Rumor: Smash Bros. Brawl sells 500K on first day in Japan

by Kyle Orland { Feb 1st 2008 at 12:30PM }

Already this week we've run leaked trailers, information and gameplay videos of Super Smash Bros. Brawl ... so why not add leaked sales numbers to that list? Cubed3 has a translation of a Japanese blog post referencing a purportedly leaked Famitsu sales report that says the highly-anticipated game sold 500,000 copies, or 80 percent of available stock, on its first day of Japanese release.

The sourcing is admittedly not very concrete, but the number does seem plausible given reports of retail shortages and the game's strong showing on the Amazon Japan charts. Then again, Super Mario Galaxy only sold 250,000 copies (edit: fixed typo) in it's entire first week of release, and that was during the highly-charged holiday season. Has Smash Bros. Brawl shattered Japanese sales expectations, or is something getting lost in translation here? You'll know as soon as we do.

Tags: 500,000, japan, report, retail, rumor, sales, ssbb, super-smash-bros, super-smash-bros-brawl

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 1st 2008 12:32PM

Me @ Feb 1st 2008 12:38PM

I believe it.

Anam @ Feb 1st 2008 12:40PM

I don't know about the Japanese market, but I've always thought that Brawl was a much more anticipated game than Galaxy, so it wouldn't suprise me if Brawl, ahem, smashed Galaxy's sales.

Then again, I'm probably biased in that I've never been a fan of the 3D Mario platformers. I'm trying to make it through Galaxy but I just don't care all that much...

Nigeria @ Feb 1st 2008 12:41PM

Kirby is always happy.

Though it's hard to be down when you're coked up on Dr Pepper.

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 1st 2008 12:41PM

And I expect that USA sales will be even bigger...

Cyro @ Feb 1st 2008 1:00PM

But not Halo big. Just Saying....

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 1st 2008 1:08PM

Not the same sales day one, but in overall sales, it will outsell Halo 3.

Wanna bet, here, in front eery Joystiq reader, that by the end of the year SSBB will outsell Halo 3?

Cyro @ Feb 1st 2008 1:12PM

Puede ser que si fernando. Pero no creo que ningun juego pueda vender en un dia lo que Halo 3 hizo.

It might in a year but it wont be by a land slide.

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 1st 2008 1:16PM

Halo 3 es la excepcion, no la regla. Debes de tener en cuenta la impresionante cantidad de publicidad que Microsoft invirtio en Halo 3, incluso un año antes de que Halo 3 fuera lanzado.

Nintendo no necesita hacer tanto alboroto para vender mucho.

Anam @ Feb 1st 2008 1:22PM

I'll take that bet Fernando. I say that on December 31st, 2008, Halo 3 will have sold more copies worldwide than Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

By the way, just so we're clear. I don't like Halo.

Cyro @ Feb 1st 2008 2:03PM

Whats wrong with liking Halo 3?

NvM @ Feb 1st 2008 2:11PM

If they released at the same time I could see it.
But it's really up to the casual market, because in a way, Halo 3 has a more casual "market" than Brawl.

Anam @ Feb 1st 2008 2:12PM

There's nothing wrong with liking Halo 3. I was just clarifying so that people understand that I'm merely predicting the success of Halo 3 over Super Smash Bros. Brawl, not encouraging it.

hvnlysoldr @ Feb 1st 2008 3:49PM

This will make SSBB the best ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggoK85c4NQc

Superstar90 @ Feb 1st 2008 9:13PM

@hvnlysldr
Snake was justly punished for his foolish mockery.

Fatass of Kickassness @ Feb 1st 2008 10:29PM

As Halo 3 is the definitive 360 title, Brawl is the Wii's definitive title - capable of pleasing both the casual and hardcore crowd. Its got all bases covered, and with the Wii doing as well as it has been, I would not be surprised if Brawl did better in Halo 3. You know, three years down the road. After all, Melee got close to selling more units than actual Gamecubes to play it on, and it would have if not for resale stores like Gamestop and EB ready to sell the game again.

Raikage (Wii FC 5508 0487 4434 0992) @ Feb 2nd 2008 12:26AM

I'll be on Fernando's side... I think Smash will exceed it's hype...

Not that Halo is bad of course...

Marty @ Feb 1st 2008 12:43PM

Considering everyone in Japan now owns at least 3 Wii's apiece, this isn't very astonishing news.

Anam @ Feb 1st 2008 12:54PM

Do you know how much duct tape that would take?

Co @ Feb 1st 2008 1:51PM

The funny thing is you can't find 3 people in Japan that own a 360.

Anam @ Feb 1st 2008 2:06PM

That's because one of them got the red ring of death, so there is only two left.

...sorry, I had to.

Roflgoat @ Feb 1st 2008 8:35PM

Everyone in Japan has 6 gamecubes?

ThornedVenom @ Feb 1st 2008 12:44PM

I believe it.

But it also reminds me that about that article stating that Konami needs MGS4 to sell over a million on the first day, JUST to make profit.

Nigeria @ Feb 1st 2008 12:52PM

Speaking of Metal Gear, why not stagger release the game on the Wii rather than the Xbox - assuming there is a Xbox version being released.

If the Wii is basically a super Gamecube the development costs shouldn't be extraordinarily high. And seeing as Snake is in Brawl, this leads on to the conclusion that Konami and Nintendo have an amicable relationship. It seems like a real win-win situation for all involved.

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 1st 2008 12:53PM

Maybe a Metal Gear spin-off on the Wii... that will be good.

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 1st 2008 12:57PM

"... Konami and Nintendo have an amicable relationship. It seems like a real win-win situation for all involved."

In fact, Kojima begged Sakurai to include Snake on Melee, but it was already too late, so Snake was included until SSBB.

http://www.joystiq.com/2006/05/10/super-smash-bros-brawl-revealed-for-wii-featuring-solid-snake/

FOXHOUND @ Feb 1st 2008 1:42PM

It should come as no surprise, but honestly -- Solid Snake(and GreyFox/Cyborg Ninja)being in SUPER SMASH BROS BRAWL is literally the only reason I bothered buying a Nintendo Wii in the first place. Otherwise, I would've just ended up getting games for the other two.

So having said that, I'd love for KONAMI to release some MG games(maybe a remake of MG1 and MG2 done in MGS1:THE TWIN SNAKES style?)on the Wii. It'd give me something to do other than 'BRAWL on the console.

ThornedVenom @ Feb 1st 2008 1:45PM

Silly Nigeria, do you really want to make players suffer the pain of -*gasp*- swapping game discs?!! (oh hail the justification of the necessary Blu-Ray in MGS4...)

And Fernando, that'd be really cool. But it might as well be butchered like Soul Calibur Legends.

Lock @ Feb 1st 2008 12:44PM

"Then again, Super Mario Galaxy only sold 250,00 copies in it's entire first week of release, and that was during the highly-charged holiday season."

That statement isn't exactly correct. Super Mario Galaxy launched on the first of November in Japan. Japan's normal "holiday shopping season" doesn't really begin until the first or second week in December.

djSyndrome @ Feb 1st 2008 1:02PM

Japan has no 'holiday shopping season' at Christmastime. December 25 is not a national holiday and is a normal day for the Japanese.

Remember, pretty much the entire country is Buddhist or Shinto - not exactly the normal Christmas demographic.

Sidepocket @ Feb 2nd 2008 4:58AM

Uh no jack ass, you do not have to be a child raping Christian to understand Christmas. Reason being no matter were you are in the world, Christmas is one mass market buying spree. Everyone buys crap on December for gifts no matter what their religion because X-Mas is as Christian as a egg is a twig. Its now just a gift holiday and thus Japan celebrates it like mad since they love buying gifts.

Nice world view dick face.

aaron_k7 @ Feb 1st 2008 12:45PM

Mario Galaxy only sold 250,00 copies in its first week? That's a pretty crazy amount when you think about it.

Zertoss @ Feb 1st 2008 12:51PM

Yeah, two hundred and fifty hundred copies.

Anam @ Feb 1st 2008 1:00PM

Actually 250,00 isn't all that many... and has a comma in the wrong spot.

aaron_k7 @ Feb 1st 2008 1:20PM

Sorry, guess I should have included /sarcasm at the end of my original comment.

Anam @ Feb 1st 2008 1:25PM

Doh! I just caught the word "only" in your post. That was the key. Nevermind, I get it now.

Santo @ Feb 1st 2008 4:13PM

Actually, a great deal of the rest of the world uses the comma as their decimal point. So... 250,00 could easily mean two hundred and fifty.

SoulBlade @ Feb 1st 2008 12:52PM

Not surprised at all. I'd expect this game to sell out in Japan. I'm curious about the day 1 sales in the States.

CJLopez @ Feb 1st 2008 12:54PM

Nice, 500k, and only on the first day, this is great!!!

Now, 'll spoil some gasoline on the flame:
How many units did Halo3 sold on it's release day????

Moderator, feel free to delete this post in case it causes to many problems, xD

Fernando Rocker @ Feb 1st 2008 1:02PM

SSBB will easily outsell Halo 3 numbers. Mario Galaxy is at 6 millions right now worlwide... and Halo was release 3 months before SMG.

Now, SSBB will do better than SMG, plus the install base is even bigger now, considering the hardware sales on the holidays.

And SSBB has one big advantage againts Halo 3: Japan sales. It already sold 500,000 in one day... Halo 3 is dead in Japan. Besides, Nintendo games has extremely long legs.

Mario Galaxy is still in the top of the charts every week, even a year and a half game, New Super Mario, is still on the top charts every week, at full price (nearly 14 millions units sold)