Nintendo might be struggling with the Wii U, but it looks like the 3DS is more than making up for it. At least when it comes to the Japanese games market.
Nintendo has dominated the last 12 months of Japanese game sales — so much that 9 out of the top 10 best selling games over the past year were on Nintendo platforms. The only non-Nintendo game on the list is Grand Theft Auto 5 on the PS3.
And while only two Wii U games are on the list, there is only one PS3 game. And no Xbox 360 or Vita games appear on the list. While the PS3 and Vita consoles have been outselling the Wii U, when it comes to games, the Wii U still has better selling titles.
Nintendo’s sales have been slipping in Europe and North America over the past few years, but as the numbers show, the company still has a firm grip on the Japanese market.
The two Wii U games on the top 10 list were New Super Mario Bros U and Wii Party U — no surprise there. Nintendo’s “Party” games are hugely poplar in Japan, and New Super Mario Bros U is… Well, Super Mario. Wii Party U sold almost 700,000 copies, while New Super Mario Bros U managed to move 622,000 copies in the last 12 months.
Here’s the full list of the best selling Japanese games from April 2013 to April 2014, according to Japanese sales tracker Media Create and Famitsu:
- Pokemon X/Y (3DS): 4,328,008
- Monster Hunter 4 (3DS): 3,429,862
- Tomodachi Collection Shin Seikatsu (3DS): 1,635,099
- Puzzle and Dragons (3DS): 1,358,548
- Animal Crossing New Leaf (3DS): 774,152
- Dragon Quest Monsters 2 (3DS): 710,303
- Grand Theft Auto V (PS3): 699,182
- Wii Party U (Wii U): 697,042
- Yokai Watch (3DS): 652,803
- New Super Mario Bros U (Wii U): 622,502
Be sure to check out the recent weekly Japanese sales numbers, where the Wii U was seeing a nice boost in sales.
