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Media Create Sales: Week 27, 2014 (Jun 30 - Jul 06)

RalchAC

Member
This whole console thing started due to Hori saying he wanted to play DQ on a big screen right?

Yes.

That and DQ being on many different platforms. I expect a 3DS SKU but what about the supposed console version.

I don't see PS3 being a valid choice in 2016 especially since I feel the main reason SE would want DQ on consoles is for as greater Western appeal. What other reason would there be?

If suddenly Square decided to not release DQXI on the 3DS I'd be really, really confused. They've been building their fanbase there carefully. I think the 3DS has got a DQ game three years in a row (Monster, VII and Monster 2 remakes in 2012, 2013 and 2014). And they all have sold quite decently.

They may take their time to relaese it, but they don't seem to rush new entries. DQIX was released on 2009 on the DS, 5 years after the system released.

Without Nintendo's advertising help I doubt the next Dragon Quest would sell well in the West.

Without Nintendo publishing it's doubtful it would even be released outside of Japan anyway.

That proves how much Square cares about making DQ relevant in the West. Well, that and DQ7 remake being MIA.

When talking about DQ we should act as if the West doesn't exists, since they don't seem to have interest in pushing the brand anywhere outside Japan. If they wanted they'd have announced DQ7 a while ago.
 

sörine

Banned
If suddenly Square decided to not release DQXI on the 3DS I'd be really, really confused. They've been building their fanbase there carefully. I think the 3DS has got a DQ game three years in a row (Monster, VII and Monster 2 remakes in 2012, 2013 and 2014). And they all have sold quite decently.
Earlier than that even since we had Slime Morimori 3 in 2011. Every year of 3DS lifecycle so far it's had a Dragon Quest release.

It makes me wonder if we'll see another game next year, like possibly a DQVIII port or Caravan Heart remake? Maybe the GBC or Famicom games on Virtual Console?
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Question. When do we expect that Dragon Quest XI greenlighted, and what was the perception of the systems at the time?

For the 3DS and 4DS it doesn't really matter too much. Nor for the Vita, since Dragon Quest benefits from a big userbase and the Vita was never poised to dethrone the DS line. But the Wii U and PS4 have both done surprisingly poorly, so I could imagine that a game could start development on either based on overly optimistic predictions.

Of course, I'm assuming that the game isn't likely to have switched platforms. Maybe that's wrong. Moving to a multiplatform approach may make sense if the original platform no longer appears to be as viable.
I think we're still early enough that they can add or drop platforms. Two years is the development cycle of a normal game, and polishing up graphics for a cross-gen game is something we saw a lot of titles in the West (see Destiny, Thief, or The Evil Within) do fairly late in the process.

Since Square Enix is a large publisher, if they decide they want to add a platform or cut costs on a platform, I think they have the resources and sense of security to do either.

But yes I agree that part of this whole puzzle is Square Enix looking at where the market is today and predicting what will happen by the time the game comes out. That's still a fair amount of prognostication even if it's less hard than trying to pick platforms in August 2012.

Usually there's some level of reduced friction from a technological standpoint when working on platforms from the same vendor, but Square Enix is large enough that I don't think that would be an issue for them whereas it certainly can be for a team of 15-30 people making a handheld game.

Overall Dragon Quest is a bit harder to predict for me simply because it's a large scale one region game, and we also don't know who exactly is developing it. Like figuring out Square Enix's business strategy for global products tends to be pretty straightforward, as does products that are small scale one region games, since at that point there's no reason to not include PS4/XB1 for the former or just sit on 3DS for the latter. Here though, there's in theory potential to hit other audiences, but no guarantee.

The developer I view as relevant because, if it's Level 5 for example, they now have a tech stack that spans basically every platform except 3DS for Wonder Flick, and can presumably go add that for a Dragon Quest title. Having that already be there makes it more appealing to consider ports than investing extra capital building out the capability.
 
It still baffles me how DQ manages to sell only 1 million in the West. Ni No Kuni for heaven's sake sold in the same ball park. Does the West really not care for it or is it because SE hasn't even tried? Mind you Nintendo tried and iirc DQ9 still sold 1 million in the West.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
It still baffles me how DQ manages to sell only 1 million in the West. Ni No Kuni for heaven's sake sold in the same ball park. Does the West really not care for it or is it because SE hasn't even tried? Mind you Nintendo tried and iirc DQ9 still sold 1 million in the West.

JRPGs as a whole don't do very well in the West. Things like Final Fantasy are the anomaly.

Even if the PS1 heyday a lot of games were doing a few hundred thousand copies in the West. It's just that relative to budget back then that was considered pretty great even for a console game.

Nowadays games like The Elder Scrolls went from shipping over 3 million with Oblivion to shipping over 20 million with Skyrim, so JRPGs look much worse comparatively.

I would say that Dragon Quest's problem is that it's not something that immediately obviously has a huge market, it's not on platforms that are super popular in the West anymore, and it's not heavily and consistently pushed by the publisher in an effort to grow the audience.

Similarly IIRC Monster Hunter doesn't get over a million in the West despite doing over 4 million in Japan. Sometimes it does a lot less than a million. You can see the reverse with the major hits in the West and how the vast majority sell in Japan.
 

Oregano

Member
It still baffles me how DQ manages to sell only 1 million in the West. Ni No Kuni for heaven's sake sold in the same ball park. Does the West really not care for it or is it because SE hasn't even tried? Mind you Nintendo tried and iirc DQ9 still sold 1 million in the West.

Ni No Kuni is a Studio Ghibli game though, not a random animu game. I don't know what it's like in the rest of the world but they are very well known in the UK. Subtitled versions of their films have even been shown on TV.
 

jeremy1456

Junior Member
DQ 7 was localised.
DQ 8 was localised and was also quite the success.

Meanwhile DQ X has not been localised.

Its SE's decision whether they want these games localised unfortunately and the success is not derived from Nintendo's marketing but marketing in general.

X is an MMORPG and is probably looked at as being a little different because of this.

You're skipping a crap load of unlocalized games to try and prove your point. You're cherry picking.

Do you really think IX would have been a big hit without Nintendo? I really doubt it.

We probably wouldn't have gotten Joker 2 without Nintendo. Same with VI.

Honestly since the franchise has returned focus to Nintendo platforms the outlook on localization possibilities has become brighter. Until this current gen that is.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
They did actually just release a DQ game in English, Dragon Quest VIII on iOS and Android.

They haven't done retail 3DS games or DQX however.

I suspect they don't like the risk associated with printing discs/carts and shipping to retail.
 

L Thammy

Member
DQ 7 was localised.
DQ 8 was localised and was also quite the success.

Meanwhile DQ X has not been localised.

If Enix / Squenix were localizing titles ten years ago and have stopped doing so, that should suggest that they no longer have interest. Or, as Nirolak points out, that they no longer have interest at the current cost. I'm not sure why you would think elsewise.

Nintendo had a strategy to get handheld gamers back to the big screen with the Wii U (which didn't particularly work that well so far) but maybe it was enough to convince SE to keep going with their earlier commitment? The PS4 doing badly in Japan isn't at all unexpected either. There was no strong reason to go back to Sony for DQ all of a sudden.

I don't think that's necessarily true. The Wii deflated later in its life and is commonly seen as a faddish thing, whereas the PS3 had a slow start but a long life.
 
If Enix / Squenix were localizing titles ten years ago and have stopped doing so, that should suggest that they no longer have interest. Or, as Nirolak points out, that they no longer have interest at the current cost. I'm not sure why you would think elsewise.



I don't think that's necessarily true. The Wii deflated later in its life and is commonly seen as a faddish thing, whereas the PS3 had a slow start but a long life.

I never knew that but like you said its SE's decision.

X is an MMORPG and is probably looked at as being a little different because of this.

You're skipping a crap load of unlocalized games to try and prove your point. You're cherry picking.

Do you really think IX would have been a big hit without Nintendo? I really doubt it.

We probably wouldn't have gotten Joker 2 without Nintendo. Same with VI.

Honestly since the franchise has returned focus to Nintendo platforms the outlook on localization possibilities has become brighter. Until this current gen that is.

8 was a big hit without Nintendo.

I think its up to SE or the publisher in the West. Do they invest in marketing or not for instance.

With localisation yes Nintendo have help publish the titles in the West but whose to say other pubs won't or even SE with the mainline titles now.

I understand why X had special circumstance though.
 

extralite

Member
I don't think that's necessarily true. The Wii deflated later in its life and is commonly seen as a faddish thing, whereas the PS3 had a slow start but a long life.
That deflation was mostly due to quick market saturation, which was linked to greater prominence of handhelds and most 3rd parties not knowing how to land hits on the Wii. For that reason software releases also dwindled but Nintendo's own late titles like Wii Party and Kirby were great sellers, as were Namco's games like Taiko and their Wii Sports Resort killer (going by volume of game modes). It might not have rivaled WSR's sales but it had very convincing results for a 3rd party release.

Not to forget DQX itself, which still set new records for a MMORPG in Japan. It dwarved FFFXI and the following PS3 FFXIV.

PS3 slowly crawled on, picking up a bit of what was lost earlier but it still marks a terrible decline for the Playstation brand in Japan. It also has yet to catch up with Wii, in absolute numbers Wii is the more successful platform. It just was more front loaded. Mario out of the door also promised a fast growing install base (a promise that didn't deliver) for Wii U and they had an answer to the prominence of handhelds (that wasn't heard by consumers).

Anyway, Wii U seemed much more promising and tailored to the Japanese market than the PS4, which launched late without much Japanese support or exclusives. Wii U's 3rd party launch support wasn't any better but also not much worse, and it had big 1st party titles.

Wii U's weak sales were more surprising, after that performance with Mario PS4's performance was even more expected.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
I feel that with the DS and Wii, Nintendo correctly hit on the fact that there was a big audience for video games that wasn't being well catered to because video games cost too much and were too difficult to play for beginners.

Nintendo offered them cheap video game hardware, games that ranged from $20-$50, and user interfaces like touch and motion that made it easy for someone who didn't start gaming as a kid to get into the medium.

However, with iOS and Android, we basically have taken those avenues to their logical conclusion. There isn't an easier user interface than one button touch. There isn't a cheaper price than free. As smartphones became more and more prolific, and more and more capable, suddenly the void that the DS and Wii filled was no longer there. Tablets jumping in with a bigger screen to work with just doubled Nintendo's conundrum. The audience that skyrocketed Nintendo to success is very much real and present, but they moved on to the next evolution of the ideas Nintendo was pushing.

This left Nintendo with the audience of core Japanese gamers, engaged kids, and Nintendo enthusiasts they had before, and what they could pick up of the Japanese PSP audience to boot.

The number of people who wanted Nintendo's titles *and* a bunch of prominent third party games was pretty big, so the 3DS won the market and gathered a notable audience even if it's lagging quite a bit behind the DS. The Wii U on the other hand is just for people who want Nintendo games and aren't satisfied with just the 3DS, so it doesn't sell very much.
 

sörine

Banned
Ni No Kuni is a Studio Ghibli game though, not a random animu game. I don't know what it's like in the rest of the world but they are very well known in the UK. Subtitled versions of their films have even been shown on TV.
Ghibli films can do over a million in the US on DVD/Bluray. There's definite brand recognition there.

I wonder how the DS game could've done had Nintendo gotten behind it? Better than DQIX?
 

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven
It's kind of interesting to see Famitsu's most wanted games. I realize it's not representative of the market or anything, but just thought I'd post it =). I'm surprised to see Hyrule Warriors that high. 578 sales pretty much confirmed? =P

1. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – 763 votes
2. [PS3] Persona 5 – 725 votes
3. [PS4] Final Fantasy XV – 644 votes
4. [WIU] Hyrule Warriors – 578 votes
5. [3DS] Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – 497 votes
6. [PS4] Kingdom Hearts III – 432 votes
7. [3DS] Super Smash Bros. for 3DS – 398 votes
8. [PS3] Tales of Zestiria – 358 votes
9. [WIU] Super Smash Bros. for Wii U – 277 votes
10. [PS3] Shining Resonance – 254 votes
11. [WIU] Bayonetta 2 – 249 votes
12. [PSV] Toukiden Extreme – 248 votes
13. [PS4] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – 247 votes
14. [PS4] The Evil Within – 239 votes
15. [3DS] Bravely Second – 233 votes
16. [3DS] Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson – 210 votes
17. [3DS] Final Fantasy Explorers – 180 votes
18. [PSV] The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki – 179 votes
19. [PS3] The Evil Within – 173 votes
20. [PSV] Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines – 172 votes
21. [PS3] The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki – 171 votes
22. [PS3] The Last Remnant – 164 votes
23. [PSV] Bullet Girls – 162 votes
24. [PS3] Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea – 153 votes
25. [3DS] Forbidden Magna – 151 votes
26. [3DS] Yoshi’s New Island – 151 votes
27. [PS3] Ultra Street Fighter IV – 130 votes
28. [PS3] Persona 4 Arena Ultimax – 127 votes
29. [PSV] Phantasy Star Nova – 120 votes
30. [PS4] Bloodborne – 114 votes
 

extralite

Member
I feel that with the DS and Wii, Nintendo correctly hit on the fact that there was a big audience for video games that wasn't being well catered to because video games cost too much and were too difficult to play for beginners.

Nintendo offered them cheap video game hardware, games that ranged from $20-$50, and user interfaces like touch and motion that made it easy for someone who didn't start gaming as a kid to get into the medium.
Relative to the competiton at the time, DS and Wii might have been "cheap" but the DS was the most expensive Nintendo handheld yet (and consecutive models further raised that price until the 3DS price drop, when they had to sell to their traditional audience again) and the Wii ranged among the most expensive Nintendo consoles. Outside Japan it was the most expensive yet.

I don't think price was an issue for the expanded audience, otherwise they wouldn't have moved on to smart devices. The expanded DS audience was made up of more adults than the previous Gameboy audience, they have more disposable income.

The number of people who wanted Nintendo's titles *and* a bunch of prominent third party games was pretty big, so the 3DS won the market and gathered a notable audience even if it's lagging quite a bit behind the DS. The Wii U on the other hand is just for people who want Nintendo games and aren't satisfied with just the 3DS, so it doesn't sell very much.
Wii U still caters to families and has some popular 3rd party titles like MH, DQ and Taiko. During the holidays Wii U sales aren't bad at all, even though almost all those games, both 1st and 3rd party, are also on 3DS.

I don't think it's a matter of being satisfied with just the 3DS. It's one of preference (most people favoring handhelds for various reasons) and of occasion. Not all customers have spending habits like a core gamer. Gifting your kid throughout the year will not be something expensive like a Wii U. During the holidays though...

Here is where price matters again. The 3DS is obviously the first purchase when you like the experience Nintendo offers. They need to give people reasons to make that second hardware purchase sometime along the line.
 

Mpl90

Two copies sold? That's not a bomb guys, stop trolling!!!
It's kind of interesting to see Famitsu's most wanted games. I realize it's not representative of the market or anything, but just thought I'd post it =). I'm surprised to see Hyrule Warriors that high. 578 sales pretty much confirmed? =P

1. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – 763 votes
2. [PS3] Persona 5 – 725 votes
3. [PS4] Final Fantasy XV – 644 votes
4. [WIU] Hyrule Warriors – 578 votes
5. [3DS] Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – 497 votes
6. [PS4] Kingdom Hearts III – 432 votes
7. [3DS] Super Smash Bros. for 3DS – 398 votes
8. [PS3] Tales of Zestiria – 358 votes
9. [WIU] Super Smash Bros. for Wii U – 277 votes
10. [PS3] Shining Resonance – 254 votes
11. [WIU] Bayonetta 2 – 249 votes
12. [PSV] Toukiden Extreme – 248 votes
13. [PS4] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain – 247 votes
14. [PS4] The Evil Within – 239 votes
15. [3DS] Bravely Second – 233 votes
16. [3DS] Senran Kagura 2: Deep Crimson – 210 votes
17. [3DS] Final Fantasy Explorers – 180 votes
18. [PSV] The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki – 179 votes
19. [PS3] The Evil Within – 173 votes
20. [PSV] Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines – 172 votes
21. [PS3] The Legend of Heroes: Sen no Kiseki – 171 votes
22. [PS3] The Last Remnant – 164 votes
23. [PSV] Bullet Girls – 162 votes
24. [PS3] Atelier Shallie: Alchemists of the Dusk Sea – 153 votes
25. [3DS] Forbidden Magna – 151 votes
26. [3DS] Yoshi’s New Island – 151 votes
27. [PS3] Ultra Street Fighter IV – 130 votes
28. [PS3] Persona 4 Arena Ultimax – 127 votes
29. [PSV] Phantasy Star Nova – 120 votes
30. [PS4] Bloodborne – 114 votes

Mmh...well, at least we can deduce Famitsu readers want to play Hyrule Warriors a lot :p
Maybe such charts could be useful if those votes are compared to votes of games from the same series (in Hyrule Warriors case, it could be made the case that it should be compared with latest Zelda and Warriors games), but just maybe, since they represent a smaaaaaaaaaaaaall part of the market.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
22. [PS3] The Last Remnant – 164 votes

This will never vanish from the charts.

I wonder if there will be a PS4/Vita port in the future.
 

RalchAC

Member
It's kind of interesting to see Famitsu's most wanted games. I realize it's not representative of the market or anything, but just thought I'd post it =). I'm surprised to see Hyrule Warriors that high. 578 sales pretty much confirmed? =P

There should be a similar list for the West. Tales of Vesperia would be our Last Remnant. It'd keep appearing on that list for years even if it's been confirmed isn't happening.

It kind of surprises me that Phantasy Star Nova is so low. I mean, Toukiden is a smaller brand, Xtreme is an expansion yet they're higher. SEGA should start marketing the thing sooner.

Smash 3DS is above Smash WiiU. I know this is not an indicative of its future performance, but I really want to see how both perform. Ad-hoc Smash could be huge.

You better buy Hyrule Warriors, Japan. Don't let it bomb.
 

Shengar

Member
All this Ni No Kuni talk is just making me want more Ghibli games. Is there anything on the horizon?

None at the moment. Kinda wasted opportunity because Studio Ghibli art have its own charm, especially for western market. If someone would take up a cooperation with them in future, I hope they let Ghibli handle the writing.
 

L~A

Member
sörine;120815029 said:
Earlier than that even since we had Slime Morimori 3 in 2011. Every year of 3DS lifecycle so far it's had a Dragon Quest release.

It makes me wonder if we'll see another game next year, like possibly a DQVIII port or Caravan Heart remake? Maybe the GBC or Famicom games on Virtual Console?

I was actually expecting them to announce a new Dragon Quest Monster game for Feb 2015 during the Nintendo Direct, last week. Really surprised they didn't.

As for DQXI, I can see a 3DS, then 4DS, then home console release. A bit like DQX went from Wii, to Wii U, to (PC, smartphones) 3DS.

That'd fit with Horii's "wanna play on a big screen". That also fits with Saito's "I wanted to play DQX on the 3DS ever since we started development" comment...(just replace DQX with DQXI and 3DS by home console of your choice :p).

Only way I see DQXI as console exclusive would be one epic moneyhat... and I honestly don't see anyone doing that (not for the amount needed to secure an exclusive).
 
sörine;120815029 said:
Earlier than that even since we had Slime Morimori 3 in 2011. Every year of 3DS lifecycle so far it's had a Dragon Quest release.

It makes me wonder if we'll see another game next year, like possibly a DQVIII port or Caravan Heart remake? Maybe the GBC or Famicom games on Virtual Console?
Square hinted at an original DQM, possibly Joker 3.
 

vinnygambini

Why are strippers at the U.N. bad when they're great at strip clubs???
Thread worthy? In regards to Mercedes-Benz Japan Mario Advert

Mercedes-Benz Japan has recently announced that it has seen a marked increase in visitors to its showrooms and demand for the car driven by this muscular Mario was far higher than expected.

While official numbers have not been released, big-wigs at Mercedes-Benz Japan were keen to stress the success of their new model and how the ad had caught consumers’ eyes.

“[The commercial] was quite a talking point, bringing a lot of people to the showroom,” Mercedes-Benz Japan president and chief executive officer Kintaro Ueno commented. “This is a new market segment for us, but it has exceeded our expectations. I can say that it’s going well.”

http://en.rocketnews24.com/2014/07/15/nintendo-power-mercedes-benz-japan-sees-influx-of-customers-following-super-mario-commercial/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rocketnews24%2Fen+%28RocketNews24%29
 

watershed

Banned

Road

Member
I'm very late, but what's the deal with FIFA 14 digital numbers in may? (16k vs 2k at retail)

FIFA download codes were bundled with the PS4 for a while there I believe.

Famitsu counts download codes and cards as physical.

PSN purchases were higher than usual because of a FIFA14 sale for a cheap price I can't be bothered to google right now.


Yes, that. It ends today/tomorrow in Japan, so it will probably have high sales in the June and July Famitsu download+physical ranking as well.
 
What is Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed? Are the sales within expectations?

It's an enhanced port of a PS3/Vita game which released last year; which itself was a sequel to a PSP only title. The PSP original game was a surprise success for Acquire.

I would say sales are not within expectations. Famitsu are showing 20-40% sellthrough.
 

ZSaberLink

Media Create Maven

I'd say it's thread-worthy because it's very unexpected. There's no way I thought this Mario/Mercedes ad would increase car sales. I did see the potential for Mario Kart 8 exposure though. At the very least this kind of thing might open up a new revenue source for Nintendo.
 

hiska-kun

Member
Not Famitsu leak yet. -.-

Well, today shops start to accept pre-orders for MH4G in Japan.

This week the main things are Frozen (the DVD and BR are released tomorrow), MH4G and still YW2.

In Bic Camera (ikebukuro) they have adverts in the entrance:
4889199D-DD11-48D7-A254-77A6933A7A0B_zpswq9nx293.jpg


Inside, Frozen took the place to YW2.
C545542B-EB3A-4E81-ABF8-11222A99E1D3_zps0xegpcwa.jpg

41D00824-7592-4DC1-9268-5E3879179B6C_zpsnqz8i38f.jpg


In Yamada Denki, the same picture. MH, YW2 and Frozen.
945D83C9-19B8-46F8-8993-A7EF0E7E125C_zpsn6ztbia5.jpg
 

Bruno MB

Member
That's totally crazy, it has already shattered my prediction for the full month of July.

I'm glad to see that it has lived up to the hype.

Last week Youkai Watch sold 16.883 units.

[3DS] Youkai Watch 2: Ganso / Honke (Level 5) {2014.07.10} - 1.281.096 / NEW
[3DS] Youkai Watch (Level 5) {2013.07.11} - 16.883 / 1.177.459 (-33%)
 

random25

Member
Has there been a Frozen-related game in Japan right now? Maybe the 3DS one can be a good seller there.

And btw, congratulations to Level-5!
 
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