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[Japan] Media Create sales for Week 52, 2018 (December 24th – December 30th)

Here’s the latest sales report from Media Create (and Famitsu), covering Week 52 2018 in Japan. Important note: the Media Create report for Week 52 will be available on September 10th, and this post will be updated with it as soon as possible. Data for Week 1 will also be available on that day, and it will get its own separate post (as usual).

Media Create

Media Create – Software Top 30

01./01. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate # <FTG> (Nintendo) {2018.12.07} (¥7.200) – 275.417 / 2.355.186 (-39%)
02./02. [NSW] Super Mario Party # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2018.10.05} (¥5.980) – 98.682 / 841.037 (-36%)
03./03. [NSW] Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! # <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2018.11.16} (¥5.980) – 65.497 / 1.331.287 (-55%)
04./07. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 41.872 / 2.000.142 (-11%)
05./05. [NSW] Dragon Quest Builders 2 <ADV> (Square Enix) {2018.12.20} (¥7.800) – 34.589 / 132.262 (-65%)
06./08. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) – 30.669 / 2.839.787 (-26%)
07./04. [PS4] Dragon Quest Builders 2 <ADV> (Square Enix) {2018.12.20} (¥7.800) – 29.877 / 140.161 (-73%)
08./09. [PS4] Judgment <ADV> (Sega) {2018.12.13} (¥8.290) – 27.549 / 213.438 (-27%)
09./06. [NSW] Minecraft # <ADV> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 27.140 / 506.909 (-44%)
10./14. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 15.250 / 1.227.293 (-5%)
11./10. [PS4] God Eater 3 # <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.12.13} (¥8.200) – 14.338 / 189.900 (-43%)
12./00. [NSW] Go Vacation <ETC> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.12.27} (¥4.980) – 13.310 / NEW
13./12. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.10.27} (¥5.980) – 12.553 / 1.914.779 (-41%)
14./11. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.03.16} (¥5.980) – 10.935 / 702.874 (-49%)
15./00. [NSW] Diablo III: Eternal Collection <Diablo III \ Diablo III: Reaper of Souls \ Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer> <RPG> (Blizzard Entertainment) {2018.12.27} (¥6.980) – 10.143 / NEW
16./15. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.07.19} (¥6.100) – 9.814 / 269.677 (-37%)
17./00. [3DS] Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey <RPG> (Nintendo) {2018.12.27} (¥4.980) – 9.436 / NEW
18./19. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces <SPT> (Nintendo) {2018.06.22} (¥5.980) – 7.778 / 400.534 (-29%)
19./28. [PS4] Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII <ACT> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.10.12} (¥7.900) – 6.692 / 505.455 (-1%)
20./20. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥4.980) – 6.257 / 1.796.584 (-38%)
21./16. [3DS] Luigi’s Mansion <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.11.08} (¥4.980)
22./39. [PS4] Battlefield V <ACT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.11.20} (¥7.800)
23./13. [PS4] Onimusha: Warlords # <ACT> (Capcom) {2018.12.20} (¥3.490)
24./22. [NSW] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980)
25./17. [NSW] Katamari Damacy Reroll <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.12.20} (¥3.200)
26./24. [NSW] Dragon Ball FighterZ <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.09.27} (¥6.800)
27./31. [NSW] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥5.800)
28./25. [3DS] Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS <FTG> (Nintendo) {2014.09.13} (¥5.200)
29./46. [PS4] Winning Eleven 2019 <SPT> (Konami) {2018.08.30} (¥7.600)
30./27. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2016.11.23} (¥2.700)

Media Create – Number of games in Top 30

NSW – 18
PS4 – 7
3DS – 5

Media Create – Hardware

Famitsu – Software Top 30

There were quite a few releases during the last week of the year, but unfortunately, they did not sell large amount: the real stars were already released titles, such as Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!

Go Vacation sold about 13 041 units at launch, which is a fairly respectable performance for the port of a Wii game. In comparison, the original sold 42 388 units at launch, and nearly 380 000 units LTD. Unfortunately, the Nintendo Switch version is unlikely to sell anywyere near what the original did.

The sell-through ratio is between 20-40%, which shows that retailers expected the game to sell more during its launch week and/or to enjoy strong sales on New Year week. If the Week 1 sell-through is closer to 40% than 20%, and New Year sales are indeed strong, then selling all launch copies shouldn’t take too much effort.

Unfortunately, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey downright flopped, with only 9 178 units sold. Now that’s only that’s even worse than Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser’s Minions (only 25 000 units sold at launch), making it the worst-selling Mario & Luigi entry,, but the sell-through ratio is quite abysmall for a Nintendo game (especially one with Mario): 0-20%.

This wouldn’t be so much of an issue if sales did not crater after New Year week, especially as sales during that week are not expected to be all that good to begin with. It’s pretty clear the vast majority of players have moved on from the Nintendo 3DS, and were not interested in another entry for that platform (let alone a remake). Fortunately, it’s unlikely Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey will have any lasting impact on the series itself, though that’s definitely one game Nintendo could have easily skipped (at least, as far as Japan is concerned).

As for Diablo III: Eternal Collection, it sold rather decently: 9 151 units during the first few days, with a sell-through ratio between 60 and 80% (which shows retailers correctly gauged demand). It’s quite likely the game will simply vanish from the Top 20 as early as next week (despite New Year sales), but at the very least, retailers will not have any trouble selling all the remaining copies without slashing the price.

As mentioned above, the real stars of the week are not the new releases… it’s the usual suspects on Nintendo Switch. Week 52 always sees a noticeable drop in sales (it’s stuck between Christmas and New Year), but Super Smash Bros. Ultimate managed to hold pretty well with 253 977 units sold. That’s a 40% drop compared to Week 51, which is a strong performance (helped a bit by December 24th being part of Week 52). It certainly bodes pretty well for New Year’s sales, but also 2019 sales as a whole.

The latest entry in the Super Smash Bros. series is already guaranteed to reach 3 million units in 2019, and if sales in 2019 remain strong and steady, then it will become the best-selling entry in the series (with Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS combined) as early as this year!

Super Mario Party also enjoyed strong sales, with 86 265 additional units sold. This brings the total to 764 853 units, which means that the 800 000 units milestone will be reached during Week 1 2019. As for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee!, its sales are rather good so far, though they definitely could be better. With 58 347 units sold, it saw the worst drop among Nintendo Switch evergreen titles (-54%). Sales after New Year will give us a clearer picture as to what to expect for this game in 2019

But if Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! had the worst drop this week, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has one of the lowest with -8% (45 752). It enjoyed strong sales despite the usual Week 52 drop in activity, which brings LTD sales to 2 030 297: that’s another multi-million seller for the Nintendo Switch! And it doesn’t look like sales are going to stop any time soon…

We expected that Dragon Quest Builders 2 would end up selling the most on Nintendo Switch in the long run, but we certainly were not expecting that to happen as early as Week 2. The game sold over 70 000 units this week, including 38 000 units on Nintendo Switch alone (-70% for both versions).

The LTD for the Nintendo Switch version is already ahead of PlayStation 4 version, though not by much for now. In total, Dragon Quest Builders 2 has sold over 328 000 on both platforms combined (and 165 418 on Nintendo Switch alone): a decent performance, but still significantly worse than the first one.

Finally, Minecraft and Splatoon 2 are pretty close to each other with 32 294 units and 31 286 units sold respectively. Both games saw a relatively mild drop: -37% for the former, and -23% for the latter. Of course, total sales are not close at all, since Splatoon 2 has already sold 2 874 420 units. It will reach 3 million units this year, and Minecraft will reach 1 million units. Both games are expected to hang around in the Top 20 during most of the year!

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

  • 11./15. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Nintendo) – 14.063 / 1.179.692 <80-100%> (-4%). Sales are not slowing down!
  • 13./11. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo) – 11.555 / 1.900.206 (-45%). Despite the post-Christmas drop, sales remain strong. The 2 million units milestone isn’t far, and will be reached in the first half of 2019;
  • 14./13. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! (Bandai Namco Games)- 10.018 / 270.415 <80-100%> (-37%). Another game holding well; it should reach 300 000 units LTD sometime in January;
  • 17./14. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies (Nintendo) – 8.448 / 664.815 <80-100%> (-46%). Sales will remain good, and January sales will tell us what to expect for this game in 2019;
  • 18./18. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon (Pokemon Co.) – 6.225 / 2.433.279 <80-100%> (-41%). It’s unlikely to keep selling through 2019, but for now, it’s still hanging around in the Top 20!
  • 19./22. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces (Nintendo) – 5.922 / 376.366 <80-100%> (-25%). It will most likely be gone from the Top 20 once New Year is behind us.

01./01. [NSW] Super Smash Bros. Ultimate # <FTG> (Nintendo) {2018.12.07} (¥7.200) – 253.977 / 2.360.655 <80-100%> (-40%)
02./02. [NSW] Super Mario Party # <ETC> (Nintendo) {2018.10.05} (¥5.980) – 86.265 / 764.853 <80-100%> (-36%)
03./05. [NSW] Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! / Let’s Go, Eevee! # <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2018.11.16} (¥5.980) – 58.347 / 1.253.677 <80-100%> (-54%)
04./07. [NSW] Mario Kart 8 Deluxe <RCE> (Nintendo) {2017.04.28} (¥5.980) – 45.752 / 2.030.297 <80-100%> (-8%)
05./04. [NSW] Dragon Quest Builders 2 <ADV> (Square Enix) {2018.12.20} (¥7.800) – 38.014 / 165.418 <60-80%> (-70%)
06./03. [PS4] Dragon Quest Builders 2 <ADV> (Square Enix) {2018.12.20} (¥7.800) – 32.368 / 163.882 <60-80%> (-75%)
07./06. [NSW] Minecraft # <ADV> (Microsoft Game Studios) {2018.06.21} (¥3.600) – 32.294 / 525.045 <80-100%> (-37%)
08./08. [NSW] Splatoon 2 # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.07.21} (¥5.980) – 31.286 / 2.874.420 <80-100%> (-23%)
09./09. [PS4] Judgment <ADV> (Sega) {2018.12.13} (¥8.290) – 30.217 / 224.048 <80-100%> (-25%)
10./10. [PS4] God Eater 3 # <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.12.13} (¥8.200) – 15.335 / 174.834 <80-100%> (-41%)
11./15. [NSW] The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild # <ADV> (Nintendo) {2017.03.03} (¥6.980) – 14.063 / 1.179.692 <80-100%> (-4%)
12./00. [NSW] Go Vacation <ETC> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.12.27} (¥4.980) – 13.041 / NEW <20-40%>
13./11. [NSW] Super Mario Odyssey # <ACT> (Nintendo) {2017.10.27} (¥5.980) – 11.555 / 1.900.206 <80-100%> (-45%)
14./13. [NSW] Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.07.19} (¥6.100) – 10.018 / 270.415 <80-100%> (-37%)
15./00. [3DS] Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story + Bowser Jr.’s Journey <RPG> (Nintendo) {2018.12.27} (¥4.980) – 9.178 / NEW <0-20%>
16./00. [NSW] Diablo III: Eternal Collection <Diablo III \ Diablo III: Reaper of Souls \ Diablo III: Rise of the Necromancer> <RPG> (Blizzard Entertainment) {2018.12.27} (¥6.980) – 9.151 / NEW <60-80%>
17./14. [NSW] Kirby Star Allies <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.03.16} (¥5.980) – 8.448 / 664.815 <80-100%> (-46%)
18./18. [3DS] Pokemon Ultra Sun / Ultra Moon # <RPG> (Pokemon Co.) {2017.11.17} (¥4.980) – 6.225 / 2.433.279 <80-100%> (-41%)
19./22. [NSW] Mario Tennis Aces <SPT> (Nintendo) {2018.06.22} (¥5.980) – 5.922 / 376.366 <80-100%> (-25%)
20./00. [PS4] Winning Eleven 2019 <SPT> (Konami) {2018.08.30} (¥7.600) – 5.831 / 155.245 <80-100%>
21./00. [PS4] Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII <ACT> (Sony Interactive Entertainment) {2018.10.12} (¥7.900) – 5.811 / 479.511 <80-100%> (+9%)
22./12. [PS4] Onimusha: Warlords # <ACT> (Capcom) {2018.12.20} (¥3.490) – 5.730 / 26.165 <80-100%> (-72%)
23./00. [NSW] Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 01: Variety Kit <EDU> (Nintendo) {2018.04.20} (¥6.980) – 5.665 / 226.845 <80-100%> (+19%)
24./24. [NSW] FIFA 19 # <SPT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.09.28} (¥5.800) – 5.268 / 59.381 <60-80%> (-29%)
25./21. [NSW] Dragon Ball FighterZ <FTG> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.09.27} (¥6.800) – 4.942 / 64.999 <60-80%> (-37%)
26./00. [PS4] Battlefield V <ACT> (Electronic Arts) {2018.11.20} (¥7.800) – 4.930 / 144.309 <60-80%> (+2%)
27./16. [3DS] Luigi’s Mansion <ACT> (Nintendo) {2018.11.08} (¥4.980) – 4.893 / 82.577 <60-80%> (-61%)
28./19. [NSW] Katamari Damacy Reroll <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.12.20} (¥3.200) – 4.874 / 15.122 <40-60%> (-52%)
29./26. [NSW] Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker <ADV> (Nintendo) {2018.07.13} (¥3.980) – 4.427 / 156.330 <80-100%> (-32%)
30./23. [NSW] Super Run For Money Tousouchuu & Sentouchuu Double Pack <Super Run For Money Tousouchuu Atsumare! Saikyou no Tousou Monotachi \ Super Battle For Money Sentouchuu: Kyuukyoku no Shinobu to Battle Player Choujou Kessen!> <ACT> (Bandai Namco Games) {2018.11.29} (¥5.300) – 3.873 / 23.174 <80-100%> (-50%)

Famitsu – Number of games in Top 30

NSW – 20
PS4 – 7
3DS – 3

Famitsu – Hardware

This week saw a major drop in sales for the Nintendo Switch, which was expected due to the post-Christmas drop. And yet, the console still managed to sell 186 806 units, which is a strong performance… it certainly bodes well for New Year’s week!

In comparison, the Nintendo Switch only sold 115 255 units during the same week in 2017, but it was still supply-constrained by then. Week 52, 2018 had no shortages and a stronger line-up, so it’s no wonder sales would be up by so many units. The console ended the year with sales slightly up compared to 2017: 3 482 388 units vs 3 407 158 units (the difference is more evident with Media Create data, as you can see for yourself above).

Sales are expected to bounce back up during Week 1, 2019, before dropping again the following weeks. And after that, comparisons with 2018 sales will finally begin. It’s not clear how the console will fare this year, but what we do know is that price is definitely one of the factors holding back sales. Since 2019 will be the 3rd year for the Nintendo Switch, it’s pretty safe to expect either a price drop or a new model (there has even been credible rumours from the Wall Street Journal about the latter).

Unsurprisingly, Nintendo 3DS sales dropped hard once Christmas was behind us. Still, the handheld managed to stay above the 10 000 units/week threshold, most likely for the very last time. It sold 11 775 unitsduring Week 52, and ended 2018 with 566 420 units sold: that’s about 3 times less than in 2017. Of course, 2019 will see the Nintendo 3DS further slide into irrelevance, with few Software releases and Hardware sales at lower and lower levels. It’s truly the end for the handheld, which will enter its 9th year on the market in February!

Click here for more Japanese sales data!

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

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.

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