[Japan] Media Create sales for Week 45, 2018 (November 5th – November 11th) [Top 50]

16 November 201816 November 2018 Lite_Agent Famitsu, Grezzo, Luigi's Mansion, Media Create

Here’s the latest sales report from Media Create (and Famitsu), covering Week 45 2018 in Japan.

Media Create

You know that a week was slow for sales when a Nintendo 3DS is found at rank #1 of the Top 20 provided by Media Create. It’s even worse when you know that game massively underperformed!

Luigi’s Mansion is that game, and it sold only 27 370 units during its launch week. This year, pretty much all Nintendo 3DS games have (massively) underperformed, and sadly, this one is no exception. In comparison, Luigi’s Mansion 2 sold about 300 000 units during its launch week, and unless sales dramatically improves during the holiday season, it’s unlikely Luigi’s Mansion will sell even that much…

In fact, Luigi’s Mansion on Nintendo 3DS sold so poorly, even the original on GameCube sold more (116 784 units at launch and about 350 000 units LTD, according to Famitsu).

The main reason for this underperformance is quite simple: the game launched way too late in the lifecycle of the Nintendo 3DS. Given how much Luigi’s Mansion 2 ended up selling (well over 1 million units), there’s little doubt a release in 2016 (or better, 2015) would have resulted in much better sales. While there’s definitely people who were not interested in the game itself, they’re far from being the majority in that specific case. Fortunately, this should have no impact on the sales potential of Luigi’s Mansion 3 on Nintendo Switch.

Since the holiday season hasn’t started yet, sales dropped again for Super Mario Party, but the drop remains limited (-14%). With 23 333 units sold this week, it’s now well on its way to 400 000 units (it should reach that milestone before the end of the month or in early December at the latest).

But Mario Kart 8 Deluxe doesn’t really care that the holiday season is yet to start: its sales increased again this week, though less than last week with “only” +6%. It sold 8 466 additional units, bringing the total to 1 826 744 units since launch. It will definitely reach 2 million units LTD, and it could do so this very year if holiday sales are extremely strong (however, early 2019 sounds more likely).

Sales remain steady for Minecraft, with 7 562 units sold this week (-7%). It’s a game that will sell a ton during the holiday season, and the fact that sales are so steady during the current slow period points towards extremely strong holiday sales. It’s now sold 357 898 units since launch, and it will reach 400 000 units sometimes in December.

Splatoon 2 is slightly up (+3%), with 6 783 units sold. It’s going to be pretty popular during the holiday season, but it’s going to get some serious competition from Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. It’s now sold over 2 690 000 units since launch, and should be able to reach 3 million units before the end of the year or in early 2019 (depending on how strong holiday sales are).

This week, the majority of games (including some of the usual evergreen titles on Nintendo Switch) saw their sales drop. But there’s two notable exceptions: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey. Both games saw their sales increase noticeable, thanks to the release of special editions including the game and a guidebook (sold for the same price as the regular edition, and effectively replacing it for the holiday season).

Thanks to that special edition, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild saw its sales increase by 23%, to 5 706 units (1 153 183 units LTD). Super Mario Odyssey saw a slightly smaller increase: +15%, with 3 780 units sold (1 841 692).

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

12./12. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥4.980) – 3.349 / 1.756.810 (-6%). It’s selling steadily, and will still be in the Top 20 from Media Create when Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! launches this Friday;
14./16. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies (Nintendo) – 2.963 / 639.247 (+10%). The announcement of the 3rd major update for the game seems to have had a positive impact on sales;
16./15. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.07.19} (¥6.100) – 2.481 / 223.236 (-10%). Sales are slowing down a bit, but not enough to drop from the Top 20 from Media Create (because overall, sales are pretty weak);
17./10. [NSW] Neko Tomo (Bandai Namco Games) – 2.148 / 6.298 (-48%). Slightly better than usual for a second week, but really nothing to write home about (at all).

Media Create – Software Top 50

01./00. [3DS] Luigi’s Mansion <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.11.08} (¥4.980) – 27.370 / NEW
02./01. [PS4] Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII <ACT> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.10.12} (¥7.900) – 25.740 / 443.731 (-34%)
03./03. [NSW] Super Mario Party <ETC> (Nintendo) {2018.10.05} (¥5.980) – 23.333 / 324.685 (-14%)
04./02. [PS4] Red Dead Redemption II # <ACT> (Take-Two Interactive Japan) {2018.10.26} (¥8.800) – 16.819 / 184.061 (-51%)
05./05. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 8.466 / 1.826.744 (+6%)
06./04. [NSW] Minecraft <ADV> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 7.562 / 357.898 (-7%)
07./06. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) – 6.783 / 2.690.893 (+3%)
08./07. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 5.706 / 1.153.183 (+23%)
09./00. [PS4] Tetris Effect <PZL> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.11.09} (¥4.167) – 4.372 / NEW
10./13. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.10.27} (¥5.980) – 3.780 / 1.841.692 (+15%)
11./11. [PS4] Marvel’s Spider-Man # <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.09.07} (¥6.900) – 3.771 / 301.895 (-1%)
12./12. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥4.980) – 3.349 / 1.756.810 (-6%)
13./00. [PS4] Deracine |PlayStation VR| # <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.11.08} (¥3.000) – 3.086 / NEW
14./16. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.03.16} (¥5.980) – 2.963 / 639.247 (+10%)
15./09. [PS4] Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey # <RPG> (Ubisoft) {2018.10.05} (¥8.400) – 2.832 / 85.706 (-33%)
16./15. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.07.19} (¥6.100) – 2.481 / 223.236 (-10%)
17./10. [NSW] Cats Together <ETC> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.11.01} (¥5.700) – 2.148 / 6.298 (-48%)
18./14. [PS4] Warriors Orochi 4 # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 2.025 / 153.214 (-30%)
19./28. [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) – 1.977 / 198.896
20./08. [PS4] Soul Calibur VI <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.10.18} (¥7.600) – 1.824 / 35.590 (-58%)
21./23. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces <SPT> (Nintendo) {2018.06.22} (¥5.980)
22./27. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2016.11.23} (¥2.700)
23./21. [PS4] Winning Eleven 2019 <SPT> (Konami) {2018.08.30} (¥7.600)
24./18. [PS4] The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV – The End of Saga # <RPG> (Nihon Falcom) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800)
25./26. [NSW] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980)
26./25. [NSW] Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 03: Drive Kit <EDU> (Nintendo) {2018.09.14} (¥6.980)
27./19. [NSW] Dragon Ball FighterZ <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.09.27} (¥6.800)
28./22. [PS4] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥7.800)
29./20. [NSW] Dark Souls Remastered <Dark Souls \ Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss> <RPG> (From Software) {2018.10.18} (¥4.800)
30./29. [NSW] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥5.800)
31./31. [3DS] WarioWare Gold <ETC> (Nintendo) {2018.08.02} (¥4.980)
32./00. [PS4] Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection <Street Fighter \ Street Fighter II \ Street Fighter II: Champion Edition \ Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting \ Super Street Fighter II \ Super Street Fighter II Turbo \ Street Fighter Alpha \ Street Fighter Alpha 2 \ Street Fighter Alpha 3 \ Street Fighter III \ Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact \ Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike> # <FTG> (Capcom) {2018.10.25} (¥4.990)
33./00. [NSW] Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01: Variety Kit <EDU> (Nintendo) {2018.04.20} (¥6.980)
34./50. [NSW] Mega Man 11 # <ACT> (Capcom) {2018.10.04} (¥4.990)
35./34. [NSW] Pro Baseball Famista Evolution <SPT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.08.02} (¥6.100)
36./00. [PS4] Gran Turismo Sport # <RCE> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2017.10.19} (¥6.900)
37./37. [3DS] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980)
38./48. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 # <RCE> (Nintendo) {2011.12.01} (¥4.571)
39./42. [NSW] Sumikko Gurashi: Atsumare! Sumikko Town <ETC> (Nippon Columbia) {2018.10.04} (¥5.800)
40./30. [NSW] Warriors Orochi 4 # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800)
41./33. [PS4] Cry Star <RPG> (FuRyu) {2018.10.18} (¥7.980)
42./32. [NSW] Beyblade Burst: Battle Zero <RPG> (FuRyu) {2018.10.25} (¥6.980)
43./35. [PS4] Persona 5 [New Price Edition] <RPG> (Atlus) {2018.09.06} (¥4.980)
44./36. [NSW] My Hero: One’s Justice <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.08.23} (¥7.600)
45./00. [NSW] Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection <Street Fighter \ Street Fighter II \ Street Fighter II: Champion Edition \ Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting \ Super Street Fighter II \ Super Street Fighter II Turbo \ Street Fighter Alpha \ Street Fighter Alpha 2 \ Street Fighter Alpha 3 \ Street Fighter III \ Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact \ Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike> # <FTG> (Capcom) {2018.10.25} (¥4.990)
46./38. [NSW] Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy: Bonus Edition <Crash Bandicoot \ Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back \ Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped> <ACT> (Sega) {2018.10.18} (¥4.900)
47./41. [NSW] Pokken Tournament DX <FTG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.09.22} (¥5.980)
48./45. [NSW] Octopath Traveler <RPG> (Square Enix) {2018.07.13} (¥6.800)
49./39. [3DS] Mario Party: The Top 100 <ETC> (Nintendo) {2017.12.28} (¥4.980)
50./44. [NSW] Undertale # <RPG> (8-4) {2018.09.15} (¥4.000)

Media Create – Number of games in Top 50

NSW – 27
PS4 – 16
3DS – 7

Media Create – Hardware

This week, Nintendo Switch sales saw a noticeable increase with 54 235 units sold: that’s over 10 000 units more than during Week 44, which is a really positive thing given the complete lack of new releases in the Top 20 from Media Create. Of course, sales are still down Year on Year (the console sold about 79 000 units during Week 45, in 2017), but it should be the last time this happens this year.

After all, Week 46 is already guaranteed to be the biggest week of the year (so far!) for the Nintendo Switch. Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! on its own would have been big, but add bundles for that game and for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the same day, and you have a recipe for explosive sales.

Even better: the bundles do not seem to be limited, which means we can expect strong sales during their launch week (due to lack of shortages), further boosting Nintendo Switch sales. It’s not clear exactly how high those sales will go, but there’s little doubt it’s going to be well into 100 000 units territory. If they’re strong enough, the console could very well sell over 200 000 units, but it’s nothing but a possibility for now (not a guarantee).

The upcoming boost will compensate for the drop in sales Year on Year, and 2018 are finally going to catch up and surpass 2017 sales as early as next week (unless sales are particularly disappointing next week).

Unsurprisingly, the release of Luigi’s Mansion had basically no effect on the Nintendo 3DS: its sales are perfectly flat, with 6 218 units sold (as opposed to 6 274 units sold last week). Of course, that’s hardly surprising: the handheld would need a much bigger game than this to shake up its sales.

Famitsu – Software Top 30

01./00. [3DS] Luigi’s Mansion <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.11.08} (¥4.980) – 29.405 / NEW <40-60%>
02./03. [NSW] Super Mario Party <ETC> (Nintendo) {2018.10.05} (¥5.980) – 20.566 / 309.024 <80-100%> (-19%)
03./01. [PS4] Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII <ACT> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.10.12} (¥7.900) – 20.476 / 429.127 <80-100%> (-37%)
04./02. [PS4] Red Dead Redemption II # <ACT> (Take-Two Interactive Japan) {2018.10.26} (¥8.800) – 14.687 / 181.823 <60-80%> (-53%)
05./04. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 8.746 / 1.839.519 <80-100%> (-2%)
06./05. [NSW] Minecraft <ADV> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 7.619 / 358.768 <80-100%> (-6%)
07./06. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) – 6.714 / 2.729.051 <80-100%> (+0%)
08./08. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 4.866 / 1.116.173 <80-100%> (+14%)
09./07. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon # <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥4.980) – 3.994 / 2.391.725 <80-100%> (-7%)
10./09. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.10.27} (¥5.980) – 3.882 / 1.832.511 <80-100%> (+3%)
11./11. [PS4] Marvel’s Spider-Man # <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.09.07} (¥6.900) – 3.288 / 291.998 <80-100%> (-6%)
12./15. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.07.19} (¥6.100) – 2.306 / 222.742 <80-100%> (-5%)
13./21. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.03.16} (¥5.980) – 2.127 / 617.900 <80-100%> (+4%)
14./13. [PS4] Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey # <RPG> (Ubisoft) {2018.10.05} (¥8.400) – 2.016 / 82.759 <80-100%> (-33%)
15./00. [PS4] Deracine |PlayStation VR| # <ADV> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.11.08} (¥3.000) – 1.990 / NEW <20-40%>
16./25. [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) – 1.962 / 213.416 <80-100%> (+22%)
17./19. [PS4] Winning Eleven 2019 <SPT> (Konami) {2018.08.30} (¥7.600) – 1.796 / 135.537 <80-100%> (-14%)
18./16. [PS4] Warriors Orochi 4 # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) {2018.09.27} (¥7.800) – 1.783 / 150.836 <80-100%> (-24%)
19./00. [PS4] Tetris Effect <PZL> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.11.09} (¥4.167) – 1.778 / NEW <20-40%>
20./17. [PS4] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥7.800) – 1.706 / 92.539 <80-100%> (-26%)
21./12. [NSW] Cats Together <ETC> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.11.01} (¥5.700) – 1.616 / 4.777 <20-40%> (-49%)
22./22. [NSW] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥5.800) – 1.615 / 34.851 <60-80%> (-7%)
23./23. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces <SPT> (Nintendo) {2018.06.22} (¥5.980) – 1.508 / 350.297 <80-100%> (-10%)
24./10. [PS4] Soul Calibur VI <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.10.18} (¥7.600) – 1.505 / 32.002 <80-100%> (-57%)
25./18. [NSW] Dragon Ball FighterZ <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.09.27} (¥6.800) – 1.442 / 42.892 <60-80%> (-33%)
26./00. [PS4] Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection <Street Fighter \ Street Fighter II \ Street Fighter II: Champion Edition \ Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting \ Super Street Fighter II \ Super Street Fighter II Turbo \ Street Fighter Alpha \ Street Fighter Alpha 2 \ Street Fighter Alpha 3 \ Street Fighter III \ Street Fighter III: 2nd Impact \ Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike> # <FTG> (Capcom) {2018.10.25} (¥4.990) – 1.354 / 17.306 <40-60%>
27./30. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2016.11.23} (¥2.700) – 1.282 / 405.999 <80-100%> (+3%)
28./00. [NSW] Pro Baseball Famista Evolution <SPT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.08.02} (¥6.100) – 1.240 / 93.398 <80-100%>
29./00. [NSW] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980) – 1.212 / 135.260 <80-100%>
30./20. [NSW] Dark Souls Remastered <Dark Souls \ Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss> <RPG> (From Software) {2018.10.18} (¥4.800) – 1.187 / 21.168 <60-80%> (-42%)

Famitsu – Number of games in Top 30

NSW – 15
PS4 – 12
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