[Japan] Media Create sales for Week 28, 2018 (July 9th – July 15th) [Top 50]

20 July 2018 Lite_Agent Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Famitsu, Media Create, Octopath Traveler, SEGA, Shining Resonance: Refrain, Square-Enix

Media Create

Week 28 saw the release of quite a few games, but the star of the week is obviously Octopath Traveler on Nintendo Switch. The game is off to a strong debut with 110 111 units sold according to the latest data from Media Create. That’s almost as much as the original version of Bravely Default, which sold about 144 000 units at launch on Nintendo 3DS (according to Famitsu data).

In fact, if we factor in digital sales (which are bound to be pretty high, as the game quickly sold out in stores: Square-Enix even apologised for the shortages), then we can see that Octopath Traveler came pretty close to (and maybe even outsold it) its “predecessor”.

Bravely Default went on to sell over 295 000 units (398 000 units if you count the “For the Sequel” version), and it will be interesting to see if Octopath Traveler ever comes close to that number. One thing we do know is that the game is currently completely sold out in Japan, and it’s not clear when the next shipment will be. Depending on how late it is, next week could see a major drop in sales…

As for Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, it’s also off to a great start: it sold over 56 000 units at launch. Here’s the breakdown of sales:

Nintendo Switch: 41 852 units sold
Nintendo 3DS: 14 558 units sold

In comparison, the Wii U version of the game sold 30 000 units at launch (Famitsu data), which means this port has already outsold it. In fact, the Nintendo Switch version alone has already outsold the original, and there’s no doubt the Nintendo 3DS version also will in the upcoming weeks. And here’s yet another game that proves just how toxic the Wii U was for sales, even for first-party titles!

The Nintendo Switch version sold almost 3 times as much as the Nintendo 3DS version, which is hardly surprising (even though this is the first simultaneous Nintendo Switch / Nintendo 3DS release). After all, active players are now found on Nintendo Switch! But the sales of the Nintendo 3DS version show there’s still a sizeable audience on that platform.

Finally, the latest entry on Nintendo platforms is Shining Resonance Refrain. It had a wholly unremarkable debut, with 3 465 units. In comparison, the original version) on PlayStation 3 sold about 70 000 units at launch, and the PlayStation 4 version about 23 000 units.

Ports usually don’t sell well, but it’s even worse for late ports of ports… especially when you launch during the same week as a much more popular and brand new game in the same genre!

In the rest of the Top 10 Software from Media Create, we have Mario Tennis Aces at #3 with 21 838 units sold. Sales dropped by 33% this week, but they still remain strong enough ahead of the Summer holidays. Over 227 000 units have already been sold since launch.

This week, Media Create reports a noticeable increase in sales for Splatoon 2, with 20 430 units sold (+25% compared to last week). Of course, this is due to the re-release of the Nintendo Switch bundle (exactly the same as last year’s, but with 3 months trial for Nintendo Switch Online as a bonus). There’s at least 2 447 782 Inklings and Octolings in the wild as Week 28.

Meanwhile, Minecraft keeps selling, and it looks like its sales are starting to stabilize: they “only” dropped by 21% this week. They should be more or less flat next week, in part due to Monday (July 16th) being a public holiday. It’s already sold 121 785 units, and it looks like it’s going to reach 200 000 units by the end of Summer.

As for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, its sales were indeed mostly flat this week, with 11 417 units sold (-6%). This is a pretty good sign, as the Summer holidays are yet to start. Sales should go up next week, thanks to the public holiday on Monday. 1 627 674 units have been sold since launch, with the 2 million units milestone getting closer and closer each week.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon saw its sales increase by a whopping 63% this week, mainly due to two factors:

start of pre-orders for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee on Friday;
the opening of the latest Pokémon movie in theatres, also on Friday.

Those two things combined allowed Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon to get back in the Top 10 Software from Media Create, with 7 415 units sold (and 1 668 513 units at retail, stand-alone versions only).

It’s certainly interesting to see the new Pokémon games, on Nintendo Switch, are not having a negative impact on sales… quite the opposite so far! And with the Summer holidays just around the corner, we can expect sales to remain steady at least until September.

Finally, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild still seems as unstoppable as ever, with 6 622 units sold this week.

That’s +5% compared to the previous week, which shows that many new Nintendo Switch owners are interested in the game (it’s most definitely one of the key titles that convinced them to get the console in the first place). It’s already sold over 1 043 717 units to date, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop selling any time soon.

Next, let’s take a look at how games in the second half of the Top 20 from Media Create are faring:

11./08. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies (Nintendo) – 6.160 / 559.764 (-10%). Sales remain strong ahead of the Summer holidays;
13./10. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.10.27} (¥5.980) – 5.016 / 1.766.438 (-6%). 2 million units this year is pretty much guaranteed at this point;
17./11. [NSW] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo) – 3.642 / 190.330 (-24%). The 200 000 units milestone is drawing near!

Media Create – Software Top 50

01./00. [NSW] Octopath Traveler <RPG> (Square Enix) {2018.07.13} (¥6.800) – 110.111 / NEW
02./00. [NSW] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980) – 41.852 / NEW
03./01. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces <SPT> (Nintendo) {2018.06.22} (¥5.980) – 21.838 / 227.452 (-33%)
04./03. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) – 20.430 / 2.447.782 (+25%)
05./02. [NSW] Minecraft <ADV> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 15.101 / 121.785 (-21%)
06./00. [3DS] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980) – 14.558 / NEW
07./05. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 11.417 / 1.627.674 (-6%)
08./00. [PS4] Mary Skelter: Nightmares 2 # <RPG> (Compile Heart) {2018.07.12} (¥7.200) – 10.370 / NEW
09./12. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥4.980) – 7.145 / 1.668.513 (+63%)
10./09. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 6.622 / 1.043.717 (+5%)
11./08. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.03.16} (¥5.980) – 6.160 / 559.764 (-10%)
12./13. [PS4] New Gundam Breaker # <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.06.21} (¥7.600) – 5.023 / 82.077 (+22%)
13./10. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.10.27} (¥5.980) – 5.016 / 1.766.438 (-6%)
14./06. [PS4] The Crew 2 <RCE> (Ubisoft) {2018.06.29} (¥8.400) – 4.951 / 32.276 (-49%)
15./04. [PS4] Zanki Zero: Last Beginning <RPG> (Spike Chunsoft) {2018.07.05} (¥7.200) – 4.164 / 19.705 (-73%)
16./16. [PS4] Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 ReMIX <Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 ReMIX <Kingdom Hearts \ Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories> \ Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX <Kingdom Hearts II \ Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ \ Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep>> <RPG> (Square Enix) {2017.03.09} (¥6.800) – 3.788 / 167.064 (+9%)
17./11. [NSW] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.05.03} (¥5.980) – 3.642 / 190.330 (-24%)
18./00. [NSW] Shining Resonance Refrain <RPG> (Sega) {2018.07.12} (¥5.990) – 3.465 / NEW
19./15. [PS4] Detroit: Become Human # <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.05.25} (¥6.900) – 3.321 / 90.360 (-7%)
20./14. [PS4] Winning Eleven 2018 <SPT> (Konami) {2017.09.14} (¥7.600) – 2.724 / 172.154 (-32%)
21./17. [NSW] Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01: Variety Kit <EDU> (Nintendo) {2018.04.20} (¥6.980)
22./07. [PSV] Zanki Zero: Last Beginning <RPG> (Spike Chunsoft) {2018.07.05} (¥6.800)
23./22. [NSW] 1-2-Switch <ETC> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥4.980)
24./26. [NSW] Pokken Tournament DX <FTG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.09.22} (¥5.980)
25./21. [NSW] FIFA 18 <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2017.09.29} (¥5.800)
26./23. [PS4] Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege – Advanced Edition <ACT> (Ubisoft) {2018.03.01} (¥6.000)
27./25. [PS4] Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2018 <SPT> (Konami) {2018.04.26} (¥7.980)
28./19. [PS4] FIFA 18 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2017.09.29} (¥7.800)
29./18. [PS4] Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star Link # <ACT> (Marvelous) {2018.06.07} (¥7.980)
30./43. [PS4] Monster Hunter: World # <ACT> (Capcom) {2018.01.26} (¥8.980)
31./28. [NSW] Arms <FTG> (Nintendo) {2017.06.16} (¥5.980)
32./20. [NSW] Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana <RPG> (Nippon Ichi Software) {2018.06.28} (¥6.980)
33./32. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2016.11.23} (¥2.700)
34./24. [PS4] Far Cry 3: Classic Edition <ACT> (Ubisoft) {2018.07.05} (¥3.980)
35./29. [3DS] Mario Party: The Top 100 <ETC> (Nintendo) {2017.12.28} (¥4.980)
36./31. [PS4] Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition <ADV> (Sony Computer Entertainment) {2015.12.03} (¥2.400)
37./33. [NSW] The Snack World: TreJarers Gold <RPG> (Level 5) {2018.04.12} (¥5.980)
38./46. [PS4] Earth Defense Force 5 <ACT> (D3Publisher) {2017.12.07} (¥7.800)
39./41. [PSV] Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2018 <SPT> (Konami) {2018.04.26} (¥6.980)
40./44. [NSW] Little Nightmares: Complete Edition <Little Nightmares \ Little Nightmares: The Depths \ Little Nightmares: The Hideaway \ Little Nightmares: The Residence> <ADV> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.06.07} (¥3.200)
41./30. [PS4] Dark Souls Remastered <Dark Souls \ Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss> <RPG> (From Software) {2018.05.24} (¥4.800)
42./27. [PS4] Super Bomberman R <ACT> (Konami) {2018.06.14} (¥3.980)
43./00. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon Veteran Trainer’s Dual Pack {Pokemon Ultra Sun \ Pokemon Ultra Moon} <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥9.960)
44./48. [PS4] Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition <Horizon Zero Dawn \ Horizon Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds> <RPG> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2017.12.07} (¥5.900)
45./34. [PSV] Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star Link # <ACT> (Marvelous) {2018.06.07} (¥5.980)
46./35. [NSW] Sumikko Gurashi: Sumikko Park e Youkoso <ETC> (Nippon Columbia) {2017.12.07} (¥5.800)
47./47. [NSW] Attack on Titan 2 # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) {2018.03.15} (¥7.800)
48./40. [PS4] Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition <Grand Theft Auto V \ Grand Theft Auto Online> <ACT> (Take-Two Interactive Japan) {2018.06.14} (¥7.400)
49./37. [NSW] Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 for Nintendo Switch <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2017.09.07} (¥6.800)
50./00. [PS4] NieR: Automata <RPG> (Square Enix) {2017.02.23} (¥7.800)

Media Create – Number of games in Top 50

NSW – 22
PS4 – 20
3DS – 5
PSV – 3

Media Create – Hardware

Hardware-wise, we have a noticeable increase in sales for the Nintendo Switch. Looking at Software sales, and more precisely Splatoon 2, we can see that increase is mostly due to the “new” Splatoon 2 bundle. Of course, Octopath Traveler and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker did help, but they were not the main driver of sales.

The next couple of weeks are going to be pretty interesting Hardware-wise, for two reasons: the line-up is still pretty packed, and the Summer holidays are just around the corner. It’s probably safe to expect sales to remain flat or drop/increase slightly. The public holiday on July 16th should help with sales for Week 29.

The Nintendo Switch sold 50 239 units this week, which is nearly 20 000 units more than last year during the same week. Unfortunately, comparisons with 2017 will no longer be in 2018’s favour starting next week, due to the release of Splatoon 2 on July 21 2017.

It’s unlikely the console will reach the same sales levels as last year, but it will still be interesting to see how it fares this year. The lack of shortages is no longer a factor, because starting with the release of Splatoon 2, Nintendo massively increased Nintendo Switch shipment throughout the Summer holiday season (though the console was still effectively sold out every week).

Unfortunately, the lack of shortages no longer grants an “advantage” to 2018, and this Summer, sales will rely almost entirely on the strong library of the console. Is it strong enough, or is it lacking one or two additional system-sellers? We don’t have that much longer to wait before getting an early answer!

Finally, Nintendo 3DS sales remained unremarkbly flat: there usually isn’t much to say about them anymore… but this week is an exception! It sold 7 131 units during Week 28, which is over 8 times less than during the same week last year. This comes as no surprise, because the New Nintendo 2DS XL was released on July 13th in Japan, and boosted sales.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age was released a couple of weeks later, and also provided a healthy boost in sales (in part thanks to the Hardware bundle). Comparisons with 2017 already were not really pretty, but it’s only going to get worse through the Summer holidays.

Media Create Software Week 28 2018 chart

Famitsu – Software Top 30

01./00. [NSW] Octopath Traveler <RPG> (Square Enix) {2018.07.13} (¥6.800) – 109.579 / NEW <80-100%>
02./00. [NSW] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980) – 40.443 / NEW <60-80%>
03./03. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) – 25.579 / 2.452.530 <80-100%> (+17%)
04./01. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces <SPT> (Nintendo) {2018.06.22} (¥5.980) – 20.483 / 229.957 <60-80%> (-36%)
05./02. [NSW] Minecraft <ADV> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 16.309 / 135.187 <60-80%> (-26%)
06./00. [3DS] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980) – 15.935 / NEW <60-80%>
07./04. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 15.295 / 1.599.076 <80-100%> (-3%)
08./00. [PS4] Mary Skelter: Nightmares 2 # <RPG> (Compile Heart) {2018.07.12} (¥7.200) – 10.413 / NEW <40-60%>
09./11. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon # <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥4.980) – 9.191 / 2.262.295 <80-100%> (+79%)
10./06. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 8.318 / 1.004.566 <80-100%> (+4%)
11./09. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.10.27} (¥5.980) – 6.196 / 1.733.769 <80-100%> (-11%)
12./05. [PS4] Zanki Zero: Last Beginning <RPG> (Spike Chunsoft) {2018.07.05} (¥7.200) – 5.301 / 20.622 <40-60%> (-65%)
13./10. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.03.16} (¥5.980) – 4.873 / 552.844 <80-100%> (-14%)
14./08. [PS4] The Crew 2 <RCE> (Ubisoft) {2018.06.29} (¥8.400) – 3.882 / 27.817 <60-80%> (-48%)
15./13. [PS4] Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 ReMIX <Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 ReMIX <Kingdom Hearts \ Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories> \ Kingdom Hearts HD II.5 ReMIX <Kingdom Hearts II \ Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ \ Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep>> <RPG> (Square Enix) {2017.03.09} (¥6.800) – 3.858 / 177.346 <80-100%> (-10%)
16./00. [NSW] Shining Resonance Refrain <RPG> (Sega) {2018.07.12} (¥5.990) – 3.645 / NEW <40-60%>
17./12. [NSW] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.05.03} (¥5.980) – 3.028 / 190.701 <80-100%> (-30%)
18./14. [PS4] New Gundam Breaker # <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.06.21} (¥7.600) – 2.832 / 72.375 <60-80%> (-23%)
19./30. [3DS] Detective Pikachu <ADV> (Pokemon Co.) {2018.03.23} (¥4.980) – 2.566 / 89.661 <80-100%> (+94%)
20./07. [PSV] Zanki Zero: Last Beginning <RPG> (Spike Chunsoft) {2018.07.05} (¥6.800) – 2.415 / 10.300 <40-60%> (-69%)
21./16. [PS4] Detroit: Become Human # <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.05.25} (¥6.900) – 2.337 / 69.189 <80-100%> (-8%)
22./15. [PS4] Winning Eleven 2018 <SPT> (Konami) {2017.09.14} (¥7.600) – 2.254 / 167.054 <80-100%> (-25%)
23./21. [PS4] Jikkyou Powerful Pro Baseball 2018 <SPT> (Konami) {2018.04.26} (¥7.980) – 1.822 / 222.833 <80-100%> (-4%)
24./22. [NSW] 1-2-Switch <ETC> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥4.980) – 1.796 / 403.812 <80-100%> (-2%)
25./18. [NSW] Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01: Variety Kit <EDU> (Nintendo) {2018.04.20} (¥6.980) – 1.778 / 181.101 <60-80%> (-16%)
26./20. [NSW] FIFA 18 <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2017.09.29} (¥5.800) – 1.771 / 112.293 <80-100%> (-13%)
27./26. [PS4] Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege – Advanced Edition <ACT> (Ubisoft) {2018.03.01} (¥6.000) – 1.495 / 60.696 <80-100%> (-5%)
28./27. [NSW] Pokken Tournament DX <FTG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.09.22} (¥5.980) – 1.480 / 260.899 <80-100%> (-3%)
29./24. [PS4] Dark Souls Remastered <Dark Souls \ Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss> <RPG> (From Software) {2018.05.24} (¥4.800) – 1.373 / 118.244 <80-100%> (-17%)
30./29. [NSW] Arms <FTG> (Nintendo) {2017.06.16} (¥5.980) – 1.368 / 382.789 <80-100%> (-2%)

Famitsu – Number of games in Top 30

NSW – 16
PS4 – 10
3DS – 3
PSV – 1

Famitsu – Hardware

Click here for more Japanese sales!

Source: Media Create (via 4Gamer) / Famitsu
Data compiled by: Chris1964 (ResetEra)
Additional data via: Game Data Library