Media Create Weekly Sales Charts: September 30-October 06

Software Sales

Hardware Sales

Sales are down all-around in the Media Create charts. All game sales are down across the board with SPEC: Ten from Namco Bandai being the only new game on the list. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D needed only 2,384 to make the list. On the console side of things, the only console to see an increase was the Wii. Moreover, both the Wii U and the PS Vita tumbled in the standings, losing nearly 2,000 in sales apiece.

There has to be something waiting in the wings to spring the Vita to life. I was hoping that the price cut earlier in the year would help make the system more competitive, but it didn’t work for too long. Unfortunately, no games have been able to catch on like they have for its competitor 3DS. There are no Animal Crossings or Super Mario Bros. or Mario Karts that have the legs to stay on the list like the 3DS has.

What’s upcoming for the Vita? Well, it has remakes coming up, but those typically don’t sell well. J-Stars Victory Vs., but that game will also have a PS3 port. Same thing for Samurai Warriors 4. Monster Hunter: Frontier G, but that’s coming to the major consoles beforehand this year. The best bet would be Tearaway, the Vita exclusive from Media Molecule. If that doesn’t have the legs, then the Vita will be in real trouble.

The Wii U, on the other hand, seems to have games that are on the way that are exclusive and should drive some sales. Just to name a few, you have Sonic Lost World, Super Mario 3D World, Wii Fit U, Wii Sports Club, a new Taiko no Tatsujin game (the latest game in the series has sold about 500,000 on the Wii), Mario Kart 8, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Bayonetta 2, Wii Party U, Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games… Odds are that a number of these games will have the legs to not only stay on the list, but carry the Wii U through the first half of 2014.

Also of note this week, the 3DS hits 13 million total units sold in Japan. The leading handheld has been going strong, especially after the release of Monster Hunter 4, which again leads the software side of things as it tops 2.5 million and looks like it might have the legs to join Animal Crossing: New Leaf in the 3DS’s 3 million club. The console number is expected to jump a bit with the launch of Pokemon X and Y this Saturday, both in Japan and worldwide.

Note: I did originally say that the 2DS would release this Saturday as well in Japan. But, as a reader has pointed out, the 2DS will not be coming to Japan (we double checked and confirmed the reader’s statement). This little miscue has been fixed and I thank the reader for bringing that to our attention.

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