News

Do Game Critic Awards Predict A Game’s Retail Success?

3:00AM June 19, 2009 | Brian Crecente

Game Critics Awards are one of the most sought after badges of honour in the gaming industry, but does wining Best of E3 predict a retail success or impact the sales of a video game?

For a second year in a row the analysts at Broadpoint AmTech took a look at the past 11 years worth of winners to see if Best Of awards are a predictor of sales. Their conclusion:

“While there have been a few exceptions, overall we found that “Best of” award winners in categories such as “Best Console Game” and “Best in Show” have been retail hits in the U.S. (e.g. have sold in excess of 1m units lifetime since release according to NPD).”

Certain categories, such as Best Original Game and Best Racing Game, were more hit or miss than others in predicting sales success, the analysts say. That’s because, they said, these sort of games have “qualities that appeal more to industry insiders/game critics on the panel (for example, innovative gameplay and art direction) vs. the average consumer.”

While interesting, I wonder if the awards predict a sales success or help to create one. Lots of publishers have in the past used the award in their marketing of the games.


Comments

  • Victor Barrage

    June 19, 2009 at 9:54 AM

    Why include pictures with details if you can’t read the detail? Can anyone read the text on this chart?
    I want to learn what you have to teach me Kotaku! I want to learn! Why won’t you let me learn?!!!

    This happens a lot with pictures accompanying Kotaku posts. Indistinguishable information on pictures that are too small.

    Can’t something be done, like enabling the ability to click on a picture to show an enlarged version?

    • BenM

      June 19, 2009 at 11:23 AM

      Kotaku ALWAYS do this – it’s very annoying. Along with not including links to the orginal article. VERY ANNOYING KOTAKU – ARE YOU LISTENING? It’s not the first time I, or someone else, has mentioned this…!

    • Matt

      June 19, 2009 at 11:24 AM

      You can always right-click on the image and click on View Image or Open Image in New Window to see it in its original size. ;)

      • Victor Barrage

        June 19, 2009 at 2:22 PM

        Saddly my web browser (at my work place) doesn’t allow me to do this. The best-choice option I get when I right-click is to save the picture, which isn’t that convienient.

        Otherwise I do agree with you; right-clicking to opening the picture in a separate window would be a satisfactory resolution to my issue.

  • Ray Pinkerton

    June 19, 2009 at 2:17 PM

    Thanks for that Matt. We often overlook the obvious. I use the method of holding Control and using the scroll wheel to enlarge the screen zoom.

  • HardSoft

    June 20, 2009 at 9:06 PM

    Try holding the CTRL key an then roll your wheel mouse up or down.. There’s enough detail in them to read it.

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