Media Create Analyses

Media Create (Japan) Game Sales Analysis: 2017 Week 20 (05/15/2017 – 05/21/2017)


Happy Sunday everyone, and welcome to another week of Media Create sales numbers. And, this week, the key word is “flat.” We’ve officially stepped into the spring doldrums, folks. While we do have a couple of new PS4 entries this period, it looks like we’ll be seeing fairly little movement in the big board until Tekken 7 hits retailers on June 1.

We may see a blip for Ultra Street Fighter II (Switch) and Guilty Gear Xrd REV2 (PS4) next week, but June 1 seems to be what signals the opening of the summer flood gates.

Nintendo

Titles on the Big N’s hardware claimed thirteen spots in the top-20 this sales period. Of those, nine 3DS games, three Switch titles, and a Wii U game made the cut.

It seems like Mario’s still dodging those blue shells with style this period. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) took its fourth first-place finish in a row this period, with 28,781 units sold (440,696 LTD). Barring some disaster, we should see this cross 450K next week. As of now, the title enjoys a 50.31% attach rate, with one copy in the wild for every Switch console. I’m genuinely excited to see where the title finally rests when it exits the charts, as I expect to see Mario Kart 8 become a powerful bundle title come holiday season. That said, a 50% attach rate is nothing short of incredible, and the fact that the title’s held the crown for four straight weeks shows that people are still hungry for some Mario Kart.

Those who aren’t taking a day at the race track are enjoying the thrill of hunting the most dangerous game of all. No, I’m not talking about people. Monster Hunter Double Cross camped out at second place for another week, with 12,643 copies reaching customers (1,479,189 LTD). I don’t doubt that we’ll see this entry cross the 1.5 million mark before long, which is stellar for a weaker-performing Monster Hunter title. There’s a lot of negative word-of-mouth surrounding the title, though, and I hope that this doesn’t portend a drop for the next mainline entry when it inevitably hits. That said, given the response to the Switch version that was announced on Friday, I’m pretty hopeful.

The open vistas of Hyrule continue to await with open arms for those who don’t want to hunt the mighty Rathalos. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild clung to third place this time around, selling through 10,849 copies (465,631, LTD). The Wii U version also made it into the top-10 this week, with 3,286 units sold (122,993 LTD). Combined, the two SKUs have moved 588,624 units. The Switch verison alone maintains a 53.15% attach rate. In short: this Zelda continues to bring all the adventurers to the yard. I’m still bullish on the title, and predict that we should see this cross the half-million point by summer. Regardless of whether it does or not, though, Nintendo already crushed the sales of the last (major) console Zelda title. Skyward Sword was only able to pull in about 380,000 lifetime, and the Switch SKU alone is crushing it by about 85,000 units.

Oddly, the Saiyans look like they’re still charging. Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission X spent another week at fourth place, with 7,470 units sold (146,408 LTD). We should see this cross 150K come next period, which is solid, overall.

The war between the forces of Mila and Duma continues to rage on in the top-10, though it looks like some is being lost in the scuffle. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia fell back to 7th this time around, selling just 4,400 units (179,268 LTD). At its current trajectory, we should see the title crack 200K by July.

The Survey Corps continued its journey down the charts this period, with Attack on Titan: Escape from Certain Death (3DS). The visual novel shifted 3,238 copies this time around (11,837) which was enough to slay a monstrosity at the #11 spot. Before I go on, I want to say that, last week, I pegged this as an abject failure of the market. More than a few folks reminded me that this is a visual novel (which never set the charts on fire), and I also failed to take brand degradation into account in the initial analysis. Though sales are still on the lower side, given retail expectations, they aren’t bad for a visual novel, all considered. Thanks to everyone who pointed that out! You all rock. That said, Week-2 performance was encouraging for the title, which saw a lower than expected drop (62%), indicating that we may see some stubby legs grow in the title yet.

Speaking of legs, trainers are still flocking to Alola for a healthy dose of adventure. Pokémon Sun & Moon (3DS) pushed 3,043 copies (3,262,880 LTD) to take 12th place. Combined with the sales of the double-pack, which sits at 157,492 last charting, we’re looking at 33,420,372 units sold total. That’s 3,577,864 individual pieces of software. Much like last week, the title continues to show great resilience, with just a 1% decline week-over-week.

Just outside behind the Poké-battling action, folks are getting their quick play on with wizard battling, ball rolling, and telephone antics. 1-2-Switch (Switch) took the #13 space this time around, with 2,937 sales (211,793). The title seems to be following a more normal trajectory than Zelda and Mario Kart, and will likely exit the charts by August. I’m still a bit hazy on final standing, but I’d be surprised if it breaks 250K at this point. Still, the sales are strong for a minigame compilation in this day and age.

It looks like there’s still a desire to return to simpler times, when people could do errands, fish, or hunt for bugs. Also, when their neighbors were animals. (Wait, what?) Animal Crossing: New Leaf‘s Welcome amiibo SKU (3DS) saw sales remaining flat this period, with 2,905 copies reaching customers (178,852 LTD). I have to admit that I’m continually amazed by just how many copies this sells, even five years and three releases later.

With summer upon us, some folks are making their way out to play some sort of sport… or just sit inside and play a quirky simulation. Mario Sports Superstars (3DS) dropped down to 15th this period, with 2,865 units sold (92,829 LTD). At this point, there’s a real chance that we could see the title cross 100K. It is a bit touch-and-go at this point, though, and heavily dependent on sales trajectory.

A bit further down, folks continue to scramble as they seek to build the best ways to maim Mario on their 3DSes. Super Mario Maker 3DS (3DS) built a stairway to 17th, with 2,774 copies reaching customers (1,041,237 LTD).

Sadly, it looks like Baseball Fever was a bit short-lived this year. Pro Baseball Famista Climax (3DS) grounded to 18th, with 2,753 sales (76,436). On the plus side, the title did crack 75K, which is still a strong overall performance for Famista in this day and age.

On the Hardware Front

The Switch held onto its crown at the top of the sales charts, selling 24,712 units (875,989 LTD). We should see this cross the million by Summer at this rate, since the Switch is still sold out through Japan and stock bumps are expected for the launches of ARMS and Splatoon 2.

The 3DS had a strong week as well, taking second place with 18,060 units sold. The Wii U, on the other hand, continues to do its own thing, selling through 184 consoles this period.

Sony

The PlayStation family saw some games this week, with the PS4 clawing two spots back from Nintendo’s consoles this period. In all, seven PS4 games made the big board this time around.

Leading the way was Prey (PS4), Arkane Studios’ take on the 2006 shooter. 7,105 customers took the tip to Talos I this period, rocketing the title to fifth place. Unfortunately, the title did prove to be a bit of an under-performer, as it’s only sold through 40-60% of its initial stock. I won’t call it a bomb, as this is we’re talking about a western shooter, but sales could be better overall. We’ll likely see this drop 75-82% next week as it follows a normal trajectory.

Meanwhile, YoRHa continues to journey thorugh the top half of the charts. NieR: Automata (PS4) slashed up 6th place this period, selling through 4,740 units (330,293 LTD). The title saw surprisingly flat sales tihs time around, losing just 6% week-over-week. I’m still bullish about NieR crossing the 350K mark by E3, whis is nothing short of amazing given initial estimates. Kudos Square Enix and Yoko Taro. You did good.

Rather than wield a gun or a blade, some opt to head back to the courts. Danganronpa 1 + 2 Reload (PS4), a bundle of the first two Danganronpa games, raised an objection at 8th place with 3,880 copies reaching customers. Now, before I begin, this is super low compared to estimates (retailers report 20-40% sell-through). That said, this is a compilation of two games that are ancient by Japanese market standards. Both have appeared on multiple platforms from the PSP to Windows PCs. This will be in the bomba bins, but that’s mostly due to the fact that anyone who wants the game likely has it in some form or another by now.

It looks like the fire is starting to fade over Lothric once again. Dark Souls III: The Fire Fades Edition (PS4), which includes the core Dark Souls III and both DLC quests, sat at a bonfire at 9th with 3,302 units sold (55,979 LTD). Given the trajectory, there’s a slim chance that we’ll this title reach the 75K milestone. As of now, though, I’m still in “wait and see” mode.

Speaking of milestones, San Andreas continues to be an appealing place for would-be criminals. Grand Theft Auto V‘s (PS4) budget-priced re-release stole the #16 space, with 2,863 units sold (336,943). I’m kind of amazed that there’s a real chance we could see this cross the 350K mark, as we’re looking at a re-release of a port of a four year old game. There are no words at all to explain how fantastic this is.

At the bottom of the charts, we see folks returning to the WildLands. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands (PS4) descended to 19th, pushing just 2,468 copies this period (180,413). We likely won’t see this one cross 200K on the charts, but it had a good run overall.

Finally, fans are taking one last siege run. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege (PS4) crept down to 20th, with 2,426 units sold (194,471 LTD).

Just as a quick note: Vita game Rewrite: Harvest Festa charted at 21st, but we don’t have the numbers. The Vita version of Danganronpa 1 + 2 Reload barely managed to chart at 50th.

On the Hardware Front

The PlayStation 4 managed to take a hard-fought third place this period, with 17,314 consoles sold. Of those, 4,989 were PS4 Pro units. The Vita sold just under a quarter of its console brother, moving just 4,088 units.

The PS3, meanwhile, managed to outsell the Wii U, with 327 units hitting customers’ hands.

Microsoft

In Japanese transit, National Route 103 is a highway that connects Aomori and Ōdate. The motorway extends for 133.6 kilometers (83.02 miles), and serves as a convenient out for when I can’t find a decent fact for the number 103.

In the world of Japanese console sales, 103 XBox One units sold has me wondering if a few members at Microsoft are looking to just get in their cars and drive down some highway without ever looking back.

[Full Charts at 4Gamer]
[Discussion at NeoGAF]

About the author

Samantha Ferreira

Samantha Ferreira is Anime Herald’s founder and editor-in-chief. A Rhode Island native, Samantha has been an anime fan since 1992, and an active member of the anime press since 2002, when she began working as a reviewer for Anime Dream. She launched Anime Herald in 2010, and continues to oversee its operations to this day. Outside of journalism, Samantha actively studies the history of the North American anime fandom and industry, with a particular focus on the 2000s anime boom and bust. She’s a huge fan of all things Sakura Wars, and maintains series fansite Combat Revue Review when she has free time available. When not in the Anime Herald Discord, Samantha can typically be found on Bluesky.

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