Software Sales
| 01./01. | [3DS] Yo-kai Watch 2: Ganso & Honke <RPG> (Level 5) {2014.07.10} (¥4.937) – 180.880 / 1.829.533 (-46%) |
| 02./00. | [3DS] Yoshi’s New Island <ACT> (Nintendo) {2014.07.24} (¥4.936) – 58.285 / NEW |
| 03./05. | [WIU] Mario Kart 8 <RCE> (Nintendo) {2014.05.29} (¥6.156) – 18.129 / 560.487 (+21%) |
| 04./02. | [PSV] Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines <RPG> (Sony Computer Entertainment) {2014.07.17} (¥6.264) – 17.690 / 111.465 (-81%) |
| 05./00. | [PSV] Tokyo Shinseiroku: Operation Abyss <RPG> (5pb.) {2014.07.24} (¥6.264) – 15.242 / NEW |
| 06./00. | [PSV] Corpse Party: Blood Drive <ADV> (5pb.) {2014.07.24} (¥7.344) – 13.688 / NEW |
| 07./06. | [3DS] Yo-kai Watch <RPG> (Level 5) {2013.07.11} (¥4.800) – 10.620 / 1.218.698 (-17%) |
| 08./00. | [PS3] Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late <FTG> (Arc System Works) {2014.07.24} (¥6.264) – 9.171 / NEW |
| 09./08. | [3DS] Taiko no Tatsujin: Don to Katsu no Jikuu Daibouken <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2014.06.26} (¥5.119) – 9.080 / 110.558 (-2%) |
| 10./03. | [PS3] Atelier Shallie: Alchemist of the Dusk Sea <RPG> (Gust) {2014.07.17} (¥7.344) – 7.432 / 51.177 (-83%) |
| 11./04. | [3DS] Gundam Tri Age SP <TBL> (Bandai Namco Games) {2014.07.17} (¥6.145) – 7.110 / 28.634 (-67%) |
| 12./09. | [3DS] Pokemon Art Academy <HOB> (Nintendo) {2014.06.19} (¥3.908) – 5.768 / 75.404 (+1%) |
| 13./07. | [PSV] Freedom Wars <ACT> (Sony Computer Entertainment) {2014.06.26} (¥6.264) – 5.344 / 267.771 (-45%) |
| 14./12. | [3DS] Pokemon X & Y <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2013.10.12} (¥4.800) – 5.089 / 4.112.000 (+3%) |
| 15./11. | [PS3] Grand Theft Auto V (Bargain Edition) <ACT> (Rockstar Games) {2014.06.26} (¥5.389) – 5.026 / 28.685 (-1%) |
| 16./15. | [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 <ACT> (Capcom) {2013.09.14} (¥5.990) – 4.591 / 3.316.196 (+18%) |
| 17./10. | [PS3] Watch Dogs <ADV> (Ubisoft) {2014.06.26} (¥7.992) – 3.684 / 63.269 (-35%) |
| 18./14. | [PS4] FIFA 14 <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2014.02.22} (¥7.665) – 3.587 / 71.128 (-12%) |
| 19./22. | [3DS] Mario Kart 7 <RCE> (Nintendo) {2011.12.01} (¥4.800) – 3.346 / 2.355.647 (+24%) |
| 20./23. | [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf <ETC> (Nintendo) {2012.11.08} (¥4.800) – 3.068 / 3.764.042 (+19%) |
Hardware Sales
| 3DS | 38.445 |
| PS Vita | 23.642 |
| Wii U | 9.429 |
| PS3 | 7.175 |
| PS4 | 5.581 |
| PSP | 489 |
| Xbox 360 | 122 |
It’s kind of a mixed week for Nintendo in the Media Create charts. On one hand, their consoles experienced the only console gains of the week, with both the 3DS and Wii U going up over 1,000 units sold, possibly in response to the Marine Day holiday in Japan Monday last week. This is good for the Wii U as it tries to raise its base. It’s still behind last year’s overall numbers, but its baseline seems to be higher than before.
On the other side, you have Yoshi’s New Island, the latest first-party release from the gaming power. The game launched in second place, behind the new juggernaut Yo-kai Watch 2, with a total of 58,285. Those numbers aren’t good, particularly when you compare them to the launch of Yoshi’s Island DS, which, depending on the charts you follow, went anywhere from 255,000 to 300,000.
When a long-running series doesn’t even come close to the launch totals of the previous game, there’s something wrong. And this is the second launch like this for Nintendo this year. The first was Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, which flopped badly in Japan. While some people were quick to excuse it for being a Western-developed game (DKC:TR was developed by Retro Studios in Austin, Texas), the same can’t be said for Yoshi’s New Island (developed by Japanese company Arzest). Also, the base for the 3DS in Japan is about 8 times higher than the Wii U base, so that’s not an excuse, either. My guess is it came out so long after Western releases that gamers were turned off months ago by the mixed reviews it got from Western websites.
As for the rest of the new games, we start with Tokyo Shinseiroku: Operation Abyss, an RPG from publisher 5pb. The sale of this game was delayed a bit due to the dissolution of former rights owner CyberFront. I don’t believe this one will make it over.
Corpse Party: Blood Drive, another 5pb title, will be getting a Western release. The latest game in the horror series will be getting a localization from that little company that can, XSEED Games. Expect a release some time this year.
The last new game this week is Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late. This is a console version of the visual novel/fighting game originally released in the arcades in 2012. A North American release on the PS3 will be coming next year, courtesy of Aksys Games.
As for the returning games, Yo-kai Watch 2 again leads the way, moving over 180,000 units from two SKUs last week. Combined with the original game, the Yo-kai Watch franchise has sold over 3 million physical units in about 13 months, an amazing achievement for a new IP.
Returning to the top 20, we have Animal Crossing: New Leaf and Mario Kart 7. Both games have well over 2 million in sales in Japan alone, with Animal Crossing slowly moving towards the 4 million mark.
The soccer games seem to be ending their run in the top 20 after the World Cup bump was over. Konami’s Winning Eleven games have already exited, with FIFA 14 being the only soccer representative to remain on the list.
Finally, Mario Kart 8 has seen an increase in its week-to-week numbers. This is the first increase for the game since it launched in May. This may only be temporary, given the Marine Day holiday last week, but just like with all other positive news for the Wii U…
