Detroit: Become Human is poised to ship next month as the next PS4 exclusive title. And while developer Quantic Dream has made a name for itself with games like Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls, it’s more a name known throughout hardcore circles, and less in mainstream ones.
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Detroit: Become Human is far from a niche release, but juxtaposed by the two big PS4 exclusives its sandwiched between — God of War and Spider-Man — it is a smaller release for Sony this year. Again, it may be a highly-anticipated game within hardcore gaming culture, but in the mainstream it’s far from a known quality.
That said, of the marquee PS4 exclusive releases this year, Detroit: Become Human looks poised to sell the least, but that doesn’t mean it won’t sell well. According to well-known industry analyst, Michael Pachter (via Gaming Bolt), Detroit: Become Human will sell three to four million copies, a humble number compared to some other PS4 exclusives, but an impressive figure when looked at independently.
“I’m actually looking forward to Detroit, it looks like it will be a different kind of game, said Pachter. “I think Quantic Dream makes very dark, very thoughtful stories, but if you just want escapism, their games won’t be the best ones to play. So I’m a huge fan, and I think it will do super well, but I don’t think it’s doing 15 million units, or outselling God of War. 3-4 million units sold, which is good for a PS4 exclusive.”
As Pachter notes, while three to four million units sold won’t set the world on fire, it would be a good return for Detroit: Become Human. Whether that would make the game profitable, who knows. At the moment we don’t know how much Detroit: Become Human cost Sony and co. to develop and market, and thus we don’t know how many copies it has to sell before turning a profit.
If Pachter is correct, that would put Detroit: Become Human, in terms of sales, above Beyond: Two Souls, but below Heavy Rain, which has sold more than five million copies since its release back in 2010.
As with any specualtion, take this with a grain of salt. While Pachter is a reputable industry analyst, he can and has been off the mark in the past. In other words, Detroit: Become Human could very easily sell more or less copies than three to four million copies. Only time will tell.
Detroit: Become Human is poised to release on May 25th, exclusively for the PS4. Earlier this week the game notably went gold. To accompany that announcement, a free new demo was released.
