Japan: Famitsu sales for August 2019 (Software, Hardware, Publishers)
Famitsu have shared their monthly report on video game sales in Japan, this time covering August 2019 (to be more precise, the period going from July 29th to August 25th, so 4 weeks in total).
They report that Super Mario Maker 2 was once again the best-selling game in Japan, for the 3rd month in a row. It has now sold over 500 000 units since launch, with about 141 000 units in August alone. They expect it to reach the 1 million units milestone before the end of the year.
Unfortunately, it was the only game to sell over 100 000 units this month. August is usually a good period for video games sales, thanks to the Summer holidays, but this year again, sales were rather lukewarm overall.
None of the games released in August even managed to reach the Top 5 Software, and the most recent games are Tsuri Spirits Nintendo Switch Version and Fire Emblem: Three Houses (released during the last week of July). Software-wise, August was a pretty average month, and suffered from a lack of major hits like Splatoon 2 in 2017 (though the usual evergreen titles from Nintendo enjoyed strong sales).
Finally, Famitsu point out that Sword Art Online: Fatal Bullet Complete Edition was the 14th best-selling game in Japan in August. As for Oninaki, it ranked #19 (PlayStation 4 version) and #20 (Nintendo Switch version) respectively with about 27 000 units combined.
Here’s the Top 5 Software for August 2019 from Famitsu:
01./01. [NSW] Super Mario Maker 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2019.06.28} (¥5.980) – 141.338 / 559.421 (-36%)
02./00. [NSW] Fishing Spirits: Nintendo Switch Version <SPT>
(Bandai Namco Games) {2019.07.25} (¥5.700) – 86.721 / 134.421
03./03. [NSW] Fire Emblem: Three Houses # <SLG> (Nintendo) {2019.07.26} (¥6.980) – 78.326 / 221.456 (-45%)
04./00. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate # <FTG> (Nintendo) {2018.12.07} (¥7.200) – 46.617 / 3.222.091
05./00. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 41.467 / 2.421.880
As you can see for yourself, the Nintendo Switch grabbed all 5 spots of the Top 5, which isn’t too surprising during the Summer holiday season (which favours family-friendly games).
And August is yet another month dominated by Nintendo games: the company once again sold more games than any other publisher, and more than the publishers ranked #2 and #3 combined. Sales topped 469 000 units, with about 300 000 units for the games in the Top 5; once again, the usual evergreen titles account for a significant portion of monthly sales for Nintendo.
Here’s the top publishers for August 2019, courtesy of Famitsu:
- Nintendo – 469.000
- Bandai Namco Games – 164.000
- Sega – 85.000
Hardware-wise, the Nintendo Switch was the best-selling console in Japan for the 18th month in a row. It sold about 160 000 units, which is nearly 60 000 units less than in July, and about 40 000 units less than in August last year (which already wasn’t all that great, though better than this year). It’s actually the only (non-discontinued) platform to see a drop in sales that month.
The combined effect of the Hardware announcements for the new Nintendo Switch model with improved battery life and the Nintendo Switch Lite is the main reason sales dropped in August. Of course, it’s not like sales dropped like a rock either, it’s just that the console didn’t sell nearly as many units as it should have under normal circumstances. And besides, September will more than compensate for the drop in sales in August.
As of the end of August, the Nintendo Switch has sold 1 862 849 units in 2019, which is over 300 000 units more than last year. This brings total sales to 8 752 395 units LTD.
Meanwhile, Nintendo 3DS sales slightly increased but remain anecdotal with 15 778 units sold (barely 5 000 units more than in July). It sold about 25 000 units less than August 2019, when sales were already neglibile (barely 41 000 units). YTD sales are not at 156 218 (406 107 at the end of August 2018), and it looks like the handheld will not even manage to sell half a million units this year (most likely the last one before it’s discontinued). Total sales are now at 24 461 182 units.
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
|System | This Month | Last Month | Last Year | YTD | Last YTD | LTD |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
| NSW | 159.362 | 219.589 | 199.473 | 1.862.849 | 1.559.085 | 8.752.395 |
| PS4 # | 56.193 | 46.910 | 86.061 | 750.308 | 1.122.512 | 8.302.398 |
| 3DS # | 15.778 | 10.095 | 40.969 | 156.218 | 406.107 | 24.461.182 |
| PSV # | 397 | 943 | 10.870 | 37.048 | 139.723 | 5.862.402 |
| XB1 # | 178 | 343 | 528 | 4.333 | 10.248 | 107.264 |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
| ALL | 231.908 | 277.880 | 338.209 | 2.810.756 | 3.239.555 | 47.485.641 |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
| XB1 X | 126 | 216 | 230 | 2.961 | 7.074 | 16.417 |
| XB1 S | 52 | 127 | 298 | 1.372 | 3.174 | 18.845 |
|PS4 Pro| 20.214 | 17.722 | 23.046 | 270.289 | 272.042 | 1.242.879 |
| PS4 | 35.979 | 29.188 | 63.015 | 480.019 | 850.470 | 7.059.519 |
| PSV | 397 | 943 | 10.870 | 37.048 | 139.723 | 5.862.402 |
|n-2DSLL| 14.659 | 8.587 | 26.955 | 127.435 | 252.713 | 1.071.679 |
| n-3DS | 1.119 | 1.508 | 12.461 | 27.692 | 136.473 | 5.883.517 |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+Click here for more Japanese sales data!
