Happy Saturday everyone, and welcome back to the sales trenches. With the Switch launch over a month and Golden Week a few weeks away, we’re officially back in the doldrums. Expect things to slow down a bit, and the sales numbers to return to “murmur” status for a couple of weeks.
That said, these numbers still have a story to tell, and a decent number of milestones were crossed this week across both Nintendo and Sony platforms. As for Microsoft? Well, they have a console! That’s still kind of neat! Kind of!
Anyway, let’s take a look at the big board.
Nintendo
This sales period, the charts were split evenly between Nintendo hardware and the PlayStation family, with each taking ten spots on the big board. For Nintendo’s consoles, the sales breakdown is as follows:
- Switch: 3
- 3DS: 6
- Wii U: 1
Those brave adventurers, slayers of titans with Felyne companions led the charge to the top of the charts. Monster Hunter Double Cross (3DS) held a tight grip on first place this period, with 43,941 units sold (1,366,093 LTD). For a Monster Hunter title, this is still quite low. For reference, Monster Hunter X was sitting at about 2,201,273 during the same period. That said, a bad run for a Monster Hunter game is still incredible enviable, as the game’s held on to first place for five consecutive weeks. We’ll likely see the game cross 1.4 million within two weeks, and it should edge fairly close to the two million mark by the time it finally exits the charts.
For those who are looking for fewer borders and restrictions, Hyrule still stands as a gold-star destination. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch) clung to second place like a pissed-off Link clings to a rock in the rain, selling 20,888 copies this period (375,291 LTD). The Wii U version also charted, shifting 4,740 units for the week (100,546 LTD). Combined, the two SKUs moved 475,837 units. The combined SKUs should cross the half-million mark within two weeks, and the Switch version should break the 400K mark at the same time. The game continues to be a fantastic mover for Nintendo, with one cop selling for roughly every two Switch consoles. I don’t doubt that this will be a highlight for the big N at their next shareholder’s meeting.
Of course, fighting massive monsters and exploring a physics-based playground aren’t for everybody. Some folks just wanna get their footie on, followed by a bit of tennis (or golf, or baseball, or horse riding). Mario Sports Superstars (3DS) clung to third place this period, pushing another 10,698 copies this period (61,879). The legs the game has grown are encouraging, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see the title crack the 100K mark by mid-May.
Sure, grand adventures and intense sports matches are fun. But sometimes, you just want to host a duel… or answer phones… or eat a ton of sandwiches? Why am I getting Help Wanted flashbacks…? Oh, right! 1-2-Switch (Switch) held on to fourth place this period, with 10,048 units hitting customers’ hands (176,368 LTD). Despite the naysaying early on, I’m really happy to see this title performing so strongly. It enjoys a 27.06% attach rate with the Switch proper, and continues to show some decent legs. We should see 1-2-Switch easily crack a quarter million by the time it exits the charts.
Meanwhile, though the winter chill is gone, the islands of Alola continue to be an inviting destination for potential Pokemon trainers. Pokemon Sun & Moon (3DS) journeyed to the #9 space this time around, with 4,773 units sold (3,241,599 LTD). I’m not sure what I can say that hasn’t been said, here. Pokemon continues to have the momentum of a speeding freight train twenty years later… that or it’s the world’s longest-running fad ever. Dealer’s choice.
The quest for the perfect Mario Trap (TM) continues this week, though it seems as if the interest is starting to wane. Super Mario Maker 3DS (3DS) shifted 4,325 copies this period (1,019,434 LTD), to claim 11th place.
It seems that Bomber Planet’s great revival continues to truck along. Super Bomberman R (Switch) kicked 3,508 more copies to customers this period (70,124 LTD) to take 13th place. We should see this cross 75K within two weeks. Huge props to Konami for successfully bringing back the Bomberman franchise. I’m curious to see where the game’s sales finally rest when it exits the charts.
Of course, beyond the bombins, the wilderness, and the, uh… whatever the hell you call people who are playing 1-2-Switch, there’s that little slice of life we like to call “home”, er… Animal Crossing. Animal Crossing: New Leaf‘s Welcome amiibo release (3DS) pushed 3,035 copies this time around (162,184 LTD), taking 17th place.
Not far behind, the Yo-Kai have returned to possess the bottom of th big board. Yo-Kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki (3DS)spooked its way to 19th this week with 2,802 units sold (704,683 LTD).
On the Hardware Front
The Switch continues to be a sales juggernaut, selling through its stock as it arrives. The hybrid console/handheld shifted 45,673 units this week, taking the top spot and bringing its lifetime sales to 651,879. I’m genuinely excited to see how the system does when Mario Kart arrives, as it’s hitting at the very start of Golden Week. For the uninitiated, Golden Week is one of the biggest shopping weeks of the year, right up there with Christmas.
The 3DS was no slouch, though, moving 23,824 handhelds and taking third place.
The Wii U, meanwhile, continues its slow walk into the darkened horizon. The system shfited just 271 units this week.
Sony
The PlayStation family managed to claim ten spots on the big board this period, with eight PS4 games and two Vita titles claiming spaces.
Leading the way was 2B and the rest of YoRHa, as they explored a mysterious yet hostile realm. NieR: Automata (PS4) jumped up to fifth place, selling through 6,265 units this time around (300,959). The title broke the 300K milestone, which should be nothing short of fantastic for the folks at Square Enix. It’s outpaced its predecessor by every possible metric, and continues to be relevant in word of mouth and via other metrics. We should see it crack 325K easily, before resting at a possible 350-375K by the time it exits the charts.
Beyond the apocalypse, lay the wildlands. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands (PS4) sniped a spot at sixth place, with 6,022 copies reaching customers (159,430 LTD). We should see the game break 160K next sales period, and I don’t doubt that it’ll edge close to 200K by the time it leaves the charts. Whether it’ll surpass or not, though, remains cloudy with the current trajectory.
Meanwhile, everything seems pretty awesome in the Lego world. LEGO Worlds (PS4) dove down to 7th place this period with 5,157 units sold (16,735 LTD). The 55% drop is encouraging, as it shows potential for legs.
Looking a bit further toward the horizon, we see… er… Horizon! Horizon: Zero Dawn (PS4) scaled its way to 8th place this time around, with 4,983 copies reaching customers. The title officially broke the 200K milestone, which is nothing short of fantastic. I do see this breaking 250K inevitably, but it will likely occur in the under-charts. Of course, I could be proven wrong, as the next (psedudo-) major release will be Danganronpa 1-2 Reload (5/18). There’s time for some further growth, still.
The Magic Kingdom got a little brighter this week, as fans across the nation continued to cheer on Sora and company. Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 ReMIX (PS4) shifted another 3,556 units this week (102,281 LTD). On a positive note, the title finally cracked the 100K milestone, so a huge kudos to Square Enix is in order.
It looks like Konami brought its football to an empty arena, though, sadly. Winning Eleven 2017 (PS4) fell facefirst in its debut week, with just 3,381 copies sold and a 14th place finish. All I can really say is “ouch!”
On the flip side, Take-Two continues to rake in the cash with the boys from San Andreas. Grand Theft Auto V‘s budget priced re-release (PS4) moved another 3,328 units (321,342 LTD) to steal 15th place. The game is on track to break 325K with ease. Given that this is a rerelease of a remaster of a… ehh, you know my spiel here. Huge congratulations to Rockstar – they’ve earned that solid gold back scratchers.
I wish I could say the same for the latest Warriors game, though. Warriors All-Stars (PS4) plummeted to the #16 space this period, selling a paltry 3,117 copies (52,062 LTD). The Vita version disappeared completely from the charts. This one looks to be destined for the bargain bins, sadly.
Speaking of the Vita, the title continues to give a decent fight in its twilight years. RepKiss sold though 2,918 copies in its opening week, which was enough to take 18th place.
At the bottom of the charts, it appears that Minecraft (Vita) managed to dig its way back up to 20th place. Mojang’s blocky builder moved another 2,678 units this time around, bringing lifetime sales to 1,140,680.
On the Hardware Front
The PlayStation 4 took a close third place this perirod, selling through 21,922 units. Of those, 4,855 were PS4 Pro consoles.
Meanwhile, the Vita held steady week-over-week, with 5,592 units reaching customers.
Microsoft
In Canada, Rural Municipality of Enterprise No. 142 is a 988.8 square kilometer region in Saskatchewan. The region has four major population centres: The village of Richmound, and hamlets Horsham, Surprise, & Turnstall. 88 private homes can be found in RME#142, which house 160 people.
In the world of Japanese console sales, someone at Microsoft is undoubtedly wondering how they could sell fewer consoles than there are people in this rustic region.
