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[Delstius]

At least it's outperforming The Wonderful 101.


First week sales:

The Wonderful 101 - 6,663 copies

Bayonetta 1 + 2 - 33,114 copies

This is depressing.

 

[Kysen]

Scalebound is next, will bomb even harder in Japan.

 

[katsubento]

I was expecting this. It will do much better in the rest of the world. And, yes, it's also Wii U only which hurts.

 

[Village]

People expected a bayonetta game to do well?

wii u asside

 

[Ambition]

I didn't even know it was out already! At least it isn't TW101 bad right?

 

[ViewtifulJC]

At least it's outperforming The Wonderful 101.


First week sales:

The Wonderful 101 - 6,663 copies

Bayonetta 1 + 2 - 33,114 copies

if you were trying to be depressing, you did it, lady!

 

[Brawly Likes to Brawl]

Its a shame, but I wasn't expecting a miracle to happen.

 

[SykoTech]

Should have made Okami 2 with Capcpom instead!

Add some challenge to it and skippable cutscenes (or at least no more slow crawling text), and I'd be in.

 

[Percy]

The part that gets me here is the fact that the 360 version of B1 sold a lot better at launch than B2 has when the Wii U has a bigger install base than the 360 would have had at the time.

Why?

 

[Retro_]

People expected a bayonetta game to do well?

Isn't that how they got into this wii u situation in the first place?

It's not

 

[SolidSnakex]

God IGN is so stupid, and desperate. I wonder if the install base has any fucking thing to do with why the sales are less than on either the PS3 or 360.

The Wii U's current install base is 1.9m. The 360's install base right now is 1.6m.

 

[-Horizon-]

Scalebound is next, will bomb even harder in Japan.

Until Kamiya reveals the dating sim feature in the game that is ;D
XB1 saved

 

[Polioliolio]

Well I can't see much more than 30,000 people paying 85 dollars for this game right out the door.

Who the hell would do that?

 

[MissileTrick]

Not surprised, but so sad. I have my copy paid off and just dying to play.

 

[frogger]

It is not surprising given the base.

Is this published by Nintendo? Which means no chance to appear on Xb1 or PS4.

I wonder what is Itagaki thinking now.

 

[Inuhanyou]

A combination of the Wii U effect, Japan having no interest in core titles on console anymore, and really really shitty luck :/

Platinum deserves better

 

[Salex_]

God IGN is so stupid, and desperate. I wonder if the install base has any fucking thing to do with why the sales are less than on either the PS3 or 360.

First post nails it. Also the install bases of those consoles (specifically the PS3) were way higher at the release of Bayo 1.

360 install base when Bayonetta came out: 1,154,807
Wii U install base when Bayonetta 1+2 came out: 1.911.205

It has more to do with the fanbase for the genre not being on the console.

Scalebound is next, will bomb even harder in Japan.

It's going to do better than Bayonetta Wii U in Japan due to the concept, audience, and Microsoft marketing.

 

[Siegcram]

Scalebound is next, will bomb even harder in Japan.

They shouldn't even bother releasing it. Platinum + Xbone exclusive? That's like 2000 copies tops.

 

[friskykillface]

ouch at those numbers for the wonderful 101 :'( , really surprised they didn't include that with Bayonetta 2 for Japan since the numbers were so low

hmmmm i wonder if they will offer the wonderful 101 for free at wal mart or best buy or target during launch week of Bayonetta 2 i can dream

 

[Enter The 36 Chambers]

Meltdowns are coming.

How can anyone be surprised since its a Wii u exclusive.

It's not like all those bayo 1 fans bought Wii us. The game will do fine.

 

[SwiftDeath]

The part that gets me here is the fact that the 360 version of B1 sold a lot better at launch than B2 has when the Wii U has a bigger install base than the 360 would have had at the time.

Why?

Clearly the audience on the 360 in Japan in 2009 were more conducive to Bayonetta then the Wii U audience in Japan in 2014

Bayonetta on 360 had around a 5.5% attach rate

Bayonetta 2 on Wii U had around a 2% attach rate

Only first week of sales though

 

[Azure J]

Expected but eh.

if you were trying to be depressing, you did it, lady!

Doesn't matter, will have both in my library.

Spoiler

I've given up on thinking that my go to video game genres will be anything but niche at this point.

 

[Village]

It's not

So they willingly told sega not to put their own money into bayo 2?

 

[Amir0x]

daamn.

and Bayonetta 2 seems like Platinum did an amazing job

 

[$h@d0w]

Why do Platinum Games sell low in Japan?

Because no one actually likes them, they are a running joke/troll online cause of Kamiya's tweets.

 

[prwxv3]

I think Opiate's post about Bayonetta 2 should be posted here.

I feel like almost everyone (not just Nintendo) thinks too much about attracting a genre and not enough about attracting a demographic. The people who play games like Bayonetta are more or less the same people who play Metal Gear and Resident Evil (and GTA, etc. etc.) Yes, these may be different genres, but they all appeal to the same core demographic.

If you frame it as "Nintendo has the most character action games," it might seem like a mystery why they're failing to establish an audience for those titles on their platforms. If you frame it as "Nintendo has the least major games for the 16-35 male audience," then suddenly it all makes sense. It's not Bayonetta Wii U vs. Devil May Cry PS4; it's Bayonetta Wii U vs. Metal Gear PS4 and Resident Evil PS4 and Devil May Cry PS4 and all the rest. The first framing looks like a fair match; the second framing does not.

 

[AniHawk]

I wonder what is Itagaki thinking now.

'hey my game is going to come out at least.'

 

[PetrCobra]

Does the number include digital sales though?

 

[Shin-Ra]

Scalebound is next, will bomb even harder in Japan.

The MC wears headphones.

Automatic +50K sales.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Why do Platinum Games sell low in Japan?

Metal Gear Rising is the best selling character action game in Japan since the original DMC.

 

[Femmeworth]

Here is the comparison using Famitsu data (the better tracker):



First week sales (Famitsu data):


Bayonetta (PS3) - 138,430 copies

Bayonetta (360) - 66,211 copies

Bayonetta 1 + 2 (Wii U) - 33,114 copies



It's striking that Bayonetta 2 is underperforming the 360 version of the original Bayonetta, considering how poorly the 360 has performed in Japan.

That doesn't necessarily mean much without knowing the 360's install base at that time versus the Wii U's install base now.

 

[mrmickfran]

I just now realized that it performed worse than Bayo 1 on 360.

It sold less than a 360 game.

I'm gonna go cry now.

 

[ArcaneFreeze]

360 install base when Bayonetta came out: 1,154,807
Wii U install base when Bayonetta 1+2 came out: 1.911.205

It has more to do with the fanbase for the genre not being on the console.

I'd assume its mostly that but also the shift to mobile/handheld in Japan. Home Console sales in both hardware and software aren't as great as they were back then.

 

[Haunted]

We all knew it'd bomb.


Treat this like an expensive gift to gamers by Nintendo and Platinum. It's no fault to have a vanity project that probably won't pan out financially - having a critical darling in the portfolio and generating consumer goodwill are important assets as well, even if they don't read well in the quarterly reports.


Also see: Sony and Team Ueda.

 

[JayEH]

The Platinum Curse continues. I don't understand how a developer like this stays in business but they keep on trucking. I'll do my part and buy it here in the US

Spoiler

in December..

.

 

[Cow Goes Moo]

I wonder what was more of factor here

being a console title in Japan

or it being a B* title

 

[Gestault]

(Famitsu data):

Bayonetta (PS3) - 138,430 copies

Bayonetta (360) - 66,211 copies

Bayonetta 1 + 2 (Wii U) - 33,114 copies

WOOF.

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

Why do Platinum Games sell low in Japan?

They don't feature underage characters in the cover.

 

[Dahbomb]

 

[Foffy]

Not only is the install base on the platform an issue, but isn't this series not all that popular in general in Japan? Did people somehow forget the first game wasn't so hot there?

 

[Siegcram]

Metal Gear Rising is the best selling character action game in Japan since the original DMC.

Because Metal Gear is on the box.

 

[Aroll]

Then bigger question is, why the fuck does the Wii U, the successor to one of the most popular videogame consoles every made, have an install base in Japan that is lower than the Xbox 360, one of the worst selling videogame consoles in Japan.

The bigger question is: How can one user (or multiple in this case) be so clueless? The Wii U has outsold the LTD sales numbers of the 360 for awhile now. It's actually almost at the 2 million mark, while the 360 barely passed the 1 million mark. The Wii U is also, currently, the lead console in Japan for the current generation. That may change over time, but the PS4's long tail of sales hasn't shown much if any trending over the Wii U, even if it will obviously outsell the Wii U this year since it launched this year in Japan.

 

[CreeperBlocks]

Metal Gear Rising is the best selling character action game in Japan since the original DMC.

I hope We get a Sequel Someday. But I hope bayo 2 & Korra sell well Stateside.

 

[Effect]

Bayonetta 2 released Sept. 20 in Japan, and is showing low sales so far.

38,828 copies of Bayonetta 2 were sold since release, according to 4gamer. By comparison, the first Bayonetta sold 135,242 copies on PS3 and 64,325 on Xbox 360 in 2009 during its first week. That's an 81 percent decrease in first-week sales between the first entry and its sequel, which is a Wii U exclusive. However, the game was released Saturday, September 20th, and hasn't actually spent a full week in stores.

I guess this is going to continue to be ignored and not discussed.

 

[Gestault]

Can I put in a despondent comment about how the original Bayonetta was too respectful to a female character in the context of the game, and that there wasn't enough pandering, sexually exploitative use of the female lead for the Japanese market as it exists today? Because I'm honestly let down at this sales performance in what appears to be a quality title.

Edit: I really hope that qualifier about the tracked week only having been two days of sales is accurate.

 

[SolarPowered]

Not only is the install base on the platform an issue, but isn't this series not all that popular in general in Japan? Did people somehow forget the first game wasn't so hot there?

Depends on your definition of hot. It did pretty good for a new IP.

 

[Kagari]

Scalebound is next, will bomb even harder in Japan.

Yeah, I don't doubt that. Platinum seems to keep existing because other companies pay them to make games.

 

[-Horizon-]

The Wii U's current install base is 1.9m. The 360's install base right now is 1.6m.

And the original was released almost 5 years ago. Current japanese home console gaming is nowhere near as ok as it was then.

 

[Retro_]

So they willing told sega not to put their own money into bayo 2?

No, but I don't think Sega singled them out because of how their games performed.

Everything Sega was producing was under performing, so now Sega is ultra-conservative on video game development period.

 

[Shaanyboi]

We all knew it'd bomb.


Treat this like an expensive gift to gamers by Nintendo and Platinum. It's no fault to have a vanity project that probably won't pan out financially - having a critical darling in the portfolio and generating consumer goodwill are important assets as well, even if they don't read well in the quarterly reports.


Also see: Sony and Team Ueda.

almost all of Nintendo's WiiU games have been "expensive gifts to gamers". Pikmin 3 was incredible. Sold like shit. DK:TF was really well received. Sold like shit. Wonderful 101 has a really enthusiastic fanbase. Sold like shit. And so on...