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[Katana_Strikes]

While I think it's too late to truly save the console downhill slope in Japan, it's pleasing to see the PS4 have a renaissance that when Japan actually pulls something out of the bag and has a release schedule of decent proportions, consoles can sell well. Now imagine if they was a complete concerted effort and I think the Japanese would come running back to consoles in a big way. That boat has sailed sadly but the PS4's sales right now show it could be done somewhat. But years of neglect and decline isn't something you can correct easily I guess.

 

[Oregano]

FF13's sequels mean jack shit since they're relative to how people liked FFXIII. The general consensus is that it's either the worst or one of the worst Final Fantasy games that were made. It's not just FFX, FFXII is the 4th best selling Final Fantasy, 9 years ago. Way to conveniently ignore that fact. All you're doing is grasping at small straws like FFXIII and its sequels. The game wasn't that good and it didn't sell well. That's not relative to the series selling worse but a game sucking and it selling poorly because of it. FFX remaster again has sold more than any jRPG remaster ever made. FFXIV has sold better than FFXI that released on the PS2.

Your only example at FF losing its magic is FFXIII that is known to be an inferior game to other mainline FF games which is a pretty horrible example.

Your point about the change in style/gameplay alienating jRPG fans might be right, but we disagree here.

People pretty much made this exact same argument in regards to Tales of Xillia 2 and Tales of Zestiria.

 

[Rolf NB]

Media Create Sales: Week 12, 2015 (Mar 16 - Mar 22)
<...>

HARDWARE

+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
|System | This Week  | Last Week  | Last Year  |     YTD    |  Last YTD  |     LTD     |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
|  PS4  |     [b]46.395[/b] |     33.826 |     30.201 |    332.988 |    470.011 |   1.303.655 |
|  XB1  |        344 |        307 |            |      5.590 |            |      [b]48.857[/b] |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+

Almost!

 

[Logash]

Solid 12% increase for the XBO. Keep it up!

 

[Wiggy]

Nothing could save the Xbox One in Japan.

The only major Japanese exclusive is Scalebound, which is a Platinum game and will therefore automatically bomba anyway.

I laughed then felt sad

At least they dont seem to have trouble scoring contracts from pubs

 

[Takao]

You know DB:Xenoverse probably recieved a major contribution from PC, sales-wise, right? Not to say PS4 didn't help, but it's not just PS4. Far from it.

yeah, xenoverse is up considerably from last gen's db games norms even in japan
and it isn't getting much help from the lord and savior ps4 over there
maybe, just maybe, people find xenoverse a more attractive product than prior games
shocking

 

[test_account]

You know DB:Xenoverse probably recieved a major contribution from PC, sales-wise, right? Not to say PS4 didn't help, but it's not just PS4. Far from it.

Does a PC physical version exist?

 

[Loris146]

Does a PC physical version exist?

Nope , only Steam.

 

[test_account]

Nope , only Steam.

I see. Did Bandai Namco comment on sales numbers? I only know about what Chart Track said for the UK, but if a physical PC version doesnt exist, then it wouldnt be included in those numbers.

No reason to cherrypick and mix in misinformation, the information was about all skus combined sales and also only about the debut in UK and not EU, there was nothing in the comment that implied something different, we neither have any idea of actual lifetime sales nor numbers of its debut. We don´t have any concrete information about previous sales performances of DB games in UK, so it´s rather pointless to begin with. Also I´m talking about the western market as a whole and made it quite clear that there is a difference between new IPs and established kid-friendly IPs and Dragon Ball is one that definetely reached mainstream appeal in the West.

What was the exact arguement that someone made regarding that? That new IPs from Japan would sell a lot on the west?

 

[Chris1964]

new releases {2015.04.02}

[3DS] Xenoblade Chronicles 3D <RPG> (Nintendo) (¥3.996)
[3DS] Rodea the Sky Soldier <ACT> (Kadokawa Games) (¥6.264)
[3DS] LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham <ACT> (Warner Entertainment Japan) (¥5.076)
[3DS] Terra Formars: Akaki Hoshi no Gekitou <ACT> (FuRyu) (¥6.458)
[3DS] Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy <Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney \ Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice For All \ Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Trials and Tribulations> [Best Price!] <ADV> (Capcom) (¥3.229)
[3DS] Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies [Best Price!] <ADV> (Capcom) (¥2.990)

[PSV] 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Tengoku-Hen <SLG> (Bandai Namco Games) (¥7.690)
[PSV] Norn + Nonette: Last Era # <ADV> (Idea Factory) (¥6.264)
[PSV] Norn + Nonette: Last Era (Limited Edition) <ADV> (Idea Factory) (¥8.424)

[WIU] Rodea the Sky Soldier <ACT> (Kadokawa Games) (¥7.776)
[WIU] LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham <ACT> (Warner Entertainment Japan) (¥6.156)

[PS4] Earth Defense Force 2025.1: The Shadow of New Despair <ACT> (D3 Publisher) (¥7.538)
[PS4] LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham <ACT> (Warner Entertainment Japan) (¥6.156)

[PS3] 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Tengoku-Hen <SLG> (Bandai Namco Games) (¥8.716)
[PS3] LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham <ACT> (Warner Entertainment Japan) (¥6.156)
[PS3] Resident Evil Triple Pack {Resident Evil Revival Selection \ Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition \ Resident Evil 6} <ADV> (Capcom) (¥6.469)
[PS3] Ultra Street Fighter IV [PlayStation 3 the Best] <FTG> (Capcom) (¥3.229)

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

You know DB:Xenoverse probably recieved a major contribution from PC, sales-wise, right? Not to say PS4 didn't help, but it's not just PS4. Far from it.

NB said 1.5 million shipped. That most likely does not include Steam sales so.....

No reason to cherrypick and mix in misinformation, the information was about all skus combined sales and also only about the debut in UK and not EU, there was nothing in the comment that implied something different, we neither have any idea of actual lifetime sales nor numbers of its debut. We don´t have any concrete information about previous sales performances of DB games in UK, so it´s rather pointless to begin with. Also I´m talking about the western market as a whole and made it quite clear that there is a difference between new IPs and established kid-friendly IPs and Dragon Ball is one that definetely reached mainstream appeal in the West.

You can see the EU charting positions. PS4 SKU of course fared best compared to the others.

We actually do have numbers in UK.

DRAGON BALL XENOVERSE (BANDAI NAMCO GAMES) - Between 15,896 and 20,805
DRAGON BALL Z: BATTLE OF Z (BANDAI NAMCO GAMES) - 5,434
DRAGON BALL Z: ULTIMATE TENKAICHI (BANDAI NAMCO GAMES) < 5,434
DRAGON BALL Z: RAGING BLAST 2 (BANDAI NAMCO GAMES) < 5,434

considerable increase.

I see. Did Bandai Namco comment on sales numbers? I only know about what Chart Track said for the UK, but if a physical PC version doesnt exist, then it wouldnt be included in those numbers.



What was the exact arguement that someone made regarding that? That new IPs from Japan would sell a lot on the west?

They said 1.5 million shipped first month.

 

[Nirolak]

Shipped basically always includes digital.

An easier way to read "shipped" is "all copies sold plus all copies shipped to retail that have not yet sold," but that's kind of a mouthful.

The distinction between shipped and sold is basically that retailers pay a company up front for their shipments, so for them "shipped" is "sold", but those retaliers (at least in the West) can then do chargebacks to the publisher when they drop the price to preserve their margin. They can also just have the stock returned to them for a full refund.

As such, shipments mean that the sales aren't final (from the publisher's perspective) in the same way sold copies are.

 

[sörine]

NB said 1.5 million shipped. That most likely does not include Steam sales so.....

I thought Bandai's IR figures included digital? Pretty much everyone does now (Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Tecmo Koei, Level 5, etc)

 

[Orgen]

FFXIII LTD ~ FFXII FW

FFXIV LTD ~ FFXIII FW (?)

It can happen, history repeats many times.

I wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. I'm an optimist by nature but some people in this thread... holly molly!

 

[1st Course]

This is the case with Japanese publishers, they use misleading labels in their financial statements.

Square Enix for example likes to refer to handheld/console games as just "console games". This lead to confusion as when people see SE dev say they have console game in development they think the game is console exclusive and completely rule out handhelds.

Some publishers like Sega and Capcom likes to refer to refer to anything that's not mobile/online as "packaged games". I see Sega constantly mention Football Manager and Total War under "packaged games" even though these titles sells mostly via digital.

 

[Psycho_Mantis]

I thought Bandai's IR figures included digital? Pretty much everyone does now (Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Tecmo Koei, Level 5, etc)

Shipped basically always includes digital.

An easier way to read "shipped" is "all copies sold plus all copies shipped to retail that have not yet sold," but that's kind of a mouthful.

The distinction between shipped and sold is basically that retailers pay a company up front for their shipments, so for them "shipped" is "sold", but those retaliers (at least in the West) can then do chargebacks to the publisher when they drop the price to preserve their margin. They can also just have the stock returned to them for a full refund.

As such, shipments mean that the sales aren't final (from the publisher's perspective) in the same way sold copies are.

So does this include Steam sales then? I haven't been keeping up but I remember last year when they announced sales for Naruto, the site said Steam numbers weren't included.

 

[Nirolak]

So does this include Steam sales then? I haven't been keeping up but I remember last year when they announced sales for Naruto, the site said Steam numbers weren't included.

Namco is a bit unusual in that they break up their SKUs in their financial reports in an unusual manner. However, this wasn't a financial statement, so it's much more likely it's included than it isn't, since there's very little incentive to announce total sales excluding them when you're not specially categorizing revenue in a financial breakdown.

As a bit of insight, I can confirm at least in the US that the PS4/XB1 SKUs sold a lot better than the last gen ones. However, I feel the biggest driver of the game's success was by far the design change where they essentially added a Destiny/PSO/etc type loot and questing framework (very popular in the West) to the game along with the kind of strong character customization system you would expect of such a game.

In general, having success in the West is a matter of having game design that matches the taste of Westerners, an art design that doesn't immediately repulse people, and yes, also being on platforms they actually play games on.

 

[Pennywise83]

29./30. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2012.11.08} (¥4.800) - 2.768 / 4.306.852 <80-100%> (+1%)

Highlander.

 

[Vena]

Sorry for not doing this last week, busy week in the lab so I didn't have much time for doing this and I had other posts to post with my spare time!

 

[Wiggy]

Surprised at Battlefield's number, I forgot some western games do well in Japan. Does anyone know if Batman is popular in Japan? I'm wondering if Arkham Knight will give PS4 a little push, as it's exclusive.

 

[Pandy]

I was quite pessimistic about the PS4 not even being able to topple the Wii U, at least not for a few years, but it's well on its way to doing that.

I said the same thing, but apparently the Final Fantasy effect is still strong.
PS4'll probably catch up to WiiU just in time for us to learn what the hell NX is.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Type-0 giving the XB1 and nice and healthy bump.

 

[ivysaur12]

What would be a decent debut for Xenoblade, we think?

 

[Coulomb_Barrier]

Fucking hell PS4 on a roll.

 

[Moor-Angol]

Are we only talking about the opening week here?
I can see FFXV selling 1.1m+ FW and legging it to 1.5m+ lifetime.

with a 3mln userbase, 1,1mln opening is achievable

 

[vicissitudes]

Type-0 giving the XB1 and nice and healthy bump.

Actually this a really poor increase seeing as this is Type-0 week. It actually went down in Famitsu. This was supposed to be the biggest Xbox One week for the year. I expected at least 600-700. The numbers this week probably sealed the fate of the Xbox One in Japan. Maybe FFXV can revive it but I think it'll be too late by then.

 

[jroc74]

Nice numbers for the PS4, still.

And I'm surprised by those Battlefield Hardline PS4 numbers.

That is more than I expected, for both PS4 and type-0.

I didnt expect these PS4 numbers or all the PS4 game numbers.

 

[KratosEnergyDrink]

I didnt expect these PS4 numbers or all the PS4 game numbers.

With all these game releases this month good PS4 numbers are expected. Interesting will be the following month with only few new PS4 games.

Nonetheless it's fine to see a console topping handhelds in Japan. Even if only for a few weeks.

 

[Vena]

What would be a decent debut for Xenoblade, we think?

From 2010:

01. / 00. [WII] Xenoblade (Nintendo) - 82.952 / NEW

So... well... uh....

 

[horuhe]

new releases {2015.04.02}

[3DS] Xenoblade Chronicles 3D <RPG> (Nintendo) (¥3.996)

Is this half-priced, isn't it?

I don't know how to say it, but... it is plausible that Xeno3D sells more than XenoX first week?

 

[Eolz]

What would be a decent debut for Xenoblade, we think?

From 2010:

01. / 00. [WII] Xenoblade (Nintendo) - 82.952 / NEW

So... well... uh....

And comparing to WiiU's game openings, 60k would be decent. more than 80k would be good.

 

[Mory Dunz]

What would be a decent debut for Xenoblade, we think?

Well, do we know how much promotion it's gotten? Any commercials?

 

[jnWake]

Is this half-priced, isn't it?

I don't know how to say it, but... it is plausible that Xeno3D sells more than XenoX first week?

If it wasn't New 3DS exclusive I'd be convinced that would happen. Just look at DKCR3D vs DKCTF.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

new releases {2015.04.02}

[3DS] Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy [Best Price!] <ADV> (Capcom) (¥3.229)
[3DS] Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies [Best Price!] <ADV> (Capcom) (¥2.990)

Awesome!

 

[Infernal Monkey]

[3DS] Rodea the Sky Soldier <ACT> (Kadokawa Games) (¥6.264)
[3DS] Terra Formars: Akaki Hoshi no Gekitou <ACT> (FuRyu) (¥6.458)
[WIU] Rodea the Sky Soldier <ACT> (Kadokawa Games) (¥7.776)
[PS4] Earth Defense Force 2025.1: The Shadow of New Despair <ACT> (D3 Publisher) (¥7.538)

Interested to see how these will do. Terra Formars because it looks absolutely fucking awful, but I really hope Rodea and EDF do... okay, at least.

 

[hiska-kun]

Actually this a really poor increase seeing as this is Type-0 week. It actually went down in Famitsu. This was supposed to be the biggest Xbox One week for the year. I expected at least 600-700. The numbers this week probably sealed the fate of the Xbox One in Japan. Maybe FFXV can revive it but I think it'll be too late by then.

This week sealed the fate? Xbox One's fate in Japan was sealed long time ago, before its launch. I don't understand all the surprise here, just because Hype-0.

 

[Kagari]

Actually this a really poor increase seeing as this is Type-0 week. It actually went down in Famitsu. This was supposed to be the biggest Xbox One week for the year. I expected at least 600-700. The numbers this week probably sealed the fate of the Xbox One in Japan. Maybe FFXV can revive it but I think it'll be too late by then.

A game that 99% of Japanese people will buy on PS4 anyway?

 

[duckroll]

With Mevius FF confirmed to be F2P now, and it looking like the biggest effort S-E has put on mobile so far internally, I think it is safe to say that S-E has abandoned the practice of premium apps entirely, maybe with the exception of outstanding DQ ports, if there are any left.

All new products have been F2P for quite a while now, and their old pricing for games like Chaos Rings and FF Dimensions is all but dead.

 

[Nightengale]

Didn't Xbox do better on the Halo bundle week, because of the preorder discount?

 

[ivysaur12]

Well, do we know how much promotion it's gotten? Any commercials?

I have no idea. I'm sure being N3DS exclusive will hurt its sales. Otherwise, I was hoping it'd perform on part with the original.

 

[Vena]

I have no idea. I'm sure being N3DS exclusive will hurt its sales. Otherwise, I was hoping it'd perform on part with the original.

Oh you were talking Xenoblade for the N3DS?

I think we all assumed you meant XCX.

 

[ivysaur12]

Oh you were talking Xenoblade for the N3DS?

I think we all assumed you meant XCX.

I meant the game coming out next week, yeah

 

[Biker19]

It was released for the Xbox One as well.

Japanese gamers couldn't care less, as they aren't exactly big fans of Xbox in general.

 

[Vena]

I meant the game coming out next week, yeah

It will sell billions!

 

[Mpl90]

With Mevius FF confirmed to be F2P now, and it looking like the biggest effort S-E has put on mobile so far internally, I think it is safe to say that S-E has abandoned the practice of premium apps entirely, maybe with the exception of outstanding DQ ports, if there are any left.

All new products have been F2P for quite a while now, and their old pricing for games like Chaos Rings and FF Dimensions is all but dead.

Wait. Where did Square confirm it's f2p?

EDIT: Found the thread, no need to answer anymore.
Wow, didn't expect that, since it looks like a big effort, resources-wise. This means it won't be useful to extrapolate grossing rankings estimates once it's released on Google Play, and now I fear to see the IAPs, right because it seems a big effort

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Actually this a really poor increase seeing as this is Type-0 week. It actually went down in Famitsu. This was supposed to be the biggest Xbox One week for the year. I expected at least 600-700. The numbers this week probably sealed the fate of the Xbox One in Japan. Maybe FFXV can revive it but I think it'll be too late by then.

A game that 99% of Japanese people will buy on PS4 anyway?

It was a joke :'(

 

[Pennywise83]

With Mevius FF confirmed to be F2P now, and it looking like the biggest effort S-E has put on mobile so far internally, I think it is safe to say that S-E has abandoned the practice of premium apps entirely, maybe with the exception of outstanding DQ ports, if there are any left.

All new products have been F2P for quite a while now, and their old pricing for games like Chaos Rings and FF Dimensions is all but dead.

It'd be interesting to see how "big" budget mobile games will behave as F2P games.

 

[Jpop]

Quick question.

Has anyone made an online database tracking the weekly sales since garaph stopped being updated, or is it still limited to downloading and compiling the databases manually?

 

[DieH@rd]

Did Famitsu reviewed Bloodborne? What score did they give it?

 

[Chris1964]

If it wasn't New 3DS exclusive I'd be convinced that would happen. Just look at DKCR3D vs DKCTF.

DKCR3D is a port of a 1 million seller, XC3D a port of a 200k seller.
DKCTF is a game nobody asked, I can't say the same for XCX.

Being New 3DS exclusive or not it will have big problem matching the sales of the Wii U game.