EA's John Riccitiello? Nothing fazes him. The man's as cool as a cucumber. Case in point: last week, GameDaily reported that EA's Boom Blox, a game that has received universal praise from critics, has sold just 60,000 units in North America since its launch in early May -- a figure that equates to 0.6% of Wii owners. "Ouch" doesn't begin to cover it.Yet whereas such paltry figures would have had seen most CEOs teetering on the windowsill of their eleventh story offices, Riccitiello remains confident that Boom Blox is a slow-burner. Speaking during a session with investors, the EA bigwig argued that casual games have a "much flatter, much longer [sales] curve" compared to core titles, which can see "20 to 30 per cent" of their lifetime sales take place during the first week.
"Right now, Boom Blox has met our expectations internally based on the model that was put forward," announced Riccitiello. "Can it do several hundred thousand or a million or more units? Sure, it just has to keep selling."
We just hope you're right, John, if only because Boom Blox desperately deserves to do well.













Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-17-2008 @ 11:05PM
Tom said...
I should really buy this game. Everything I've heard about it was good. It's just that $50 for a game just seems like too much money (6 hours of work for me). Basically it'd be like spending a day at work to pay for a video game. I like to wait for price drops, but I also want to show that 3rd party developers can succeed for the Wii. It's a tough predicament.
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6-17-2008 @ 11:19PM
D Haines said...
I agree wholeheartedly. I would have had it on the launch day but it just seems a bit overpriced to me. I'll wait until I can catch a good price drop then I'll snag it up like No More Heroes
6-18-2008 @ 1:43AM
Charles said...
Just wanted to tell both of you that this game ios totally worth the money! It's SOOOO much fun!
6-17-2008 @ 11:28PM
N4N0T3CH said...
It was a fun game, and I think it can do well over the long term like other casual titles (Nintendogs, Brain Age, ...). EA just needs to do some good marketing at the casual folks. Boom Blox will have some legs, methinks.
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6-17-2008 @ 11:48PM
il_duce620 said...
I agree with all of the above... Really, I just think it costs a bit more than I want to spend right now on a game that doesn't seem to focus on single-player as much as multi-player... I mean, if I were still in college and had people over to play games all the time (or if I could convince my wife to play games more often...), it may be a different story...or if I had kids...etc., etc., etc...
When it drops to $20, I'll probably give it a look....as it looks very clever and seems to be a perfect fit for the Wii! Just not for $50...despite Spielberg's name being on it...
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6-17-2008 @ 11:48PM
sorensilk said...
I got it as a gift but was prepared to buy it full price. It's a pretty fun game in single player but get together 2-4 people and it's just a blast. I really hope this game starts selling more, it deserves it.
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6-18-2008 @ 12:48AM
bentendo said...
I'm actually really excited about Boom Blox, but haven't yet bought it because I've already got a pretty major backlog of games to work through.
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6-18-2008 @ 12:51AM
steve said...
got too many games to play to buy anything new right now. got several games i want and this is one of them. I was waiting for the price drop like all 3rd party games do...
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6-18-2008 @ 1:02AM
RD said...
Bought the game the very day it came out. One of my favorite games for the Wii.
I am absolutely stunned to learn that the game has sold so poorly. It's worth $49.95.
Ugh. This is one third party game that deserves a break.
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6-18-2008 @ 1:05AM
Sonic_13 said...
I would buy so many more games if they weren't $50 each. Because of the high price, I generally only buy the AAA titles and unfortunately games like this, which sounds really fun, get left behind...
I also agree that casual games have really long lives. This is even true for first party titles. Wii Sports (in Japan) and Wii Fit will sell huge for months, even years, while games like Super Mario Galaxy eventually drop out. These casual games also generally don't have the huge figures at launch that games like Brawl and GTAIV see, but will ultimately accumulate huge sales numbers over their lifetimes.
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6-18-2008 @ 1:13AM
phenylketonurics said...
Oddly enough, this game just doesn't appeal to me at all. I really dig the WarioWare titles and Mario Party rubbish (haha, it's good rubbish really!), but this just seems too much like Elebits to me.
OF COURSE, this is all based on very distanced judgements of my own. Eventually I'm sure that this game will end up in my house but only in the future as a gift for a family member.
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6-18-2008 @ 1:22AM
John Rios said...
I literally LOVE Boom Blox. I got it on about a week ago and it has DOMINATED my Wii playing since. The "adventure" puzzle levels are seriously brilliant and multiplayer gets as (if not more) heated as any Brawl match. If any of you are sitting on the fence, STOP IT! I've already gotten more out of it in 1 week than I have with half the games I've played in the last 6 months.
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6-18-2008 @ 1:25AM
John Rios said...
And yes, I realize that came off very commercial-testimonial-like, but it's a damn good game and I HATE it when Wii owners can't muster up the effort to support GOOD GAMES. Case in point: No More Heroes.
6-18-2008 @ 1:43AM
Shugotheripper said...
BOOM BLOX IS AN AWESOME GAME
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6-18-2008 @ 1:55AM
Bighouse said...
Was ready to buy it day 1, and then they took out the head-tracking mode. Too bad, lesson learned.
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6-18-2008 @ 3:12AM
Lost Question said...
I was going to get this game but every time i see the box my will to get it fades and is replaced with "couldnt Speilberg do better? or something else something mature?" type sentiments
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6-18-2008 @ 7:37AM
TheH2s said...
I'll get Boom Blox when it drops in price. You have to wonder why these so called casual games are priced so high. Yes I think $50 is too high. If this game was priced at $30 or $35 it would be flying off the shelves. It may be a triple A title right now but to the average consumer it's still "just a video game".
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6-18-2008 @ 7:38AM
WaffleTron said...
Do sales from places like GameFly count towards total sales? Because I rented Boom Blox and then decided I'd keep it. I now have the game, the box, the instructions- everything you'd have if you bought it in store (only I got it for 10 bucks cheaper).
Do those count towards the total sales?
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6-18-2008 @ 8:46AM
Grimes said...
1.) If you all wait for the price to drop, you are saving yourself some money on this game but screwing yourself out of future games that won't be developed for Wii. You are perpetuating the truism that 3rd party games don't sell on Nintendo platforms, and that is the #1 thing that leads developers not to spend the money and effort it would take to release games for the Wii. If the Wii software situation devolves into the Gamecube's all over again, it will largely be the fault of people doing like you are.
2.) As for the ~superlative~ Boom Blox: Since I've had it, I've brought it over two different Wii owners' houses to play it with them.
Both bought the game for themselves within a week.
An X360 owner I played it with started scratching his chin and asking if Wiis were still hard to find in stores.
For you Boom Blox believers and supporters who want Boom Blox 2, which will be enhanced and improved even beyond the ~fantastic~ original, start bringing your copy to places where other people can play it. Describing the game is often enough to get people very interested, but playing very often compels them to buy it.
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6-18-2008 @ 9:58AM
danny. said...
a long flat sales curve doesn't make sense because sooner or later new copies will sell less as the used copies get sold and resold...
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6-18-2008 @ 10:41AM
Kamek said...
I agree with all of you (as if there weren't enough agreeing people in this particular article). It just doesn't seem like it should be $50. I'll probably get it anyway. If they kept the head-tracking bonus in it, I would definately have got it by now.
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6-18-2008 @ 10:56AM
hydro said...
For $50? No way.
For $19.99? Yeah, I will buy it.
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6-18-2008 @ 10:57AM
igorponweed said...
I can't understand what it's about! All the descriptions are moot.
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6-18-2008 @ 12:49PM
moo said...
it's one of those games you have to play to really appreciate. the tactile feel of the jenga-type games, the hurling of balls (ok that sounded .. off) .. i would consider buying it for myself for $35 .. but i would easily gift this to someone for the $50 because it's that good.
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6-18-2008 @ 1:01PM
Matthew said...
Umm, Boom Blox concept and what it does is excellent and fun however it becomes tiresome. The stages begin blending and if you know how to play games like this, especially Jenga etc.. you master it easily. I play with my gf and I get tired before her and want to turn it off. I just enjoy when she messes up large after trying so had but a few puzzles of this are worthy of Wiiware and I'd buy it. Funny thing is, as I write this my rented copy of Boom Blox sits on the floor, meh.
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6-18-2008 @ 1:02PM
luckym3r3 said...
I really want this game, but as what I guess would be considered a
"casual gamer," you know, who they're trying to market to - $50 is
pretty steep for passing the time. I like these kinds of games (so I WANT to support it - but wanting it doesn't give me the $$), but
the General Casual Gamer out there isn't going to "get it" at ALL, just from the box. I haven't seen this advertised anywhere. The only reason I know about it is because I'm here.
I don't think they've figured out how to market to their casual gamer
yet. ::stating the obvious::
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6-18-2008 @ 1:25PM
SoshiKitai said...
What's with people saying "OH! I wholeheartedly agree with everyone here!" when everyone here is actually saying opposite things?
There's the side that think $50 is too much, and the ones who are saying $50 is worth it.
You can't agree with everyone, if everyone's saying opposite things.
PS: If you've noticed, everyone who owns it- says it's worth $50. Think about that, non-Bloom Box-owners.
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6-18-2008 @ 1:29PM
i am ajle said...
i think this game will do very well over its lifetime. i also think that this game will have a very long shelf life. the word of mouth on this product will propel it... at least it better, because its not getting any other marketing love.
anyway, i picked up boom blocks as soon as it released and have played it with maybe 15-20 people so far... all of whom had not played it before (most had not even heard of it) and EVERYONE absolutely fell in love with it. watch. this title will be moving from store shelves until the end of the wii's production cycle.
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6-18-2008 @ 1:44PM
Damitol said...
Hard core gamers will spend $50 on a game and not think twice about it. If these companies insist on catering to the casual gamer, they have to realize that (1) casual gamers don't have the sense of urgency to acquire a specific game that hard core's do and (2) $50 is a *lot* of money to spend on a video game, especially when so many families are activly trying to same money in order to fill thier gas tanks and grocery baskets.
I fall right in the middle. I really do want this game and will buy it once it hits that $30 - $35 sweet spot, but I also want The Conduit and will gladly pay $49.99 the day it is released.
I agree with the EA guy that Boom Blox has the potential to be huge over the long haul since it's a great game that can be enjoyed by every person that owns a Wii regarless of age or gender, but soccer moms and grandpas are never going to pay $50 for it or any casual game, regardless of how good it is.
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6-18-2008 @ 2:31PM
SpruceCaboose said...
Easily worth $50. Had some friends over, most who don't own Wiis, and this was the most played game by far, with Rock Band, Guitar Hero, SingStar, and GTA IV just sitting by.
My friend who also owns a Wii bought the game shortly after, and another who sold his Wii said that this was the first game that made him regret selling it.
I highly recommend it, and anyone on the fence, don't be. Great game, an addictive puzzle-like game with a nice single player along with a killer multiplayer.
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6-18-2008 @ 3:31PM
SegaPleaseMakePanzerDragoonWii! said...
Don't attack me for dissenting here, but I own this game and while it was fun spending the few hours to complete the single player mode, and the two player is ok, it still feels like a budget title to me, with single player being so short and the graphics looking way too simplistic. I played for about 3 days and that was enough. My girlfriend will play it for a few minutes every now and then when her friends are over (it's her game, she's the one that paid for it), but never for longer than 20 minutes at a time. It's an ok game, but $50? Certainly not worth it in my opinion. I'd rent it first.
P.S.- It's important to note that we only have two Wiimotes, so it very well may be more fun with more people, but it's pretty lukewarm with only two, and the "coolness" factor wears thin pretty quick.
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6-18-2008 @ 3:37PM
dswill79 said...
I agree with those of you who are saying that this is $50 extremely well spent. I picked up the game the week that it was released, and it hasn't left my machine (except to play Mario Kart Wii with my nephew) since! After a hard day of working with idiots, setting up a multiplayer game just so I can take pot shots at the "cheerleaders" makes life just a little sweeter.
While I agree that the $50 price point is a little high, it is definitely worth it. The single player mode is challenging enough to have replayability, and the multi-player mode is phenomenal.
Everybody pisses and moans that 3rd Party developers are only putting out crap, but when a truly good 3rd Party game hits the shelves, we piss and moan about having to pay for it. I'm sure that it's this attitude that the 3rd party developers are seeing, and figure "if the public is only going to pay for crap, we're only going to give them crap!"
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7-04-2008 @ 1:44PM
RabidFrog said...
Personally, I never trust games made from movies or popular people. The giant word Steven Speilburg pops out of every inch of this game, and its box. Looks like a way to get more sales...a sort of scam?
I would never have bought this game, but the situation is that my Wii system is hacked with a modchip. I already downloaded ALL (and I mean ALL) good games for Wii, and I started downloading Boom Blox with a sigh and not really expecting anything. After a while, I finally pop it into my Wii, full of bias and thinking it will suck. Then I start playing the explore mode, and I realize this is one of the best games on the Wii.
This game has a simple yet perfect concept which shows why games such as Tetris and Pacman became popular. The simple joy of blowing things up, combined with the puzzle facet of this game, make it truly enjoyable by anyone. Hardcore gamers will love it. Your mom will love it. Your DOG will love it. I am rather surprised by the low amount of sales this game has had, but releasing it on any other console wouldn't have yielded better results. The game itself looks stupid, the name is stupid, the box is stupid, the price is seems stupid.
Don't be fooled by this outer appearance. This game is extraordinary. Once you play it, you're hooked for a long time. I didn't buy it, but having played it, I'd say that if my Wii wasn't modded I'd buy it for sure so I can play it. Not that I want to encourage EA games which is already ****ing rich, encouraging rich companies is stupid they don't give a **** about you. I'd simply buy it because this game is a jewel that I want to play very much, and for a long time.
8.5/10
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