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COD is a yearly-release series, so not at all comparable to a long-life game like Planet Coaster.

I am in agreement. Planet Coaster 2 is following the pattern of the only previous Frontier game to be placed on discount within a month of release. That game was last year's Warhammer Age of Sigmar Realms of Ruin. That pattern is: very high expectations, very low sales, rapid discounting and downgrade to gudance. A difference is that Frontier has yet to issue the downgrade to guidance. We may instead receive it via a brokers note.

In regard to next year's Jurassic World Evolution 3 game, Panmure Liberum's latest broker note downgrades the revenue forecast by 40% due to "muted commercial success compared to previous iterations or phasing towards the back end of FY26E" notwithstanding that the release is eight months hence.

The note also discloses that Panmure Liberum has a net short position in the company's stock. One does wonder if this is in error, considering this broker is an adviser and joint broker to the company.

Despite both, the rating is BUY.

What interesting times we live in.

Looking past that Business Weekly puff piece to the Panmere Liberum broker note itself does somewhat dispel the impression of idiocy. The note forecasts Planet Coaster 2 earnings down by 25-30% relative to its predecessor and perhaps more significantly given this is FDEV's own broker, the forthcoming Jurassic World Evolution 3 game earnings down 40%.

On the matter of the termination of Frontier's F1 Manager contract, I beg to differ with the esteemed Lemonade. Frontier's statement tells me this termination was by F1, not Frontier. Had the termination been by Frontier, Frontier would have said so, thereby mitigating the reputational damage regarding credibility with future brand licensors following on from disappointments under the Jurassic World and Warhammer licences.

Jaw-dropping news indeed. Yet another NOMAD resignation may be imminent.

"Planet Coaster and Elite Dangerous developer Frontier looks to have canned its upcoming F1 Manager 25, following poor sales of the franchise.

In September, Frontier said in a financial statement it had held "commercial discussions with an IP partner" that had "resulted in the voluntary termination of a contract for a future game before full development started".

The identity of that game had previously been kept out of the public eye. Now, however, private analysis from investment research firm Zeus Capital has been shared online, identifying the game in question as F1 Manager 2025."

https://www.eurogamer.net/f1-manager-25-reportedly-cancelled-by-planet-coaster-studio

The profit warning update following the Warhammer game's failure was issued 10 days after launch. On that basis one would expect the update for Planet Coaster 2 approximately now.

That previous update sweetened the pill with the news that the company had redirected effort to "CMS" games like Planet Coaster which were more profitable. It will be interesting to see what the sweetener will be this time.

I largely agree with Lemonade, save that the Planet Coaster 2 sales down 90% figure comes from the revenue chart, regardless of the review score.

Further, note the 59% review score is after inflation by "positive" reviews that are negative reviews that have been falsely tagged for visibility. Case in point is the top-rated "positive" review, a 15-point list of complaints followed by "Planet Coaster 2 not only fails to build on the original but also takes significant steps backward by removing key content and limiting the management features that were once integral to the series."

Re Lemonade's "I think PC2 is around £10m (helped by console releases) right now." I note console sales appear to be a mere 13% of the total. With PC sales estimated by VG Inights at £3.6m, that puts PC2 revenue at £4m, not £10m.

This reinforces the conclusion that the failure of both of the two game launches this FY, meeting company guidance earnings of £89m would appear extremely unlikely.

that review of fdevs game could easily be a review of fdevs management.

"no concept of customer service

staff will just down tools and **** off, leaving rides / shops completely unattended. there will be another member of staff meandering lazily over to the ride 500m away, which then annoys the guests as they can't get on a ride or buy the drink they are in dire need of."

Mkid I think the point you have missed is the relative week 1 sales revenue chart positions of PC1 #1 v PC2 #30 tells that PC2 sales are down at least 90%.

> I don’t understand why they think it’s fine to mess up launch after launch.

This mystified me, until I started watching the CEO and CFO video call with analysts. Truly jaw-dropping. They have so little experience of an unmessed-up launch that they cannot tell the difference v a messed-up launch. They actually do not understand that they did wrong. The CFO is particularly blind, having no prior experience of the games industry - or of the market's leisure sector at all. The only blame he puts on anyone is on players for not buying his games. Both of these two are simply in the wrong job.

And where is President Braben. I presume he is sunning it on a yacht bought will the proceeds of his FDEV share sales, laughing at the chumps left holding at a fraction if the price.

>

Going by the number of players filing ratings on web stores, previous FDEV multi-format game launches have sold approximately equal quantity on consoles as PC.

Planet Coaster 2.

PC version: Steam 2,869 + other stores unknown

Consoles: Playstation 391 + Xbox 55

So PC2 on consoles is down approximately 80%.

I know one is a sequel - JWE3.

But I did not know all three are sequels. I do hope you are wrong.

" The Youtube streamers seems very happy with Planet Coaster 2! "

The Youtube streamers are very happy with what they have been paid by Frontier.

What counts more is players who have paid, not been paid. Gamers on Steam. Score 59%.

Planet Coaster 2 is a half-baked, unfinished bug-riddled mess. Just like the four Frontier games before it.

Leopards do not change their spots. FDEV management needs replacing urgently else soon there will be no company left to manage.

"We now have what I believe is Frontier's strongest-ever roadmap, with three self-published CMS games planned for the next three consecutive financial years"

This CEO is presumably hoping the market has forgotten the company's proud declaration that it was moving to two games per year.

FDEV's inability to release more than one per year with a headcount of over 700 people is a sign of serious mismanagement and waste continuing despite the so-called organisational review.

Planet Coaster 2 has now fallen out of the Steam global top 10 too. At this rate sales will be all but dead in a couple of weeks.

Rating 75% is a typo I think. Perhaps you meant 57%. What Steam politely calls Mixed and gamers call bad.

Did someone here say Planet Coaster 2 reviews are very good??

In fact metacritic shows they are below the game it replaces, Planet Coaster.

Just like the previous release F1 Manager 2024 was below the 2023 edition it replaced.

This is what you get from staff cutbacks leaving dysfunctional management.

C-suite must go.