An brief investigation into PSP games sales and piracy.

So. With the recent release of Gods of War and Final Fantasy, we've seen the usual outburst of threads regarding pirates on those games respective boards. The pirates main argument is that it doesn't really affect total sales, I'm going to buy this game later, etc.

So according to VGchartz.com, I looked over some psp games and their respective sales. The number one game Worldwide is GTA: LCS with 4.75 Million sales; and in America alone just over 2 million. It pales in comparison to every console so far.

take into consideration as well, that GTA: LCS is infamous for being used to exploit the PSP itself, and allowing Downgrading :(

Here are the top 5 rated games on the PSP (According to gamespot):

Tekken: Dark Resurrection (9.2) 2006

Daxter (9.1) 2006

Patapon (9.1) 2008

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (9.0) 2006

Burnout Legends (9.0) 2005

And here are their Respective Spots in the American as compared to World Market:

American Sales -- World Wide Sales= European and Japan Sales

Tekken 18 -- Tekken 14

486,032 Sales - 1.06m Sales= 612,968 Approx Sales approx

Daxter 2 -- Daxter 7

1,432,925 Sales - 1.44m Sales= 7,075 Sales Approx

Patapon -- Patapon

90,507 Sales - 0.18m Sales= 89,493 Sales Approx

Metal Gear 32?!?! -- Metal Gear 17

338,847 Sales - 1.03m Sales= 661,153 Sales Approx

Burnout 16 -- Burnout 18

499,833 Sales - 0.99m Sales= 500,167 Sales Approx

Questions:

1.) So why is it that American Sales are just about equal to the rest of the market (or why don't we buy as many games, with the exception of Daxter?)

2.) Why is GTA LCS the best selling game? And if it's brand name (People just buying it because it says GTA), that doesn't explain why GTA VCS has less than half the sales of it's predecessor. Could it possibly have anything to do with the aforementioned explois contained within LCS?

3.) Why is it that the Metal Gear sold so poorly in the US, despite it's reputation?

Listen it's late, so I'll wrap up on my closing thoughts.

The most highly rated titles released early in the psp's life also seem to have enjoyed the most sales. -can piracy be blamed?

The psp game sales are weak in the U.S when compared to any system. Besides the PS3. -Do users buy the sony sytems for purposes other than games? The psp is considered inferior to an Ipod, except it has the ability to PLAY GAMES. I can see why someone would buy the PS3 for blu-ray movies.

More Later...

reason psp games arep irated is because they quite frankly are not good enough to warrant console prices in my opinion

hell i can pirate them and i dont even play them

although the emulators make psp incredible!

This thread made me cry (not really, but still)

1. People seem to forget that a pirated game does not equal lost profit, who is to say he/she would buy the game?

2. You COMBINED Europeon and Japanese sales. I must say, wtf

Piracy has helped the psp more than it has hurt it. The psp would most likely be dead by now without it.

hacking the psp is one of the reeasons of its sales since you can hack the psp it has unlimitted potential(i never hacked my psp cause im fine with it)