Analyst: Prototype Sold 90% More Than inFAMOUS, But Didn't Outsell It On PS3

With the June NPD numbers due out shortly, it's time for analysts to begin estimating and predicting the numbers. Of specific interest last month: the informal competition between Prototype and inFAMOUS, two completely different games that people couldn't seem to tell apart.

EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich is estimating that Prototype outsold inFAMOUS by 90%, but predicts that inFAMOUS outsold Prototype on the PS3 by 35% and could increase that margin to 50% at some point in the future.

What does this tell us? It makes more sense to go multiplatform. Prototype is available on three platforms (Xbox 360, PS3, PC), while inFAMOUS is a PS3 exclusive. Personally, I would have put a bit more focus on the difference in advertising campaigns and the performance of previous PS3 exclusives, but yes, multiplatform games generally make more money because the pool of available buyers is larger. It's simple math!

What would be good to know, however, is the budget of each game. Since Activision likely spent more to develop Prototype across three platforms, their profit margin might not be all that bigger than Sony and Sucker Punch's. At the least, Sony needs to get its marketing game going (along with a price drop).

"Due to near identical game play and quality scores, the Infamous vs. Prototype case study presents interesting data to publishers when considering the sales bump a title could receive by choosing exclusivity over a multiplatform release," said Divnich.

This is where I lose him (and gamers in general). The games are very different. Sure, they are both open-world "superhero" games, but they play nothing alike. At the core, Prototype is a melee-oriented game and inFAMOUS focuses on ranged combat. I don't blame Mr. Divnich, but it's the type of sentiment we need less of in gaming. This is the thinking that calls Halo and Call of Duty 'near identical' because they are both first-person shooters. People need to be educated on the differences between games that appear similar on the surface.

So, readers of TheFeed, did you purchase Prototype and/or inFAMOUS? Personally, I bought (and loved) inFAMOUS and also grabbed Prototype on the Xbox 360. I guess I fall into this prediction pretty nicely. Do you?

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