Also on the site...
Buy online for £99.95
Advertisement

How many copies did Rock Band 3 sell? News

Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 Wii
News by Robert Purchese

Monday

Harmonix's hope that low sales of Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock were caused by anticipation surrounding Rock Band 3 have been dashed this morning by official UK sales figures.

According to UKIE, Rock Band 3 sold just 7386 units for the week ending 30th October. That breaks down into 5318 Xbox 360 copies, 1555 PS3 copies and 295 Wii copies.

As a result, Harmonix's tour de force spent a debut week at 26th in the UK all-formats top 40. Rival Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock finished one place below in 27th.

But Activision's game had a much better start, entering the chart in sixth before going on to place 14th, 22nd and 21st in subsequent weeks. In the US, first-week GH:WOR sales were reported to be 86,000.

On Friday Harmonix told Eurogamer "the early read" was that people were "waiting for our game [Rock Band 3]", which was perhaps why GH:WOR struggled to penetrate the market in a way the series once could.

"I'm not an analyst," RB3 project director Daniel Sussman added. "I know that as a game player I'm the type of gamer that would wait and spend my money on Rock Band 3.

"It's possible that sales of other games in the category are down because people are waiting to spend their money on Rock Band 3. That's what I hope anyway!"

Judging by UK the performance of Rock Band 3, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock and DJ Hero 2, the writing appears to be on the wall for the once prosperous music genre. Certainly we're a long way from 2008, a year in which Guitar Hero III managed to shift 3.5 million copies in two months.

The declaration by Harmonix boss Alex Rigopulos earlier this year that "I absolutely do not believe that rhythm-action gaming has reached its peak" may come back to haunt him.

Got a news tip? Email news@eurogamer.net.

Advertisement

Related Games

Comments

Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!

Comments: 1-50 of 125 Next →

Poster
Comment Low-scoring comments hidden. Log in to see them!
oceanclub
01/11/10 @ 13:19
#1
+58
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Surely the genre just reached overkill? These kits are pretty expensive and we're in the middle of the worst recession in decades; how many parents are going to fork out each year for these kits, especially when the gameplay is absolutely the same?

P.
Ranger101
01/11/10 @ 13:19
#2
+8
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Pro Guitar by Fender plz. Then I buy.
Goodfella
01/11/10 @ 13:20
#3
+11
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Oh...dear.

That's pitiful, across two formats too! Such a superb game, this is not good news.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 01/11/10 @ 13:20
Progguitarist
01/11/10 @ 13:21
#5
+28
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
No doubt it's a superb game bit it's just too expensive now if you want to get the proper kit.
Ignatius_Cheese
01/11/10 @ 13:21
#6
+10
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
The lack of peripherals no doubt had a huge impact on first week sales.

Like many others, I'm waiting for the combo pack of software and keyboard before dropping my dosh.
Nick staff
01/11/10 @ 13:21
#7
+17
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I own Guitar Hero's 2-5, Rock Band 1 and 2 and Beatles, and even I baulked at the idea of buying RB3 full-price, even though I do really want it. I wonder how many people are waiting for it to come down a bit in price like me. Also, I'd like a keyboard but £70 seems a bit steep. The fact it works as a MIDI peripheral doesn't really matter to me.
Grievous1976
01/11/10 @ 13:21
#8
+51
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
The Cow has been Milked perhaps!?
makeamazing
01/11/10 @ 13:21
#9
+11
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
If they actually had any stock for the PS3, I would have got it... now with such low sales, they make me wonder if i should wait for the inevitable price drop....

I was there day 1, they didnt deliver, now i may just wait and see.
TopKatt
01/11/10 @ 13:22
#10
+7
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I bet there's a lot of parents across the land with unused plastic instruments taking up space who consider these games a waste of money now, however good the latest versions may be.
randompanda
01/11/10 @ 13:22
#11
+5
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
That's good news for those of us who want a discount!
Baronen
01/11/10 @ 13:22
#12
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
That's certainly a shame, but sales will probably pick up over time as word of mouth spreads, not to mention the proper pro guitar isn't even out yet. Still haven't bought it myself, but that's because none of the stores in my area have received any of the keyboard bundles.
sink257
01/11/10 @ 13:22
#13
+5
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Sales may pick up nearer to xmas though.
coderkind
01/11/10 @ 13:22
#14
+8
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
The kit is too expensive (despite how excellent the game might be). It's the reason Kinect is also going to fail initially.
barrylyndon
01/11/10 @ 13:23
#15
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
You are lucky to buy it in some shops plus there are no guitars, keyboards anywhere I look. Whereas djhero 2 and Guitarhero are stocked high everywhere and dont look like they are shifting.
lordofthedunce
01/11/10 @ 13:24
#16
+19
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Anyone who might be interested in these games already has a pile of plastic guitars, drums, mics and whatnot in the corner of their living room.

Everyone else decided long ago that this isn't the type of game for them.

It's time to move on.
BillyBrush
01/11/10 @ 13:26
#17
+4
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Low numbers but these games have a bit of a long tail....i just got DJ hero (1) last week as it finally became cheap enough. This thing is maybe £100 notes, that's sometime next year around May money (when it's £50). It's a combination of being far too expensive with the fact that given it's not that new..why do you need to play it at launch? there's no story that's going to be widely spoilered.

I think one of the things they could have done to combat this is to focus on one for example plastic guitar, and drive it's price down and down over time, to the point where you could buy RB3+ guitar for £39. I think that would have been possible...but the companies want you to buy newer ever more expensive kit, the pro stuff is all well and good, but is the focus of it teaching you music or selling expensive kit? hard to say.
Goodfella
01/11/10 @ 13:26
#18
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Why are people saying it's too expensive?

A lot of people will just want the game, not the instruments, as like myself they already have them (except the keytar which I'm not fussed about)
TheBoyChris
01/11/10 @ 13:26
#19
+58
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
7386 gets you to 24th in the all-format? Christ.
Lee_Morris
01/11/10 @ 13:26
#20
+7
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I really hope we don't see a Rock Band 4 next year. To be honest I'm waiting till the 'proper' guitar comes out otherwise it's pointless in me buying RB3. I doubt there are many in the same boat as me though.

£110 for RB3 with a keyboard is mental though. It should be £70 max.
StolenGlory
01/11/10 @ 13:27
#21
-4
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@lordofthedunce.

Agreed.

Honestly, when the fuck will people wake up and realise that spending shit-tons of money on a rhthym action game which fills up your room with a metric-ton of plastic clustertastic-shit, just isn't a worthwhile thing to buy anymore?
Edited 1 times, most recently on 01/11/10 @ 13:28
zigs
01/11/10 @ 13:28
#22
-7
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I call bullshit.

The figures for music games are incredibly skewed because of the numerous bundles and availability options. It's my understanding that Charttrack (and the NPD in the US) count music games sales differently to other games because of that. When properly tallied, combining all the various bundles and options, the sales figures would be much higher. Fairly sure.

Also, it'll probably follow the same path that DJ Hero did last week. Sold poorly in the first week, but by the end of the year it had topped a million sales. The price is probably an issue for a lot of people, so I imagine loads of people get these sorts of games as Christmas presents.

I'd put money on RB3 easily selling over a million copies worldwide.
Eraysor
01/11/10 @ 13:28
#23
+11
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Silly Harmonix, I always knew that interview last week was going to backfire.

Plus, I accidentally bought the game twice so you can minus one of those 360 sales. If the instruments weren't so overpriced they might have made more money out of me; I bought an RB1 drum kit for £10 a couple weeks back, compared to the £90 they want for the new one.
Edited 1 times, most recently on 01/11/10 @ 13:30
MiniAmin
01/11/10 @ 13:29
#24
+15
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Brilliant game + Saturated milked out genre = poor sales.
Deckard1
01/11/10 @ 13:29
#25
+7
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
That ship has sailed I'm afraid.
Bertie staff
01/11/10 @ 13:29
#26
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Sorry, Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock debuted 6th in the UK. Amended.
rudderless
01/11/10 @ 13:30
#27
+13
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
It's worth pointing out that Rock Band has been hamstrung from the beginning in the UK (not sure about the rest of Europe) because of woeful handling from those responsible for distributing the hardware and software. The first two both had staggered releases, even for The Beatles Rock Band there were equipment shortages and from anecdotal evidence it's been hard for PS3 and Wii owners to get hold of the new peripherals. On launch day I got the last keytar in stock at my local GameStation and the pro guitars are nowhere to be found.

I expect it to perform better in the US, but by now a lot of people will either own instruments from previous instalments or simply be happy with the choice of songs they already have. And the more casual players may simply have found that the novelty wore off. The core audience will still pick up the game - I know a lot of enthusiast players who've either bought the game alone or the game with the keytar - but it's not the mainstream-shagging title it used to be, and it was never going to be after it peaked with GHIII's faintly ridiculous sales. The titles will still do regular business with a smaller fanbase, but we're not going to see too much money invested in music games from now on.
PlugMonkey
01/11/10 @ 13:32
#28
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I put the poor sales down to me and Goodfella apparently being the only people in Britain who realise you can buy the game without spending £100s rebuying all the instruments you already own.

Harmonix really should have advertised that fact. Apparently the message didn't get through.

Edit: Or to put that in a slightly less antagonistic way: They should have bigged up the reasons to buy this game aside from the pro mode that you need a £130 peripheral for...
Edited 2 times, most recently on 01/11/10 @ 13:34
oceanclub
01/11/10 @ 13:34
#29
-6
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
After the way Activision Bobby Kotick handled Infinity Ward, I presumed he hoped he at least had the plastic guitar genre to fall back onto. Oops. I bet he's praying "Cataclysm" is a mega-success.

P.
Hunam
01/11/10 @ 13:39
#30
+11
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I remember when Guitar Hero 2 came out with out the guitar and cost £20, which was a great deal, but now they release them for £40 without any instruments which is a bit steep for me personally.
Gambit1977
01/11/10 @ 13:39
#31
+1
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Expensive extra peripherals when move and kinect are released? I can't afford it :(
Dolly
01/11/10 @ 13:39
#32
+2
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
In all honesty, I can see the pro (real strings) guitar being cancelled at this stage with figures like this on week one.
It would be a real shame if so :(
madgerald
01/11/10 @ 13:43
#34
+9
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
The problem i have is that there are too many games, and not enough time to play them. I'd love RB3, Fable 3, COD: BO - but I've only just started playing Fallout: New Vegas, a bit of MOH and Vanquish is still wrapped.

Also, there's no incentive to buy day-one. I'm happy to wait a few months and pick the games up cheaper. Also, the MIDI adapter isn't out yet.

As a daily commuter, most of my gaming is done on my iPad at the moment.
NimbusTLD
01/11/10 @ 13:44
#35
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Does this mean instruments kits will be discounted already? ;)

I would have bought the keyboard on release day, but have no monies atm :( Next week!
Dolly
01/11/10 @ 13:44
#36
+5
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
@the_sas_man "It's a sad day indeed when talented designers and an A rated games sell a paltry 1,500 units on the PS3, when games like Modnation Racers fairs higher (yep, i too haven't heard of the game)"

Even sadder was the fact that I spent 3 hours trying every store in my hometown to get a PS3 keytar bundle, and there weren't any out there to buy!! A major balls-up of the highest order.
footle
01/11/10 @ 13:47
#37
+12
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Distribution. Distribution. Distribution.
Fellblade
01/11/10 @ 13:48
#38
+9
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
There was only one copy of it in my local Tescos, and no versions with the keyboard available
paulf
01/11/10 @ 13:50
#39
+20
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
as others have said, but it needs repeating, it would help if you could actually buy it
glottis0
01/11/10 @ 13:50
#40
+9
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Yeah I think this is pretty much down to it having no shop presence, no marketing and no general availability. Sure, the bubble has burst, but not _that_ badly.

In Guildford, which is usually pretty well-stocked with games due to all the uni students and game-dev geeks, Game and HMV weren't even stocking the peripherals. Neither shop had any display or posters either. In fact, HMV had a "Rock Band 3 out today" sign this morning...
Edited 1 times, most recently on 01/11/10 @ 13:53
Lotos8ter
01/11/10 @ 13:54
#41
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I think there's a certain arrogance with the makers of these music games that the customers want regular updates, better peripherals, an endless supply of songs on the marketplace to download each week. And I don't.
I enjoyed RB 1 &2 but I'm not buying any more for the foreseeable future and it looks like I'm far from alone.
lordofthedunce
01/11/10 @ 13:54
#42
+5
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Well, if it is the distro that has screwed this launch up then that's awful. How many years now?!

Personally I believe the casual market can't distinguish between all these titles and shops won't be stocking hundreds of expensive peripherals if pre-orders don't indicate they're going to sell.

Shame for all the serious fans and the devs.
asphaltcowboy
01/11/10 @ 13:55
#43
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
7300+ sales gets you all the way to 26th in the charts? Blimey, that's not a lot - surprised you need so few sales to get that "high"! Well, I bought Fable 3 and was seriously considering getting RB3 as well... but didn't. But then I caved this morning and ordered a copy, so I'll be making up some of the sales figures this week!
monkfishjoe
01/11/10 @ 13:55
#44
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Great shame. Hopefully more will sell once the bundles come through.

Word of mouth could really help too - once people star telling thier friends about the fun of PRO-mode it could really take off.
kestral
01/11/10 @ 13:56
#45
+6
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
how many times can you play what seems to be the same game (even though it isn't)?
estel
01/11/10 @ 13:58
#46
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
From my experience of trawling the stores in Bristol seeing who had availability of what, it seems not a single store stocked a RB3 instrument, so in that respect it's not too surprising.
I am surprised to be a measurable % of total PS3 sales. As I hadn't bought any music game since PS2 GH3, it seemed worthwhile (along with a bargain on the Beatles Limited Edition band set in HMV).
Kremlik
01/11/10 @ 14:00
#47
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Ouch that is poor, however unlike some of the comments here I'd say it's not really down to 'not wanting more plastic' it's more the case of wanting the Pro stuff, which atm there is next to none on sale and a lot of people are holding off for those items.

With the PS3 stuff being held back and only the keytar for the 360 actally on sale in most places only, plus both pro guitars for both versions are ethier a month or 6 if you want to 'real' one, it's more then likely to sell more once they have actally been released as the pro mode IS the key selling point of RB3 and it's basically bare bones without that.

RB3 will be a slow burn, it's the case of HMX releasing the game far too early, anyone thinking this would sell bucketloads without the pro stuff on release day was really hoping for a lot, and hopfully EA/MTV/HMX know that the key IS the pro items not the game itself
Shinetop
01/11/10 @ 14:03
#48
0
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
No interest in this whatsoever. The only new things this brings to the table require that you buy more gear. Had they significantly improved the experience I have with existing gear, this would've been an instant buy. Too bad for them.
philreeduk
01/11/10 @ 14:04
#49
+15
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
Surely this is a bit mis-leading since the game was on sale for 1 day! the 86,00 figure you use for guitar hero is the us number for sales of a whole week!
VibratingDonkey
01/11/10 @ 14:05
#50
+3
You buried this comment
Comment below viewing threshold
Show
I'm waiting for the keyboard bundle to drop in price myself. It's just too gosh darned expensive. So to be selfish for a moment, the game not doing so hot is good news.

Comments: 1-50 of 125 Next →

Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!

Statistics
Zavvi
GetGames

X View gallery