January NPD Results Bring Improvement for Wii U and Top 10 Sales for Super Smash Bros.

All those games except Smash Bros and Far Cry 4 are the snoozers.

FIFA 15 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, Wii, Vita, 3DS). Even wii has FIFA 15. Why not Wii U:(

It's still fighting?Nice!

@Tornadowing Wiiu and third party games don't mix.

Call of Duty: Advanced Boredom is on the list? Lol

This is a pretty standard list of games tbh. No surprise that most of those games are where they are. Though Dying Light has done exceptionally well, and it certainly is a nice surprise that Smash Bros. is so high on the list, especially that it is a Nintendo game at this point after release. Very pleased with this! Hope it moves more Wii U units.

@midnafanboy I know third party hate Wii U. I don't care. Wii U got enough super fun games

Hey, "half as many sales as other consoles" is still pretty dang good for a console declared dead on arrival in my book. I think Nintendo would be MORE than pleased it they ended up selling half as much as the other two.

Good for Smash. Got both versions of em, and enjoying it. This sales chart also reminded me that I need to upgrade GTA V on the Xbox One. I'll get to that soon.

I'm still holding out for EA to announce a non-gimped FIFA 16 will be coming to the Wii U at the same time as the others.I'm probably crazy to do so but I already knew that anyway.

My prediction for Feb
1. Evolve
2. The Order: 1886
3. MM3D
4. MH4U
5. COD: AW
6. GTA V
7. Smash Bros. 3DS/WiiU
8. Far Cry 4
9. Minecraft
10. Destiny

How the heck do sports games even make the top 10?!

That's pretty good for Smash. Those 3DS sales must be good and the attach rate to the Wii U impressive.

So many games to choose from on the other consoles, though. None exclusive.

@Neram Because people buy them?

@Neram Considering how insanely popular football is around the globe and the fact that FIFA is a fantastic simulation of football,it's kind of obvious why it sells so well really! Same goes for Madden and NBA within the US.

@NoEasyBuckets Well that's more or less what I was questioning, is why do so many people buy sports games? I can't say I've met very many gamers who actually like them.

@OorWullie The part that surprises me though, is that people keep buying the same game every year. You read about people complaining when Nintendo or Activision or whoever keep making the same Call of Duty or Mario games, but you never hear people complaining that sports games are always the same, which they actually are. Yet people keep buying them.

@Neram It's different with sports games though,they only need to bring updated squads and slight refinements and that's enough,at least for the majority that buy them.The gameplay has been practically perfected over the years so there is not really much more they can do with it except slightly tweak it every year to make it more realistic.No one wants to play with out of date squads either,especially with their favourite club.Granted,these updates and improvements could probably be added as DLC but as long as the tens of millions of fans keep buying it yearly that ain't gonna change.

Comparing this January Wii U sales to last year sales is like a guy comparing penis sizes with a woman. Sure there is an understandable difference, but in the grand scheme of things it doesn't mean much. Even though the numbers are reflecting the final boost from Smash and holiday sales, but they are still extremely low. They aren't even at the level Nintendo had hope for a year ago. PS4/One are selling over double the rate per week in US, and 3-5x as much in Europe. They just never have anything new that can trigger a chain of momentum.

@B64111980 Nintendo also use shipped numbers and not sold. They always have.

NPD give numbers sold to customers, and they have Wii U at 60k. It's not leaked what the Xbone sold but it's their best January so that means it's over the 140k it sold last January.

Sports games sucked then and they suck now. Go look at the Genesis and SNES games rack at the local used game store. About 60% of them are sports games. There are a few that are worth playing. NBA Jam and NFL Blitz come to mind. Most, however, dated horribly.

It's no different today. Except that not only will you have today's sports games in the bargain bin of the future, but all those FPS games with weak campain modes, and tons of other games that will be either be broken or completely useless without their mandatory "day 1" updates, once servers are shut down for good.

Wow it's 2015 now and a Wii game is in the top 10? Never thought I still see that, guess the PlayStation 2 version got canned along with the Wii U version.

Kawaii figures haha

@Hero-of-WiiU agreed for the most part, except that dying light is a bit good too!

@StarDust4Ever

Most older games, covering all genres, can be found in the bargain bin today, princess. It's not just limited to sports titles (though they are the most prevalent).

As for the other guy questioning who buys sports games? Try finding a college/university dorm room in North America who doesn't have a copy of an NHL/NBA/NFL game in it. Growing up I can't remember a single friend (or myself) either who didn't own at least one EA sports game on their Genesis or SNES.

I know some diehards buy the same sports title annually, but I think most people only buy one every other year or so. And as mentioned already, the games are sports simulations. There isn't much room for change other than adding new modes, players and some tweaks to the game engine for every release.

@Tornadowing because the wii has a much higher install base. thats all EA care about.

Sports games are as old as gaming itself, since the 70s up until today. It's the competitive element that keeps them popular. Multiplayer at its most classic.

@Tornadowing

Third parties don't hate the Wii U--the fanbase told third parties to go F themselves, and they took their business to more open-minded shores where they may actually make a profit. Third parties simply can't make money from a fanbase notorious for only supporting games with Mario, Link, or Pokemon on the cover.

@koochiekoo

So, if you were a game developer, your plan would be to only put games on consoles with poor sales, with a focus on making as little money as possible?

What, exactly, is the point of your comment?

@Quorthon i was just answering someone's question.

@retro_player_22

A Wii game is not in the top ten. A game that also happens to be on the Wii is in the top 10. No doubt, the Wii version sold well below the XBO or PS4 versions--and that's evident in that the consoles are listed in order of sales in these lists.

It's pretty obvious that there were a bunch of new Xbox One owners after the holidays, as games are leading in sales on that platform for the month.

@koochiekoo

So, you don't have an explanation for your comment, then.

Sports games may "suck" for some but they are a guaranteed money printer every year. Business is about giving the buying public what they want... though to be honest a very good business can get people to buy what they don't really want. I won't mention any names.

According to two sources the Wii FIFA 15 sold between 360k and 400k.
To be honest that's not bad given the state of the Wii. I don't know the maths but surely that should repay EA the investment.

The question is would it have even sold that on the Wii U?

@JaxonH Exactly! If this trend of selling about half as much, as say the PS4, throughout the entire gen, and we see PS4 with about 60-70 million systems by the end of this gen, that would still mean Wii U had about 30-35 million. Again, no-one is expecting the Wii U to win this generation, but if it hits a reasonable 25 million+ (but I'm thinking 30-40 million) units where they're making decent profit, that's perfectly fine. At the end of the day, as long as Wii U is a profitable endeavour and 3DS continues to sell like it has been, Nintendo is more than fine.

@Quorthon After said third parties released a meager amount of support, then blamed the fanbase for their failures. Case in point: EA.

@StarDust4Ever Sports games quickly find themselves in the bargain bin because there are yearly full release updates which make the previous year useless if you want current rosters. Granted usually it is just the same game with different stats, but as long as people buy them there is nothing to make the developers do otherwise. There is also the issue of the online play disappearing once the new version releases.

Similar things happen to any game that quickly loses major gameplay elements. Shadowrun, Phantasy Star Universe, and Quake 4 are just three games from other genres that come to mind from Xbox 360. I think all can be found for under $5.

@Quorthon are you defending EA for taking FIFA 12, changing the KIT colours, and selling it as FIFA 13 at Full Price on the Wii U, then blaming the fan base for low sales?

@Chubblings JaxonH Except it's selling nowhere near as well as half what the PS4 is. The article even says the Wii U numbers are well under half what it's rivals are doing. Most months it doesn't even do a quarter of what the PS4 does.

some good news for Nintendo but still a lot of work to be done like getting 3rd party support.

@Quorthon You just dont seem to get it do you!? You are just like them blaming the fans about not buying their games. If I am a business for example like in plumbing and one of my workers spend more time and money on a project and I look at my Financial earnings then I see that I lost money I cant just blame all that to the customer. Its not their fault nor their problem it is mine. And another thing,if third parties want our money then they need to work hard for it we are not gonna spend our money on a unfinished version of a game especially on one they did not spend much time on. They need to suck it up and make complete versions of their games. If they want our money they need to work hard for it.

@somari That isnt coming back. All that is nothing but history.

@electrolite77 It seems to me its the main focus nowadays. Just blame the fans for your problems.

@TingLz

Does... does this really need to be explained yet again?

Here are the basics:

1. Nintendo fans have a history of not supporting 3rd party developers, totally regardless of the quality or dedication of the game in question. Case in point, Rayman Legends did not sell well on the console, and numerous third party titles were very highly rated, including Arkham City, Mass Effect 3, Deus Ex, and the Wii U version of Ninja Gaiden 3 is the highest rated version. Nintendo even published Bayonetta 2, and it's sales have been notably lackluster.

Suffice to say, unless the game has Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon on the cover, Nintendo fans tend to ignore it, totally regardless of quality.

2. Nintendo did not give 3rd parties the tools they needed. Do you really expect 3rd parties to want to put DLC on a console that has so little storage space for it? This means that the chances of even selling that DLC, due to limited space, become incredibly limited for 3rd parties.

On top of that, the Wii U hardware cannot handle newer game engines, such as Unreal 4, which will be an instant turn-off for many developers.

And on top of that, Nintendo has an incredibly weak online infrastructure compared to competitors, meaning that no matter what, the online options for any multiplatform game are going to be worse on the Nintendo system.

Nintendo fans really, really love to cast hate and blame against 3rd parties for some kind of imagined hostility against them. In reality, the 3rd parties are the least to blame for their poor sales on the hardware. First comes Nintendo for limiting their tools and options, second comes the Nintendo fans who would rather buy sub-standard Nintendo-branded games over higher quality 3rd party games (for instance, Game & Wario over Rayman Legends or Mass Effect 3).

"Oh, but they only released ports!!" come the bellows of the ignorant. Take very careful note: The first year of quite literally every single major new console is dominated by ports and cross-gen titles, including the PS4, PS3, PS2, XBO, X360, XBox, Wii U, 3DS, Wii, DS, GameCube, PSP, Vita, etc, etc, etc. This is not only common-place, but perfectly logical because it is a safe and affordable way for developers to break in the new hardware and earn some revenue to fund the true next-gen titles.

The difference is that Nintendo fans complained about the support, while Sony and Microsoft fans supported the games, and lo and behold, only the Nintendo console lost 3rd party support--because MS and Sony gave them the tools they needed, and the fans actually supported the games on those two consoles.

Here's the simplest form of this: 3rd party developers and publishers go where they can make money and are supported by gamers and console makers. They do not find that support from Nintendo fans, and unfortunately, not from Nintendo either. That lowers the amount of effort they are likely to put into games on the Nintendo console, and ultimately lead to them abandoning the Wii U. Third parties left you? Sorry, but it seems that you left them first.

Ironically, while complaining about the "ports" from 3rd parties, Nintendo fans had not problem at all buying a Wind Waker remake.

@Ootfan98

That depends, how did it sell on the other platforms? Because I bet it sold way better.

@Quorthon It probably sold better on other platforms because it wasn't the same game as FIFA 12.
But you think it is the fans fault. Lol, say no more

@Tornadowing Casuals, Wii is full of them, and Fifa is loved by casuals

@BinaryFragger A lot of those 3rd party games flopped due to lack of marketing which the third party is responsible for. Nintendo can't just handle all marketing ad for each and every one. Other than in gaming magazine where else would find marketing ads for No More Heroes, A Boy and His Blob, Muramasa, and Arc Rise Fantasia? At least Red Steel 2 sold quite well despite the game was a but of a letdown.

@Quorthon I'm sure it's pretty much the exact same game regardless of which platform. Still it's laughable that a title with a Wii port is up there proving that the Wii is still barely alive (for some reason).

@JaxonH - Yeah well said.

The console war people and Nintendoomers keep moving the goalposts on us. First it was going to be disontinued by 2015, then it would stop being supported after this or that release...it was gonna sell less in 2014 then be quietly retired...

Now they're just content to remind us that it will be in last place...which is unfortunate, but as long as they can keep making great games and support it, I'll be happy with my purchase.

@electrolite77 That's you guys have been mostly putting all the problems of third parties poor sales of their games on Nintendo fans and Nintendo. Again they need to stop I repeat stop blaming fans about their problems. Its their problems not anyone else's. Do you not understand what I am telling you or you just hate Nintendo and the fans?

@Ootfan98

If it sold better on other platforms, that just further backs up the idea that, no matter what, Nintendo fans simply don't support 3rd parties.

@electrolite77

I agree with you, man.

There are a few people here who are unbelievably blind to any of Nintendo's errors, mistakes, or misdeeds. It's interesting because it's a pretty good insight to the mind of someone drawn into a cult. Glorious leader can do no wrong, glorious leader is perfect, and everyone else in the world is crazy.

This "let's blame everyone else except for Nintendo because Nintendo is perfect, and us, the core fanbase, because we don't want to admit error" is pretty solid evidence to this kind of thinking. The "us versus them" mentality over the "let's understand the facts and look at reality" mentality. Then turned around to personal offense and persecution complexes. "Why blame the fans? Why blame the fans??" It's not about blame, it's about facts. Game developers need three primary things to support a console: A respectable-sized audience to reach out to, a hardware maker that built a machine that offers the concepts and options they need, and a fanbase that actually supports them.

Third parties have none of this on Nintendo consoles, and are now 4 generations into this cycle (starting with the N64). Even when third parties put in the effort, they still get ignored (Mass Effect 3, Rayman Legends, Zombi U, Bayonetta 2, Ninja Gaiden 3, Arkham City, Injustice, etc.) because few "gamers" are as closed-minded as core Nintendo fans, who want first and foremost, games with Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon on the cover. If it isn't that holy MZP trinity, then chances are, even Nintendo's own titles might not sell--as we've seen with Sin & Punishment, Eternal Darkness, etc. They'll still buy the worst Nintendo has to offer--especially if it happens to be in the MZP range--over the highest quality 3rd party anything.

All praise to glorious leader.

@retro_player_22

Sony and Microsoft seem to have no problems regularly helping with marketing of a variety of third party games, even regularly including them in bundles with the consoles.

So what's Nintendo's excuse? How is Nintendo so badly organized that they can't do what MS and Sony can?

For such an amazing company, there sure is a lot of "Nintendon't do it" these days.

@Quorthon did you buy it?

@Ootfan98

What does that matter? I am hardly several million people, nor am I a representative of a whole.

@Quorthon you mean you didn't buy it?, you mean you didn't support 3rd Party by buying their game. What a typical Nintendo Fanboy!

@Ootfan98

I asked you a question, you failed to answer it, so it is then safe to presume that you had no point to the immaturity you just demonstrated.

How much deeper do you want to dig yourself?

I also asked you a question, but you also refused to answer. You are either a troll or a computer user not trained. Which is it?

@Quorthon Sony and Microsoft don't make games, they are only there to throw money at third party to build numbers. Nintendo don't throw money, they make them by selling their own products, of course Nintendo does support 3rd party but not all of them, the ones you list are the few Nintendo had no part in, it basically applies the same with Sony and Microsoft as well.

Fight for more fighting for more fighting...

@electrolite77 oh forget it its useless to try to reason with you. You believe its the fans fault for all the third parties troubles with sales. See that right there is how a third party exactly acts how you are . And you probably ignored what I said what not to do which is blame others for your problems. Sometimes I scratch my head and wonder why you people think that way? Seriously its mine boggling. Idk how to explain it,its like the route you want Nintendo to go in you think is fine but it can actually hurt them. Plus if you understood business better you would know that profit's are more important to a business that just overall sales. Yes Nintendo had a loss but its now making profit with their products now. My business classmates would literally laugh at you by you saying more sales= profit's. Lastly each and every one of them would say making a profit is much better than just sales. Like MS for example they made tons of sales to match the PS4 in sales yet they look at the financial reports they lost money and didn't make a dime. That kind of thinking is the thinking you are doing right now that can kill a company. No class.

@electrolite77 Another thing that strange is that you and some others insult others and thinking it proves your point. The ''I am always right and you are always wrong'' mentality. Way to show some class.