This Week's Japan Charts Show Nintendo With Eight Games In The Top 10

Yah, but look how much Monster Hunters sold

Pretty respectable results for the Switch, 3DS, and PS4. I love that 4/5 of the titles in the top 20 are all available on Nintendo platforms.

Honestly I can’t believe animal crossing is still one of top games despite being out for five years 😂. Can’t wait for switch version

Japan sure is crazy about Monster Hunter. Look at those PS4 numbers (and the even more insane ones from last week).

Monster Hunter World has definitely given the PS4 a shot in the arm over there....the Xbox One is looking a lot better in the charts now that the Wii U has disappeared as well.

@Dev I thought it was fun to revisit some of the old minigames, but it just felt like a shallow collection without any meaningful boards to play in-between. And putting it on a handheld was an awful idea. This is supposed to be a commemorative game celebrating ten installments of a console-based couch party game and now it must be played on tiny screens across multiple handhelds. It was a huge missed opportunity.

@SimplyCinnamon53 Agreed. It's beginning to look more like 'Animal Crossing: Old Leaf'. Still, those sales prove it's clearly an evergreen title.

Jesus. Monster Hunter has outsold almost every Nintendo Switch game.... in 2 weeks. And Splatoon has eclipsed Mario himself as the #1 Nintendo IP in Japan

Times a changin’

It's irritating seeing Monster Hunter XX on there while we still do not have it over here. They could at least give us that game since it is already on Switch!

Finally an article about charts with the actual charts in it and not textwalls, phew

Missed out on the top two but 16 of the top 20 are Nintendo games or games for Nintendo systems. I think Nintendo will live with that result.

@FatAlbert1 "Jesus. Monster Hunter has outsold almost every Nintendo Switch game.... in 2 weeks. And Splatoon has eclipsed Mario himself as the #1 Nintendo IP in Japan

Times a changin’"

lol. A couple things worth noting. First, you can't base a meaningful assessment of a market's receptiveness toward a game (or anything gaming related, for that matter) on a weekly sales report. It's an extremely limited window that really only gives you a snapshot of one narrow point in time within that market. Go look at overall lifetime sales figures for the games on this list and you'll see what's actually going on in the market.

And second, Monster Hunter just came out. Of course it's going to be at the top of the charts right now. It's an especially successful entry in a series that's extraordinarily popular in Japan, and it's newly released. For anything to outsell that game in its home country would be a miraculous achievement, but for Nintendo to beat it with games that have been on the market for many weeks or months would be as likely as hell freezing over.

...people actually bought that Mario Party? It looks awful, especially on 3DS and without any real gameboards

Great to see Nintendo taking up most of the charts, especially with Mario + Rabbids, which I am surprised to see Japan eating it up and is a great game.

13. [NSW] 1-2 Switch – 4,391 / 391,086
...people are still buying this?

Mario + Rabbids should reach 200,000 copies sold soon, which is impressive in a region where Rabbids and strategy RPGs are irrelevant. I guess adding in Mario and being an amazing game really, really helped.

@BAN
With the PS4 hardware selling 100,000+ units, you'd think more people would be buying games other than Monster Hunter and DragonBall FighterZ. No other PS4 game outside of those two sold more than 5,000 copies.

I'm pretty sure people would be crying Nintendoom if Animal Crossing or Pokemon released and every other Switch game sold less than 5,000 copies during the game's 1st and 2nd week on the market, but I guess different standards apply...

Now that is a very healthy video game industry! 2018 is going to be another epic year.

@BAN I think @FatAlbert1 was talking about japan’s lifetime sales. If you look at the numbers to the most right of every game you see what they sold totally in past weeks (not counting the current week)
Like MHW is currently 75k of sales off to beat splatoons total japan sales, and splatoon sold about 400k more than mario.

@StephenYap3 Yes, 1-2-Switch is one of the best-selling Switch games.

@StephenYap3
Yeah; There are people who like those games, and it's very good, or is there a problem with it?
"Fun for all!!"

@FatAlbert1 Splatoon is certainly a big deal, but the #1 Nintendo IP in Japan has been, for quite a while, Pokémon (and I don't see that changing anytime soon).

Looking good for Nintendo and Sony. The Vita is still a thing? Xbox sucks, so we see why they are on the bottom, just like windows phones.

@NinNin That, I could see why, but there are just so many better options for multiplayer on the Switch, even with ports...

@SakuraHaruka I don't have a problem with a launch title that showcases a system's features as long as it ends up being good in the end, with Wii Sports and Nintendo Land being examples of this. The problem with 1-2-Switch is that despite showcasing what the Switch could do, the whole game is extremely barebones (do one little thing to win...woopie...), up to the point where calling it a tech demo isn't enough to do it justice, not to mention that the $50 price tag makes it insulting expensive for everything that 1-2-Switch offers (heck, I wouldn't even bite at $10), thus it should've been a pack-in game to go along with the system from the start. Even a caveman would be wise enough to make this decision when being the decider of what goes with the Nintendo Switch at launch for any buyer.

Now, I could see this as a good purchase for those who are new to video games (especially at family-gathering parties), but as a video game, 1-2-Switch fails at many angles. I played this game as a rental and took it back the next day, disappointed that those 28 mini games were all that it had.

Monster Hunter dominates. A missed opportunity there for Nintendo. And PS4+Pro (140k) is outselling Switch (49k) big time. No best selling Switch game on the horizon to save the day. PS4 got a big chance to make a big comeback.

Better late than never, I guess. You used the spin cycle again. You're welcome for the numbers and the reminder by the way.

"It's also great to see the Western-made action-RPG Skyrim selling strong in Japan - clearly Switch ports can revitalise even the oldest of games."

You most definitely got my message. The game sold like crap. 13,922 is a brutal debut in any chart, not least Japan.

You should reference where you got your figures, we don't want a lawsuit.

@dimi, what are you talking about missed opportunity. It is not Nintendo's fault that Capcom didn't make monster hunter world for the switch in time. If you look at the list, how many ps4 games are in the top twenty. Less than five. Who is dominating the list? The switch. What makes you think that ps4 is making a comeback because of mw. When the switch come out with more games, they will still be dominating the list. And it is still not a year old yet.

@FinalFrog

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Skyrim did fine on Switch.

The PS4 version sold around 28,000 copies at launch. Wouldn't be surprised if Skyrim on Switch ended up outselling the PS4 version in the end given that Xenoverse 2 and FIFA 18 on Switch will soon outsell their PS4 counterparts.

I've got a PS4 but ONLY for MHW - nothing else will get loaded onto it. . . Strangely - I can't wait to finish the game so I can get back to my switch 100%.

@westman98 That's like comparing which is the shinier turdle.

Love the fact that Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 pops back up again with the release of FighterZ. Those DBXV2 figures aren't actually that bad - giving Pokken a little competition.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE
Well, Xenoverse 2 and FIFA 18 are 100,000 sellers on Switch in Japan alone. Pretty good for a late port and a downgraded football game that hasn't seen a Nintendo release in 5+ years.

@SLIGEACH_EIRE Well we know why it's late, takes them a day to spin the article title. 😉

This is my favorite line - "but Switch has sold twice as much as PS4 Pro this week with 49,165" - b/c I just can't for the life of me come up with a justification for comparing Switch to Pro sales. Switch to similarly priced PS4 makes sense and Switch to all PS4 makes sense, but Switch to Pro is trying too hard if you ask me. Which is why nobody ever does ask me. 😆

@darkswabber I think you're right, he's obviously talking about lifetime. I took his "in two weeks" comment wrong.

But even then, is that really saying much? With Monster Hunter, we see a really highly rated game in one of the region's most popular franchises that's been released on a system with at least twice the installed base in the region as Switch, so it's not a surprise to see that game succeed. Considering the much smaller installed base, the fact that several Switch games are even within sniffing range of the same sales ballpark as a massive PS4 game is impressive, and as it is they're only slightly outside it.

As for Mario and Splatoon, I don't think that's much of a story. Splatoon seems geared much better toward modern Japan than Mario does. But even then, I still see four games with "Mario" in the title sitting comfortably in the upper range of the sales charts, with ~3.2million copies sold between them, compared to 1.9million for Splatoon 2. And I'm pretty sure this only counts physical sales, so digital could tell a different story.

@dimi
Ya it's a temporary jump. In a few weeks (month tops) it'll be back down to normal levels. PS4 just received the biggest game it will ever get in its entire life span. So it's going to ride hi for a few weeks but when the hysteria dies down, it'll be right back to where it was before. Which was never in a bad spot but it'll certainly dip below Switch again in a few weeks. At best they'll probably be neck and neck.

You gotta keep in mind, PS4 has only done like 5 million sales there and it's in its 5th year. Switch is already on it's way to 4 million in less than a year (and will probably hit 25 million lifetime there like 3DS, maybe even 30 million). That's what historical trends are telling us based on a full year on the market.

So let it enjoy it's ride while it lasts. But Switch is likely going to surpass PS4 sales in Japan by the end of 2018. And once it gets Pokémon (which is even bigger than MH in Japan) its the point of no return. God help us when DQXI hits Switch and the next new portable Monster Hunter. Even Fire Emblem does pretty good in Japan (couple hundred thousand IIRC)

@JaxonH Hope so...but i remember that even the mighty DS had a hard time competing with MH on PSP for several weeks! Lets wait and see

@rjejr Why would they even need to spin it? Switch has outsold PS4 in Japan almost every single week since it came out. In less than a year it’s already sold over half of what PS4 has in its four years on the market in that country. Switch falling behind PS4 for a couple weeks after a huge Monster Hunter game comes out on PS4 isn’t even worth spinning.

@BAN Most Japanese console gamers buy physical copies. The total sales of Splatoon 2 in Japan including digital sales is a bit over 2 million copies. I believe it has sold about 2.1 million copies in Japan.

just a random comment passing by

@NinNin True, but are Japanese treating Switch like a home console? Seems like they’d think of it predominantly as a handheld, given the country’s history with portable gaming, which I think has contributed to Switch sales success there. Either way, I’ve seen those digital estimates floating around, but Nintendo doesn’t release actual numbers for digital sales, right? So how reliable are they? Not trying to be a jerk, I’m actually curious.

@BAN "Why would they even need to spin it?"

And yet he did. PS4 sales this week are more than double that of Switch and yet he chose instead to say, "Switch has sold twice as much as PS4 Pro this week". As is the title, "This Week's Japan Charts Show Nintendo With Eight Games In The Top 10". This is what I said earlier in the forums before this week's charts were published.

Quote: The site again hasn't posted the Japanese charts, they're over a day late. Time to drop them an e-mail. I wonder what spin they'll put on them this week. "Nintendo have 80% software chart domination."

https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-switch/what_do_you_think_the_nx_is_poll?start=25820#reply-25827

Quote: All the other Nintendo centric sites published them yesterday afternoon and they don't put spin titles on the story like, "Nintendo Software Dominates The Week's Japanese Charts" when clearly last week it was all about the monstrous sales of MHW and PS4 selling x3 that of Switch. Anyway, it's not like Switch sales are bad and Nintendo software feature heavily in the chart.

https://www.nintendolife.com/forums/nintendo-switch/what_do_you_think_the_nx_is_poll?start=25820#reply-25831

@BAN You complete miss both FatAlbert11's point and the numbers. MHW isn't merely selling more than those old Switch games this week. It has nearly surpassed all of those games' life time sales! Within a mere two weeks.

Splatoon 2 will surpass 2 million physical sales in Japan next week. That's really impressive and it's still only a little over 6 months old.

Hay, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is back!

You just had to point out the Xbox One sales.

But this is how M$ will spin it.

Xbox One (all models) sells 637 units in Japan
Xbox One sales up

But tbh we all know M$ will never do well in Japan when it comes to console gaming so why keep beating the dead horse by needing to point it out?

@JaxonH *6.2 million in less than 4 years (PS4 released late February 2014 in Japan).

Don't get me wrong, portable is king in Japan & the Switch will outsell the PS4 three times over IN Japan.

PS4 is doing incredible worldwide, the Switch is doing great & XB1 is doing better than the 360. We should be happy instead of trying to downplay others success.

Remember there was a time were analysts wrote of console gaming...
Seems to me like traditional gaming is doing better than ever.

@westman98 The PSVR version of Skyrim outsold the Switch version. If you're going to make a comparison you should probably compare the two versions of the game that were released on the same day & marketed as a brand new experience (portable skyrim & VR skyrim).

@BAN "Why would they even need to spin it?"

I don't know, ask them, but that title looks like all spin to me. And the part about Switch outselling PS4 Pro makes no sense, who cares that it sold the high end system? That's spin.

Well that, and every other website covered this news on Wednesday when the news came out, just like this website used to do, but this week they waited until Thursday, which gave them time to spin the news.

Add it all up, my math says spin. I agree with you, there's no reason to, but the wording and the lateness makes me think that's what happened.

@BAN According to Nintendo, less than 20% of Switch users use it primarily in TV mode, so most users perceive the Switch as a hybrid or handheld console.

I don't know if Nintendo releases digital sales numbers, but it releases total sales numbers. As for Splatoon 2:
"Total sales now stand at 1,882,997 physical copies and 150,617 digital, for a grand total of 2,033,614."

http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/11/splatoon-2-first-game-hit-2-million-sales-japan-decade-7221176

@NinNin Right, I remember the chart Nintendo put out on usage trends. It was interesting, but it combined US, Europe, and Japan. I couldn’t find anything for Japan specifically.

@rjejr @SLIGEACH_EIRE I mean, beyond the fact that this is a pro-Nintendo site so you should expect SOME degree of them going easy on Nintendo, I just don’t think they’re sitting around wrestling with bad news trying to force it to conform to their expectations. This isn’t really “bad news” so I doubt anyone cares that much.

As for their taking longer than you’d expect to report, I get the feeling that they’re still kind of getting their feet under them with a new editor and the absence of Thomas.

@KeeperBvK Read my other comments on this, not just my first one. I don’t feel like it’s worth typing that all up again.

Just have a look at the numbers!
I'm not a big Monster Hunter Fan and my PS4 is since June in a box, because I play Switch all the time, but I dont understand the Hype. Monster Hunter was sold more than all the other Games combined. "80% goes to Nintendo"...what a joke!
I'm happy for Nintendo and the big lineup we get from this success, but its not that impressive as you want it to be.

@BAN "still kind of getting their feet under them with a new editor and the absence of Thomas."

I concur.

@Fight_Teza_Fight Not sure where you’re getting that number from. It looks like PS4 is still sub-6million in Japan. Not much difference either way, I guess. But it came out on February 22nd, 2014 so that’s effectively four years.

But to the point, I don’t think anyone’s trying to “downplay other’s success,” but rather to put Switch’s success in context. And one of the best ways to illustrate that point is by comparing it to a system that’s been selling well, including in Japan. Everyone always talks about PS4’s success, so to say that Switch is on its way to quickly catching up in its home country is clearly meant to underline how well Switch has performed there rather than to put the PS4 down.

https://www.dualshockers.com/ps4-sales-pass-six-million-japan-solid-second-week-2018/

6million+ as of January 14th. That was before monster Hunter World. The PS4 isn't performing badly in Japan it's just not doing as well as previous PlayStation consoles.