We just got the AUGUST 2007 issue of COMICS & GAMES RETAILER magazine at the store this past week. On page 8 they list the TOP-SELLING GAMES for MAY 2007...Here is the list :


1:Dungeons & Dragons Wizards of the Coast  27.9 27.9  100%
2:World of Darkness   White Wolf     6.8   8.7  53%
3:GURPS   Steve Jackson       1.8       2.3       22%
4:Iron Kingdoms  Privateer Press   1.8   1.8   14%
5:Castles & Crusades   Troll Lord   1.2   1.6   35%

6:  Rifts      Palladium      1.2   1.6   25%
7:Warhammer FRP   Black Industries   1.1  1.5   22%
8:Shadowrun   Fantasy Productions   1.0   1.3   20%
9:d20 Modern   Wizartds of the Coast   1.0   1.0   8%
10: Star Wars d20   Wizards of the Coast  0.8  0.8  9%

11: BESM 3rd Ed   White Wolf  0.7   0.7   12%
12: d20 Misc.   Paizo   0.7   0.7   10%
13: Serenity   MWP   0.7   0.7   9%
14: World of Warcraft   White Wolf   0.7   0.7   9%
15: Dungeon Crawl Classics   Goodman Games  0.6   0.7   24%

16:  Hero System 5th Edition   Hero   0.6   0.6   12%
17:  Legend of the Five Rings   Alderac   0.6   0.6   8%
18:  Savage Worlds   Pinnacle   0.4   0.4   10%
19:   Exalted   White Wolf   0.3   0.4   24%
20:   FUDGE   Grey Ghost   0.3   0.3   12%

....and that was BEFORE the release of SAGA edition STAR WARS d20.

- Ed C.

Interesting, do they update these figures on a monthly basis? I'd be more interested in looking at buying trends over a year or two, as one popular release can make a huge difference, particularly for those companies that regularly populate the lower rankings.

Wow, IK is that high? Only the RPG or are Warmachine miniatures sales included?

Quote from: DrewInteresting, do they update these figures on a monthly basis? I'd be more interested in looking at buying trends over a year or two, as one popular release can make a huge difference, particularly for those companies that regularly populate the lower rankings.

YES - they are updated monthly. Personally, I love the fact thast GURPS has been in the top 5 the past few months and that EXALTED is so "down" there in the rankings.

 These ranks are based on actual sales in unit numbers and trends as reported by Game Stores across North America and in the U.K. and Europe.

- Ed C.

Quote from: Koltar1:Dungeons & Dragons Wizards of the Coast 27.9 27.9 100%
2:World of Darkness White Wolf 6.8 8.7 53%
3:GURPS Steve Jackson 1.8 2.3 22%

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No brainers there.
 

Quote4:Iron Kingdoms Privateer Press 1.8 1.8 14%
5:Castles & Crusades Troll Lord 1.2 1.6 35%

Very curious indeed.
 

Quote6: Rifts Palladium 1.2 1.6 25%
7:Warhammer FRP Black Industries 1.1 1.5 22%
8:Shadowrun Fantasy Productions 1.0 1.3 20%
9:d20 Modern Wizartds of the Coast 1.0 1.0 8%
10: Star Wars d20 Wizards of the Coast
 
11: BESM 3rd Ed White Wolf
12: d20 Misc. Paizo
13: Serenity MWP
14: World of Warcraft White Wolf
15: Dungeon Crawl Classics Goodman Games
 
16: Hero System 5th Edition Hero
17: Legend of the Five Rings Alderac
18: Savage Worlds Pinnacle
19: Exalted White Wolf
20: FUDGE Grey Ghost

IMHO, there some very interesting results.  Sure, D&D rules the roost, but a market share of less than 30% is way less than I expected.  It shows that there is still plenty of potential in the market for a new game to take some market share.  I mean, if a small game like Castles and Crusades can make 5th place, that should give hope to a lot of small publishers.
 
Of course, this is only one month of data.

Quote from: SosthenesWow, IK is that high? Only the RPG or are Warmachine miniatures sales included?

 That chart is ONLY the RPG line sales. Miniatures games are listed seperately - different chart and all.

Here is the web page for the magazine : http://www.comicsretailer.com/

 - Ed C.

Quote from: KoltarYES - they are updated monthly. Personally, I love the fact thast GURPS has been in the top 5 the past few months and that EXALTED is so "down" there in the rankings.

Everyone likes to see their favourite system do well, and I'm sure the Exalted haters will be along soon enough to crow about their perceived victory. That's why I'm interested in looking at long term trends, a few months of popularity really isn't enough to start claiming the high ground.
   

QuoteThese ranks are based on actual sales in unit numbers and trends as reported by Game Stores across North America and in the U.K. and Europe.

Cool. Is any one of the figures related to the number of units shifted? I want to know what #raw:, wtd.: and turnout: actually means in terms of absoloute sales figures.

Remember that WoTC makes a shitload of sales in the big-box bookstores.  That means their actual market share is actually undoubtedly higher than these stats (which are only of sales in specialty game stores, and only a few of those) would indicate.

RPGPundit

I'm also quite surprised to see that C&C and IK are outselling WFRP, even if it is for only one month.

To translate...mainly because I wasn't perfect at transcribing it all.

"Raw" means raw average number of copies sold of each product reported by each store.

"wtd." means weighted unit sales is defined this way by them: To arrive at our weighted unit sales figures for role-playing games, sales on products that did not individual retailers' top-seller lists but did make enough other retailers' lists are extrapolated and are integrated into the non-sellers' charts at sales levels below their last place titles.

The turnout figure for each product tells what percentage of retailers who sell products in a specific category said that a specific product was a "top seller" for them.

So anything below a 20% on the turnout figure is pretty much less than impressive.

- Ed C.

Look at Fudge. Go, Fudge!
That's the only one, really, that surpises me.

Quote from: KoltarTo translate...mainly because I wasn't perfect at transcribing it all.

"Raw" means raw average number of copies sold of each product reported by each store.

"wtd." means weighted unit sales is defined this way by them: To arrive at our weighted unit sales figures for role-playing games, sales on products that did not individual retailers' top-seller lists but did make enough other retailers' lists are extrapolated and are integrated into the non-sellers' charts at sales levels below their last place titles.

The turnout figure for each product tells what percentage of retailers who sell products in a specific category said that a specific product was a "top seller" for them.

So anything below a 20% on the turnout figure is pretty much less than impressive.

- Ed C.

Interesting stuff. It's worth noting that the figures seem to bear out most peoples uninformed assessment, namely that D&D is streets ahead with WoD trailing at a fair distance and everything else clustering around the 1-2 wtd. point several miles behind.

Another question: Any idea how many stores participate in this? A rough estimate would do, just to get a feel for actual sales figures in a given month.

Quote from: DrewAnother question: Any idea how many stores participate in this? A rough estimate would do, just to get a feel for actual sales figures in a given month.

Drew - I had to take my copy of the magazine back to the store earlier today. My manager usually lets me take them home a month after we get them .  
 Lets put it this way : I don't know the "exact: numbers but it has to be between hundreds ands maybe thousands of stores.

 You figure Cincinnati here has at least 4 game stores that I know of ...including the one that I work at .  Now, Dayton, Ohio has at least one store ..maybe two. (They had TWO stores close down a couple of years ago. ) Then there is Columbus, Ohio which I know has at least TWO game stores from what out-of-town visitors tell me.  So lets say 10 to 12 game stores for the state of Ohio.  Extrapolate that to the whole United States figuring Ohio as an "average" - thats 500 stores...more in some cities on average...then you got the U.K. and Europe.

 Figure between 500 and 1,000 game stores...MORE stores if you count Comic Book stores that also sell games. So ...closer to a 1,000.

- Ed C

Quote from: KoltarFigure between 500 and 1,000 game stores...MORE stores if you count Comic Book stores that also sell games. So ...closer to a 1,000.

So we're looking at as many as 28 000 D&D books sold a month?

That seems... pretty high, but without any other data I've nothing to go on. Maybe it's just an average month for Wizards.