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Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/17-3/23
Goodbye, Family Ski and Winning Eleven: Play Maker 2008 -- we hardly knew ye. While Family Ski enjoyed a seven-week run in the top thirty, Wining Eleven (aka Pro Evolution Soccer) only lasted for four. It's no coincidence that they fell off this week, though, as fifteen spots were taken up by new releases.The big Wii dog in town was not Brawl (which ended up 7th), and not even Wii Fit (which ended up 5th), but new release Deca Sports. We can't help but wonder if the appearance of Deca Sports will have an effect on that other sports game for the Wii. Is there room for both on the charts? (We think so.) And will Deca Sports have the same longevity as Wii Sports? (Probably not, but we're sure the game will do well for itself.) It's also worth noting that Deca Sports had the third highest third-party sales debut for the Wiil, following only Dragon Quest: Swords and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles.
Another Week in Japan: Hardware and software numbers 3/10-3/16
Japanophiles and sales chart nerds, it's that time of week again to take a look at last week's sales in the Land of the Rising Sun. Those of you who've been keeping up won't find much excitement in this week's chart, though. All the same software from the week before showed up, but it might not be long before Family Ski and Winning Eleven fall out of the top thirty.It was also nice to see Metroid Prime 3: Corruption stick around, as the Nintendo FPS nabbed the number eleven spot for this week. Other than that, the only noticeable difference is that Smash Bros. dropped to fourth. What's interesting is that Brawl is no longer the best selling Wii game, either, as Wii Fit reclaimed that honor. We also learned that you can't keep the big three (Wii Fit, Wii Sports, and Wii Play) out of the top ten for long.In hardware sales, the Wii fell a smidge behind the PSP, and did only slightly better than the DS. Hardware: PSP: 57,651 Wii: 55,845 Nintendo DS: 53,266 PlayStation 3: 14,934 PlayStation 2: 9,930 Xbox 360: 1,744 To see the software numbers and rankings for last week, make sure to click past the break.
DS Daily: No sale
Here at DS Fanboy, we're pretty enamored by sales charts. We're constantly cheering on some of our favorite games, hoping that they'll get the recognition they deserve. Unfortunately, it's not a perfect world, and that's not always the case.Are there any DS games that you can think of that you wish had sold better? Share some tragic sales stories with us -- we're listening.
PSP best selling Sony system in Japan
In January anyway. IGN is reporting that the PS3 sold 148,000 units in January, while the power house that is the PS2 sold 111,000 units. The PSP however, sold 230,000 systems to easily take the crown for best selling Sony system in Japan this January. I know that seems like a typo, but indeed the PSP outsold it's next and current gen siblings. There's been a lot of rosy news for PSP and PSP owners lately. Hopefully the good news continues going forward!
Publishers expected to have slow 2007
A number of gaming companies have had decent 2006 performances. Ubisoft (EPA:UBI) is beginning to reverse their losing trend as is Infogrames (EPA:IFG); companies like THQ (THQI) are doing well and even GameStop (GME) is enjoying the success the publishing houses are. However, some analysts believe that this is going to be a temporary boost and publishers are going to have a weaker 2007. DFC Intelligence has stated that 2007 will be a weaker year for game publishers (which contrasts other expectations). This decline is mainly because of the reduction of PS2 desirability as the system will be replaced by the next three consoles as well as a additive effect of third party publishers having had historically poor sales on Nintendo platforms. The hardest to be hit are expected to be Electronic Arts (ERTS) and Take Two (TTWO) as they are too heavily invested in Sony systems (one being in poor supply and the other expected to have declining software sales). The trend is, however, just part of the console cycle. The year after the new batch of consoles launches has shown to be bad for the game creators. Current gen levels are still low and developers are cutting back on last-gen software development, giving the existing install base little to play. However, with major releases at the end of 2007 like Halo 3 and Final Fantasy XIII (which, ironically, are sequels of the titles that launched in 2001, the end of the second year after the PS2 launched), the slump will likely end there ... that is if poor third party success on a Nintendo console since the N64 doesn't persist.
Invest virtual cash in game sales
Fanboys may have a serious fling with their various system, but are they willing to put their money where their mouth is? Apart from the indignity of having to go with a competitor (or give up on gaming entirely) if their choice fails to materialize as a big winner, most of the fanboy community doesn't have any tangible stake in the entire system; that is, they aren't going to be losing their livelihood over the downfall of one system or another. A new site, The simExchange, asks fanboys of all stripes to ante up and bet on who is going to be the best; albeit, without risking any real money. The simExchange is set up as a stock exchange where users can "invest" fake money in consoles and individual game titles. Game values are based on sales levels or anticipation level for those that aren't yet released/currently in short supply; Red Steel is a perfect example, rising sharply until Wii launch then nose diving afterward. The simExchange looks to be an entertaining diversion between your regularly scheduled gaming sessions and scouring Joystiq for news. The site could be a perfect way to test your ability to predict what's hot and what's not. Sign up and see if you can make a big profit, or you may end up diving off the top of the virtual stock exchange when you lose your eShirt. [Thanks, Matt B.]
UK software sales chart, Nov. 5-11: The Brits dig GTA
Despite falling one spot from last week, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories is the top handheld in the United Kingdom for the second week in a row. Now, If there's one PSP franchise that's guaranteed to have massive success, it's gotta be Grand Theft Auto.
