Dragon Quest XI and Nintendo Switch Still Dominate the Japanese Charts

Good stuff.

But Dragon Quest XI ON Nintendo Switch still has gone dark.

Had it released at the same time as other platforms, I'd guess it'd go PS4 > Switch > 3DS in sales.

If Splatoon 2 does the same numbers next week it'll pass 1 million.It can't be too far off 2 million worldwide.

The 3rd party's can only ignore it for so long.When you see niche games like Disgae shifting over 100k,they're losing out on a lot of money not having their games on Switch.

I'm more impressed at Mario Kart 7 still making Top 20 lel

@Menchi187 They broke the silence on the Switch version recently http://nintendoeverything.com/square-enix-working-on-technical-adjustments-for-dragon-quest-xi-on-switch/

@Equinox [citation needed]

@triforcehero I factored that in, it just felt like so much nothing. "It still exists" is basically nothing. I wasn't implying it was cancelled, just no real news. Especially with the announcement of localization, which also didn't include platforms.

Excellent pre-Obon Switch sales.

The Switch came close to outselling both the PS4 and the 3DS family combined.

@Menchi187
There is no way the PS4 or Switch version of DQXI could have outsold the 3DS version, even if the Switch version launched simultaneously with the other two versions.

@Equinox So sometime in the next 2 months it will have passed Wii U lifetime sales.Considering how popular the original was in Japan that's impressive.We could be looking at 3 or 4 million lifetime sales just in Japan.

@Equinox
The Switch should be able to outsell the PS4 in Japan in ~2 years or so.

Next year's sales will be interesting, as that's when the Switch's supply issues should be mostly alleviated.

Looks like the PS4 Pro doesn't do much for Sony anymore, seems like the Japanese audience doesn't see 4K as something special.

200k+ of the Monster Hunter XX SPECIAL EDITION consoles will be included in the sales in 2 weeks time. These are already pre-ordered and sold out but will be in addition to the increased supply figures of 100k...switch consoles sold that week!

That's hilarious: the Splatoon 2 sales and Switch sales are almost one-for-one. What is the attachment ratio for Splatoon 2 in Japan? It must be well over 80%. Really encouraging to see it still holding its own against one of Japan's favourite franchises in Dragon Quest. Really hope DQXI comes west and to Switch sooner rather than later, though.

Note to Capcom: given how well USFII did on Switch, you completely blew it by releasing Mega Man Collection 2 on PS4. That would have killed on Switch. You fools.

@Menchi187 NPD numbers leaked on another message forum (I first saw them on Neogaf):

Hardware (Top 3):
NSW: 222K
PS4: 217K (+34.7%)
3DS: 105K (-44.3%)

Software (Top 3):
PS4: 2299K (+52.0%)
NSW: 736K
3DS: 384K (-49.2%)

Splatoon 2 #1 332k

75 xbones. For the entire country. That is horrible.

@Equinox
The PS4 will sell close to 6 million units by the end of the year and close to 6.5 million by March 2018 - the Switch's one year anniversary.

I can't see the Switch reaching that milestone in a year or so. That would make the Switch Japan's all-time fastest selling system, by a significant margin. Nintendo won't have the supply to ship that many Switches to Japan alone without seriously hurting their western hardware shipments - and that's assuming Nintendo raises their 10 million units Switch shipment forecast for this fiscal year.

@cfgk24
Psst...
Add English version of MH XX Switch, Say Hello to 1 Million ++

Hah !
Xbox one wa Wasuremono desu !(Forgotten Things)
Xbox one is just like a Clown / Cheerleader between Feud of Nintendo vs Sony, the Real Competition.

Nintendo has always had a good run in Japan. What I'm more interested about is how Splatoon 2 did. And especially the worldwide figures. Anyone knows if VGChartz updated their website for all-time Switch sales? Or is Nintendo hiding them?

And wait... Mario Kart 7??? Wow. Just wow. Oh and by the way, RIP Hey Pikmin, that game was a massive disappointment...

Seems like Nintendo is finally getting a handle on Switch production.

@Equinox No offense but that is highly unlikely. There is approximately a 3.5 million gap between PS4 and Switch sales in Japan. If we go 30 weeks from now to March 15th 2018 (around the end of the first quarter of the year), Switch will have to have sold an average of 116,000 more units than the PS4 each week, starting now, to meet/pass PS4 lifetime sales.

@Yasaal While I will agree that Hey, Pikmin wasn't a stellar game (I did enjoy it somewhat, though), 100,000 sales in Japan alone in just a month's time isn't a bad figure for a low profile title.

@retro_player_22 It's mostly only the PC master race crowd who really cares about 4K, and they already had PCs that could play games in 4K before the PS4 Pro was even a thing.

4K is nice, don't get me wrong, but I'm certainly not buying a 600+ dollar TV and a brand new console just for better resolution, especially not when I already own the Slim iteration of that console. Once I need a new TV, I'll certainly buy a 4K one (or 8K, if that's a thing by the time I need a new one), but for now, I'm more than happy with 1080p.

@westman98 Square Enix's sales data does in fact show the PS4 version selling more. They are probably better able to track digital sales, which I would imagine are much more common on the PS4.

http://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/news/pdf/18q1outline.pdf

Very beginning of page 4 on the transcript.

@greengecko007
Interesting. Digital sales for DQXI on PS4 must be really good.

@Equinox
Again, the Switch outselling the PS4 by early next year would make the Switch Japan's fastest selling gaming platform ever. It won't happen.

@westman98 Surprised me to. I don't know what kind of incentives there are for Digital sales in Japan, but I know here in the US there are usually a good number of preorder exclusive bonuses like themes and avatars, and there is a lack of sales tax in some states on digital goods, which can make a game not-insignificantly cheaper if you would otherwise be paying 10% sales tax.

@Menchi187 Actually the Switch version would probably outsell the PS4 version, at least eventually. The only thing that would have held it back is the stock issue. Actually, that may be why Squeenix held back on the Switch version.

@Equinox Last week it was outsold by the PS3, which is about 11 years old by now.

@westman98 I'm not sure. Many of the 3DS crowd may have (stressing MAY) have bought the Switch version (again, if there was crossover) instead of the 3DS version. It has the portable side and home console side covered so I think it'd drop the 3DS a bit but not have enough dedicated Switch only sales, leaving the PS4 ahead.

@Malakai That means that total Switch sales should be about 5.2 million as of the end of July when you factor in Japan and US sales for the month. Add in the rest of the world and it should be about 5.5 million.

Switch sales will be well past 6 million by the end of August.

Good for Switch, still selling as much as demand I guess. Splatoon 2 is a beast, it's like every Switch buyer also pick Splatoon 2, wonder how long this 1:1 will go. And I'm just happy to see ARMS in chart, hopefully for a long time. Can't wait to play the next character.

@Equinox The XBox One sells poorly in Japan, yes, but not in the rest of the world. Worldwide it has sold over 30,000,000 units. Not phenomenal, but entirely acceptable.

@Anti-Matter yes! Please do this Capcom!

@Menchi187 If DQXI Released day and date on Switch I'd put safe money on it having had nearly a 100% Attach Rate in Japan

Wow those Xbox One supply problems are real! I thought the Switch was bad. (Nope, couldn't type it with a straight face!)

Splatoon +19%, MK8D +25%, Zelda +25%, ARMS +44%

@Equinox I think it's pretty clear that MS aren't making any real money from XBox. They don't release sale figures and they don't break out profit for the XBox unit. They just obfuscate and don't consider it a core business.

I don't see another XBox after Xbox One.

Yessss.... Wait till Mario drops~ Switch's numbers will soar even higher!

@crackafreeze Interesting to see, because if the Switch and 3DS versions had been released at the same time, the Switch sales would have eaten into the 3DS ones. But, months after, people will probably double and do another playthru on a graphically improved but also portable version.

@retro_player_22 LOL Yeah. They don't care much for 'insane' graphics. XD They love the 3DS over any console, except the switch.

It's interesting that the Wii U is still moving some units in Japan; I'm assuming this is mainly due to BotW. What's even more interesting is that it's outperforming the current-gen Xbox One in sales recently.

@Equinox
Hahaha...
When xbox one discontinued, then Only Nintendo vs Sony will keep going, the True Battle of Video Games.

@JamesR
Soo... after xbox one is XBye Bye ?

Oh, btw. How good is The Snack World 3DS ?
We haven't got any info about that, unless if we watch from Youtube by ourself.

@JamesR - I'm beginning to wonder what MS Gaming divisions end game is currently. They seem to be getting cozier with Nintendo, cross over play, Minecraft on WiiU & Switch, Donkey Kong Country trilogy on Wii U eShop. Most of their exclusives are playable on computers. I could see them making high end consoles only starting with XB1X and distributing some software across all platforms but keeping the best looking versions on their high end consoles and gaming computers.

It will be interesting to see what E3 holds next year after XB1X has been out for 8 months

@GrailUK I've said before I wonder if they'll even bother releasing the Xbox One X in Japan, there's just no market for it at all over there.

Still, the Switch is only outselling the PS4 by 2 to 1, so the inevitable downward spiral of the Switch is well under way.

@retro_player_22 I think the size of TV necessary for 4K to be appreciable is roughly the twice the area of the average Tokyo apartment.

...There's a less facetious point in there somewhere, I promise.

But really, a 4K display demands a reasonably sized TV; a reasonably sized TV demands a reasonable amount of space; and the frequency of households with a reasonable amount of space to spare naturally goes down as population density goes up.

The whole 'supersize' aesthetic doesn't have the same appeal in the land where compactness in king. Not that 4K TVs need to be 'supersize', but they're generally not titchy.

Well, Splatoon 2 will probably reach a million copies sold next week in Japan. I wouldn't be surprised if it reached two million or more in Japan alone, specially considering there are still those crazy queues for the lotteries.

I thought Switch was doom. Anyway, is The Snack World: Trejarers releasing West?

@Malakai so Splat2 makes 45% of the total Switch Software Sales for July on North America? Wow!!!

@JJ286 Yelp! I mean, maybe if third parties would release quality retail titles...then maybe...nevermind.

@greengecko007 That data they based that statement most likely was outdated. Dragon Quest XI was released July 29 and that statement was made Aug 4. PS4 preorders, if I can recall was slightly ahead of the 3DS's preorders. However, the 3DS did come out on top during release week.

Imagine if DQ XI were on Switch right now. Switch would be nearly impossible to find everywhere in Japan.

@IronMan28 It already is.

@Equinox you're kidding right? Microsoft has never performed well in Japan, it hasn't exactly hurt their situation and brand relevance in the industry.

If it is indeed true that the XBO sold less than the 3DS in July (<105,000 units), then that would represent the worst month of XBO hardware sales since May 2014, the month prior to the introduction of the $400 Kinectless XBO.

It would also mean worldwide sales of XBO were well below 200,000 units last month, which is lower than the sales of the Switch and PS4 in July in the US alone.

Tought times for XBO if that's the case.

@thesilverbrick True. But I just hope we get the Worldwide sales soon!

@westman98 I may be wrong, but I think Microsoft will use the failure of the Xbox One X as an excuse to leave the industry.

@Equinox but... the 3DS isn't in competition with Xbox, and is priced wildly different.

@electrolite77 MS isn't "struggling". The last 2 generations MS and Sony have simply traded blows on who is the top dog in the industry. Last gen it was Xbox and its brand, this gen it's Sony.

Yes, the PS4 is doing ASTRONOMICALLY good. But that doesn't necessarily mean Xbox struggling. Nintendo was struggling. Now they've (short term) started to turn things around. However, they also might end the 3DS line meaning all eggs in one basket... meaning it needs to be a home run success ala Wii or they're really going to be reliant on smartphone/tablet software.

@gatorboi352
Microsoft sees worst sales numbers since 2014 (prior to removal of the Kinect)=> "XBO is doing fine"

Nintendo sees best hardware sales since 2011=> "It's probably just a fad, and if the Switch doesn't sell like the Wii, Nintendo is screwed"

Lol

@westman98 yep, pretty much that in a nutshell.

@gatorboi352 Microsoft has never been the top dog. Nintendo was the top dog with its Wii and DS. In terms of sales, the Xbox 360 is the 3rd place. The sales of the Xbox One is okay because Microsoft aggressively discounted the price.

@electrolite77 dude. It's Microsoft. They didn't even blink at those losses. The brand awareness and surpassing Nintendo alone speaks volumes.

@NinNin "Nintendo was the top dog with its Wii and DS."

DS i'll give you. Wii success was smoke and mirrors. A facade. Yes they were technically on top, but easily half of those purchasers were people literally wanting to play Wii Sports for a few months.

BTW the 3DS did not actually outsell the XBO last month, which means it sold more than 105,000 units.

How much more? No one knows...

@Malakai I know right! But I think they will, hopefully in droves next year onwards.

@electrolite77 That's the thing, if the shareholders say "hang on a minute, you've been at this Xbox business for over 15 years and have been losing billions of dollars, why aren't you pulling the plug? And after all that you're now releasing a new box out of most people's price range, what's going on?" Then I think the plug will definitely get pulled sooner rather than later. I think the Xbox One X is likely to be their last console.

Not exactly sure why Xbox's is being brought up in a Japanese sales discussion.

Microsotfts issue with Xbox was never its inability to penetrate the Japanese market. Microsoft's issue with Xbox is its inability to penetrate non-English speaking territories in general.

The Switch (and PS4, of course) will comfortably outsell the Xbox One in almost any relevant non-English speaking region, not just Japan, and the margin won't even be close. Even if Xbox One started outselling the Switch or PS4 in America (which has yet to happen), the Switch and PS4 would still lead in worldwide sales thanks to their relevance elsewhere.

BTW the XBO sold around 120,000-125,000 units in July in the U.S., which is better than some may have suggested, but still a great deal less than what the PS4 and Switch sold during the same month in the US (215,000+). It's not the 2nd worst month for the XBO in US sales, so at least that's a plus...