Days Gone Sold 8 Million Copies in 1.5 Years; Studio Felt It Was a “Big Disappointment” From Local Management

Days Gone 8 Million Copies disappointing

With news breaking earlier today of Ghost of Tsushima hitting a massive eight million copies sold, Days Gone Game Director Jeff Ross took to Twitter to comment on the matter, confirming that Sony Bend had hit this milestone within two years with Days Gone, though local studio management viewed it as a disappointment.

Check out Ross’ candid statement on Twitter:

At the time I left Sony, Days Gone had been out for a year and a half (and a month), and sold over 8 million copies. It’s since gone on to sell more, and then a million+ on Steam. Local studio management always made us feel like it was a big disappointment. – Jeff Ross, Days Gone Director

A pretty large contrast between both Sucker Punch and Sony Bend, as both titles were able to hit the eight million mark within almost the same timeframe. However, it is important to note that there are a number of unknown factors to account for when determining if something is successful or not. 

While Days Gone has had a recent resurgence in popularity, at the time of launch, the title had mixed critical reaction. Still, despite the critics, the Days Gone did have a more favorable reaction from the larger audience of players who played it shortly after launch. Definitely enough to have hit the eight million copies sold mark in the 1.5 year window. Other factors, however include overall budget, though that is hard to determine for Days Gone since the budget was never officially disclosed. A work history profile for a senior financial analyst at Sucker Punch lists Ghost of Tsushima’s budget at roughly $60 million. 

But the biggest factor when it comes to a title’s sale is the selling price itself. While both titles launched at $60, the time it took them to have a price reduction was considerably longer. Days Gone, according to PSPrices, had dropped to $40 within the first six months via promotional sales, with it dropping to $20 almost a year (11 months) with the game constantly being on sale from its permanent $40 price point. 

Ghost of Tsushima, on the other hand, took far longer to hit $40, with an even lower price for brand-new hitting a low of $30 recently (via VG247) before the drop of the Director’s Cut. In comparison between the two titles, Ghost of Tsushima was selling at a higher price for a longer period of time. 

So while both titles sold eight million copies within the same timeframe, that number does not equate to the same revenue earned. This is something to keep in mind when comparing the two and determining if they had hit the same height of success.

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