Elite Dangerous base game has sold 3.5 million copies (plus other FDev games have sold well too)

[Viajero]

Yeah, congratulte FD with final understanding that ED provides smallest revenue with largest efforts, among all other titles. And that it, consequently, can be just thrown away in the favor of some additional park-management game, which will provide much more profit / (time*efforts)

Even within Elite I think you also need to look further for the detail, into what efforts are going to which sources of revenue. I.e. current base game and Horizons, skins etc... and then new era. Some efforts yield revenue faster than others. Some can even need several years in order to be capitalized. So for example if you are looking at the past few years worth of Elite revenue you can not apply there any efforts dedicated to new era which, to all accounts, are quite significant etc. This would most likely highlight current elite profit margins, versus the actual effort dedicated to them (not new era ones), to be quite healthy.

 

[Northpin]

Yeah, congratulte FD with final understanding that ED provides smallest revenue with largest efforts, among all other titles. And that it, consequently, can be just thrown away in the favor of some additional park-management game, which will provide much more profit / (time*efforts)

party pooper

get a beer and stop being bitter, unless you really like Bitters

 

[Bigmaec]

Who hurt you?

Arx, propably...
Or the ADS?

 

[Rat Catcher]

3.5 million is a high number but in terms of semi-niche space sandbox videogame sales over 5 and a half years I have no clue if that's good or not honestly.

I think you summed up well with semi-niche...
The couple of friends I'd like to play along with consider it "too difficult" with the number of controls - without even giving it a try

 

[Rat Catcher]

Yeah, congratulte FD with final understanding that ED provides smallest revenue with largest efforts, among all other titles. And that it, consequently, can be just thrown away in the favor of some additional park-management game, which will provide much more profit / (time*efforts)

Are you sure about that? Hmmm....

C'mon, you gotta be trolling, again

 

[Rat Catcher]

It's hard to pinpoint what particular thing keeps the forum undead going but im pretty sure its high is sodium.

Each time they post, the Bigger Troll lets go of their throat, briefly, and they get a massive rush of seratonin...

 

[Viajero]

Doesn't matter. The important fact is that it much less, than any other of mentioned above FD titles. Why develop ED, when developing another Planet Foo grants much more revenue, and requires much less efforts.

And yet we have a new Elite PDLC coming right up FDEV crazy!

 

[Bigmaec]

Meanwhile, buy an Idris ARX!

 

[House0fDerp]

I think you summed up well with semi-niche...
The couple of friends I'd like to play along with consider it "too difficult" with the number of controls - without even giving it a try

Personally it was the game that my group of friends had the easiest time getting into, granted one of the other candidate was the souls series.

And yet we have a new Elite PDLC coming right up FDEV crazy!

To be fair, the development pace is far from fast. "Right up" meaning 8 or more months away.

 

[Bigmaec]

1) 800,000 ED copies sold during first year, and over 1,000,000 Planet Zoo copies sold during first 6 months.
2) Efforts of development unique spacesim, against efforts to develop another clone of park-management , reusing 80% of codebase from JWE.
Or just continue posting smiles - it's of course easier than math and logic.

Planet Zoo is just way less niche then Elite.
My wife and I both have a copy, Elite only me.
I guess I have to agree with you here (throws white-knight hat in the corner)

 

[Rat Catcher]

1) 800,000 ED copies sold during first year, and over 1,000,000 Planet Zoo copies sold during first 6 months.
2) Efforts of development unique spacesim, against efforts to develop another clone of park-management , reusing 80% of codebase from JWE.
Or just continue posting smiles - it's of course easier than math and logic.

Dunno mate... We only have maths where I come from...
As for logic... Dream on, pal...
Did you use your impressive logical analysis to determine which actual game has sold the greatest volume?
Hint: It is in the very first post.

Gosh! Not a smiley used!

 

[Bigmaec]

FDev is public stock company, and investors don't care about "less niche", "more niche", you, your wife and your copies.
They do care only about revenues.
And another Planet Foo will provide much better revenue than ED ever. (Yeah, because less niche). Soo... keep buying ED accounts

I think you didn't understand I agreed with you. Sad.

 

[Viajero]

Yeah, as awesome and exciting, as Multicrew, and Engineers, and Guardians, and Carriers. So you made 2 mistypes in "FDEV lazy"

That personal and anecdotal opinion has little to do with your point though. Your point was that you think it does not make revenue/effort sense that FDEV develops ED. And yet they do, we actually have a new PDLC coming right up! FDEV crazy!

 

[Rat Catcher]

FDev is public stock company, and investors don't care about "less niche", "more niche", you, your wife and your copies.
They do care only about revenues.
And another Planet Foo will provide much better revenue than ED ever. (Yeah, because less niche). Soo... keep buying ED accounts

Oh look - smilies...

 

[StuartGT]

Who hurt you?

It was a ganker iirc

 

[Rat Catcher]

I think you didn't understand I agreed with you. Sad.

I don't think that English is his first language...
Oh, neither is yours!

 

[Ganogati]

I have no doubt at all that park sims rake in tons of cash over ED; I love space sims to death, they are my favorite genre hands down, but they are a niche. You see a lot of the same faces beween them because we are few and far between on the grand scale. But things like "Zoo Tycoon" or whatever their other games are? Man folks eat those up like candy.

ED is a unique snowflake because it has VR, so more people know about it. 3.5 million sales for a space sandbox like this, if you aren't EVE Online, is actually pretty damn good. Not many do better than this, even the ones that have been around forever. Take that for what you will, but ED is raking in cash compared to many of the others. The only exceptions are No Man's Sky and Star Citizen, and they are the special snowflakes of special snowflakes.

I would say that ED is doing great for what it is, and I'm thrilled to see it. Any development they give us in it makes me happy.

 

[StuartGT]

Wait was this the same person you were talking at the other day?

I'll be honest I don't pay much attention to forum names.

One and the same

 

[Rat Catcher]

One and the same

Here, I have a spare, helps wash down the and ease the taste a little.

 

[Reggit]

Doesn't matter. The important fact is that it much less, than any other of mentioned above FD titles. Why develop ED, when developing another Planet Foo grants much more revenue, and requires much less efforts.

Because, if Elite was discontinued today - we'd all rush out and buy Planet World, or Jurassic Coaster right? RIIIGHT??

There's certainly a good market for 'park management' games - but when compared to 'space sim' games, i bet there's a fair bit of 'market exclusivity' in the kind of players who are attracted to each type of game....
....And as long as Elite is turning a profit (and the bulk of the game is complete!) - Why would FDev not want that money??