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"Nintendo has practically eradicated PlayStation" from Japanese market | 99% of game sales of 2021 in Japan is switch

Abriael_GN

RSI Employee of the Year
Same guy who predicted that the Wii U would be extremely successful haha, or that said that PS5 isn't going to be successful in Japan because... it's white.

This dude is basically Japan's Michael Pachter. His insight is interesting and at times funny, but should be taken exactly as seriously as Pachter's.
 
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AJUMP23

Member
Federal Reserve Crypto Meme GIF
 

Kataploom

Gold Member
feels more like playstation eradicated itself from the japanese market
This is so true... I mean, Nintendo would be really successful anyway, but PS wouldn't be so behind at least if they had something to appeal japanese market.

And contrary to what some here state, no, japanese market is not falling into irrelevance... Markets evolve with people preferences and needs, if businesses don't follow, the loose is on them not the market.
 

cireza

Banned
Japan is definitely Nintendo Land, and top games are pretty much all Nintendo games. Seeing anything else has become the exception, and it never lasts.
 

voketwo

Neo Member
I’ll be honest, where’s the narrative that Sony has abandoned Japanese games? My favorite games of the PS4 were Japanese and often exclusive. Persona, Nier, YS 8, Final Fantasy VIIR, 13 Sentinels, TLG, Bloodborne... and so many more came from Japanese devs. If anything I’d say we got WORSE content from them Japanese wise in the PS3 gen. If anything this just goes to show that Japan does fuck with home consoles much these days.
 

Zeeed

Member
Every time I see a thread like this I always have 4 things on my mind:

1) Why do they never include the Xbox sales?

2) Didn't I hear these stats are only physical copy purchase as they don't release digital sales numbers?

3) If you want to make guaranteed money at this current junction in time, invent something for old people or the tweenies. The Babyboomers are old and need care and have a lot of money, the generation after the babyboomers are retired with great pension plan from the golden age, so they have massive spending power to spend on themselves and... you guessed it, the tweenies. Tweenies don't have money themselves, but they have parents and grandparents(with loads of money that they don't know what to do with them), so they dote on their grandkids.

4) Using the above information, guess what older people and tweenies will find easier to play? You guessed it, a Switch. Older people and tweenies are less likely to get a PC gaming rig or a PS5 or a XBOX. They see this very "simple" switch thing that both older people and tweenies can all understand and even play together. They'll probably buy the small physical cartridge instead of the digital version so they can give it as gifts and that is what they are used to doing, etc.

Anyways. that's just my thought on these thread that keep popping up.

P.S.: Let's just hope Sony and MS doesn't go with the easy money route of old people and tweenies and actually make games and systems that can run those games for us inbetweeners ;)
 
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SlimySnake

Flashless at the Golden Globes
Jesus.

What was the breakdown last year when TLOU2, GoT, Dreams, Miles and Demon Souls launched? I think Animal Crossing was the only AAA game release on the switch last year.

Regardless, wtf is Sony doing. Time for Vita 2?
 

Plantoid

Member
Who cares if console X or Y sells more there... Lots of threads every week about sales there, it's nintendo land now, land of the weirdness and momotaro.
 
Same guy who predicted that the Wii U would be extremely successful haha, or that said that PS5 isn't going to be successful in Japan because... it's white.

This dude is basically Japan's Michael Pachter. His insight is interesting and at times funny, but should be taken exactly as seriously as Pachter's.
Ps5 is expensive, big and white with jot that much Japanese games support.

I think it's save to say, Ps5 will be the worst selling Playstation in Japan. I just hope it won't be super bad like only over 5 million.
 

Skifi28

Member
I swear, there must be 5 threads Iike this every day. The concern for the Japanese market is really touching. Interestingly enough, the majority of my favourite games these past few years have been from Japan and often ps exclusives. If Japanese people don't care and just want animal crossing, good for them, but I don't think it really matters one way or the other.
 
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Woopah

Member
Every time I see a thread like this I always have 4 things on my mind:

1) Why do they never include the Xbox sales?

2) Didn't I hear these stats are only physical copy purchase as they don't release digital sales numbers?

3) If you want to make guaranteed money at this current junction in time, invent something for old people or the tweenies. The Babyboomers are old and need care and have a lot of money, the generation after the babyboomers are retired with great pension plan from the golden age, so they have massive spending power to spend on themselves and... you guessed it, the tweenies. Tweenies don't have money themselves, but they have parents and grandparents(with loads of money that they don't know what to do with them), so they dote on their grandkids.

4) Using the above information, guess what older people and tweenies will find easier to play? You guessed it, a Switch. Older people and tweenies are less likely to get a PC gaming rig or a PS5 or a XBOX. They see this very "simple" switch thing that both older people and tweenies can all understand and even play together. They'll probably buy the small physical cartridge instead of the digital version so they can give it as gifts and that is what they are used to doing, etc.

Anyways. that's just my thought on these thread that keep popping up.

P.S.: Let's just hope Sony and MS doesn't go with the easy money route of old people and tweenies and actually make games and systems that can run those games for us inbetweeners ;)
To answer your points:

1. Xbox sales are very low in Japan and don't really affect anything

2. Yes these are physical sales. Famitsu doesn't have access to anyone's digital sales

3.If making games that appeal to a wide variety of people was easy, every company would do it. The issue is that creating and sustaining these mega hits at is something very challenging to do (and lately not many have succeeded in the Japanese market in recent years).

4. Its really the opposite that happened. Making new and growing hits is tricky,so many companies have gone the easy route of focusing on existing customers. This had lead to a lack of successful new IP and growing franchises (there are some exceptions, such as Persona, Nier and Ghosts of Tsushima).

If Sony made their own Switch that was a hybrid console/handheld; not just a Vita or PSP, but something you could play on your TV and take with you they'd retake Japan.
To retake Japan Sony needs new software (either from itself or from third parties). A platform with the same software that PS4 and the PS Vita would not suddenly do much better.
 

Shouta

Member
The hot take that Nintendo did something to Sony over there is kind of silly but it's not a surprise that the data is mostly Nintendo titles. It's a portable system with at home functionality. We've known for decades now that Japan is a market that prizes the ability to take a game on the go because of the nature of their society. That plus the evergreen nature of Nintendo titles has helped them a lot.
 

iconmaster

Banned
"In fact, a certain chart show that 99% of TV game sales of 2021 in Japanese is switch."

Without meaning to diminish Nintendo's tremendous success with the Switch, this is really stacking the comparison against Playstation. 2021 right now is one month's worth of sales; the PS4 is on the way out; and the PS5 is barely launched and heavily supply-constrained.

I'd like to see this comparison again toward the end of the year.
 

Fbh

Member
I’ll be honest, where’s the narrative that Sony has abandoned Japanese games? My favorite games of the PS4 were Japanese and often exclusive. Persona, Nier, YS 8, Final Fantasy VIIR, 13 Sentinels, TLG, Bloodborne... and so many more came from Japanese devs. If anything I’d say we got WORSE content from them Japanese wise in the PS3 gen. If anything this just goes to show that Japan does fuck with home consoles much these days.

That list doesn't reflect Sony caring about japanese games. Its just that Xbox is even less relevant around there so any japanese game designed for home consoles will appear on Playstation by default.
Of those games only TLG and Bloodborne were either published or developed by Sony, and I'm fairly certain souls games are much bigger in the west than in Japan.

Sony hardly has any first party games that appeal to japanese audiences, the vast majority of their first party studios are western.
Look at their upcoming announced Ps5 exclusives: God of War, Horizon, Ratchet, Returnal. The only big Japanese game is FFXVI and that's a timed exclusive (and an exclusive deal aimed at the west since it's not like FFXVI on Xbox would be a threat to Sony in Japan)


If Sony made their own Switch that was a hybrid console/handheld; not just a Vita or PSP, but something you could play on your TV and take with you they'd retake Japan.

Not with their current software, no.
Japanese audiences won't rush to buy a portable playstation to play Uncharted and Horizon.
 

sublimit

Banned
What a stupid and rushed assertion to make especially when there are no PS5's anywhere to be sold. Perfect for the fanboys to use though especially the ones who like to take bits out of context to push their own logic. :messenger_grinning_smiling:

Same guy who predicted that the Wii U would be extremely successful haha, or that said that PS5 isn't going to be successful in Japan because... it's white.

This dude is basically Japan's Michael Pachter. His insight is interesting and at times funny, but should be taken exactly as seriously as Pachter's.

Thanks once again for putting things into context. It's funny how some people pretend that the WiiU never happened and the Switch is the continuation of the Wii. :messenger_grinning_smiling:
 
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The only big Japanese game is FFXVI and that's a timed exclusive (and an exclusive deal aimed at the west since it's not like FFXVI on Xbox would be a threat to Sony in Japan)
If it is just a timed-exclusive, I'm sure it won't be on Switch anyway, so Japan will still view it as a PS5 exclusive.
 

Woopah

Member
Smarthpones are king in Japan.
That's true everywhere. Famitsu's report looks at dedicated video game devices not phones
"In fact, a certain chart show that 99% of TV game sales of 2021 in Japanese is switch."

Without meaning to diminish Nintendo's tremendous success with the Switch, this is really stacking the comparison against Playstation. 2021 right now is one month's worth of sales; the PS4 is on the way out; and the PS5 is barely launched and heavily supply-constrained.

I'd like to see this comparison again toward the end of the year.
Agreed. The report should look at the last three years not just one month. Very clickbaity title.
 

leo-j

Member
Besides the fact they are super portable leaning (see psp, ds, 3Ds, and switch sales) vs console, the ps5 is barely being shipped anywhere right now.
 
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