Do Games with Online Multiplayer sell more?

According to Electronic Entertainment Design and Research, suggests that games with online multiplayer support can be crucial to a game’s retail success. The report suggests that sales can double if an online mode is available. Would you believe that Metroid Prime 3 would have doubled in sales if it had online?

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  • Kevin

    I can see MP3 at least selling more than it did/is. I wasn’t really compelled to buy the game without that blue wi-fi symbol on the front. The reason I have it now, and I’m absolutely glad I do have it, is because my girlfriend bought it for me out of the blue.

    I think if MP3 had wi-fi, I would’ve been one of the first in line to get it.

  • MLS

    MP3 IS online and is selling very well.

  • Berend Jan

    If a online mode is there i can play the game whith my friends from all over the world. And i’m more “buyable” then if it’s not. Now i think yeah i wait till MP:3 is 20 euro’s and ill buy it then. When i can play onle whith my friend i’m sure gonna buy it when it comes out.

    Take GH3 for example, i don’t now mutch about the Wii version but i can play it onine so me and my friends are taunting eachother about the pwning we are going to give em… I got to have GH3 when it comes out MP3 can wait it does not have online. MarioKart Wii goes first (i don’t like SmaBro) then MP3…

  • Wishale

    Yes, MP3 would have atleast doubled sales.
    Atleast.

  • Hologram

    As I’ve said before, Metroid Prime 3 is selling at an awe-inspiring clip. 400,000 in one week in one country is an amazing feat.

    With that said, would Wi-Fi have increased sales? Probably. Would it have been a good idea IMO? No. Here’s why:

    1. Metroid Prime 2 multi-player: It wasn’t all that great. Six weapons that are hardly different (standard shot, homing shot, freeze shot, burn shot, missiles, bombs with small blast radius) does not make for a good shooter. Small levels do not make for a good shooter. You can easily tell that the multi-player in MP2 was tacked on.

    2. Metroid Prime: Hunters single-player: The multi-player for this was fun because you had several unique weapons (Giant homing bomb, mortar, rebound shot, grenades, freezing shot, sniper rifle, close range annoyance, etc.) and unique playable characters. However, the single-player suffered from this design to the point where it felt like a generic FPS of “shoot, shoot, shoot” rather than a Metroid game of exploration. By making a good multi-player experience (when you don’t get stuck with hackers :p), the single-player suffered.

    Now, out of the above two games, I vastly preferred MP2. Why? Because the single-player was absolutely amazing. It didn’t suffer from the lousy multi-player unlike MP:H where it did. I buy Metroid for single-player. If I wanted multi-player, I’d buy Halo. That is why this game doesn’t need online multi-player. It’d either be incredibly cheap and tacked on to the point where it isn’t much fun (like MP2) or it would make the glorious single-player suffer (like MP:H).

    With that said, would it sell more with online multi-player? Probably. However, I don’t think it’s worth watering down a magnificent game to do it. I also doubt sales would go up by more than 150,000. Hardcore gamers that buy it know Metroid is single player and will buy it without Wi-Fi. Casual gamers that buy it don’t care about online and will buy it without Wi-Fi. I highly doubt that MP3 is missing out that badly in the sales department.

  • Hologram

    “By more than 150,000″

    To clarify, I’m not talking about total sales but the amount of sales that has happened this week. In other words, I think the sales would go up by about one-third.

  • Caltus

    I’ve had metroid prime 3 since its release and am sad to say i have logged less then 3 hrs of playing time. I recently picked up a 360, which might not have happened if nintendo had more/better online support, and have been playing the Call of Duty 4 beta for hours on end, and we only have 3 levels to play. if a game with only 3 levels can consume a 100k ppl for hours upon hours i think that speaks for itself, yes the game play is fun but if there wasn’t people to play against there would be no replay value.

    Caltus

  • http://www.xanga.com/relaxing_roth Roth

    Even without online multi-player (OMP), the game’s still doing good sales. As Reggie said at E3 2007, “It’s always been a single-player.” They just want to keep it to its original form, concentrating on the single-player rather than a multi-player. So that players would have a better understanding and feel of being Samus on her final mission; the conclusion to the Prime series. Adding online multi-player would become too generic of a FPS. Keep in mind, MP3 is a Action-Adventure in first-person view. But it does have minimal use of the WiiConnect24. Just because it’s a shooter in first-person view doesn’t mean it’s got to have online multi-player (OMP). It really depends on the genre.

    Though I’m really into the game at the moment. Scanning all objects and creatures I come upon. Playing in Hyper mode is wicked. It’d be awesome if Hyper mode was in multi-player and treated as the GoldenEye 64′s Golden gun. But it doesn’t really matter to me as long as the single-player is great as it is for me. Multi-player could ruin the Metroid genre. Players just want it online because it’s a FPS. I wonder what the majority of long-time Metroid fans have to say about this.

    On the other hand, sometimes I start to feel skeptical about the meaning of Wii.. I don’t know. But here’s hoping to the next big multi-player hits such as RedSteel 2, Smash Bros Brawl, and new Mario Kart.

    // Roth

  • buckley

    sometimes online games dont have the WI-FI symbol Madden 08 didnt its online y is that but i had a choice of buying MP3 or pre-buying SSBB cause i wouldnt have the money in dec. i choose SSBB b/c MP series is fun ive beaten all of them so far but the smash bros series kept me entertained since the 64 smash bros came out gotta stay loyal to it plus it should be online i cant wait

  • WiglyWorm

    I’m very mixed.

    It would certainly have sold more, but may well have lowered the over all experience for me.

  • Taylor

    I hate wi-fi. I always get pwned.

  • http://wiinintendo.net/index.php?s=MJ MJ

    Anyone, and I mean anyone, that says Metroid Prime 3: Corruption should’ve had online versus is a fucking mentally retarded fucktard that needs to leave gaming alone for a while to appreciate it.
    Metroid does not work in multiplayer. Metroid Prime 2: Echoes proved it and yet they created the disgrace Hunters (worse than fucking Pinball!) which was a fucking utter failure in multiplayer and single player especially.
    The Metroid series isn’t about combat. It’s a story driven action adventure game series where combat isn’t the most important thing (proen by the relative ease).

    Other games however would have been awesome with proper online. Like Rayman, WarioWare, Marvel, etc… anythignt hat is already a party game. Or things like CoD3 which are prettymuch battle only.

  • Matt

    Wow looks like MJ means to kill, calm down buddy. I personally think MPH was great. Fun online play and single player, if they could have had the same single player for MP3 that they have now plus a multiplayer that was at least as good as MPH, I think that it would have been a better game and would have sold more copies.

  • http://loadedgamer.com WickeD

    Hands down Metroid prime would be so nice with online play. I think the main reason they didn’t is either a Hunters for the Wii is going to come out (hey I can dream cant I) OR they didn’t feel that it would be as fast pace with out a lock system vs people (which if they did a muliplayer with lock it would be ghey). That and they wanted to make the best FPAdventure game over all else, so I agree with MJ.

    But would it sell twice as much? maybe 1/4 more in sales tops.

  • AJ

    Taylor, I alsos get pwned online, but it’s still fun. Yes, I didn’t by MP3 because it didn’t have online multiplayer and yes, I’ll buy it when it drops in price years down the road.