Wii sales surpass 5 million in Japan
by Ross Miller 
{ Jan 23rd 2008 at 11:15AM }
The top five best-selling games in Japan are, perhaps unsurprisingly, all from Nintendo -- two Mario games and three titles geared towards the casual market. If the list is accurate, then the Wii only has four platinum-selling titles and Mario Galaxy hasn't yet passed the 900,000 threshold. Check out the list after the break.
[Via GameDaily]
Top five best-selling Wii games in Japan:
- Wii Sports* - 2,663,938
- Wii Play - 2,139,084
- Mario Party 8 - 1,153,648
- Wii Fit - 1,113,626
- Super Mario Galaxy - 843,961
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Obie @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:24AM
Fernando impression: Don't worry Sony, it's just a fad.
makishima @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:28AM
Ha! And for a second when I saw only 1 comment had been posted so far, I thought it could only be Fernando :P
KushielsScion007 @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:29AM
Yet he would be right...no?
paragraph @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:27AM
You really can't include Wii Play as a Game, it's $10 more than a Wiimote, and it comes with a Wiimote... so really it's not a Game... does anyone play it? No.
Honestly, i think if you compare this to the US Game Sales you'll see a similer trend. Gamers hate the Wii :-P and I agree, it's not a gamer's game console... but it is fun as all hell.
Tamer Brad @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:37AM
Because it's a bargain it's not a game?
What?
Karen @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:39AM
I've had it for a year and still play tank game and air hockey game with my friends and family. I payed $10 for it and got more then $10 worth of enjoyment out of it.
paragraph @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:47AM
Its not a game in my book, think way back, back to the N64...
Remember how Starfox 64 came bundled with the Rumble Pack? Imagine that game as a huge pile. A game that really didn't do much but rumble...
Now imagine it retailed for $39.99, $10 more than the rumble pack alone... wouldn't you just get Starfox insted of just a rumble pack?
I ask you this: would you buy Wii Play without the Wiimote? Most people would agree the answer is no.
But it is true that Tank is fun... i just don't think that it's fair to call it a game, in the same way that its not fair to say that Wii Sports is the best selling US Wii Title.
deaftly @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:01PM
After buying it and playing it maybe twice, I can honestly say wiiplay isn't even worth $10, better off buying a n64 game on the vc or a xbla game.
StarFoxA @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:05PM
The guy at my local GameStop was telling the lady that "everybody who has bought it has loved it." He based this upon the fact that "nobody ever trades it in."
Slaziman @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:01PM
What do you mean it's not a game? Of course it is silly! Even if it's a horrible one at that, or a bundle or whatever. Well, at least with the formal definition of game.
Co @ Jan 23rd 2008 2:02PM
Good for you Karen, don't let these tards (half of whom dont even own it) tell you anything different. Aside from the two you listed, I also enjoy the Billiards on there as well.
Terry @ Jan 23rd 2008 3:03PM
Lazer hockey owns.
And the "billiards" segment is actually WAY better than the "pool party" stand alone Wii game that doesn't even have the decency to come with a bundled remote. The wife and I play it all the time.
Admiral_Mike @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:27AM
First one to make an animated gif of shiggy, iwata and reggie dancing and singing 'money, money, money, money......MONEY!' Wins.
paragraph @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:28AM
>->O
>-->O
>-
nerrrrrrd @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:27AM
that wii looks like it's suffering a lil bit of sun damage... or the tint on my monitor is off.
paragraph @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:29AM
Or the entire nation of Japan has taken to chain-smoking...
Grog @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:40AM
It's supposed to be gold.
baby sea tuna @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:44AM
Needs more lens flare.
blot @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:43PM
It looks jaundiced.
BPM4:Guns of the Idiots @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:58PM
I thought someone went wee on that Wii. Ya know, after drinking A LOT of beer (or whatever). Permanently staining it.
Mr Khan @ Jan 23rd 2008 4:19PM
I wondered what that was, i thought it was just an off-color photo
sifer2400 @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:33AM
this just is gona shy good developers away from it when it can sell so many consoles and cant sell 1 mill of its top franchise game meaning only crap arcade title will hit this console and the every now and then good game
paragraph @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:38AM
That top franchise game hasn't been out all that long... thats like scoffing at Burnout Paradise for bieng the lowest selling Burnout title to date... (ok, not THAT extreme)
but if you give it some time Galaxy will get up there, i mean, it's allready surpased Zelda...
baby sea tuna @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:45AM
...which makes sense, being that it's significantly better than Zelda.
josh @ Jan 23rd 2008 3:45PM
In case you did not get the memo, the new top Nintendo franchise is Wii Sports.
Andy @ Jan 23rd 2008 11:41AM
While the sales of the hardware are very impressive, the lack of sales of the games makes me think there are a lot of people out there that bought a $250.00 wii sports player. Add another $50.00 for wii play and you have a $300.00 two player wii sports/play system. And I think that's going to be a big problem for Nintendo later on. Granted there is Mario, but with the sales of that game not being more than 20% of the install base, you have issues in the future.
Fernando Rocker @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:12PM
Still, the Wii is selling a lot more software than the PS3, even third party titles.
The Wii has several million sellers games... more than the PS3.
And the bigger the install base is, the lower the atach rate is... for example, the PS2, with 120 million systems, and if they sold 4 million of Final Fantasy XII, do you know how low the atach rate for that game is?
chad @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:36PM
People just don't buy games for the wii. A big problem is that a lot of the people that bought one aren't gamers so they don't rush out and buy every new game that comes out for it. And the games that do sell are only first party and they aren't selling that great.
TwEE @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:46PM
Just curious, with Nintendo targeting a wider market adults, lapsed gamers, women, triditional gamers, blaa blaa blaa.. What games arnt selling in japan that should be selling?
I myself was never suprised when Resident evil umbrella chronicles didnt sell to middleaged housewives.
Dash @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:25PM
(All info below is taken from Famitsu)
the top selling PS3 games in Japan 2007:
1. Hot Shots Golf 5 - 372,895
2. Dynasty Warriors 6 - 332,168
3. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam - 306,114
Top Selling XBox 360 game in Japan 2007:
1. Lost Odyssey - 91,177
2. Ace Combat 6 - 89,463
3. Halo 3 - 83,502
What that means? Mario sold more than the 2 top PS3 games together, and more than several X360 games together. So the Wii is selling way more software.
And on the third party titles, Mario and Sonic at the olympics sold 363,101, and Dragon Quest Swords 486,222 , showing that the thirds are selling better on the Wii than in PS3 or XBox 360.
I'm not trying to be a fanboy, but the numbers don't lie.
To see where I got those numbers: http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3165480
Panda @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:28PM
And the PS3 didn't do this??? I thought that's why they made it a Blu-Ray player as well, to sell PS3s as the cheapest Blu-Ray player, causing people to buy the console, and no games. At least the Wii is having people buy a few games, even if they are all Wii ___ and Mario games.
Superstar90 @ Jan 23rd 2008 10:13PM
Fernando is right, PS3 owners can attack the Wii all they want about lack of game sales, but the PS3 is doing worse with 1st AND 3rd party stuff.
t_m @ Jan 24th 2008 4:20AM
Thank you dash! Someone actually posted a comment based in some form of reality. Much appreciated.
And though I usually vote fernando down as a matter of principle, he does kinda have a point. The bigger the sales base, the lower the attach rate will be. Small sales bases with niche or concentrated userbases will almost always sell more... whereas those that are owned by a much wider range of customers are likely to have much more divided sales...
t_m @ Jan 24th 2008 4:20AM
Thank you dash! Someone actually posted a comment based in some form of reality. Much appreciated.
And though I usually vote fernando down as a matter of principle, he does kinda have a point. The bigger the sales base, the lower the attach rate will be. Small sales bases with niche or concentrated userbases will almost always sell more... whereas those that are owned by a much wider range of customers are likely to have much more divided sales...
RoboChamp @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:03PM
A Gamecube with more sales. Nothing more nothing less.
arrrgh @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:46PM
thats a pretty stupid statement
Jevanzz @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:22PM
If anything, it's TWO gamecubes taped together with more sales.
Tom @ Jan 23rd 2008 5:31PM
10 million Gamecubes and a whole lotta duct tape
ComicShaman @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:05PM
Pretty remarkable achievement by Nintendo. They've done a fine job of selling to new audiences with the Wii (and the DS, for that matter), marketing away from the traditional "gamer" market. Since these customers are not long-time gamers, it should only be expected they don't buy new software at the same rate.
It creates an interesting dilemma for Nintendo and 3rd-party Wii developers. These new customers aren't likely to be interested in traditional franchises like Mario/Metroid/Zelda -- if they were, they'd be gamers already. So what DO they want? What kind of games will they buy?
With a large install base that's still growing, I think the Wii will continue to see more games targeted at both traditional gamers and the new demographic. It'll take some time before they get the feel of this new territory, I expect, but they've done well so far.
By the way, the color on that Wii photo looks a bit different than what I'm used to. What is it, a French Vanilla Wii or something?
Crazy 88 @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:06PM
It is impressive how well the system is doing. It is even more impressive how much dust my Wii currently has on it. The sad thing, I just got it for this past Christmas. The worst part of it all, the Wii truly does feel like a "gimmick system" and I have owned all three at one point. I bought into this hype and it really has been a big let down. Maybe they will change it around with all of the new rereleases of past favorite games. I can't wait for Mario Kart 2025 for their third system from now.
Fernando Rocker @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:09PM
They just release 1 Mario Kart pers system newbie... 1 for the SNes, one for the N64, one for the portables systems and soon one for the Wii.
arrrgh @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:48PM
well here's the thing about the wii...if you don't like it, NO ONE CARES
stop whining about how you dont play your system and sell it to one of hte millions left who still dont have one. Shit son
bender @ Jan 23rd 2008 5:00PM
PS3 Fanboy
Dec 28th 2006 2:44PM "If you think about it, the Wii is almost a downgrade of last gen consoles. In reality you are paying $249.99 for a new controller. The price is $50 cheaper than the average last gen price....but that was 5-6 years ago!!! What are you really getting with the Wii?"
That is what you said crazy 88, and you think that I'm supposed to believe you have a Wii? Nice try
Crazy 88 @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:10PM
@Andy....great quote "$250.00 Wii Sports Player." You hit the nail on the head.
cold school @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:15PM
That top 5 tells you everything you need to know about the Wii....
deaftly @ Jan 23rd 2008 12:43PM
3rd party publishers need not apply
Dash @ Jan 23rd 2008 1:34PM
The top selling third party game in Japan (not counting portables) is actually for Wii. See my comment above,
Dragon Quest Wii outsold every PS3 or XBox game.
Noshino @ Jan 23rd 2008 3:30PM
Dash,
Where do you live? where have you been for the last decade? Do you know how big Dragon Quest is in Japan? It doesn't matter what console it is in, hell, if SE was to release one for DC, IT WILL SELL
You have to use a more broad example, Dragon Quest is an exception.
Mr Khan @ Jan 23rd 2008 4:24PM
Yes, Dragon Quest will sell, and they put Dragon Quest on Wii
That's the whole point, if they felt it would've done better elsewhere, it would've gone on PS3
Kinda the same thing that happened with Monster Hunter 3...
Noshino @ Jan 23rd 2008 5:06PM
Mr. Khan,
Like I mentioned, Dragon Quest WILL sell regardless of the console that it is released for
He was giving and example of how third party support is high on the Wii, but Dragon Quest isn't your usual game, you can't use this "unique" (I mean when it comes to popularity, I know the DQ is nowhere near to be unique gameplaywise) franchise as an example of 3rd party support. Why not use Zack & Wiki? what about No More Heroes?