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The first sales figures are in!

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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.

87,018 views 102 replies
Reply #26 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
As of Tuesday, I still could not find the game at Walmart, Best Buy, Gamestop, or Fry's Electronics. I think something is "broken" in the retail chain directed toward San Jose, CA. Finally stopped looking since my Amazon order is finally shipping... and it should arrive as soon as end of next week. Waited a few years already since Gal Civ, what's another week?

Seriously. I know Stardock has no direct control over the retail side of things. However, distribution has been terrible in some geographical areas. I can understand places like Idaho perhaps, but Silicon Valley? Hopefully it's a lesson to be remembered when Gal Civ 3 rolls around...

I like to collect my CDs which is why I didn't go for electronic download and didn't think there would be a 2 to 3 week delay after the official release date if ordered from someone like Amazon. I've easily spent 2+ hours trying to find this game locally without success with the intent of cancelling that order.
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Reply #28 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
How many units sold is concidered a success fora game ( I konw its usually vs development and markleting costs) but let say you sell 10 million in the music indusrty and that is highly successful, how many in the game industry? I am guessing 200,000 for a pc only game
Reply #29 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congratulations, guys! You deserve it.

One reason this copy protection plan (none) will probably work for this game is the anticipated updates and bonuses that will be released along the way. Folks will need to register to get the goodies. Unlike some developers, we know Stardock will actually release goodies down the road.

Tony
Reply #30 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I like to collect my CDs which is why I didn't go for electronic download and didn't think there would be a 2 to 3 week delay after the official release date if ordered from someone like Amazon. I've easily spent 2+ hours trying to find this game locally without success with the intent of cancelling that order.


If you ordered from stardock, you would probably have gotten the cd by now. I know mine's waiting for me at home.
Reply #31 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
We can lend the game out to people right? The first versions without any updates? Cause I know quite a few friends that love the 4x genre that can't afford a new game right now. I could let them play yhe earliest version and tell them that to get the updates they need to pay for the game. Will this work or will they still not buy the game? Hmmm....
Reply #32 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
DRM turned me into a software pirate. Let me explain.

I bought a legitimate copy of NeverWinter Nights when it came out. Loved it. Then they released a patch that added new copy-protection code and suddenly the game stopped working with my CD-ROM. Suddenly, I could no longer play the game I paid for!

I complained along with a few others affected by this patch, but we were in a minority and so the general gaming community assumed we were making it up (or were idiots -- I dunno).

So I searched around and found a no-CD crack for the game and the latest patch. In the process, I stumbled across lots of little-known websites that would allow to you download just about any pirated game for free.

I'm not really a pirate, so I just downloaded the no-CD crack for NWN. And, to my surprise, I really really appreciated being able to play the game without looking for and loading the CD. I keep several games 'current' on my laptop, so keeping track of CDs is a big deal.

Anyway, I would never actually use pirated software that I hadn't paid for and I really want to express my gratitude to Brad and the team for bucking the DRM trend and making GalCiv a non-protected, no-CD-required game
Reply #33 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
1. Steal underpants
2. ...
3. Make money.

Works every time, Congrats!
Reply #34 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I had my copy of Rise of Nations on my old computer for a couple years, then I upgraded computers. I had lost/thrown away my CD key since then. Microsoft was more than willing to replace my serial key for a "nominal fee" of $10. Jerks.
Reply #35 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
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.


That is a startling achievement, and as awesomesauce as GCII is, one I'm surprised (Though very please!) to hear. For those here who don't know, Wal*Mart is the biggest retailer of software in the US (And the biggest retailer of just about everything else, I suspect.), so to be on top there is a pretty big thing. Just being top dog on the PC pile would be cause for celebration.

You guys certainly deserve it though, the only games which have compelled me as much as GCII has are Civ II/III, FFVII, Suikoden, and World of Warcraft. You're in esteemed company.

You guys should make an RPG.
Reply #36 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
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.


FYI, 48 seeders, 81 leechers, 4200 downloads off a popular bittorrent site.
For comparison, a popular game that came out around the same time, I think it was called star something? 339 seeders, 2000 leechers, 33500 downloads.
And of course, that other popular turn based strategy game.. what was it called? Something 4? 65 seeders, 101 leechers, 35436 downloads.

My fuzzy logic says that's a lot less piracy!

Reply #37 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!


Same here. As I learned of the game from Penny-Arcade and I read the Human-Drengin war post I liked it enough to preorder it. Funny that a webcomic beats much bigger gaming sites out there in quality of information and tips.
Reply #38 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Thank you for not using an evil DRM system like starforce (that actually disables some
people's CD or DRD roms). Thank you for not tying the serial number into the hardware
of the machine (so that I can play at work and home). Thank you for not requiring the CD
(so I don't have carry the cd back and forth). Thank you for not making it XP only. My
office isn't upgraded, and I can't play a lot of the new games because of it.

For me, there are many reasons not to pirate the game:

1. Support and patches: I want the latest version with the bug fixes and the
new enhancements. I don't want to track down hacked exe files to match different patch versions.

2. Continued support: I want to support the stardock finance wise, so they can continue
to improve the product and eventually bring out expansions and sequels. If galciv II is
this good now, can you imagine how great galciv V will be?

3. Indie support: Let's face it, you're underdogs. You don't have the uber funds of microsoft
or EA to blitz the websites with fancy ads. You rely on word of mouth advertising. You rely
on every $ that comes in.

Thank you for a great game, and continued great support. I am trying to spread the local word
about the game, and already have two people that are going to buy it because of my prodding.


Reply #39 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Popping in here for the first time in a couple of years... just wanted ya to know, Brad, I picked up my copy at lunch and can't believe how slowly time is passing! I can't wait to get home and get addicted all over again. Fantastic to see Stardock doing well!
Reply #40 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Great news! Will keep spreading the word!
Reply #41 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'll say it again, Brad and crew at Stardock deserve success. You really have something to be proud of in GC 2.
Thanks for your hard work.
Reply #43 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I'm a firm believer that DRM and copy protection hinder sales about as much as they protect them. Look at me, I haven't bought a DVD or CD for how long? all because of what is going on in that industry. Guess how many star force protected games i've purchased? zero. (guess who isn't ever buying heroes V...)

But turn that around... I pirate stuff. I feel that I put my money where it belongs, not where overpaid executives of big companies think i should. I've been burned by demos that didn't show the game in its true light. I play the demo, and most often a pirated copy before I purchase a game.
Exceptions are star force and steam powered BS games which aren't even worth the effort to download demo or pirate (I have a friend who played a hacked version of half life 2 that was pre-unencrypted with a hacked steam... and guess how much faster it was than his purchased disk install version? load times were like 350% faster and FPS was up 5ish? iirc... complete BS that i wont pay for)

On a brighter note, GalCiv2 is the ***FIRST*** game i have purchased without playing it first in over 2 years. Why? you might ask... well.. last friday night I thought it might be fun. no demo yet and i queue it up to pirate and test it out. I moved from reading about GalCiv2 to stardock and their other products, when i stumbled across some stuff about no copy protection and why copy protection doesn't work........ I decided I needed to support the game even if it didn't turn out to be worth $45 (which it is!)

In an industry that seems to be controlled by paranoid middlemen these days, kudos to stardock for having the balls to stand up for what they believe in. At least in my case, your beliefs will turn into $, because I intend to look into some of your other products like windowblinds etc. I am proud to support a consumer oriented company like stardock appears to be.
Reply #44 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Awesome work, guys! I've gotten 2 people to purchase the game... my brother is next on my list of ppl to hook. We played it for 4 hours here last night... I think he likes it!
Reply #45 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The lack of piracy protection on this game rules. For multiple reasons, of which only one really shines to me.
It isn't that I don't need to lug around a cd. It isn't that I don't have to keep track of some credicard sized number which I will inevitably lose and end up needing to hack the game I legitimately bought just to keep playing it. It isn't for any of the numerous frustrations of attempting to find and repetatively type in those god-forsaken numbers/letters.

Its because there really do seem to be people on the other end of this forum who understand what its like to be the gamer.

I'm not buying a product from a billion dollar coorperation who only knows me as a $ and is filled with business men paranoid of every cent someone might jack them for. Here it seems someone just like me made a game for people (not $) because they enjoy games. And somehow, they managed to do it in a system bent on the all-powerful dollar sign.

In short. I am philosophically pleased with what happens with this game and its company. I am not intellectually insulted or minimized to a profit margin. As earlier posts state, I am treated as a costomer and fellow gamer, not a thief.

Huzza!

-- another random college student, broke as can be, that has no regrets about chucking 45 bucks at this company
Reply #46 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
I am another person ya'll can thank Penny Arcade for having purchased the game. I hit your website when they linked it from their main site and kept my eye on the game from then on. I'm loving it and will be trying to get a half dozen or so friends to play it as well.
Reply #47 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
For those of you who are having trouble finding the game at retail, this is pretty much the individual retailers issue.  All of our first-run units have been shipped into the channel (i.e., the various stores).  At this point, we're working on getting re-orders out.
Reply #48 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
The lack of DRM is a big plus. I've purchased two games that had that cruddy StarForce copy protection. Seriously doubt I'll let that occur again!

Playing without a CD in the drive is also very nice.

I'm curious how your download sales are doing?

Reply #49 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
For those commenting on lack of people downloading the game over torrent, those figures are torrent early days not an indication that the game is being pirated less. Nor is that assumption consistent with human behaviour in my experience.

I think what those figures prove is that games are not pirated any less if copy protection exists. What that means is that copy protection which stops pirated game copying as long as possible is sadly very effective at preventing lost sales.
Reply #50 from GalCiv2 Forums Top
Congrats Stardock. You guys definitely deserve it.

I'm a new customer and I'm completely enjoying GalCiv2. Over the last week and a bit, I've come to realize how amazing Stardock is as a company; you guys truly care about your customers. This is why I had no problem ordering the game online without first trying a demo. The lack of copy protection is also a very nice touch. It's nice to not have to worry about overly complex and finnicky/buggy copy protection schemes that do more to frustrate paying customers than to deter would-be pirates.

You guys are truly a class act. Kudos.