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[Road]

even more random than I thought. It was polled in 2006 and I don't think it would be THAT relevant. If people love FFX that much, why didn't it sell better?

But FFX sold very well...

It didn't sell much first week (1.75 million) but I can give you the excuse PS2 userbase was below 6 million at the time. =P

When all was said and done, between all re-releases, it finished over 3 million copies, an increase over IX (the last time the series showed any increase at all). Only FFVII managed a better performance regarding LTD over first week:

         LTD/FW         FW        LTD
FF VII      1.94  2,034,879  3,937,899
FF X        1.73  1,749,737  3,019,003
FF VIII     1.40  2,504,044  3,501,588
FF IX       1.39  1,954,421  2,707,301
FF XII      1.34  1,840,397  2,464,679
FF XIII     1.27  1,516,532  1,929,952

- Physical sales to consumers
- All releases combined
- Source: Famitsu

Of course being pretty much the only Final Fantasy in town for 5 years, when PS2 was the king, coul have helped it selling more, but I don't think people would keep buying a game if it wasn't recommended.


Speaking of Final Fantasy, I just found this Mainichi Shinbun article about the series 25 years that has the following worldwide shipments for the games:

I        2.5    (FC, WSC, PS, PSP)
II       1.6    (FC, WSC, PS, PSP)
III      3.7    (FC, NDS)
IV       4.3    (SFC, PS, WSC, GBA, NDS, PSP)
V        3.1    (SFC, PS, GBA)
VI       3.9    (SFC, PS, GBA)
VII      9.9    (PS, PC)
VIII     8.6    (PS, PC)
IX       5.4    (PS)
X        8.5    (PS2)
XII      6.1    (PS2)
XIII     6.6    (PS3, X360)

XI       0.6    (PS2, PC, X360)
XIII-2   3.0    (PS3, X360)

million units.

(It doesn't have 10-2, but the last number I saw for it was 5.2 million.)

 

[airmangataosenai]

Do you really believe that Wada was fired because of DQX? lol

He probably meant it more indicative of bad decisions in general. Making an MMO and not putting it on PC is madness.

 

[Takao]

Do you know if those numbers include the PSN downloads? If not, VII's way over 10 million by now.

 

[AranhaHunter]

I don't think those include downloads.

XIII-2 is a bigger bomba than I had previously thought. Going multiplatform with FF (and KH) ultimately proved to be a mistake. Maybe that's part of the reason why SE is hesitant in going multiplatform with DQ.

FFIX is the best FF as well and it should have sold better.

EDIT: FFIII was also released on PSP, why is it not there?

 

[Rolf NB]

Vita will be back to nothing again
in week 10
in week 11
in week 12
in week 13
in week 14

 

[Magicpaint]

So my first experience of Dragon Quest will always be the most impressive? Kind of disappointing really, but I guess I should accept it.

DQVIII was a technical wonder sure, but it also simplified many things I value about the series, personally. Coming from what DQVI/VII were building towards with character/skill progression and scenario/dungeon design, DQVIII was a step back imo, so I guess we can't have it all

Vita will be back to nothing again
in week 10
in week 11
in week 12
in week 13
in week 14

It's dropping though and there's a bit of a software drought on the horizon. I'm really interested in what the baseline would be post-price drop and without releases. 15-20k would be decent, I think considering where it was before.

 

[Scum]

Swap Iwata with Shibata...?

Reggie

Spoiler

AHHHHH!!!!

Phil Harrison

Spoiler

:lol

Some Japanese businessman with close ties to Yamauchi, not a former developer

Spoiler

Probably

Just have Yamauchi himself. D:

 

[BlackLagoon]

Why do you think Monster Hunter on PS3 (or even PS4!) might succeed in the West? It didn't succeed on PS2, and on Sony platforms it wouldn't have Nintendo's shipping and promotional effort.

I have no idea whether it would or not, however if Capcom wants to try for the west again, they don't have a lot of other options. And if they go for a PS4 launch(-window) title, they certainly would get a good amount of free PR from Sony.

 

[DaBoss]

I have no idea whether it would or not, however if Capcom wants to try for the west again, they don't have a lot of other options. And if they go for a PS4 launch(-window) title, they certainly would get a good amount of free PR from Sony.

Why would they blow off Japan in favor of getting a (low-chance) success in the west regarding Monster Hunter?

 

[Shahed]

DQVIII was a technical wonder sure, but it also simplified many things I value about the series, personally. Coming from what DQVI/VII were building towards with character/skill progression and scenario/dungeon design, DQVIII was a step back imo, so I guess we can't have it all .

Hey it's not as if the other DQ games were bad by any means. I liked them. Just that after the first impression VIII gave me, everything else would seem under par on the visual/presentation/narrative side at least. The fact that they were on the DS though meant I had no expectations. Considering how long it's been since VIII released, I was hoping we'd have something new to replacement that initial benchmark. Hence why I want a Wii U/PS3/PS4 release for the next DQ

But we're getting sidetracked in a sales thread, so I'll leave it at that

 

[zroid]

Vita will be back to nothing again
in week 10
in week 11
in week 12
in week 13
in week 14

dream big

Spoiler

I still say 20k new baseline

 

[noobie]

dream big

Spoiler

I still say 20k new baseline

it didnt drop that much considering last week was a holiday and there were few games too.. but this week without any notable game or holiday to give it boast it has stayed abobe 30k.. which i find pretty impressive..
I think above 25k should be a norm now.. until or unless Sony completely forget it again

 

[duckroll]

Maybe worth sharing: http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2013/04/03/65308.html

Nintendo put out a new 3DS promotional pamphlet at retailers today, showcasing some of the current and upcoming titles of interest on the 3DS, along with the 3DS and 3DS LL hardware at the end. Starting with Monster Hunter 4 and ending with Pokemon X/Y, with a mix of smaller and larger mid-tier titles in-between from various third parties, I think it does a pretty good job of presenting a case that the 3DS isn't dead and it isn't going anywhere, and there are a wide range of games available for it for core gamers. Stuff like this go a long way in instilling confidence from consumers to invest in a platform.

Right now, if Nintendo were to put together such a pamphlet for the WiiU, it would be pretty much empty. That's the platform's biggest problem.

 

[Magicpaint]

Hey it's not as if the other DQ games were bad by any means. I liked them. Just that after the first impression VIII gave me, everything else would seem under par on the visual/presentation/narrative side at least. The fact that they were on the DS though meant I had no expectations. Considering how long it's been since VIII released, I was hoping we'd have something new to replacement that initial benchmark. Hence why I want a Wii U/PS3/PS4 release for the next DQ

But we're getting sidetracked in a sales thread, so I'll leave it at that

Yeah, I mean, there are big changes/improvements that DQVIII brought to the table with the big overworld and the overall presentation and they're very much welcome. It's just that certain compromises were made elsewhere too, so I don't hold it as some sort of standard that other DQ games have to live up to. I'll play the next DQ game wherever it ends up on. The series is pretty consistent and never relied on particularly great presentation to be great.

Maybe worth sharing: http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2013/04/03/65308.html

Nintendo put out a new 3DS promotional pamphlet at retailers today, showcasing some of the current and upcoming titles of interest on the 3DS, along with the 3DS and 3DS LL hardware at the end. Starting with Monster Hunter 4 and ending with Pokemon X/Y, with a mix of smaller and larger mid-tier titles in-between from various third parties, I think it does a pretty good job of presenting a case that the 3DS isn't dead and it isn't going anywhere, and there are a wide range of games available for it for core gamers. Stuff like this go a long way in instilling confidence from consumers to invest in a platform.

Right now, if Nintendo were to put together such a pamphlet for the WiiU, it would be pretty much empty. That's the platform's biggest problem.

It's pretty obvious they're relying on the 3DS now. With the turn around they've made in Japan, it's pretty important for them to keep the momentum going. I guess there'll be room for focus to shift to the WiiU maybe during the holiday period at the earliest.

 

[lunchwithyuzo]

Yet evidence points to them being unhappy with DQX's performance. Maybe they expected even bigger numbers. I do agree that the sales on the Wii are extremely good. Not sure if that subscriber base is accurate today though. The number you are claiming is accurate as of what date actually? IMO, it is still a problem in Japan, though definitely not as big as it will be in the west.

Well, we've been over said "evidence" before and suffice to say I'll wait until we have something more concrete before coming the conclusions you seem to on it. Last official word was SE was happy with the performance, highlighting a subscriber base that already rivaled FFXI and mentioning the game had already made back it's lengthy dev cost. That said, SE having unrealistic expectations wouldn't surprise me in the least either, especially after the Eidos expectations came out. Wii U sales being a dissapointment wouldn't be surprising either, unless the game pulled a PSO2 and did substantial digital sales to make up for it's weak retail outing.

Weird that you did not include PS3 and 360 on that hypothetical multiplatform strategy for the west as well.

Not weird at all, there's not really much market for MMORPGs on consoles outside Japan. Why bother with more ports when they'd factor into such a small return?

XBL also throws up additional exclusivity roadblocks, which is why FFXIV 360 isn't happening. Staying console exclusive might mean SE can still snag some incentives from Nintendo too.

 

[duckroll]

It's pretty obvious they're relying on the 3DS now. With the turn around they've made in Japan, it's pretty important for them to keep the momentum going. I guess there'll be room for focus to shift to the WiiU maybe during the holiday period at the earliest.

My point wasn't so much that they're not promoting the WiiU, but that they have nothing to promote on the WiiU. It goes hand in hand. The 3DS is something they can promote very easily now because there's a great mix of strong Nintendo titles and also a ton of third party support in Japan. The WiiU is a totally different story which I don't think they can "fix" so easily even if they wanted to right now.

 

[electroplankton]

Maybe worth sharing: http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2013/04/03/65308.html

Nintendo put out a new 3DS promotional pamphlet at retailers today, showcasing some of the current and upcoming titles of interest on the 3DS, along with the 3DS and 3DS LL hardware at the end. Starting with Monster Hunter 4 and ending with Pokemon X/Y, with a mix of smaller and larger mid-tier titles in-between from various third parties, I think it does a pretty good job of presenting a case that the 3DS isn't dead and it isn't going anywhere, and there are a wide range of games available for it for core gamers. Stuff like this go a long way in instilling confidence from consumers to invest in a platform.

Right now, if Nintendo were to put together such a pamphlet for the WiiU, it would be pretty much empty. That's the platform's biggest problem.

3DS is packed with releases this year.
Both third and first party games, all kind of genres, (almost) all software houses, low-, mid- and high-tier games.

 

[saichi]

I have no idea whether it would or not, however if Capcom wants to try for the west again, they don't have a lot of other options. And if they go for a PS4 launch(-window) title, they certainly would get a good amount of free PR from Sony.

I love the dream scenario.

 

[Pie and Beans]

If Gamefreak weren't still producing games from circa 1998, a Pokemon Z HD would be a pretty good move alongside Capcom's treatment of MonHun at this point. But there again, pledging to fight the menace of improving graphical technology see's them reap these current rewards.

 

[Magicpaint]

My point wasn't so much that they're not promoting the WiiU, but that they have nothing to promote on the WiiU. It goes hand in hand. The 3DS is something they can promote very easily now because there's a great mix of strong Nintendo titles and also a ton of third party support in Japan. The WiiU is a totally different story which I don't think they can "fix" so easily even if they wanted to right now.

True; even if we had dates for titles like Pikmin 3 and The Wonderful 101...the dearth of third party software would still be plain to see.

 

[Spiegel]

もう何が何でもハンティングアクション推しで今年前半を乗り切るつもりなんだね…
まあソウル・サクリファイスは20万本出荷達成＆パッケージ実売16万本らしいし（共闘パックは1本計算）、 目標を達成して好調だそうなんで気が大きくなってるのかね～。

http://ameblo.jp/ore-no-web3rd/entry-11503839456.html

I'm not sure if he/she's saying that Soul Sacrifice is meeting Sony's expectations, only his/hers expectations or nothing like that.

*This blog is the source for the first day previews.

 

[AranhaHunter]

Well, we've been over said "evidence" before and suffice to say I'll wait until we have something more concrete before coming the conclusions you seem to on it. Last official word was SE was happy with the performance, highlighting a subscriber base that already rivaled FFXI and mentioning the game had already made back it's lengthy dev cost. That said, SE having unrealistic expectations wouldn't surprise me in the least either, especially after the Eidos expectations came out. Wii U sales being a dissapointment wouldn't be surprising either, unless the game pulled a PSO2 and did substantial digital sales to make up for it's weak retail outing.

You can choose to believe whatever you wanna believe, I guess. I'm not the only one that came to that conclusion btw. I just choose to believe two mods, Nirolak's post and Aena's translation, instead of frank's supposed wife's translation like you.

Not weird at all, there's not really much market for MMORPGs on consoles outside Japan. Why bother with more ports when they'd factor into such a small return?

XBL also throws up additional exclusivity roadblocks, which is why FFXIV 360 isn't happening. Staying console exclusive might mean SE can still snag some incentives from Nintendo too.

DCUO did fairly well on the PS3, which implies that there is indeed a market for MMO on consoles. Shunning the PS3/360 would be a mistake. Not as big as shunning the PC, I agree, but a mistake nevertheless.

 

[electroplankton]

If Gamefreak weren't still producing games from circa 1998, a Pokemon Z HD would be a pretty good move alongside Capcom's treatment of MonHun at this point. But there again, pledging to fight the menace of improving graphical technology see's them reap these current rewards.

That'd be the dumbest decision ever. Pokémon mainline games existence revolves around the multiplayer component, and the fact that it appeals to kids, that can bring their handheld devices everywhere. Why people don't understand this (as well as for Monster Hunter)?

On the other hand, Nintendo should really develop a cool Pokémon game for home console, not exactly a new generation, but something in line with Pokémon Ranger.

 

[metalslimer]

it didnt drop that much considering last week was a holiday and there were few games too.. but this week without any notable game or holiday to give it boast it has stayed abobe 30k.. which i find pretty impressive..
I think above 25k should be a norm now.. until or unless Sony completely forget it again

Looking at the future lineup, Sony just blew their load in March. It would be incredible to stay at 25k with the current lineup

 

[randomkid]

Well, we've been over said "evidence" before and suffice to say I'll wait until we have something more concrete before coming the conclusions you seem to on it. Last official word was SE was happy with the performance, highlighting a subscriber base that already rivaled FFXI and mentioning the game had already made back it's lengthy dev cost. That said, SE having unrealistic expectations wouldn't surprise me in the least either, especially after the Eidos expectations came out. Wii U sales being a dissapointment wouldn't be surprising either, unless the game pulled a PSO2 and did substantial digital sales to make up for it's weak retail outing.

I remember someone in the Wada thread posted this more recent article and said that it mentioned DQX was underperforming. I don't know what the article says though or whether it's just the article writer's speculation or what.

www.sankeibiz.jp/business/news/130326/bsd1303261848017-n1.htm

 

[Khrno]

DCUO did fairly well on the PS3, which implies that there is indeed a market for MMO on consoles. Shunning the PS3/360 would be a mistake. Not as big as shunning the PC, I agree, but a mistake nevertheless.

MS don't care about SE or their MMOs anymore, FFXI was a exception and will probably be the only one. FFXIV will most likely never be on MS hardware because they don't want it, an hypothetical DQX version wouldn't for the same reason.

The only likely scenario would be for FFXIV/DQ10 going to WiiU/PS3 or so, but forget about the 360 or Durango. They used to care about Japan and courting Japanese developers about 7 years ago, not so much more now.

 

[Thorgal]

posting again hoping to get an answer.

I would like to make a request .

Since this is the most likely thread to find some gaffers who live in japan or at least speak the language.

Could anyone say what the average japanese gamer perception is to Nintendo and sony?

Do they view the wii u as much as a disaster as we are seeing here and is it throwing a lot of negativity towards nintendo in their eyes?

Also how is the VITA percieved over there (post price cut)?

Also any perceptions regarding Ps4 to be found?

sorry if OT.

 

[Duffyside]

Haha, Media Create threads have become even more active than NPD ones, it seems. I wonder why that is. Vita and WiiU fans hoping their respective systems pull through?

 

[Takao]

Is it true that the original Xbox moved 2 million units in Japan? If so, the 360's result is pretty sad. Microsoft tried hard early in the gen, and just gave up...

 

[zroid]

Maybe worth sharing: http://www.inside-games.jp/article/2013/04/03/65308.html

I wish I could get my hands on a copy of this

 

[jeremy1456]

That'd be the dumbest decision ever. Pokémon mainline games existence revolves around the multiplayer component, and the fact that it appeals to kids, that can bring their handheld devices everywhere. Why people don't understand this (as well as for Monster Hunter)?

On the other hand, Nintendo should really develop a cool Pokémon game for home console, not exactly a new generation, but something in line with Pokémon Ranger.

The only reason it would be dumb is if they cancelled the 3DS games.

Having a supplemental game on Wii U, with a few exclusive Pokemon, wouldn't hurt a thing. In fact, it would help.

 

[Jackano]

Just have Yamauchi himself. D:

OMG I will love to this this megaton on NeoGAF. Even if it take over again for a transition during a couple weeks!

 

[Thorgal]

Is it true that the original Xbox moved 2 million units in Japan? If so, the 360's result is pretty sad. Microsoft tried hard early in the gen, and just gave up...

yeah i doubt they will even bother releasing the 720 there its just not worth the effort .

i think sony and nintendo will be the only ones there .
PS4 vs Wii u

will be interesting too see .

 

[allan-bh]

Is it true that the original Xbox moved 2 million units in Japan? If so, the 360's result is pretty sad. Microsoft tried hard early in the gen, and just gave up...

No. Sold 2 million in Asia. In Japan sold about 500k.

 

[magawolaz]

Good hold for Vita. I'm disappointed 2 more weeks left?
Slight Wii U increase. Doesn't deserve more at the moment.

Why are you disappointed?

 

[Exterminieren]

The only reason it would be dumb is if they cancelled the 3DS games.

Having a supplemental game on Wii U, with a few exclusive Pokemon, wouldn't hurt a thing. In fact, it would help.

A supplemental game? Sure, why not; it'd do a few hundred thousand, I suppose.

Exclusive Pokemon? Hahaha, no. Risks devaluing the proper, handheld titles.

 

[big youth]

yeah i doubt they will even bother releasing the 720 there its just not worth the effort .

i think sony and nintendo will be the only ones there .
PS4 vs Wii u

will be interesting too see .

I'd be shocked if they gave up on a region as big and as important as Japan. Remember that Microsoft is sitting on piles of cash and can take risks and think long term in ways that Nintendo and especially Sony cannot.

 

[DR2K]

As I said last week, I hope Luigi's Mansion 2 stops the whole claim that Japanese gamers are xenophobic, hence don't buy Western games.

Most people are only aware of the Nintendo brand. CoD is a western game that sees big sales there though.

 

[michaelius]

Just have Yamauchi himself. D:

Wasn't he a master mind behind Virtual Boy and N64 successes ?

 

[Kandinsky]

Incredible hold for Vita, wow.

 

[Thorgal]

I'd be shocked if they gave up on a region as big and as important as Japan. Remember that Microsoft is sitting on piles of cash and can take risks and think long term in ways that Nintendo and especially Sony cannot.

well they are free to try i suppose.

but i think we all know how it will do over there IE not good.

 

[duckroll]

I'd be shocked if they gave up on a region as big and as important as Japan. Remember that Microsoft is sitting on piles of cash and can take risks and think long term in ways that Nintendo and especially Sony cannot.

Microsoft already kinda gave up on the region. They closed all their development studios years ago, and since last year they've also pulled out of attending events like TGS completely. They have a minimal presence there and that's about it.

I dunno if we can really consider Japan a big and important region for MS at all. They sold 500k Xbox units and 1.5 million Xbox360 units. The best selling Xbox game in Japan was Dead or Alive 3 at 217k sold. The best selling Xbox360 game in Japan was Star Ocean 4 at 208k sold. Software sales are pathetic, hardware sales are pathetic, it's hard to make a case for there being a market in Japan for MS at all.

 

[Poetic.Injustice]

Wow those DQ numbers are abysmal no matter how you spin it. Didn't we recently have the spin offs selling more than 400k?

 

[jeremy1456]

A supplemental game? Sure, why not; it'd do a few hundred thousand, I suppose.

Exclusive Pokemon? Hahaha, no. Risks devaluing the proper, handheld titles.

How could it devalue them?

Do you think Pokemon Colleseum devalued Ruby and Sapphire because it was the only way to catch and trade specific pokemon from previous installments?

 

[zroid]

Haha, Media Create threads have become even more active than NPD ones, it seems. I wonder why that is. Vita and WiiU fans hoping their respective systems pull through?

because we don't have to grasp at straws for data in Media Create threads

 

[Nirolak]

Microsoft already kinda gave up on the region. They closed all their development studios years ago, and since last year they've also pulled out of attending events like TGS completely. They have a minimal presence there and that's about it.

I dunno if we can really consider Japan a big and important region for MS at all. They sold 500k Xbox units and 1.5 million Xbox360 units. The best selling Xbox game in Japan was Dead or Alive 3 at 217k sold. The best selling Xbox360 game in Japan was Star Ocean 4 at 208k sold. Software sales are pathetic, hardware sales are pathetic, it's hard to make a case for there being a market in Japan for MS at all.

Microsoft is also going into next gen with a much better position than they had before in North America and Europe, and Japan is less relevant than ever (well, at least since prior to the NES days) in their strongest regions, so making a show in Japan to help garner support is unlikely to be a high priority.

 

[Exterminieren]

I think a company like Nintendo that likes to praise itself for its creativity should be able to find a way to bring a proper Pokemon game (or rather the Pokemon experience, but that sounds like a stupid thing to say) to consoles without devaluing its handheld games.

They tried with Colosseum and XD. I don't recall them lighting the charts on fire.

Pokemon isn't like other series. Its appeal is indelibly linked by the portable experience; hell, the clue's in the name.

 

[electroplankton]

Wow those DQ numbers are abysmal no matter how you spin it. Didn't we recently have the spin offs selling more than 400k?

We had even spin-offs selling close or above a million.
This is not the first release of DQX. The game was released on Wii last Summer selling above 600k units.

 

[Mileena]

We had even spin-offs selling close or above a million.
This is not the first release of DQX. The game was released on Wii last Summer selling above 600k units.

And it's probably a big issue for Nintendo that the dropoff for the "next gen" version was 600k -> 30k

 

[Sandfox]

How could it devalue them?

Do you think Pokemon Colleseum devalued Ruby and Sapphire because it was the only way to catch and trade specific pokemon from previous installments?

I think a company like Nintendo that likes to praise itself for its creativity should be able to find a way to bring a proper Pokemon game (or rather the Pokemon experience, but that sounds like a stupid thing to say) to consoles without devaluing its handheld games.

Pie and Beans is saying that Game Freak should make an HD version of X and Y and that is nothing like what you guys are talking about.

The problems I see with a mainline HD pokemon game is:
1. Game Freak would probably have to one of Nintendo's other Pokemon teams
2. It would go against what the series is all about
3. It would probably hurt western sales for the handheld version regardless of whether Nintendo wants it to or not.