There's Not a Single PS5, PS4 Game in the Japanese Sales Charts

And yet, PS5 is about to hit 1mil sales in japan. Confusing.

Makes me wonder if Sony regrets getting rid of the PS Vita so early (or not really supporting it in general)

Japan's handheld culture is simply impregnable atm to TV-specific consoles. Japanese commuters also have it relatively safe when gaming while using public transport. In many other countries that play-on-way-to-work- is too much of a risk lol. I would much rather drive to work but in Japan, would probably consider public transport.

Just curious if there are games that maybe should have been in the top 30 but weren't? As in, what AAA games have released recently that got snubbed. Ratchet & Clank has been out for awhile now. Japan gets weird anime stuff we never hear about. The smaller digital only games obviously aren't going to be on the list.

I think it’s time Sony to make a new portable device. But I also think it’s too late for that, especially after the closure of Japan Studio. So now they only have Team Asobi and Polyphony as the only two Japanese first party developers. I think PlayStation have lost the market in Japan, sadly. But they have to get back.

At this point, Nintendo is the only one of the major three companies that are attempting to release games that actually appeal to the Japanese market.

It's a shame, really. Playstation used to be the premier Japanese home console brand.

Man, things have really changed. Actually kinda sad to see.

I’m a big Nintendo fan, but I also love PlayStation, and this is really quite alarming news. I wish Sony would just backtrack a little and announce an all new handheld already! But one that can be linked to a TV, too. Kinda like a Switch.. only not.

You've gotta hand it to Nintendo. They made a great home console, which is super convenient to use and they gobbled up the handheld market all for themselves at the same time.

This is astounding. Fair play to Nintendo but it's slightly worrying for the Japanese market as a whole.

@get2sammyb Nor can Xbox series x which is even harder to get. Hello they use the same chip. Lol They can't create PlayStation consoles without chips. I don't understand how people get short term amnesia. The chips are not just used for ps5 but are shared with Xbox, PC and other electronics worldwide plus the pandemic. Your comment makes no sense. You act like Sony has a choice or they own AMD. They don't own the chip companies nor can Sony control a pandemic. When I see people blaming Sony it just shows people are not in touch with reality and not educated. Educated in terms of how consoles are made not high school education. They Sony, Microsoft and more pay them for the chips and if there's a shortage Sony can't scream or magically make more during a global pandemic now playing catch up from having less people work on chips. It's a domino effect. If you mean games they can't ship you have to be more clear because that doesn't make sense. Sony can't control if Horizon Zero Dawn gets pushed back. What do you mean they can't ship physical software? There's tons of different companies who make games. I don't recall there being a shortage in physical disc being developed. There's a video on YouTube you can watch that shows step by step at the factory how a game is manufactured and distributed. It's machine automated and very fast. There is no game shortage. Just console shortage because of lack of chips.

It is Sony fault, they allowed Nintendo to take the market, instead of shutting down Japan Studios, they should invest in more Japanese style games that appeal to the Japanese market. Also, we are seeing more niche Japanese games skip PlayStation and release on Nintendo. It is only going to get worse throughout this generation.

@DekuGotNext It's not Sony's fault, a lot of Japanese made games don't sell well in Japan and they have to opt for selling their software in the west.

This really sucks considering that majority of the PS games that I love are made by Japanese devs, especially Japan Studios. That picture of Kat makes me sad knowing that we may never get a new Gravity Rush game

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi So what?

Literally 22 of those 30 top games are Nintendo Switch exclusives (on console, at least). Games that appeal to the Japanese market are being published almost exclusively on that platform.

Almost all of which, believe it or not, don't involve "slapping screens and gambling for steel balls."

They have just been to busy waiting in front of their TV screens for the Abandoned trailer/experience/thing to drop and haven't had the time to buy games obviously.😁

yet another reason why reporting physical only sales data is pointless

@trev666 Why? Because that would make the entire top 30 PlayStation games? People do buy digital games on Switch too.

Maybe the Japanese feel that Playstation (or Sony's gaming division in general) is American now? Not that the games on Playstation being less and less Japanese in style, spirit and weirdness have anything to do with it.

Sony doesn’t care about Japan anymore. This is what they get for killing of the Vita due to bad marketing on their part and also not making games specifically for Japanese audiences

@gollumb82 precisely

Hoping Demon Slayer changes this conversation in Japan when it releases.

@mrtennis1990 Demon Slayer is huge in Japan. It'll definitely sell very well. Ditto with games like Dragon Quest and Monster Hunter.

The only western game worth playing is MineCraft says it all 🤦‍♂️

It is a Stagnant / Monotone market. The rest of the industry moved on instead of "Catering" to it. And if a Gamer or Creative Artsist, be thankful.

Because not about "Sony"... If up to Japan, most of the gaming industry would go bankrupt.

Switch games are less likely to be bought digitally than Playstation games

In 2018, one third of Monster Hunter: Worlds PS4 sales in Japan were digital. Only 8% of Super Smash Bros Ultimate sales were digital on the Switch. That's a massive difference.

I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of Playstation sales in Japan are now digital. Internet connectivity is great, and homes are small which makes storing a pile of blu-ray discs inconvenient.

Source: https://www.gematsu.com/2019/02/famitsu-2018-japan-video-game-sales-report

From my own perspective, the PS5 is a prospect that hasn’t matured yet- quite a few games delayed, quite a few reissues of old PS4 games, a couple of solid looking but a niche exclusives. At some point you know it will be the place to play the big graphically impressive games. But until then we’re living in Nintendo’s time as they have a mass of really diverse titles, especially for people who love Japanese style games.

There’s a completely different culture for gaming in Japan. It’s far less common for adults (25+) to play console games in Japan. And that includes Switch too. Almost every kid and teenager in Japan has a Switch, which is where these sales figures are coming from.
Adults do game, but as some other commentators said, that is largely mobile. You ride the subway or trains around Tokyo and you won’t see many adults playing Switch but a hell of a lot playing smartphone games.
As others have said too, there hasn’t been any big releases recently though. PS5s are still so hard to come by too - I’ve been trying literally every time there is stock for 6 months - no luck.

As time passes, retail-only game sales charts become increasingly meaningless.

I doubt Sony has any regrets. Just look at their quarter results.

@Agramonte "is a Stagnant / Monotone market. The rest of the industry moved on instead of "Catering" to it. "

Ah yes, the super varied Western market moved on to greener pastures, like having GTA, Minecraft, COD and FIFA in the top 10 of every country every week. Now that's what I call a diverse market!

@__jamiie Because different systems have different storefronts. On PlayStation it is very easy and convenient to buy games digitally, and especially desirable during large sales. Nintendo on the other hand is known for quite high prices on their online store, which pushes customers into retail.

The only way you can compare sales is by using total number of games sold.

@ThomasHL I think this is so true. New PlayStation games are ALWAYS sold at full price, until they have a PlayStation Hits version. Seriously, you go into an electronics store and they have games 5 years old at full price. Used prices are getting a lot cheaper, and digital purchases get the same discount we get in the west.
Switch games on the other hand rarely get a sizeable digital discount, are near retail price for used, so it makes sense to just buy them new at retail price.

Only physical? Lol. Nobody buys physical for Playstation just like nobody really buys digital on the Switch.
There was an article of the ratio for both consoles once where the difference of physical and digital sales of each console was night and day different. Switch owners bought almost only physical while PS players where around 60 - 70% digital, I think.
Unfortunately, I can't find it.

There isn't a huge amount of games out for PS5 at the moment, so it's not surprising that the Nintendo Switch, which has a larger install base, has taken those top 30 slots. With Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding, Tales of Arise and others on the horizon, I'm sure Sony will steal back some of those top slots.

The fanboy gymnastics in the comments are great. Facts are, the only indications Sony is doing well are coming from Sony. I’m sure the story will change when their “big guns” start firing, but right now it’s not in a very healthy place.

@rjejr At Top 30 in Japan you would hope some piece of Sony software was “evergreen” at this point. Nintendo has titles that haven’t left the Top 30 since they debuted years ago. It doesn’t take much to stick around.

@Amppari Japan has scalpers too.

thats what sony gets for moving playstation to Karenfornia .

#FireRyan

Still always surprising how Japan makes some of the best games around, yet the actual consumers there have abysmal taste in games

@clvr Right, because Mario Kart, RE Village, MH Rise have not also been in the mix with COD, F1, Valhalla, R&C, Spiderman. They buy millions of Nintendo and Japanese games also (on every console and now on PC)

The beloved "Inovative Indie Community" everyone always gushing about is thanks to the player base in the West.

Hades is already down to #19 in the Japanese eshop after just 4 weeks on Switch. Send Disco Elysium out to die also.

We buy everything!... Switch, PS5, XSX.. Japanese Games, Western Games... AAA, AA, Indies... Sony games, Nintendo Games, Capcom Games, Ubisoft games, Spider Games.

Who do you think is driving GamePass growth. Hint: Not Japan (they do not care about Xbox or PC either)

Sony has found their market and it's not Japan. Top sales now are dedicated to new releases and best of all-time games (i.e. GTA V, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe etc.) Highly doubt they care since the performance of PS5 remains high and if they don't care, neither do I.

And what new Playstation games not on Switch that appeal to Japan have released lately?

PS has made it clear they aren't interested in appealing to Japan, or even Western gamers that like Japanese games. They're all in on every western trend/focus test/social phenomenon. It's not surprising Japan has nothing to buy.

Sad, though. For me Playstation's identity is for the types of games Japan makes that won't fit on a Nintendo. Without that, most of the PS appeal is lost on me. I pick up the exclusives, buy everything else elsewhere, and while I value those exclusives, there's just not much that compels me to pick up my PS too often. My Playstation experience ATM is playing the PS3 versions of TCS1 & 2 and (PS4 version in ugly 720p) Tales of Berseria on Now, because I can stream them elsewhere, even though I own the PS4 remasters.....

@Spiders “evergreen”

Thanks. While it would be nice if some stuck around long term, I was more wondering if the point of the article was that some particular game had flopped miserably but they forgot to tell us which game it was.

Way I see it:

Switch games - launch at MSRP, stay MSRP for 4 years while everybody who buys a new Switch buys them at full MSRP

PS4/5 games - buy them at launch, or wait 3 months and buy them at 3/4 price, or wait 6 months and buy them at half price, or wait a year and buy them for $10 digitally, or wait 2 years until they are on PS+.

If GoW2, Horizon 2, Spiderman 2 don't break the top 30 at release in Japan, then Sony will have a serious problem. Or, everybody in Japan is just buying Sony games digitally. These sales stats really needed a digital component like 2 years ago.

@KingSimba I would absolutely love a ps vita-like, handheld, so I could download my purchased games and play on the go; all the small, indie titles that work so well with remote play, would be great to play away from the console, while on the move or at a friend's house!

This information is worthless without the digital sales....

Talk to me when you get the digital numbers too...

And by looking at the amount each of those games in that list sold... it doesn't surprise me why most of the biggest and medium gaming Japanese companies (Sega, Atlus, Square Enix, Capcom, etc.) are looking more at the west for sales. Don't delude yourselves in thinking otherwise.

Also, the fact that the number #1 game in that list just sold a mere 14912 copies is awful.

As time goes by, Japan is become irrelevant in terms of sales when it comes to console/PC games. Right now (for better or worse) Japan is all about mobile games like Fate/Grand Order (by Aniplex), Arknights (by Yostar), Pokemon Go (Niantic), Uma Musume Pretty Derby (by Cygames), etc... that's what most people over there are actually playing (and like).

@Agramonte I get your point and I don't think you're completely off-base, but I think you're exaggerating the percentage of enthusiasts like us on this site who like to play a lot of different games.
If we look at the sales charts, I think what emerges is that both markets are stagnant and repetitive, it's just that Japanese stagnation looks anime while Western stagnation looks edgy.
You're certainly right about the Japanese playing fewer Western games than we do Japanese, though.

@mariomaster96 I genuinely hope Sony releases another portable whether it be a Vita 2 or their own version of the recently announced steam deck. The Vita for me was such an underrated platform especially when it comes to remote play, I can't tell you how freaking awesome it was for me to play my PS4 while in bed watching TV with my wife! The biggest mistake I made was giving my Vita to my little brother as I actually miss the remote play aspect. I think if we look at the PSP as well as the Vita we can see Sony knows how to make a decent portable console. That being said the Vita came out right when smart phones were beginning to take off and the lack of major games made the console fail. I think if Sony were to do it all over again but now a decade later I believe Sony could definitely make a good portable gaming console. For me I am interested in the steam deck because it's more powerful than the PS4 & is much open ended thanks to it being a PC. I can see if it sells extremely well I can see other gaming companies following suit. Happy gaming ✌️

Unless you compare like for like, you got nothing.
Ive bought most ps5 titles in the last year, but its digital sales only, so my sales dont get noticed.
I would suggest the people in japan who have bought a ps5 are more likely to be the people who would buy digitally too. I have no doubt switch is killing it, but if you dont have sales figures then you dont know the attach rate. Physical sales are a very poor indicator of retail performance....

I'm just happy to see Kat on the front page of Push Square.

Keep the dream alive!

Could that be because the Japanese have taste and culture? And reject homogenized woke blandness?

Sony is doomed!

... in Japan.

I'm only here because of Kat. I bought a PS4 because of her. Let's hope she can get me to buy a PS5.

@badbob001 Gravity Rush is dead, unfortunately. The developer that made the GR games is disbanded.

@Ralizah All hope isn't lost, Sony still owns the IP. They can make Gravity Rush 3 in a gritty urban setting where the black hole at the bottom of the world pillar has consumed all life and turned everyone into Nevicrosis. Kat has been returned to Heckesville, with a new dark personality, twisted by her time away. Experience Gravity Rush like never before, as Dark Kat feeds off the energy of the few survivors of Heckesville in search for answers, accompanied at all times by wise-cracking companion Raven (now with 500% more piercings, and long bangs that obscure her eyes) in an all new 3rd person wide-linear action adventure featuring the voice talents of Kate Blanchett and Miley Cyrus.

@Amppari just goes to show... People weren't buying a PlayStation for it's games.

@EliTheRealist1 or, japan loves astro’s playroom.

Where is Scarlet Nexus? Didn’t Judgment just get a PS5 version? Isn’t Demon’s Souls a Japanese developed game? Did FF7R do well? It has new DLC with Intergrade.

The few Japanese developed games PS5 has just aren’t selling on their home turf. Not sure why.

@Amppari @EliTheRealist1 Maybe they mistakenly thought it was a Switch Pro.

Or they're just selling them on eBay for $1k USD

I wonder if we're seeing the impact of scalpers here. Hardware units get snatched up, but since they're being hoarded and sold at ridiculous prices, gamers themselves aren't actually getting their hands on them and buying software.

People on NintendoLife are taking the announcement as a personal victory, as if they somehow contributed to how well the switch is doing in Japan.

@rjejr I think Nintendo’s pricing has a lot to do with their ability to have titles stay around in bestseller lists too. For a counter example, I probably would have broken down and bought Ghost of Tsushima by now, but I’ve been trained by Sony to wait until the game is $20-30 if I can hold out.

Now they seem to have gone the other way, at least with that title and Death Stranding, and it does seem to be a different approach to try and achieve a similar result.

@ATaco I think it’s the fact that people had Switch “doomed” from the system’s announcement, and here we are with Nintendo dominant in many metrics of this generation. It’s fun to be right, or even wrong if you’re happy that you were.

@nofriendo This has been my sense since Sony announced it was the fastest selling system ever. It sure don’t feel like it in the streets. I feel like PS3 had more people playing it at launch. When you hear stories like scalpers warehousing the damn things and see nothing charting in Japan, it’s not crazy to believe.

@Th3solution Are we really expecting more people to be excited about repurchasing games they already played, however improved?

Demon’s Souls is an all-time favorite game of mine, and I’m only mildly interested in revisiting it. PS5 is an incredible machine, but the current (and foreseeable) software situation is pretty grim.

@Spiders Isn't that how all console launches go? PS4 is doomed, 3DS is doomed etc etc. It's all just fanboy console war nonsense to me. Good on Nintendo for seemingly being the only platform that still caters to Japanese players tastes...but that's because we don't count digital sales.

For the record, I own a digital PS5 console. I'm all in on a digital future. So my purchases won't be counted on these charts anymore and I don't think I'm going to be in the minority with digital only going forward.

@Titntin Sales for Scarlet Nexus were 10:1 physical. If that’s any indication, I don’t think Japan has adopted digital like the West has.

@ATaco Not really. “Nintendoomed” is the meme for a reason.
I don’t understand your “digital sales” argument. Nintendo also has digital sales, and the physical/digital ratio is probably very similar. Certainly it’s not dissimilar enough to be able to keep every single PS5 title out of the Top 30 sellers list.

If you’re saying you think there are digital-only games on PS5 that are cracking that list, and over Switch’s digital only titles, I doubt it.

@ThomasHL That makes a lot of sense, considering you'll always be able to connect up and dl games and patches when you play consoles, but the Switch you may want to install the game when out so it makes more sense to get it physical on a portable device with only 32gb base storage.

@Ralizah Why waste your energy on the Japanese market anymore just ship the extra console to the West where they sell stuff. Consoles dont make you money but software does. Even the more Japanese games dont sell there because of the Switch.

@Spiders I see a lot of the games that still sell in the West so the pricing does not seem like such a big problem here. Its just that the Japanese love portable Sony does not have a portable product so the sales go to Nintendo. And is a tenner for a game with a new expansion with it a problem? A complete quality game with expansion for €70 is nicely priced in my eyes.

@MrGawain ooooh don’t tell the truth. You’ll get some folks riled up. You’re right, of course; it’s not a fully mature system yet. Many aspects of this generation are still “baking.” On top of that, Japan’s a market that has changed.

@Spiders yeah, but your post history and posts clearly show you have an agenda and are pretty involved in trying to push it, so I certainly wouldn't accept any conclussions you reach at face value, but thanks for the stat.
Whilst your entitled to have, and represent your viewpoint of course, i do wander why people love to push negative attitudes so much. Unless you wish to dispute Sonys reported sales figures, the console is the fastest selling of all time and is shifting a lot of software. Why you would choose to fight such an assertion is known prehaps only to you, but I can assure you your experiences are certainly not reflected in other peoples. Ive been around for every single games machine launch since the atari vcs, spent years importing from japan whilst the west didnt have games, and have owned every machine. I spent 20 years as a dev for many AAA games and have worked for Sony, Microsoft, Electonic Arts and many others, and currently have all the platforms including a 3090 pc. With the exception of the handheld pc engine i imported from japan (i loved that thing!), the PS5 has been my favourite launch in gaming history.
Whilst that hardly invalidates anyone elses opinion on the matter, im hoping it does illustrate that others with a decent handle on the buisness dont see it the same way. Theres no right, we simply have different views. In my case, it makes me happy and im gaming as much today as any time in gamings history, its a fantatic time to be into games.
You seem rather tired of it all and not happy. Thats a shame and I genuinely hope that changes for you as this is surely about having fun? Peace.

One can't judge as long as they have the digital sales number

Considering how Ninty seems to be dominating everywhere for years, only to find out that PSN alone in making more than all of Ninty, I'd say digital numbers are incredibly important.

Having said that, Sony should have invested much more in Japan, even if those games weren't blockbusters (e.g. Gravity Rush 3, etc.).

@Don_Corleone ... what are you yapping on about? What's does any of this have to do with the article?

@Spiders Funny, I bought Ghost of Tushima b/c it hit $30 - Amazon Prime days - about a week before they announced the directors cut. Haven't started it yet, thinking about dropping the $20 on the DLC even though I don't have a PS5 yet. Depends when I start playing. Holding out hope for a PS5 for Christmas.

I know a lot of people have been talking about Sony not putting their games on sale any more but really with the scarcity of the PS5 I think it makes sense. Whole world has been weird for 18 months, not really a time to be making comparisons. Look at the movie industry and Scar-Jo's battle with Disney. Everything is a bit off.

@Spiders I was just trying to think of some of the Japanese properties that PS5 has and wondering why they are more popular in the West. The fact that many are remakes is merely circumstantial to my query. …unless we are under the assumption that Japan is less inclined to play remakes of an older game than Westerners. …oh wait, the best selling game in the history of the Switch is a remake of a WiiU game from 2014 (and it continues to top the charts) — Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Not to mention New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe, Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening, etc, etc. There’s plenty of remakes on Nintendo’s side too, so that’s not why PlayStation games aren’t selling; it’s not like the Japanese palate is more refined for new properties.

Now if what you’re saying is that the early days of PS5 is more filled with remakes proportionally then you might have a point, but still, I would think those would be attractive to people who didn’t have a PS4 and I just don’t think people in Japan are saying “I think I’ll pass on Demon’s Souls. I’ve already played that. But ooooh — look at that that shiny new copy of Among Us! I know I’ve played 100 hours of that on my phone but I reckon I’ll grab it for my Switch.”

But back to my original question, what I don’t understand is why traditionally Japanese properties on PlayStation are selling better in the US and Europe, like Final Fantasy, Persona, Souls games, etc. I don’t expect Japan to gobble up Uncharted, Horizon Zero Dawn, or Mass Effect, but I do think Yakuza series games, Persona games, Final Fantasy games, Tales games, etc should at least be charting over there. And I realize there are relatively few that are new (of course at least half of the top selling switch games are much older than FF7R and Yakuza Like a Dragon - not to mention really new Japanese developed games like Guilty Gear Strive and Scarlet Nexus) but we’ve got some coming with Tales of Arise and Lost Judgment, so we’ll see.

I just think it’s a problem that Sony needs to solve in order to stay relevant in the East. They don’t have to overthrow Nintendo, but they do need to stay relevant. Is it marketing? Is it the games themselves? Is it the console?

@KingSimba They have to but will they is the question. I doubt Jim ryan cares or wants that anyway

@Ralizah and it will probably stay that way unless there are changes at the leadership level

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi yeah it makes absolute sense that a culture obsessed with infantile imagery and terrible dialogue of course love Nintendo's kiddish games

@Spiders Well without a way to accurately track such information it's all conjecture. These sales chart are going to become less and less reliable as we continue to March towards a more digital oriented future and I for one will be happy to be done with these "haha my game sold more than your game" competitions.

@Th3solution

The games they're making that are made by Japanese studios are simply not catering to the Japanese. They're made with the west in mind, not Japan. Scarlet Nexus, Guilty Gear Strive, Tales of Arise, FF16 are all made to appeal to the west. Japanese people don't care for westernized Japanese games. Mobile and browser games that cater to them like Fate Go, Azur Lane, Kancolle, Umamusame, Granblue Fantasy, Idolmaster ect, all make way more money and are way more popular than any of these wannabe western AAA games. The problem is those big Japanese consoles games have lost the soul of being a Japanese game. The censorship of Japans games by Sony was the cherry ontop.

@Necodriver Interesting, and thanks for the insight. It’s strange that AAA developers would do that, unless there was inherently a financial motivation to develop for a market other than your own. I think of Kojima as a Japanese developer who caters to the West but I figured he would be the exception rather than the standard.

I can’t think of any similar situation in the West though. Are there Western developers who eschew their home market in order to attract an audience in Japan? The closest I can think of is Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Tsushima which did fair in Japan, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was targeted at selling to the Japanese gamers. Perhaps I don’t know any examples because by definition the games aren’t popular here and wouldn’t be highlighted. But articles like this would suggest that indeed, those games do not exist. Games made in the West don’t sell in Japan, apparently. However the converse is not true. We like to buy Japanese games. FromSoft games are like an entire rabid subculture over here, as is Mario, Zelda, and co.

I think the premature death of the Vita did the company no favours in Japan. The mobile gaming environment has effectively been handed to Nintendo by Sony's short sightedness.
I wonder what the Japanese are buying the PS5 for? Bragging rights to say they've found one?

@get2sammyb Why do you keep referring to Playstation as a Japanese company when it's clearly becoming as American as M$?

Its amazing how Nintendo went from the laughing stock of the industry with WiiU to the king of the hill once again in just 4 years. Goes to show you how a few strategic business decisions can change everything.
But I'm with a lot of you...although alarming, I'm sure numbers that included digital sales would shift the picture a lot. Either way, the old adage still holds true: no games, no sales. Switch has all the games, PS5 has no games.

@Th3solution

Yeah it's interesting but not surprising. Sony has pushed Japanese developers away from making Japanese games appealing. Take this example. Look at Atelier Ryza 1&2, look at the characters, their designs, the costumes ect. Those games sold like hot cakes from a series with just generally okayish sales. Now look at Scarlet Nexus characters, their designs, the costumes and see the reason for the low sales in Japan. Japanese people want interesting characters, with appealing designs and costumes. These new westernized Japanese games like Scarlet Nexus and Tales of Arize are not delivering on any of the fronts that appeal to Japanese people or even people that love Japanese games. They're devoid of soul in order to appeal to the west and not the fans of Japanese games west but normal people.

@Titntin What’s my agenda!? I love talking about games. I’ve been playing my whole life. I’ve loved Atari, Nintendo, NEC, SEGA, Sony and Microsoft machines, and recently started playing on PC for the first time since the Apple IIc, and play on Steam, Epic, Xbox, and itch.io.

My “agenda” is Sony pushed an expensive system out during a pandemic with global supply chain shortages into the hands of profiteers. They cut off their legs in Japan. They’re pushing the prices of games up during a time when most economies are in the dumps. They can’t even justify their new hardware for most of the owners, complaining about cross-gen holding innovation back (which I don’t necessarily agree with).

My “agenda” is I love gaming more than any I care about one company or corporation, and I’m not going to be a sycophant or believe their PR on it’s face, especially when the reality for me and others is very different.

I want to Sony (and everyone) to do well. They were amazing in the PS4 era when they didn’t even have to be to succeed. That is not what’s happening today, and I’m not going to talk about how nice the emperor’s clothes are with fanboys.

@MrGawain That’s my sense too. This feels like the PS3 era where it took a few years to right the ship, then it was place to play... offline anyway;)

@Necodriver “Sony has pushed Japanese developers away from making Japanese games appealing.” I mean, is this really the case? I’ve always understood Sony to be quite open to giving developers creative freedom. Outside or Bend studios recent debacle with denial of Days Gone 2, I’ve not heard of developers being limited in their creative visions. We have friggin’ Dreams for cryin’ out loud. A game that has taken almost a decade to make and sold like barely any copies, but has been given a very wide berth to create because there was a legitimate artistic and creative outlook the developers were passionate about. Other examples from Sony published games exist — Death Stranding. Detroit: Become Human. Returnal. Concrete Genie. Erica. All the VR stuff. Their first and second party stuff is filled with projects where the developers have been given lots of leeway to make the games they want to make.

Perhaps they have a different mindset with their Japanese studios. Perhaps they have hamstrung them all and forced them to Westernize their games. If so, it just doesn’t make sense to do so when this is a Japanese company in origin.

@Flaming_Kaiser I can’t tell you what a good value is to you. I played FFVIIR on Plus, so I’d be paying $70 for a DLC. If I had the disc and a PS5, personally I wouldn’t buy maybe Death Stranding or GoT with this new model I might bite if there was nothing else to play... which seems like the case now.

I played all backlog and old games in 2020 and I appreciate the idea of extending the generation and the longevity of these titles, but being very cheap is a big part of the value there.
I heard this somewhere and I think they nailed it: Playstation 5 is the best system... to play PS4 games.

Maybe it’s a value to you and I, but it’s a tough sell to most people. This isn’t the Wii U where most people missed these games, and even then I think it’s fair to be critical of those prices. Two years ago when I had money to burn on games, I’d grab Super Mario 3D World for $60, and GoT + DLC for full price even though I waited for price drop.
Now though? No way.

@Spiders
"I’m not going to talk about how nice the emperor’s clothes are with fanboys." -Thus clearly showing you either didn't read, or simply failed to comprehend anything I've said.
Your use of the term 'fanboy' is unwarranted and shows a complete unacceptance that anyone else can reach different conclusions or have different needs and tastes to yourself - clearly only you have the intellect to see the truth and anyone not seeing it your way is obviously to be tarnished with a generic term.
Pointless to even discuss further. I'm loving this gen so far, as are those I know that still game. More people have bought a machine and more people want a machine then ever before. Pointless negativity from a malcontent in a chat room cannot change those facts.

@ATaco For sure, but it’s really interesting besides the “rah rah” console wars stuff.

There hasn’t been a chart domination like that in over 30 years. It means “something” and more than just a console pissing contest. Since we’re on the Sony site, you gotta point out it’s not a good look for Sony at all. How many games are hiding on the digital only charts really? Games tend to do well on both in a proportionate ratio.

I think it maps onto Sony’s abandonment of Japan, and this either is the canary in the coal mine that they saw coming and it justifies their pulling of resources there, or the first results of many indicating they being out of touch with reality. All speculation, but what else is a gaming forum for?

@rjejr I grabbed Sekiro and Yakuza 7 for $10 and $20, plus Nioh and Nioh 2 for pennies around that same time. I thought GoT at $30 was an indication it would be $20 after the holidays. I kinda wish I snapped it up, but now I think I’ll just wait until this edition is bargain bin cheap because I don’t know when I’ll be able to find or afford a PS5.

@Titntin Dude, I’m playing more games than I ever have, just not on a PS5. I love this messed-up in between generation. GG Strive is keeping my PS4 spinning, and I got Gamepass for PC which really took over my Switch gaming and the older titles I was playing on Steam.

I’m glad your having a great time too! We’re obviously in two different bubbles, and that’s why we should be sharing our perspectives — especially when they seem “negative” to the other. You’re obviously in peer groups that had the resources to get PS5s and maybe not hurt so much spending 70 bucks on a game.
My gaming peer group was hit very hard by the pandemic, and some of my friends have turned to emulation and pira.... “retro”, some have gone to indie games on potato PC laptops and some have gone to Gamepass on PC or Series S.
I think Sony did a great thing with the free games they’ve putting out so I’m not trying to knock them wholesale. I’m really talking about the PS5’s position today from that perspective, and, obviously from Japan relating to this article.

From my perspective, Sony is losing a lot of fans, and not because they want to leave for greener pastures. They’re getting priced out and the company is tone-deaf to what they want, of which AA, indie, and Japanese games is a major part of.

Does that not warrant a “negative” attitude because you’re having fun? Isn’t it obvious there’s also a lot of people who are going to be left behind?

@Spiders To me this simply means that the Xbox and PlayStation are busy transitioning from the previous gen to the current gen while Nintendo is carrying on with the aging switch. Not only that but the former two consoles picked the worst time to do it, no fault of their own since they couldn't plan for a pandemic and the shortages that followed.

The one thing that catches me about this is that we got hit by said pandemic and just the impact it had on the world. It's not so much that Sony has given up, it's more that there's never really been an event like this before and since Nintendo didn't have to worry about a new generation they were in the perfect position to capitalize. I'm sure the charts will stabilize again once heavy hitters in Japan start coming out, games like Tales of Arise and the Final Fantasies, which aren't available on the switch. Sony and Xbox just need longer than usual to find their footing after coming off that.

@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Does that have anything to do with gaming, or are you just another moral guardian who thinks your puritanical western values should be forced on other cultures, white guy.

If you don't like what goes on in Japan, then don't go there. But that's not how bigotry works, right?

@Th3solution

Money and bad leadership are big reasons. Japanese games are niche and Sony now just wants blockbusters. They've abandoned the niche and thus have abandoned Japanese games. It's the reason why all these big Japanese games are westernized. They're not made for the Japanese, or fans of Japanese games. They're made for average gamers in the west. Sony has become a lot like MS, in that they now only care for big western game and no longer want to have a diverse niche of which most Japanese games are a part of. I expect the same low sales in japan for Tales of Arise, since without the anime style visuals, it's basically a western game that does not cater to Japanese taste. Boring designs and westernization do not go well in japan. None of these westernized Japanese games will be remembered by the Japanese. None of the characters from Tales of Arise or Scarlet Nexus will be remembered like 2B and Ryza are remembered and beloved. Code Vein did well in Japan because it catered to them as well as Japanese game fans.

WOW, i expected at least a single game on Famitsu top selling software, given that Sony stated PS5 is her fastest selling hardware, what happened here? did the japanese rejected the PS5?

@Necodriver While I think we agree in some respects it's not the character design that's the issue. I think you're getting too into what would be an over all surface level problem. I mean Geshin has some pretty generic designs and that's pretty popular. And Kaine from Replicant is dressed the same, but that game didn't do as well as Automata. Also, Ghost of Tsushima did pretty well and Jin doesn't look like a typical Japanese game protagonist.

God Eater 3 had character designs that you are mentioning, but it still didn't due super well, it did better for sure that some of the other Bandai Namco titles. However, the previous entries had much better user base. Code Vein had to make a lot of deep discounts in order to sell as well as it did. Again it's not the "Character design". Incidentally, Code Vein isn't on the Switch and God Eater 3 was a later port. Kind of funny for a game that was known to be a Handheld Monster Hunter game. But I'll get into that later in this post.

No, the issue the over all game design and aesthetics. I can't find the Twitter quote, or I'd quote it. Anyway, a Japanese twitter user actually applauded that Xbox's first party exclusives in the new gen were a Flight Sim and Racing game. Not a shooter or an action game. Incidentally, Xbox is doing a lot better this gen in Japan than last gen. It's not flying off the shelves or anything, but it's definitely found a tiny niche group.

Look just making a character look a certain way is not going to solve a fundamental issue in that the games bones aren't necessarily good for that market. Going on about Scarlet Nexus is kind of funny because it's not on the Switch to compare the sales. Which is another issue being ignored here. You can talk about Westernization, but let's look at one fact here-

*Switch combined SKUs has literally double the install base of the Playstation Combined SKUs." In Japan.

Not putting a game on the system with the largest install base kind of makes it difficult to sell to that country don't you think? Imagine how people feel when games don't make the conversion to PlayStation? It's the largest install base is a common argument.

I'm not disagree with your points about the big AAA games coming from Japan being Westernized, I just think your too focused on one aspect.

Edit: Accidentally pushed Reply before I was done.

@Titntin @Spiders The financial proposition of the entire ps5 ecosystem reminds me of Don Matricks infamous hubris at the X1 launch some of us we're discussing on the XB sister site of this site a few days ago. Regarding the idea of wanting backwards compatibility, offline play, and shareable purchases he had that infamous line "We've got a console for those people. It's called Xbox 360."

That line was the nail in his coffin and the entire X1. It was pure hubris. The customer he wanted for the X1 was a media consuming, premium paying, luxury buying high earner living in the right, metropolitan postal codes with priority internet access. And then he lost every other type of customer to PS4.

Current PS leadership seems to be taking a similar stance with PS5 as a similarly premium product for a certain consumer with a particularly large discretionary income and seem incredulous to any push back. They're successful now on the back of PS4, and Nintendo has been playing the premium pricing game as well, though they always have. but competition is just getting started this gen, and while PS5 certainly isn't a bad console, there's also nothing particularly special about it, either. Switch has the hybrid handheld angle. Xbox has the game pass selling point that works as a platform gimmick. PS5 is just a PS4 pro plus with an SSD and some controller feedback extensions. And expensive games.

Psvr2 might be the gimmick that makes it special. Not then will probably be playing on a $1k+ console which kind of cements the criticism.

@Necodriver I mean, yeah I can sort of see your point, but “Japanese games are niche and Sony now just wants blockbusters” …well yes and no — Every company wants to make money, but Sony is definitely not avoiding niche gaming markets. Sure, they want the next big AAA blockbuster, but they do plenty of diversification into smaller markets. VR is the epitome of niche. Sony’s known for funding weird stuff like the FMV game like Erica. And of course they’re backing Dreams which has to be losing millions and is too niche to make any money.

I also was feeling similar to @mousieone in that I think the character design is probably only one of the issues. In fact, “boring” design is definitely a very subjective thing, and I don’t know it would be accurate to say Western design = boring design. I’m looking through a Westerner’s eyes, so I admit my bias, but I just don’t think the average gamer in Japan would cite the character design to be their complaint, but maybe I’m wrong.
And again, is Sony the one forcing Capcom to make Resident Evil Village so Westernized that it doesn’t even chart in the top 30 in Japan? All the while games like Human Fall Flat, and Ace Angler are hitting the top 30.

I can understand games developed here not doing well, but games developed there by third party developers (non-Sony funded) should be more in tune with what will sell.

So I’m not so sure it’s a Sony problem, per se. I think it’s a cultural rift and an allegiance to the Nintendo console. We have Japanese studios making PS5 and Xbox games that are immensely popular in the West, but aren’t being bought in the Land of the Rising Sun. My guess is that if RE Village was released on the Switch for $70 it would at least hit the top 30. Same for Demon’s Souls, or Persona 5 Royal, or Ratchet & Clank, or Spider-Man, or any of the fantastic critically acclaimed games on PS/Xbox, no matter what studio they come from. Maybe I’m wrong and it’s a really difficult thought experiment to make.

It's because the Japanese are more hardcore gamers or kids and both groups don't have anything to buy right now. What does Sony expect us to buy? Returnal and ratchet and Clank twice? There are no new games worth buying on ps5 or PS4. We have only been getting 1 good game every 3 or 4 months if that.

@Denni5m Yes, the point could be made that there’s a shortage of new games on PS5 or PS4 (although that’s only partially true) but look at the list and see that only 10 out of the top 30 games were released in the last 3 months (and some of those are old games anyways, like the Trails of Cold Steel II port), so it’s not like older Switch games aren’t selling and the Japanese are only buying new games. Quite the opposite — the vast majority of the top 30 games are quite dated, including the likes of MK8, Super Smash Bros, Splatoon 2, and Minecraft.

So we really can’t say “well, nothing new is coming out on PS5,” as although that might play a small role, there are oodles of PS4 games (and some PS5 games) to choose from and play on their PS5’s via backwards compatibility.

@Th3solution funny you mention that. The Capcom Leak suggests a new Resident Evil game, but with Switch as the lead platform. Like MH Rise?

It’s really hard to gage because so many games skip Switch or they come later. But the notion that its character design when games like Sakura of Rice and Ruin sold better on the Switch o.O or end up having better legs like SW5.

I’d also like to point out, COD was the only reason this didn’t happen earlier this year. COD the most Western game you can get -

https://www.gematsu.com/2021/01/famitsu-sales-1-4-21-1-10-21

Literally Call of Duty is the reason it took the Switch another 8 months to push PlayStation numbers in Japan out.

@mousieone Ha — well, there it is then. I didn’t realize that fact about COD. So yeah, if COD was outselling FF7R and Persona 5 Royal and all the others on PS5, then it’s definitely not just “Western style games can’t sell in Japan.” That’s an interesting tidbit.

So I’ll be interested to see how RE on Switch does. Like I predicted above, I suspect it’ll sell just fine.

But your point about COD made me think another thing — perhaps all those PlayStations (and there are roughly 9 million of them between PS4 and PS5, as compared to 20 million Switches) are mainly being used for F2P games, and that’s why sales are low. Surely gamers aren’t buying PS4’s and PS5’s and just not using them or only run Netflix on them or something. Maybe they buy the PS consoles for the large multiplayer games like Warzone, Genshin Impact, Apex Legends, etc.

Edit: that info from the last 9 months also shows the “but there’s no new PS5 games” narrative as being a minor issue in the whole lack of PS sales in Japan.

@Th3solution yeah but the point is you have gamers like me who have nothing left play on their primary systems so now we are reverting to the switch. I'm a prime example, I just bought a switch 2 months ago and now have bought 4 switch games in the last 2 months. Because there is nothing worth while playing on ps5/PS4 or even PC as well. I have played everything that is great. We have had a real dry spell over the last 2 years of great games and it's now catching up with people like me who now have nothing to play but below average games, or go to a new platform like the switch.

@Denni5m oh — I misunderstood your point. That does account for a different take on it.
I’m not familiar enough with the Switch to know if the converse is true though — is Switch having all that many new releases over the last couple years? Aren’t the avid old Switch players running out of options too and needing to jump to a new console also?

@Spiders By the time you're able to find a PS5 on a store shelf you may be able to afford a PS5. 😉

@Umar That’s the problem. I feel PlayStation has become a “Western” company. I don’t like this “cinematic experience” approach. It feels soulless. I assure you, people will get bored with it. Variety is essential.

@Spiders Thanks for your reply. I'm delighted your enjoying games too, and your right, we do appear to be in different situations. I'm an old man with disposable income and a lifetime of my spending has always been on games and machines since I was a young adult.
I'm not un sympathetic to those who are financially in pain at present and wish to game a bit cheaper. I just don't understand why you think that's Sony's issue and they need to change their business model. All Sony's machines have been top tier products at a premium price, indeed this is also the model they follow for their other electronics. If your situation is such that you can no longer afford that, that's a shame, but with record demand and record sales that's hardly an issue for Sony. I'm reminded of a Simpsons episode 'Flaming Moes', when Homer is trying to tell Moe 'you've just lost a customer' but Moe can barely hear him as he has so many customers clamouring for his attention.
I guess the difference is this time, that Microsoft continue to try and purchase the business by throwing money into it with no intention of making a profit - something Microsoft have done to several markets over many decades. This means there is a budget tier level of modern gaming, I cant ever remember that being a thing in any previous generation. I don't think Sony's changed their approach to the way their goods are priced in the market and believe if anything they are slightly better value than Ninty who continue to fleece the fans for every penny they can get at every point! what they are not doing is being drawn into an artificial price war with Microsoft. They realise that there's no future and no profit in trying to compete on price with someone who doesn't need to make any profit, and its quite clear that Microsoft don't want the AAA games market that Sony wish to dominate, they want people subscribed to a service which they roll out across mobile - that's their true aim, and they are not trying to hide it. This is currently good for punters and game pass is good value - I'm on game pass for PC, cause I'll take free money too. I don't believe this model is good for the future of our industry, but that's another discussion, and right now its the best value gig in town.
So this gen we genuinely have a big difference: big premium experiences on PS5, as long as you can afford the entry fee, or a much cheaper way to access less blockbusters, but more games. It doesn't surprise me that people will buy into the cheap option, especially when circumstances don't give them another option. But for those people who still want a more premium service , they are happy to pay, and the huge demand and success of the machine illustrates this perfectly, even if its left some previous fans behind.
For me - you get what you pay for and game pass on PC shows this, its a broken mess. At least %30 of the games I've downloaded don't work, you cant mod them, they are not as complete as their steam counter parts - the list goes on. Eventually you get to the good stuff that does work and the value shines through, but I'd rather pay double and not wade through the cr@p to get there! I've bought two games on PS5 now because I cant get the running properly through game pass on PC - I hope to god Hades is OK!
I'm advised that the situation with Game pass on the consoles is miles better and games work and the interface is decent - maybe I'd have been better off with a series X than a 3090 after all - doh!

@Titntin

Sorry to split the post - I wrote too much! lol

To surmise then: thanks for the post. I do understand your frustration if you feel you are being priced out. I do feel Sony have remained consistent, though and are right not become involved in a price war with Microsoft who are not after the same business as Sony any more. Sony will lose players to the undoubted value of the great game pass give away, but there is so much demand for their 'expensive' option that this will not be an issue at all. The value of this business is for those consumers who buy full price games, not the ones who expect to be given it all for free. You can shed them and not be hurt on the bottom line at all.

Ultimately I'll consume it all and watch the business as I always have and we will see what unfolds. Having produced games for both Sony and Microsoft (and Nintendo for that matter) - I know none of them care for the greater good, they are just looking for good business.

@NEStalgia I disagree with your conclusions completely, but you made them well and without any inflammatory language so you absolutely get a like regardless! Thanks for contributing to a proper conversation

@Th3solution I think a key thing to note that hasn't been brought up yet is that the vast majority of the older Switch titles in the charts are multiplayer focused.

The only single player focused games in the charts released before 2021 are Ring Fit Adventure, BotW and DQXIS. Ring Fit Adventure is a way to exercise at home, BotW 2 getting new info at E3 will have increased BotW sales and DQXIS got a price reduction (maybe the Dragon Quest info in May will have also increased DQXIS sales). See how a lot of the big older single player Switch games are missing from the top 30 like Mario Odyssey.

While Sony is gradually branching out (Ghost of Tsushima Legends, Destruction All Stars, TLoU Factions 2, the collaboration with Firewalk Studios, etc.), they are primarily known for big single player experiences which single player experiences in Japan generally have its initial sales and then drops off after some time.

@Grumblevolcano it’s a great point. Sony has probably been less effective at the multiplayer content, especially couch local MP where I think Super Smash and MK8 have thrived. I’d love to see better local MP options for PlayStation, like good pick-up-and-play games when friends or family come over. Although when I’ve played Super Smash at friends homes it’s absolutely not a very approachable game. The controls make no sense to me.

But I didn’t realize all those Nintendo games have MP aspects. To be honest, I’ve no idea what Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun is at all. A musical drum simulator?

As a PlayStation gamer who’s tried to get into Switch a few times, I find it not very welcoming as far as using the device, the interface, the controllers, and the games. This is not to be critical or be ‘fanboyish’, and actually I make the point to say that I’m certain the opposite is true that people who were raised on Nintendo have a steep learning curve if they ever pick up a PlayStation product for the first time. The controls, the franchises, the overall ‘feel’ of playing the console is just very different from the Switch. I’m not saying “better” just “different.” Playing The Last of Us is nothing like playing Zelda or Ring Fit Adventure. And like I said, despite not being a fighting game fan I was able to really get into Injustice 2 and Soul Calibur 6, but I just couldn’t gel with Super Smash. I had no idea who half the characters were anyways. (Although I cracked a smile to see Solid Snake)

@invictus4000 Ninty is far from the King of the hill. Most blockbusters still skip the switch. And ps5 is constantly sold out all over the world. Even when it comes to critical reception, how many NInty games have won Game of the Year awards the last couple of years?

What they did with the switch has been nothing short of impressive, but they still haven't topped Sony.

@naruball Game of Year that’s your qualifier?

Sheesh the GA at large don’t even know those exist.

Listen, Switch has passed PS3/360, you really think PlayStation is going to stay on top for too much longer? It’s nipping at PS4’s heels as we speak. Globally, the Switch is selling more units than Sony almost universally everywhere. This is without the “blockbusters” as you pointed out. Although to be fair, Switch has BoTW2 and Splatoon 3 on the Horizon. Not to mention, they have Pokémon and SMT V this holiday. And Arceus in Jan.

My point is here is don’t think Sony is safe because some games skip Switch. They won’t forever because people are even willing to use cloud to get their games on the system. Like Hitman 3.

@MB81
I hope that you will get one soon.

@Titntin haha, thanks! A like for you as well!

@Th3solution Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun is a rhythm game centered around using a taiko drum. Think something akin to Guitar Hero in that respect. It's actually playable without the drum peripheral, but it's much more engaging if you do. Gameplay involves using the bachi to alternate strikes between the surface of the drum (for "don" notes) and the hardened outer rim of the drum (which produce "ka" notes). There are also taiko machines in arcades with much higher quality drums. The series has been coming to consoles for generations now. I believe there's also a PS4 version.

@ATaco I think so too. I think Microsoft ended up with the best situation for themselves given their strategy of pushing services over hardware, and my theory about Nintendo is that the OLED model was made from the screens they procured for a cancelled Switch 2/Pro, so they didn’t dodge a bullet so much as make lemons out of lemonade. Sony got the brunt of the disruption.
Personally I think they should have delayed the launch and but I have no idea how much it costs to delay a project like that.

@rjejr That’s the plan!!

@Spiders I do agree, Microsoft's plan is sound. One thing I've noticed is that a lot of Japanese streamers, when they aren't playing a Nintendo game, are playing something on PC. Apex is very very popular over there for whatever reason, for example. It wouldn't show up on a chart since it's a digital PC game and it's free but such examples tell me that it's not just that Nintendo has a stranglehold on Japan. It's that PC gaming seems to really be kicking off in the region, probably even more than it is here. Of course, since charts don't have a way to track digital sales again all I can say is that my guesses are just assumptions with no proof.

@Spiders

Kudos to Push Square for being responsible journalists and caveating the data. IGN did no such thing.

@ATaco That's really interesting to think about. I don't know much at all about the Japanese streaming scene. I only heard about Apex's popularity from 8-4 Play Podcast.
Still, even though there's no hard data, there's a lot of solid points of inference like Steam data on sales and concurrent players, comparing those other historical data, other digital platforms with platform:platform ratios (which get announced sometimes), physical:digital ratios, the odd announcement of digital sales and player bases, etc.
You're right about the trends and that information will be less and less reliable until there is better and more available digital tracking, but we can make pretty good assumptions now. There aren't any secret hits or successes we don't know about hiding on a digital storefront.

I think folks in here have some phantom Top 50 digital sales chart in their hearts, where Sony/PS5 has blocked out every other platform and there's some media conspiracy to hide that data because everyone hates Sony. So while I think you're correct in your overall assessment, I don't think there a good reason to think there are these huge anomalies or outliers to the obvious assumptions — that then all happen to favor Sony — to support the wishful thinking counter-narrative in this comment section.

@Th3solution there is a steady stream of switch games coming out now

@mousieone it's not my qualifier. It's one of the many. The constant Game of year awards are free publicity and they indicate what the gaming industry is paying attention to and holds as the best. Even if the average gamer couldn't care less about them, the hardcore gamers do and those are the ones who keep talking about video games and influence their more casual friends. That's how GTA 5 managed to sell so well. That's why the race to 10m is always so important.

"Globally, the Switch is selling more units than Sony almost universally everywhere"

You mean with ps5 constantly out of stock everywhere? No way! If that's not a fair comparison, I don't know what is.

Yes. I do think ps is going to stay on top for much longer.

At any rate, I specifically disagreed with calling Ninty the king of the hill (one could say that about Japan, which would be true). Globally, they're far from it. As for blockbusters being released on the switch, the biggest game ever that has been released on ps3, ps4 ( and soon on ps5) hasn't been released on the switch. That alone should tell you something. The Switch is doing its own thing and is selling exceptionally well. But let's not kid ourselves.

Desperate for a story in the slow summer months?. The gaming scene in Japan is very different to the one of ten years ago.. The Japanese game different to how they once did. This is also why we see so many games tailored to Western tastes these days and to be honest that means very stereotypical designs, little to no fresh ideas and nothing outrageous or unique.

Only the Yakuza,Judgement series has that Japanese feel of crazy ideas, random designs and weird gameplayvideas and it's great. Scarlett Nexus offered a flavour of Japanese gaming by design ...unfortunately not many people take enough interest in these title's. The new Tales title might offer some more traditional Jrpg gameplay?.

Not surprised by the Japanese charts...its nothing new.

@Th3solution I think Sony felt the need not to bother about multiplayer themselves after they gained CoD timed exclusivity. Back when CoD had Xbox timed exclusivity and before then when there was no CoD exclusivity, Sony had a good amount of 1st party franchises with multiplayer. Killzone for FPS, SOCOM for TPS, Wipeout for Racing, etc.

@Spiders yes, I don't subscribe to the idea that gaming sites are out to get any one company, be they Sony Nintendo etc but I will still hold the reservation that if they aren't playing switch then they're playing PC. A lot of them. I follow quite a few Japanese streamers so I have my hand on the pulse, so to say and other games I see gaining popularity are those weird simulator games like bus simulator. Things like this and then there are the usuals like GTA, Minecraft, Fall Guys(yep they still play that frequently in Japan) and things like that. So I do believe that PC gaming has really taken hold there and then of course you buy the switch to play all those first parties and then the few 3rd party exclusives.

There's no denying that Sony has been dropping the ball on game releases, I feel like they're kind of just coasting at the moment and with more games being delayed I have to admit it's really starting to become a bummer. There really is no way to spin that but I wouldn't go so far as to say this is Nintendo's success because honestly I feel like they're lagging with game releases too... it's just that Sony and Microsoft are failing harder.

@Denni5m What are the 4 Switch games you’ve bought, if you don’t mind my asking? And I don’t mean to pry, but I think it’s an interesting assessment of new users to the console — I’m just wondering if they included at least one of the following: Breath of the Wild, Mario Kart 8, Animal Crossing, and/or Super Smash Bros. (Throw in at least one Mario game and a Pokémon game for good measure too)

It’s kinda like a person can’t have a Switch and not have one of (if not all of) those. When I flip the script and think of PS4/5, it’s not quite as clear what the essentials are. Sony did a decent job with the PS Plus Collection for PS5 and I think new console users have thousands of hours of gaming, no matter what their tastes are, if they buy a PS5 and are new to the ecosystem. If they join PSPlus they’ve got GoW, Persona 5, RE7, UC4, Crash Trilogy, TLoU, MH World, etc, etc …not to mention the boatload of F2P games like Warzone, Apex, Genshin, etc. All without spending a dime other than to join PS Plus. Not to mention PS Now would also be an option to tap into the library if a person is unsure what to play.

To my knowledge, Switch doesn’t have a similar instant access to an essential library, do they? It would really help my adoption of the device if they had something like that, because I’m intimidated by the device and it’s library. If I buy a Switch, am I going to go out and buy a new release like Monster Hunter Stories 2, or Crayon Shin-chan: Ora to Hakase no Natsuyasumi – Owaranai Nanokakan no Tabi? No, of course not. I wish I could just get access to a core of 10 or so classics to try out and see how I like the platform and it’s franchises.

@naruball look not trying to be argumentative or anything and the Switch isn’t even my console of choice but I think you have got a slightly narrow viewpoint.

The Switch has sold 89 million units as of last week, and it could have sold 90 by now. It’s only on its fifth year of life (Just started in March) and Nintendo has made a point of insisting they are going the full 7 years maybe even 8. It sells anywhere from 20-25 million units per year. By the time PS5 stock shortages are fixed; the Switch might actually pass PS2 numbers.

I don’t know what the future holds but I’m not going to discount what I see before my eyes either. Non enthusiasts are back to buying all things Nintendo.

@Th3solution hey, the 4 I have bought so far are breath of the wild, xenochronicles, Pokemon sword and bravely default 2. I mainly bought it for RPGs you can't get on the other platforms as I'm only using in docked mode and just as another home console.
I'm actually disappointed in the switch as the controls and horsepower of the system are not very good. But there are some great games on it, I just wish they would make a home only console again because the games really look crappy in 2021.
Other little things like the rubbish included controls and no bluetooth make it a not so good first user experience.
Tbh once I finish Pokemon sword I'll probably be selling it, but it was very worth it just for breath of the wild and Pokemon as they are that good.
It's weird as Nintendo have such a loyal fan base that if they did release a proper console everyone would buy it and at least a few games, I don't know why they bother with these cheap handhelds, they would be making even more money if it could play the other AAA titiles the other consoles run as well. It wouldn't need to be much more powerful just something like the steam deck that would give them handheld and home console slices of the pie.

Two weeks in a row.

/bump