Happy Monday everyone, and welcome to another week of Media Create sales discussion!
All said and done, this was a pretty slow week overall with no huge blockbusters hitting store shelves. That said, a few solid performers did make it into the mix.
Note: Due to the Nintendo Switch launch next weekend, the Media Create thread will be late. I’ll be hitting up a midnight launch and just disappearing into Zelda for a couple of days.
Nintendo
Titles on Nintendo hardware managed to claim eight spaces this period, with seven 3DS games and a Wii U title reaching the big board.
At the front of the pack, we see fans continuing to stock up on tickets to Alola. Pokémon Sun & Moon (3DS) jumped up to third place this period, with 14,610 units sold (3,163,538 LTD). Combined with the sales of the double pack bundle, which sits at 157,492 last charting, we have total sales sitting at 3,321,030. That’s 3,478,522 individual pieces of software, for those who are curious.
Sadly, Slime and company seem to have fallen victim to their own success. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 – Professional (3DS) tumbled to fourth place with 14,489 units sold (136,539 LTD). The 88% drop would be concerning, but (there’s always a but) the game is currently supply constrained. We were reporting sell-outs last sales period, and I’m seeing that stock is still tough to come by on trackers at Bic, Yodobashi, and Amazon. Hopefully, we’ll see a jump once stock becomes more readily available.
A bit further down the charts, we see that sales of hard hats and creative death traps are still holding steady. Super Mario Maker 3DS (3DS) moved another 7,704 untis (969,775 LTD) to hang on to 7th place for the period. The title is still in good shape to cross the million mark by the end of March, so fingers crossed, everyone!
Sadly, Poochy and Yoshi are slowing their pace a bit, as they take in the middle of the charts.
Sadly, Poochy and Yoshi do seem to be slowing their pace again. Poochy & Yoshi’s Woolly World (3DS) tumbled to 8th place this week, with 6,916 units sold (86,892 LTD). Though the title has beaten out Wii U’s Yoshi’s Woolly World, which exited the charts at 66,741 sales, it’s not doing fantastically at the same time. That said, though, we could see this cross 100K, which I’d call a decent success overall.
While Yokai are everywhere, they’re particularly prominent at 9th place this week. Yo-Kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki (3DS) dropped down to 9th place this time around, with 6,814 copies reaching customers (669,153 LTD). The title is still on track to break 675K within the next two weeks, which is encouraging.
Meanwhile, folks continue to find happy virtual homes with the help of a quirky raccoon. Animal Crossing: New Leaf‘s Welcome amiibo SKU (3DS) shifted 4,036 units this period (130,595 LTD) to take 16th place. I can’t really express how impressive it is, to see this fourth release of the game breaking 125K at retail.
Sadly, we look to be getting to the end of the Momotaro line. 3DS game Momotaro Dentetsu 2017: Tachiagare Nippon!! sold through just 2,889 copies this period (286,731 LTD) to take 19th place. We may – may see this cross 290K, but I’d be amazed if we see this break the 300,000 milestone.
On that note, the block party continues at the bottom of the charts. Minecraft (Wii U) sold through 2,807 units (291,684 LTD) to take 20th place. There’s potential to cross 300K by the time the game is dead and buried, but we might not see it reach the actual milestone. Still, kudos for continuing to breathe life into Nintendo’s sunsetting platform.
On the Hardware Front
The 3DS took second place this week, with 22,294 handhelds reaching customers. The Wii U… ehhhhh…
In the world of film, 491 is a Swedish black-and-white drama film. The feature, which hit theaters in 1964, was directed by Vilgot Sjöman and based on a novel by Lars Görling. The film was highly controversial when it was released, due to content that I really can’t discuss within an all-ages context. The feature was banned in Sweden and Malaysia. The reaction to the feature was so visceral that it was cited as a reason for the founding of Sweden’s Kristdemokraterna (Christian Democrat) party.
In the world of games sales, 491 Wii U consoles sold likely causes more sadness than outrage.
Sony
The PlayStation family managed to capture twelve spots on the charts this period, with eight PS4 games and four Vita titles making the cut.
Leading the charge was Ubisoft, who claimed the Honor of the coveted #1 space. For Honor (PS4) sold thorugh 40,062 units in its opening week, and we’ve had a few reports of storefronts reporting sellouts.
Not far behind, fans are continuing the assault against the oni hordes… and dying pretty horribly in the process. Nioh (PS4) sold through another 25,776 copies this period (101,253 LTD) to hold onto second place. The title crossed the 100K milestone, and still appears to be supply constrained on a quick glance at Bic, Yodobashi, and Amazon. Kudos, Team Ninja. You’ve done super well.
Moving down the charts ab it, it seems like folks are still being welcomed to the family (son). Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (PS4) moveda nother 11,772 copies this period (274,081 LTD) to infect fifth place. The title will cross 275K next sales period, and is on track to break 300K pretty easily. Again – not super amazing for Resident Evil (RE6 did some serious damage to that brand), but still quite good overall for a horror game. I have hope for future installments.
If horror, crazy-hard action, and arena combat aren’t your thing, how about a bit of strategy? Romance of the Three Kingdoms 13 with Power-Up Kit (PS4) sold through 7,719 units in its first week, which is enough to capture 6th place. Before we begin, a few qualfiers: This is a re-release of RottK 13, which hit stores January 2016, only with the DLC bundled in. Second, this retails for ¥9,800 ($87.47), meaning that the title has raised about ¥67,518,093 ($602,662.55 USD) before the wholesale split (which does bring that profit down considerably). So, overall, it’s doing well in these circumstances. I do see it topping out at about 10K, though.
Just inside the top-10, folks seem to be gearing up for Crime Time (TM). Grand Theft Auto V‘s budget-priced re-release (PS4) took 10th place this period, with 6,142 copies reaching customers (277,771 LTD). Again – this is a re-release of a remaster of a four year old game. To see this break 275K is fan-freaking-tastic. Good work, Rockstar – now, when’s GTA6?
Just outside the top-10, the sickle weasels are on the prowl. Kamaitachi no Yoru: Rinne Saisei (Vita), the latest entry in the long-running Kamaitachi no Yoru franchise managed to claim 11th place in its opening week. And by long-running, I mean long-running. The series kicked off on the Super Famicom in 1994. Not sure if anybody out there watches Game Center CX, but Arino played the first game in season 14.
The four goddesses of Planeptune seem to have fallen, sadly. PS4 title Yonmegami Online: Cyber Dimension Neptune (Four Goddesses Online: Cyber Dimension Neptune) tumbled to 12th place this period, selling through 6,070 units (48,577). The 86% drop does fall at the high end of the spectrum, but we were looking at sell-outs last period. I’m curious to see if sales will remain steady once stock becomes more plentiful. At the very worst? The game sells 50K next week, at minimum.
Further down the charts, Bandai Namco’s digivolving into sadness. Digimon World: Next Order (PS4) stumbled into 13th place this period, selling just 5,930 units in its début week. If I recall, this is a late Vita port, and it appears most people who wanted the game purchased the title when it hit the handheld in March 2016.
Sadly, Diabolik Lovers doesn’t have the same excuse. Diabolik Lovers: Lost Eden (Vita) sold through just 5,537 units this time around. This is roughly on par with its predecessor, Diabolik Lovers: Lunatic Parade, which charted at 21st last period. So, it’s kind of a wash.
While the Regalia looks to finally be pulling into Hammerhead for its final tune-up, I have to admit that it had a hell of a ride. Final Fantasy XV (PS4) dropped down to 15th place this week, with 4,091 units sold (940,396 LTD).
Similarly, it looks like Minecraft (Vita) may finally be giving up the ghost. Mojang’s blocky builder moved just 4,025 copies this period (1,110,103 LTD), claiming 17th place. That said, this title’s been the Vita’s “little game that could,” defying expectations and becoming possibly the most successful title to hit the platform. So, after nearly two years on the charts, it’s hard to complain. Still, when it does finally drop out, things are going to seem a little sad all round.
And, as Minecraft seems to be settling into its long sleep, so too does the… notion of harmony? Am I reading this right? Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony (Vita) took 18th this place this period, with 3,187 units sold (115,840 LTD).
On the Hardware Front
The PlayStation 4 took top honors again this week, selling through 27,203 units. Of those, 5,999 were PS4 Pro consoles (~22.05%). The Vita sold just under a third of its more powerful brother, with 8,284 handhelds reaching customers.
The PS3, meanwhile, continues to hold roughly steady. The console moved another 500 units this week, up from last week’s 473.
Microsoft
In the music world, 76 is the début album by dutch trance producer and DJ Armin van Buuren. The album hit stores on September 23, 2003 and made it to 38th place on the Dutch MegaCharts tracker.
In the world of Japanese hardware sales, 76 XBox One consoles sold means that someone may be looking to groove to greener pastures in the job market.
