Walmart Breaks Vow of Silence on Game Sales Numbers

[The Wooster]

Walmart Breaks Vow of Silence on Game Sales Numbers

The secretive superstore chain finally spills the beans on their gaming market share.

Like a clan of competitively priced ninjas, Walmart's foremost business philosophy is absolute secrecy. For the past decade the giant superstore chain has steadfastly refused to release any information on its supplier pricing and, more importantly, its sales data. Being one of the largest superstore chains on Earth, it's fair to assume that Walmart's electronic entertainment section shifts more than a few games. But how many? And which ones? Walmart wasn't telling. Until now.

The corporate giant is finally letting outside research firms, including the NPD group [http://www.npd.com/corpServlet?nextpage=corp_welcome.html] which provides most of the games sale data for North America, sneak a peek at their scanner records and sales data. If Walmart is responsible for as many game sales as some suspect, then this decision could have a huge impact on game sales statistics. It will certainly provide a more comprehensive view of which games are selling and which are crashing and burning because the universe is not just. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111685-These-June-Game-Sales-Numbers-Are-Kind-of-Depressing]

Walmart, or at least the research companies they're working with, will begin releasing the data in the coming months, presumably via dead drops in crowded public places.

Source: Adage [http://adage.com/article/news/wal-mart-lifts-decade-long-ban-data-sharing/228845/] via Joystiq [http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/22/wal-mart-now-sharing-data-on-game-sales/]


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[Irridium]

Sweet. Glad we can finally see data like this. I've always been curious to see what sells well and what doesn't.

 

[Elementlmage]

Wal-mart is a publicly traded company, so aren't they required to post a quarterly earnings report to the FTC that shows, in excruciating detail, their accounting records?

 

[FalloutJack]

I have a feeling that this will just make people even MORE angry with Walmart.

 

[Treblaine]

While I applaud Wal-mart for living the American Dream and becoming as powerful as it has that power comes with responsibility.

If they are a big player in the video Games industry then they must use that power wisely and with appropriate respect. In other words they need to get serious abotu video games and have their video-games section be more like a video games STORE.

In other words:

"If you can't bring the customers to the specialist store, bring the specialisation to the customers"

Wal-mart need to branch out and champion the smaller games, they need to work towards being a positive force that secures their own market for which they have a huge stake in, not just milk it supporting the "grey stuff".

 

[The Wooster]

While I applaud Wal-mart for living the American Dream and becoming as powerful as it has that power comes with responsibility.

If they are a big player in the video Games industry then they must use that power wisely and with appropriate respect. In other words they need to get serious abotu video games and have their video-games section be more like a video games STORE.

In other words:

"If you can't bring the customers to the specialist store, bring the specialisation to the customers"

Wal-mart need to branch out and champion the smaller games, they need to work towards being a positive force that secures their own market for which they have a huge stake in, not just milk it supporting the "grey stuff".

Some actual staff in their current Electronics department would be nice. How they sell anything with a 10 minute wait just to get your game out of the glass case is beyond me.

 

[Swifteye]

How many people buy there games at walmart? Aren't like all the releases 40 to 60 bucks? I mean ya sure that's the case everywhere but at least at say gamestop the price lowers and you can do some serious cashing in if you wait for special deals. I would think walmart wouldn't have a foothold on the electronics market cause there electronics area is very meek.

 

[vxicepickxv]

How many people buy there games at walmart? Aren't like all the releases 40 to 60 bucks? I mean ya sure that's the case everywhere but at least at say gamestop the price lowers and you can do some serious cashing in if you wait for special deals. I would think walmart wouldn't have a foothold on the electronics market cause there electronics area is very meek.

If I'm up at 2 in the morning, the only places I can get games are Steam, and Wal Mart. Steam doesn't sell PS3 or 360 games.

Plus Wal Mart is about 2 cents cheaper per game than other retail stores.


Now, if only Steam were allowed to hand over their PC sales figures and have them count for something. That's why it looks like PC gaming is dead.

 

[Treblaine]

While I applaud Wal-mart for living the American Dream and becoming as powerful as it has that power comes with responsibility.

If they are a big player in the video Games industry then they must use that power wisely and with appropriate respect. In other words they need to get serious abotu video games and have their video-games section be more like a video games STORE.

In other words:

"If you can't bring the customers to the specialist store, bring the specialisation to the customers"

Wal-mart need to branch out and champion the smaller games, they need to work towards being a positive force that secures their own market for which they have a huge stake in, not just milk it supporting the "grey stuff".

Some actual staff in their current Electronics department would be nice. How they sell anything with a 10 minute wait just to get your game out of the glass case is beyond me.

That's actually a very good question.

HOW IS Wal-mart able to sell so many games if they are as bad at it as they are?

And how much better would they be if they invested a little into it? More importantly, how much better would the industry be?

IF so much of the industry is dependant on Wal-mart which is mainly parents buying for their dependants based on superficial details, how much would THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY be better off if Wal-mart was a better games retailer rather than just a bigger one?

 

[Swifteye]

How many people buy there games at walmart? Aren't like all the releases 40 to 60 bucks? I mean ya sure that's the case everywhere but at least at say gamestop the price lowers and you can do some serious cashing in if you wait for special deals. I would think walmart wouldn't have a foothold on the electronics market cause there electronics area is very meek.

If I'm up at 2 in the morning, the only places I can get games are Steam, and Wal Mart. Steam doesn't sell PS3 or 360 games.

Plus Wal Mart is about 2 cents cheaper per game than other retail stores.


Now, if only Steam were allowed to hand over their PC sales figures and have them count for something. That's why it looks like PC gaming is dead.

Huh. Well whatever is most convenient although you'd probably save more just about anywhere else the specializes in game selling but that goes without saying.

It's funny that the phrase "PC gaming is dead" has been around forever despite there being games on the PC. Why don't flash games count? aren't those are games? I'm not talking about breakout or solitaire either. I guess if the mainstream doesn't acknowledge you most of the time your as good as dead.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

Walmart, or at least the research companies they're working with, will begin releasing the data in the coming months, presumably via dead drops in crowded public places.

Better make sure to check any conveniently placed satellite dishes near me, and keep an eye out of carrier pidgeons. ...Freakin carrier pidgeons. Spend 2 hours hunting that last one down.... >: (

 

[StriderShinryu]

While I applaud Wal-mart for living the American Dream and becoming as powerful as it has that power comes with responsibility.

If they are a big player in the video Games industry then they must use that power wisely and with appropriate respect. In other words they need to get serious abotu video games and have their video-games section be more like a video games STORE.

In other words:

"If you can't bring the customers to the specialist store, bring the specialisation to the customers"

Wal-mart need to branch out and champion the smaller games, they need to work towards being a positive force that secures their own market for which they have a huge stake in, not just milk it supporting the "grey stuff".

Realistically, though, WalMart is a huge player in almost every aspect of the retail market but is there really any section of the store that is built for enthusiasts of that particular type of item? What you're proposing is a nice thought, but it's also completely contrary to the way WalMart operates any are of it's store, not just the game section.

 

[Treblaine]

While I applaud Wal-mart for living the American Dream and becoming as powerful as it has that power comes with responsibility.

If they are a big player in the video Games industry then they must use that power wisely and with appropriate respect. In other words they need to get serious abotu video games and have their video-games section be more like a video games STORE.

In other words:

"If you can't bring the customers to the specialist store, bring the specialisation to the customers"

Wal-mart need to branch out and champion the smaller games, they need to work towards being a positive force that secures their own market for which they have a huge stake in, not just milk it supporting the "grey stuff".

Realistically, though, WalMart is a huge player in almost every aspect of the retail market but is there really any section of the store that is built for enthusiasts of that particular type of item? What you're proposing is a nice thought, but it's also completely contrary to the way WalMart operates any are of it's store, not just the game section.

That's not the "can do" american spirit, I hear so much about.

Surely Wal-mart can be the biggest AND the best.

I'd hope for that before I hope that they just "go away" or something, that won't happen. I know I'm starting to sound like Andrew Ryan here but don't resist the market, go with it and try to guide it.

Who knows, they may try to hard and fail, go bankrupt, then the specialist stores can take back the games retail market. Ahh, one can only dream.

 

[coolkirb]

I think people here are seriously underestimating how much walmart sells, yes if your in a city you might go to gamestop or what else but if your in a small town like me you buy at Walmart, if your a casual gamer you buy at walmart, they sell out just as fast as other stores and because they have the means to distribute games better then any other company with so many stores I can see them easily being the largest seller in the market

 

[Baresark]

I don't really believe that walmart plays that big a part of game sales numbers. The video games are horribly organized, you can't find a title your actually looking for, they are not priced competitively, no employees present to help you, there is just way too many things stacked against them. Couple that with the fact that they sell games at nearly the exact price as Gamestop (literally pennies worth of difference), and they don't have a trade in system so people can get money off of their games.

I think maybe I have bought one game in my life from Walmart, and I buy every game I'm interested in.... wait... no... it was two games: The Summoner 2 and Guitar Hero 2.

And... we already know what games sell well and what does not sell well, the game companies release that data themselves because they know the exact number of units that have moved.

snip

Realistically, though, WalMart is a huge player in almost every aspect of the retail market but is there really any section of the store that is built for enthusiasts of that particular type of item? What you're proposing is a nice thought, but it's also completely contrary to the way WalMart operates any are of it's store, not just the game section.

That's not the "can do" american spirit, I hear so much about.

Surely Wal-mart can be the biggest AND the best.

I'd hope for that before I hope that they just "go away" or something, that won't happen. I know I'm starting to sound like Andrew Ryan here but don't resist the market, go with it and try to guide it.

Who knows, they may try to hard and fail, go bankrupt, then the specialist stores can take back the games retail market. Ahh, one can only dream.

You can't guide the market, that is very misguided. But I understand the sentiment. Also, as I explained in the earlier part of my post, I don't think they have that big of a section of the videogame market. And even if they get this, there are still massive parts of the market that the NPD doesn't keep track of.

 

[face_head_mouth]

How many people buy there games at walmart? Aren't like all the releases 40 to 60 bucks? I mean ya sure that's the case everywhere but at least at say gamestop the price lowers and you can do some serious cashing in if you wait for special deals. I would think walmart wouldn't have a foothold on the electronics market cause there electronics area is very meek.

Their games do eventually reach the $20-30 mark. In fact, they have a $20 games bin, much like they have a $5 DVD bin( 3D Dot Heroes is in there right now). They aren't as price-competitive as Gamestop, though (no random sales, except on the holidays).

Having said that, I've only bought one game there in my life, and that was only because Gamestop isn't open at 4am.

 

[Swifteye]

How many people buy there games at walmart? Aren't like all the releases 40 to 60 bucks? I mean ya sure that's the case everywhere but at least at say gamestop the price lowers and you can do some serious cashing in if you wait for special deals. I would think walmart wouldn't have a foothold on the electronics market cause there electronics area is very meek.

Their games do eventually reach the $20-30 mark. In fact, they have a $20 games bin, much like they have a $5 DVD bin( 3D Dot Heroes is in there right now). They aren't as price-competitive as Gamestop, though (no random sales, except on the holidays).

Having said that, I've only bought one game there in my life, and that was only because Gamestop isn't open at 4am.

The only time I bought a game from Wal-Mart was at about 4am when I came to the sudden realization that Clock Tower 3 had been released. Wait... no. Just remembered as I was typing this that I also once bought one of the Assassin's Creed games there in the early hours while considerably drunk. That last one makes sense because I absolutely hate Assassin's Creed.

Oh? That's alot better than how it used to be although I am talking about the days before gamestop ruled the market so thats like ten years or so.

 

[Grospoliner]

Wal-mart has been operating in various states under a tax-shelter by dealing with their own subsidiaries. Don't buy from Wal-mart, every time you do, you hurt the national economy.

 

[The Wooster]

And... we already know what games sell well and what does not sell well, the game companies release that data themselves because they know the exact number of units that have moved.

Publishers know how many copies were shipped. Not how many have sold. They get their sales data from research companies like the NPD group who, funnily enough, didn't have access to the Walmart sales data until now.