NPD June Sales Data Just Released: Andromeda falls out of top 20

Foreboding. After PAX South, EA should've noticed (and if they did, they failed miserably) that their fan base was losing members. YouTube wasn't just warning people of BioWare's demise, some were advocating for a boycott nine months out from Andromeda's release. NINE MONTHS. That's enough time for EA to come out and do something. But no... whatever they did sucked. No energy. EA already has a horrible reputation (two golden poo awards, history of f***ing with developer's pay, F2P BS, convicted liars and cutting vanilla into DLC, etc.) and their stink rubbed off on BioWare (forums closed, unable to retain talent that just made other studios better, lost the founders, lost Flynn, etc.) and that's what fans see today. My pen and paper group doesn't see BioWare anymore. They just see EA with a BioWare logo. Many forum members have said the same thing and I can't argue that notion because I'm not with BioWare or EA. Reputation and word of mouth still have a lot of meaning and yet EA can't figure that out. If they have, they're f***ing stupid and incompetent as f***!

I bet at least one EA marketing genius said to forget the DLC because the market isn't there. I'm willing to bet some money on it. They're ignorant. The last year and a half, it seems everyone has made it a sport to piss on BioWare. I say golden showers and EA's PR thinks there is money to be made there.

Or.. they're chasing after teens and pre-teens like a pedophile. That's the only explanation I can reasonably come up with. They forget that BioWare's fan base ranges from OLD (like Abaris and me) to YOUNG (like yourself and Colfoley). I don't see many of those young buyers talking about BioWare. All I hear is them talk about are the sports titles, Titanfall, Battlefield, etc. I can't understand that the casual base is spending more than the hardcore base, but of course... if EA keeps losing the hardcore fanbase, then sure... it all makes sense. Derp. 

The bigger point was that the games released alongside Andromeda have outpaced it by quite a bit.

And that's a different opinion one could take on the data - I just find it more telling that other games released at the same time have legs where Mass Effect does not.

I don't doubt that Andromeda sold well at launch, I do think the bad reviews and memes have crushed any momentum and that sales have flatlined at this point. That's why it's free.

...on all the platforms? Although it's more like a free rental I suppose.

How is that a surprise? Nothing but the same tired memes everyday, all day. Hatred spewing from dark pockets of the net trashing every little thing about it. And you find it telling that the hate parade killed it? 

It's a shame that it wasn't more polished at release because then those memes never happen. Some people still wouldn't like the game because the story much as  I love the game myself still doesn't live up to MET, but overall, those memes and the issues people got hung up on like bad animations became the focal point for a lot of hate. 

It's not free though. Free trial. You have to pay after 10 hours.

In the end, it's kind of a bummer for people who like it to see it get so much hate when we don't feel it really deserves it. Not  to dismiss how others feel, that they didn't like it because I can accept that not everyone loved it. I was pretty meh on DAI myself. 

Do you mean the 10-hour free trial?  It's only 10 hours.  And I believe (someone correct me if I'm wrong) it's still gated at Eos, but unlimited multiplayer (still 10 hours, but no level caps or anything like that).  

It's not a free game.

Seriously, I doubt very many think that MEA broke any records. It's a mediocre title save for one's personal taste. It doesn't have to broken down, analyzed, and debated any further than that.
These threads can still be fun to read sometimes though.

That is exactly how jazz used to argue back at the BSN when he spent his time bashing DAI instead of MEA. Funny how that goes.

Suikoden, I don't agree with you at all on your assertions because I find them personally to be flawed, but I can respect the fact that you at least try to bring this type of stuff to the forefront.

Here is what I mean though by a flawed assertion. The game dropping off the charts is not good, we can agree on that, but also note the type of game Andromeda was compared to the others presented. Two of which are kept afloat by multi-player, one of which is by all intents and purposes game of the year already, and one that became a sleeper hit and just got a DLC announcement.

The three games you highlight as Andromeda's peers are of a different genre technically. Only Horizion really has a foothold as an RPG, but it's association is tangible at best.

I think that speaks of the nature of RPG's in general being a smaller audience. Two games also off that list are Persona 5 and Neir Automania. Both of which were high profile RPGs released relatively in the same period. Persona 5 is only on the April list at number 2, then had a massive drop-off. Neir dropped off in June as well after being on the charts shown at 9, 18 and 18 from month to month. Morrowind from ESO made the lower portion of the list for June but will likely drop by July sales as well, if not be close to the bottom again.

I think there is more of a compelling argument to say role-playing games have little staying power when compared to other genres, mostly because of the niche they represent and the often denser time sink involved in it. It's less "pick up and play" and more dedication in that regard, which has always been an RPG problem. 

With that context...Andromeda lasted three months, which is about the same time as Neir and double the length of Persona 5, against heavier competition and what includes two games designed for multiplayer, one game being a brand new IP, and what is likely going to be Game of the Year.

It is easy to call it a failure but I think it's just as dismissive to say it failed completely by following just those metrics. There is little analysis in that, which I wager is the problem people have with your posts. I know I do.

One other thing to keep in mind is that Persona, Zelda and Horizon are limited to a single console (while Nier is only on PS4 and PC), so that's a competitive advantage that Andromeda has over them.