Leaked Walmart playbook predicts 90% sellthrough on expansion
by Mike Schramm 
Jan 11th 2007 at 12:18PM
Nelson dropped us a link to this apparent handout to Walmart employees about the upcoming release of the Burning Crusade expansion in that store. There's some common info on there (did you know WoW "has taken the PC gaming world by storm"?), but there's also some interesting info about how sales might go, and exactly how many copies are showing up in each store.After a little introduction about the game and how popular it is, there's two stats that jump out: Walmart expects (due to a survey-- done by.. Blizzard? Analysts?) that a whopping 90% of current WoW players will be buying the expansion, and that 75% said they would pick it up within the first 10 days of release. By my math, considering their figure of 7.5 million players, that's just over
As for Walmart numbers, they say 2,008 stores will each be receiving half-pallets of 60 copies, which is 120,480 right there. The flyer also notes that product will be showing up in stores on the 8th (which means it's there RIGHT NOW), and that it's not to be sold until 12:01 am on the 16th. From my time working at Gamestop, I well know that some of these stores will break street date (usually they just don't realize how important the item is, and accidentally sell it early), but I also know that if the publisher finds out they did so, they risk not receiving product next time-- so try bribing the Walmart people at your (and their) own risk. But with these numbers, and this plan, it looks like Burning Crusade might be ready to make history on Tuesday.
[ Thanks, Nelson! ]
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Blizzard, News items, Economy, Expansions
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jp Jan 11th 2007 12:28PM
By my math, considering their figure of 7.5 million players, that's just over half a million copies of the expansion pack sold in just the first ten days.
Check your math. 75% of 90% of 7.5 million is a hair over 5 million, which is roughly 10x what you said of half a million(500,000).
Donner Jan 11th 2007 12:32PM
Well I know Im getting mine the first day its already pre-ordered and everything all I have to do is walk down to Gamestop on tuesday and pick it up after school, Then Im going home and installing. Not exactly sure what I want to do first its either, get on my main and venture to the Dark Portal, or Im going to creat that shammy Ive been waiting for.
Wreck Jan 11th 2007 12:38PM
Jp you are looking at the Global numbers. I would make the assumption that Mike is just talking about North America/Europe as the post is about WalMart's release info.
Mike Schramm Jan 11th 2007 12:41PM
JP is right about the 5 million number (I've made a note in the article), but you're right about the global numbers, Wreck.
I was amazed at how hard it was to find numbers on expansion packs. I looked for a long time to find that Livin' Large number, and I'm not sure if that's just North American sales, or global sales (I don't think the Sims sells nearly as well overseas, and WoW will sell big around the world). So it's likely that comparing those two numbers isn't as useful as I'd hoped.
But according to these predictions (grain of salt time), BC is still on track to be the best-selling expansion pack ever.
Nelson Jan 11th 2007 12:42PM
According to the Blues, if you DO manage to get one earlier than street date, you still can't get into Outland. Blizz controls the webpage that you have to put your TBC upgrade key. And that page won't open till 1/16 12:01 a.m.. So be prepared to spam that F5 key on your browser, because that page will be hit HARD.
What I suggest is, if you are picking your copy up @ 12:01am, bring a laptop, internet-cell phone, or something so you can open your box right away, go to a near by WiFi and put your CD Key ASAP!
Good luck all!
Jp Jan 11th 2007 1:01PM
Wreck -
I thought about that before I posted, but the Wal-mart notice made no mention of just North America/Europe numbers, and neither did Mike cite those numbers. The only number we were given was 7.5 million, and we work with what we are given.
Finding numbers for MMOs is hard, as companies tend to keep those numbers private. Suffice it to say, Burning Crusade will almost undoubtedly break records, and Blizzard will be rolling in the dough.
Lenny Jan 11th 2007 2:05PM
Nelson said it right! I'm picking up my copy at midnight at Gamestop and I've got a BB that I can use as a teatherd modem so I will be installing it right then and logging in as fast as Verizon's network will let me. Knowing them, that should be worse than a level 2 run through Un'Goro!
cloud Jan 11th 2007 2:58PM
Yea its not 5 million, that number is way way off. There are only 2 million players in North America, thats the 75% they are talking about.
Cullie Jan 11th 2007 4:41PM
What a difference in the way numbers are calculated. The9, which has the exclusive rights to WoW in China claims 5.9 million WoW users. I can only assume that many of these do not meet Blizzard's litmus test as to what a user is defined as.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ibd/070109/general01.html?.v=1
Dirtyboy Jan 11th 2007 7:09PM
You need to remember that that 8 million number is ACTIVE SUBSCRIBERS and doesn't count all those who have the game but have quit at some point. WoW has been in the top ten of PC game sales ever since release, so there could be millions of copies above and beyond the subscriber base out there.
boneyard Jan 12th 2007 4:29PM
indeed, that comment can only be applied to the subscriber american numbers. it might be true for other areas, but that is not where walmart is selling it.
i agree that many current subscribers will buy the expansion, 75% isn't odd in my opinion. but there are indeed also plenty of people who have quit in the past and will buy the expansion to start again.
Atrius Jan 14th 2007 2:28AM
I know that the expansion packs are at the stores now. I was in Gamestop yesterday and managed to coax one of the employees into letting me see TBC: CE. Needless to say...I will never wash these two hands again...(hehe, j/k)