It's no secret that the PS Vita has been struggling. Numbers have consistently shown the portable console to be underselling its predecessor, the PSP, on an almost weekly basis. As has been pointed out in the past, the key to a hit console is to have hit games, and just as if to drive point home, one came out just last week, causing Vita sales to quadruple.
Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f hit stores in Japan on August 30th, and in 3 days, sold 159,592 copies, making it the number 2 selling PS Vita game. Sales for the PS Vita jumped up with 50,070 units sold, and in a rare moment, outsold the 3DS (44,951 units sold). When Persona 4: The Golden was released, PS Vita sales spiked with 34,459 units sold that week. The effect of hit video games on game console sales is unmistakable, and the little virtual diva, Hatsune Miku, definitely showed the power of her popularity with Project Diva f. Unfortunately, there may not be a sequel...
In a somewhat somber post yesterday morning, a developer for the game tweeted, "Sales numbers have come in... At this rate, [Project Diva]f2 might be a little difficult. We did use too much money developing [Project Diva]f..." While it's not the final word on the matter, it does paint a pretty grim picture of the situation. Project Diva f is the third Project Diva game (the previous two were for the PSP) and as rhythm games go, the series has been quite enjoyable. It'd be a shame if this was the last. Especially with that bump in Vita sales.
Look forward to the Kotaku review of Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f coming soon!
PSV『初音ミク Project DIVA f』16万本、PSVita本体5万台！【2012/09/12付 ゲームウィークリー】 [オタク.com]
初音ミクProjectDIVAf担当「このままではえふつー厳しいな。えふに開発費かけ過ぎたからな…」 [オタク.com]
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