Authoritative 2012 sales figures for Japan’s video game market have been released, with Nintendo’s array of child-friendly mega-franchises dominating sales more strongly than ever.
Japanese game sales for 2012, as compiled by Media Create, including format, 2012 sales and total sales:
1. DS – Pokémon BW2 – 2,919,977 (2,919,977)
2. 3DS – Animal Crossing: New Leaf – 1,969,955 (1,969,955)
3. 3DS – New Super Mario Bros 2 – 1,743,791 (1,743,791)
4. 3DS – Dragon Quest Monsters – 919,870 (919,870)
5. PS3 – Resident Evil 6 – 833,012 (833,012)
6. PS3 – One Piece Musou – 828,150 (828,150)
7. 3DS – Mario Kart 7 – 748,797 (1,908,966)
8. 3DS – Super Mario 3D Land – 689,374 (1,769,566)
9. Wii – Mario Party 9 – 641,348 (641,348)
10. Wii – Dragon Quest X Online – 609,783 (609,783)
11. 3DS – Monster Hunter 3G – 602,058 (1,587,556)
12. PS3 – Yakuza 5 – 518,224 (518,224)
13. PS3 – Dragon’s Dogma – 467,375 (467,375)
14. 3DS – Fire Emblem Kakusei – 455,268 (455,268)
15. PS3 – Tales of Xillia 2 – 428,913 (428,913)
16. 3DS – Paper Mario: Sticker Star – 402,133 (402,133)
17. PS3 – Winning Eleven 2013 – 399,340 (399,340)
18. 3DS – Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity – 373,699 (373,699)
19. Wii U – New Super Mario Brothers U – 369,392 (369,392)
20. Wii – Wii Sports Resort – 358,627 (1,161,600)
21. PSP – Super Robot Wars ZII – 344,018 (344,018)
22. DS – Pokémon Conquest – 341,250 (341,250)
23. 3DS – Taiko no Tatsujin Chibi Dragon – 340,533 (340,533)
24. PS3 – Resident Evil: Operation Racoon City – 338,889 (338,889)
25. 3DS – Kingdom Hearts 3D – 338,812 (338,812)
26. 3DS – Tousouchu Shijou Saikyou no Hunter – 337,472 (337,472)
27. Wii – Taiko no Tatsujin Wii – 321,959 (321,959)
28. 3DS – Kid Icarus: Uprising – 316,133 (316,133)
29. 3DS – Inazuma Eleven GO 2 – 314,016 (314,016)
30. 3DS – Resident Evil: Revelations – 296,040 (296,040)
Total sales (in terms of revenue at least) for both hardware and software were down approximately 1% on 2011 – not a bad showing given the moribund state of the market and its ageing consoles, or Japan’s supposed boom in “social gaming” (although in the case of Japan this is increasingly only an accurate name if “gaming” is taken in the sense of “gambling,” and a crackdown seems increasingly likely), although the continued dominance of Nintendo’s portable franchises is unlikely to be much comfort to gamers.
Game hardware sales in units for 2012 – with the exception of Nintendo’s newly released or Christmas friendly consoles, the operative word probably being “flat”:
With new consoles on the horizon, this will presumably be the last year Nintendo can expect such an easy ride.
>:} Pokemon owned !!!!!!!!!!!! again
Why so casual?
I don’t see any CoD, Battlefield and others casual games in this list.
lol Mario and Pokemon, pretty much any Nintendo franchise (yes, even Zelda) are just as casual as your typical FPS
don’t kid yourself there
I like how people are mad that some games aren’t even mentioned, when they semed to forget that this is a lost of best sellers in japan. That’s right, Japan. Not Western, where taste in games is fundamentally different.
Number of X Box units sold 0.
i get tired of the pokemon games after ruby and sapphire, pretty much the same with the anime, i can’t belive that it can get so high sellings if it’s the same game over and over with different pokemons