So...How are Sales of 4E Product?

[Derren]

Amazon Sales ranks doesn't mean anything as it is calculated in relation to how other products do. So depending on how many other books are bought the same sales rank can means something very different.

To get real numbers you probably have to buy some Hasbro stocks and go to the shareholders' meeting.

Anyway, the real test for 4E are the first splat books and the second set of core books. It has shown that a lot of people tried the game. Now the question is how many of them stay and how many leave again.

 

[thecasualoblivion]

Reading through some of the responses here, some people seem to "need" 4E to be a failure, and out of this "need" may try to interpret/rationalize data to serve the "need".

Aside from looking at numbers, look at chatter. The huge majority of D&D internet chatter is almost exclusively focused on 4E. Positive or negative, 4E is the center of attention. Its almost as if 3E doesn't exist aside from being "better than 4E" to some people.

 

[Greg K]

I fail to see how this makes 4e any less of a success....

I wasn't concerned with whether or not 4e is a success. I was simply refuting the claim that 4e was the first time that an edition of DND made the NYT.

 

[DaveMage]

My LGS seems to be moving the core books regularly

Doesn't that make it hard for customers to find them?

 

[radferth]

Evidence for some nebulous, future collapse of 4e: None.

Evidence for future collapse of 4e: the third law of themodynamics. I think 4e must be viewed as failure in light of its inability to prevent the eventual heat death of the universe. Maybe they shouldn't've nerfed wizards...

 

[Jack99]

I wasn't concerned with whether or not 4e is a success. I simply refuting the statement that 4e was the first time that an edition of DND made the NYT.

Yeah, players handbook vs the gift set.. Not a big difference I guess.. only about 3 times as many books. But yeah, my bad, forgot 3e PHB was on it as well.

Amazon Sales ranks doesn't mean anything as it is calculated in relation to how other products do. So depending on how many other books are bought the same sales rank can means something very different.

You should really have read the thread and links. The amazon bestseller list is based on most of 2008, from January till October, and based on number of customer orders. Hows that not a strong indication of awesome sales?

Or maybe you are one of those that claim that WotC bribed both Amazon.com and the New York Times to be creative with the numbers?

 

[malraux]

To get real numbers you probably have to buy some Hasbro stocks and go to the shareholders' meeting.

I'd be surprised if anyone at the shareholders' meeting even knew the answer to the question, and even more surprised if they answered the question. WOTC is such a small part of HAS that it barely rates a line in the 10k.

 

[Wisdom Penalty]

What gets me is not whether 4e is selling like gangbusters or not, but why any gamer would hope that it's not. I just don't get that mentality.

The numbers - what little we have - indicate that it's selling very well. Good for everyone. Why argue them? What's the agenda behind the nay-saying?

Sign me Curious & Confused,
WP

 

[thecasualoblivion]

What gets me is not whether 4e is selling like gangbusters or not, but why any gamer would hope that it's not. I just don't get that mentality.

The numbers - what little we have - indicate that it's selling very well. Good for everyone. Why argue them? What's the agenda behind the nay-saying?

Sign me Curious & Confused,
WP

This is true. The failure of 4E is the failure of D&D and RPGs as a whole. Not the triumph of 3E.

 

[DaveMage]

What gets me is not whether 4e is selling like gangbusters or not, but why any gamer would hope that it's not. I just don't get that mentality.

I can think of two possible reasons:

1) The hope that the D&D rules will be changed more to such a poster's preference in the next edition (which, would likely come sooner rather than later with poor 4E sales); and/or
2) The hope that D&D will be sold and/or licensed to another company, which would then lead back to the #1 reason.

Other than that, I can't really think of anything.