Happy Tuesday everyone, and welcome to the weekly Media Create numbers! This week saw a few big titles hit the market, but the coast seems mostly clear as retailers and publishers get out of the way of the upcoming hardware launch. Still, there are a few surprises, and a couple of very welcome sights on the big board this time around.
Note: After this week, Wii U is being retired from the “Funny Story” jokes – it’s just being mean when you’re kicking dead hardware around.
Note 2: As I stated previously, I did take a bit of time to dig into Zelda: Breath of the Wild, hence the delay. Next week’s numbers should be on time.
Nintendo
This week saw eight titles on Nintendo hardware claiming real estate on the big board, with seven 3DS games and a Wii U title making the cut. Of those lucky few, none broke into the top-5.
Leading the way is the ever-constant legion of Pokémon trainers hoping to be the very best. Pokémon Sun & Moon (3DS) moved another 13,441 copies this period (3,176,979 LTD) to take sixth place. Combined with the sales of the double pack bundle, which sits at 157,492 last charting, we’re looking at 3,334,471 units reaching customers. Or, to be more specific, 3,491,963 individual pieces of software. No matter how you slice it, that’s freaking incredible.
For those who are tired of Alola, there’s always a new experience over the bridge! (Any former Der Dragon Warrior fans? Anyone? No? Now I’m sad.) 3DS title Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 – Professional tumbled to 9th place this period, selling through 13,093 copies (149,633 LTD). The title is no longer supply constrained, as Bic, Yodobashi, and Amazon are all showing decent stock. Sadly, like a warrior facing down a Golem, it looks like this title’s being smashed into the dirt.
Meanwhile, fans are still building that better Mario Trap, to try to outdo the King of the Koopas. Super Mario Maker 3DS (3DS) took 11th place this time around, with 7,050 units sold (976,825 LTD). This is still on-pace to reach the million mark before it exits charts, but I’ll be revising down to first week of April. I’m assuming we will see sales dip to the 6,500K-ish mark in March, which means that we’d be looking at four weeks minimum to reach the milestone. Still, fantastic results overall.
It looks like someone’s started an exorcism, though, since the yokai are disappearing from the charts. Yo-Kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki (3DS) plummeted to 14th place this period, selling through just 6,106 copies (675,260 LTD). That said, the game did cross the 675K mark, which is always impressive to see. We should see the title break 700K before it finally exits the charts, which will be a solid overall result.
Sadly, we’ve seen that, whether we’re talking about Itchy & Scratchy or Yoshi’s Island, Poochy just isn’t very wanted. 3DS game Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World moved a mere 5,394 copies (92,286 LTD) to take 15th place. On the plus side, we should see the game break the 100K milestone, which would be a huge win for the Big N.
Speaking of huge wins, Animal Crossing: New Leaf‘s “Welcome amiibo” SKU (3DS) continues to find inroads into happy homes. The laid-back life sim sold through another 4,024 units (134,618 LTD) to take 18th place. Again, I like to bring up that this is the fourth re-release of a title that first hit stores on 2012. It’s been an evergreen favorite for nearly five years at this point, and continues to impress with each passing week.
Minecraft (Wii U) continues to be the little title that could, and living proof that Microsoft can land a title in the top-20 for more than a week. Mojang’s blocky builder sold through 2,775 units this time around (294,460 LTD), earning the #19 space. We may see this break the 300K mark, though it will likely occur off-charts at this point.
Sadly, it looks like we reached the end of the line for the latest Momotetsu experience. 3DS game Momotaro Dentetsu 2017: Tachiagare Nippon!! moved a mere 2,575 units (289,306 LTD), which was enough to claim 20th place.
On the Hardware Front
The 3DS took a distant second place this period, selling through 21,541 units. The Wii U? Well, let’s sit back for a little story, shall we?
In the year 464BC, a major earthquake rocked the ancient Greek city of Sparta. Up to 20,000 passed away in the quake, which sparked a revolt of the helot slave class. The events were an initial spark that led to the cancellation of a treaty between the city and Athens, and a key moment in the build- up to the First Peloponnesian War.
In the world of game console sales, 464 Wii U consoles sold likely has Nintendo praying that they can bury the console like those 20,000 Spartans this week.
Bonus: Nintendo Switch numbers are in – the console did ~330,637 units in its début weekend. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow’s charts!
Sony
The PlayStation family controlled the big board again this period, taking up twelve spots. Of those, nine were PS4 games, and three were Vita titles.
Leading the way was the stoic 2B, whose slashing skills and flashing pantsu brought NieR: Automata (PS4) to first place. The title sold through 198,542 units – nearly three times the launch sales for the original NieR, which sold 71,554 units week one (60,174 PS3 / 11,380 360). To say this is a good start for the title is a gross understatement.
Though Nier did take the top spot, let’s not forget that Japan’s love of giant robots is still a thing of beauty. Super Robot Wars V (PS4, Vita), the latest entry in the long-running Super Robot Wars franchise, took both the #2 and #3 spots in its début. The PS4 SKU took top billing, with 100,154 units sold. The Vita version wasn’t far behind, though, with 83,733 copies reaching customers. combined, the two SKUs sold through 183,887 units. The game didn’t quite reach the heights of 2015’s 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Tengoku-Hen, which debuted with 230,419 sales, but it’s not a bad opener overall.
Meanwhile, the tale of magic beasts, and where to kill them continues in fourth place. PS4 exclusive Nioh moved another 17,360 units (118,613 LTD) to keep its blade dug into the top-5. While this isn’t lighting the charts on fire anymore, I do expect to see Nioh break 125K in the next 1-2 weeks, which would be a solid opener for a niche title.
After a brief trip to feudal japan, it looks like the top-5 is taking its game beyond the grasp of temporal logic. Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time 3 Ultimate (Vita), which contains the base game and sequel Haruka: Beyond the Stream of Time 3: Izayoiki, sold through 13,682 units in its first week, which was enough to claim 5th place. I really do have to give props here, as these are basically remasters of a pair of PS2 visual novels that originally hit in the mid-oughts. I guess a good story is timeless, no matter the medium.
Maybe samurai or visual novels aren’t your thing? How about good old-fashioned witches and knights? How many knights? Well, hm… maybe… a hundred? PS4 RPG The Witch and the Hundred Knights 2 shifted 13,421 units in its first week, which was enough to storm into 7th place. You know… I’m still not sure why this was made – the first didn’t light the charts on fire and was fairly expensive to produce. So… let’s double down? I don’t get it, but I guess I don’t know how to business in cases like these.
Meanwhile, the lower half of the charts are still all about chivalry and combat. For Honor (PS4) clashed its way down to 8th place this period, with 13,203 copies reaching customers. The drop of ~67% is actually quite low, so I expect that we may see some legs on the title.
In Capcom land, the family just continues to grow. Resident Evil 7: biohazard (PS4) sold through another 10,409 units during the week (284,490 LTD), which was enough to lurch into 10th place. There’s a very good chance that we’ll see this cross the 300K mark by the end of March, so fingers crossed.
But, as they say, the bayou is surrounded by history. And, in the gaming charts, this proves to be no exception. Assassin’s Creed: The Ezio Collection (PS4), which bundles Assasin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations into one remastered package, stalked its way to 12th place with 6,734 sales.
If classical Italy isn’t your thing, then how about modern-day San Andreas? Grand Theft Auto V‘s (PS4) “New Price” re-release managed to steal a spot at 13th place, with 6,199 units sold (283,970). There’s a great chance that we’ll see this hitting 300K sooner than later, which is just incredible for a budget-priced re-release, let alone a title that’s been on the market in numerous forms for the past four years. Great work, Rockstar. No notes for you.
Not far behind, Noctis continues to cling to desperate hope (or is that just Cup Noodles?). Final Fantasy XV (PS4) dipped down to 16th place this time around, moving a mere just 4,410 copies. While I’d love to see this title break a million, we will likely be biting our nails as it sputters toward the 950K mark. Here’s hoping that it can find life in the under-charts.
And then there’s Minecraft. Notch’s blocky builder continues to be an amazing sight in the charts, as we approach two years of continuous performance in the top-20. This week, the title moved 4,046 copies (1,114,149 LTD), which was enough to hold onto that fort at 17th place. While I’d love to see this hang in there until the 19th, I’m getting a bit antsy with the upcoming Switch launch.
On the Hardware Front
The PS4 took top billing this period, selling through 43,389 units. Of those, 6,481 were PS4 Pro consoles. This is a fantastic overall showing for the system, as it’s nearly 20,000 more units than the same period last year.
We should see it cross the 4.5 million LTD mark by the end of March, if all goes well.
The Vita, meanwhile, took a respectable third place, with 10,704 consoles reaching customers. The PS3, on the other hand, continues to meander along its path, selling through another 505 consoles this week.
Microsoft
The XBox One actually managed to outsell the Wii U this week! …by five units (469 sold). But hey – a win is still a win, even if it’s against a dead platform.
I’m not actually sure of why there was such a jump. Looking at the numbers this was most likely due to the Forza Horizon bundle that hit on the 23rd? That said, this was still humorously low, so gather a chair because it’s funny story time.
In the US military, the 469th Flying Training Squadron is a squadron based at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. The squadron, which is part of the larger 80th Flying Training Wing, has been active on-and-off since 1942. The squadron uses 46 T-38 planes, and flies over 11,500 training sorties per year. This is over 13,000 hours of operation, along with training for undergraduate, pilot instructor and continuation candidates for over 200 individuals.
With 469 XBox Ones sold, things have gotten better, but I wouldn’t be shocked if a few Microsoft employees are searching for the “eject” button.
