The Switch Port Of Bayonetta 2 Has Outsold Its Sister Version On Wii U

It’s marketing, actually ; )

Positively brilliant game and hope more Switch owners will pick up a copy. Worthy of breaking that 1M copies plateau.

"...during the first nine months of release..."

Is it November already?

And the Switch has long passed the U's lifetime sales. Makes me a little sad that Nintendo was so awful at keeping the U afloat. It's good to see Bayonetta 2 getting it's due, though.

Pretty darn good for a port, I'd say! It could possibly make 1 million copies sold overall then, which is a great milestone for any game in my opinion. And when B3 hits I imagine this game will see a nice boost too, right?

Not bad overall sales, I wonder what percentage bought it on both.

So the Switch version has already outsold the Wii U version? That's nuts. They are both really good games on Wii U, and the bundle made them a good price. Not surprised it's selling well on switch b/c they are such good games, and the B3 announcement probably helps, just surprised it sold so poorly on Wii U. I've been meaning to go back and replay 2. Already played 1 when it released on PS3 way back when then replayed in on Wii U again b/c it was that good. Looking forward to 3.

Poor Wii U. Poor Wii U games and game developers. Poor poor Wii U owners.

It does give me hope that Xenoblade Chronicles X will some day come to the Switch. Also, if Nintendo could turn Starfox Zero into a better game for the Switch, that would be stellar.

Edit: They also need to find a developer that can salvage Devil's Turd.

Bayo 2 sold less than 300k on Wii U? Wow.

At this point Nintendo has no reason not to port every single Wii U game to Switch...

Rather than magic, it's simply a user-base equation, obviously. And this game definitely deserves it, so well done, all parties involved.

The first nine weeks not months.

Even though the Switch version has performed better since launch ,I doubt that it will overtake the Wii U original's lifetime sales. The Wii U wasn't exactly blessed with a lot of games so games like Bayonetta 2 continued to sell fairly well long after release. I'm not sure that will be the case for the Switch version. Sales will likely pick up again closer to Bayonetta 3's release and if it's ever put on sale.

@chardir @rjejr The Wii U version sold around 850k and I'm pretty sure I read that with digital sales included ,it passed 1 million. The comparison above is for the opening nine week period since launch. Although the article incorrectly says 9 months.

@chardir It sold that In two months.

That's good to hear since it keeps the franchise chugging along.

I never owned a Wii U so I never played this game until it was released on the Switch and I’m glad I did it’s an excellent game.Good to see its selling well.

In a few years I'll sell my rarest WiiU BotW, Bayonetta, MK8, etc... and get the cheaper Switch versions. Like what happened with Game Cube's Twilight Princess. 😋

@chardir God how I'd kill for a Tokyo Mirage Sessions port. It's so criminally underrated and unpopular

It deserves more love. At least I'll be willing to throw money at Ninty if I get it

That’s a surprise! I haven’t heard much about it, so I assumed it would just be forgotten.

lol, this is great.

@eaglebob345 "Makes me a little sad that Nintendo was so awful at keeping the U afloat."

Nintendo was excellent at keeping the WiiU both afloat and financially viable. People forget the times when the console was in danger of finishing below 8 million.

@eaglebob345
I wouldn't mind giving those another shot. I sold all of my physical copy games for Wii-U when I bought my Switch at launch. I enjoyed Star Fox Zero even though it cold have been much better. Same with Devil's Third. Maybe Itagaki could work on resolving the issues with it and give us a good remaster of it. Of course like most of us, I think the Wii-U ports need to be cheaper. Maybe $39.99 at the most, maybe $49 for complete editions with DLC (unlike Tropical Freeze).

Great to see the gloom and doomers proved wrong again..

Again this shows why switch is getting Wii U ports. If anyone can still to see this then there is no helping them.

The audience was not there on Wii U. Switch has the audience and people buy games

@eaglebob345 nah Nintendo did everything they could in regards to Wii U. People just didn't want to buy it. There was no saving it.

@Not_Soos said: ""...during the first nine months of release..."
Is it November already? "

Yeah fix that @Dom, lol.

@kobashi100
I agree. I have no problem with the Wii U ports. Though I can see where it can be a little frustrating for those of us who bought and played all of these games on Wii U and maybe would rather play a new game that we haven't. But the new games will come too.

I still have this since original release and unplayed....never finished the first - the first was great from what I played.

@eaglebob345 I reckon if Valhalla Studios was given some proper time and didn't have to keep rushing and switching engines etc it'd be a far better experience. I liked the idea of Devils Third and did quite enjoy the melee combat (as should be good coming from the Ninja Gaiden man himself), but the shooting and most everything else was so poorly executed.

I do hope Ninty give them a proper shot though. They have good talented members, they just shouldnt be forced into crunch situations because THQ went bust.

@kobashi100 @rdrunner1178 People seem to forget that new games require a lot of time and effort to make. Its really these ports or nothing at all during the gaps.

Honestly enjoy the ports, portability is a big plus and with most receiving enhancements it certainly is encouraging for double dipping. Though they could work better on some games pricing (DKC Tropical Freeze at full price again??).

@kobashi100 I don't feel like I'm a "doom and gloomer", as I'm a huge Nintendo fan, but I still feel that 6 first party Wii U ports before August 2018 is too many, no matter how many people didn't own Wii Us.

For the core Nintendo fans who bought Wii U games, there isn't much on the horizon for us.

"The Switch Port Of Bayonetta 2 Has Outsold Its Sister Version On Wii U."

No it hasn't. Try actually reading your own sources. I didn't expect you to start flat-out lying to get clicks.

It's doing better than Wii U, but it should have done way more. Bayo2 deserves to be a 2 million seller. And anything less than 1 is downright offensive.

Bayonetta 2 is just as critically acclaimed as God of War (Idk if I'd say it's a better game, but it's at least as good). And for anyone who didn't own a Wii U (all but the hardcore Nintendo fans) it's an exclusive every bit as new and worthy of being played.

Unfortunately, Bayo 2 gets brushed aside in comparison. Even compared to Nier Automata, Bayo 2 hasn't done nearly as well.

It's a real shame.

@Matthew010
There's no such thing as "too many" games. It doesn't matter if they're indies, ports or a single genre, more is always better than less. Pray we get half a dozen more Wii U ports, cause half a dozen more is better than half a dozen less

The real issue is not "too many of game type A". Your issue is "not enough of game type B". And whether I agree with that or not, it's at least based on a valid premise. Complaints of "too many Wii U ports" when Wii U ports are outsourced to hired hands and has no impact on new titles, and only enriches the library for millions of people who want those games... is not.

But, imo, there actually is quite a bit on the horizon for Wii U owners. Mario Tennis Aces, Octopath Traveller, Smash Bros 5, Yoshi Switch, Fire Emblem, Pokemon and whatever they surprise us with at e3 (Mario Maker 2? Pikmin 4? Animal Crossing would tie in with their goal of expanding the audience given over 80% of Pocket Camp users are female)... that's a pretty decent spread for the 6 months spanning summer to the holidays. We also have Bayonetta 3 and Metroid Prime 4 in the mix. Probably won't be out this year but, they're coming.

@RainbowGazelle
The title is misleading. I noticed that too. But reading the article he makes it clear it's outsold the Wii U version over the same period. Perhaps "is outselling" would have been a better headline.

Great news. Both Bayonetta games deserve all the sales they get regardless of platform, this is top of the character action genre. Can't wait to learn more about Bayo 3.

@RainbowGazelle I read through their sources and I don't see where NintendoLife is "flat-out lying to get clicks". Or are YOU flat-out lying to get hearts on your comment??

Also, I'm really glad I bought Bayonetta 2 on Switch where I don't get the first game for free or even at a discount here in Japan (which I would have on Wii U). Damnit. I should have bought it on Wii U just to spite them.

I still have to play both games. Have them for, 360, pc, WiiU and Switch. Lol

That is great! that means that more people are getting to play it! I have yet to double dip though.

The Switch is the FULLY REALIZED vision of what the Wii U should have been. Games are succeeding on the Switch because it is an inherently more understandable, attractive system due to hybrid nature of being portable + TV. It makes sense to people, so they want to buy it b/c it fits into their lives. The Wii U was a failure because it had those ideas of portable screen, but it wasn't portable. Great work on Nintendo taking those ideas and failures and making them into success with Switch.

I'm still playing Bayonetta 1 - but man, did this prove an amazing game. I probably couldn't have wished for a better introduction to spectacle fighters this side of Nier Automata. B2 is definitely on my wishlist, too.

A great game I yet have to purchase again, but that I probably will when the right sale comes along...

Paid off already!

Breddy gud.

@Matthew010 no worries dude. I was more talking about the people who claimed bayonetta wouldn't sell well on switch

@HAL9000 plus the Wii U gamepad looked like a Fisher price toy and that 480p screen resolution.

It was a disaster

It's great that a port of such an excellent game can outperform the original release though it is kind of to be expected when you consider the different install bases, the Switch's in particular seems far more accepting of different types of games, just look at the indie scene for proof of that.

For clarification, I believe this is comparing both games at the same point, so 2 months worth of sales. So yeah, October-December 2014 versus February - April 2018. And for the record Bayonetta 2 on Wii U did clear 1million units.

So yeah, for people that get all salty about Wii U games being ported, the numbers for MK8 and Bayonetta 2(so far) is why.

@kobashi100 As much as I love the Gamepad, I have to agree it looks like a Fisher Price toy and is about as bulky as one

less than 400k in 3 regions?

and that's a hit?

okaaaay

@OorWullie "Although the article incorrectly says 9 months."

Every article always has to say something incorrect, it's in Dom's contract.

Well if Bayonetta hit 1m on Wii U I suppose I can live with that.

@DK-Fan That's roughly a 5% attachment rate for a fairly niche and mature rated game. Not to mention that it is a port of a now 4 year old WiiU game.

There are plenty of high profile PS4 exclusives that don't even hit that 5% number.

And that's why so many ports are on Switch. The increased install base is an opportunity that couldn't be missed. That simple. If the Bayonetta port just comes close to matching the Wii U lifetime sales, that is more than worth the trip for Nintendo. Same for Hyrule Warriors, Tropical Freeze, etc.

Bayonetta 1 & 2 is like the Shenmue for Switch. We are getting Bayonetta 1 & 2 cause Bayonetta 3 is coming whereas the other platforms are getting Shenmue 1 & 2 because Shenmue 3 is coming.

@BlueKnight07
Sony spent the first two years porting games to PS4 from a console that had a userbase over 80 million because 'many people didn't buy a PS3.' That was the reasoning and people backed that moronic reasoning to the point I was told I wasn't a PlayStation fan because I dared voice my displeasure with the fact that for two years outside of Bloodborne the PS4 didn't have a first party AAA worth a damn that wasn't a freaking port. Yet when Nintendo ports games from a console that broke 15 million, tops, to a system that has already surpassed that the world is coming to an end, despite the fact we also got The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, ARMS, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade Chronicles 2. It's laughable but I guess it goes to show the unrealistic standard people hold Nintendo to. There may have been a console that had a better, busier first year than Switch, but I can't remember it and I've been gaming since the NES days.

No need to feel bad for the Wii U. It was an okay console with a good amount of great games, bayonetta 2 being one of them. Sales figures don't always tell the whole story.

@bluedogrulez N64 forever!

@Mips: N64Forever, yes sir, that's where I'm from! I do enjoy the news here (GREAT STAFF). Shoot me a PM there...guessing I know you but Mips isn't registering.

@Gamer83

Wow man, so much truth in your summary. Very good points and very well said.

@eaglebob345 They may as well just port everything they can: Paper Mario, Star Fox, W101, Super MARIO 3D World, Tokyo Mirage Sessions, Xenoblade X.... as long as they are upgraded versions.

@eaglebob345 I think about this often. Take star fox and remove the NEED for aiming with the game pad and I’ll be right back on that band wagon. Zero was really good but it was mildly hindered by those controls. It wasn’t enjoyable; not at least as enjoyable as it could have been.

I thought Bayonetta 2 already sold at least a million copies already?

@RainbowGazelle are you a cave troll

I do find it incredibly amusing how every time Nintendo announces a Wii U port to Switch, everyone in the comments suddenly owns a Wii U and every game for it. We either have a case of a very vocal minority who are obviously not the intended audience anyway, or people are just making [removed] up in order to hate on the Switch. This is very unique situation and certainly justifies ports: a handful of outstanding games that are underplayed and underappreciated because they just so happened to release on a failure of a console (similar to what happened with the Dreamcast). Nintendo is very smart in re-releasing these games and there certainly is a demand for them, although whether or not they should be fully-priced is a different discussion entirely.

@chardir No, these are figures for the first nine weeks. B2 on Switch probably didn't sell that far from a million in total.

@cowntsikin Not quite, I think, but these are figures for the first nine weeks.

For a GAME that is almost 6-7 years old, 400K is an unexpected BONUS...

...I myself am HOLDING OUT until Bayonetta 3 is released....so i can BUY the TRILOGY...

...I'm sure there are fans waiting for 3 to come out so they can BUY THEM ALL...

...it's not unreasonable to think that within 1-2 years, Bayonetta 1-2-3 on the SWITCH will have sold a MILLION a piece...

...now, if I can only GO DEAF when PC Fanboys complain about NO PC release for Bayonetta 2 & 3...and hear them COMPLAIN the SWITCH is a piece of junk with it's LQ GRAPHICS...

@kurtasbestos Their title clearly makes it appear that Switch Bayonetta's lifetime sales have betean the Wii U's, when that is not the case. I don't make up crap just to get hearts; I couldn't care less about them.

@Camilla Nope, just someone who often points out Nlife's poor writing.

Is this surprising? The Wii U had some serious flaws but I still think it was incredibly undervalued. I would imagine every game they bring from the Wii U’s library will sell better simply because there are more Switches out in the wild.

@OhHiMark I do have a Wii U and most first-party games. We are not making anything up, a regular Nintendo fan would have bought a Wii U and probably be shocked about full-priced ports on the next console, I know I am. You are talking nonsense with that conspiracy theory.

@electrolite77
I think most regular gamers who don't worship giant corporations would acknowledge the PS4's first couple years were slow but when you're talking about fanboys it's a whole different mindset. I do enjoy pointing out the hypocrisy though. The reason some people use to give Sony a pass for when it comes to all the remasters that were (and still are getting) released is the exact same reason they bash Nintendo today.

Bayonetta is one of Nintendos best decisions, I mean what a couple of amazing titles and now that the newer titles are exclusive to the Big N and they are finding a growing fanbase is awesome. I for one simply cannot wait to get my hands on Bayonetta 3 Exclusively on Nintendo Switch., just awesome.

The Wii U sure is a goldmine for Nintendo!

Bayonetta deserves it. So does wonderful 101.

@eaglebob345 couldn’t agree more. A star fox zero without juggling the dual screens would be awesome.

@Gamer83 Not really. The remake if shadow of the collosus is not just a simple port. It's a complete from the ground up remake. If Nintendo did more of that they wouldn't get so much criticism.

Theres still precious little for Wii U owners on the Switch, not that Nintendo ever cared about Wii U owners. Maybe Nintendo will make some good, new games one day? Nope. We get ANOTHER Smash rehash. Yay?

Very misleading title btw.

Switch version of game outsells Wii U version of game. In other news, the sky is blue and water is wet.

@Matthew010
Yeah..I already own Zelda on both, and eventually I'm gonna pick up Mario Kart 8 and Bayonetta for Switch too. I don't care about Pokemon, so it looks like I'm poo outta luck for all the rest of 2018

@electrolite77 Which is something that in no way changes my point. The legend of Zelda windwaker HD was a great jump off point for Nintendo to realize that putting in extra work to make an older game look amazing is worth the effort. Yet they just port things over with minimal effort and the game looks essentially the same. Would you rather have the old-school crash bandicoot with an HD skin? Or the one that's been completely rebuilt for current systems including the switch?