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Media Create Sales: Week 32, 2013 (Aug 05 - Aug 11)

Alrus

Member
I just read the anime for Yokai Watch is only airing in 2014 ? What kind of stupid release plan is that Level-5?
 

Tiktaalik

Member
Okay I know this isn't related to Japanese sales, but since we're talking about Nintendo's business strategy and The Wonderful 101 anyway, I'm going to ask it here.

So The Wonderful 101 was ready to release this Tuesday in the U.S., but Nintendo decided to delay the release until two days before GTA V.

Could someone explain Nintendo's strategy to me? I'm at a loss for words.

Too close to Pikmin 3?
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
https://sites.google.com/site/japanltdrank/

Used my expert web skills to put up that page so people can use as a reference while JoshuaJSlone decides what he'll do with Garaph.

It only has 1% of the features of Garaph, though. No hardware sales, no weekly sales or fancy chart making, just a plain list of software sales with first week and the last known ltd (total sales), only from Famitsu.

Each column header has an upside down triangle button, where you can use filters to search for the game you want or to sort.

Now I wait for threats from Japan.

This is very helpful. Thank you.
 
https://sites.google.com/site/japanltdrank/

Used my expert web skills to put up that page so people can use as a reference while JoshuaJSlone decides what he'll do with Garaph.

It only has 1% of the features of Garaph, though. No hardware sales, no weekly sales or fancy chart making, just a plain list of software sales with first week and the last known ltd (total sales), only from Famitsu.

Each column header has an upside down triangle button, where you can use filters to search for the game you want or to sort.

Now I wait for threats from Japan.

What a fantastic database. This is much appreciated. Thank you so much!
 
Looks like 3DS had a great Obon holiday!

I see Toukiden is climbing the charts too. Could be its first % increase, right? Oh oh oh oh oh.
 

Darryl

Banned
Okay I know this isn't related to Japanese sales, but since we're talking about Nintendo's business strategy and The Wonderful 101 anyway, I'm going to ask it here.

So The Wonderful 101 was ready to release this Tuesday in the U.S., but Nintendo decided to delay the release until two days before GTA V.

Could someone explain Nintendo's strategy to me? I'm at a loss for words.

i suppose one angle could be that they want the foot traffic from GTA + preorders. most people going to place an order for GTA are going to be owners of current consoles perhaps keeping an eye out for the next big thing. having a new game out around the time of all of that traffic could help generate awareness of the console itself even if it doesn't improve sales any. would really have to see if the game has any kind of store presence around launch.
 

Takao

Banned
Iwata continues to live in a different reality from us. During the Wii gen, he kept pushing the rhetoric of: "would people be really able to tell the difference between Wii and PS360 on their standard definition TVs???".

It bugs me how out of touch he can be sometimes. Yakuza 1/2 HD still completely baffles me. Having said that, I'm glad Bayonetta 2 exists as it is, because it really wasn't going to happen otherwise.

Iwata: "Why isn't Wii U selling in Japan? We have Dragon Quest, Monster Hunter, Muso, Resident Evil and Yakuza!"
 

Busaiku

Member
I just read the anime for Yokai Watch is only airing in 2014 ? What kind of stupid release plan is that Level-5?

Maybe they feel they'd rather extend sales further out, like with Inazuma 11 or something, as opposed to Little Battlers/Inazuma 11 Go?
I dunno.
 

Road

Member
http://wiiu.taiko-ch.net/

itshappening.gif ?


This is very helpful. Thank you.

What a fantastic database. This is much appreciated. Thank you so much!

I should mention my database wouldn't exist without the previous efforts of gaffers (donny2112, Chris1964, Moor Angol, Captain Smoker, JoshuaJSlone and others) and Japanese who have compiled data before I started it on my own, so thank them too.
 

Bruno MB

Member
http://wiiu.taiko-ch.net/

itshappening.gif ?






I should mention my database wouldn't exist without the previous efforts of gaffers (donny2112, Chris1964, Moor Angol, Captain Smoker, JoshuaJSlone and others) and Japanese who have compiled data before I started it on my own, so thank them too.

I wasn't sure if they were going to release this year a new Taiko no Tatsujin game. All 5 Wii Taiko titles were released in November and December.

The funny thing is that this hypothetical title is probably the biggest Wii U will ever get from a third-party company.

P.S. Thanks for the database, it will be very helpful.
 

Kid Ying

Member
Every taiko was announced near the release, so its a possibility. I think tank tank was a relative sucess, so it did send a message to namco, so, i guess we should wait for go vacation and family fishing too.

But i disagree that taiko will be the biggest third party release ever. Nintendo has to moneyhat something sometime! Lol
 
I thought Tank! Tank! Tank! was a free download title; I would assume it's more because the Taiko no Tatsujin series was successful on the Wii rather than Namco Bandai having necessarily seen success thus far on the Wii U with any of their releases.

Outside of Monster Hunter, Taiko was the biggest third party title on the Wii - so it being the biggest third party title on the Wii U isn't really a stretch.
 
D

Deleted member 125677

Unconfirmed Member
Okay I know this isn't related to Japanese sales, but since we're talking about Nintendo's business strategy and The Wonderful 101 anyway, I'm going to ask it here.

So The Wonderful 101 was ready to release this Tuesday in the U.S., but Nintendo decided to delay the release until two days before GTA V.

Could someone explain Nintendo's strategy to me? I'm at a loss for words.

Seems to me they just delayed it so that it would not be to close to pikmin, and so that they can say: "Look, one great game a month is coming out for the rest of the year!"

So basically the need to space things out given the system is not being flooded with games.

Not saying it's clever or anything, but this is the closest I get trying to understand their line of thought
 

Kid Ying

Member
I thought Tank! Tank! Tank! was a free download title; I would assume it's more because the Taiko no Tatsujin series was successful on the Wii rather than Namco Bandai having necessarily seen success thus far on the Wii U with any of their releases.

Outside of Monster Hunter, Taiko was the biggest third party title on the Wii - so it being the biggest third party title on the Wii U isn't really a stretch.
It's free to play, but there's only a couple of things to do and there's a limit of plays per day that only goes when you pay for one of those dlcs. The game was downloaded a lot and it's one of the most rated on the eshop. Of course that's not the only reason, but i do believe it made some money for them and helped to make way for other party games. Since we'll never have numbers, for now, it's just a theory.

But to be honest, right now i don't think it's a good decision. What i believe is that they are banking that Nintendo will bring people till the holidays with their games (which is possible). If the release was something like next week, it would be dumb as hell.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
I guess I was wrong. I wasn't expecting WiiU to get Taiko this year.

It makes little financial sense to me.

I think a good question to ask in a time like this is "Is there a better time to launch this?"

Between December 2013 and April 2014, we will have Mario 3D World, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and (I think?) Wii Party U launch, and NSMBU and Wii Fit U will already be out.

After that, Nintendo is mostly pushing more core oriented games like Bayonetta 2, X, SMT x FE, Smash Bros, and maybe Zelda if we look at what's releasing by Fall.

There is also Yarn Yoshi as a wild card, but if you want to get in when hypothetically the most general audience buyers will be getting a Wii U, this is probably about as good as you can hope for.

Now, this far from guarantees great success, but picking a "least bad" timeframe might make sense given they probably want to make more Taiko console games and the PS4 is not really an obvious platform for something like this.
 

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
I think a good question to ask in a time like this is "Is there a better time to launch this?"

Between December 2013 and April 2014, we will have Mario 3D World, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and (I think?) Wii Party U launch, and NSMBU and Wii Fit U will already be out.

After that, Nintendo is mostly pushing more core oriented games like Bayonetta 2, X, SMT x FE, Smash Bros, and maybe Zelda if we look at what's releasing by Fall.

There is also Yarn Yoshi as a wild card, but if you want to get in when hypothetically the most general audience buyers will be getting a Wii U, this is probably about as good as you can hope for.

Now, this far from guarantees great success, but picking a "least bad" timeframe might make sense given they probably want to make more Taiko console games and the PS4 is not really an obvious platform for something like this.

Right. This November/December in Japan (when Taiko usually launched on Wii) seems to be the best possible time, unless they want to wait another year.

I guess they could always stick to Wii, but they clearly positioned last years title as the Wii swan song.
 

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
I know Taiko sells a lot, but, does it push any system with it?

Doubtful, and right now given the userbase I think its doubtful it does nearly as well as the Wii versions.
 
Taiko would be a decent sized reveal, although i wonder how well it could actually do. That will probably be a big part of the october direct though. I think its the only 3rd party game with a shot a breaking 100k for the rest of the year though. I dont think MHF will do well at all.
 

Spiegel

Member
I think a good question to ask in a time like this is "Is there a better time to launch this?"

Between December 2013 and April 2014, we will have Mario 3D World, Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, and (I think?) Wii Party U launch, and NSMBU and Wii Fit U will already be out.

After that, Nintendo is mostly pushing more core oriented games like Bayonetta 2, X, SMT x FE, Smash Bros, and maybe Zelda if we look at what's releasing by Fall.

There is also Yarn Yoshi as a wild card, but if you want to get in when hypothetically the most general audience buyers will be getting a Wii U, this is probably about as good as you can hope for.

Now, this far from guarantees great success, but picking a "least bad" timeframe might make sense given they probably want to make more Taiko console games and the PS4 is not really an obvious platform for something like this.


Starting to develop a Taiko WiiU made sense in 2012, sure, and releasing it in December is the least bad choice.

But if no incentives were involved and I were Namco I would have moved development to PS3 or at the very least I would've released it on both consoles.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Starting to develop a Taiko WiiU made sense in 2012, sure, and releasing it in December is the least bad choice.

But if no incentives were involved and I were Namco I would have moved development to PS3 or at the very least I would've released it on both consoles.

Does the audience exist on PS3 though?

I mean it's like trying to force a lot of third party core franchises on the Wii. Even though the installed base was huge, the people who wanted those types of games didn't own the system.
 

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
But if no incentives were involved and I were Namco I would have moved development to PS3 or at the very least I would've released it on both consoles.

That makes little sense. 3DS or even Wii makes more sense if you are looking for a Wii U alternative.

Unless its a Taiko Musou game, then PS3 it up.
 

Spiegel

Member
Does the audience exist on PS3 though?

I mean it's like trying to force a lot of third party core franchises on the Wii. Even though the installed base was huge, the people who wanted those types of games didn't own the system.

The audience to sell 500k+ as the Wii and Ds/3DS versions sell, no.

The audience to sell 300k or so? Probably yes, and that's a lot better than I'm expecting the WiiU version to sell.

That makes little sense. 3DS or even Wii makes more sense if you are looking for a Wii U alternative.

Unless its a Taiko Musou game, then PS3 it up.

3DS and Wii are the best options. But if Namco has to release a console game and Wii is out of the picture because they've released the last Taiko game, PS3 is the better system.
 

jett

D-Member
Wow 30k shipment. I bet when Platinum started this deal with Nintendo they thought they had hit the jackpot, going off the Wii's success.
 

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
3DS and Wii are the best options. But if Namco has to release a console game and Wii is out of the picture because they've released the last Taiko game, PS3 is the better system.

Ehh.. I don't know. I realize it has the userbase, but is there one example of a casual title selling decent on PS3? Hot Shots Golf kind of sort of?
 

kswiston

Member
Wow 30k shipment. I bet when Platinum started this deal with Nintendo they thought they had hit the jackpot, going off the Wii's success.

I don't see W101 doing all that much better in the US either. I hope that Platinum doesn't get Mistwalker'd this generation with their Wii U exclusivity deals (and rumored XB1 deal).
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Wow 30k shipment. I bet when Platinum started this deal with Nintendo they thought they had hit the jackpot, going off the Wii's success.
I'm not entirely sure. Independent developers don't usually get royalties.

At this point I think they're just happy to get work wherever, given they were complaining about issues signing projects.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
3DS and Wii are the best options. But if Namco has to release a console game and Wii is out of the picture because they've released the last Taiko game, PS3 is the better system.

Ehh.. I don't know. I realize it has the userbase, but is there one example of a casual title selling decent on PS3? Hot Shots Golf kind of sort of?

I kind of feel the PS3's broader audience at this point is anime fans or teenagers who are just picking up a console, which is why we're suddenly seeing so many licensed games.

I mean, it might be worth trying a test game on the system. It can't cost that much to port. That said, publishers seem a bit more leery of that these days.
 
I'm not entirely sure. Independent developers don't usually get royalties.

At this point I think they're just happy to get work wherever, given they were complaining about issues signing projects.

I assume they believed they "hit the jackpot" in the sense that the perceived success of the Wii U would translate into success of their games, more contracts with Nintendo and a long-standing relationship.

Platinum has definitely struggled to find work, and an environment where they are allowed to be as creative as they want with a company that constantly wants new titles from them....would be a dream for any independent studio.
 

Spiegel

Member
Ehh.. I don't know. I realize it has the userbase, but is there one example of a casual title selling decent on PS3? Hot Shots Golf kind of sort of?

What casual game has not sell decently on PS3 in the last few years? :p

But at this point it's more that I think anything would do better on any other 'alive' system than on the WiiU.

Anyway, I would like for the game to be confirmed for WiiU. It will make the end of the year predictions more interesting.
 

Kid Ying

Member
I think Spiegel has a point, but the wiiu is much more positioned as a system for the family than the ps3. Even most of the releases till the holidays are games that are focused on the multiplayer, so its understandable that taiko may go to the wiiu. If nintendo grab people into their console with their games, taiko will be in a good position, since its usually the same public. People that like to play along with friends.

I know that i will buy. Bought every taiko on the wii and a lot of the ps2 ones, so, anything is good to me
 
Starting to develop a Taiko WiiU made sense in 2012, sure, and releasing it in December is the least bad choice.

But if no incentives were involved and I were Namco I would have moved development to PS3 or at the very least I would've released it on both consoles.
This makes no sense.

Taiko on PS3 is much more risky than on Wii U.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Normally I'm for multiplatform, but it is way more dangerous with accessories.

Not sure how expensive the Taiko is though.
 

schuelma

Wastes hours checking old Famitsu software data, but that's why we love him.
Normally I'm for multiplatform, but it is way more dangerous with accessories.

Not sure how expensive the Taiko is though.

I would add that if this is true, I'm assuming Namco would make the Wii drum set perfectly compatible with the Wii U game. Pretty easy transition.
 

Tripon

Member
Pikmin 3 selling Wii software?

The prices for Pikmin 1 and Pikmin 2 Wii versions in the U.S. since Pikmin 3 has come out is insane. Amazon is selling Pikmin 1 at $112 new, $49 used, and Pikmin 2 at $43.40 new, and can't buy it used.

I guess a similar thing is happening in Japan.
 

Thorgal

Member
Just curious but wouldn't it be better for P* to make their games for playstation and stick with it ?

Sure . none of their games are million Sellers but playstation with it's large installs base seems like the best option for them from where I am standing.
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Just curious but wouldn't it be better for P* to make their games for playstation and stick with it ?

Sure . none of their games are million Sellers but playstation with it's large installs base seems like the best option for them from where I am standing.

Someone would publishes games on PlayStation would have to actually want to fund their games for that to happen.
 
What casual game has not sell decently on PS3 in the last few years? :p

But at this point it's more that I think anything would do better on any other 'alive' system than on the WiiU.

Anyway, I would like for the game to be confirmed for WiiU. It will make the end of the year predictions more interesting.
Not really taiko isnt going to be some huge system seller
 

Nirolak

Mrgrgr
Sounds like Platinum Games basically needs to convince a publisher to buy them out.
Honestly for most mid to large sized independent developers (who aren't mega studios like Valve, Epic, or Crytek with alternative revenue streams) this ultimately makes sense, which is why you see so many of them sell to publishers eventually.
 
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