Japanese retailer names underperforming games of 2009

by JC Fletcher on Dec 3rd 2009 1:00AM

Japanese retail blogger Oosaka King has compiled a list of what he believes are the games that did worst for stores in 2009. These aren't just poor sellers, they're also games with low margins or other problems that kept retailers from profiting.

Topping the list: Blood of Bahamut, a DS RPG released by Square Enix on August 6, just a few weeks after Dragon Quest IX. No mystery why that one didn't sell! Monster Hunter Tri, which may be more surprising, was the blogger's number two choice, due to low margins on the standard edition, as well as some unspecified shipping issues from Capcom.

The full list of what one retailer believes was unprofitable in 2009 is after the break. It features a few more big names, like Sonic, Mario, and Gran Turismo. The preponderance of major games is probably due to the fact that retailers stocked way more of the big games, expecting more sales, and stocked presumably niche titles more judiciously.

[Via Andriasang]

Blood of Bahamut (DS)
Monster Hunter 3 (standard version) (Wii)
Taiko no Tatsujin Wii Dodon to Nidaime (Wii)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii)
Gran Turismo (PSP)
Dynasty Warriors 5 Special (PSP)
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo (Wii)
Tamagotchi no Narikiri Channel (DS)
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona (PSP)

Source

Tags: blood-of-bahamut, japan, monster-hunter-3, monster-hunter-tri, oosaka-king, retail

Reader Comments (36)

How have I never heard of this game?

It is an rpg with shadow of the colossus elements for the most sold handheld .... their marketing team is the worst marketing team EVER =P

I remember seeing the trailer for the game here, it looked really good for a DS game and I really am hoping for a US release but in the face of a Dragonquest game it was basically sent out to die in a hail of gunfire.

GTportable is a little surprising but then again people have been waiting 5 years for it, and with GT5 onthe way people are probably just waiting for that, although I'd bet sales will pick up when GT5 actually comes out since you can win cars on the PSP to use in the PS3 game.

Square Enix REALLY need to rethink their strategy (or fire Yoichi Wada). Look at their latest ideas: Last Remnant was supposed to be their epic strategy at merging together Japanese and Western RPG ideology... *bomb*.

And Yoichi Wada...

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/08/26/square-president-doesnt-expect-big-impact-from-ps3-price-cut/

... yeah, he needs to get fired.

Their marketing team operated in FUCKING JAPAN you twip. Until it's confirmed for US release, which hasn't happened yet, you have to REALLY be following the Japan Scene to hear about thsi one. Provided you lived under a rock for the week's worth of teaser site reveals.

When is Dragon Quest IX coming out to the U.S?

TBA2010

Monster Hunter didn`t sell pretty much because it wasn`t portable and wasn`t free to play with friends... Two huge reasons the PSP versions *were* so successful. This isn`t a game you play at home with a monthly service cost to play with other people who pay the price - it`s a game you pull out when in the office late waiting for someone to call with nothing to do. And everyone else pulls theirs out and you have fun. None of that means poor sales. If it had been on the PSP again they`d have had amazing success.
For those who know Japanese - Taiko no Tatsujin is now lovingly known as Zaiko no Tatsujin...

Capcom are idiots for not releasing MH Tri on PS3 and 360. High development costs? They would have earned that back in a week!

I'm not saying that releasing it on Wii was a mistake, but it should have been out for all 3 platforms, and perhaps PC too, if they wanted to make an impact in the non-Japanese market.

What your saying reminds me of how harshly Assassin's Creed Bloodlines was reviewed by most places. Of course it has problems due to the limitations of the PSP hardware, but when I'm at work wishing I was home playing Assassin's Creed II, Bloodlines gives me that quick fix that I'm jonesing for because it's close enough.

@Lunastra;
Personally, I don`t think it would really have made a huge difference - and possibly could have just made things worse in some areas. The problems weren`t with graphics - it is with the multi-play system itself. At least with the Wii it`s all one online system and not spread over multiple platforms.
Monster Hunter succeeded on the PSP because of the multi-player aspect. It`s quite common to get together with friends and play MH. Online multiplayer doesn`t quite have the same appeal as just popping the PSP out of your bag and going on a quest with 3 friends who just happen to have about an hour to spare. Especially when the online multiplayer costs money (as it does in Japan - I have heard rumors that it is free elsewhere?)
In Japan, finding 3 friends who have MH and an hour of free time is much easier than finding just one who will make an online play date with you.

There is already a PC version of MH out, with graphics as nice as you want to go, etc... But it is nowhere near as popular as the PSP version for the reasons I cited above.

My husband and I played the death out of MHP2G and were ready to buy another Wii just to play 3 with each other... But the fact that it has a monthly charge killed that thought.

PSN and XBL would be perfect for the multiplayer aspect of the game though. I think it would have a fair chance to become a surprise hit like Demon's Souls in the west too.

But yeah, the social aspect of playing this game with your friends in Japan is certainly a part of why it became so popular for PSP there. But many PSP owners also have PS3s and would love to see an uprgraded version of the game. And don't forget it's a bloody good game too. ;)

What I'm really trying to say is: I want this game for my PS3 more than any other game, even more than GoW3 and GT5!

Basically everyone in Japan has a PS3 so they would have recouped their costs in day 1, let alone week 1!

For the most part, Japan is still a bit hesitant to embrace online gaming. Monster Hunter was a success because of commute times, commonality of play possibilities, and the fact that it was portable. Online gaming is still rather niche of a concept. Which is why most Japanese companies just can't puzzle out online services. See: PS3 and Wii. PS3 is catching up but Nintendo is STILL scratching their head.

Nintendo has no real reason or motivation to step up their online game, though. It hasn't been proven to them that good online sells games at all (by proven to them, i mean proven with their games. They don't at all sell based on their online features, or lack thereof, as NSMBWii is proving)

@Tamyu

So let me get this straight. You're completely ok with spending $200 on another Wii and $100 on two copies of Monster Hunter Tri, yet paying $20 for every three months of gameplay is an impossible barrier?

@Quiggy
Not OK with it - but there is a lot more you can do with a second Wii than with about $40/3 months in fees (Remember, there are two of us...). Also a whole lot more resale value in the end too.
We have a living room and a separate den-office so I don`t see the big issue with buying two consoles. We already have two 360s and two PS3s.

The monthly fees were just the thing that pushed it over the edge. The lack of portability weakened things, and then knowing that because of the fees no one else we regularly played with would be buying it... Well, that killed the desire to pick it up altogether. Although now that it`s fallen to 2980yen everywhere we`ll probably be buying just one copy sometime soon. I find it hard to imagine investing the level of time we put into MHP2G (600+ hours each) on something such a pain to play with friends.

It did sell though. It sold something like 750,000 copies in its first week alone. Of course it would've done better on the PSP but thats why they have the Portable series, and they have said that they are working on Portable 3.

Also, they're talking strictly about the game itself. Not any of the bundles for it.

Alright, that's actually pretty reasonable. And yeah, I did forget that it would be $40, not $20. Although I do envy the pool of money you two must have :D

none of those games really jump out to me as a surprise for not selling well except GT PSP and Persona

Yeah, I thought the Japanese loved GT.

Though I don't think the PSP version was what people were expecting.

Well, reading the article closer, it doesn't say they all underperformed, it says some didn't have good profit margins. Maybe GT, being bundled a lot, fell into that category?

So are they saying that the #1 is the worst performing? Because if that's how it's supposed to be read, then that means that Persona PSP didn't do that badly at retail.

GT PSP has a smooth 60fps, what are you talking about. It's got no career mode, but it's still a nice sampler until GT5 comes out.

GTPSP has a terrible framerate? That's news to me, I've been quite happy with its framerate :/

Who'd want that standard edition of MH3, when you get that sweet classic controller with the special edition?

Why did Dragon Ball do poorly? It seems like it would sell well, unless they majorly overstocked it.

If it didn't sell well it didn't sell well regardless of how many copies were stocked in the first place.

" It features a few more big names, like Sonic, Mario, and Gran Turismo."

...."big name like Mario" is VERY diferent than "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (DS)" =P

The article made me think that japan went nuts and didn't got nsmbw and you say they didn't get the almost mario equivalent of zelda cdi-game =P

When the olympics start in February, I'm sure the Mario/Sonic game will sell very well. If Japan wins a medal, it will sell like hotcakes (or, hot chopped octopus fried in batter).

And... This was supposed to be a reply to my original post. I thought the comment system was fixed. *sob*
Feel free to kill or ignore this one. I`m going to take the reply challenge again and hopefully get it to go where it should have gone.

Blood of Bahamut is simply stunning. Its like Shadow of the Colossus on the freakin DS! If only a US version would come out :(

I never heard of this game, but instantly reading up on it I would definitely play it.

Don't blame the game, blame marketing.

That picture makes me REALLY want a new Shadow of the Colossus.

I thought I was so damn cool for thinking of a joke involving SotC; little did I know that EVERYONE beat me to it.

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Japanese retailer names underperforming games of 2009

Reader Comments (36)

Posted: Dec 3rd 2009 1:05AM KillerSlinky said

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