Home Gaming SuperData numbers reveal why Blizzard might be focusing on Overwatch on PC

SuperData numbers reveal why Blizzard might be focusing on Overwatch on PC

2 min read
17

Overwatch mei

SuperData are great for finally giving us insight into that murky world of digital distribution. With online sales rising each month, the NPD data is increasingly incomplete. This month, SuperData sent out their May report and we managed to glean something pretty interesting from it.

As per usual, there are the lists of top selling titles, which I will simply copy and paste for you here while I try to fill more of my body with coffee.

Digital console

  1. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
  2. Call of Duty: Black Ops III
  3. FIFA 16
  4. Tom Clancy’s The Division
  5. Overwatch

PC DLC

  1. Overwatch
  2. Doom
  3. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
  4. Dark Souls III
  5. Minecraft

Very cool to see Uncharted 4 doing so well, and it’s not totally surprising to see that Overwatch is appearing on both lists considering how popular that game is. It seems all I ever hear about lately is Overwatch. But Kyle was wondering if Blizzard is primarily focusing on PC with Overwatch, which might explain why the game is a bit broken on console but very well balanced on PC. Well, it could be all about the money.

As part of the congratulations to Uncharted 4 for their top spot, SuperData made the following statement:

Uncharted 4 ends on a $56M high note. The long-awaited end to the Uncharted series managed to push past Call of Duty: Black Ops III, making it the highest earning title on console in May.

But they also said this about Overwatch:

Newcomer this month Overwatch (NASDAQ: ATVI) tops May’s revenue rankings with $269 million in earnings across PC and console. The new shooter game is proving to be a hit among online spectators and is currently the 5th most commonly streamed title across live streaming channels. Despite not being free-to-play, Overwatch is rolling out a long-term monetization strategy by offering a hefty quantity of vanity items, including skins and graffiti tags.

Okay, so the top spot on console went to Uncharted 4 with $56M, while Overwatch brought in a ridiculous $269M across PC and console. It’s in fifth place on console, but let’s imagine that those sales numbers are pretty tight. Even if Overwatch grabbed almost as much as Uncharted 4, say $55M (and it’s probably less than that), we’re looking at quite a difference between PC and console. With PC bringing in four times the money, it’s no wonder Blizzard is focusing on that platform instead of console peasants.

 

Last Updated: June 24, 2016

17 Comments

  1. Admiral Chief Maximum Effort

    June 24, 2016 at 08:25

    F THAT MEI

    Reply

    • Hargrim

      June 24, 2016 at 08:29

      Chill out 😀

      Reply

    • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

      June 24, 2016 at 09:01

      I warmed up to her recently. With Reaper

      Reply

      • Deceased

        June 24, 2016 at 10:34

        As someone that plays Mei a lot – I’d say RoadHog ( poodge ) and Junkrat are good counters for her – also there’s Zarya ( when in capable hands ) and as you say, Reaper 🙂

        Reply

  2. Alien Emperor Trevor

    June 24, 2016 at 08:33

    LOL. FOUR TO ONE. Where’s oVg when you need him.

    Reply

    • Pariah

      June 24, 2016 at 08:44

      That’s 4 to 1 AT BEST. Lol.

      Reply

  3. HairyEwok

    June 24, 2016 at 08:52

    Uhhhh, why is CoD: Blops 3 still on that console list…. This is worrying.

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0

      June 24, 2016 at 09:01

      Indeed

      Reply

    • Darren Peach

      June 24, 2016 at 09:40

      Would you prefer the COD kiddies play The Division or Overwatch ?

      Reply

      • HairyEwok

        June 24, 2016 at 12:52

        I have neither of those game so yeah sure 😛

        Reply

  4. Ottokie

    June 24, 2016 at 09:21

    It’s below Division on console… WTF O.o

    Reply

  5. Darren Peach

    June 24, 2016 at 09:43

    Well, If this article is indeed accurate, I guess I will give Overwatch a miss. Don’t see the point of spending that much cash and be regarded as a second rate user.

    Reply

    • Ir0nseraph

      June 24, 2016 at 09:49

      I doubt this is the full picture, for one is Overwatch Microtransactions included or excluded, and then there is still physical sales which is still a thing on console.

      As for Blizzard focusing on PC first makes sense for me, fix pc first and then console, Witcher did the same and that wasn’t a huge deal, and it’s not like Overwatch on console is unplayable.

      Reply

      • Darren Peach

        June 24, 2016 at 10:06

        Yes, makes sense. Thing is, gaming is bigger than any one platform. So you would naturally expect Overwatch to be perfect on whatever platform you choose to play it on. Even on a competitive stage. If we were talking about Warcraft, I wouldn’t bother trying it on console.

        Reply

  6. PsyKo

    June 24, 2016 at 09:45

    But these are digital sales figures. Overwatch on PC will sell many many more games digitally than physically because of PC gamers’ comfort with the battle.net desktop app – and Blizzards habit of putting client install files on disks and forcing gamers to download most of the game data anyway>
    I believe console sales will show a more even distribution of digital vs physical.
    Until we get all the numbers, this is pure speculation…

    Reply

    • Hannes Visagie

      June 24, 2016 at 11:39

      Fully agreed, this article seems like flame war starting click bait. It’s not the full picture by any stretch of the imagination.

      Reply

  7. Ajinkya

    July 7, 2016 at 09:05

    console peasants(PERIOD)

    Reply

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