[itsjustexuma]

You wont be able to play online until October

[Dario_DC]

Thanks I didn't know that :)

[Paleblood]

People don't understand the main idea of the article.

It is not that mad Max will be a flop but it will never sell and have the momentum it could have if it was releasing alone without MGS5 the same day.

The same will happen to Tomb Raider. Releasing the same day as Fallout 4 is just plain crazy.

[76erz24]

I think Rise of the Tomb Raider has much more potential to compete with Fallout 4 then Mad Max does with MGSV. Both are iconic game franchises while Mad max is far less influential and anticipated then MGSV

[Shineon]

I want to MGS4 first before I can dive into 5, good thing I still have Ps3 around here somewhere

[BludoDaSmelly]

Max looks good. There's soo many AAA titles out this fall, I'll get it cheap next year.

[BludoDaSmelly]

Recommend ground zeroes for newcomers to metal gear. Plays very different than older mgs games.

[thelwebb100]

I don't give a damn about the Mad Max game!

[WellyUK]

Nah Mad Max will do fine, from what i've played of MGS V so far is average tbh, admittedly i'm not far in but so far it's not a 10/10 or a 9/10 experience.

[quaneylfc]

The free Ground Zeroes game on plus helped me choose Mad Max and i don't v regret it, it's fantastic.