[Japan] Media Create sales for Week 39, 2018 (September 24th – September 30th) [Top 50]

5 October 20185 October 2018 Lite_Agent Bandai-Namco, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Electronic Arts, Famitsu, FIFA 19, Koei-Tecmo, Media Create, Omega Force, SEGA, Square-Enix, The Worlds Ends With You -Final Remix-, Valkyria Chronicles 4, Warriors Orochi 4

Here’s the latest sales data for the Japanese video game market, courtesy of Media Create and Famitsu!

Media Create

Week 39 saw the releases of many games (including several multiplatform titles), so there’s a lot of new faces in the Top 20 from Media Create this week.

Let’s start with the main release: Warriors Orochi 4, which sold a combined 124 491 units on the two platforms it was released on. That’s a pretty decent performance, though what definitely isn’t is the share of the Nintendo Switch version. It sold only 23 660 units, as opposed to 100 831 units on PlayStation 4. This makes it pretty clear that the audience for traditional Warriors games is not quite on Nintendo Switch (yet).

There’s probably two main reasons for that:

technical ones: the appeal of Warriors is in the large number of enemies on screen, which is harder to do on a less powerful platform (unless it’s an exclusive title, where the developers can spend time optimising performance). There’s a reason Koei-Tecmo did not bother showing the Nintendo Switch before launch;
the series seems to have lost a large amount of its mainstream appeal. The mainstream audience seems to have either lost all interest in Warriors games, or now needs a special hook to be interested (the collaborations with famous series, like One Piece, Dragon Quest or The Legend of Zelda)

Granted, games on Nintendo Switch generally tend to sell better on the long run, but that’s quite the gap this time around, and it’s unlikely Warriors Orochi 4 will keep selling long enough for the Nintendo Switch version to catch up (especially as the PlayStation 4 version isn’t going to suddenlly stop selling either).

FIFA 19 was the other multiplatform release this week, and once again, most of its sales come from the PlayStation 4 version. The game sold a combined 73 972 units on both platforms according to Media Create, with the Nintendo Switch getting “only” 16 200 units.

The split is pretty close to the one for FIFA 18 last year, which sold about 68 000 units at launch according to Famitsu, with 12 000 units on Nintendo Switch. In other words, it seems Nintendo Switch sales are slowly but surely growing, helping the series as a whole. But what’s really interesting is that FIFA 18 sold steadily in the weeks and months that followed launch, to point where total Nintendo Switch sales overtook PlayStation 4 ones. Will the same happen this year?

Now, on to late ports on Nintendo Switch. Dragon Ball FighterZ is off to a decent start: Media Create reports that it sold 23 202 units sold during launch week. That’s roughly the same as Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, which sold about 23 000 units at launch last year (according to Famitsu data).

In comparison, the PlayStation 4 version of Dragon Ball FighterZ sold about 59 000 units at launch, and it will be interesting to see if Nintendo Switch sales end up catching up like they did for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. That will all depend on whether the game also keeps selling on the long run, like its predecessor. Based on the Day 1 sell-through, it’s pretty safe to assume both Bandai-Namco and retailers expect it to be the case!

As for Valkyria Chronicles 4, it did rather poorly with only 5 596 units sold during the first 4 days on the market. In comparison, the PlayStation 4 sold about 47 000 units at launch, back in March. It doesn’t look like there was much of an audience for a late port of this game, especially when used copies of the PlayStation 4 version can easily be found in stores. Quite interestingly, those sales show that there was not much demand for a handheld version of the game, which is unusual for the Japanese market.

The fact that this is the very first Valkyria Chronicles game on a Nintendo platform most likely did not help with sales, but it wasn’t the main reason Valkyria Chronicles 4 sold poorly on Nintendo Switch. Fortunately for SEGA, western sales for this version look much healthier, and it’s most likely for Europe and North America that it was developed in the first place. After all, it’s definitely no surprise the release was simultaneous in those two regions, unlike Japan where it was half a year late.

Finally, The Worlds Ends With You -Final Remix- didn’t exactly set the charts on fire, with 14 216 units sold. In comparison, the Nintendo DS version sold over 80 000 units at launch according to Famitsu, which shows that this enhanced port failed to attract a new audience. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely to sell on the long run, and will most likely be gone from the Top 20 from Media Create within the next couple of weeks.

It shouldn’t be too much of an issue for Square-Enix, as the game was clearly targeting a western audience first and foremost, but fans certainly didn’t need another reason for Square-Enix not to continue the series (good Japanese sales would certainly have helped greenlighting a sequel).

Due to the many entries this week, there’s only one Nintendo Switch evergreen left in the Top 10 from Media Create: Minecraft, which sold 13 483 units. Sales were basically flat this week (+1%), and finally topped 300 000 units since launch (304 544 units to be precise). Of course, it’s just the beginning: the game will have no trouble selling at least 500 000 units before the end of the year, and so far, it’s outselling all other versions of Minecraft at retail.

Now, let’s take a look at how games in the second half of the Top 20 have been faring:

11./05. [NSW] Splatoon 2 (Nintendo) – 13.059 / 2.644.596 (-1%). Sales remains steady in this slow period;
12./06. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo) – 10.561 / 1.778.713 (+3%). Still remaining above the 10 000 units/week threshold, with sales slightly increasing this week;
13./09. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 5.756 / 1.123.201 (-3%). It just keeps on selling, week after week;
16./15. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! (Bandai Namco Games) – 4.813 / 205.355 (-6%). Sales remain steady despite the fact that Summer holidays are long gone. This bodes well for the end of year holiday season!
17./17. [3DS] Pokémon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon (Pokemon Co.) – 4.785 / 1.734.235 (+7%). It doesn’t look like sales are slowing down despite Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! drawing nearer and nearer…
18./16. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces (Nintendo) – 4.579 / 353.070 (-6%). Sales are slightly down, but nothing worrying. The 350 000 units milestone was reached this week;
19./14. [NSW] Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 03: Drive Kit (Nintendo) – 4.306 / 21.231 (-18%). Last week in the Top 20 from Media Create!
20./18. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo) – 4.220 / 1.821.336 (+6%). Despite the many entries in the Top 20 from Media Create, this one manages to stay in one more week. Unfortunately, Kirby Star Allies was not that fortunate!

Media Create – Software Top 50

01./00. [PS4] Warriors Orochi 4 # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 100.831 / NEW
02./00. [PS4] The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV – The End of Saga # <RPG> (Nihon Falcom) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 85.161 / NEW
03./00. [PS4] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥7.800) – 57.772 / NEW
04./00. [NSW] Warriors Orochi 4 # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 23.660 / NEW
05./00. [NSW] Dragon Ball FighterZ <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.09.27} (¥6.800) – 23.202 / NEW
06./01. [PS4] Marvel’s Spider-Man # <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.09.07} (¥6.900) – 22.751 / 266.802 (-40%)
07./00. [PS4] Utawarerumono: Zan # <SLG> (Aqua Plus) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 21.316 / NEW
08./00. [NSW] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥5.800) – 16.200 / NEW
09./00. [NSW] The World Ends with You: Final Remix <RPG> (Square Enix) {2018.09.27} (¥4.800) – 14.216 / NEW
10./03. [NSW] Minecraft <ADV> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 13.483 / 304.544 (+1%)
11./05. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) – 13.059 / 2.644.596 (-1%)
12./06. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 10.561 / 1.778.713 (+3%)
13./09. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 5.756 / 1.123.201 (-3%)
14./00. [NSW] Valkyria Chronicles 4 <SLG> (Sega) {2018.09.27} (¥7.490) – 5.596 / NEW
15./08. [PS4] Winning Eleven 2019 <SPT> (Konami) {2018.08.30} (¥7.600) – 5.137 / 114.777 (-14%)
16./15. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.07.19} (¥6.100) – 4.813 / 205.355 (-6%)
17./17. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥4.980) – 4.785 / 1.734.235 (+7%)
18./16. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces <SPT> (Nintendo) {2018.06.22} (¥5.980) – 4.579 / 353.070 (-6%)
19./14. [NSW] Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 03: Drive Kit <EDU> (Nintendo) {2018.09.14} (¥6.980) – 4.306 / 21.231 (-18%)
20./18. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.10.27} (¥5.980) – 4.220 / 1.821.336 (+6%)
21./10. [PS4] Conan Exiles <ACT> (Spike Chunsoft) {2018.08.23} (¥6.800)
22./19. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.03.16} (¥5.980)
23./07. [PS4] Shadow of the Tomb Raider <ADV> (Square Enix) {2018.09.14} (¥7.980)
24./21. [NSW] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980)
25./22. [3DS] WarioWare Gold <ETC> (Nintendo) {2018.08.02} (¥4.980)
26./27. [NSW] Pro Baseball Famista Evolution <SPT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.08.02} (¥6.100)
27./00. [PS4] Assetto Corsa: Ultimate Edition <Assetto Corsa \ Assetto Corsa: Ferrari 70th Anniversary> <RCE> (Oizumi Amuzio) {2018.09.27} (¥6.400)
28./02. [PS4] Steins;Gate Elite # <ADV> (5pb.) {2018.09.20} (¥7.800)
29./28. [NSW] My Hero: One’s Justice <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.08.23} (¥7.600)
30./04. [NSW] Steins;Gate Elite # <ADV> (5pb.) {2018.09.20} (¥7.800)
31./29. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2016.11.23} (¥2.700)
32./32. [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)
33./11. [NSW] Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Torna – The Golden Country <RPG> (Nintendo) {2018.09.21} (¥3.980)
34./00. [NSW] Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk <RPG> (Nippon Ichi Software) {2018.09.27} (¥6.980)
35./36. [3DS] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980)
36./25. [NSW] Pokken Tournament DX <FTG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.09.22} (¥5.980)
37./26. [PS4] NBA 2K19 # <SPT> (Take-Two Interactive Japan) {2018.09.11} (¥7.800)
38./34. [PS4] Persona 5 [New Price Edition] <RPG> (Atlus) {2018.09.06} (¥4.980)
39./40. [PS4] The Last of Us Remastered <The Last of Us \ The Last of Us: Left Behind> [PlayStation Hits] <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.07.26} (¥1.990)
40./39. [NSW] Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01: Variety Kit <EDU> (Nintendo) {2018.04.20} (¥6.980)
41./38. [PS4] Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege – Advanced Edition <ACT> (Ubisoft) {2018.03.01} (¥6.000)
42./42. [NSW] Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.05.03} (¥5.980)
43./47. [NSW] 1-2-Switch <ETC> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥4.980)
44./35. [NSW] Octopath Traveler <RPG> (Square Enix) {2018.07.13} (¥6.800)
45./00. [PSV] Koshotengai no Hashihime Kurikaeshi <ADV> (Dramatic Create) {2018.09.27} (¥6.900)
46./12. [PS4] F1 2018 <RCE> (Ubisoft) {2018.09.20} (¥7.980)
47./31. [NSW] Undertale # <RPG> (8-4) {2018.09.15} (¥4.000)
48./50. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 # <RCE> (Nintendo) {2011.12.01} (¥4.571)
49./00. [PSV] Sanzen Sekai Yuugi: Re Multi Universe Myself <ADV> (Dramatic Create) {2018.09.27} (¥6.900)
50./48. [NSW] Arms <FTG> (Nintendo) {2017.06.16} (¥5.980)

Media Create – Number of games in Top 50

NSW – 27
PS4 – 16
3DS – 5
PSV – 2

Media Create – Hardware

This week, Nintendo Switch sales are slightly up thanks to payday, and not so much thanks to the new releases (there wasn’t anything important enough to have a noticeable impact on sales). The console sold 42 957 units, which is roughly 5 000 units more than last week, but roughly 31 000 units less than last year during the same week.

Last year, Week 39 saw the release of Fire Emblem Warriors, and Nintendo did ship significantly more Nintendo Switch consoles than usual for it. As a result, sales shot up to ~73 000 units, not so much thanks to Fire Emblem Warriors and more because the console was still incredibly hard to find in stores due to the endless shortages. Fastforward one year later, and shortages are pretty much over. Sadly, the new releases were nowhere important enough to boost sales in a significant manner.

Due to the large difference in sales between Week 39 2018 and Week 39 2017, total sales for the year came pretty close to going down Year on Year. Fortunately, with the release of Super Mario Party this Friday, this should be avoided. However, it’s now clear that the Nintendo Switch will not be totally “safe” until the release of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee!, in November.

Year on Year comparisons are not going to be pretty for Week 44, which saw the release of Super Mario Odyssey last year. There’s no such major release this year, but fortunately, Pokémon will be just around the corner…

Finally, Nintendo 3DS went slightly up this week, with about 7 500 units sold.

Media Create Hardware Week 39 2018 chart

Famitsu – Software Top 30

01./00. [PS4] Warriors Orochi 4 # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 105.875 / NEW <80-100%>
02./00. [PS4] The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV – The End of Saga # <RPG> (Nihon Falcom) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 97.158 / NEW <80-100%>
03./00. [PS4] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥7.800) – 62.710 / NEW <60-80%>
04./00. [NSW] Warriors Orochi 4 # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 28.493 / NEW <60-80%>
05./01. [PS4] Marvel’s Spider-Man # <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.09.07} (¥6.900) – 22.526 / 258.716 <80-100%> (-27%)
06./00. [NSW] Dragon Ball FighterZ <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.09.27} (¥6.800) – 22.498 / NEW <40-60%>
07./00. [PS4] Utawarerumono: Zan # <SLG> (Aqua Plus) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 18.054 / NEW <60-80%>
08./00. [NSW] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥5.800) – 16.275 / NEW <40-60%>
09./02. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) – 14.173 / 2.680.420 <80-100%> (+2%)
10./00. [NSW] The World Ends with You: Final Remix <RPG> (Square Enix) {2018.09.27} (¥4.800) – 12.895 / NEW <40-60%>
11./03. [NSW] Minecraft <ADV> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 12.711 / 304.988 <80-100%> (+0%)
12./05. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 12.409 / 1.788.425 <80-100%> (+14%)
13./09. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon # <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥4.980) – 6.854 / 2.363.094 <80-100%> (+9%)
14./08. [PS4] Winning Eleven 2019 <SPT> (Konami) {2018.08.30} (¥7.600) – 6.722 / 121.103 <80-100%> (-10%)
15./10. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 5.607 / 1.089.029 <80-100%> (-2%)
16./12. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.10.27} (¥5.980) – 5.385 / 1.809.252 <80-100%> (+2%)
17./00. [NSW] Valkyria Chronicles 4 <SLG> (Sega) {2018.09.27} (¥7.490) – 5.036 / NEW <40-60%>
18./13. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.07.19} (¥6.100) – 4.799 / 205.653 <80-100%> (-6%)
19./18. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces <SPT> (Nintendo) {2018.06.22} (¥5.980) – 3.979 / 339.085 <80-100%> (-3%)
20./16. [NSW] Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 03: Drive Kit <EDU> (Nintendo) {2018.09.14} (¥6.980) – 3.828 / 21.732 <20-40%> (-19%)
21./11. [PS4] Conan Exiles <ACT> (Spike Chunsoft) {2018.08.23} (¥6.800) – 3.724 / 79.770 <80-100%> (-31%)
22./07. [PS4] Shadow of the Tomb Raider <ADV> (Square Enix) {2018.09.14} (¥7.980) – 3.682 / 46.970 <60-80%> (-56%)
23./19. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.03.16} (¥5.980) – 3.190 / 604.792 <80-100%> (+4%)
24./22. [NSW] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980) – 2.821 / 126.475 <80-100%> (+1%)
25./27. [NSW] Pro Baseball Famista Evolution <SPT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.08.02} (¥6.100) – 2.647 / 85.656 <60-80%> (+23%)
26./25. [NSW] My Hero: One’s Justice <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.08.23} (¥7.600) – 2.469 / 42.942 <80-100%> (+10%)
27./21. [3DS] WarioWare Gold <ETC> (Nintendo) {2018.08.02} (¥4.980) – 2.396 / 109.063 <80-100%> (-14%)
28./30. [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) – 2.276 / 203.251 <80-100%> (+20%)
29./00. [PS4] Assetto Corsa: Ultimate Edition <Assetto Corsa \ Assetto Corsa: Ferrari 70th Anniversary> <RCE> (Oizumi Amuzio) {2018.09.27} (¥6.400) – 2.142 / NEW <20-40%>
30./29. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2016.11.23} (¥2.700) – 1.978 / 397.639 <80-100%> (+0%)

Famitsu – Number of games in Top 30

NSW – 17
PS4 – 10
3DS – 3

Famitsu – Hardware

Click here for more Japanese sales data!

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