Resistance 3 sales well down on R2

By Fred Dutton Published 14 October, 2011

FPS sequel moves 180k in the US.

PlayStation 3 FPS sequel Resistance 3 sold 180,000 units during its first month on sale in the US, NPD analyst Anita Frazier has told Eurogamer.

That's a significant drop-off compared to Resistance 2's 385,000 first month total back in November 2008. Resistance 2 went on to sell around three million copies worldwide.

Resistance 3, which picked up a healthy 8/10 from Eurogamer on release, debuted at number four in the UK charts last month, behind Dead Island and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine.

As revealed in yesterday's September NPD report, it entered the US monthly chart at number seven, behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dead Island and Gears of War 3.

Picture of Fred.

About Fred Dutton

Fred Dutton is Eurogamer's US news editor, based in Washington DC.

Read more articles from Fred by visiting the Fred Dutton archive page.

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Comments (85) Latest comment 7 months ago

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  • makeamazing #1 7 months ago

    I've not purchased it yet, RS2 was pretty bad, and what with the games coming out, i was in no rush. I will probably pick it up bundled for free when i get another PS3... so i don't see much point in buying it.

    I have to admit, even though some of the videos looked great, i didn't feel excited about it. Looking at its sales, i think i wasn't the only one.

    Edit: Not really sure why i am getting Negged for an opinion on why i think it sold badly... i would love to know why.
    Edited by makeamazing at 14/10/11 @ 17:31

  • el_pollo_diablo #2 7 months ago

    Bit of a shame. The cover was way nicer.

  • chibber23 #3 7 months ago

    R2 was average, R3 is a fantastic single player game... watch the Zero Punctuation review - it's spot on!

  • Nick_Tizz #4 7 months ago

    R3 was actually really good. i wasnt a fan of the second, but as soon as we got R3 delivered at work, i spent 8 hours blitzing the campaign, really good fun.

  • Machetazo #5 7 months ago

    Resistance 2 may have done some damage. Youtube confirms there definitely is at least one "TV spot" for Res3, but I haven't seen anything about it on TV. I don't think it's had huge ad presence in general. I also would hazard a guess that after 2, people are instead holding out for Uncharted 3 for their multiplayer, on PS3.
    Edited by Machetazo at 14/10/11 @ 17:18

  • GamesConnoisseur #6 7 months ago

    I agree the third was much better, but worrying that Sony couldn't attract as much sales for one of their flagship titles, and for the future of the franchise. Fans would rather that X360 be stuck with the label as chav shooter whores, but there aint any ought wrong with having a fair selection of FPS along with already a wide variety of genres for PS3.

    Gears 3 did very well and both although in a different genre were almost head to head in the period.

  • MattEdWithCheese #7 7 months ago

    205,000 fans of the co-op mode from R2 I reckon...

  • Ultrasoundwave #8 7 months ago

    Resistance 3 is by far the superior game - shame the sales dont reflect that.

  • Tallon4 #9 7 months ago

    Damn....that's a shame....R3 is way better than R2. But tbh....R2 was so disappointing that I was thinking about skipping R3 too.
    I hope this doesn't mean the Resistance serie has come to an end

  • SEVQA #10 7 months ago

    Personally I was a massive fan of R2 especially the multiplayer, though upon playing the demo of R3 I must admit I wasn't impressed, though certainly keen on getting it at some point, maybe as a requested xmass present! As times are hard for me I can only afford one game between now and xmass and the decision is going between Uncharted 3 and Batman AC for the mo.

  • Disco_Stu360 #11 7 months ago

    Sony just don't market their exclusives as well as MS in my opinion. Its why amazing games like Uncharted 3 won't sell the amount they deserve to. Its shame for Naughty Dog that its not multi-format.

  • Captain_JMac #12 7 months ago

    Post deleted at 11:42:32 20-01-2012

  • des #13 7 months ago

    Marketing has nothing to do with it,people just don't care about those games.BF3,MW3,Skyrim...well,that's another story

  • Snake_2011 #14 7 months ago

    Disco_Stu360 if they did not sell well they would stop making them worldwide sales are the important ones not US.

    you have no clue what UC sells it sells BIG on PS3.
    Edited by Snake_2011 at 14/10/11 @ 17:44

  • Machetazo #15 7 months ago

    Connoisseur, I think there may be an element of that. FPS just not being associated enough with PS3, so that the situation starts to mirror Wii games released against the dominant grain for outcome, where the audience doesn't expect that type of game and already have a great many other established things to play, anyway. If I were considering buying Resistance 3, one of the things that might put me off would be the question of whether an active multiplayer base were there.
    Edited by Machetazo at 14/10/11 @ 17:48

  • Ahskay #16 7 months ago

    A real shame as this is one good game.

    Other people saying they didn't try it because of R2 are being silly. R3 is one of the best single-player FPS of 2011.

  • bikmate #17 7 months ago

    It's because of that shit online pass.

  • Daeltaja #18 7 months ago

    First was awful, second even worse. What did they expect?

  • sfp_noodle #19 7 months ago

    @Disco_Stu360

    Actually, Uncharted 2 sold 4.2 million copies BEFORE it even hit Platinum status. I'm sure it's much closer to 5 million now. I can't see Uncharted 3 struggling to shift. The collector's edition versions of the game sold out worldwide within days of being put up for pre-order. GT5 also sold over 7 million worldwide before going on the Platinum series. I find it odd that a lot of people expect other big exclusives to sell as much as Halo 3 did. People seem to forget that that was over 4 years ago where the only outstanding game available on the 360 was the original Gears of War.

    Let's get this out of the way now - Halo 3 sold mental numbers because of all the hype surrounding it and the amount of attention it got in the build up to its release. It sold over 8 million copies which is astonishing, but how close did the following Halo games get? Nowhere near that number.

    Its situation can be compared to the massive amount of copies Metal Gear Solid 2 sold when first released. There was an insane amount of hype and expectation. It went on to sell over 7 million units yet MGS3, a much better game and still the best game in the series IMO sold a modest 3.5 million. There's a recurring theme here.

    Halo Reach is a better game than Halo 3, but the third game was a big let-down for me, despite having an excellent online mode and so the following releases had much lower sales numbers. MGS3 is a better game than MGS2 but 2 was a disappointment in many gamers eyes so they did not bother with the follow up despite, again, being a much better game.

    The same has happened to Resistance 3. It is far and away the best game in the series, especially single player wise yet R2, which got rave reviews was a massive flop with the fans. Whilst it has good co-op and online modes they just fiddled with too much and it took away a lot of what made the original game so compelling. R3 recaptures that feeling of despair and lonliness but because the second game was rather pants, many haven't returned for the threequel. It can't be a coincidence surely.

  • homerramone #20 7 months ago

    thats what you get for having an online pass :-)

  • azic #21 7 months ago

    Shame... 2 bored me so much I gave it to my friend. Would of felt bad asking for money for it.

  • Lamb #22 7 months ago

    Its expensive plus I have a bunch of games to play that I haven't even touched. Also they killed off the Nathan Hale character instead of waiting for the end of the trilogy, bad move as I already feel closure. Not to say R3 is a bad game its just £20 more than what I would pay if I didn't have a game queue in front of it.

  • Machetazo #23 7 months ago

    @21: Not in the case of Gears. There, you get a confused Epic man, wondering why most people cba to redeem their free coupon! :p
    Edited by Machetazo at 14/10/11 @ 17:58

  • Dizzy #24 7 months ago

    >Actually, Uncharted 2 sold 4.2 million copies BEFORE it even hit Platinum status

    Wasn't it a pack-in? NPD never recorded numbers that high.

  • king26 #25 7 months ago

    connoisseur I think PS3 has had its fair share of shooters Resistance, Warhawk, MAG and the amazing Killzone games. I know a lot of people who game casually and often the ones with PS3s tend to try different genres. I know I did when I switched.

  • evnewell #26 7 months ago

    insomniac has disappointed me with every game they've developed this gen (except fall of man). After the last resistance I have sworn them off. I'll likely not waste another dollar on their crappy developments.

  • sfp_noodle #27 7 months ago

    @Dizzy

    [link url=http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/sales/28733/uncharted-2-among-thieves/
    ]http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/sales/287...[/link]

    Satisfied?

  • king26 #28 7 months ago

    Who cares what sold how many, Uncharted 2 has so far been the best game this gen, end of!

  • danger.to.others #29 7 months ago

    Speaking from the point of view of someone with a 360 and a PS3 who played both previous Resistance's, it's mostly bad timing. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
    Between the fact I'm busy with Gears Of War 3, but also have Batman, Battlefield 3, MW3, Uncharted 3 (Year of the 3's!) and Assassin's Creed all ordered....I'm swamped. I already have too many games coming.
    There's also the fact I felt burned with Resistance 2 being as bad as it was. As well as the fact Killzone 3 may not have straight out alien looking bad guys, but KZ and Resistance have the same feel, it's the same type of crowd it's apealing to, and I already Killzone when I want some semi sci-fi shooting action.

    Let this be yet another reminder to the publishers, if this had come out about four months ago, I would have been more likely to buy, despite Resistance 2.
    It's be said many times, learn to space your releases. We only have so much money to spend.

    Oh well, at least now we can all buy Resistance 3 out of the bargain bin in the next month.

  • Hindle #30 7 months ago

    Post deleted at 23:04:43 04-04-2012

  • Hindle #31 7 months ago

    Post deleted at 23:04:43 04-04-2012

  • Scimarad #32 7 months ago

    Possibly because Resistance 2 put everyone off...

  • Gaol #33 7 months ago

    Add me to the long list of people who thought 3 was a lot better. I agree with the bad timing comment, though it could have been even worse if it had released any later in the year.

  • PotatoHeadBobby #34 7 months ago

    @makeamazing: I think you were getting negged because to 'pick it up bundled for free' with your next PS3 isn't in the spirit of supporting a great game.

    Which R3 is. Honestly the best I've played this year were it not for Dark Souls.

  • Beano #35 7 months ago

    R2 was at letdown for me but R3 was quite good.. just to easy on normal difficulty. A shame it dosnt sell better - poor marketing or are the mass-consumers to focused on BF3 and MW3?
    Edited by Beano at 14/10/11 @ 19:47

  • patch #36 7 months ago

    Could this have anything to do with Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Uncharted 3 and Arkham City all coming out in the next few weeks? I can't remember November 2008 all that well, but looking at the release schedule, can't see there were as many high profile games coming out, especially not two major FPS releases.

  • SaintDaveUK #37 7 months ago

    Personally I was let down by the previous two Resistance games. Yeah they are good, but they don't quite have the same polish as the competition.

  • makeamazing #38 7 months ago

    makeamazing: I think you were getting negged because to 'pick it up bundled for free' with your next PS3 isn't in the spirit of supporting a great game.

    How is buying a new PS3 with it bundled not helping support a great game... Sony own the company and are bundling it because they think it will help sell a console... they also calculate bundles generally in total sales... so whats not to like about that...lol.. they end up selling another console. Crazy days :|

  • Lord_Gremlin #39 7 months ago

    1,5 GB install and it can freeze your PS3. That is NOT tolerable for a Sony exclusive.

  • suhawk75 #40 7 months ago

    @King 26 "Who cares what sold how many"

    Well it's sort of important because it determines which games get made in the future. Many FPS's sell in huge numbers and so we get to play them till the cows come home.

    Fortunately this generation has also brought use reasonable digital distribution which means games like Frozen Synapse can still find an audience.

  • Triggerhappytel #41 7 months ago

    I enjoyed Resistance 3 but didn't think it was a particularly great game -- I feel the series as a whole is a little characterless and lacks a certain something that the bigger FPSs deliver. It seems I'm in the minority, but I did actually enjoy Resistance 2, and while it did a pretty good job of explaining the wider conflict between the humans and Chimera as well as the human element, Resistance 3 is like a poor family drama that sort of ambles along for about 7 hours without ever really feeling satisfying or delivering a sense of purpose or closure.

    I would recommend it as it had touches of genius such as the weapons line-up and the very dark prison level, but probably not for more than £20. If there's going to be a Resistance 4, I would like a complete clean slate and start over. And bring back the co-op from Resistance 2, which was a great idea that lacked finesse in its execution.

    One thing I would add is that I didn't like the multiplayer in Resistance 3 very much. Again, the MP in R2 was a bit unfocused and chaotic, but I thought potential was there. But R3's MP just feels like a COD re-skin with a few Halo elements thrown in to make it sci-fi-y. Attaching a COD-cloning MP mode to a above average FPS series is not going to make it sell a lot; it needs to be individual and stand out from the crowd.

  • binster #42 7 months ago

    You see the quality of the game in the sales of its sequel. Resistance 2 wasn't good, so people are steering clear of R3.
    Edited by binster at 14/10/11 @ 21:51

  • Aphexman #43 7 months ago

    I bought second copy today.

  • gallow #44 7 months ago

    I completed R3 last week and its an extremely enjoyable game to play and a welcomed the return of health packs. I forgot how much fun it is when a game gives all the weapons to choose from as you can mix the combat up. The upgraded Mutator is so much fun.

  • Gambit1977 #45 7 months ago

    I don't get it....it's basically Half Life 2 on CODs favourite brand of steroids with great AI and setpieces. I'm loving it.

  • chris_ace #46 7 months ago

    Post deleted at 15:13:21 09-05-2012

  • Machiavellian #47 7 months ago

    Well I am in the same boat as most. Bought R2, did not complete it and did not have any incentive to complete it. So even reading the R3 reviews, I do not have any incentive to go back to that universe even if the third game is better than the 2nd. I probably will pick it up much later as there are a host of games that will get my money first like Batman AA, GOW3, BF3 maybe even COD.

  • Killerbee #48 7 months ago

    I'll add my voice to those saying R3 was a definite improvement on R2 and probably the best of the series. But... I bought it and enjoyed the single player but it had little replay value and I never touched the MP and it was an easy decision to trade it in whilst it was still worth something.

    I think the problem was likely a combination of R2 being a bit unloved by PS3 fans (I'd rate Killzone as the premier FPS franchise for PS3) and the game landing in the middle of a really busy spell for new releases. Shame really as I would recommend the campaign as one of the best in recent years.

  • mrblonde #49 7 months ago

    Resistance 3 was average, like the series as a whole , and besides uncharted virtually the whole ps3 exclusive line up.
    Why dont your critially acclimed, so called visual 3d powerhouses ever sell Sony? This is microsofts REAL victory this generation ,not just going on to finish 6 million ahead with the hardware.

  • Freek #50 7 months ago

    Just goes to show how hard it is to recover a franchise from a bad game. Resistance had a chance with the second game to really steal the show but instead it was avarage, and so the franchiose got the reputation of being "second tier", unfortunate turn of events.

  • Machetazo #51 7 months ago

    @55: It's found itself not only fighting Microsoft's field, but also the likes of Killzone (more content, aggressive promotion) and now Uncharted on its home front, and probably others besides. That's going to leave it a difficult time, particularly with people left feeling that Resistance 2 failed to progress from Fall of Man's superior groundwork.

  • mukki #52 7 months ago

    Sometimes I love reading the comments to an article more then the article itself.

  • Bartacus #53 7 months ago

    Average game too expensive. Price is key with this looming depression, the last game was average too.

  • kimchibaka #54 7 months ago

    Basically it was completely not advertised - there was no hype at all. The first two games are amongst my favourite single-player FPS experiences this-gen, but they just didn't get me excited about this release (seen the cover for example - rubbish!). You need some anticipation, otherwise now you know you can just wait two months and pick it up half price.

  • MrJihad316 #55 7 months ago

    I agree with Gambit1977. I've not enjoyed a shooter as much as Resistance 3 since Half-Life 2. I found myself similarly immersed as well. If the game got the sales it deserved it would have sold millions by now.
    Edited by MrJihad316 at 15/10/11 @ 12:23

  • Routledge4 #56 7 months ago

    @Disco_Stu360 you mean you wish it was multi platform because xbox has, sweet FA

  • vmanb #57 7 months ago

    I didn't buy simply because of this online pass bollocks, never buy games with these codes for full price but i do make the odd exception if its a game i really fancy when they go below the £20 mark (new not preowned). Think i'll give this one a miss though.

  • LEONOFDEATH #58 7 months ago

    R1 was good, So R2 sold well.
    R2 was disappointing, So R3 sold less well.

    R3 is the best game in the series.

  • Triggerhappytel #59 7 months ago

    @54 - "Resistance 3 was average, like the series as a whole , and besides uncharted virtually the whole ps3 exclusive line up."

    That's very true, if we pretend God of War, MotorStorm, Socom, LittleBigPlanet, Wipeout, Ratchet & Clank, Heavy Rain, Killzone, Infamous, Gran Turismo etc don't exist. Bit silly to do that though.

  • crickson #60 7 months ago

    I'm sorry to hear about the lower sales of R3 but pleased so many people are enjoying it. R3 is one of the best games I've played on the PS3 so far - a huge improvement on the last game. The single-player campaign is fantastic, the most atmospheric shooter I've played since Bioshock.

  • UkHardcore23 #61 7 months ago

    Not surprising, while it was better than the awful R2 it was not much better. Hopefully the end of the series and they try a new ip!

  • DoctorFraud #62 7 months ago

    Shit game on shit console sells like shit.

    Exactly why would anyone be surprised at this?

  • BonzoBanana #63 7 months ago

    Like many I'm sure I'm waiting for the price to drop. I have many games I haven't even started and its just not worth paying near full price just to add it to the back of the queue. Just bought Killzone 3 and Motorstorm Apocalypse both for £13.49 each from Argos and I probably won't start those for a while either. Need more gameplaying time.

    Its quite possible the Resistance 2 caused this. The conduit sold half a million on wii and the better sequel only sold about 60 thousand worldwide. The conduit was a disappointing game too.

    Also now that I know Resistance 3 has sold badly it means I know the price will drop rapidly and so theres not much point picking it up until its sub £10 which won't be very long.
    Edited by BonzoBanana at 15/10/11 @ 15:31

  • Dezm0nd #64 7 months ago

    To be fair, you sting customers with a shit game like R2 and then scratch your head and wonder why R3 didn't sell as well? Come on.

  • Lucodeath #65 7 months ago

    R2 and the demo put me off buying it but reading the comments is making me change my mind.

  • matseffect #66 7 months ago

    Hear this one was really good but I don't think the first two gave a good first impression for the series. Its a shame but I would guess this will be the last one we will see.

  • Moz #67 7 months ago

    it just a timing thing, sure the sales will trickle through over the next few months, just too much out and coming out. plan on picking this up myself in the new year.

  • funkateer #68 7 months ago

    R3 is great, but how do you compete with the entire gaming world all hyped for BF3 and MW3 while playing GeOW3?
    As good as it is, this never had a chance to survive amongst these giants. Not at this time of year.
    /captain hindsight

    I suspect sales might pick up a bit after the season though when it'll have became a great bargain and all shooter fans became bored of these 'big 3'.
    Still, it's quite sad for Insomniac. They're great developers and deserve better than this complete sales failure.
    Edited by funkateer at 15/10/11 @ 19:10

  • funkateer #69 7 months ago

    "it's basically Half Life 2 on CODs favourite brand of steroids with great AI and setpieces. I'm loving it."

    Spot on! My fondness for FPS games has been falling dramatically since the Half-Life games and now you mentioned it, there are some similarities with HL. R3 really brings the challenge back.

  • beatwolf #70 7 months ago

    thats what the cocksuckers get for releasing everything all at once!!!

  • flaming.carrot #71 7 months ago

    I do intend to pick it up soon myself, but I've still got Child Of Eden, Dark Souls and Ico/SoTC to finish. It launched in a pretty heavy release period which probably did not help it.

  • Syrette #72 7 months ago

    The reason it sold so poorly is because word got out about having to sit there watching progress bars for far too long. In today's society people just don't have this amount of time...

    http://youtu.be/ZQ8NhxD0-Ek
    Edited by Syrette at 16/10/11 @ 10:29

  • waynenot #73 7 months ago

    Turn out a slightly above average first game and a poor second one and that's what will happen in all fairness. Third one sounds pretty good and If they'd had a brain cell between them, they'd have released it in July/August and cleaned up.

  • Biker_Bob_1971 #74 7 months ago

    Post deleted at 16:59:10 06-02-2012

  • HeNiCiDe1988 #75 7 months ago

    shame because resistance 3 meant to be better then 2nd one, hopefully it will pick up. But maybe it didnt come out at the right time, but I dont think I seen many tv spots for it. Seen two at least.

    Second one was kinda good, but not great maybe theres some flak from that.
    Edited by HeNiCiDe1988 at 16/10/11 @ 16:46

  • ISmoke #76 7 months ago

    I always thought the series was rubbish. I loved it when it first came out but I think that was down to me only having that and motorstorm and playing it co-op was fun but an average experience at best.

    It's a shame though

  • infoxicated #77 7 months ago

    What made the first game so great, for me, was the unfolding story narrative and the Ratchet & Clank weapon selection system, where it was possible to add a lot of variety into the way you completed a level.

    For them to throw those elements aside in the second game seemed like folly to me, but I bought Resistance 2 all the same, only to find they really had gimped the weapon mechanics and turned it into a survival horror at the same time.

    I gave up on it about a third of the way through and traded it, but I'm still intrigued to see what the third one holds in store. Not getting my fingers burnt again at full price, though - I'll pick it up pre-owned down the line.

  • zatorax #78 7 months ago

    Resistance 3 (8/10 Eurogamer) - 180.000 units.
    Gears Of War 3 (8/10 Eurogamer) - ~ 4.000.000 units.
    R3 = GeOW3, 180.000 = 4.000.000 - It's Eurogamer!
    All properly appreciated, equally good games, equally good sales!
    Okey ;)

  • woodyrulesok #79 7 months ago

    Biker_Bob, can you explain to me why a developer releasing a big patch reflects on the design of the console it's running on?
    Restricting updates and changes would be better then would it?

  • kangarootoo #80 7 months ago

    That is insane. R3 is easily the best of the series, and reminded me of HL2 more than any FPS since. I played Call of Duty Black Ops just before it, and that bored me to tears during the handful of moments it actually let me control the game. Gave up on CoD, moved onto R3, and never looked back. Real shame.

  • BonzoBanana #81 7 months ago

    Played the Resistance 3 demo on PSN and spent more time searching for ammo than shooting the enemy. The Resistance 1 demo was awesome it had one of the best demo levels ever with those spidery bosses but the Resistance 3 demo puts you right off the game. Its really naff. I didn't even get to the end of the demo as I lost interest maybe it was worth playing to the end?

  • kangarootoo #82 7 months ago

    Which level was the demo set in? I haven't played it.

    There was only one area in the game where my ammo reeeeally started to run low (creepy town is probably general enough a description to not be considered a spoiler).

  • darc #83 7 months ago

    Shame about the sales; I think it looks great. Fully intend to buy it sooner or later, but the timing is just not right for me. (Dark Souls consuming all my free time...)

  • BonzoBanana #84 7 months ago

    @Kangarootoo

    Wouldn't surprise me if it was creepytown although it looked more of a crappytown to me. Lots of shacks and resembling a scrap yard sort of thing.

  • Architect_z #85 7 months ago

    I think its a matter of timing. I was gonna buy this but then Dark Souls was on the map, and Dark Souls was my GOTY before I even started playing it. I love the resistance games, love both the 1st and 2nd, but so much is being hyped about and so many people are waiting for some massive releases, I hate to say it but I reckon resistance 3 was at the bottom of peoples lists when it came to saving money for their next game purchase.