Media Create Sales: Week 14, 2018 (Apr 02 - Apr 08)

ItWasMeantToBe19 · Apr 11, 2018

Okay so here's my thing with Labo.

1. It looks too complicated for little kids. Nintendo seems to agree as they don't feature small (8 years or younger) children in any of the ads.
2. The cardboard stuff looks like it would be mocked by teens (though I may not understand modern teens, I will admit! I'm too old)

That leaves the audience as pre-teens only which seems pretty narrow.

808s & Villainy · Apr 11, 2018

Arthoneceron said:
And yet, there are some few publishers that prefer to sell at loss than support a main console from Nintendo (oh, hi Falcom!).

This shit never made sense to me. Some devs seem to almost want to keep relying on a single company to stay afloat instead of diversifying. I get some are small and don't have the resources for lots of ports, but there's no reason for the smaller scale Japanese devs not to do at least PS4/NSW/PC, yet a number of them would prefer PS4/Vita, not realizing the latter is on its way out and they should be cultivating their fanbase on platforms that are still alive and growing. Oh well

Aters · Apr 11, 2018

Arthoneceron said:
So we have a dilemma: Sony doesn't care about Japan, but wants their games. In contrast with that, Japanese developers that want to sell their games on their domestic market can't do that because Sony doesn't care about the domestic market, only the international one. And yet, there are some few publishers that prefer to sell at loss than support a main console from Nintendo (oh, hi Falcom!).

So, what to do? The strategy PS4/Switch for them seems to work in some cases (with generally the Switch versions being sold out for weeks and PS4 versions resting in the shelves), but I doubt that the japanese gaming market will continue to be sustainable in that scenario.

Also I said dilemma? More like the Riddle of the Sphinx.

A lot of Japanese companies are just like Sony: sell console games to the west and make mobile money in Japan.

Bamco is usually the most "domestic focused" company in Japan. In 2016 they sold about 3.5M copies in Japan in total. DS3 alone sold more than that globally.

This is what makes things interesting: usually with collapsing market, companies will panic and try every option they have. But These Japanese companies are not panic, they are enjoying record high profit and they are selling more games than ever. Nippon Ichi is one company I can think of that is in a really shitty position. Their games haven't sold well for a while and they are bleeding talents. Not surprisingly they jump onto Switch quicker than anyone else. You will see KT's support for Switch coming in fast and strong, because it's a another company on its way out.

ILikeFeet · Apr 11, 2018

Charamiwa said:
It's certainly priced like one.

A home console you can play on a train.

Is there a more inane discussion than whether the switch is a console or a portable?

AniHawk · Apr 11, 2018

man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

SinCityAssassin · Apr 11, 2018

This was the week I went through several regions of Japan and I can tell you nothing was out of stock. From the big stores in Akihabara and Nippombashi to the smaller stores in Otsuka and Uji.

Rainrir · Apr 11, 2018

Arthoneceron said:
So we have a dilemma: Sony doesn't care about Japan, but wants their games. In contrast with that, Japanese developers that want to sell their games on their domestic market can't do that because Sony doesn't care about the domestic market, only the international one. And yet, there are some few publishers that prefer to sell at loss than support a main console from Nintendo (oh, hi Falcom!).

So, what to do? The strategy PS4/Switch for them seems to work in some cases (with generally the Switch versions being sold out for weeks and PS4 versions resting in the shelves), but I doubt that the japanese gaming market will continue to be sustainable in that scenario.

Also I said dilemma? More like the Riddle of the Sphinx.

They can be "export only". I personally think it's nonsense and even less sustainable, but Sony's sales reality is bringing JP3Ps down that path.

I haven't seen any knowledge industry thrive on a strictly export only model, the only industry (knowledge or not) that work that way is the raw material/resource exporters.

Andri · Apr 11, 2018

Chris1964 said:
I don't know what's worse, Monster Hunter Switch discusssion for 100th time or online retailers anecdotal.

Clearly a disscusion about anecdotal online retail sales of MH Switch.

Laplasakos · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

konoka · Apr 11, 2018

Umibozu said:
Both are showing in stock now as well as sold out, so I'd assume it means that those listed in stock are in stock.

That english display is surprising.
If you can check japanese version website, you notice there are "在庫あり" and "お取り寄せ".
"在庫あり" means it's in stock.
"お取り寄せ" means waiting for a stock.

Deleted member 2793 · Apr 11, 2018

Aters said:
A lot of Japanese companies are just like Sony: sell console games to the west and make mobile money in Japan.

Bamco is usually the most "domestic focused" company in Japan. In 2016 they sold about 3.5M copies in Japan in total. DS3 alone sold more than that globally.

They're not the most domestic focused. Selling more units =/= having a bigger focus on the domestic market.

The AA/niche companies are the ones that need Japan doing well as they take a huge part of their revenue from the domestic market. And no, it isn't healthy for these companies to have a dead home market.

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

lmao

sinonobu · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

Far Cry sold like what? 5m First week?

Ni No Kuni 2 tracking similar to Far Cry means that it should be at around 3~4m range. Absolute success from Bamco and Level 5.

Going for high end graphics on consoles/pc definitely helped.

AndrewDean84 · Apr 11, 2018

Dardan Sandiego said:
You'd think people would know by now how stationary consoles perform in Japan but alas....

Some thought Monster Hunter World would save the PS4 from the Switch.

Deleted member 32018 · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros

This is an interesting spin on the information...

DecoReturns · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

I always enjoy when you do this lol

Laplasakos · Apr 11, 2018

konoka said:
That english display is surprising.
If you can check japanese version website, you notice there are "在庫あり" and "お取り寄せ".
"在庫あり" means it's in stock.
"お取り寄せ" means waiting for a stock.

Thank you konoka, for properly translating all this. It's hilarious how some people are using translating machines only to prove otherwise when we have one here that properly knows the language and for the past hours has been desperately trying to correct them.

Rainrir · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

:)

Raijinto · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

Well when you're right, you're right right?

Can't sum things up any better myself.

Andri · Apr 11, 2018

Arthoneceron said:
So we have a dilemma: Sony doesn't care about Japan, but wants their games. In contrast with that, Japanese developers that want to sell their games on their domestic market can't do that because Sony doesn't care about the domestic market, only the international one. And yet, there are some few publishers that prefer to sell at loss than support a main console from Nintendo (oh, hi Falcom!).

So, what to do? The strategy PS4/Switch for them seems to work in some cases (with generally the Switch versions being sold out for weeks and PS4 versions resting in the shelves), but I doubt that the japanese gaming market will continue to be sustainable in that scenario.

Also I said dilemma? More like the Riddle of the Sphinx.

The big problem i see with sonys focus on the west(basically turning the Japanese gaming market into a export machine) is that if the market in japan continues to shrink, who would be the future developers developing games for export, if they didnt play any of the games themselves.

For example, say Franchise "X" sells 90% of its copies outside Japan, that means that the chance a future developer played franchise X is quite slim.
How is the developer market in Japan anyway ? I highly doubt that many forginers work at Japanese Studios.

fiendcode · Apr 11, 2018

Aters said:
A lot of Japanese companies are just like Sony: sell console games to the west and make mobile money in Japan.

Bamco is usually the most "domestic focused" company in Japan. In 2016 they sold about 3.5M copies in Japan in total. DS3 alone sold more than that globally.

This is what makes things interesting: usually with collapsing market, companies will panic and try every option they have. But These Japanese companies are not panic, they are enjoying record high profit and they are selling more games than ever. Nippon Ichi is one company I can think of that is in a really shitty position. Their games haven't sold well for a while and they are bleeding talents. Not surprisingly they jump onto Switch quicker than anyone else. You will see KT's support for Switch coming in fast and strong, because it's a another company on its way out.

Falcom is another company whose sales are dropping and their output declining. When are they going to jump to Switch in desperation?

Martin · Apr 11, 2018

Emilijo said:
You think that you can't play Switch on the go?

You can. But you can also play it fully on TV. Also this:

Chris1964 said:
For thoise who still want to play the home console/handheld game in Japan, Media Create and Famitsu and Dengeki list Switch as home console.

schuelma · Apr 11, 2018

don't fall for anihawk guys

Rainrir · Apr 11, 2018

Andri said:
The big problem i see with sonys focus on the west(basically turning the Japanese gaming market into a export machine) is that if the market in japan continues to shrink, who would be the future developers developing games for export, if they didnt play any of the games themselves.

For example, say Franchise "X" sells 90% of its copies outside Japan, that means that the chance a future developer played franchise X is quite slim.
How is the developer market in Japan anyway ? I highly doubt that many forginers work at Japanese Studios.

No corporation cares about scenarios that far ahead. Not Sony, Not Nintendo.

Slam Tilt · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

You really need your tag from the old place.

Andri · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

Did you invent Beyblade ?

ItWasMeantToBe19 · Apr 11, 2018

schuelma said:
don't fall for anihawk guys

Who has.

KratosEnergyDrink · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

Alternative facts! So the rumors are true and Trump has an era account all the time!

MoonFrog · Apr 11, 2018

schuelma said:
don't fall for anihawk guys

but he/she is lovely....

Horror · Apr 11, 2018

fiendcode said:
Falcom is another company whose sales are dropping and their output declining. When are they going to jump to Switch in desperation?

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is coming to Switch.

fiendcode · Apr 11, 2018

schuelma said:
don't fall for anihawk guys

I fell for anihawk years ago.

Zedark · Apr 11, 2018

Boney said:
Will Kirby reach a million?

Superstar Ultra should be an interesting graphed comparison.

Guess which one launched just before the holiday season.

Aters · Apr 11, 2018

Heartskips said:
They're not the most domestic focused. Selling more units =/= having a bigger focus on the domestic market.

The AA/niche companies are the ones that need Japan doing well as they take a huge part of their revenue from the domestic market. And no, it isn't healthy for these companies to have a dead home market.

I mean among the big ones. Compared to SE, Capcom and Konami they certainly focus more on Japan

Eliseo · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

You should ask for your old tag lol.

Vena · Apr 11, 2018

Laplasakos said:
Thank you konoka, for properly translating all this. It's hilarious how some people are using translating machines only to prove otherwise when we have one here that properly knows the language and for the past hours has been desperately trying to correct them.

Said poster also tried to use Dengeki's report of improving supply as a sign of supply issues that would explain this drop. We've been running circles around these supply discussions for months on a mature console, at some point supply is not the reason

Clearly most everyone in here has no idea what's actually going on.

Rainrir · Apr 11, 2018

I like it when people don't read and expose themselves.

schuelma · Apr 11, 2018

Vena said:
Said poster also tried to use Dengeki's report of improving supply as a sign of supply issues that would explain this drop. We've been running circles around these supply discussions for months on a mature console, at some point supply is not the reason

Clearly most everyone in here has no idea what's actually going on.

And at most we're probably quibbling over 3-5K sales.

Umibozu · Apr 11, 2018

Laplasakos said:
Thank you konoka, for properly translating all this. It's hilarious how some people are using translating machines only to prove otherwise when we have one here that properly knows the language and for the past hours has been desperately trying to correct them.

Konoka gave a link with sites they said had stock issues. I looked and saw that some of the sites had shown in stock and pointed it out.
Even Vinnk who speaks Japanese had noticed it too.
konoka is probably right that it's a translation issue.

I'd appreciate it without the passive aggressive callout though, lap.

Laplasakos · Apr 11, 2018

fiendcode said:
Falcom is another company whose sales are dropping and their output declining. When are they going to jump to Switch in desperation?

You are wrong

https://www.esterior.net/2017/12/fa...ngs-and-more-sen-no-kiseki-releases-for-2018/

byDoS · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

I love you

Boney · Apr 11, 2018

Zedark said:
Guess which one launched just before the holiday season.

That retread of Triple Deluxe is kind of crazy. But Switch seems to have enough momentum to push past it. But those SSU numbers are going to be hard to match. I'm guessing Squeak Squad is right around the 500k mark that SA should match.

MoonFrog · Apr 11, 2018

Super Star is also just a godly game imo.

Aters · Apr 11, 2018

fiendcode said:
Falcom is another company whose sales are dropping and their output declining. When are they going to jump to Switch in desperation?

Here's the thing: they are not in desperation. Remember, Trails sales didn't drop to the bottom of the sea, it simply went back to what it was. In fact they still sell better than PSP entries.

On the other hand, the company remains the same size throughout these years, they never expanded and they don't have more expenses than 10 years ago. They had healthy financial status back then and they still have healthy financial status now. In fact, they have one more income source than before: selling their games to western publisher, and that came for free.

Falcom never had a deficit in their yearly report since it was founded, I challenge you to find another videogame company in Japan that can do that. They didn't achieve that by aggressively expanding their size and market.

It will take a complete collapse of market for Falcom to jump ship. Remember, they were the very last Japanese company to abandon PC. Don't expect Falcom to leave Sony until PS games are selling like PC games in Japan.

Zedark · Apr 11, 2018

Boney said:
That retread of Triple Deluxe is kind of crazy. But Switch seems to have enough momentum to push past it. But those SSU numbers are going to be hard to match. I'm guessing Squeak Squad is right around the 500k mark that SA should match.

So far, Switch games have had very strong performance in the long term, so it'll be interesting to see how much Star Allies will sell in the end. It could very well sell 1M in the long run.

ILikeFeet · Apr 11, 2018

The Horror the Horror said:
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana is coming to Switch.

not by Falcom though. NIS doing the port doesnt mean Falcom is jumping ship

Laplasakos · Apr 11, 2018

Vena said:
Said poster also tried to use Dengeki's report of improving supply as a sign of supply issues that would explain this drop. We've been running circles around these supply discussions for months on a mature console, at some point supply is not the reason

Clearly most everyone in here has no idea what's actually going on.

The user she/he responded too said that Dengeki/MC and Famitsu didn't made a comment on the stock situation and he provided a link with Dengeki. I said that this was old and replied back saying that also the last Famitsu report mentioned ''better PS4 hw sales thanks to some stock improvement''.

I agree though that we don't have a clear picture on this.

Rainrir · Apr 11, 2018

Laplasakos said:
You are wrong

https://www.esterior.net/2017/12/fa...ngs-and-more-sen-no-kiseki-releases-for-2018/

That poster is not wrong.

Falcom has dropped alot since their best days on PS.

https://www.resetera.com/posts/1668991/

Maybe next time educate yourself more beyond a 5 second Google search.

That poster is wrong about the idea that Falcom must jump on NSW though, they don't have the internal resources for it.

Zedark · Apr 11, 2018

Rainrir said:
That poster is not wrong.

Falcom has dropped alot since their best days on PS.

https://www.resetera.com/posts/1668991/

Maybe next time educate yourself more beyond a 5 second Google search.

That poster is wrong about the idea that Falcom must jump on NSW though, they don't have the internal resources for it.

The partnership with NIS is a good solution, then, right? Allows their games to sell on Switch while delegating all the work.

Peace · Apr 11, 2018

AniHawk said:
man ps4 is doing really well. first two million seller on a traditional console in over a decade and sales are way up year over year. really pushing traditional japanese franchises and games too. sega should be happy with valkyria chronicles 4. and level-5's probably excited that a niche game like ni no kuni ii is doing almost as well as an established franchise like far cry.

nintendo switch though - down from last year at this time and last week as well. i thought kirby was supposed to be a big system seller. really hard to see the future for this thing when it relies on just the same four titles to keep it going and no major releases until the end of the year with smash bros.

Nice try, I had to read it twice.

Aters · Apr 11, 2018

Also, for Falcom, due to their limited resources, they can only "jump ship" instead of expanding their platforms. See how they quickly stopped developing for PC when they jumped to Playstation. They simply don't have the men to sustain multiple different ecosystems.

Boiled Goose · Apr 11, 2018

Switch is home console to call it weak hardware and a portable to dismiss its sales.

Get with the program people.

Media Create Sales: Week 14, 2018 (Apr 02 - Apr 08)

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