Splatoon Bundle Boosts Wii U Sales in Japan as Project X Zone 2 Struggles

Sad for Project X Zone 2, but the first one isn't exactly a great game. But I'll buy nevertheless.

I played the demo for the first Project X Zone and didn't like it at all... if number 2 is more of the same, I can't say I'm surprised with its low numbers. It's going to take more than a few cameos to get me excited, and Japan, apparently!

So maybe the Wii U doesn't need a price drop after all. It just needs good pack in games to sell. They should use Mario Maker and Splatoon imo but that's just me as most people that want Smash already have it.

@Spoony_Tech That was what Regie was saying previously.

Hmm when they said Project X Zone 2 struggles, I assumed it would have a much lower number on the chart like Need For Speed. I guess it's only compared to the 1st one.

If I were a japanese guy about to buy a Wii U, I'd be really mad that there's a bundle with just Splatoon in my region, and another with Splatoon AND Smash in the west. It's kinda like the 1Tb PS4 for me here. I want one, it's been released in Europe, but NA only gets that horrible CoD bundle. I've decided to wait until they stop pretending we don't know what's going on overseas.

Microsoft really can't get into Japan.

What about Fates? DID FE FATES REACH A MILLION?!?!?

@Artwark Nowhere near. It hadn't even sold 500k when it disappeared from the chart and has under under 1k a week since. It's not going to hit a million in Japan.

It's weird playing online and being the minority. People keep complaining about a lack of voice chat, and I'm sitting here thinking, "how the hell would I be able to talk with them anyway?"

@LUIGITORNADO

I am assuming you are referring to Splatoon, but it is more being able to give to strategy and planning with your team.

I think 2016 could be a great year for the Wii U, with the 2 Zelda games on the way and a really huge game like Xenoblade it has 3 true system sellers. Also if Nintendo promotes more, the fool backwards compatibility with Wii and the great game options of indie and virtual console games thru the e-shop, 2016 can be easily the best year for the console.

P.S. Nintendo always focus on innovation and explaining what's their vision for the next gen and what new it brings to gaming, but sadly most "gamers" now a days don't really care, they just like to hear stuff like "we are all about the games" "made by gamers for gamers" and all that poop.

@Spoony_Tech
It's just a temporary boost so far, I don't think these numbers will ever be the norm.

@LUIGITORNADO
Built in microphone in the one controller you're forced to use to play the game.

@Spoony_Tech "So maybe the Wii U doesn't need a price drop after all."

I guess it depends on your definition of "need". Now let me finish. Yes, Wii U nearly doubled w/ the Splatoon bundle this week from last, but it's still 10,000 less this week than PS4. So if Wii U wants to constantly sell 10,000 less per week than PS4, then no, it doens't "need" a price cut, but if it wants to sell PS4 numbers than maybe it does "need" a price cut. Depends what numbers it "needs" to sell to make Ntinedo happy.

Oh, and do we know there wasn't a price cut w/ this bundle? The US Smash Splat bundle is getting a $20 price cut, so maybe Splatoon bundle in Japan got a $20 price cut as well? I really don't know, that's why I'm asking.

Oh, Target had 1 of the Smash Splat Wii U bundle boxes in the display case today. It looks REALLY nice. The sticker outside the locked case only had the $299 Mario Kart 8 bundle price so I'm not sure now much they are selling it for right now, and nobody was around to ask. Knowing Target it probably wasn't in their system yet anyway.

Someone on GameFAQS said something that will probably change you're views on the Japanese sales charts. He said, and I quote, "The thing about X Zone 2 selling poorly is these things record the sales by Friday, those sales only represent 1st day sales. In comparison, the first game had at least 3 days to sell".
If that's true, then it means Japanese sales numbers are not completely up to date.

@ikki5 Bit hard to do that when you're the only non-Japanese in the lobby.

@Peach64 I'm not surprised, with FE Fates not being sold as one stand alone SKU.

Project X zone was a bad game. They should have never made a sequel. All of those crossover games suck. People buy them for the massive amounts of cut scenes and music. Super Robotwars even had games without the licensed music just to make them cheaper

@Spoony_Tech

The sales numbers even with a new bundle is really low and non-sustainable. PS4 meanwhile is enjoying a month of high yield sales thanks to its own price drop.

@rjejr
The Splat/Smash bundles are in the system for $299 right now. The price won't be discounted until Black Friday and then it'll go back to $299. Stores aren't supposed to display/sell the console yet though but as we've seen with Amiibos, many stores goof up.

Yeah, I didn't exactly enjoy Project X Zone. I think my dislike for strategic role playing games like this one isn't a great start. Truth be told, though, I really hope those three companies collaborate on other genres some time. I mean, it's some of the best Sega, Capcom and Namco Bandai characters in one game - the premise is awesome but the gameplay just needs to be satisfying, too.

@darthllama "The price won't be discounted until Black Friday and then it'll go back to $299."

I can imagine it in the system right now ofr $299, but I don't understand it going back up after Black Friday. Nintendo themselves said the MSRP is $279. You don't have an MSRP for a weekend, MSRP is all the time, a lower price on the weekend would be a "sale".

"This bundle launches in retail stores at a low suggested retail price of $279.99, with select retailers offering it at less than $250. "

"Smash Splat Wii U Deluxe Set
Suggested retail price of $279.99 at major retailers, available at Target and Walmart for less than $250"

http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/DoS0ECYyNPuy7RBETWfsWVzVCj9A0525

I just don't see how that bundle can ever be $299 after Nintendo said MSRP $279.

Decent Wii U numbers. It appears the drop below 5 digits for the last couple of weeks is in anticipation for this bundle. Which in the end, it's not bad at all and as we enter holiday, this bundle will keep Wii U selling. A price drop might be needed soon, but probably not something we'll see this year.

I'm rooting for Tri Force Heroes, but it doesn't seem to have a long legs. It'll be soon in 5k territory. At least 100k is a guarantee, and who knows if the free DLC update in December could boost a little. Project X Zone 2, well, I don't expect crazy number for this. It's lower than the predecessor, but it's a sequel so might be expected. Not a bad week for Nintendo.

Oh, anyway, MHX will release soon and will sweep the chart away in the next 2 weeks.

Didn't Project x Zone sell catastrophically bad in Japan, though? Like, I remember they were selling first prints at a massive discount.

I liked Project x Zone and beat it, but it's boring to play all at once. The strategy component isn't that deep and it's propelled by the fanservice of having Ryu/Ken (or whoever you like) beat up major villains from other franchises. The dialogue is also pretty sleazy in places, so I can see how that would put people off playing another one

Splatoon deserves all the sales it can muster.

40,000 copies in a debut week in Japan isn't really "struggling". Only in comparison to the previous title, which means nothing, honestly.

Now Code Name Steam? THAT struggled.

I'm still jealous they get the White WiiU there with the 32GB but at the same time I'm glad I have my Wind Waker gamepad in black.

@Technosphile
Codename STEAM didn't struggle; it outright bombed.

PXZ2 is struggling. It only sold half as much as its predecessor did, despite the massive growth in the 3DS install base since October 2012.

@rjejr Good point Tech. However, Nintendo ARE making money from their system selling, where as Sony are taking an even bigger hit now it has reduced its price.

We all know the Wii U is coming to the end of its Primary life cycle. I imagine Nintendo will take what ever sales they can get, whilst keeping at its current price.

What I am wondering is, how will Nintendo price their next HOME console. Surely, after shelling out 300 pounds, not a lot of people are going to be prepared ro shell out the same again, or even a bit more, even if it turns out to be more powerful than the other two. But Nintendo, if they want to make a profit, cannot price it too low, otherwise they will be DEPENDING on the console shifting by the bucket load, in order to recoup their initial development costs.

@Xenocity Yeah, I'm hoping Splatoon and Super Mario Maker both reach over 1 million sales.

@firstnesfan but its the 4th best selling game in the series.

@wazlon they did already. Worldwide.

Great for fan service, terrible for literally everything else. The more games and systems PS4 sells in Japan, the faster we get imports. Which is great, seeing as the Wii U in Japan has been on fumes for 4 months.

@akaDv8R Nintendo making another home console is asking to lose money. Their devs struggle with 360 fidelity, how much is a new box going to change?
Open question: can Nintendo do enough with the 'NX' to truly win back 3rd party developers?
It has become painfully obvious that the next level of visual fidelity and processing power would be entirely lost on Nintendo's first party efforts.
Monolith, Retro, Level 5, they could do some damage on the PS4. I can't say the same for the main branch. Not after seeing the ways Nintendo straight up handicaps themselves.

@akaDv8R "Surely, after shelling out 300 pounds, not a lot of people are going to be prepared ro shell out the same again"

Well, that depends on who the NX is targeting. Some quick and rounded math -

Wii - 100,000,000 consoles sold
Wii U - 10,000,000 consoles sold

Doesn't really look like a big deal like that does it? But when you say 100 Million vs 10 million, well there are 90 million people who bought a Wii who didn't buy a Wii U, 9 times as many didn't. So for them, those 90 million who didn't, maybe they'll just consider NX an upgrade from the Wii.

And to @SahashraLA point, if NX isn't so much a Wii U Two as a 4DS w/ TV out, maybe Nintendo can sell it for $200. Or it's the Wii U Two, but the Gamepad is sold separtly for $150 as the "NX Away" and the "NX Home" version is $200 w/ a Pro.

We don't know who it's going to be marketed to - Nintnedo faithful, the casuals again, Xbox/PS4 fans - or what it's going to be - as powerful as the other 2 or a handheld tablet.

I'm leaning towards cheap and portable myself, w/ a lot of retro VC stuff, maybe even a subscription service. Nintnedo seems to like cheap and easy games these days: Pokemon Shuffle, Pokemon Rumble World, Rusty Baseball, Nintendo Badge Arcade, amiibo Greatest Bits, Happy Home Designer, Metroid Prime: Federation Force, Zelda: Triforce Heroes, Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival. Where are all the real games? Super Mario Maker is a level editor in search of a game. Super Smash Bros U is making them more money in DLC than the game itself. StarFox Zero and Zelda U are delayed. No Super Mario Galaxy 3. No home Paper Mario. No Metroid on U. Writing is on the wall if you ask me.

@LUIGITORNADO I know! That's what I've been saying too. I doubt all those people who want voice chat can speak every language Splatoon is available in. I mean I guess it could help with group battles, but everything is so chaotic, there's not much time to follow plans as they'd fall apart within the madness.

My whole thing on the price drop is...I can't honestly believe that the price is what's keeping people away from the system.

Both the PS4 and One launched at around $100-$200 more expensive than the Wii U with a library of games that was ENTIRELY available on the predecessors that most of us already had or PCs that, again, a lot of us had.

No, people just didn't want the Wii U. Because it was Nintendo? Maybe. Because of the GamePad? Probably. Graphics? I guess. Poor marketing? I think that's the best answer.

PS4's slogan was "Greatness Awaits" and here we are, two years later and "Greatness" has only been shown in, like, 6 titles so far including Bloodborne, The Witcher 3, and Fallout 4 (as far as I can tell from the internet) with other hopefully excellent titles coming out in the coming year(s).

The Wii U pretty much had a lot of what people wanted from the Wii in the beginning, but they WANTED the PS4 and One more for whatever reason.

Three years in, I'm not convinced a price drop will make anyone buy the system. If the current lineup (and upcoming lineup) of games isn't enough, I doubt the system being cheaper will do anything. If it's WAY cheaper (like a ludicrous $150) then PERHAPS some will bite into it, but again, a console stands more on it's GAMES than anything...or at least it should.

I actually regret buying my PS4 as soon as I did because the games I want still don't have a release date...and the games that are out I either have on my 360 or could get for a few dollars.

TL;DR I seriously doubt a price drop will suddenly make Wii Us fly off the shelves. But then again, maybe they'll see a nice boost for a while because...it worked for Microsoft last Holiday.

That's a pity. I liked the first Cross Zone game. I'm still gonna buy it.

Oh hey, I finally got around to buying Splatoon. I didn't even know there was a bundle, though... I totally should have bought one of those to put next to my XenobladeX box.

@Spoony_Tech No, I think it needs a price drop too.

@rjejr The optimist could view the 'cheap and easy' games as a way of keeping the current generation of systems alive in some way while the main games are squirrelled away for the NX. The realist... well, simply doesn't know, I suppose.

@maukenboost I agree with this. I think people are too gleefully using it as an example of how 'backwards' Nintendo is, and how they don't understand the modern gamer to consider whether implementing voice chat would actually benefit the core game. Although in Private Battles, it would be a nice option.

The main online omission that has irked me recently is inability to play with friends overseas in Triforce Heroes. With strangers, it makes sense to region lock it; same experience, better connection, but limiting gameplay with people you actually know is really restrictive.

@Maxz Saving the "full experience" games for NX would make sense. as they don't seem too intent on pushing Wii U anymore. Or they could only be making free-to-start like games from here on out. Will be interesting to find out, probably by E3 we'll know which way Nintendo is headed.

"The main online omission that has irked me recently is inability to play with friends overseas in Triforce Heroes."

I think Mario Tennis is worse. A game that is geared towards fun tennis w/ family and friends, yet there's no oline "Friends" match-making. I'm not sure why you even make a game w/ online but you can't easily find your NNID friends.