A few years back, traditional games and game hardware were not doing so hot in Japan. That has started to change.
As Kotaku reported earlier this year, the Japanese console game market grew for the first time in 11 years. This came after the Nintendo Switch had an incredible 2017 in Japan.
According to Famitsu, the Japanese console game market grew 121.8 percent year on year. This is the second year in a row that it has grown.
Here are the top ten selling games at Japanese retail for the sales period March 25, 2018 (this is the 2017 financial year). Remember, these are Japanese sales numbers!
1. Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon (3DS)
2017 sales: 2,198,231 units
Life to date: 2,198,231 units
2. Splatoon 2 (Switch)
2017 sales: 2,146,190 units
Life to date: 2,146,190 units
3. Monster Hunter: World (PS4)
2017 sales: 1,917,492 units
Life to date: 1,917,492 units
4. Dragon Quest XI (3DS)
2017 sales: 1,763,948 units
Life to date: 1,763,948 units
5. Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
2017 sales: 1,613,076 units
Life to date: 1,613,076 units
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)
2017 sales: 1,613,076 units
Life to date: 1,613,076 units
7. Dragon Quest Xi (PS4)
2017 sales: 1,353,432 units
Life to date: 1,353,432 units
8. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (Switch)
2017 sales: 563,274 units
Life to date: 870,895 units
9. Yokai Watch Busters 2 (3DS)
2017 sales: 491,779 units
Life to date: 491,779 units
10. Monster Hunter XX (3DS)
2017 sales: 417,119 units
Life to date: 1,687,451 units
And here are the hardware sales numbers for the previous financial year.
Nintendo 3DS
2017 sales：1,410,312 units
Life to date：23,951,928 units
PlayStation Vita
2017 sales：271,716 units
Life to date：5,709,193 units
Nintendo Switch
2017 sales：3,512,773 units
Life to date：4,037,144 units
PlayStation 4
2017 sales：2,036,011 units
Life to date：6,544,228 units
Xbox One
2017 sales：16,212 units
Life to date：92,861 units
Let’s hope this year is another blockbuster one for Japanese gaming!
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