Following its late May release Wii U exclusive Splatoon has returned multiple positive results in different charts - in the UK it made its début in 2nd place and claimed fourth in its second week, while it's been top of the Japanese Media Create charts for two weeks running. We now have the May NPD results, which cover physical retail sales in the US, and there's a positive result for the shooter.
Based on only one launch weekend of sales, due to its arrival on 29th May, the ink-splatting title has secured fifth place in the US, also earning the distinction of being the highest-placed platform exclusive. Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS also returns to the top 10, with the portable iteration performing the better of the two.
- The Witcher III: Wild Hunt (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
- Mortal Kombat X (PS4, Xbox One)
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
- Minecraft (360, PS3, Xbox One, PS4)
- Splatoon (Wii U)
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (PS4, 360, Xbox One, PS3, PC)
- NBA 2K15 (360, PS4, Xbox One, PS3, PC)
- FIFA 15 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, Wii , 3DS, Vita)
- MLB 15: The Show (PS4, PS3)
- Super Smash Bros. (3DS, Wii U)
Nintendo has been quiet on hardware results, though did state in a previous press release that 3DS sales remain up around 50% on the equivalent sales of 2014. There is some positive news for amiibo, however, as it's taken advantage of the lull in competitors to lead the toys-to-life category in dollar sales. The NPD Group's Liam Callahan provided the following statement.
May 2015 was a positive month for video game accessory sales, with dollar sales up 20 per cent. The top 5 accessory types: Interactive Gaming Toys; point cards; gamepads; headsets/headphones; and power supplies, all experienced year-over-year growth.
Interactive gaming toy sales experienced stellar growth of 73 per cent in May 2015 as Nintendo's amiibo accessories led dollar sales for the first time since launch.
A positive set of results, in general, though Nintendo's silence on hardware numbers suggests it was a quiet month in those terms.
Are you happy with Splatoon's chart placing after its first three days of sale?
[source gamesindustry.biz, via venturebeat.com]
Comments 53
Awesome
Glad to see Splatoon doing well, but I can't help but fear that it will go down in the sales in the coming weeks. Hoping I'm wrong, though.
@NintendoFan64 To be fair, Splatoon's position is quite impressive if you consider that it's just two days worth of sales.
Nintendo should tweet their amiibo sales figures to the Disney Infinity guys.
I'd like to hear from Nintendo the actual worldwide figures for Splatoon now.
@NorthLightSuplx what good with that to? DI actually has good stock...
Amiibo just had a huge wave release... most of the figures? GLL finding on stores.
I struggle to find splatoon amiibo of any kind, only seen pac-man on shelfs and some silver marios...
@Octane Also all the other games in the top 10 are multiplatform.
Whisper is that Splatoon sold 136k in two days in the US. Worldwide total as of today is surely above 500k not including digital, two weeks on market.
Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have boosted Wii U hardware, at least not for the month of May.
@Uberchu Only Pacman?? Where do you live? I have never seen Pacman
As I had predicted, Splatoon is much bigger here in the UK. Come on Ninty, change the update time to something more convenient for your real fans!
@EverythingAmiibo Splatoon sold more in America on its first day than it has in the last two weeks in the UK.
I'm happy Splatoon did well, but I'm stunned it didn't do anything for Hardware. Wii U sales have been around 60-80k a month, but plummeted dramatically in April to 43k. I figured at the very least it would go back to normal and Nintendo could brag about Splatoon leading to a doubling of sales. It's actually gone down again to 42k.
And obviously the amiibo comment is misleading. They just released a new wave so are gonna sell a bunch, while there's been nothing new from the other brands for ages.
Splatoon did pretty excellent; placing 5th despite being only the market in May for only 3 days and being the exclusive to one platform. Good to hear about the high Amiibo sales too.
@Uberchu
Yeah the Disney Infinity figures you call being well stocked is what stores call dead inventory. If you find some amiibo you want in stores but cannot get it right then just hide it behind a bunch of the Disney Infinity figures. My friend did this with Charizard 3 weeks ago as an experiment and the figure is still there while all the other Charizard amiibos sold out. Nobody wants to dig through the dusty Disney Infinity stock.
I am very impressed with how Splatoon fared on this list.
There are a few factors that
1. Splatoon is on one system where all the others on the list are multiplatform
2. Splatoon is a new IP and not the standard big seller like Mario games
3. Coming out on the 29th it only had 2 days in May to show numbers (sure the first few days are the big days for sales, but still)
If amiibo is ahead of skylanders and Disney infinity then Nintendo need to make more stock....
@Octane That is pretty damn impressive .
The Wii U really is toxic. No matter which software Nintendo release, people do not want to buy the machine. 42k is pitiful!!
I hear that Splatoon sold roughly 136k copies, and that the Wii U sold roughly 43k units.
Not good results, but not bad either.
@Peach64 - Why be stunned? Wii U hardware has been $299 since launch over 2 1/2 years ago, anybody who wanted it at that price would have already done so for MK8 or SSB or MP10 or SM3DW or all those, plus many more, together.
3DS launched at $249, didnt sell well and months later had a 33% cut to $169 and then started selling well. Xbox One launched at $499, then dropped the Kibect and went to $399, then cut $50 to $349, all within1 1/2 years, and 2 months ago outsold PS4 in the US.
Nintendo made a big deal of dropping the price of the $349 deluxe to $299, but they already had a $299 system, which they didnt drop to $249, they just abandoned it. (In the US.)
I think its pretty clear what the Wii U needs to sell hardware at this point, a price cut.
@rjejr I disagree. Wii U is selling terribly, yes, but I don't think a price cut is going to help. I think it's pretty clear that Nintendo needs to keep the price at $300 and just ride out the rest of the generation. They're not going to gain much momentum in hardware at this point. Better to just sell as much software to the established user base as they can and keep expanding their market outside of video games (amiibo, theme park, possible TV, etc).
Splatoon and the WiiU are selling great atm ( for WiiU standards ). Nintendo could sell much more if they bundled the game along with the amiibo 3-pack, but the suits seem more focused on squeezing every penny of profit on each unit instead of maximizing sales.
@rjejr Stunned because it was selling 84k in March with no games released. That's already a terrible figure, so there was no way I expected that in May with the release of Splatoon it would only sell half as much. Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect it to catch up with Xbone or PS4 figures, but I sort of was expecting a little bump passed the norm, like 100k.
I'm sure they'll announce a price drop at E3. The console is never going to reach Gamecube figures now, but it could get a second wind by becoming cheap enough to make more people want one as their 2nd or 3rd console.
@EverythingAmiibo You have to learn that chart placement (No. 2 in the UK vs No. 5 in North America) doesn't mean it sold worse here. This is a monthly charts as opposed to a weekly one so the games that placed higher had much more time on the shelves.
And Nintendo's update time doesn't figure into these sales as the NPD only tracks sales of physical games.
@Peach64 I think a price drop is completely necessary. It's been $299 for too long, despite whatever games they want to bundle with it, all people see is the price point.
I don't know if they'll drop it at E3 though. It'd be nice, but I am more thinking of a fall date to set the stage for the holiday season.
@CaviarMeths No duh, USA is far larger. It's about percentage and actual nationwide interest. If minecraft sells better than splatoon, it's still the same old America.
@ericwithcheese2 Point no. 2 is solid.
We've seen this before MANY times and the opening weekend always outsells the next month.
@Peach64 - the 2nd week of sales in Japan has me cautiously optimistic for NPD sales for June. I'm wondering if the same increase in hardware will happen in the US. Instead of getting the 60-80K for May, I think we will see it in June.
There seems to be a cool factor and a buzz about this game that caught on after release. Public perception being what it is, I think this may push sales for June.....E3 will help too though so it will be hard to tell the true effect.
@EverythingAmiibo No, it doesn't matter what metric you use. As a percentage of the total population, the game is still performing significantly better in America than in the UK. The UK is one of Nintendo's worst markets in the world, possibly THE worst among highly developed countries.
@CamWFC91 north carolina, and that was at a toys r us.
I saw splatoon figs day after launch but i wanted 3 pack, not the single chars.
@NorthLightSuplx well stocked is better than 0 stock. so what if the invos dead? At least you'll be able to buy the DAMN FIGURES @MSRP.
Face it, you just want joke stalk levels so you can scalp figures, and no. not everybody is smart enough to look in the wrong spot for a dang amiibo figure.
I'm not that smart to check behind DI figures for a charizard or any other figure, why should I? if the figures hidden its because some jerk doesn't want me to buy/find it.
But at the same time, I've never seen anybody out buying a figure except for Amiibo. (saw a friend of mine 2 days ago, he bought 2 silver marios...)
Every game above Splatoon is available on multiple platforms so I think Nintendo has done a great job on the game (except for the lack of content) and it's sales.
@PinkSpider They have. If Nintendo had said before the release of Ammibo that they might get as many sales as they have now - let alone what they would have had if they had known and been able to make enough to fill all demand - we would all ave laughed at Nintendo so badly for it.
They have been playing catch up on demand, as have retailers. There is a heck of a lot more stock, but I think maybe they loaded up too much on the biggest characters, such as Mario, DK, Pikachu etc.
@Peach64 - "more people want one as their 2nd or 3rd console"
I still think they could sell a few to Wii upgraders. 100mil Wii and only 10mil Wii U means there are 90mil Wii owners who could use an HD upgrade. I know most of them won't, those who just bought it for Sports and Wii Fit, but I bet there are still lots of families who bought a Wii for their kids games - Skylanders and Disney Infiinity - who as the kids get older can transition to a Wii U. Splatoon being marketed at 10 - 12 year olds, and June being graduation season, this seemed like a perfect opportunity for Wii U to be advertised as a graduation gift, or confirmation gift, or even Father's Day gift. there are several of us fathers on here gaming w/ out kids. We've all upgraded to Wii U, but I'm sure there are many more who haven't. And I'm sure a big price cut advertising campaign would help those dads convince their significant others that now is the time to buy 1.
It's not simply about the price cut, it's about all the exposure you get at all the retailers and online sites, and the Sunday paper flyers, everybody having that big "Wii U NOW ONLY $249" ad.
Tell me, when was the last time a home console had a big price cut and it wasn't accompanied by a sales spike? Maybe Wii U sales have dropped over the past several months b/c people are waiting for the inevitable price drop announcement at E3? Splatoon is selling well w/ a markting campaing aimed at kids, amiibo "toys" are selling well. Now is th etime. And a budget line to sell older games like NSMBU, Pikmin 3 adn LEgo City Undercover would help as well.
It's too late for Wii U to ever sell well, but I don't think it's too late for Nintnedo to make some money sellng older games to a new base of a couple of million new Wii U owners. Maybe they'll lose a few bucks selling Wii U at $249, but every copy of Pikmin 3 or NSMBU has to be almost all profit at this point at any price. But once NX is announced it will probably be too late.
@CaviarMeths - I keep re-reading your post wanting there to be an at the end. You can see my post #35 above as a more detailed explanation as to why I feel that way.
well for those readers who think the Wii U should/will get a price cut....
Unless the cost of manufacturing the console has dropped, I doubt Nintendo will drop the price. Nintendo is making revenue off the existing user base and has shifted their profit focus more toward value added content/merchandise rather then pure sales...
@Uberchu Disney is a massive conglomerate compared to Nintendo, so Disney Infinity better have more stock since they have far more resources.
@arrmixer Are they even maunfacturing the console? I was under the impression that their launch batch still hadn't been cleared, 12 million comes to mind for some reason.
@arrmixer The cost has most certainly dropped over 2 and 1/2 years of production. It's almost a variant of Moore's Law.
The Wii U needs a price cut for like yesterday.
@Samurai_Goroh
it's hard to believe they decided to manufacture 12mil units from the start but anything is possible..... that's a lot of inventory...
@Grumblevolcano
well said, the law definitely applies but has it reached to at least the price cut everybody wants?
either way I'm all for the price cut... but I'm just a consumer like everybody else not Nintendo....
I expected more from Splatoon, but I guess it's doing kinda okay in NA. At this point, it looks like Splatoon appeals better to Japanese audience. Japan second week boost the Wii U sales, so June NPD will be interestink to see if Splatoon could have a similar effect here.
They'd probably sell even more Amiibo if they bothered to actually produce more of the darn things. Why is it so hard to find the amiibo for a hot new release like Splatoon?!
Still, really happy Splatoon is doing well.
Oh, and for all those saying that amiibo are more popular than Skylanders and Infinity, I think this proves it's not? amiibo had a new wave released, Skylanders and Infinity have had nothing for months, but this is the first time ever that the amiibo brand has been the top seller in a month.
@rjejr dude all them Wii owners you talk about moved on to iPad, android tablets and kindles. They are long gone and are not coming back.
There is another percentage who gave up on the Wii as in the 3 years it had very few new releases. Nintendo let it die and them people moved on to PS3 and Xbox 360 and eventually have or will move to PS4 or Xbox one. Honestly think Nintendo thought that all these 90m Wii owners were just sitting around waiting for the HD upgrade. Crazy thinking and shocked they didn't realize that them people had moved to other devices and consoles.
Wii U is just the wrong console, has the right Nintendo games but the console is the problem. From day 1 there has been no desire from the public to own one.
Those results for Splatoon are absolutely incredible. All multiplatform titles and smack in the middle an exclusive single platform gem. Also nice to see Smash Bros. in top 10.
@kobashi100 - "dude all them Wii owners you talk about moved on to iPad, android tablets and kindles. They are long gone and are not coming back."
I live in a very working class neighborhood w/ 1 kid each in elementary school and middle school. Very few kids here have iPads, they all have Xbox360s and PS3 and Wii and DS. Almost nobody has PS4 or X1 or even 3DS. Many of those parents will upgrade to a new console for their kids - when the prices come down. It's up to Ninteod, Microsoft or Sony to bring their price down. But to say kids and teens are going to give up on home consoles in favor of a tablet is wrong. Many kids/teens who have a Wii, PS3 or Xbox36 will upgrade to another home console at some point.
And in case you didn't know, iPad isn't magic, it's the "electronic du jour". Home consoles will continue to be sold once people get bored of app games.
http://9to5mac.com/2015/03/26/ipad-decline/
But don't Nintendo fans only buy Mario games?
@Uberchu
Zero stock = selling out of product
Dead inventory = dusty figures nobody wants and are destined for the clearance aisle.
No problems here..all bought at MSRP except Villager due to my boycott of Target.
Found my Pacman figure behind some Disney Infinity figures 3 weeks ago. If you do not take the time to look then that is on you and you must not want them too bad.
@rjejr home consoles do sell at the moment. Just Nintendo's home console doesn't.
I am talking about the casual gamers who bought Wii U for Wii fit and the like. They moved on to tablets/smart phones/Netflix/kindles.
That's brilliant!
@kobashi100 The bought the Wii U? I thought the Wii U user base was mostly hard core Nintendo fans and second console owners with a few young people mixed in.
Great position for an exclusive with only two days worth of sales. Looking at the titles it's behind on the list (besides Witcher), it probably would have been #2 if it had the whole month to sell.
Splatoon sold fairly well for a game that had about 3 days to chart. Amiibo are selling fairly well still, too.
This is REALLY good. Just 3 days of sales in May and it still places 5th, against multi platform juggernauts at that. Ink-redible!
@Grumblevolcano
Did you get my post yesterday with the link to wave 5 pre orders along with Ness and Rosalina?
@CamWFC91 north carolina...
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