Information South Park: The Stick of Truth Needs 2 Million Sales to Break Even

[Crooked Bee]

Tags: Obsidian Entertainment; South Park: The Stick of Truth; THQ

According to an article up at Gamasutra, Obsidian's South Park: The Stick of Truth will need to sell 2 million copies to at least break even:

THQ will focus now on breaking even on a title-by-title basis by releasing low-cost triple-A titles, such as Obsidian Entertainment's South Park: The Stick of Truth, which will release next March.

South Park requires a relatively smaller investment than other titles due to its simple animation. That project's break-even point is also 2 million units, though the publisher believes it can sell well above that, THQ told Pachter.​

So South Park: The Stick of Truth is an AAA title, huh? I wonder what kind of budget structure we're looking at here.

Spotted at Gamebanshee

 

[Bluebottle]

The term AAA has more to do with a titles importance to a company's portfolio than it does to its quality or even production budget. Means less than nothing.

 

[Darklife]

I don't think they'll break 2 million.

 

[DwarvenFood]

How is it low-cost if it needs 2mil sales ? Getting an Alamur vibe here..

 

[Infinitron]

It's interesting (and possibly pathetic) how they're telling us ahead of time how much they need to sell. Seems like a new thing for the industry. Inspired by Kickstarter?

I don't think they'll break 2 million.

Why not? It's fucking South Park.

 

[Achilles]

RIP Obsidian

 

[Krash]

What the fuck, 2 millions? Someone's been smoking crack.

 

[Infinitron]

Might there be some confusion here? In this article, the CEO of THQ claims a UFC title had to sell 2 million to break even - not South Park.

 

[Sul]

Don't worry, it will sell. The IP is big and even if it don't sell millions the game was obviously cheap to make.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

The only way they'll get 2 million sales is to have a huge advertising budget - suck up to the major gaming websites, advertise it on the side of buses, put it on billboards etc. Of course that'll increase the cost overall, so it's a double-edged sword.

 

[mikaelis]

Looks like some tards at gamasutra or THQ cannot into basic math. 2mil x 60 $ = 120 mil $. That is smaller investment? Hahaha. That would be the most overpayed game in the history.
I am sure they confused it with UFC - though, I cannot imagine stupid fighting game to cost 120 mil.

Unless they are counting in things like sales for 4.95$. But how the fuck would you calculate that?

 

[Infinitron]

The only way they'll get 2 million sales is to have a huge advertising budget - suck up to the major gaming websites, advertise it on the side of buses, put it on billboards etc. Of course that'll increase the cost overall, so it's a double-edged sword.

Advantage of making a TV show licensed game - they can advertise it during South Park episodes (during the commercial breaks, or even stick advertising into the episodes themselves). Viacom can probably arrange this for cheap.

 

[Stinger]

It won't make 2 mill. Out of Obsidian's stuff only FNV has made more than 2 mill in the short term and that was a 'sequel' to an already successful franchise. South Park's a big name but unless Reviewers give 10/10s all around (doubtful, they'll just pick on the graphics instead) I'm not expecting 2 mill sales.

What a fucking joke that publishers need 2 mill for a game that only uses 2 voice actors, simple 2D graphics rather than splurging on nextgen shit and a fairly concise and well managed dev time considering it hasn't even been 2 years yet.

Obsidian time for your damn Kickstarter.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

It won't make 2 mill. Out of Obsidian's stuff only FNV has made more than 2 mill in the short term and that was a 'sequel' to an already successful franchise. South Park's a big name but unless Reviewers give 10/10s all around (doubtful, they'll just pick on the graphics instead) I'm not expecting 2 mill sales.

What a fucking joke that publishers need 2 mill for a game that only uses 2 voice actors, simple 2D graphics rather than splurging on nextgen shit and a fairly concise and well managed dev time considering it hasn't even been 2 years yet.

Obsidian time for your damn Kickstarter.

Yeah I just realised Matt and Trey will be doing almost all the voices. I think there's a couple of women who do most of the female voices, and a guy - not a trained voice actor- who just works at South Park Studios who does Token and a few others. The VA budget shouldn't be big at all. And I can't imagine Obsidian getting paid big bucks. My guess is a lot of it will be going to Viacom (owners of the IP) and THQ (publisher).

 

[Duraframe300]

Looks like some tards at gamasutra or THQ cannot into basic math. 2mil x 60 $ = 120 mil $. That is smaller investment? Hahaha. That would be the most overpayed game in the history.
I am sure they confused it with UFC - though, I cannot imagine stupid fighting game to cost 120 mil.

Unless they are counting in things like sales for 4.95$. But how the fuck would you calculate that?

Well, not exactly. They make a lot less than $60 on an actual copy for various reasons (obvious one is that the retailers buy it for less. Or however thats handled in video games.). But even if you math with $30 you end up at 60Mil.

I'd say Pachter or Gamasutra just misunderstood.

 

[EG]

And if you math it up at, say, 10% . . . Those poor impoverished bastards.

Still, it's South Park. It's a game with South Park in the title. I've faith it will reach its lofty goal.

 

[villain of the story]

This is bullshit. A game like South Park cannot possibly need that many units just to break even. The game itself probably cost less than an entire or half a season of South Park.

If that figure is indeed true, then it sounds like more backdoor money pocketing among a few piece of shit suits and Obsidian will get the short end of the stick again.

 

[DarkUnderlord]

It'll make 2 million easily. It's a console game, remember?

 

[deuxhero]

Looks like some tards at gamasutra or THQ cannot into basic math. 2mil x 60 $ = 120 mil $. That is smaller investment? Hahaha. That would be the most overpayed game in the history.
I am sure they confused it with UFC - though, I cannot imagine stupid fighting game to cost 120 mil.

Unless they are counting in things like sales for 4.95$. But how the fuck would you calculate that?

You need to add console licensing fees, retailer cut, shipping, manufactuer ect.

 

[Darklife]

Ahh it's coming out on consoles as well. Well in that case consider me misinformed.

 

[Marsal]

Costs of production include marketing, which is often greater than development costs. Publisher's cut is about $27 of a $60 game (retail price). So 2 millions sales = $54M. That could be accurate if marketing budget was about $30M.

 

[CrunchyHemorrhoids]

How can you believe it for even a second, that would put its budget at at least 32 millions.

 

[Johannes]

With figures like that, do they always consider just full-priced sales?

 

[DwarvenFood]

They must have screwed up on that article, but yet they clearly compare it to UFC and even mention both titles need 2mil sales, even though South Park is smaller budget. No wonder THQ is not doing well.

 

[Marsal]

With figures like that, do they always consider just full-priced sales?

I guess they mean 2 million in the first couple of months. Later used games sales and discounts kick in and they earn much less.

They must have screwed up on that article, but yet they clearly compare it to UFC and even mention both titles need 2mil sales, even though South Park is smaller budget. No wonder THQ is not doing well.

We are forgetting licencing costs and/or Trey Parker and Matt Stone's cut (I don't know who owns rights to South Park, but I guess Viacom gets a piece of action, too).

I think they got UFC licence cheaply before UFC got big (it's a promotional tool for UFC, too). Didn't EA buy the UFC licence form THQ recently?