The first sales figures are in!

The power of word of mouth

from GalCiv2 Forums

We just got our report on the first week of sales of Galactic Civilizations II.  Despite some availability problems, we're told that we're presently the best selling software title at Walmart.  Let me be clear: Not just #1 PC game, but overall software.

Best Buy, EB, and Gamestop have put in additional orders that actually exceed their initial sell-in orders (which you may recall were 3X what GalCiv I's initial retail presence was).

How is this possible?  No one is ever going to accuse us of being a marketing juggernaut.  It's not like there was a 6 month build up of "hype" or whatever. Few reviews are up yet.

It's word of mouth. You guys.  Individual people from around the world simply getting the game and telling their friends that they liked it.

And here's another thing to consider -- Galactic Civilizations II has no copy protection whatsoever.  Not even a CD check.  Heck, you can install the game and toss out the CD and use the included serial # (which you don't even have to use to install) to redownload the entire game from us even years in the future.

So what about piracy? Remember? That's the argument why games need all kinds of DRM and CD protection -- piracy.  Yet retail sales are very high.  Very high despite the fact that any one of the 50,000+ people who have already purchased could zip up the CDs and put them on-line because there's no copy protection.

One might argue that not having copy protection decreases the piracy on the game because there's no copy protection to crack and distribute.  And perhpas some people who might have been on the fence decided to buy the game because they didn't have to worry about losing their CD or worrying that some copy protection scheme was going to create headaches.

It will be interesting to see what the overall monthly sales stats will be when they're published next month (i.e. the ones publicly available). 

Thanks to the Internet and the ease of communication, it is looking very possible that the balance of power in PC entertainment software has shifted decidedly to the players and away from the traditional avenues.

As soon as the generally available sales stats are out, we'll link to them.

87,027 views 102 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well done guys all round to do so well despite the distribution "issues".

Again, much kudos for the enlightened and logical stance on "removal of fair use" (aka DRM). This is the first PC game I've purchased since 2004, and that was a factor. That and lurking on the forums for a few months building up confidence on what the responsiveness will be like on support. Not treating your customers like criminals, and inspiring confidence in your product - no wonder you;'ve exceeded expectations.
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congratulations guys! You definetely deserve it!

I know that I have already gotten 4 of my friends to grab a copy. I still have to show it to some of my other friends; I know that as soon as I do, they'll jump the wagon as well.

Most of them were really impressed with the dedication to the members that you guys show through your forums and IRC channel.

Congratulations again!
Reply #4 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Grats to Stardock. Proof that the little guys can beat the billion-dollar-budget flops.

I'd also like to mention that a lot of what I love about this game leading up to and after its development is the amount of information that the devs and community make available. There is so much interaction here that you don't get from other, more corporate companies. No overzealous mods saying "you can't say bad stuff about our game," makes a huuuuge difference to me. The greatest thing is if someone DOES say bad stuff about your game, you guys go and fix it. It's simply too cool to not be a part of the GalCiv community.

Oh, and it helps that the game is actually fun to play, too.
Reply #5 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
While I dont know what the marketing in the US is, I can tell you in Calgary (Canada - the cold unfriendly neighbour to the north) Every EB I called (4 were sold out) 2 BB were sold out, and all but one FutureShop was sold out, I got my copy and they had hidden it in the productivity learning section (not sure why).

And i must also hijack this thread and say this game is the shiz

MYK
Reply #6 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congratz guys...good jobs.
Reply #7 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thats awesome, and I dont even think its at all stores nationwide yet. Theres none in Raleigh NC yet, as far as I have checked. Looking forward to getting it soon.
Reply #9 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congrats! I hadn't heard about this game prior to Penny Arcade mentioning it on their front page on January 23rd. I read your story about the Human/Drengin war and decided that this was a game I must own. Of course, I shared that story with my 4x playing friends, and I know 3 of them have the game now. Yay internet!
Reply #10 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
top 5 reasons sales are going so well ???

1) Awesome game - it's fun, immersive, addictive ... (I could go on with more adjectives )
2) Amazing Developer - communicates with the end-user -- *gasp* ASKS the end-user what he thinks and wants
3) Good Price Point - I paid $39 for it. How can you go wrong for that price??
4)
5)

hmmm...thought I had 5 reasons....can't think of any more
Reply #11 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
First of all, congratulations. On the game itself, and on the sales.

You guys are a breath of fresh air in the computer games industry. You succeeded in establishing trust between you and your players. Too often, we gamers are reading empty promises about games, not knowing what the developers are doing, and finally we are disappointed ; this is what happens most of the time with big games companies.
By giving constant informations about the development of galciv2 you made us feel like we were part of the project.

On software piracy, i think you also found the right way to behave. As stupid as it might seem, i bought your game ONLY because it had no copy protection whatsoever. Otherwise i would have downloaded it. Its all about trust. You also found the good formula with the updates available only to paying gamers. If people want to play the game without updates, they can just download it ; anyway, if they get really interested in it, they will purchase it to be able to download the updates. And you guys look like youre going to update the game often enough. (Well, that's my strongest hope anyway).

Keep up the good work, the game still has a few issues, needs a few balancing tweaks, even if its highly enjoyable as of now ; dont let us down, we trust you, and we thank you for not disappointing us until now. Keep it that way folks !
Reply #12 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well I posted good things about it on every forum I could reach, and releasing the game without copy protection is very positive point to me "idiologically" - I hate to buy it again if my CD get scretched because I can not make a copy.
Reply #13 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Salute!

Congratulations and I wish continued success! You guys deserve it! You created what I predict will be one of the best PC titles to come out this year, at the very least the best strategy title. To tell you the truth I was somewhat disappointed with Civilization IV (I had very high hopes but it turned out too buggy, not as fun as Civ previous titles), so GCII has saved strategy gaming for me this year.

Keep up the good work!
Reply #14 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Grats!!

BTW, No copy protection has been a GODSEND to me.

I installed it on my home PC. I installed it on my home laptop. I installed it on my Work PC (to play on lunch breaks) - all without lugging CDs around.

I love you guys!
Reply #15 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Your claim of being a marketing juggernaut rings a tiny bit hollow..

Stardock has by far been amongst the most responsive group of game developers to their clients needs (us). You listen to what we say and try to figure out ways to get it working in game, without compromising your game.

The only other few developer teams that have been so on the ball, that I can think of, is really City of Villains and City of Heroes. (Same game really) Both had a lot of developers interacting on the boards and threads and posting actual numbers when someone pointed out what they thought was a cheat.
Reply #16 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
This game is awesome, and I'll keep spreading the word. I am proud to be a programmer myself and to see the success of an indie group. Shine on, Stardock, and show the way for the others!
Reply #17 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Great work! I always knew this game would do well... but the numbers indeed surprised us all!
Reply #18 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Design a great game, communicate with the player community, price it right, and treat the customers like partners with a shared goal of a terrific gaming experience...you get Stardock and GCII. Now if we could only persuade other developers to adopt your model
Reply #19 from Stardock Forums Top
Thanks for the information - we're doing our best at convincing people to buy the game, btw.
Looking forward to see some sales figures in the future, I was always interested in these, but many developers / publishers seem to treat them like important business secrets - which I don't understand.
Reply #20 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Awesome. I'm so happy for you guys, you totally deserve it. I have friends asking, "Is there a way I can buy the ship builder?" Hahahahaha.
Reply #21 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Glad to hear it and thank you for the update, Frogboy! I have a feeling that all this is only the beginning. Once the major game sites and magazines have reviewed GCII it will experience another strong commercial push. Not to mention the adverts... Let's only hope it'll be successful in the EU as well!
Reply #22 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Well deserved for all of the above reasons
Reply #23 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congratulations, Stardock!

If you've read my post, "my friend wants to borrow my game" , in the general forum, you'll know that I've already decided to buy one more copy of the game so I can lend it to my friends, who wants to try the game out. (Of course, I will tell them that they only have 2 weeks of try before I need to lend the game to someone else; that way, they'll just go buy it themselves).

A quick question though, I am currently a college student living in a dorm and I really want to let my little brother at home play the game. I intend to install the game on my home (not dorm) computer and install the updates with the one serial number I have already. I know one can argue that its partial piracy, but I am only going to do this with my brother. So will this procedure somehow invalidate the game on my computer as to make it unplayable? Is it crucial that we don't play the game at the same time?

An advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Reply #24 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Best Buy, EB, and Gamestop have put in additional orders that actually exceed their initial sell-in orders (which you may recall were 3X what GalCiv I's initial retail presence was).

How is this possible? No one is ever going to accuse us of being a marketing juggernaut. It's not like there was a 6 month build up of "hype" or whatever. Few reviews are up yet.

It's word of mouth. You guys. Individual people from around the world simply getting the game and telling their friends that they liked it.

Now you've done it Stardock! Sales growing over time instead of a big initial splash and then rapid decline. Don't you realized you have messed up the retailers models! Now they have to research Stardock Economics!

And here's another thing to consider -- Galactic Civilizations II has no copy protection whatsoever. Not even a CD check. Heck, you can install the game and toss out the CD and use the included serial # (which you don't even have to use to install) to redownload the entire game from us even years in the future.

So what about piracy? Remember? That's the argument why games need all kinds of DRM and CD protection -- piracy. Yet retail sales are very high. Very high despite the fact that any one of the 50,000+ people who have already purchased could zip up the CDs and put them on-line because there's no copy protection.

That's true! I guess we just like you and want you to get every $ you're due because you treat us like customers not thieves!!!

Eventhough, Draginol, the dark Mithrilar, you are my nemisis!!! Link
Reply #25 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
When a game is pirated, it usually doesn't mean a lost sale- in most cases, the people who pirate games aren't going to buy the game in the first place usually. That being said, I don't have my hopes up that SD's distribution method will become commonplace- there is a whole set of leeches based around DRM that will prevent that from happening.
After a while, I'll probably give my v1.00 out to others, and use that as a demo- I've found earlier versions of full games entice customers more then demos, which are often shunned due to being incomplete.

That being said, ISD's policies do make it much more likely for me to consider their future releases.