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[horuhe]

I really thought WE would have a bigger first-day sellthrough. Japanese people is not believing in Konami, anymore, it seems.

 

[Cipherr]

Can't believe splatoon has done 800k in Japan alone. Goddamn they have a hit on their hands with that one. I did not see that coming at all.

 

[sörine]

I really thought WE would have a bigger first-day sellthrough. Japanese people is not believing in Konami, anymore, it seems.

I think the problem is more mainstream users leaving consoles. That why MGS can still do well with core users, but WE doesn't.

WE still does well on mobile I think?

 

[Moor-Angol]

WE had its peak in 2002 due to the world cup hosted in Japan
after a few years sales started slowing down and dropped after PS2 dismission (but partially saved by PSP version)

this trend affected many other main PS2 titles, think about Musou or Gran Turismo; it's not related to the growing mobile market,
probably it's just people got bored buying every year the same game and soccer/football games are not as much popular as they were in the past (from SFC to PS2 era), a similar situation we cas see into the racing game genre

 

[Pennywise83]

The fact that PS3 was not a mass success also helped in propelling the decline of those IPs which fanbase might be more casual than your typical MGS or FF.

 

[horuhe]

This week's releases

{2015.09.30}

[PSV] Tokyo Xanadu # <RPG> (Nihon Falcom) (¥6.998)

{2015.10.01}

[PSV] [PS4] [PS3] Yoru no Nai Kuni # <RPG> (Koei Tecmo) (¥6.264)

[PS4] [PS3] Winning Eleven 2016 <SPT> (Konami) (¥8.208)

[3DS] Picross 3D 2 <PZL> (Nintendo) (¥3.240)

[PS4] [PS3] Arslan: The Warriors of Legend # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) (¥8.424)

[PSV] Tokyo Ghoul: Jail <ADV> (Bandai Namco Games) (¥6.145)

 

[Eolz]

Meh, waiting to see some sales before saying it's good/bad this week. I can see some of those having legs (not long ones obviously).

 

[Powwa]

Great to see Tokyo Xanadu doing well, Yoru no Nai Kuni also did fine. Shame they didn't have a Vita version for Arslan Senki, probably cause of the limited hardware, not sure if it would do any better on Vita though.

 

[L~A]

GamesMaya Report

First Day Top 3 (all versions)
1. Yoru no Nai Kuni
2. Tokyo Xanadu
3. Winning Eleven 2016

Today Friday, GamesMaya has a retailer meeting with Nintendo.
They probably will talk about Paper Mario X Mario & Luigi release date, and maybe Mario Tennis.

Still find it strange how they just launched pre-orders for Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam without even making any announcement other than an update of their release planning and their amiibo website.

Not even a website or a trailer...

 

[Pennywise83]

Great to see Tokyo Xanadu doing well, Yoru no Nai Kuni also did fine. Shame they didn't have a Vita version for Arslan Senki, probably cause of the limited hardware, not sure if it would do any better on Vita though.

Is Tokyo Xanadu doing well? 90% sell-through in the first 2 days is good but what were expectations? By Personifying the IP, I do think Falcom was expecting a bit more than a <100k result.

 

[1st Course]

Dengeki Sales: Week 39, 2015 (Sep 21 - Sep 27)

01./02. [WIU] Super Mario Maker (Nintendo) {2015.09.10} - 57.056 / 250.742 (+1%)
02./01. [3DS] Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon (Nintendo) {2015.09.17} - 50.783 / 201.350 (-66%)
03./00. [PSV] Utawareru Mono: Itsuwari no Kamen  (Aqua Plus) {2015.09.24} - 25.500 / NEW <90%>
04./06. [3DS] Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (Nintendo) {2015.07.30} - 24.189 / 1.071.344 (+21%)
05./07. [3DS] Yo-Kai Watch Busters: White Dog Squad (Level 5) {2015.07.11} - 22.650 / 951.348 (+22%)
06./00. [PSV] Genkai Tokki: Moero Crystal (Compile Heart) {2015.09.25} - 21.087 / NEW
07./03. [3DS] Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Square Enix) {2015.08.27} - 20.594 / 809.971 (-24%)
08./12. [WIU] Splatoon (Nintendo) {2015.05.28} - 19.161 / 690.856 (+27%)
09./00. [PS4] Utawareru Mono: Itsuwari no Kamen  (Aqua Plus) {2015.09.24} - 18.900 / NEW
10./00. [PSV] Hakuoki: Shinkai - Furi no Shou  (Idea Factory) {2015.09.25} - 17.783 / NEW
11./16. [3DS]  Yo-Kai Watch Busters: Red Cat Team  (Level 5) {2015.07.11} - 14.722 / 616.000 (+18%)
12./13. [PS3] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami) {2015.09.02} - 12.672 / 170.373 (-13%)
13./05. [PS4] Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (Konami) {2015.09.02} - 12.212 / 385.688 (-40%)
14./00. [PS3] Utawareru Mono: Itsuwari no Kamen  (Aqua Plus) {2015.09.24} - 11.206 / NEW
15./17. [PSV] Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition (Sony Computer Entertainment) {2015.03.19} - 10.944 / 353.246 (+24%)
16./00. [PS3] TV Anime Idolm@ster: Cinderella Girls G4U! Pack Vol.5  (Namco Bandai Entertainment) {2015.09.25} - 10.692 / NEW
17./14. [3DS] Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village DX (Capcom) {2015.09.10} - 9.206 / 76.690 (-35%)
18./00. [PS4] The Witch and the Hundred Knights Revival (Nippon Ichi Software) {2015.09.25} - 7.210 / NEW
19./20. [3DS] Rhythm Heaven: The Best+ (Nintendo) {2015.06.11} - 6.789 / 492.419 (+27%)
20./08. [PSV] Resident Evil: Revelations 2 (Capcom) {2015.09.17} - 6.168 / 22.709 (-63%)
21./00. [PS4] Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul  (Namco Bandai Entertainment) {2015.09.25} - 6.026 / NEW
22./10. [PS3] Sengoku Musou 4 Empires (Koei Tecmo Games) {2015.09.17} - 5.921 / 21.663
23./11. [PSV] Sengoku Musou 4 Empires (Koei Tecmo Games) {2015.09.17} - 5.642 / 21.139
24./00. [PS3] Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul  (Namco Bandai Entertainment) {2015.09.25} - 5.605 / NEW
25./04. [PSV] World Trigger: Borderless Mission (Namco Bandai Entertainment) {2015.09.17} - 5.526 / 30.426 (-78%)
26./15. [PS4] Sengoku Musou 4 Empires (Koei Tecmo Games) {2015.09.17} - 4.379 / 17.228
27./22. [WIU] Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo) {2014.05.29} - 3.806 / 1.095.308 (+5%)
28./09. [PSV] Saki: Zenkoku-Hen  (Kaga Create) {2015.09.17} - 3.240 / 19.727 (-80%)
29./25. [3DS] Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (Gung Ho Online Entertainment) {2015.04.29} - 3.133 / 317.780 (+22%)
30./27. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo) {2012.11.08} - 2.812 / 3.912.033 (+20%)
31./18. [PS4] Destiny: The Taken King - Legendary Edition (Sony Computer Entertainment) {2015.09.17} - 2.522 / 9.122 (-62%)
32./26. [3DS] Famicom Remix Best Choice (Nintendo) {2015.08.27} - 2.317 / 26.507 (-4%)
33./29. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4G [Best Price!] (Capcom) {2015.07.30} - 2.067 / 24.211 (+1%)
34./40. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo) {2011.12.01} - 2.024 / 2.431.583 (+55%)
35./31. [3DS] Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (Nintendo) {2014.09.13} - 1.972 / 2.285.440 (+21%)
36./41. [3DS] Style Savvy 3: Kira Kira Code (Nintendo) {2015.04.16} - 1.867 / 199.916 (+62%)
37./33. [PSV] Taiko no Tatsujin: V Version (Namco Bandai Entertainment) {2015.07.09} - 1.844 / 92.754 (+28%)
38./36. [WIU] Super Smash Bros. for Wii U (Nintendo) {2014.12.06} - 1.817 / 688.052 (+31%)
39./37. [3DS] Yo-kai Watch 2: Shin Uchi (Level 5) {2014.12.13} - 1.806 / 2.671.670 (+32%)
40./35. [3DS] LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin (Warner Entertainment Japan) {2015.09.03} - 1.683 / 9.788 (+21%)
41./45. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo) {2012.07.28} - 1.647 / 2.265.602 (+56%)
42./43. [3DS] Super Run For Money Tousouchuu Atsumare! Saikyou no Tousou Monotachi (Namco Bandai Entertainment) {2015.07.09} - 1.644 / 47.996 (+53%)
43./00. [PSV] Teikoku Kaigun Renbojou: Meiji Yokosuka Koushinkyoku (D3 Publisher) {2015.09.25} - 1.593 / NEW
44./34. [3DS] Pokemon Alpha Sapphire (Pokémon) {2014.11.21} - 1.561 / 1.526.286 (+11%)
45./49. [3DS] Bravely Second: End Layer (Square Enix) {2015.04.23} - 1.522 / 153.932 (+71%)
46./42. [3DS] Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butouden (Namco Bandai Entertainment) {2015.06.11} - 1.511 / 141.912 (+40%)
47./44. [3DS] Pokemon Omega Ruby (Pokémon) {2014.11.21} - 1.317 / 1.327.616 (+23%)
48./30. [PS4] Dragon's Dogma Online (Capcom) {2015.08.27} - 1.272 / 43.073 (-24%)
49./19. [PSV] Yunohana Spring! (Idea Factory) {2015.09.17} - 1.200 / 6.958 (-79%)
50./38. [3DS] Super Robot Wars BX (Namco Bandai Entertainment) {2015.08.20} - 1.128 / 111.912 (-14%)


TOP50

3DS 23
Vita 11
PS4 7
PS3 5
Wii U 4


SOFTWARE

-------------------------------------------------------
| Model | This Week | Week (%) |  FY 2015   | FY (%)  |
-------------------------------------------------------
| 3DS   | 215.591   | 38.40%   | 7.898.688  | 52.90%  |
| Vita  | 123.851   | 22.00%   | 2.020.099  | 13.50%  |
| Wii U | 91.627    | 16.30%   | 1.733.286  | 11.60%  |
| PS4   | 63.890    | 11.40%   | 1.765.849  | 11.80%  |
| PS3   | 63.502    | 11.30%   | 1.391.993  | 9.30%   |
| PSP   | 2.595     | 0.50%    | 96.909     | 0.60%   |
| XB1   | 796       | 0.10%    | 33.120     | 0.20%   |
-------------------------------------------------------
| Total | 561.852   | 100.00%  | 14.939.944 | 100.00% |
-------------------------------------------------------

HARDWARE

------------------------------------------------------
| Model | This Week | Week (%) |  FY 2015  | FY (%)  |
------------------------------------------------------
| 3DS   | 29.191    | 39.60%   | 737.482   | 38.00%  |
| Wii U | 18.678    | 25.30%   | 323.919   | 16.70%  |
| Vita  | 18.347    | 24.90%   | 352.119   | 18.10%  |
| PS4   | 5.055     | 6.80%    | 448.802   | 23.10%  |
| PS3   | 2.373     | 3.20%    | 73.854    | 3.80%   |
| XB1   | 161       | 0.20%    | 5.792     | 0.30%   |
------------------------------------------------------
| Total | 73.805    | 100.00%  | 1.941.968 | 100.00% |
------------------------------------------------------

*FY 2015 refers to the period from March 30, 2015 through March 31, 2016

Dengeki Sales: Week 38, 2015 (Sep 14 - Sep 20)

Dengeki Sales Archive
2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014

 

[L~A]

Hmm... read the previous pages, and didn't see that one mentioned...

Pokémon Rumble World is getting a retail release on November 19th. That's... one way to fill up a line-up, I guess.

 

[Fisico]

Is Tokyo Xanadu doing well? 90% sell-through in the first 2 days is good but what were expectations? By Personifying the IP, I do think Falcom was expecting a bit more than a <100k result.

You're trying too hard at this point, stop.

 

[Pennywise83]

You're trying too hard at this point, stop.

I have always had the impression that the aim of Tokyo Xanadu was to attract Atlus fanbase - which is quite active on PSV at the moment. The game didn't do spectacularly well in preorders (which is not too promising for a game targeted towards an hardcore audience) so I wa wondering what Falcom expectations actually are. If they are expecting results in line with the last Ys entries then the project looks a bit more ambitious. What's your take on this?

 

[1st Course]

Hmm... read the previous pages, and didn't see that one mentioned...

Pokémon Rumble World is getting a retail release on November 19th. That's... one way to fill up a line-up, I guess.

This is the f2p game?

 

[Hero of Legend]

This is the f2p game?

Yepper.

 

[the thoroughbred]

That's a really good performance for both games.

The Wii U is getting games, it SHOULD have gotten in 2012, towards what will almost certainly be the end of its life. Hoepfully, they won't make THAT mistake again.

Two things I've learnt is never underestimate Nintendo and they'll always release things late.

 

[L~A]

This is the f2p game?

It is. Game is exactly the same, but minus the microtransactions. Basically, you get 3 000 PokéDiamonds right after completing the tutorial.

 

[the thoroughbred]

Off topic - Does anyone know why Nintendo aren't releasing the 3rd Brain Training game here in PAL land. (Concentration training: Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training) or something like that anyway. UK website says TBD and has been that way for a long time. I emailed Nintendo about it, they couldn't comment.

PS - Didn't think a thread was necessary and the media create posters are usually well informed.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Off topic - Does anyone know why Nintendo aren't releasing the 3rd Brain Training game here in PAL land. (Concentration training: Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training) or something like that anyway. UK website says TBD and has been that way for a long time. I emailed Nintendo about it, they couldn't comment.

PS - Didn't think a thread was necessary and the media create posters are usually well informed.

Likely because that market is non-existent on anything other than mobile it seems. Don't think it really did anything in Japan and NA.

 

[Pennywise83]

Likely because that market is non-existent on anything other than mobile it seems. Don't think it really did anything in Japan and NA.

Well, they could try an eShop releae after all. They released games like Sakura Samurai and Tokyo Crash Mobs in the European eShop... Brain Training has at least a reputation over here; they could also give it for free pre-installed to propel hw sales, instead of sitting on it forever.

 

[L~A]

Off topic - Does anyone know why Nintendo aren't releasing the 3rd Brain Training game here in PAL land. (Concentration training: Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training) or something like that anyway. UK website says TBD and has been that way for a long time. I emailed Nintendo about it, they couldn't comment.

PS - Didn't think a thread was necessary and the media create posters are usually well informed.

That's the thing: no one knows (except Nintendo). The game was fully localised, and was delayed basically the very week it was supposed to come out.

Officially, it's because "Nintendo has made the decision to push back the launch date of Dr Kawashima's Devilish Brain Training: Can You Stay Focused? for Nintendo 3DS to optimise the best possible launch timing of this title within the European market."

At this point, I'm 100% convinced Nintendo's just using that game to fill up its quarterly planning for investors and that it's been cancelled altogether. Why no eShop release (which wouldn't cost them a cent other than PEGI/USK rating)? No one knows.

But I agree, it's a bit OT.

 

[Pennywise83]

At least, it would sell better than Freakyforms and New Art Academy.

 

[FreedomFighter]

Media Create Monthly Hardware Sales 2015

+-------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| Month |    3DS   |    PSV   |    PS4   |   WiiU   |    PS3   |  XB One  |   Total  |
+-------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
|January|   326.739|   125.809|   107.999|    63.623|    48.930|     1.981|   675.081|
|  Feb. |   168.806|    82.453|   111.015|    26.200|    27.845|     2.513|   418.832|
| March |   125.971|    89.763|   159.420|    28.726|    27.870|     1.346|   433.096|
| April |   130.845|    89.803|    99.936|    50.572|    22.343|     1.852|   395.311|
|  May  |    75.340|    53.883|    51.849|    42.889|    13.011|     1.165|   238.137|
| June  |   100.082|    59.044|    50.917|    65.364|    10.929|       772|   287.108|
| July  |   166.908|    71.087|    94.612|    57.784|    14.524|     1.023|   405.938|
| August|   158.454|    56.260|    66.156|    52.657|    11.135|       723|   345.385|
| Sept. |   118.434|    61.266|    85.495|    65.180|    10.486|     1.356|   342.217|
|October|          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
|  Nov. |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
|  Dec. |          |          |          |          |          |          |          |
+-------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| Total | 1.371.579|   689.368|   827.399|   452.995|   187.073|    12.722| 3.541.136|
+-------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+

Media Create Hardware Sales 2014

+-------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| Month |    3DS   |    PSV   |    PS4   |   WiiU   |    PS3   |  XB One  |   Total  |
+-------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
|January|   359.838|   179.915|         -|    93.296|    95.633|         -|   728.682|
|  Feb. |   158.188|    77.994|   374.839|    32.573|    43.604|         -|   687.198|
| March |   174.150|   141.999|   118.499|    38.435|    58.839|         -|   531.925|
| April |   149.153|   119.383|    65.029|    32.467|    40.622|         -|   406.654|
|  May  |   106.500|    61.528|    29.323|    42.665|    29.510|         -|   269.526|
| June  |   117.040|    65.678|    32.929|    47.383|    26.944|         -|   289.974|
| July  |   203.875|   133.293|    32.758|    45.903|    36.443|         -|   452.272|
| August|   166.056|    77.905|    24.808|    49.328|    23.017|         -|   341.114|
| Sept. |   143.155|    57.072|    47.894|    32.757|    24.326|    31.116|   336.320|
|October|   563.864|    57.552|    44.941|    28.376|    25.302|     3.811|   723.846|
|  Nov. |   339.588|    70.605|    51.534|    40.900|    19.061|     4.771|   526.459|
|  Dec. |   695.148|   125.646|   148.113|   134.067|    36.016|     3.569| 1.142.559|
+-------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+
| Total | 3.176.525| 1.168.570|   970.667|   618.150|   459.317|    43.267| 6.436.496|
+-------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+

Imagine if XBone numbers this year are actually DOWN YoY. That'd be amazing.

 

[Orgen]

I have always had the impression that the aim of Tokyo Xanadu was to attract Atlus fanbase - which is quite active on PSV at the moment. The game didn't do spectacularly well in preorders (which is not too promising for a game targeted towards an hardcore audience) so I wa wondering what Falcom expectations actually are. If they are expecting results in line with the last Ys entries then the project looks a bit more ambitious. What's your take on this?

A 90% sell-through in the first 2 days guarantees (at least) a second shipment and probably beats retailers expectations.

No need to downplay the performance of the title for now because you don't know the numbers, you don't know Falcom's expectations and you're throwing assumptions with no base at all (Why do you think Falcom is trying to attract Atlus fanbase with this title? uh?)

 

[Fisico]

I have always had the impression that the aim of Tokyo Xanadu was to attract Atlus fanbase - which is quite active on PSV at the moment. The game didn't do spectacularly well in preorders (which is not too promising for a game targeted towards an hardcore audience) so I wa wondering what Falcom expectations actually are. If they are expecting results in line with the last Ys entries then the project looks a bit more ambitious. What's your take on this?

I made a prediction on the previous thread, considering the sellthrough it could be better than that but I still expect it to sell a bit less than Yoru no nai Kuni (all SKU combined).

The game is a reboot of an old IP with no relevance anymore and doesn't share much connections with it anyway (the name itself was just used to remind old Falcom fans that it's indeed a Falcom game), it's without a doubt used as a gap title between the release of two Kiseki games (Sen no Kiseki 2 2014 - New Kiseki 2016) using the same engine and trying to do an Action RPG with it.
Marketing around the game was very scarce and I think we only saw a decent trailer only a few weeks before release, which implied that either they weren't confident about showing the game in the state it was before release, either they just didn't believe much in its sales potential anyway (I think it was more about the former than the latter, but I could be wrong)

Sales expectations should in no way be close to the latest Kiseki entries (200-250k with both SKU with the PSV one leading with 120-150k) and being an exclusive Vita title 100k LTD would be a very good result already,

With a 90% sellthrough there is absolutely no way to spin that into a mixed or bad result anyway, it already surpassed retailers expectations and considering how the game was treated by Falcom before release they should at least be fine with it too.

 

[Pennywise83]

A 90% sell-through in the first 2 days guarantees (at least) a second shipment and probably beats retailers expectations.

No need to downplay the performance of the title for now because you don't know the numbers, you don't know Falcom's expectations and you're throwing assumptions with no base at all (Why do you think Falcom is trying to attract Atlus fanbase with this title? uh?)

I was just replying to someone who wrote "Great to see Tokyo Xanadu doing well" - 90% doesn't mean much at the moment (perhaps the shipment was super-low; e.g. COMGnet preorders weren't that high) and therefore I wasn't trying to downplay anything; of course, if I cannot say anything about the performance of the game, this must be true for those who are saying it's doing well.

As for Atlus fanbase, the game always screamed "Persona wannabe" in terms of aesthetics and how the game was marketed.

I made a prediction on the previous thread, considering the sellthrough it could be better than that but I still expect it to sell a bit less than Yoru no nai Kuni (all SKU combined).

The game is a reboot of an old IP with no relevance anymore and doesn't share much connections with it anyway (the name itself was just used to remind old Falcom fans that it's indeed a Falcom game), it's without a doubt used as a gap title between the release of two Kiseki games (Sen no Kiseki 2 2014 - New Kiseki 2016) using the same engine and trying to do an Action RPG with it.
Marketing around the game was very scarce and I think we only saw a decent trailer only a few weeks before release, which implied that either they weren't confident about showing the game in the state it was before release, either they just didn't believe much in its sales potential anyway (I think it was more about the former than the latter, but I could be wrong)

Sales expectations should in no way be close to the latest Kiseki entries (200-250k with both SKU with the PSV one leading with 120-150k) and being an exclusive Vita title 100k LTD would be a very good result already,

With a 90% sellthrough there is absolutely no way to spin that into a mixed or bad result anyway, it already surpassed retailers expectations and considering how the game was treated by Falcom before release they should at least be fine with it too.

Retailers expectations might have been pretty low to begin with, and we know this happens quite often.

To me, Tokyo Xanadu seemed an attempt to reach a larger userbase than, say, Ys and maybe getting closer the Kiseki series (of course not aiming at 200-250k). As for the marketing, it didn't seem too far from other Falcom games - it received a lot of coverage on magazines (it was even teased à la SMTIV back in May 2012), and had a quite sizeable presence during TGS through a music group, and other initiatives.

 

[Orgen]

I was just replying to someone who wrote "Great to see Tokyo Xanadu doing well" - 90% doesn't mean much at the moment (perhaps the shipment was super-low; e.g. COMGnet preorders weren't that high) and therefore I wasn't trying to downplay anything; of course, if I cannot say anything about the performance of the game, this must be true for those who are saying it's doing well.

As for Atlus fanbase, the game always screamed "Persona wannabe" in terms of aesthetics and how the game was marketed.



Retailers expectations might have been pretty low to begin with, and we know this happens quite often.

To me, Tokyo Xanadu seemed an attempt to reach a larger userbase than, say, Ys and maybe getting closer the Kiseki series (of course not aiming at 200-250k). As for the marketing, it didn't seem too far from other Falcom games - it received a lot of coverage on magazines (it was even teased à la SMTIV back in May 2012), and had a quite sizeable presence during TGS through a music group, and other initiatives.

You don't know the shipment either (and Comgnet is not always reliable) so selling 90% of the first shipment in 2 days beating retailers expectations (even if they were low) and assuring a second shipment is a good result FOR NOW so the comment from the other person was justified. Your nitpicking? Not so much.

 

[Kresnik258]

I was just replying to someone who wrote "Great to see Tokyo Xanadu doing well" - 90% doesn't mean much at the moment (perhaps the shipment was super-low; e.g. COMGnet preorders weren't that high) and therefore I wasn't trying to downplay anything; of course, if I cannot say anything about the performance of the game, this must be true for those who are saying it's doing well.

As for Atlus fanbase, the game always screamed "Persona wannabe" in terms of aesthetics and how the game was marketed.

Retailers expectations might have been pretty low to begin with, and we know this happens quite often.

To me, Tokyo Xanadu seemed an attempt to reach a larger userbase than, say, Ys and maybe getting closer the Kiseki series (of course not aiming at 200-250k). As for the marketing, it didn't seem too far from other Falcom games - it received a lot of coverage on magazines (it was even teased à la SMTIV back in May 2012), and had a quite sizeable presence during TGS through a music group, and other initiatives.

Geez Pennywise, you are really trying hard here.

We don't know retailer expectations. We don't know Falcom expectations. All we've got at present is pre-orders at COMG and first 2 days sellthrough, both of which seem fairly positive (the shipment more than the pre-orders). Anything else is speculation, so I think trying to downplay someone cheering for it doing "well" (in relation to sellthrough) is poor form.

re. your Persona point - I can see where you're coming side, but lets look at this from another way:

http://gematsu.com/2015/02/tokyo-xanadu-confirmed-ps-vita

"The younger staff are taking the initiative of project planning and development."

To me, that's the explanation for the Persona-esque ideas. They're letting younger developers shape the direction of it, a group of developers who probably were influenced by playing Persona 3 or 4, 8-9 years ago. That doesn't really say anything about what sales bracket they're trying to reach.

To me the game appears to be an action RPG asset reuse version of Sen no Kiseki, so I'm really unsure what their expectations are for it. I don't think for a second that it's underperforming though because Falcom have been extremely good at managing budgets in the past.

 

[sörine]

I don't see any indication that Tokyo Xanadu is underperforming and I'm sort of expecting it'll be the opposite given the early sellthrough figures. Even if it was selling mediocre though Falcom would probably claim otherwise, like they did with Ys Celceta.

 

[Moor-Angol]

Tokyo Xanadu had some little marketing, I remember someone here posted pictures about some advertisements, I watched today a CM on Chuou line (and I remember I already watched and commented here some week ago).
I mean "some little" cause usually I don't see CM regarding Vita games.

Also actually on Amazon the minimum price is the one discounted from Amazon, this means a nearly out of stock situation with a high demand.

Of course any comment can't be made without knowing the shipment numbers, but at least the response was good so the feeling can be positive, especially when we don't know the publisher target, for example recently Spike Chunsoft said that Furai no Shiren 5 sold good, but iirc it didn't even reach 50k

 

[hiska-kun]

Anything special come out of previous meetings?

Seems like it's still due on November 12th.

Well, pre-orders for Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival and Monster Strike just started today.
Also Art Academy Wii U and Mario & Luigi X Paper Mario release date is known now.

Mario Tennis is still missing in Japan, but planned for 2015.

Also this:

Hmm... read the previous pages, and didn't see that one mentioned...

Pokémon Rumble World is getting a retail release on November 19th. That's... one way to fill up a line-up, I guess.

 

[Pennywise83]

Please note that: I didn't write the game is underperforming; I didn't write the game is selling badly or below expectations; I didn't write I knew the shipment; I didn't even state any expectation by myself; I didn't even write Comgnet is realiable, but that preorders in this chain were not spectacular (which is factually correct). I do hope anything like that really came out from what I wrote because I've just read again my posts and nothing read like "the game is underperforming" or "the game is selling badly".

I just asked whether Falcom might have expected something more than <100k (given how the company marketed the game - indeed I remember people posting some advertisement in Tokyo), and that 90% sell-through during the first 2 days is good but it doesn't paint the whole picture (e.g. low shipment - preorders seemed quite low according to market signals we received).

As for Furai no Shiren 5 - it was a porting of a DS game, of course expectations are in-check. Tokyo Xanadu seemed having a bit more push than your usual PSV 50-70k jRPG (at least, in my opinion, from what I saw and from what I perceived during Falcom marketing campaign).

To me, that's the explanation for the Persona-esque ideas. They're letting younger developers shape the direction of it, a group of developers who probably were influenced by playing Persona 3 or 4, 8-9 years ago. That doesn't really say anything about what sales bracket they're trying to reach.

You don't pursue the aesthetics of one of the most popular jRPG IPs around just because. This is completely fine: companies are trying all the time to follow the leaders hoping to get some of the cake; this is called imitation and you can find plenty of examples in the video game industry, even outside the best-sellers environment (Persona is a quite important IP but not a huge one).

 

[Nirolak]

Is Tokyo Xanadu doing well? 90% sell-through in the first 2 days is good but what were expectations? By Personifying the IP, I do think Falcom was expecting a bit more than a <100k result.

I have always had the impression that the aim of Tokyo Xanadu was to attract Atlus fanbase - which is quite active on PSV at the moment. The game didn't do spectacularly well in preorders (which is not too promising for a game targeted towards an hardcore audience) so I wa wondering what Falcom expectations actually are. If they are expecting results in line with the last Ys entries then the project looks a bit more ambitious. What's your take on this?

While can understand this perspective, the "(near) modern day high school students, but monsters/demons/angels/aliens/titans/etc" thing has been a trend taking over anime for a very long time now (and honestly it feels like it's still increasing), so that we see a ton of games reflect this is not too shocking.

Atlus did a good job getting in quite early on this trend though. We see them adjusting to it as well however given the perviness in Persona games has went through the roof (as the winds have blown that way in the high school anime). The idea that they'd make a Persona title like Persona 2: Eternal Punishment starring a bunch of young adults again has become comical as well.

Or, put another way, I don't think they're just looking at Persona here and going "We should make that." so much as the cultural zeitgeist that's seen series like Persona increase notably over time.

 

[Pennywise83]

Sure. I was considering Persona as an example because among "(near) modern day high school students, but monsters/demons/angels/aliens/titans/etc" games is surely one of the most successful out there; and the IP is one of the most successful on PSV, so it makes sense to try to eat that cake too - note that Falcom has always developed jRPG with fantasy settings so Tokyo Xanadu is not something that came out of the blue just because. And this is perfectly fine: companies are trying all the time to follow popular IPs.

 

[Nirolak]

Oh certainly. I'm sure Persona *was* one of the notable influences. I just wanted to draw a bit of a distinction for the thread in general that this isn't solely stemming from Atlus' success, because as you pointed out, it's not exactly on the tier of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or Monster Hunter.

Similarly I had to laugh a lot when the director of Star Ocean 5 went on and on about how he wanted to make the main protagonist an older character, and he managed to barter up to 23 (while noting he wanted even higher than that), because the idea of a JRPG starring someone who is even a young adult in 2015 is considered a crazy anomaly given the current culture.

 

[crinale]

Similarly I had to laugh a lot when the director of Star Ocean 5 went on and on about how he wanted to make the main protagonist an older character, and he managed to barter up to 23 (while noting he wanted even higher than that), because the idea of a JRPG starring someone who is even a young adult in 2015 is considered a crazy anomaly given the current culture.

As for JRPG genre yeah I agree that protag being 23 would be something to be called out both from publishers and users (for being too "old"). IMHO you can say the JRPG character setting is somewhat comparable to standard Shonen-Jump comics.

Edit: Or to put it bluntly, Shonen-Jump still has huge influence to various subcultures including games.

 

[Nirolak]

As for JRPG genre yeah I agree that protag being 23 would be something to be called out both from publishers and users (for being too "old"). IMHO you can sat the JRPG character setting is somewhat comparable to standard Shonen-Jump comics.

Edit: Or to put it bluntly, Shonen-Jump still has huge influence to various subcultures including games.

Yes, I would consider manga/anime/gaming to be pretty intrinsically linked for much of the enthusiast gaming market in Japan in general.

Obviously there are exceptions. Many of Nintendo's titles exist in a more universal family product setting (though games like Fire Emblem are clearly tied to anime/manga trends), Western oriented titles have less direct linkage to what's popular at the moment in the world of Shonen-Jump, and we also have a few oddities like Yakuza that are more oriented around Japanese film.

Capcom I would consider one of the most notable breakaways outside of Nintendo in terms of how they seem to be very comfortable with older characters and less prevalent themes in their games. We even had someone surprised that Ace Attorney was getting an anime because it didn't fit wit the immediate picture of what an anime looks like today, but they're still forging ahead with it.

 

[Kresnik258]

You don't pursue the aesthetics of one of the most popular JRPG IPs around just because. This is completely fine: companies are trying all the time to follow the leaders hoping to get some of the cake; this is called imitation and you can find plenty of examples in the video game industry, even outside the best-sellers environment (Persona is a quite important IP but not a huge one).

I've seen it discussed before that Falcom games usually represent whatever the popular anime aesthetic is at the time. They seem to just be doing that again here - nothing too different from what they normally do.

Either way, point being - we don't know expectations. Yours seem high; everyone else's seem lower. I'd imagine we'll have to wait and see Falcom financials to know how it did (they haven't had anything else release in a while, right?)

 

[hiska-kun]

Thank you hiska-kun, personally if I was to choose between the two it's a tough choice. My bundle came with the Wii-Wheel does the Japan bundle also come with one?

WiiU Mario Kart 8 Set Bundle is sold out and discounted in Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera (Shinjuku and Ikebukuro).
But there's still copies of the MK8 Bundle in Yamada Denki. I guess they will run out of copies the following two weeks.

Obviously the attention now is focused on Mario Maker. But the MK8 bundle offers a better value, since it includes a Wii remote plus and the Sensor Bar, while the Mario Maker doesn't.

 

[sense]

You're trying too hard at this point, stop.

yea certain people always have high expectations for ps titles so they can say it didn't do that great and vice versa for nintendo titles that it is probably best to just ignore them at this point. it is actually amazing to see the lengths they go either way to prove they are right.... sometimes it doesn't matter if the publisher thinks it is a success and continues to make games for that platform they continue to make arguments for how it could be better on another platform!

 

[Vena]

yea certain people always have high expectations for ps titles so they can say it didn't do that great and vice versa for nintendo titles that it is probably best to just ignore them at this point. it is actually amazing to see the lengths they go either way to prove they are right.... sometimes it doesn't matter if the publisher thinks it is a success and continues to make games for that platform they continue to make arguments for how it could be better on another platform!

This is a thread about numbers, not about persecution complexes.

-------------------------------------------------------
| Model | This Week | Week (%) |  FY 2015   | FY (%)  |
-------------------------------------------------------
| 3DS   | 215.591   | 38.40%   | 7.898.688  | 52.90%  |
| Vita  | 123.851   | 22.00%   | 2.020.099  | 13.50%  |
| Wii U | 91.627    | 16.30%   | 1.733.286  | 11.60%  |
| PS4   | 63.890    | 11.40%   | 1.765.849  | 11.80%  |
| PS3   | 63.502    | 11.30%   | 1.391.993  | 9.30%   |
| PSP   | 2.595     | 0.50%    | 96.909     | 0.60%   |
| XB1   | 796       | 0.10%    | 33.120     | 0.20%   |
-------------------------------------------------------
| Total | 561.852   | 100.00%  | 14.939.944 | 100.00% |
-------------------------------------------------------

This breakdown of software is depressing. Four software releases are nearly third.

 

[Regiruler]

This week's releases

{2015.09.30}

[PSV] Tokyo Xanadu # <RPG> (Nihon Falcom) (¥6.998)



{2015.10.01}

[PSV] [PS4] [PS3] Yoru no Nai Kuni # <RPG> (Koei Tecmo) (¥6.264)



[PS4] [PS3] Winning Eleven 2016 <SPT> (Konami) (¥8.208)


[3DS] Picross 3D 2 <PZL> (Nintendo) (¥3.240)


[PS4] [PS3] Arslan: The Warriors of Legend # <ACT> (Koei Tecmo) (¥8.424)


[PSV] Tokyo Ghoul: Jail <ADV> (Bandai Namco Games) (¥6.145)

That yoru no nai cover art is disgusting.

Although when I first read the name I thought it was NNK related.

 

[gtj1092]

This is a thread about numbers, not about persecution complexes.

-------------------------------------------------------
| Model | This Week | Week (%) |  FY 2015   | FY (%)  |
-------------------------------------------------------
| 3DS   | 215.591   | 38.40%   | 7.898.688  | 52.90%  |
| Vita  | 123.851   | 22.00%   | 2.020.099  | 13.50%  |
| Wii U | 91.627    | 16.30%   | 1.733.286  | 11.60%  |
| PS4   | 63.890    | 11.40%   | 1.765.849  | 11.80%  |
| PS3   | 63.502    | 11.30%   | 1.391.993  | 9.30%   |
| PSP   | 2.595     | 0.50%    | 96.909     | 0.60%   |
| XB1   | 796       | 0.10%    | 33.120     | 0.20%   |
-------------------------------------------------------
| Total | 561.852   | 100.00%  | 14.939.944 | 100.00% |
-------------------------------------------------------

This breakdown of software is depressing. Four software releases are nearly third.

And apparently NX speculation ;-).

 

[DriftingSpirit]

yea certain people always have high expectations for ps titles so they can say it didn't do that great and vice versa for nintendo titles that it is probably best to just ignore them at this point. it is actually amazing to see the lengths they go either way to prove they are right.... sometimes it doesn't matter if the publisher thinks it is a success and continues to make games for that platform they continue to make arguments for how it could be better on another platform!

While I fully agree (I just became a member here but I have been reading over these threads for a while now), it is best to just leave it alone as you said. Those people are not going to stop. So long as the devs and pubs see a reason to keep doing what they are doing, it doesn't matter what people on the internet want to do with numbers.

Anyway, I am pretty interested in what the PS4 numbers are going to look like next week. Even more so in how they stabilize afterward.

 

[Moor-Angol]

But the MK8 bundle offers a better value, since it includes a Wii remote plus and the Sensor Bar, while the Mario Maker doesn't.

and it's cheaper than Mario Maker bundle
Wii U, the only system with a new bundle that is more expensive than the previous one...


seriously, I remember someone showed how Wii U bundles always had a price increase with every new release...

 

[Vena]

And apparently NX speculation ;-).

Ehh tried to keep that to a minimum if its market related. X_X

and it's cheaper than Mario Maker bundle
Wii U, the only system with a new bundle that is more expensive than the previous one...

seriously, I remember someone showed how Wii U bundles always had a price increase with every new release...

No point in losing money when you have no software to really sell or licenses to reap from. WiiU is, as it stands, in no position to try and increase its market share for what little software it has remaining. With how little (big) software Nintendo has lined up for the rest of the year and then some, they're going to be skating on razor thin profits if at all.

What does need a price drop is the N3DS. I'd imagine its updated hardware line/node will allow for some cutting down on price within a year or so of start of production, so coming up on this holiday.

 

[1st Course]

WiiU Mario Kart 8 Set Bundle is sold out and discounted in Bic Camera and Yodobashi Camera (Shinjuku and Ikebukuro).
But there's still copies of the MK8 Bundle in Yamada Denki. I guess they will run out of copies the following two weeks.



Obviously the attention now is focused on Mario Maker. But the MK8 bundle offers a better value, since it includes a Wii remote plus and the Sensor Bar, while the Mario Maker doesn't.

Is the normal premium set still available in stores? It's still available on Amazon.jp from what I see (

Spoiler

unless google translate is failing me

)

 

[casiopao]

Is Tokyo Xanadu doing well? 90% sell-through in the first 2 days is good but what were expectations? By Personifying the IP, I do think Falcom was expecting a bit more than a <100k result.

Geez Penny. Selling 90% will and always have been a good thing. Even if it does not reach what falcom wanted in the first week, the guaranteed second shipment will be able to push the number even more. And i don't think this xanadu is personafied. Schoolboys going to save the world have been like the plot of almost all light novel and anime.

 

[Aostia]

and it's cheaper than Mario Maker bundle
Wii U, the only system with a new bundle that is more expensive than the previous one...


seriously, I remember someone showed how Wii U bundles always had a price increase with every new release...

totally true, in Japan, and to me it makes no sense :\
the only time they actually increased the value of their offer (the Wii U Party bundle back in the day) they had a very solid Christmas period. Last year December was disappointing. Let's see how the market will react this time around, considering how since Splatoon launch, the console is up YoY...