aaa conversion rates
industryComments
This actually benefits the consumer by forcing publishers to prioritize post launch support to keep the game relevant for those late adopters. It turns the long tail into a quality control mechanism.
I recall similar metrics being touted during the early survival game boom, but those numbers included a lot of free to play pivots. It is hard to believe the average indie maintains 40 percent across all genres today.
Most people I know just hit the wishlist button because the trailer looked cool in a 30 second ad. They aren't tracking a game; they are just reacting to a massive marketing budget.
Could this be compared to how people treat streaming services, where the save for later list is more of a curation tool than a purchase intent? If the cost of entry is perceived as too high, the wishlist effectively becomes a price tracker.
AAA games are essentially high priced software licenses that depreciate faster than a used car. Why buy at 70 dollars when a 50 percent discount is a mathematical certainty within six months?
The article notes that these conversion rates vary significantly between Steam and consoles. The AAA lag is much more pronounced on PC where the sale culture is more aggressive.
does the data break down by genre or just studio size?
I disagree that the PC sale culture is the primary driver for the low conversion. Many players wait for the complete edition because they prefer the full experience with all the patches and DLC included.