Recently, the head of Media Create Atsushi Hosokawa told Bloomberg the practice of releasing Japanese hardware and software sales data publicly may not continue. Now, after a review, the team has decided to no longer share weekly sales figures with the general public.
Starting next month, companies requiring sales data will need to contact Media Create directly. Media Create will still publish the top ten software ranking without sales numbers. In terms of freely accessible sales data, Famitsu will potentially fill the void, although this data may not be as accurate. Media Create has been providing Japanese video game sales data to the public since 1994.
[source resetera.com, via mynintendonews.com]
Comments 68
Sad.
Quite sad.
At least there's a second option. I wonder if the figures still get out by someone that pays and we still see them just perhaps a day later?
Well that sucks, the Japanese Media Create sales are incredibly important to seeing how games sell in the East.
Bummer. Guess this means we won't get to see which upcoming week - most likely in June - the Switch overtakes PS4 in lifetime sales over there.
So someone who pays will just have to share it with everyone for free, right?
Like everything in life, there will come a time when people stop doing things because time change. There will come a time when Nintendo Power stop publishing there own magazine and it did, there comes a time when Sega go third party and they did and there comes a time when Media Create stop sharing sales figure and now it did. Soon there will come a time when I stop playing or buying videogames altogether because the value of collecting is not there any more and eventually that may still happen.
It makes for a fun article each week but other then that doesn't really matter. The figures will get published or leaked anyway
I always enjoyed coming to nintendo life each week to see if my favorite titles were selling well. This is quite disappointing. I’m not sure why they want to put sales figures behind a paid wall. I can’t imagine very many people have much of a desire to pay for such things but maybe I’m wrong.
End of an era...well...a resetera thread anyhoo.
Youtube 'creators' easy content just took a hit.
@Baker1000 I guess it will all depend on the terms you agree to when you pay, and how much you have to pay. They may charge a lot and actually expect journalist to write articles with the numbers in them, just not post the whole spreadsheet.
A bit ironic you have to pay for sales data, no?
Most likely Sony is paying them for not publishing their abysmal sells in Japan :V
I think we'll live without knowing how much games sold. Of course it's fun to know, but it's also not THAT big a deal for us as consumers, I don't think.
Did Sony achieve this?
inb4 Nintendo Life's articles about the best controller for the Switch, listing all the possible choices in Amazon to get the money and pay for the sales data.
It is cool seeing the sales data but I guess it just means I have that much more time to play video games.
There goes half of Nintendolife's articles. Now it'll be 80% about Inidie games.
It's not too much of a stretch to imagine that Sony is behind this. Microsoft stopped publishing their sales data when it was clear they were getting well beaten every week. I can't imagine Sony being too happy with weekly articles showing them getting trounced in their homeland.
Wouldn't be surprised if it was Sony paying them to not publish how much they're getting beaten by Nintendo.
....well what the crap
@LUIGITORNADO You'd think so, but they haven't written about any of the Axiom Verge controversy since the initial $78,000 lawsuit
Whats the big issue? You guys are a gaming news site. Surely you'd just class a subscription to this Media Create data as operational costs and continue to provide the information like you always have?
@Baker1000 Exactly. Nintendolife should just get a subscription as the data is of interest to its audience.
@Scoopz Fort he record, this is just a news article about something Nintendo-related that happened. Nintendo Life hasn't said whether or not they will stop publishing the data every week
News/Game publisher plight; Yes. However moaning about your plight blog styles seems unprofessional.
@Scoopz That depends if there's an NDA that will prevent you from leaking the numbers without repercussions. Why else do we not get leaked software numbers from the NPD?
So NintendoLife I assume you are going to pay for them so your loyal readers still get to know the figures right?!
@ALinkttPresent They didn't give any insight into how they were going to respond to this situation. With that in mind me highlighting a potential course of action was entirely reasonable.
Darn, I'll miss seeing the abysmal Xbox sales each week. Not because of petty console fanboyism, Xbox has always done fine without Japanese support, but because it was just such a funny situation.
@Klunk23
If I know I will die next month I would buy as much Xbox One consoles in Japan that I can afford just to give Microsoft a record Xbox One sales week.
Aw, I really look forward to this each Wednesday afternoon! I’m sure we’ll hear one way or another anyway
Ok, whatever. Speculating is more fun anyway.
Always comes down to money!
Pay up then. You are a news site aren't you?
I guess you've gotta make money somehow. If it keeps them afloat that's okay.
For those asking, sure, we’ll look into subscribing once more information is available. However, it’s highly unlikely we’d be allowed to publish the information as we have in the past. It’s useful information for consumers, but realistically is aimed at the industry.
Hopefully Famitsu and Dengeki continue to provide free Japanese sales data to make up for this loss.
There will be people to post it around regardless. Although, it's not like I lived and died by those numbers anyway.
If you click the source link you can still get the data so I think conspiracy theory is there was a under hand tactics ahem from competitors to block the publishing as it makes them look bad. Just look at it BoTW 2+ years is still listed on the charts and that must rub their bungholes the wrong way.
I guess I’ll just have to remain preoccupied with the one sale metric that truly makes a difference to me; my own.
I believe NPD did the same thing awhile back. I didn’t even know that Famitsu offered something similar. They are the last ones I’ve heard of though.
You see that Nintendo Life is decadent when they started to look at Resetera for news articles.
Resetera is a hate group, people there are intolerant. I can't stand this.
The notice mentioned can be seen here: https://www.m-create.com/ranking/
"To whom it may concern:
After March, the content of the Weekly Ranking will change. We will only be publishing a Top 10 ranking.
We will be continuing to tally data. Please contact us if you are interested in market data.
(We apologise, but please only enquire on behalf of a business.)
Contact details: Media Create Co.,Ltd [email protected] 03-3294-7031"
So there's already contact details if you're interested in applying.
Seems the open ranking's being reduced from a Top 50 to a Top 10.
Edit: Oh, whoops, seems there was already an English notice: https://www.m-create.com/english/latest_research/e_ranking.html
Which explicitly states the Top 10 will be just 'top 10 software ranking without sales number'
What ever will we do, not knowing how other people choose to spend their money on their hobbies?!
Sad news indeed. I look forward to viewing the Japanese charts every Wednesday(ish) when I come here. It's a good tool to gauge how well games are doing in Japan.
@Baker1000 That depends how much they'll charge just to access the info.
It was either charge for the data or use Amazon affiliate links.
@datamonkey Haha this is what I was thinking, but we both know the answer to that. 😁
What a coincidence, right as Switch is closing in on PS4 lifetime sales. Yep, complete coincidence.
The reality is that the numbers are going to be leaked anyway, so this will not change anything.
Microsoft more than likely have put this to bed. Embarrassed by the Xbox sales in Japan 😂😂
This completly looks like the shady work of unhappy companies/developers 👀
There’s always Famitsu.
I guess I’m off to VGChartz.
Wonder why they're stopping 🤔
I can’t believe people genuinely think Sony’s behind this. 🙈
its no longer useful for Sony's marketing so
SONY "STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I recall that the NPD stopped posting detailed US sales figures back in 2010 due various publishers (Sony in particular) pressuring them to stop.
I wonder if this was the case here. Annual PlayStation hardware sales in 2019 are looking to reach a 24-year low.
VGChartz is down as well
@retro_player_22
well said. My predictions along times changing- Microsoft goes third party, disney remakes the original star wars films, and Dick Clark stops hosting the rock n roll new years eve.
@Axelay71 I doubt Microsoft cares about everyone being able to see poor Xbox sales in Japan as it's always been bad. Sony sales however has been a complete change of fate since the Switch so if any of the big 3 are to blame, it's most likely to be Sony.
Hey Microsoft have more to worry about than Sony. Obviously touched a nerve.
This is Sonys handiwork. It made them look incredibly bad to be outsold 6:1. And to have the top 0 completely dominated by Nintendo....mindshare is a real thing and Mediacreate data was going them no favors...same thing happened to the NPDs during the Wii period.
@Dpullam hehe yeah I think we know the answer unfortunately!
Time for the lovely NL to learn Japanese and ask them directly
Well that really sucks 😔
Or for those bullying Media create sales to quit their jobs and get a Life. For sales loser to bully data sales gives consumers more reason there is something behind this move and it's not for consumer buying interests.
Sounds very bad...something to hide guys?
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