Producer: Metal Gear Solid 4 must sell a million copies day one

[TTR Dr Payne]

Producer: Metal Gear Solid 4 must sell a million copies day one

243 Comments by Alexander Sliwinski Nov 29th 2007 1:25PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3, Business

Metal Gear Solid 4 is turning into a third-party anomaly on the PS3. For Sony's sake it continues to be an officially non-timed PS3 exclusive even when others have left for greener pastures, but on the other hand its production costs are extreme for publisher Konami, and the big question is: How are they going to make that money back? Ryan Payton, assistant producer for MGS4, told Reuters that the game needs to sell one million units on its first day due to its production costs. We don't know if Payton is expecting a global launch, but just for a point of reference, in the US that would require 50% of PS3 owners to buy the game on the first day.

One million units on day one is a Reed Richards stretch; we're certainly curious to know how Konami is going to justify the exclusivity of MGS4 financially. If an efficiently produced game like Uncharted: Drake's Fortune cost $20 million, we can only wonder what a game with the production levels of MGS4 cost. There's a much deeper story here about the cost of MGS4 and Konami, but those answers probably won't shake out until long after MGS4 releases.

[paintba||er]

It doesn't seem like it will be that hard to do....most PS3 owners will probably be buying this game. (I won't, I hate stealth games)

[TTR Dr Payne]

yea at first i thought to myself HA GOOD LUCK SONY! then i realized that it actually only requires 50% of US gamers to buy the game..that shouldnt be a problem considering its like the only worth while game on the PS3. Ive always like the MGS games..

[sj420]

Anyone have the stats? Are there a million PS3 users, Are there a million that can buy it day one? Doubtfully. Seriously, when you start "Demanding" things to happen, it isn't going to happen.

"We demand one million units sold day one or we flop"

What if there isn't that kind of demand? I would suggest that means they over shot their budget by, oh, a million or so?


And by the way, the whole point of MGS4 is that snake doesn't need to hide, he can kill everything. Even the walking legs and tanks. He just needs an area to "rest". So, big deal, it isn't a stealth game you just hide and kill. Tenchu please, thanks.

[paintba||er]

Its not going to be that difficult. As already stated it would only require 50% of US PS3 owners to purchase it, but the US makes up less than 1/2 of the total PS3 sales, so it would be more like 15% of PS3 owners purchasing it. MGS is the PS3's Halo in terms of popularity. And Halo 3 had 1.7 million copies in reserves alone. There are about twice the 360 owners as PS3 owners, so if MGS does similarly the reserved copies will nearly reach their goal.