[Japan] Famitsu sales for Week 44, 2019 (October 28th – November 3rd) [Top 30]

Here’s the latest sales report from Famitsu (and Media Create), covering Week 44, 2019 in Japan.

Famitsu

Week 44 saw the arrival of some pretty important games in the Top 10 Software provided by Famitsu, including a couple of Nintendo Switch.

The biggest release of the week on Nintendo Switch is obviously Luigi’s Mansion 3, which is off to a slightly disappointing start. It sold 150 649 units during the first 4 days, though only at retail. In comparison, Luigi’s Mansion 2 sold over 300 000 units during its launch week, and the original on GameCube sold 116 000 units at launch.

There’s several reasons to explain the drop from the great opening of Luigi’s Mansion 2:

• as a Nintendo Switch game, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a fair bit more expensive than a Nintendo 3DS games (not to mention the console itself is also more expensive)
• the game can be bought using a Nintendo Switch Game Voucher, leading to a significant digital share for the game, and unfortunately, digital sales are not reflected in the data shared by Famitsu. However, even if you were to add digital sales, sales would still be down by a non-negligible margin.

However, despite this slightly disappointing debut, Luigi’s Mansion 3 is bound to sell quite well during the holiday season. In January (after the holiday season and with digital sales from Nintendo), we will have a better idea of what to expect for LTD sales. Unless holiday sales also disappoint, it definitely would not be farfetched if the game became a million-seller like its predecessor.

As for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, it’s off to a pretty weak start: it only sold 19 438 units, which is the second worst debut for a Mario & Sonic game ever (the worst one being Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games on Wii U with 5 149 units sold).

That being said, the game is bound to sell well in the long run, and the actual Olympics are still pretty far away, and so it would be surprising if sales remained as low as during launch week. First, we can expect strong sales during the holiday seasons. After that, sales should remain steady all the way to the Olympics.

Next, let’s take a look at how the other games in the Top 10 Software from Famitsu are faring:

• 03./02. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure (Nintendo) – 51.143 / 183.685 (-20%). Despite shortages, sales did not drop all that much. Demand remains really strong;
• 06./07. [NSW] Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition (Square Enix) – 8.551 / 421.548 (-23%). Slowly but surely making its way to the 500 000 units milestone;
• 07./05. [NSW] Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (Marvelous) – 8.266 / 90.954 (-50%). It should reach the 100 000 units milestone sometime during Week 46;
• 08./09. [NSW] Minecraft (Microsoft Game Studios) – 7.758 / 987.202 (-10%). The invitation to the million-sellers club on Nintendo Switch is on the way…
• 09./10. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe(Nintendo) – 7.233 / 2.511.662 (-8%). With strong and steady sales during regular months, we can definitely expect really strong sales during the upcoming holiday season;
• 10./12. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Nintendo) – 7.109 / 3.317.305 (-2%). Sales were basically flat.

Famitsu – Software sales (Top 30)

01./00. [PS4] Persona 5 Royal # <RPG> (Atlus) {2019.10.31} (¥8.800) – 201.448 / NEW <80-100%>
02./00. [NSW] Luigi’s Mansion 3 <ACT> (Nintendo) {2019.10.31} (¥5.980) – 150.649 / NEW <40-60%>
03./02. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure <HOB> (Nintendo) {2019.10.18} (¥7.980) – 51.143 / 183.685 <80-100%> (-20%)
04./01. [PS4] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare <ACT> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2019.10.25} (¥7.900) – 37.905 / 155.575 <60-80%> (-68%)
05./00. [NSW] Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 <SPT> (Sega) {2019.11.01} (¥5.990) – 19.438 / NEW <0-20%>
06./07. [NSW] Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition # <RPG> (Square Enix) {2019.09.27} (¥7.980) – 8.551 / 421.548 <80-100%> (-23%)
07./05. [NSW] Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town <SLG> (Marvelous) {2019.10.17} (¥5.800) – 8.266 / 90.954 <60-80%> (-50%)
08./09. [NSW] Minecraft # <ADV> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 7.758 / 987.202 <80-100%> (-10%)
09./10. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 7.233 / 2.511.662 <80-100%> (-8%)
10./12. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate # <FTG> (Nintendo) {2018.12.07} (¥7.200) – 7.109 / 3.317.305 <80-100%> (-2%)
11./13. [NSW] Super Mario Maker 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2019.06.28} (¥5.980) – 6.393 / 683.037 <80-100%> (-11%)
12./14. [NSW] Disney Tsum Tsum Festival # <ETC> (Bandai Namco Games) {2019.10.10} (¥6.100) – 5.356 / 54.350 <60-80%> (-21%)
13./15. [PS4] Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne Master Edition <Monster Hunter: World \ Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne> # <ACT> (Capcom) {2019.09.06} (¥6.990) – 5.058 / 389.551 <80-100%> (-12%)
14./00. [PS4] Divinity: Original Sin II – Definitive Edition <RPG> (Spike Chunsoft) {2019.10.31} (¥7.800) – 4.994 / NEW <20-40%>
15./00. [NSW] Resident Evil Triple Pack <Resident Evil 4 \ <Resident Evil 5 \ <Resident Evil 6> <ADV> (Capcom) {2019.10.31} (¥6.990) – 4.768 / NEW <20-40%>
16./16. [NSW] Fishing Spirits: Nintendo Switch Version <SPT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2019.07.25} (¥5.700) – 4.598 / 208.592 <80-100%> (-12%)
17./08. [PS4] The Outer Worlds <RPG> (Take-Two Interactive Japan) {2019.10.25} (¥6.800) – 3.618 / 14.277 <80-100%> (-66%)
18./18. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 3.556 / 1.433.168 <80-100%> (-11%)
19./19. [NSW] Super Mario Party # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2018.10.05} (¥5.980) – 3.334 / 1.139.011 <80-100%> (-9%)
20./17. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2019.09.20} (¥5.980) – 3.229 / 227.595 <80-100%> (-32%)
21./22. [NSW] Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! # <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2018.11.16} (¥5.980) – 2.964 / 1.654.997 <80-100%> (-6%)
22./21. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) – 2.693 / 3.181.008 <80-100%> (-14%)
23./00. [NSW] Model Debut Nicola <ADV> (FuRyu) {2019.11.01} (¥6.280) – 2.617 / NEW <20-40%>
24./06. [PS4] Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night <ACT> (Game Source Entertainment) {2019.10.24} (¥5.480) – 2.184 / 14.340 <80-100%> (-82%)
25./20. [PS4] Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Breakpoint # <ACT> (Ubisoft) {2019.10.04} (¥8.400) – 2.105 / 78.485 <60-80%> (-39%)
26./24. [PS4] eFootball Winning Eleven 2020 <SPT> (Konami) {2019.09.12} (¥7.600) – 1.982 / 103.205 <80-100%> (-27%)
27./26. [PS4] Code Vein # <RPG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2019.09.26} (¥8.200) – 1.918 / 88.056 <80-100%> (-23%)
28./03. [NSW] Dragon Quest X: The Maiden of Thorns and the God of Destruction Online <RPG> (Square Enix) {2019.10.24} (¥3.800) – 1.816 / 36.652 <80-100%> (-95%)
29./27. [PS4] FIFA 20 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2019.09.27} (¥7.727) – 1.671 / 64.838 <60-80%> (-32%)
30./25. [PS4] World War Z <ACT> (H2 Interactive) {2019.09.26} (¥5.480) – 1.642 / 46.828 <80-100%> (-37%)

Number of games in Top 30

NSW – 19
PS4 – 11

Famitsu – Hardware

This week, Nintendo Switch sales increased dramatically, thanks to the launch of the Pokémon Sword and Shield Nintendo Switch Lite model. The console sold 119 397 units (vs. 69 438 during Week 43), with 66 272 units for the Nintendo Switch Lite (unfortunately, there is no way to know how many units the Pokémon model sold). But despite the launch of the new Lite model, sales of the OG Nintendo Switch didn’t slow down… in fact, they increased!

For Week 44, sales more or less tripled Year on Year, though of course a direct comparison isn’t quite fair as no new Nintendo Switch model was released last year. But still, the gap between 2019 and 2018 just keeps widening, and is nearing 1 million units… quite impressive!

However, last year had some particular strong weeks (those with the launch of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu / Let’s Go, Eevee! and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate), so it’s not guaranteed the gap will eventually reach 1 million units.

Also, Nintendo Switch are going to start looking like a rollercoaster: Week 45 should see a drop following the launch of the Pokémon Sword and Shield Nintendo Switch model, but Week 46 will see a major increase thanks to the release of… Pokémon Sword and Shield.

And we’re soon approaching the holiday season, when the Nintendo Switch Lite is expected to finally hit its stride. It will be interesting to see how the two models (OG and Lite) sell during the holiday, especially now that Ring Fit Adventure is boosting sales of the OG model. Of course, there’s only going to be one winner in the end… Nintendo!

Meanwhile, the Nintendo 3DS once again came pretty close to 3 digital sales, by only 70 units. The handheld sold only 1 070 units this week (vs. 1 241 units the previous week, and 5 699 units last year), bringing YTD sales to 171 355 units (vs. 469 862 units last year). LTD sales now stand at 24 476 319 units.

+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
|System |  This Week |  Last Week |  Last Year |     YTD    |  Last YTD  |     LTD     |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
| NSW # |    119.397 |     69.438 |     40.344 |  2.907.361 |  1.976.334 |   9.796.907 |
| PS4 # |      8.338 |      7.422 |     17.783 |    915.271 |  1.313.719 |   8.467.361 |
| 3DS # |      1.070 |      1.241 |      5.699 |    171.355 |    469.862 |  24.476.319 |
| XB1 # |         75 |         81 |        223 |      5.725 |     12.272 |     108.656 |
| PSV # |         41 |         23 |      1.838 |     37.390 |    163.727 |   5.862.744 |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
|  ALL  |    128.921 |     78.205 |     65.887 |  4.037.102 |  3.937.918 |  48.711.987 |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+
| NSW L |     66.272 |     18.248 |            |    418.443 |            |     418.443 |
|  NSW  |     53.125 |     51.190 |     40.344 |  2.488.918 |  1.976.334 |   9.378.464 |
| XB1 X |         43 |         40 |        164 |      3.813 |      8.579 |      17.269 |
| XB1 S |         32 |         41 |         59 |      1.912 |      3.693 |      19.385 |
|PS4 Pro|      3.346 |      2.969 |      8.809 |    335.088 |    349.113 |   1.307.678 |
|  PS4  |      4.992 |      4.453 |      8.974 |    580.183 |    964.606 |   7.159.683 |
|  PSV  |         41 |         23 |      1.838 |     37.390 |    163.727 |   5.862.744 |
|n-2DSLL|        989 |      1.121 |      3.370 |    141.151 |    292.680 |   1.085.395 |
| n-3DS |         81 |        120 |      2.117 |     29.113 |    157.941 |   5.884.938 |
+-------+------------+------------+------------+------------+------------+-------------+

Media Create – Software Top 10

01./00. [PS4] Persona 5 Royal # <RPG> (Atlus) {2019.10.31} (¥8.800)
02./00. [NSW] Luigi’s Mansion 3 <ACT> (Nintendo) {2019.10.31} (¥5.980)
03./02. [NSW] Ring Fit Adventure <HOB> (Nintendo) {2019.10.18} (¥7.980)
04./01. [PS4] Call of Duty: Modern Warfare <ACT> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2019.10.25} (¥7.900)
05./00. [NSW] Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games: Tokyo 2020 <SPT> (Sega) {2019.11.01} (¥5.990)
06./09. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate # <FTG> (Nintendo) {2018.12.07} (¥7.200)
07./10. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980)
08./04. [NSW] Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town <SLG> (Marvelous) {2019.10.17} (¥5.800)
09./08. [NSW] Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition # <RPG> (Square Enix) {2019.09.27} (¥7.980)
10./00. [NSW] Super Mario Maker 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2019.06.28} (¥5.980)

Number of games in Top 10

NSW – 8
PS4 – 2

Click here for more Japanese sales data!

Source: Media Create / Famitsu / Famitsu
Data compiled by: Chris1964 (ResetEra)
Additional data via: Game Data Library