SCEA Top Ten PlayStation Home Items (By Units Sold) For April, With Consumer Trend Analysis
Information provided by GlassWalls, PlayStation Digital Platforms Community Manager; commentary provided by NorseGamer, HSM Editor-in-Chief
Half the fun of analyzing these top-ten lists every month is to see if my instincts are correct or not. Sometimes I’m pleasantly surprised by what shows up, and other times I simply have to sit and stare, wondering what on Earth a particular commodity is doing on the charts.
So, let’s take a look at what April 2012 brought us:
You know the drill. Let’s dive into this list and see if we can discern what’s going through the minds of SCEA Home’s consumers.
1. Let’s start with what’s not on this list: Cutthroats. This is one of Home’s biggest games — it’s right up there with both Sodiums, Novus Prime and OrbRunner in terms of complexity, with no shortage of items for sale, and yet nothing from Cutthroats is on this list. I wrote in this article that I believe Cutthroats’ freemium business model is fundamentally flawed (no permanent power-ups, overpriced temporary power-ups, no in-game method of acquiring currency to buy power-ups, and a conspicuous absence of design elements to ward off monotony), and while I hate to see the game underperforming commercially, I stand by my assertion that Cutthroats is a fantastic experience which needs a considerable overhaul if it’s going to have any staying power and financial success. As it stands right now, Cutthroats is the best game in Home that shot itself in the foot.
2. Digital Leisure once again shows dominance by taking the top slot on the list (again) with their Casino chips, as well as earning a second spot with a higher-priced chip bundle. Back when the EA Poker Rooms were still around, HSM team writer Keara22HI (who knows a thing or two about experience-based marketing, and has the CV to back it up) proposed a “chip machine” as a gold mine for revenue generation, and it’s good to see her proven correct. The key to the success of these chips is that the bundles are reasonably priced, and — critically — there are methods of winning chips from the games themselves. Cutthroats developers, pay attention. Add coins to your treasure chests. Give maxed-out players something to strive for.
3. Similarly, Lockwood once again takes up one-fifth of the list with its Gift Machine tokens. For the love of Christ, will someone please rip off Lockwood and develop their own proprietary version of the Gift Machine? Just swallow your pride already; it’s common knowledge that Lockwood knows how to do things right, so there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Just follow their templates and make money.
4. Mass Media once again pulls in strong numbers with the Green Ticket. I don’t care for either of the Midways — simple carnival games just aren’t my thing — but it’s hard to argue with their formula of indirectly paying for rewards (clothing items, etc.) by offering gaming experiences which scale upwards in difficulty, providing social exclusivity for those who win the top rewards.
5. Come to think of it, fully half of this list is dominated by microtransactions. Back in January, HSM proposed that Home 2012 would be remembered as the “Year of the Game,” and it looks like that’s coming true. Given the glut of virtual commodities that have saturated Home’s market, coupled with the increased audience exposure to Sony Entertainment Network gamers, it does in fact appear that gaming is a wide path to commercial prosperity in Home.
6. The good news: Square Enix is on the list. The bad news: it’s for the Silverballers handguns. Oh, for god’s sake. Sure, I’d like to believe that there are really that many Hitman fans in Home (particularly since the first Hitman game was quite enjoyable), and I apologize to those of you who own this item specifically because you enjoy Hitman, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the sales of this item probably have more to do with the fact that the word “baller” is in the title. Yes, I will adorn my avatar with silenced (but blinged) handguns. This will make me look tough. Then I will go to the Godfather space or the Playground and pretend I’m a hip-hop 1980’s Al Pacino. Please. This is why we can’t have nice things, people.
7. I have the same sneaking suspicion about the male Smoking Hot outfit. Why is it on the list, but the Romantic Suit isn’t? Probably because the Smoking Hot outfit looks more “mafia.” Bill Hicks once joked that Satan put all the money in the hands of teenage girls; with regard to Home, I’m starting to think that all the money is in the hands of teenage chavs. Obviously it isn’t, but man, there are days…
8. Granzella’s on the list for the Nameless Sword, which I’m glad to see. The mini-game at their Great Edo public space is a real gem, and I feared it was completely overlooked by the debut (and surrounding controversy) of x7. Good to see this item on the list. Of particular note, once again the only clothing items on this list are male — granted, the Silverballers can be obtained by both genders, but walking around with virtual handguns is such a typically male thing to do. Either Home’s prominent crossdressing fashionistas have decided to give it a break, or — due to the increase in Home’s active population, following the deployment of the Hub and various gaming experiences — they’re simply being outspent as an economic bloc. I’m tempted to suggest that there’s simply so much virtual clothing now available that it’s splitting the consumer vote, but that doesn’t seem to be a problem on the male side of the equation. I will, however, contend that there may indeed be a saturation point with virtual clothing, just as there is with personal estates, companions…really anything in Home, except for new gaming experiences.
9. Oh, fine. I guess we have to talk about x7. That the x7 bundle is on the list doesn’t surprise me; x7’s the hot new spot in Home, and people will pay for the exclusivity of having a virtual item a week before everyone else does. No, what surprises me is that the 7-Day Pass is on the list. That’s the single worst method, economically, of getting into x7. I get not wanting PlayStation Plus membership — there aren’t enough tie-ins to Home yet to make it worthwhile — but I’d sooner invest in the Mansion Pool Deck (or even one of those exceedingly tacky gemstone suits) rather than just hand over my money to SCEA for a temporary pass and have nothing to show for it at the end. I don’t know if there’s been an uptick in Exclusives sales as a result of x7, but the 7-Day Pass is a testament to impulse spending in Home, that’s for sure. The real question, to me, is whether or not x7 will have any sort of staying power now that the novelty has worn off. A lot of it is going to hinge on what’s offered for sale ahead of time, and how many people are willing to pay for the bragging rights of getting to show it off first.
10. There are no personal estates or clubhouses on this list. I firmly believe personal estates have hit a saturation point, and only a truly superlative experience will generate substantial revenue. Clubhouses stand a better chance (since there’s fewer of them), but they are in desperate need of a core client update to increase their functionality, not just their ability to be reskinned. Likewise, I suspect clothing and companions are also approaching a saturation point; there’s simply so much being offered now that it’s easy for something to get lost in the mix, and given the maturation of the user base that prefers the social end of Home, I suspect a lot of wardrobes are already full to bursting. While there will always be more content being delivered in these areas, I must concede that SCEA was correct in their assessment that gaming was the best way to broaden Home’s appeal and generate superior revenue. That said, Home is also in need of enhancements to its social functionality, which I fervently hope to see applied in future core updates.
So, what can we expect for May? Probably more of the same. Gaming microtransactions, as the year progresses, will chew up an increasing percentage of the list — particularly once VeeMee, Lockwood and possibly nDreams unleash some killer stuff later this year. The occasional clothing item will make it onto the list, particularly if it somehow ties into a game. It will become increasingly rare to see estates on the list.
Oh, and whenever LOOT’s portable EOD goes on sale, that’ll be a megahit sales blockbuster. You know it. I know it. And I, for one, can’t wait.
May 1st, 2012 by NorseGamer | 12 comments
NorseGamer is the product manager for LOOT Entertainment at Sony Pictures, as well as the founder and publisher of HomeStation Magazine. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, he holds a B.A. in English/Creative Writing from San Francisco State University and presently lives in Los Angeles. All opinions expressed in HSM are solely his and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sony DADC.
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I am honestly surprised to see a 7 day pass to x7 in there. I suppose it makes sense though, rather than buy the estates or a plus subscription buy the limited single transaction to pacify curiosity and see if it’s worth it. I suspect it may not be there next month though. x7 bundles really need to improve the first week was worth it if you didn’t own the active items but second and third left a lot to be desired. I am glad to see granzella up there, I know price point is sometimes a deterrent but a single upgrade like the sword can really change the Edo game from frustrating to really enjoyable.
I still think it would be roaringly good fun to turn x7 into a leather bar once a week. Poking fun at what the user base deems is cool and hip? Let’s up the ante then.
Just a few points on the list to comment on.
1. Cutthroats not breaching the Top Ten is disappointing; it’s pirate, darn it! Although now I’m thinking Yetis versus Hunters and wondering: is that game a harbinger of doom for the model, given its lack of attention?
2 3 and 4. These are the least surprising entries on the list. Alleging they will continue to do so for the foreseeable future is the easiest claim to make and for good reason.
8. So Great Edo wasn’t completely overlooked? Not that I’m surprised but as mentioned, it competed with the controversy that was x7. It’s nice to see the Nameless Sword reach the top ten in light of that.
9. Not surprised to see x7 reach the top ten, but I am as dismayed by that 7-day pass nestled in there as you are. For a quick peek, it’s fine, but if you actually plan on returning frequently, I’d sooner say buy the Infinity Pool and get it over with.
10. We’re finally here. No personal space in the top ten. We’re practically drowning in them as it is, so it must be something outstanding to get in here. Or, you know, more people buy Mansion spaces to get into x7 permanently.
I suspect that a portable EOD would be very difficult to pull off. It is most likely a very heavy system, and apartments that already have a lot going on (games, etc) could clash.
That was my thinking. Putting it in the apartment budget as opposed to the furniture budget would be at the least much more stable, and more likely, even possible. If they pull it off, I will be impressed.
They should start sending out a Top 20 since 5 of the Top 10 are locks at this point.
That’s a really good idea, actually. With so much new stuff arriving in Home every week, and half of the top-ten list is basically a lock as you say, the real intrigue is probably in the top twenty slots, not just the top ten. I think I’ll suggest this.
Two things:
One I’d gladly pay a nominal fee to permanently delete some of the clothing items [for instance, did I really need all 6 colors of the Move costume]. I’m tired of scrolling past them in Storage and think of how much bandwidth you’d recover keeping crap out of the mix. If it can’t be deleted for some reason, how about a black hole for storage without retrieval except for paying a nominal fee.
Two It takes me awhile to commit to an area or game, but once I’m in it’s everyday and I got to buy all the extras with it. Seems that instead of working hard to attract new customers, refreshing old attractions occasionally would be smart too, since you’ve already hooked the customers for those. And to go a step further, how about occasionally adding additional virtual items to established personal spaces? The fight club set was very good looking but hardly exhaustive, and these last couple of sets for the big box houses barely qualify as suites. No law says the original developer has to be the one doing the add-ons either. Also, sell some of the discontinued files, like the fountain in the Central Plaza for the space pop game or the Gadgetron HQ of Ratchet and Clank. Some of this stuff is so richly imaginative and well-executed.
I too am not surprised by the lack of a personal space in the top ten. We are reaching the saturation point, at least in my pocketbook. I won’t be buying anything like that until it has something really unique or outstanding in it. I agree that clothing is getting there too, unless they find a way to increase what we can keep in our wardrobes and deep six stuff we don’t want. Perhaps a deep storage can be added where stuff we never use can be put to never again see the light of day. I don’t care how many people were foolish enough to buy a weeks pass to X7. I think once the newness wears thin it will drop to the wayside quickly for many of the users in Home.
Can’t wait for the summer release of the portable EOD. I will get one of those asap, but it will be interesting to see how they will be implementing its being used in other spaces.
I’m surprised to see the 1-week X7 pass up there, considering all the raging on the forums. It seems that forum posters might not really reflect the opinions of the majority of the spenders. As for Cutthroats; I need to see a $1.00 value pack for the in-game currency, just to have a taste. I might just be a big miser, though.
Social games usually have a fairly sharp power-law distribution to their consumer bases, and I suspect Home is no exception to this. The opinions on the forum represent one particular subset of power users, but (despite attitudes of entitlement to the contrary) it is by no means always representative of the majority.
The Sony forum can at times be a good source of insight underneath all the chest-thumping, but it’s only *one* source — and if we look back at these top-ten sales lists from month to month, it’s interesting to see a growing disconnect between what those users are saying and what the charts are saying.
This doesn’t mean that my own opinions are necessarily any more accurate; I just know my place, and don’t presume to demand that Sony or other developers build everything to suit my specific whims, just because I’ve spent X-amount of money on various services and commodities. The level of petulance on that forum is frankly getting ridiculous.
With regard to Cutthroats, though, I completely agree that some sort of intro-priced commodity would be a very good idea. The cost-to-value ratio for that game’s temporary power-ups is really poor, and it doesn’t surprise me that the game didn’t chart in its debut month.
I agree with most of what you said about Pirate’s Cove except that I don’t think gold chests should give out free coins. The coinage money is a money maker because of those who are willing to buy the extra fire power and that’s not me (so far).
However, collecting chests and giving out awards of some sort sound like a good plan to me. Too oft I see pirates not even trying for the chests and going sinking other ships routine. That’s fine but gold while not the name of the game should be the goal.
As to fire power, sometimes it works out disastrously for the poor recipient although I must say that I held my own one early morning with the crew I was with with a certain crazed Norwegian with extra fire power. However, the following night I did naught but sink and swim… or so it seemed. It was fun however.
I wish there were an option to rename and/or buy a boat. Something like that could possibly make the game more personalized. Dunno if it would work cus one might have to find friends for a crew. It’s a thought that perhaps ought to be forgot.
I wish some of those pilots would stop saying, “FIRE!” when there’s nothing to fire at it.
And change the Mutiny option off the X key. Please?