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[Captain Smoker]

To add some numbers to the mix: Nintendo created about 300 million sellers since the NES.

1.529.100.000+ units for these games, not counting the games that didn't reach a million.

 

[Jamix012]

What would the graph be like adjusted for installed base?

Correct me if I'm wrong but a couple of months ago weren't you, in these threads justifying bad Wii U software sales with the install base? If so, please don't do this again...

 

[MisterGrey3000]

The home console market in Japan is just dreadful, and it's decline is very sad to witness. I have no problem with mobile gaming, but I do enjoy 3rd party Japanese console games. I don't want to see those go the way of the dinosaurs in the future.

Well, at least MK8 did really well. Hopefully the game will keep selling WiiU's and have crazy long Waluigi legs. I'd like for the console to stay above 10k for a good while.

 

[Otakumegane]

Who's betting on Nintendo's next console getting souped up versions of WiiU games early in its Lifecycle?

They can't be happy with all that dev costs with little return. I think at the very least Smash will be upported.

 

[Scum]

That's a plausible approach, and is similar to what Sony is doing on a grander scale; Sony is rapidly cutting off employees and departments, and retreating to markets that are safe and reliable for them.

That approach (obviously) has downsides, but also runs a smaller risk of complete collapse. It's up to Nintendo to decide if they want to take a riskier path that could potentially collapse their entire business model, or retreat to safe ground and save what they have left.

I want to see mobile and PC gaming branches to Nintendo...

....

Stop laughing at me. 😔

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

The home console market in Japan is just dreadful, and it's decline is very sad to whiteness.

Why you bring race into this?

 

[Busaiku]

What are those shipment numbers from?
Can't find it in Nintendo's earnings releases.

 

[Scum]

Who's betting on Nintendo's next console getting souped up versions of WiiU games early in its Lifecycle?

They can't be happy with all that dev costs with little return. I think at the very least Smash will be upported.

NCL will be daft not to get all the WiiU games available on the next gaming device.

 

[Captain Smoker]

What are those shipment numbers from?
Can't find it in Nintendo's earnings releases.

It's from a japanese security company, I didn't link to it because they usually delete this, I think it's not meant to be public.

 

[Acrylic7]

did Level-5 ever announce a NA release for Yo-kai Watch?

 

[MisterGrey3000]

Why you bring race into this?

Oops!
lol
God damn my phone's spell check is annoying.

 

[Busaiku]

It's from a japanese security company, I didn't link to it because they usually delete this, I think it's not meant to be public.

Do they break it down with Japan and the rest of the world, like Nintendo?

 

[BlackJace]

MK8 was never going to save Wii U, neither Nintendo believes this system can be saved anymore. I was expecting a bigger hw bump but if the game manages to raise the baseline above 10k for the next weeks it will be a small victory for Nintendo.

I see. Well, it seems it did its job selling, just not hardware...

 

[TreasureHunterG]

I think that the optimal solution for a company like Nintendo, that has no other businesses outside of dedicated game hardware and software, is to acknowledge that the market for what they offer is shrinking, and adapt to that reality rather than trying too hard to resist or fight it.

Downsize the company, lower sales and market expectations, secure their place as the definitive player in what will increasingly become a more and more niche industry, and continue to provide the same quality experiences they are good at.

I think the reason why home console market is shrinking in Japan is because their biggest top selling IP's were moved away from them and are now on handhelds or comes out first for it now. Mainline Pokémon, Monster Hunter, Animal Crossing, NSMB and Mario Kart (both came out first for DS and 3DS than Wii and Wii U respectively), Mainline Dragon Quest (non-MMO)... are all now portable titles. Major IPs like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Tales of Series, Gundam and Kingdom Hearts recieving exclusive portable titles. Now Smash Bros will come out first for 3DS and Wii U version will come months later.

There's no big IPs able to push hardware sales still left attached to consoles anymore. (maybe Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III, but both franchises are already showing signs of fatigue) No secret why WiiU and PS4 got such piss poor sales in Japan. Of course, smartphones makes things even worse.

If both Nintendo and Sony wants home console to survive in Japan (most especifically Nintendo), they need to bring big, exclusive IPs to home consoles and not let handhelds cannibalize it's market.

 

[allan-bh]

I found some updated shipment figures for Nintendos million sellers again.

Very nice find. Thanks for the updates.

Any NDS new number ?

 

[Captain Smoker]

Do they break it down with Japan and the rest of the world, like Nintendo?

No, just worldwide shipments as of December 2013.


Really great for Fire Emblem, the first million seller in the series and maybe it becomes a small evergreen title.

2.000.000 LTD in a few years would be great.

 

[?oe?oe]

Viral Luigi will save Wii U!...

...

 

[Arzehn]

So is Assault Suit Leynos supposed to come out tomorrow? Why is there no footage of this game beyond the initial reveal? I think gamefaqs is mistaken...

 

[Mpl90]

I promised something about PSO2es earlier, and here it is.

SEGA just announced today that the app has been downloaded 300,000 times since its launch, iOS and Android combined.

As a matter of fact, PSO2es had a "strange" release policy, with the Android version being released much earlier than the iOS one. In fact, it was out on Google Play on April 1st, while iOS users had to wait till May 14th.
Now, let's look at how downloads went from launch till now.
First, the version that came out earlier, Google Play.

It had a very low-profile initial release; then, it started gaining ground with the new versions being release, peaking at 35th on April, 10th.
After that, it went down continuously, except for a return almost in top 300 in the second half of May.
Now, what's the result of such a run, in terms of downloads? Google Play actually show amount of downloads

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sega.PhantasyStarOnline2es

In this case, it's between 100,000 and 500,000

Now, let's consider just the lower limit. Considering current achievement, this means that the iOS version has been downloaded less than 200,000 times since its launch on May 14th. So, less than 200,000 downloads in two weeks.

This is how the app went on iOS Most Downloaded chart: high initial placements, then a gradual progression to the bottom of top 100 (reach on May 20th), then out of top 200 (May 25th). On May 29th, all of a sudden, it's first again. Then, starts dropping and now, it's well outside of top 400.
This means that a game that started in high positions at the beginning, stayed in top 100 for 1 week, through a gradual drop, then stayed in top 200 for 5 days, it went back to being first and near the top for 1 day and then going deep down again reaches less than 200,000 downloads in two weeks.

Feel free to correct me if anything of this is wrong.

 

[MisterGrey3000]

Oh you heartless bastard...love ya.

That basically confirms what I was suspecting all this time, most people interested on Nintendo titles already has a Wii U. I suspect this translates to other places too...

I doubt that.
I think the middling bump this week makes sense considering how unappealing home console's are to the Japanese market right now. I expect this to happen with the PS4 as well when it gets it's big Japanese third party games(Whenever that is).

I'm pretty sure it'll sell more people on the WiiU in the west.
I'm not saying the game will "Save The WiiU!", but home console's are much more appealing to the west at this point in time.
Plus, the Wii/DS era has turned MK into big mainstream attention grabber. I could easily see the stand alone game, and console bundle pushing a good number of WiiUs to non-Nintendo fans.

 

[CronoShot]

Good start for Mario Kart. Not a great bump for Wii U, but that was kinda expected.

And the poor PS4

 

[test_account]

PS4 really a deadweight and it seems also PSV will follow suit.

Despite all the doom and gloom in this thread I still see potential in the Japanese market for dedicated videogame hardware, right now it suffers a severe lack of constant software releases for any system, which is due to the software support beeing very fragmented because of too many systems and the strengthened mobile market. PSP and PS3 are on their way out and PSV is heading towards its former abysmal sales trajectory something that likely will lead to less fragmentation in future.

When do you think there will be less fragmentation and what would cause this? In this generation we're ending up with the same amount of systems as we saw last gen (3DS replaces DS, WiiU replaces Wii, PS4 replaces PS4, Vita replaces PSP and Xbox One replaces Xbox 360).

 

[Takao]

When do you think there will be less fragmentation and what would cause this? In this generation we're ending up with the same amount of systems as we saw last gen (3DS replaces DS, WiiU replaces Wii, PS4 replaces PS4, Vita replaces PSP and Xbox One replaces Xbox 360).

Based on his post history, presumably he expects SCE to die and Nintendo to inherit every ounce of their support. Microsoft's platforms don't even register.

 

[Sakura]

I don't think the Wii U bump is bad. I'd be surprised if it got a similar bump in the US.

 

[Infernal Monkey]

Whoa, Arcana Heart 3 at about 9k on PS3 and Vita combined - what a complete disaster. Charging over ￥7,000 for a port of an old game was greedy as fuck though, so it's kind of nice to see.

 

[L~A]

Gibson thinks MK8 1st week is over 400k with retail + DL cards + digital :

Enterbrain report MK8 sold 351k in opening weekend in Japan, we estimate thats around 404k including digital or about 20% of WiiU users.

 

[SwiftDeath]

So like a 19% Digital sales rate for MK8? Would that count bundled copies or something then? I thought historically nintendo platforms had significantly lower than that as average for digital sales but I suppose MK8 could be an outlier

 

[Deleted member 125677]

So like a 19% Digital sales rate for MK8? Would that count bundled copies or something then? I thought historically nintendo platforms had significantly lower than that as average for digital sales but I suppose MK8 could be an outlier

bundled copies?

 

[L~A]

bundled copies?

There's no MK8 bundle in Japan.

More data:

WiiU software sales were 390m in total last week in Japan, equal to launch week but behind christmas peak of 430k. So equal 2nd highest wk.

I think he means 390k, not millions.

MK8 351k in Japan adjusted for digital would make it 30% of the 1.2m #Nintendo said it sold, in line with hardware mix as well.

 

[shinra-bansho]

That's a reasonably high proportion for digital sales.

I'm wondering if Nintendo is including those in their 1.2M.

WiiU software sales were 390m in total last week in Japan

Wii U and Japan saved.

 

[vinnygambini]

Gibbo's tweets are head scratchers sometimes.

Wii U and Japan saved.

lol

 

[SwiftDeath]

Didn't realize there wasn't a bundle in Japan for MK8

Makes that 19% digital rate seem even more odd to me. I should go back and look at the digital sales rates on other Nintendo titles for comparison

 

[L~A]

Mario Kart Wii sold 608k in 4 days in Japan in April 2008 but this was only a 10% attach rate to the constrained Wii installed base then.

.

 

[Regge]

Nice to se good numbers for MK8 , but hw bump was not that high.
PS3 at top of Ps4 .... that's a bummer.. feel like jp-devs haven't moved over to current gen .

 

[Nemecyst]

Other than Mario Kart and Yokai Watch (fuck yeah), those are some scary numbers. Japan needs Persona 5 and single-player Dragon Quest asap.

 

[Bruno MB]

That tweet makes little sense, it looks like a pure guesstimation since Enterbrain don't report digital sales in their weekly reports. I would like to know the reasoning behind those 53.000 digital copies Mario Kart 8 has supposedly sold. That number could only be possible if the game was extremely supply-constrained like for example Animal Crossing: New Leaf (I ignore the sell-through, in a couple of hours we will see what figure Dengeki estimates).

If I had to make a guess, I would say that that 404.000 number is the amount of copies shipped.

 

[iori9999]

I predicted 300Kish and 30k consoles.. Just was 10k short.. I think that was my prediction.. But good software sales for MK8.. It deserves to sell like gangbusters...


Of course the Wii U sales in relation is terrible and potentially a huge red flag.. We know Sony sales aside from the old ps3 are mediocre to terrible.. Maybe it's time to invest into smartphones for Japan.. Sigh....

 

[Tomohawk]

If consoles are going to stay relevant in japan, the software doesn't matter as much as the hardware. I think VR headsets have a good chance of helping.

 

[Celine]

3DS Update
Wii U Update

Thank you Cap'n.

So is Assault Suit Leynos supposed to come out tomorrow? Why is there no footage of this game beyond the initial reveal? I think gamefaqs is mistaken...

Wait, a new Leynos is coming out?

 

[Celine]

dp sorry

 

[Arzehn]

Thank you Cap'n.


Wait, a new Leynos is coming out?

Yeah, was announced for PS4 at bitsummit. Here's a early prototype trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PyoijgijT4

 

[Celine]

Yeah, was announced for PS4 at bitsummit. Here's a early prototype trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PyoijgijT4

Cool news, I miss it the first time.

 

[1st Course]

That tweet makes little sense, it looks like a pure guesstimation since Enterbrain don't report digital sales in their weekly reports. I would like to know the reasoning behind those 53.000 digital copies Mario Kart 8 has supposedly sold. That number could only be possible if the game was extremely supply-constrained like for example Animal Crossing: New Leaf (I ignore the sell-through, in a couple of hours we will see what figure Dengeki estimates).

If I had to make a guess, I would say that that 404.000 number is the amount of copies shipped.

The 400k figure is not from Enterbrain, it's Gibson own estimation

we estimate thats around 404k including digital or about 20% of WiiU users.

Or at least that's what I think.

 

[Vinnk]

I'll repost what I posted on the tail end of last week's MC thread:

I don't expect giant WiiU sales until there is a break from school/study. Like summer break, Obon or similar. A big audience this appeals to (kids) are not in to position to blow 30,000yen on a system. And their parents will either need a gift occasion or an opportunity to give it as a reward (for example: good test scores) The kids I know (my students) who have a WiiU are planning to get the game but haven't talked to anyone who bought a Wii U this week.

What might be more important is the growing mindshare. People are talking about Nintendo Wii U again. I really hadn't heard people talking about it since shortly after the holidays. It might not be yet be enough to get people to pull the trigger for what is essentially a $350+ (with Mario Kart) purchase. But people are saying they want to play Mario Kart 8. They are talking about the ad on TV. And they are at least keeping an open mind to the possibility of owning a Wii U (If there are other games they want or a price drop, or whatever else is still keeping them back).

Unfortunately unless Nintendo builds on this "positive Nintendo vibe" going around now, by the time people traditionally are in a position to buy a system (holiday or long vacation) the excitement may dissipate. People are fickle. And the Smartphone is "good enough" for most.

Take that all with a grain of salt. But it is nice to hear kids talking about something that isn't PuzzDora or something of that ilk.

I still stand by it.

 

[michaelius]

Whoa, Arcana Heart 3 at about 9k on PS3 and Vita combined - what a complete disaster. Charging over ￥7,000 for a port of an old game was greedy as fuck though, so it's kind of nice to see.

Well actually that's upgraded version of old ps3 port already So yeah not really suprising.

 

[1st Course]

I'll repost what I posted on the tail end of last week's MC thread:



I still stand by it.

You raise good points. Wii U desperately needs a price cut, but with the way Iwata talks about returning to profitability, I'm not sure it's responsible to expect one this FY.

 

[duckroll]

I think the reason why home console market is shrinking in Japan is because their biggest top selling IP's were moved away from them and are now on handhelds or comes out first for it now. Mainline Pokémon, Monster Hunter, Animal Crossing, NSMB and Mario Kart (both came out first for DS and 3DS than Wii and Wii U respectively), Mainline Dragon Quest (non-MMO)... are all now portable titles. Major IPs like Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, Tales of Series, Gundam and Kingdom Hearts recieving exclusive portable titles. Now Smash Bros will come out first for 3DS and Wii U version will come months later.

There's no big IPs able to push hardware sales still left attached to consoles anymore. (maybe Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III, but both franchises are already showing signs of fatigue) No secret why WiiU and PS4 got such piss poor sales in Japan. Of course, smartphones makes things even worse.

If both Nintendo and Sony wants home console to survive in Japan (most especifically Nintendo), they need to bring big, exclusive IPs to home consoles and not let handhelds cannibalize it's market.

I think that if you take a larger view on the overall market, it's not that the home console market is shrinking because there are no big IPs on it. It might be the opposite. There are no longer many big IPs on consoles because consumers have started moving away from them. You mention stuff like Pokemon and Monster Hunter, but those were always big portable IPs. They were popular because they were portable, and not popular IPs which moved to portables.

Let me explain how I see it now. I think that "big IPs" will not really be able to push anything much on their own. It's not the branding, it's what people want to play. Appeal and demand make big IPs, not the other way round. Why are consoles less appealing and why is there less demand for them? Lack of software is certainly one reason, but it's not the largest reason. The reality is that games for the majority of people is not a dedicated hobby and just something they want to pass the time.

When the only option for a certain quality of gaming were consoles, they sold a ton. People wanted something to play, anything, and at that time the economy was strong enough to support the additional cost too. When portable gaming caught up and could offer experiences up to the standard the majority of people in Japan wanted, the market exploded to that instead. It was just more convenient and cheaper. They might not be "console level experiences" but clearly that wasn't what most people were after. Their standards are much lower. Now we're seeing the shift towards smartphones. Why? Because everyone has one and they would rather play games on something they already have than carry around another device and buy retail games.

This doesn't mean that dedicated gaming will disappear entirely, but rather that it will increasingly become the domain of enthusiasts rather than general audiences. Much like how the low and mid-range camera market was completely destroyed by camera phones, we're seeing something similar with gaming. In the end, the people who buy dedicated game hardware will demand higher and higher standards, while the number of them supporting the market steadily decrease. Smaller market, demand for higher standards. Tough times for everyone. So it's not surprising that many companies are choosing to go after mobile and portables instead, rather than fight tooth and nail on high quality console software in the Japanese domestic market.

 

[Aostia]

at least it seems that now some Nintendo Wii U game could see decent success despite the install base (not only in Japan, but WW, maybe), so that could be an incentive for Nintendo in continuing delivey software for the console itself.

 

[mrklaw]

19k for the Wii U on the week Mario Kart 8 comes out?!

Japan is really becoming a lost cause by now.

I'm honestly stunned at Wii U's hardware sales. I expected a much larger bump than that from Mario Kart 8. The game itself sold well, but that hardware ...

They sold fuck loads at launch so less bump when big games come out.

You'd do better monitoring sales bumps of dusters

 

[RalchAC]

Whatever floats your boat, Ralch

Not gonna judge

Hahaha

This is how the app went on iOS Most Downloaded chart: high initial placements, then a gradual progression to the bottom of top 100 (reach on May 20th), then out of top 200 (May 25th). On May 29th, all of a sudden, it's first again. Then, starts dropping and now, it's well outside of top 400.
This means that a game that started in high positions at the beginning, stayed in top 100 for 1 week, through a gradual drop, then stayed in top 200 for 5 days, it went back to being first and near the top for 1 day and then going deep down again reaches less than 200,000 downloads in two weeks.

Feel free to correct me if anything of this is wrong.

This is a companion app for PSO2 users, right?

Other than Mario Kart and Yokai Watch (fuck yeah), those are some scary numbers. Japan needs Persona 5 and single-player Dragon Quest asap.

It warms my heart seeing people putting Persona head to head with stuff like Dragon Quest, but the game doesn't sell so well. I have high hopes that the brang is growing with all the cross-media stuff they've been doing in the past few years, but it's not going to enter DQ/MH/Pokemon tier.

If it enters Tales/Yakuza tier I'll be more than happy.

-Your Post-

Just to support your statement: Monster Hunter started on homeconsoles. Monster Hunter 1 and 2 were on the PS2 but the franchise took off with Portable 2nd on the PSP and has sold a vastly superior amount of units on handhelds since then.