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Japan: Famitsu sales for August 2020 (Software, Hardware, Publishers)

Famitsu have shared their monthly report on video game sales in Japan, this time covering August 2020 (to be more precise, the period going from July 27th to August 30th, so 5 weeks in total).

This month was much quieter when it comes to new releases in the Top 5 Software, with not a single one on Nintendo Switch.

This allows both Ring Fit Adventure and Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics to make a comeback. The former benefited from increased shipments to sell over 200 000 units (bringing total sales to over 1.4 million units), while the latter sold nearly 90 000 units thanks to the Summer holiday season (bringing total sales to nearly 350 000 units).

As for Animal Crossing: New Horizons, it’s #1 of sales for the 6th month in a row, with nearly 350 000 units sold. This brings total sales to 5 628 462 units at retail alone since launch.

This may be the last month it gets to top the charts (at least, until the holiday season kicks in!), as sales have already started to slow down (due to Nintendo shipping less units of the Nintendo Switch bundle including the game), but even if it is, this certainly won’t be the last we see of the game in the monthly charts!

Here’s the Top 5 Software for August 2020, courtesy of Famitsu:

01./01. [NSW] Animal Crossing: New Horizons # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2020.03.20} (¥5.980) – 348.064 / 5.628.462 (+26%)
02./00. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure <HOB> (Nintendo) {2019.10.18} (¥7.980) – 214.648 / 1.420.027
03./00. [PS4] Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. MaxiBoost On # <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2020.07.30} (¥8.200) – 158.714 / NEW
04./02. [PS4] Ghost of Tsushima <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2020.07.17} (¥6.900) – 109.278 / 375.580 (-59%)
05./00. [NSW] Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics <TBL> (Nintendo) {2020.06.05} (¥3.980) – 87.983 / 349.010

Once again, the Nintendo Switch has the most games in the Top 5 Software, thanks to the strong performance of its evergreen titles:

NSW – 3
PS4 – 2

And this month again, Nintendo is the most successful publisher, with over 1 million units sold (up from 892 000 units in July). While Animal Crossing: New Horizons does account for over 1/3 of total sales, the usual evergreen titles certainly pulled their weight with nearly 700 000 units combined.

Here’s the Top 3 Publishers for August 2020, courtesy of Famitsu:

Nintendo – 1.073.000
Bandai Namco Games – 281.000
Sony Interactive Entertainment – 138.000

Hardware-wise, the Nintendo Switch saw a noticeable increase in sales thanks to significantly bigger shipments. It sold 557 544 units, which is a big increase compared to July (which already was a great month, with 387 557 units sold). August 2019 sales really pale in comparison: the console sold “only” 159 362 units during that month.

YTD sales now stand at 3 611 983 units, which is nearly twice what the Nintendo Switch had sold in 2019 by the end of August. September 2019 saw the release of the Nintendo Switch Lite, so the gap between 2020 and 2019 sales is bound to decrease in September.

Now, it remains to be seen how big the decrease is going to be, which is quite hard to predict as it will entirely depend on how many units Nintendo manage to ship this month. It’s certainly possible the decrease in Animal Crossing: New Horizons bundle shipments this past couple of weeks indicates a new bundle is on the way, but it’s too early to say at the moment.

Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch missed the 15 million units milestone by a hair, with 14 995 414 units sold as of August 30th. The next milestone, 16 million units, will definitely be reached before the start of the holiday season. The Nintendo Switch Lite has now sold 2 552 280 units since launch, and the OG model 12 443 134 units since launch.

As for the Nintendo 3DS, it saw its sales slightly increase in August with 4 965 units (up from 3 679 units in July 2020, but down from 15 778 units in August 2020). YTD sales now stand at 41 984 units (vs. 156 228 units last year as of August), and LTD sales at 24 538 131 units.

Here’s Hardware sales for August 2020, courtesy of Famitsu:

+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
|System | This Month | Last Month |  Last Year |     YTD    |  Last YTD  |     LTD     |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
| NSW # |    557.544 |    387.557 |    159.362 |  3.611.983 |  1.862.831 |  14.995.414 |
| PS4 # |     15.357 |     13.940 |     56.193 |    465.109 |    750.308 |   9.213.352 |
| 3DS # |      4.965 |      3.679 |     15.778 |     41.984 |    156.228 |  24.538.131 |
| XB1 # |        187 |        150 |        178 |      3.022 |      4.333 |     114.268 |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
|  ALL  |    578.053 |    405.326 |    231.908 |  4.122.098 |  2.810.748 |  48.861.165 |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
| NSW L |    127.408 |     72.199 |            |  1.506.897 |            |   2.552.280 |
|  NSW  |    430.136 |    315.358 |    159.362 |  2.105.086 |  1.862.831 |  12.443.134 |
| XB1 X |        109 |         81 |        126 |      2.118 |      2.961 |      20.760 |
| XB1 S |         78 |         69 |         52 |        904 |      1.372 |      21.506 |
|PS4 Pro|      2.962 |      5.827 |     20.214 |    176.351 |    270.289 |   1.571.321 |
|  PS4  |     12.395 |      8.113 |     35.979 |    288.758 |    480.019 |   7.642.031 |
|n-2DSLL|      4.747 |      3.408 |     14.659 |     39.489 |    127.445 |   1.143.735 |
| n-3DS |        218 |        271 |      1.119 |      2.495 |     27.692 |   5.888.410 |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+

Famitsu points out that it’s the 6th month in a row that both Hardware and Software sales are up Year on Year. It’s the first time in 13 years (and more precisely September 2006 to February 2007) that this has happened.

Click here for more Japanese sales data!

Source: Famitsu
Data compiled by: Chris1964 (ResetERA)

Lite_Agent

Founder and main writer for Perfectly Nintendo. Tried really hard to find something funny and witty to put here, but had to admit defeat.