Japanese Charts: Pikmin 3 Stays Top, Pokémon Sword And Shield Expansion Pass Makes Top Five

It's sad to see so many great games get beaten out by swsh...

Good week for Xbox with almost 30 units sold. Everyone must be holding out for the XSX, lol.

Wowsers! Check those hardware sales out! Switch isn't slowing down for next gen at all!

I´m SO glad Pokemon + Expansion Pass sold poorly! This way Nintendo will see we won´t pay that much for something like that. It should´ve been 60.
Nintendo really need to justify the prices they put for their games, serioulsy... They´re getting so much money lately with Switch, they could treat us better in that regard.

PS: Pikmin 3, for example, should´ve been much cheaper. 60 is waaaay too much for a game this old, with no graphical improvements.

The Switch is unstoppable, damn.

You guys know that Pokemon Sword and Shield already sold nearly 4 million in Japan already, right? The expansion pass and game together are just there for the stragglers that haven't gotten it already. We're a year past the release, there's no use complaining now. 🤷🏾‍♂️

Not only was the WiiU a prototype for the Switch as far as hardware, its software turned out to be beta versions for the Switch also.

@the_beaver considering that it’s dlc most folks will buy digitaly, I’d say those sales aren’t bad at all.

Switch Lite on nearly double the sales of the PS4 Pro. What was it someone said about Pikmin 3 last week? Oh yeah "nobody's gonna pay $60 for a 7 year old game." Chances are the people buying it probably didn't even know it was a port. Or wanted to play it on the go.

I hope Pikmin 3 keeps selling well. Really want to see the franchise garner more success.

So, in Japan, Switch has nearly sold more this week than Xbox One has ever? I knew Xbox was bad in Japan but, damn.

@Moon guarantee those sales are from the us military stationed in Fiji 😂

@the_beaver if you really believe pokemon swsh dlc sold poorly (note that that's only the bundled in physical copy) I'm sorry to inform you you are delusional my dear

Pikmin 3 was my first pikmin game since the first one. It totally deserves that spot. I feel like I picked up right where I stopped all those years ago.

@the_beaver I finally bought Pokemon Sword because it was all on the card, physically.

Do they always combine Pokemon games like that? Not the game and the DLC, I know that's the all-on-one-cart version, but Sword and Shield being listed together? I was pretty sure those Pokemon pair games each got heir own sales slot.

Either way, I'm sure they'll take any sales they can get at full price for a year old game and full priced year old DLC. Though to be fair I only know it was priced that way in the US, they could be cutting them a deal in Japan.

Though I'm still surprised at every single physical sale of any software in Japan, they've been into handle digital gaming for like a decade now.

@the_beaver

I bought it.

I did not buy the first version (or DLC obviously) because I felt this 'ultra' version was incoming.

I love Pokemon as an adult gamer it is incredibly relaxing and rewarding time for me and I am excited to jump into gen8... though it will be a while I am playing through some of the classics still; fire red and then X are my next 2, then White 1 and 2, then onto sword + expansion.

Keep it up you adorable flower Pikmins! I’m convinced 80% of the people who play that game will become passionate fans like us other Pik-enthusiasts! 🌸

Fortnite Switch Edition pushed hardware sales a bit.

Nice to see Pikmin do well, not picked it up but will at one point, never played it myself so will be new experience

Nintendo Switch – 119,109
Switch Lite – 20,091

Nice one Patcher!

Switch has now sold more in 2020 than it has sold in the entirety of 2019.

There are just under 2 months left in the year.

Pikmin 3 DX has also exceedes the lifetime sales of Pikmin 3. It took under 2 weeks for that to happen.

Great to see Pikmin doing well. Would love some DLC or Pikmin 4.

@Low_ink oh, I thought SW/SH was very fun!

I am so annoyed that people HATE The game just because
"It does not have good animations" Or "The Graphics are only 720P" because please remember that this is a Nintendo system and nobody is buying Nintendo games for good graphics.

SW/SH are fun games.
I get it, the cutscenes are annoying and I wish you could skip them.
But that is hardly a deal-breaker because you could just mash thru them and then go on with your day.

What happened to Nocturne? It had a very respectable opening week, on two platforms, and now it’s gone...

Pikmin is creeping towards a quarter million. Think that’s already a successful port, in that case. Just imagine how many more copies Nintendo would have shifted if we were told it was being withdrawn from sale in March...

The sales of the SWSH games with the DLC on the cartridge just goes to show how many people absolutely do not like downloadable games/content still.

Anyone thinking the days of physical media are behind us is just wrong. While I do think eventually the industry is gonna force the majority of content to be digital, with only niche companies releasing physical media, I don't think that era is approaching as fast as other people expect.

Good for Pikmin!

@LatsaSpege I can see your point of view however I spent 60$ on a game which was worse than the ones on 3ds. I saw the controversies and yet still believed I was getting a good product, which wasn't the case.
I also don't hate Pokémon considering I loved Lets go Eevee. (even buying the Pokeball plus) Pokémon Sun was one of my first Pokémon games and I really enjoyed it but releasing a worse looking and running game on the switch, for 20 dollars more? If you liked it good for you, but for me I wasted money. I also originally didn't mind the dex cut, but then the dlc was shown off. The problem I have isn't with the graphics. It's that this is worse than a 3ds game! The animations (or lack there of) are both lazy and funny. The game is far too easy, I know it's always been this way but it shouldn't be hard to add difficulties! One of Pokémon's lead designers' (I don't remember who) said he wanted it to be accessible to everyone. Instead for anyone who has played a Pokémon game before it is meaningless grinding. The story never changes, which doesn't help from the uninspired gameplay, and the overall experience ends up bland. There are many better designed games than this.
If the next Pokémon game looks good I'll wait for reviews, and if they hold up, I'll buy it second hand. (I neither trust GameFreak nor want to give them money)

So in short I don't hate GameFreak or the Pokémon company but I regret wasting both my time and money on shield.

(also sorry for making you read my rant but you didn't understand where I'm coming from)

@LatsaSpege also I agree with this
"I am so annoyed that people HATE The game just because
"It does not have good animations" Or "The Graphics are only 720P" because please remember that this is a Nintendo system and nobody is buying Nintendo games for good graphics."
The only problems I have with swsh regarding this is that the tile quality is really good in some areas and really bad in others. Also the framerate in the wild area is all over the place.

@Gerald Ha ha, the numbers speak for themselves. Don't think Nintendo will be going handheld only anytime soon.

Sword/Shield + Expansion Pass seems to be a limited/niche release. It's not intended for the general consumer who wouldn't want to pay US$90/AU$125 for a single game, it's aimed more so at enthusiasts that want the entirety of the game on a single cartridge, as well as those who skipped the base games in anticipation of a complete release later. It's still in Nintendo's interests to sell the base game and downloadable DLC to consumers as it's far more profitable to them that way (while the physical materials cost the same).

They were very close to losing me this generation. The physical expansion release brought me back in. I have been enjoying what I have played so far, but as suspected, isn't worth AU$45 (which is very close to what I had paid for the full DS/3DS instalments back in the day).

As long as the option is always available, then I'm happy.

@westman98 Next week could be interesting with the release of the PS5 - from what I've read there's limited PS5 stock in Japan. I wonder how that would look if the Switch does similar numbers again.

@ryancraddock Just a practical question:

can someone confirm whether the Switch's sales and lifetime units sold are inclusive or exclusive of the Lite?

Is 119,109 (13,121,994) just for OG Switch, or is it actually 99,000 and 20,000 on Lite for this week, with 10.2 million lifetime sales and 2.8 million for Lite?

@rockodoodle
1. Not all Wii U games will come to Switch
2. Wonderful 101 is one instance where the Wii U original version is superior to the Switch due to simple touch controls becoming QTEs and shoddy second screen implementation.
3. Woolly World is still better on Wii U then 3DS.

You Wii U naysayers can cry foul but no matter what you convince yourselves of Wii U will always have games the other systems cannot touch. Sure those two games might have jumped to other systems but they are inferior products and the best way to play them (I argue the only way) is on the Wii U and not anywhere else.

But you probably did not play those two on Wii U or you would know the Wii U versions are factually far superior.

@WiltonRoots
I think PS5 should be able to outsell the Switch. I think Nintendo will limit Switch shipments this week in preparation for next week, when they will launch Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity alongside a Switch + Ring Fit Adventure bundle that is sure to fly off of shelves.

From what I can tell, Sony plans to limit PS5 hardware shipments in regions like Japan and parts of mainland Europe in order to ship a ton of hardware to regions where Xbox is actually competitive (America, UK, Australia, etc).

13 Xbox One S sold
16 Xbox One S sold

I wonder how many of those were parents picking up the wrong console thinking it was the Series S/X. Some disappointed kids come Christmas morning.

@msvt
I hear that. I’m still playing Sword and am also partway through (for the umpteenth time), Yellow, Crystal, Omega Ruby, Black and Y. 😅

@Sentinator true. There is some functionality lost without the second screen. I just meant mainly that Nintendo has been able to really profit from these and that generally the deluxe version is better.

I am a huge WiiU fan and while I am a bit upset personally with the ports bc they generally did not add enough to make me want to rebuy, but I understand from Nintendo’s POV and to a degree I am happy that people are getting to play them that didn’t get to before.

@Fandabidozi

These are all my first time. I passed on the series since '96.. checked out Ultra Sun out of curiousity... 600 hours into it realized I'll be enjoying Pokemon for many years. Though I started so late, I have all the "deluxe" from each gen, remake types and spent 200 hours on Platinum, and now so far 120 hours into Fire Red.

Also, have Pokemon Uranium on deck too.. people really love that fan made tribute game, check it out for something new if you'd like!

Ring fits back?

@the_beaver I sold Pokemin the month I bought it. It felt rushed and I don't play online. Also, Pikmin 3 feels smaller than Pikmin 2. $40 would have been a fairer price, but nintendo's games are like Pixar movies. Price never drops on those around here.

Wow, despite uk numbers looks like Pikmin 3 is doing very well. People may not like it but I guess Nintendo was justified in that $60 price tag.

Does Microsoft really think XSX has chance in Japan? I don't see it doing much better than the One

@msvt
That’s awesome! I was on board from the start and I’ve put 1000’s hours in - sounds like your getting there too. Have you spent time making a competitive team and battling online? That’s really rewarding. Also the trading card game is outstanding. Even better than MtG or YuGi IMHO (and I love those games).
I do have a copy of Uranium but I wasn’t feeling it. Not to say I won’t go back and give it another shot tho.
I can recommend Pokémon Colosseum on Game Cube. Brilliant game.

@rockodoodle
I can agree with the second screen. Captain Toad itself is iffy to play on the TV because the touch control replacements often make things awkward but overall most of the ports have been better on Switch. It will just never replicate the Wii U.

Most games like Pikmin 3, Mario U/3D World, HD Zeldas etc sold well and made profits on Wii U anyway. It is just most seem to sell better on Switch so they make even more profits. Nintendo Land and Star Fox Zero would never translate well to Switch. Woolly World had the co-op and free roaming map removed on 3DS so that would be ideal to bring over on Switch.

Despite it flopping it was a truly unique console (far superior to the Wii) and there will probably be nothing like it. If Wii U owners were "beta testing" some games for Switch there are several cases where the betas far surpassed the other versions.

@ryancraddock Thanks for the clarification.

Also, !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There are 10% as many Switches in Japan as people?!

@Sentinator I wonder if Nintendo will one day attempt to revisit the second screen. It seemed obvious at launch that they wanted to do more with it, but obviously that was scarcely realized. I thought it might be cool if the next console were more of a traditional box, with the Switch being an interface that can be used as a second screen or as a streaming device.