GamerMetrics: Halo 3 Cannibalized Stranglehold, 360 Games Sales

IGN GamerMetrics analyst Nick Williams recently took a look back at the predictions GamerMetrics made for Xbox 360 titles based on analysis of four primary factors -- awareness, engagement, purchase intent and game quality -- ahead of each title's launch with the aim of predicting the success of upcoming games.

[MK_Red]

Well, all other publishers had other 360 games that did great except Midway whose Strangehold was their biggest title. They better put a lot of effort and money into making of the next Mortal Kombat because after UT, it's mostly all they got.

[toughNAME]

Halo 3 being released in September was no secret. They knew what they were getting into and could have prevented it by moving the release date up or back.

The publishers signed their own death warrant

[MK_Red]

True. It was a complete suicide and yet many publishers went against Halo 3 and lost. Seriously, they could have released them in many other windows but they went head to head with Master Chief.
It's like indie and art house movies going against Spider-man and Transformers at box-office.

[ravinash]

If you buy a game and play it all month and not look at other games during that period, the games that came out during that month are still on the shelves when you come in the next month.
Its not like a movie where its there one month and gone the next.
I'm sure that Stranglehold did lose sales for that month, but if its a good game and people want it, then they will be back.

[MK_Red]

True about how Games stay on shelves but let's not forget that movies only take 2-3 hours while some games may take weeks to finish or even month's based on person's free hour and by the time he/she finishes a game, a whole lot of newer and better titles may have arrived.

[eagle21]

The games huge, simple as that.

[CNIVEK]

...and haven't touched it since. Only hardcore Halo fans could really enjoy playing much Halo 3 online...it's EXTREMELY boring, just like Halo 2.
However, since I'd played the Stranglehold demo long before Halo 3 launched, I still new it was garbage, and not even worth a rent. THAT is why Stranglehold failed...they should have NEVER released that demo. :o

[TheMART]

Well don't agree about the online part in Halo 3. It's really, really good. Point is though, the gameplay is your kind of gameplay or not.

FOr me the Gears of War online fits better with coversystem etc., no insane jumps and so on.

Others prefer Halo 3. It's just what you personally like

[CNIVEK]

I am indeed stating my opinion...obviously several million Halo fanboys would call me an idiot. :p To be honest, I've enjoyed R6:V MUCH more than any Halo game...particularly online. The strategy and cover system is even far superior to Gears...and I enjoyed Gears, in the beginning. R6:V just nailed so many things, from map design, to cover-based combat, to level-up gameplay (copied by COD4 and Halo 3), to huge replay value from the varied types of gameplay. CO-OP Terrorist Hunt is still the most fun I've had online...EVER ; hell, it's still a blast offline.
Prediction: When R6:V 2 releases next spring, it will reclaim it's online crown...even over HALO 3. Most of the guys I played with/against in R6:V were HALO 2 fanatics, but had grown tired of it; since HALO 3 was basically more of the same, they won't stick with it NEARLY as long as they did HALO 2.

[navig8or]

Hey, I just want to say that XBOX360 delivered this year, will 2008 be the year of the PS3, Hell Yeah!!!!!

[JokesOnYou]

but going against Master Chief is indeed a bad, bad move....I heard some other dev's say they wouldn't mind launching their game during Halo3's launch window, but well reality is this is a business and that just wouldn't be a financially beneficial plan, still as someone above said if the games good enough eventually it will sell fine, but the only problem is in the videogame industry your first release week is the most important which again is why is just bad business to go against Halo3.

JOY

[DJ]

are pissed at Halo's release. That, and the fact that they also tried to avoid a GTA launch that never occured.