[Japan] Famitsu sales for 2017 (Hardware, Software, million-sellers, more)

Today, Famitsu shared their data for the video game market in Japan in 2017 (December 26th 2016 to December 31st 2017, to be precise).

The highlights of their report is that this year, the Nintendo Switch took the lead, and its release led to the first global (Hardware + Software) increase for the market since 2007. Also, the two versions of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age sold over 3 million units (combined): it’s effectively the best-selling game of the year, if you combine the two versions.

NB: it’s important to keep in mind that Famitsu had 53 weeks for 2017 (instead of 52 like Media Create), so there is an extra week tracked. As a result, sales reported are going to be (significantly) up compared to those from other trackers.

First, some data about the market as a whole: total sales generated no less than 391.7 billion Yen (about 2.9 billion € / 3.4 billion $ / 2.5 billion £). Here’s data for both Software and Hardware:

2017 (53 weeks)

• Hardware: 202.37 billion Yen (172.9% of 2016 sales)
• Software: 189.38 billion Yen (103.8% of 2016 sales)
• Total: 391.75 billion Yen (130.8% of 2016 sales)

2016 (52 weeks)

• Hardware: 117.05 billion Yen
• Software: 182.04 billion Yen
• Total: 299.48 billion Yen

Next, the Top 10 best-selling games in Japan in 2017 (physical + download cards, but no digital):

1. [3DS] Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (The Pokémon Company): 2 003 607 (2 003 607)
2. [NSW] Splatoon 2 (Nintendo): 1 752 096 (1 752 096)
3. [3DS] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Square-Enix): 1 744 603 (1 744 603)
4. [3DS] Monster Hunter XX (Capcom): 1 684 991 (1 684 991)
5. [PS4] Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (Square-Enix): 1 336 680 (1 336 680)
6. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo): 1 324 280 (1 324 280)
7. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo): 1 103 744 (1 103 744)
8. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo): 688 044 (688 044)
9. [3DS] Pokémon Sun and Moon (The Pokémon Company): 576 506 (3 822 728)
10. [3DS] Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo): 423 073 (1 166 461)

And here’s the best-selling consoles in Japan in 2017:

1. Nintendo Switch – 3 407 158 (3 407 158)
2. PlayStation 4 – 1 935 247 (5 856 863)
3. Nintendo 3DS – 1 827 131 (23 738 544)
4. PlayStation Vita – 396 207 (5 643 626)
5. Xbox One – 14 644 (87 592)

Finally, some comments from Famitsu. They point out that the Nintendo Switch was a big hit, leading Hardware sales. Software-wise, the market was centered around the Nintendo 3DS and the PlayStation 4. As mentioned above, it’s the first time in 11 years that both Software and Harware sales are both up Year on Year.

2017 saw no less than 7 million-sellers, as opposed to only 2 in 2016. Fun fact: 3 of these million-sellers are on Nintendo Switch, which is as much as the Nintendo 3DS. It’s the first time since 2010 that there’s so many million-sellers during a single year.

Check out this page for more Japanese sales data!

Source: Famitsu