Image: Push Square

Retro PS2 TimeSplitters Titles Outperform PS5, PC Flop Concord in UK Charts

As consumers increasingly switch to digital

20 Sep 2024, 16:15 by Sammy Barker · Push Square

We don’t mean to flog a horse while it’s already down, but astounding data coming out of the UK reveals that two retro TimeSplitters titles – released as part of PS Plus Premium but also sold separately on PS5 and PS4 – outperformed tentpole first-party title Concord. Of course, we know the Firewalk Studios debut didn’t do particularly well – estimates put it at around 25k copies sold worldwide – and it was eventually pulled from sale on 3rd September as a consequence. For clarity, this data only accounts for a couple of days of the first-person shooter’s sales, although it was available a little earlier for those who plumped up for the Deluxe Edition.

Nevertheless, it was the 261st best-selling game in the UK during the tracked August period, which spans both digital and physical data. What makes this truly astonishing is that the emulated versions of TimeSplitters 2 (218) and TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (229) both did better. Only the original TimeSplitters (326) performed worse. That really puts things into perspective.

Review TimeSplitters 2 (PS2) – Classic FPS Has Tons of Content, But Hasn't Fully Stood the Test of Time

Make like a banana and split

Mini Review TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (PS2) - Some Steps Forward, Some Steps Back for Final Entry in Famed Franchise

Future imperfect

News PS Plus Premium's TimeSplitters Titles Now All Have Trophies on PS5, PS4

Present perfect

It was generally a weak month for the UK games industry, with the likes of Grand Theft Auto 5 and old Borderlands titles dominating, after various promotions were deployed alongside the movie. (Which also flopped, by the way.)

PS5 hardware sales in particular struggled, down 57% year-over-year – although it was, once again, the best-selling system in the country. Sony ran some price promotions around the same time in 2023, however it’s clear that the extremely high price of the platform is starting to cause the company some headaches, and impeding the rate at which its install base is growing. Unless the Japanese giant can get the price down, expect to see more and more year-over-year declines.

One other tidbit worth noting is that an enormous 75% of the games sold in the UK this August were purchased digitally. That’s an enormous swing, up 10% year-over-year, and it helps demonstrate why companies like Sony are starting to ship systems like the PS5 Pro without a disc drive – although you can still attach an optional one if you prefer physical media.

[source gamesindustry.biz]

About Sammy Barker

As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.

Comments 24

1
Yousef-
5:02pm

These TimeSpliters thumbnails are getting quite creative 😂

The PS5 needs MORE NON-CROSS GEN GAMES, and a PRICE CUT. Until that happens, hardware sales will continue to decline.

3
dskatter
5:10pm

I mean…I’m pretty sure ANYTHING has outperformed Concord at this point. Even the Borderlands movie was probably more of a net success.

4
AdamNovice
5:17pm

Sadly with the price of components and production I don't think a permanent price drop will be coming.

5
Oram77
5:19pm

Time Splitters 3 is just goated, it is as simple as that.

6
carlos82
5:23pm

"One other tidbit worth noting is that an enormous 75% of the games sold in the UK this August were purchased digitally"

It's also a very quiet time for new releases, it's no secret that people pick up cheap games in sales digitally. The data that is relevant is what are the sales splits of games in and around release

When the day comes where the Playstation store is the only option to buy your games, that won't be a good time for gamers

You think the high price of the platform is, all of a sudden, starting to cause Sony problems? Perhaps it’s that the Pro was announced so people are either waiting to buy that, or anticipating a price drop on the base model and holding off buying it? This is what always happens.

$400 million dollars lost from Concord. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

In normal circumstances, those regular temporary PS5 price drops in July 2023 - March 2024 would've been a permanent price cut.

10
Yukairi
5:50pm

Sad Timesplitters 4 was canned not once but twice, meanwhile we still get games no one wants like this chasing trends that are several years past their peak. Real shame.

11
Blofse
5:53pm

Jeeze kick a person while their down PushSqaure why not... I mean every day for 2 weeks you made your view known about the game, it's been 1 week since closure and your going to keep it going?

12
TurboTom
6:25pm

I never played the first two Timespittlers games, but I loved future perfect and had it for both gamecube and ps2. If it was a enhanced remastered version then I would consider getting it for ps5, however I think it will probably look terrible on a modern TV and ruin my positive memory of the game lol

13
Netret0120
6:28pm

@Oram77

TIME TO SPLIT!

Loving going through them again and getting the platinums

@dskatter yeah like my £3.99 game on consoles has been more successful.. heck, one of those awful stroke an animal shovelware games have probably had more "success" haha

@Netret0120 yeah it's made me wanna download them again and get those plats

Because TimeSplitters games are peak gaming. Been playing them again and I forgot a whole level where you shoot millions of hands with a Tommy gun because you’re having a cheese dream as a gangster.

@Blofse its what they do..

Who would have thought that classic PlayStation titles that everybody has been screaming out for and being cheap too out sells a game that's had nothing good said about it. This dosnt mean that more gamers are starting to switch to digital as the timesplitters franchise is only available via the store. Another pointless article.

19
Areus
7:18pm

@Blofse Sammy knows what he's doing he knows simply mentioning Concord will bring in a lot of traffic to the site.

20
LowDefAl
7:38pm

@carlos82 by the gods thank you. I was tired of seemingly banging this drum by myself

Astro Bot kicked Concord corpse in the nuts and now Time Splitters used the corpse as a punching bag.

22
djlard
7:46pm

" One other tidbit worth noting is that an enormous 75% of the games sold in the UK this August were purchased digitally. "

Is this statement bases only on games that released both physically and digitally??? Or is it for all games sold???

23
Yousef-
7:59pm

@PuppetMaster you’ve put an interesting mental image into my head 😂

Lol
Facepalm

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