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An Updated Look at Japanese Game Sales on Steam [Steamspy figures - May 2016]

Publishers disagree though. A lot of them seems to be enjoying a fair share of sales and revenue. So what's the point of keeping them console exclusive ?

Though it does cost companies to port games over to PC as well. I bet that most of those games that had very low sales didn't even make back the cost of porting over to PC.

Everybody bought the best KoF the least. :(

SNK should consider porting both KOF '98: Ultimate Match Final Edition as well as KOF 2002: Unlimited Match on the disc of KOF XIV as bonuses, IMO.
 

GNOSIS

Member
I bought FC day one and finished it a year later.

I haven't bought SC yet because I'm waiting for a better discount.

I don't think I will buy digital games at full price anymore.
 

Decado

Member
Given how well character action games like dmc and revengeance have done, surprised ninja garden still hasn't made it to steam.
 
Though it does cost companies to port games over to PC as well. I bet that most of those games that had very low sales didn't even make back the cost of porting over to PC.



SNK should consider porting both KOF '98: Ultimate Match Final Edition as well as KOF 2002: Unlimited Match on the disc of KOF XIV as bonuses, IMO.



You're highly overestimating port cost, but please enlight me, which of these games are you thinking in particular.
 

MUnited83

For you.
Let me requalify my statement. I agree that 300K is a good amount, it's just looks like a number that Capcom would think is short of expectations. Just hope this is enough to Greenlight a western release for DD:O, and I don't think it's good enough.

The other way around, it isn't short of expectations at all. In fact, it's the fastest selling game they have.
Want to see something short of expectations, check SFV. DD is doing wonderfully.

Games such as the Guilty Gear games, Disgaea PC, Dragon Quest Heroes, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, & Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim.
Not a single doubt that all of those covered the cost of the port just fine.
 
Games such as the Guilty Gear games, Disgaea PC, Dragon Quest Heroes, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, & Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim.



Guilty Gear games ? Come on, Xrd was on UE3, and sold over 60k. It produced more than a million dollars of revenue, for NOW. If you believe it wasn't worthy to port it on PC for that amount of sales for now, what about the PS4 version ? It sold less than 20k in Japan.
Trails games and Ys were PC games in the first place.
Disgaea PC ? It sold 50k in 2 months. How is that bad sales for that IP ?

As for Dragon Quest Heroes, KT games runs on a multiplatform engine. Tell me in what world 20k of a 60 dollars easy port didn't made it in term of cost.

All the exemples you took were either good sales, or were so cheap to produce that it likely still produced money.
And it still didn't answer the question: What would've been the benefit to keep them console exclusive ? It would've sold more ?
 
Also like to see that most of the games that sold well also have solid ports. Almost as if there is a direct correlation with a game selling well and and a game actually working.
 

Corpekata

Banned
Games such as the Guilty Gear games, Disgaea PC, Dragon Quest Heroes, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, & Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim.

What kind of numbers were you expecting for Disgaea?

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/0...disgaea-4-sales-and-black-rock-shooter-plans/

Here is an article about Disgaea 4 in which the president hopes they reach 100k sales in the west. That's for the brand new game, not a decade old port.

The series isn't exactly very popular.
 
Re: Trails in the Sky SC numbers, XSEED's counting extra sales of FC as mostly the result of SC's release (that's what Tom said informally). I also think most of the people who bought SC, according to Steam, will pitch in for 3rd around launch, given it'll have a similar price point and barrier to entry based on completing FC/SC. There's more to worry about with Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim, which has sold way less than its brethren. Most of the problem's negative word-of-mouth from Ys series fans recommending newcomers start with another game, not Napishtim. I hope Xanadu Next performs better, let alone Little King's Story which is an all-new, bespoke PC port commissioned by XSEED and handled by another port team.
 
Damn I till need to buy some of these.

One can only hope that more Japanese publishers see these numbers and bring their efforts to Steam.

As much as I'd love to see Atlus titles...

Well, if the story is true that they demanded NISA pay Atlus in advance the royalties for a million sales of Persona 5 in order to get European publishing rights, then I'd guess that those numbers aren't "good enough" for them.
 

HeelPower

Member
BloodBorne would've sold crazy well on steam.

As much as I am a PS gamer,I am sad that it didn't hit PC.The souls community is obviously super strong on PC.

I expect BB would've sold better than DS2 and 3 ,because the hype was crazy high over a new IP by Miyazaki.
 

Burning Justice

the superior princess
The drop-off from Trails FC to SC does seem pretty severe, but they're going ahead with 3rd, so SC had to have done well enough for XSEED... I wonder how it did on PSP.

Besides that, I don't think the game's done selling. Its price still hasn't dropped below $20. I imagine sales will jump once it does, though they'll always look low when you compare them to FC.
 
What kind of numbers were you expecting for Disgaea?

http://www.siliconera.com/2011/10/0...disgaea-4-sales-and-black-rock-shooter-plans/

Here is an article about Disgaea 4 in which the president hopes they reach 100k sales in the west. That's for the brand new game, not a decade old port.

The series isn't exactly very popular.

WrKPhfd.gif


They've definitely had a huge party for Disgaea PC success.
 
BloodBorne would've sold crazy well on steam.

As much as I am a PS gamer,I am sad that it didn't hit PC.The souls community is obviously super strong on PC.

I expect BB would've sold better than DS2 and 3 ,because the hype was crazy high over a new IP by Miyazaki.

I am more than certain that Sony knew exactly what they were doing there. The whole point of it was to get Souls' PC and Xbox fanbase to buy a PS4.

...As for the "Sony is cool with PC" crowd who are convinced because of Street Fighter V - I want you all to consider for five seconds that Capcom more than likely had the upper-hand in the penning of SFV's exclusivity. Street Fighter is one of Capcom's biggest IPs, no way they were going to gamble on a single platform. Capcom has a very well-documented history of taking their ball and going over to the competition whenever they don't get their way with a first party. See, for example, Monster Hunter's transition to being a Nintendo IP over, apparently, Sony refusing to implement the specific ad-hoc/WiFi version into the Vita Capcom was asking for, whilst the 3DS had it. I'd bet you that if Sony weren't willing to play ball with a PS4/PC platform split, Capcom could have more than easily offered Street Fighter V over to Microsoft, who'd likely be more than willing to oblige on an Xbone/PC split, especially if they could use it to push UWP gaming.

(tl;dr: Sony not playing ball with Capcom is what killed the Vita. If Sony didn't play ball with Capcom on SFV, they'd lose the Fighting Game audience to Xbone and PC.)
 

Granjinha

Member
Games such as the Guilty Gear games, Disgaea PC, Dragon Quest Heroes, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC, & Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim.

You crazy. SC did so badly that TC is coming. :p Guilty Gear and Disgaea sold very well for late ports, especially disgaea.
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
Fuck you SEGA, Jet Set Radio sells 1.6 mil copies on Steam alone and you refuse to port Future?

Edit: Oh right they gave it away for free :lol
 
Shocked the numbers for some of the FF games and SC aren't higher and wow thanks to this I discovered Metal Slug 2 released lol.
 
Fuck you SEGA, Jet Set Radio sells 1.6 mil copies on Steam alone and you refuse to port Future?

Jet Set Radio has been given away for free en-mass multiple times, as well as a Humble Bundle. Pretty sure those Owners numbers were closer to 300k when SteamSpy launched.

Likewise with, say, Viking: Battle for Asgard, which as I recall, had its Owners number basically triple after being put in a Total War bundle.

Valkyria's numbers are pretty solid though. Pretty much every major Owners bump has been directly coorelated to Steam sales. We're looking at 150k at most from the Humble Monthly and Sega Strategy Humble Bundle. So fair estimate that it's sold 700k directly via Steam.
 

Tizoc

Member
I am more than certain that Sony knew exactly what they were doing there. The whole point of it was to get Souls' PC and Xbox fanbase to buy a PS4.

...As for the "Sony is cool with PC" crowd who are convinced because of Street Fighter V - I want you all to consider for five seconds that Capcom more than likely had the upper-hand in the penning of SFV's exclusivity. Street Fighter is one of Capcom's biggest IPs, no way they were going to gamble on a single platform. Capcom has a very well-documented history of taking their ball and going over to the competition whenever they don't get their way with a first party. See, for example, Monster Hunter's transition to being a Nintendo IP over, apparently, Sony refusing to implement the specific ad-hoc/WiFi version into the Vita Capcom was asking for, whilst the 3DS had it. I'd bet you that if Sony weren't willing to play ball with a PS4/PC platform split, Capcom could have more than easily offered Street Fighter V over to Microsoft, who'd likely be more than willing to oblige on an Xbone/PC split, especially if they could use it to push UWP gaming.

(tl;dr: Sony not playing ball with Capcom is what killed the Vita. If Sony didn't play ball with Capcom on SFV, they'd lose the Fighting Game audience to Xbone and PC.)
Mind explaining why we got umvc3 and sfxt on vita during its first year then?
 

Mifec

Member
BloodBorne would've sold crazy well on steam.

As much as I am a PS gamer,I am sad that it didn't hit PC.The souls community is obviously super strong on PC.

I expect BB would've sold better than DS2 and 3 ,because the hype was crazy high over a new IP by Miyazaki.

Was the biggest for 1&2 yeah so that was quite a missed opportunity. But BB was basically a system seller they would have never allowed it on PC. Which is kinda sad considering the dogshit framepacing and it being locked to 30. I'd have actually bought the game again at full price and finished it on PC.
 

Ratrat

Member
Is there a list by revenue? I bet MGSV would top it. Dark Souls and Valkyria Chronicles are like $5 every now and then.
 

HeelPower

Member
I am more than certain that Sony knew exactly what they were doing there. The whole point of it was to get Souls' PC and Xbox fanbase to buy a PS4.

...As for the "Sony is cool with PC" crowd who are convinced because of Street Fighter V - I want you all to consider for five seconds that Capcom more than likely had the upper-hand in the penning of SFV's exclusivity. Street Fighter is one of Capcom's biggest IPs, no way they were going to gamble on a single platform. Capcom has a very well-documented history of taking their ball and going over to the competition whenever they don't get their way with a first party. See, for example, Monster Hunter's transition to being a Nintendo IP over, apparently, Sony refusing to implement the specific ad-hoc/WiFi version into the Vita Capcom was asking for, whilst the 3DS had it. I'd bet you that if Sony weren't willing to play ball with a PS4/PC platform split, Capcom could have more than easily offered Street Fighter V over to Microsoft, who'd likely be more than willing to oblige on an Xbone/PC split, especially if they could use it to push UWP gaming.

(tl;dr: Sony not playing ball with Capcom is what killed the Vita. If Sony didn't play ball with Capcom on SFV, they'd lose the Fighting Game audience to Xbone and PC.)


Of course.Luckily BB sold really well at the end of the day.

Did Sony japan actually contribute resources to the actual development of the game? That could mean that the game wouldn't have been as good as it was without Sony's involvement(not sure about this)
 

Tizoc

Member
Well deserved, best "mascot racer" ever and a massive improvement over the original game.

I really hope we see a sequel someday.
Ot heck sega should just let sumo make a new arcade style racer under any of sega's racing game brands
 
Mind explaining why we got umvc3 and sfxt on vita during its first year then?

Multiplats.

Capcom is very adamant about Monster Hunter games being single-platform so they don't split up the playerbase. Hence, they will pick a single platform that they feel is best, such as the 3DS which has the precise WiFi module in it they desired, and as a bonus, hardware weak enough they have an excuse to reuse the same damned assets over and over again they made a decade ago. The only MonHun games I can name that are on multiple platforms are ones that have cross-platform multiplayer between eachother in the same system family. And the Frontier series, but who cares about Frontier.

Also, didn't UMVC3 and SFxT have netcode issues on Vita?

Is there a list by revenue? I bet MGSV would top it. Dark Souls and Valkyria Chronicles are like $5 every now and then.

MGSV also happens to be, well, a Metal Gear game.

Comparing MGSV sales to Valkyria's is like comparing Grand Theft Auto's to Sleeping Dogs'.
 

Corpekata

Banned
Is there a list by revenue? I bet MGSV would top it. Dark Souls and Valkyria Chronicles are like $5 every now and then.

Dark Souls 3 is far more likely to top MGSV because it's never had a discount.

But no, it'd be impossible for Steamspy to guess on that.
 

zulux21

Member
WrKPhfd.gif


They've definitely had a huge party for Disgaea PC success.

yup, 50k for that should be more than enough to get a port of disgaea 2.

I mean disgaea 1 didn't even go on sale yet, when it drops to 10 or 5 I bet that number will go up quite a bit.

I know I am a big disgaea fan and haven't bought it yet. mostly because 1 is my least favorite to play, but still I will buy it once it goes on a decent sale.

overall some of these numbers make me sad, but in general they were likely worth the effort to port, and I am glad they have done so.

I am still really hoping down the line we get more companies taking a chance of releasing a previously unreleased game on steam like half minute hero 2 did.

Those aren't big expectations: Disgaea 3 did 150k in US alone.

yup, they never have big expectations for disgaea. They are careful with their budget and put out a quality game without breaking the bank so they don't need huge numbers to deem something a success.
 
Is there a list by revenue? I bet MGSV would top it. Dark Souls and Valkyria Chronicles are like $5 every now and then.

Yeah, MGSV and DSIII would easily be there on top for revenue gain. It's also showing that releasing PC ports late deliberately is such a foolish idea that seems to be the norm for the Japanese publishers.
 
Yeah, MGSV and DSIII would easily be there on top for revenue gain. It's also showing that releasing PC ports late deliberately is such a foolish idea that seems to be the norm for the Japanese publishers.



You can only get away with late port if it's an amazing game with excellent word of mouth. FFX HD remaster outselling Type O HD or Lightning Returns by a wide margin at a higher price is a good showing of that.



Disgaea 5 did well in NPD. Japanese sales have shrunk though.


How much ?
 

HeelPower

Member
Yeah, MGSV and DSIII would easily be there on top for revenue gain. It's also showing that releasing PC ports late deliberately is such a foolish idea that seems to be the norm for the Japanese publishers.

Square would be really....really stupid not to release the game on steam at launch..

And they pretty much will at this point.

But then again maybe such a version would need more time to release.Better late than release a broken piece of shit.
 
Square would be really....really stupid not to release the game on steam at launch..

And they pretty much will at this point.

But then again maybe such a version would need more time to release.Better late than release a broken piece of shit.



You mean the same Square which stealth released FFXHD thus hurting its sales potential ?
 

zulux21

Member
Disgaea 5 did well in NPD. Japanese sales have shrunk though.

to be fair around 3 was when they started to regularly port the games to sony handhelds with improvements and extra content.

in a market that is handheld friendly it's not surprising the console sales of a game would decrease when they know a better hand held version will eventually come :p
 

Bronetta

Ask me about the moon landing or the temperature at which jet fuel burns. You may be surprised at what you learn.
MGSV was bundled with GPUs for awhile and had a sale at least once. Dark Souls 3 has higher revenue due to those factors.

Plus the DS3 season pass has probably sold more than whatever F.O.B trash Konami was selling as DLC.
 
Great thread OP. It puts into perspective the sales for the Japanese games on Steam. Some show potential while others show failure. Niche developers like Idea Factory definitely have established themselves on Steam.

CAPCOM

Resident Evil 6 - 789.000
Resident Evil 5 - 739.000
Resident Evil Revelations 2 - 585.000
Resident Evil Revelations - 560.000
Resident Evil 4 - 556.000
Resident Evil HD - 210.000
Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City - 93.000
Resident Evil 0 Remaster - 69.000

DmC: Devil May Cry - 803.000
Devil May Cry 4 - 286.000
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition - 204.000
Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition - 142.000

Ultra Street Fighter 4 - 718.000
Street Fighter V - 168.000
Street Fighter x Tekken - 113.000
Street Fighter IV - 104.000

Lost Planet 3 - 448.000
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition - 428.000
Lost Planet 2 - 151.000
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition - Colonies Edition - 42.000

Dead Rising 2 - 450.000
Strider - 406.000
Dragons Dogma - 300.000
Dead Rising 2: Off the Record - 206.000
Dungeons and Dragons: Chronicles of Mystara - 115.000
Megaman Legacy Collection - 41.000
I am surprised to see that no game has managed to hit a million sales yet. Dragon's Dogma was touted as the second Dark Souls yet it barely managed to register 300k sales. Compared to Dark Souls and the crazy WOM DD received before launch, this is disappointing to say the least.

DmC has higher sales than the original series. I guess we all know how the taste of PC gamers align with the West :p

Resident Evil sales are a fraction of what the game did on consoles. Resident Evil 5 is at 7 million while Resident Evil 6 is at 6.5 million. I would have expected atleast 1 million here on PC.

The positive thing is that there is definitely room for growth here, so the potential exists. It is up to the developers to realize it now.
 
to be fair around 3 was when they started to regularly port the games to sony handhelds with improvements and extra content.

in a market that is handheld friendly it's not surprising the console sales of a game would decrease when they know a better hand held version will eventually come :p

Yeah but, didn't some NIS exec say that a Vita port of Disgaea 5 was 'never' happening?
 
Great thread OP. It puts into perspective the sales for the Japanese games on Steam. Some show potential while others show failure. Niche developers like Idea Factory definitely have established themselves on Steam.


I am surprised to see that no game has managed to hit a million sales yet. Dragon's Dogma was touted as the second Dark Souls yet it barely managed to register 300k sales. Compared to Dark Souls and the crazy WOM DD received before launch, this is disappointing to say the least.

DmC has higher sales than the original series. I guess we all know how the taste of PC gamers align with the West :p

Resident Evil sales are a fraction of what the game did on consoles. Resident Evil 5 is at 7 million while Resident Evil 6 is at 6.5 million. I would have expected atleast 1 million here on PC.

The positive thing is that there is definitely room for growth here, so the potential exists. It is up to the developers to realize it now.



DmC higher sales are more likely due to the game being released at the right time. It was a AAA game released close to its console release. Not a remaster, not a late port.

As for Resident Evil sales, well this is what happens with late ports in the end. Resident Evil 6 could've had a higher chance of selling a million if it wasnt for being a late port. Because the bad word of mouth surrouding the game is strong.

Also the distinction consoles vs pc makes no sense. PC is one platform as a whole yes, but consoles arent. PS4/PS3/XB1/XB360 dont make one platform or one SKU as a whole. So yes, PC will always sell a fraction of it if you compare one platform to every others.
 

Ratrat

Member
Okay, but Im pretty sure MGSV was also more expensive than DS3 on release. It was close to $10 more in the Japanese store at least. Valkyria Chronicles' sales are great. Just thought sales wasn't necessarily the most important figure.

I find it pretty funny that all the western made Dead Rising, Devil May Cry and Lost planet sequels sold much better in spite of fan reaction.

thuVS0g.jpg
 
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