LA Noire sales "below our estimate"

899k US tally not enough for Wedbush.

Rockstar's epic detective caper L.A. Noire sold 899,000 copies in the US during its debut month on sale.

While that doesn't sound too shabby to us, industry analyst Wedbush Securities isn't impressed.

Its monthly investor report noted that the game's performance was "below our estimate of one million units".

The game, which scored a sturdy 8/10 from Eurogamer last month, topped the monthly NPD sales chart, as reported last night.

Michael Pachter's employers had kinder words for Valve's Portal 2, revealing that the game sold in excess of the 200,000 units it had anticipated for its second month on shelves.

Comments (76) Latest comment 11 months ago

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  • Shikasama #1 11 months ago

    Hopefully the biggest gaming dissapointment I will have this year was LA Noire.

    I played it, I completed it and when I left it I was just left with this massive feeling of 'what if'. The atmosphere was very good, most of the voice acting was brilliant and some of the faces were plain old amazing but the 'game' part of it was simply a series of let down after let down. Far too linear, far too scripted and just not engaging enough as a detective/investigation game.
  • Daeltaja #2 11 months ago

    That's because the game was really poor. Easily my biggest dissapointment of the year so far. Had earlier suspected that it might be a GOTY contender, but this will be forgotten about fairly quickly.
  • OnlyMe #3 11 months ago

    It came out at almost the same time as The Witcher 2. I had to choose one of them, and I suspect others had to as well. CD Project needed my money more than Rockstar.
  • Colliers #4 11 months ago

    It was an over-ambitious project really. How much money went into recreating the city? Why did they include driving & action sequences that aren't well executed and essentially just drag the game down? If they had focussed on creating a better story with good writing and deepened out the interviews and investigations, it could have become something and would've cost them a lot less.

    Potential, but awful priorities.
    Edited by Colliers at 14/06/11 @ 20:59
  • Weezer #5 11 months ago

    I think it's an amazing game, visually, but the core conceit of the examination was far too basic. It basically boiled down to Yes, No, Maybe - but the differences between them were too extreme, and you didn't get a chance to follow up on wrong decisions. If someone told me to shut up, I wouldn't just give up and leave the room - I'd lean on them, maybe try a different route. So yeah, great in parts but largely frustrating and slightly underwhelming. I stopped after a couple of big sessions, but don't have a major desire to go back to it. Says it all really...
  • Old_Books #6 11 months ago

    Good to see I'm not the only one who thought LA Noire was very overrated. As Shikasama said, they nailed the atmosphere but there is actually very little 'game' in there. I actually think Phoenix Wright is a far better detective game.
    Edited by Old_Books at 14/06/11 @ 21:01
  • Jonny5Alive7 #7 11 months ago

    I'm playing through at the moment and am really enjoying it. I don't understand the negativity towards it tbh.
  • gooner77 #8 11 months ago

    I don't understand the dislike for la noire. Really enjoying it myself
  • timewarp87 #9 11 months ago

    Im not going to buy it as it upsets Michael Pachters employers. Plus didnt like the way Rock * tried to blame Sony for it breaking consoles then had to backtrack
  • Marijn #10 11 months ago

    I agree that it wasn't that good if you approach it as a traditional video game (with knowable rules, fail states, the goal of playing it "perfectly";), but, as Tom Bissell explains in his brilliant write-up - http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6625... - it is absolutely peerless as an interactive drama, and does things with its narrative that no other game has even attempted.

    In other words, it doesn't surprise me that the game sold less well than the far more traditional Red Dead Redemption, but I hope that Rockstar will still support Team Bondi in spite of that.
    Edited by Marijn at 14/06/11 @ 22:14
  • space_ace #11 11 months ago

    naturally - noir is niche, especially among kids. they could've asked us before making the estimation...
  • Cataferal #12 11 months ago

    Best game of the year in my view. I didn't read a single syllable of hype for it, so all the positives just took me by surprise on the day I bought it.
  • Stranded87 #13 11 months ago

    @Marijn

    That article sort of sounds interesting, but I'm on my phone and it doesn't seem to be displaying the full link. That said it's a far weaker interactive story than Alpha Protocol or even Heavy Rain imo and just feels so artificial.
  • Smoped #14 11 months ago

    Well, I don't know if 900,000 instead of 1,000,000 is much of a letdown, especially since this is Pachter & Co's expectations we're talking about. Rockstar might have completely different expectations for the game.
  • ZizouFC #15 11 months ago

    GOTY for me so far.

    I understand why some people wouldn't agree though.
  • Mr_Brown #16 11 months ago

    I think its harsh to say that it was a disappointment. I think it achieved what it set out to do and is a very entertaining game. But I do agree that it is far too repetitive and the map though big and appeared realistic with the setting just felt a bit disjointed. In fact I think they really struggled (or failed) to combine the great story and atmosphere with the game play which is why all the attempts at making a good free roaming game feel tacked on or out of place.

    Still a good game, but it definitely was no Red Dead Redemption which truly deserves a sequel in my opinion.
  • Murton #17 11 months ago

    I'll never get why failing 1 million in the first month in the US is seen as a failure. There are plenty of games out there that don't manage 899k in their first year (Dead Space anyone?) and some that don't even manage it over their entire lifetime. Why can't publishers be happy with impressive month one sales and then allow word of mouth to turn their games into unexpected hits?

    Dead Space took almost a full year to reach 1 million sales globally and I don't believe Mirrors Edge has reached that milestone at all, yet these are considered to among the best games in their respective genres this generation and I'm sure LA Noire will achieve the same level of acclaim before too long. For me the disappointment is that studios/publishers are no longer proud of their achievements unless the sales figures match that achievement, a stark contrast to last gen when the focus was on making a better game rather than simply selling more units than your competition.
  • linksdad #18 11 months ago

    Thoroughly enjoyable game throughout. Slightly rubbish ending.

    I have had my fill now though and it would require a little bit extra from future DLC to tempt me back. There was huge potential for more branching and elaborate cases and plots, especially in that beautiful, beautiful city but we will never get to see that kind of thing while everything needs prescripting and 'acting'. The 'vactors' were generally brilliant, this and portal 2 have been the only games I havent read the speech and skipped the voicover.

    Would love to see someone attempt something really ambitious, utilising a whole city of that size and quality using text for speech.
  • God_Octo #19 11 months ago

    Give it time- its been at the top of the UK charts for like 3 weeks now, so it can't have sold nothing. I do think that maybe Rockstar and the analysts were a bit hasty with their predictions of 4 million sales. I would have halved that, going by the sales of Heavy Rain.

    I do think it will have done quite well in Europe though, so we should see some figures from there soon hopefully.


    And @ Murton, I think its because at times the USA is considered the only market in the world. Things that do poorly in the US, but alright or well in the EU are normally deemed failures- look at the PS3, ICO and the Singstar series. All have done well (or better than in the US market), but are regularly claimed to have sold nothing / be pointless/ niche things. Its the way journalism works, what with it all being centred in the US.
    Edited by God_Octo at 14/06/11 @ 22:08
  • apoc_reg #20 11 months ago

    Don't post this sort of trash like it's a story from the publisher or something. You got me worried for a minute.

    Have you ever met an analyst? They are not people to report on!!
  • TomDent93 #21 11 months ago

    It was......okay. It was a good gaming experience but nothing much else.
  • Max_Powers #22 11 months ago

    At least this game tries to do something different and push the medium forward. Is it flawed? Yes. But it also does a lot of things really, really well. The story is mature, well-written and well-delivered.The atmosphere is great. Compared to for example gaming's 'golden boy' CoD, LA Noire is fucking Shakespeare in that regard. Maybe the first videogame narrative that is actually any good since Lucasarts' point and click adventures.

    If this is your 'biggest gaming dissapointment' you must play some really brilliant games. I hope Team Bondi and R*Star continue to have major success as one of the few studios to do innovative, blockbusters. I'm sure a follow-up to LA Noire will be brilliant
  • Marijn #23 11 months ago

    @stranded87 The link is automatically shortened but should still work. I liked Alpha Protocol and loved Heavy Rain, but I must say that I thought L.A. Noire's script was far more well-written, and the game featured far better acting, than either of the others. Compared to AP's comic book approach and Heavy Rain's terrible dialogue, it just felt more mature. But tell me, why did you feel L.A. noire was artificial? Do you mean the gameplay or the story itself?
    Edited by Marijn at 14/06/11 @ 22:32
  • MrVengeance #24 11 months ago

    RockStar have always been great at creating technical marvels, but not the best at gameplay structure. I had great fun playing the GTA games but the missions were always poor I thought. Structure isn't RockStar's strong point. Hence why the gameplay in La Noire isn't getting much kudos around here.....
  • DiamondIce #25 11 months ago

    A good game that, if given a sequel, can improve upon some interesting ideas.
    Edited by DiamondIce at 14/06/11 @ 22:47
  • bcxixa10 #26 11 months ago

    They must had to expect that. Theres too many good games ( Its a good thing off course ) , and we cant buy them all.
  • Inmediasress #27 11 months ago

    Well let's face it LA noire is something that just doesn't appeal to everyone.
    It is a gem amongst a load of shit people get bombarded with but it's like heavy rain or beyond good and evil you just can't have spectacular sales to a game that isn't a mindles shooter or some casual rpg stuf.
    Well sometiems you can score a hit but it's rare to move the lobotomized people to buy something unique.
    Edited by Inmediasress at 14/06/11 @ 23:01
  • Shikasama #28 11 months ago

    Marjin - I disagree to a large extent. As a singular narrative experience the game fares even worse. Too many plotholes, inexplicable decisions, inconstent characters and downright summarising brought on from always pulling you back to the 'right' conclusion, i.e. what the developers thought players should pick.
  • stegabba #29 11 months ago

    the game is poor accoridng to some peoples opinions, sorry but i have avery different opinion
  • coolbritannia #30 11 months ago

    Hmm, Bleaseboxx's first comment is on -3 while Shikasama's is on +20, yet they both say the same thing.

    The negging system here is so abused...

    Also, I knew LA Noire would be like this, all style, no substance. Sad really.
  • dirtysteve #31 11 months ago

    I'm enjoying it.
    Seeing as Red Dead got Undead Nightmare, I think Noire should get something set in the Cthulhu-verse. The game engine and era is perfect for an occult investigation game.
  • dirtysteve #32 11 months ago

    Also, can we please stop giving Pachter press?

    Guess his mum's online :)
    Edited by dirtysteve at 14/06/11 @ 23:34
  • CaptainQuint #33 11 months ago

    It's a good game riding on the shoulders of giants.

    Rough-up that spit and polish a bit and you're left with a convoluted DS classic which masquerades itself as A LOT more than a great big beautiful empty shell.
  • knocker #34 11 months ago

    'Its monthly investor report noted that the game's performance was "below our estimate of one million units".'

    Surely that means your forecasting methodology isn't very good, rather than any reflection on the game. the same applies to underestimating portal 2 sales.

    Seems odd to report this as "sales were disappointing" rather than "we got our sums wrong".
  • TomDent93 #35 11 months ago

    @MrsPacMan

    Your welcome. It was my pleasure :)

    Let me know when you learn to spell review correctly :)
  • Marijn #36 11 months ago

    @Shikasama Well, you're certainly not alone in that opinion. I have to disagree, though: while by no means perfect, I feel L.A. Noire's plot and characterisation are miles ahead of most of the games I've played before. One point where it truly differentiates itself is in Cole Phelps himself: no game character has made me think more deeply about their personality and morality. This is because Phelps is deeply at odds with himself, his surroundings and our expectations of how a video game protagonist should behave. He is hypocritical, self-centered, cowardly, holier-than-thou and almost sociopathic in his pursuit of justice and redemption; he is never fully explained to the player and even keeps secrets from us. This very ambiguity (and the - for my money - brilliant reversal at the end of the game) is what made L.A. Noire an unforgettable experience for me.
    Edited by Marijn at 15/06/11 @ 00:12
  • CaptainKid #37 11 months ago

    Yeah right, Portal 2 only sold 200k units.
  • Fozzie_bear #38 11 months ago

    ...in it's SECOND month.

    What's so unbelievable about that?
  • DavidSebb #39 11 months ago

    Release it on PC please ! And also Red Dead Redemption !
  • stryker1121 #40 11 months ago

    I'm wondering how many gamers like myself out there were waiting on the sidelines to see how in depth the investigations were, and if they had any real impact on the gameplay, before going out and buying the title. I was excited about picking LA Noire up til I read that you can botch a case and still get moved from point A to point B. Seems to me you're playing a movie and that sounds really tiresome to me. Will bargain bin this one sometime, but that's about it.
  • Subdominator #41 11 months ago

    Nothing, but some people are expecting millions of copies because Portal has like 8 million. What they are forgetting is that most of those copies were from xmas sales on Steam where the game was as cheap as 2 pounds and even more copies came from the Mac release of Steam, when Portal was given out for free for everyone signing up for Steam or logging into their existing account. Actual sales of Portal are around 3 million globally.
  • Slipstream #42 11 months ago

    Well I suppose R* would go about setting OTT targets with the success they've had lately.

    In anycase I've yet to play this game, and I'm in no hurry to pick it up. In fact I'm wondering if I should get alan Wake beforehand, I haven't played a good investigation drama since Heavy Rain, not that I expect either to compete though.
  • Flynn #43 11 months ago

    I found it disappointing, more restrictive and on rails than I'd imagined, so I sold it. I think I'm more interested in the technology of games like this and RDR, GTA than the actual gameplay because I never play past 10 hours with any of them. Next time, rent first, buy cheap later.
  • The-Jack-Burton #44 11 months ago

    It was a fascinating game, for awhile, and then I realized it wasn't much of a game. Still, it's good when devs take chances and try something different.
  • Snake_2011 #45 11 months ago

    for a new IP it has done amazing imo plus the game felt like a adult experience loved it.
  • TheGuvernor #46 11 months ago


    XBOX only right?
    Nuff said.
    Bring out a game that would have major appeal to us PC snobs & our stuck up, smugly superior, sophisticated ways but don't release it on our platform.

  • metalangel #47 11 months ago

    Really, REALLY disappointed by it. I could tolerate the shonky and dull game mechanics if the characters and story were engaging, but they're not. Even as I near the end and now know almost the whole truth behind Phelps (not to mention having worked out what the ending is almost certainly going to be), I still don't care. I've also started just driving like a lunatic or skipping the driving as the traffic AI is so fucking irritating, so their sprawling, empty city is going to waste, now, too.
  • LazyNinjaUk #48 11 months ago

    I was begining to think I was the only one who actually though L.A. Noire was a bloody good game, I'll admit it's not perfect but then no game is. There are things it could have done better, but there are other things that it nailed spot on.

    It's easy to slag off the game's design and say "they should have done this", but designing a game isn't as is as "that sounds good lets do that". You have to think about all the avenues and pathways that can form from a one interview, and the potential outcomes when pursuing each line of questioning. I'm not saying that it's an excuse, just that it's easier to say and design what you want to do than when it comes to implementing it.
  • DiamondIce #49 11 months ago

    If only there was a jet pack...
  • Daikon #50 11 months ago

    Heavy Rain < L.A. Noire < Police Quest

    So there.
  • rudedudejude #51 11 months ago

    Chubby Rain > Heavy Rain
  • labwarrior #52 11 months ago

    That is what happens when you neglect the 360 version visually
  • Stranded87 #53 11 months ago

    @Marijn
    Both really, not so much the over arching story, but little things like people always running even if they're innocent. And suspects always challenging you to prove it when you accuse them of things. They're just not believable and break any sense of immersion I have. I read the article now, it manages to explain away a few faults eg Cole losing it when you doubt someone, but there is so much that even he claims is terrible and most of what he latches on to is reaching I think, rather than things the designers intended to be the case.
  • bad09 #54 11 months ago

    "I think they could have easily gotten those extra units if they had gone for PC as a platform as well"

    Kinda glad they didn't from the sounds of it on these comments. If they had I would have bought it at launch now I know it's a bit disappointing they can keep it.

    Rockstars PC snub works out for the better this time it seems :)
  • mashk #55 11 months ago

    It's my favourite game of the year, possibly ever. Admittedly, I'm a huge, huge fan of film noir and the novels of Ellroy, Chandler and Hammet, so this game was tailor made for me. It really puts you on the mean streets of 40s LA, the game has a great sense of time and place.
  • MaxEffect #56 11 months ago

    The problem was with Brendan McNamara who insisted on this being a Playstation led development title.

    R* enjoys major success from the XBOX 360 audience as far as sales are concerned, it's been a pattern since GTA IV and also with Red Dead Redemption but with LA Noire it was Brendan McNamara an ex-employee of Sony's Soho Studios who insisted on this being a PS3 led development and we seen some serious issues with the game because of it across not only the Playstation 3 console but also the XBOX 360 as well.

    It's time developers outside of Activision and EA to comprehend that the XBOX 360 regardless of its flaws is a major mover in consoles and software, Team Bondi need to take heed and in effect the sales are slow.

    The game was a great addition to the small lineup over the years that break away from the multiple FPS games out there.
  • bumyoghurt #57 11 months ago

    Lol @ people who don't get LA Noire - the greatest game of all time, conceptually, graphically and atmospherically.

    "Oooh there is talking in it, send it back!"
  • M_of_the_sys #58 11 months ago

    Being so tight for money, when DLC is mentioned before a games release and brought out so close to a games release, I wait for the GOTY edition to drop in price.
  • kangarootoo #59 11 months ago

    I rather like it. When it worked, it was awesome. When it didn't work, it was frustrating, but that wasn't too frequent an issue imo. My biggest gripe was that a couple of major plot lines required you to essentially lock up the wrong people, even though the whole point of the gameplay was that you charge the right person based on the evidence. That glaring contradiction still doesn't sit well with me..

    I have to agree though, regardless of its pros and cons, one of the main reasons it didn't sell well is because its not a shooter with explosions etc. One of its main selling points for many of us was that it asks you to think, like REALLY think, and that isn't a big-sales-figures kind of request for a game to make.
  • kangarootoo #60 11 months ago

    @MaxEffect

    From your post anyone would think it was a PS3 exclusive, but of course it wasn't and indeed the majority of sales were on the 360.

    The truth is that nobody outside of sites like this gives a rats bum about technical comparisons and lead platforms and so on. Such things will have barely influenced sales in any way imo.
  • Shikasama #61 11 months ago

    It's extremely annoying that if you dislike certain games on here it's because your a moron who just wants to blow things up, or you're just trying to be 'cool'.

    If you really loved LA Noire to the point of thinking it is one of the greatest games ever made then I would strongly urge you to play some of the better point and click adventures on the PC. They are essentially the same thing (albeit not as pretty) but they have a depth to investigations that LA Noire never even came close to achieving. The guy who made the comparison to Phoenix was spot on.

    Just as much as people want to say that those who disliked it are just trying to be cool or are only interested in shooting things, it is extremely tempting to counter with the people who DO heap such praise on it simply try to put themselves on some higher plane of gaming existence by claiming it's genius and that others just don't 'get it'. That would be make me a hypocrite though wouldn't it. Even a passive aggressive one!

    To say the investigation, interrogation and narrative aspects of the game did not contain serious limits and huge flaws is simply delusional and just makes it look like gamers are so desperate for something different that they will heap massive praise on it regardless. If you liked it in spite of those flaws then power to you, I'm glad you got your moneys worth.

    What LAN did do very succesfully was show that this type of game CAN work on a console though and I would very much welcome a detective game that paid more attention to the gameplay. Preferably involving an Alpha Protocol like approach to NPC interactions.
  • Marijn #62 11 months ago

    @Shikasama Fair enough. I respect your opinion, I just disagree with it (see my earlier posts). But I totally agree with you that the game has some glaring faults.
    @Stranded87 Agreed on both your examples of the game ruining the suspension of disbelief. As for "reaching for an interpretation the developers never intended", that's the most enriching way to approach a work of art (and I apologise for using the A word): to not let yourself be restricted by the artist's intentions and let the work speak for itself, and see what reactions you have to it. Now, that of course all depends on whether or not you find the connections Tom makes to be interesting or compelling. Still, ideally, a work is enriched by gamers responding to it without being shackled by what they think the developers meant by it. (Still, in this case, I really feel McNamara doesn't get enough credit for all the layers he DID put into his story)
  • bumyoghurt #63 11 months ago

    "It's extremely annoying that if you dislike certain games on here it's because your a moron who just wants to blow things up, or you're just trying to be 'cool'."

    Hmm, can anyone see why we might think YOUR a moron?

    First post on this article, person has at least one glaring spelling mistake. People who don't like LA Noire are clearly sub-intellectual peasants who can't understand anything beyond the level of Saint's Row. I enjoy Saint's Row, but on a much more superior level than most people do.
  • kangarootoo #64 11 months ago

    @Shikasama

    I'm not judging anyone, and I am old enough to have lived through the hayday of quality point and click adventures, and I'm not saying LAN didn't sell because people didn't "get it", or that it isn't without its flaws (though I think the major flaws are in the writing, not the mechanics).

    I'm simply saying the premise is not as saleable as the hype suggested (regardless of the final quality of the gameplay). MW sells for the same reasons Independance Day sold. LAN sold less copies for the same reason Miss Marple sells less copies. Its not a personal judgement of anyone.

    Throwing around accusations of people fooling themselves and heaping "massive praise regardless" is just taking whatever personal injury you seem to feel is being levelled at you, and pointing it back in the other direction. I'm not sure why you are so angry about the matter.
  • Marijn #65 11 months ago

    @Shikasama However, I must take issue with one point: your assertion that anyone who loves L.A. Noire will love point and click adventures even more. This is of course based on your own preferences in games which you're extrapolating to all gamers. I myself have played all the LucasArts classics (except Full Throttle) and loved most of them. However, I much preferred L.A. Noire for its varied (though not always perfectly executed) gameplay, its tragic story and its refusal to let you hit a dead end. What for many gamers is a sticking point (the fact that you can't fail cases and always close a case in the end) works for me as a solution to the infuriating "not knowing what to do" that plagues all point and click adventures and kills their pace and forward momentum.
    I know, I know: I'm advocating a removal of all challenge from a videogame, and that's a tricky debate. Let's just say that I think it worked extremely well in L.A. Noire, and should be a viable option for games that focus on narrative so heavily.
  • reeferchief #66 11 months ago

    The fact that they're is already hundreds of copies on ebay speaks volumes.
  • metalangel #67 11 months ago

    Oh for fuck's sake. If you like something, you're a fanboy. If you dislike something - even with valid supporting reasons - you're a bandwagon-jumping hater.

    The game just isn't very good! The investigation sequences are tedious, the interrogations spoiled by the one-shot accusation attempts, the driving boring and the characters/plot uninteresting and badly written (as per spoilers in other comments). Having impressive art, facial animation and decent atmosphere (though it's not very noir) is about all that's impressive about it. If they could marry the impressive tech to a more involving story and more fun (nb: not necessarily action, just something engaging) then it would indeed be one of the best games this gen.

    EDIT: See? -4. I might as well type complete raving gibberish.
    Edited by metalangel at 15/06/11 @ 16:20
  • bumyoghurt #68 11 months ago

    I am loving all the keyboard warriors who can barely string together a sentence claiming that the storyline isn't very good.
  • kangarootoo #69 11 months ago

    @bumyoghurt

    You could use a couple of commas in there ;)
  • kangarootoo #70 11 months ago

    @reeferchief

    Your science is limited ;)

    Try putting a few other popular recent games into ebay. "Hundreds" is pretty much the going rate.
    Edited by kangarootoo at 15/06/11 @ 14:15
  • reeferchief #71 11 months ago

    @kangarootoo, I'm not saying the game is bad, I'm saying the fact there is already a strong second hand market for it will dent new sales. Why would I pay £40 when I can get it for less than £30.

    And as you said, the market is a little more niche than generic fps.

  • kongzi #72 11 months ago

    a game that's okay but slightly disappointing sells okay but slightly disappointing.. the universe is in balance.
  • kangarootoo #73 11 months ago

    @reeferchief

    Its true. I was just being a bit pedantic for a moment there.

    I did look at the thread and think "the last few posts are just me, being a high and mighty tit". Don't think I didn't notice :)
  • acmilan1899 #74 11 months ago

    serves this piece of junk right
  • shadowdogg #75 11 months ago

    It was an average game. What do you expect Rockstar. Heavy Rain was better. Hands down.
  • uknortherner2000 #76 11 months ago

    You can't help but wonder how many people were put off by R*/Team Bondi's DLC announcements/retailer exclusivity deals weeks before the game was released. There'll be a few people out there who are probably waiting for the GOTY edition because of that.
    Edited by uknortherner2000 at 15/06/11 @ 20:47