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Japan: Third Party Support 3DS/NSW/PS4 Comparison (Famitsu Physical Estimates)

Nocturnal

Nocturnal

Member
These are the market leading third party systems for the past decade, not sure if you would agree with me on the time period but this is how I see it, 3DS was basically the leader for the 2011 to 2015 period this, 2016 is when I would catogorize the PS4 as becoming the leading platform for third parties. It took Switch three years before becoming the leading platform for third parties with 2020 being the start. So at this point of its life I would say that third parties have two exceptionally strong years ahead before they inevitably start to see decline as the Switch enters it's last years on the market.

3DS Top 50 Third Party Titles
  1. Monster Hunter 4 (Capcom) - 3.591.334
  2. Yo-kai Watch 2 (Level 5) - 3.169.858
  3. Monster Hunter Generations (Capcom) - 2.832.833
  4. Yo-kai Watch 2: Psychic Specters (Level 5) - 2.632.550
  5. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate (Capcom) - 2.617.803
  6. Yo-Kai Watch Busters (Level 5) - 2.167.915
  7. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (Capcom) - 1.941.106
  8. Dragon Quest XI (Square Enix) - 1.772.911
  9. Monster Hunter XX (Capcom) - 1.718.052
  10. Yo-Kai Watch 3 (Level 5) - 1.495.891
  11. Puzzle & Dragons Z (GungHo) - 1.470.222
  12. Yo-Kai Watch (Level 5) - 1.294.133
  13. Dragon Quest VII (Square Enix) - 1.238.660
  14. Monster Strike (Mixi) - 968.543
  15. Dragon Quest Monsters (Square Enix) - 921.310
  16. Dragon Quest VIII (Square Enix) - 864.865
  17. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 (Square Enix) - 811.251
  18. Yo-Kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki (Level 5) - 760.373
  19. Dragon Quest Monsters 2 (Square Enix) - 751.587
  20. Run For Money Tousouchuu (Bandai Namco) - 604.430
  21. Taiko no Tatsujin (Bandai Namco) - 590.132
  22. Yo-Kai Sangokushi (Level 5) - 563.395
  23. Disney Magic World (Bandai Namco) - 532.218
  24. Yo-kai Watch Busters 2 (Level 5) - 520.682
  25. Inazuma Eleven Go: Light / Shadow (Level 5) - 455.172
  26. Inazuma Eleven Go: Chrono Stones (Level 5) - 444.100
  27. Attack on Titan: Humanity in Chains (Spike Chunsoft) - 401.513
  28. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask (Level 5) - 396.914
  29. Bravely Default (Square Enix) - 382.958
  30. Fantasy Life (Level 5) - 379.211
  31. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - DD (Capcom) - 370.591
  32. Densetsu no Shinobi no Survival Battle (Bandai Namco) - 365.194
  33. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance (Square Enix) - 357.790
  34. Professor Layton Vs. Phoenix Wright (Level 5) - 332.292
  35. Disney Magic World 2 (Bandai Namco) - 332.030
  36. Puzzle & Dragons X (GungHo) - 330.924
  37. One Piece: Unlimited Cruise SP (Bandai Namco) - 326.737
  38. Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros (GungHo) - 325.611
  39. Monster Hunter Stories (Capcom) - 316.470
  40. Resident Evil: Revelations (Capcom) - 302.965
  41. Dragon Ball Heroes: Ultimate Mission (Bandai Namco) - 299.001
  42. Inazuma Eleven Go Galaxy (Level 5) - 277.207
  43. One Piece: Unlimited World Red (Bandai Namco) - 275.546
  44. Taiko no Tatsujin: Don to Katsu (Bandai Namco) - 275.543
  45. Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice (Capcom) - 272.591
  46. The Snack World: TreJarers (Level 5) - 266.445
  47. Final Fantasy Explorers (Square Enix) - 265.812
  48. Harvest Moon: A New Beginning (Marvelous) - 264.042
  49. Kobito Zukan: Kobito Kansatsu Set (Nippon Columbia) - 262.188
  50. Shin Megami Tensei IV (Atlus) - 259.177
TOTAL: 44.370.078

PS4 Top 50 Third Party Titles
  1. Monster Hunter: World (Capcom) - 2.575.764
  2. Dragon Quest XI (Square Enix) - 1.368.698
  3. Final Fantasy XV (Square Enix) - 1.042.951
  4. Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix) - 949.379
  5. Kingdom Hearts III (Square Enix) - 861.226
  6. Grand Theft Auto V (Take Two) - 753.889
  7. Monster Hunter: World - Iceborne (Capcom) - 567.989
  8. NieR: Automata (Square Enix) - 504.605
  9. Metal Gear Solid V (Konami) - 448.554
  10. Resident Evil 2 (Capcom) - 418.236
  11. Dark Souls III (From Software) - 413.021
  12. Persona 5 (Atlus) - 405.455
  13. Yakuza 6 (Sega) - 367.965
  14. Resident Evil 7: biohazard (Capcom) - 365.896
  15. Rainbow Six: Siege (Ubisoft) - 348.882
  16. Judgement (Sega) - 347.651
  17. Dragon Quest Heroes (Square Enix) - 329.934
  18. Kingdom Hearts HD I.5 + II.5 (Square Enix) - 293.248
  19. Dragon Quest Heroes II (Square Enix) - 280.542
  20. Battlefield 1 (EA) - 275.924
  21. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (From Software) - 273.492
  22. Resident Evil 3 (Capcom) - 269.187
  23. Yakuza 7 (Sega) - 263.255
  24. Pro Baseball Spirits 2019 (Konami) - 259.227
  25. Jikkyou Baseball 2018 (Konami) - 255.850
  26. Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Square Enix) - 250.316
  27. Earth Defense Force 5 (D3 Publisher) - 244.159
  28. Persona 5: Royal (Atlus) - 244.050
  29. Red Dead Redemption II (Take Two) - 227.842
  30. Fallout 4 (Bethesda) - 227.749
  31. Kingdom Hearts HD II.8 (Square Enix) - 224.738
  32. Tales of Berseria (Bandai Namco) - 220.719
  33. Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (Bandai Namco) - 220.195
  34. Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco) - 220.122
  35. Dragon Quest Builders (Square Enix) - 213.581
  36. Battlefield V (Electronic Arts) - 209.464
  37. Jikkyou Baseball 2016 (Konami) - 208.867
  38. Resident Evil Village (Capcom) - 206.312
  39. Star Wars: Battlefront (Electronic Arts) - 205.653
  40. God Eater 3 (Bandai Namco) - 203.554
  41. Yakuza: Kiwami 2 (Sega) - 202.817
  42. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Spike Chunsoft) - 195.894
  43. Ghost Recon: Wildlands (Ubisoft) - 195.758
  44. eBaseball 2020 (Konami) - 189.649
  45. Devil May Cry V (Capcom) - 189.121
  46. Winning Eleven 2019 (Konami) - 182.539
  47. Fist of the North Star (Sega) - 179.315
  48. Dynasty Warriors 9 (Koei Tecmo) - 176.870
  49. NieR Replicant (Square Enix) - 175.792
  50. Gundam Versus (Bandai Namco) - 175.581
TOTAL: 19.452.041


Switch Top 50 Third Party Titles
  1. Momotaro Dentetsu (Konami) - 2.584.176
  2. Minecraft (Microsoft) - 2.411.591
  3. Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom) - 2.364.910
  4. Dragon Quest XI S (Square Enix) - 728.500
  5. Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun! (Bandai Namco) - 692.069
  6. Fishing Spirits: Nintendo Switch Version (Bandai Namco) - 668.935
  7. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 (Sega) - 417.860
  8. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity (Koei Tecmo) - 384.970
  9. Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate (Capcom) - 379.611
  10. Yo-kai Watch 4 (Level 5) - 358.356
  11. Super Bomberman R3 (Konami) - 343.098
  12. eBaseball 2020 (Konami) - 337.625
  13. Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town (Marvelous) - 318.331
  14. Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Square Enix) - 295.237
  15. Jikkyou Baseball (Konami) - 248.024
  16. Monster Hunter Stories 2 (Capcom) - 242.876
  17. Human: Fall Flat (Teyon Japan) - 233.241
  18. Baseball Spirits 2021 (Konami) - 223.833
  19. Crayon Shin-Chan (Neos) - 199.646
  20. Octopath Traveller (Square Enix) - 193.780
  21. Shin Megami Tensei V (Atlus) - 192.518
  22. Minecraft Dungeon (Microsoft) - 188.205
  23. Disney Tsum Tsum Festival (Bandai Namco) - 185.990
  24. Fitness Boxing 2 (Imagineer) - 181.147
  25. Dragon Ball: Xenoverse 2 (Bandai Namco) - 181.090
  26. Fortine (Epic Games) - 167.656
  27. Story of Seasons: Friends of Mineral Town (Marvelous) - 164.944
  28. Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin (Marvelous) - 162.232
  29. Puyo Puyo S (Sega) - 154.573
  30. Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission (Bandai Namco) - 145.720
  31. Derby Stallion (Game Addict) - 145.272
  32. Bravely Default II (Square Enix) - 144.614
  33. Yu-Gi-Oh! Rush Duel (Konami) - 142.161
  34. Fitness Boxing (Imagineer) - 141.889
  35. Rune Factory 5 (Marvelous) - 140.391
  36. One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 (Bandai Namco) - 137.513
  37. Puyo Puyo Tetris 2 (Sega) - 136.803
  38. FIFA 18 (Electronic Arts) - 122.998
  39. The Battle Cats (Ponos) - 115.366
  40. Trials of Mana (Square Enix) - 112.277
  41. Doraemon: Story of Seasons (Bandai Namco) - 112.104
  42. Pro Baseball Famista Evolution (Bandai Namco) - 110.954
  43. The Snack World: TreJarers Gold (Level 5) - 109.955
  44. Taiko no Tatsujin: RAP (Bandai Namco) - 100.842
  45. Hatsune Miku: Project Diva MegaMix (Sega) - 97.056
  46. Super Robot Wars 30 (Bandai Namco) - 96.094
  47. Little Nightmares 2 (Bandai Namco) – 95.018
  48. Tsukihime (Aniplex) - 94.462
  49. Dragon Ball FighterZ (Bandai Namco) - 92.697
  50. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (Bandai Namco) - 92.054
TOTAL: 17.691.264

3DS TOTAL: 44.370.078
PS4 TOTAL: 19.452.041
NSW TOTAL: 17.691.264

This year Switch's Top 50 Third Party games will catch-up on the PS4,
As this is the likely peak of software sales on the Switch, I would expect another growth year for third parties with the Top 50 reaching at least 25M.
A lot would depend on DQ III Remake & DQ XII release dates and future games that haven't been reveled yet as far as being able to finish close to 3DS.
Third parties need to basically sell 26.67M in the next few years on the Switch in order to challange what they managed on the 3DS.
Obviously this doesn't paint the full picture as a lot of the Top 50 games actually did over 30% of their sales digital.

Top 10 Publishers 3DS:
  1. Level 5 - 15.156.138 (34.1%)
  2. Capcom - 13.963.745 (31.5%)
  3. Square Enix - 7.367.144 (16.6%)
  4. Bandai Namco - 3.600.831 (8.1%)
  5. GungHo - 2.126.757 (4.8%)
  6. Mixi - 968.543 (2.2%)
  7. Spike Chunsoft - 401.513 (0.9%)
  8. Marvelous - 264.042 (0.6%)
  9. Nippon Columbia - 262.188 (0.6%)
  10. Atlus - 259.177 (0.6%)

Top 14 Publishers PS4:
  1. Square Enix - 6.495.010 (33.4%)
  2. Capcom - 4.592.505 (23.6%)
  3. Konami - 1.544.686 (7.9%)
  4. Sega - 1.297.353 (6.7%)
  5. Bandai Namco - 1.040.171 (5.3%)
  6. Take Two - 981.731 (5%)
  7. Electronic Arts - 691.041 (3.5%)
  8. From Software - 686.513 (3.5%)
  9. Atlus - 649.505 (3.3%)
  10. Ubisoft - 544.640 (2.8%)
  11. D3 Publisher - 244.159 (1.2%)
  12. Bethesda - 227.749 (1.2%)
  13. Spike Chunsoft - 195.894 (1%)
  14. Koei Tecmo - 176.870 (0.9%)

Top 15 Publishers Switch:
  1. Konami - 3.878.917 (21.9%)
  2. Microsoft - 3.599.796 (20.3%)
  3. Capcom - 2.987.397 (16.9%)
  4. Bandai Namco - 2.711.080 (15.3%)
  5. Square Enix - 1.474.408 (8.3%)
  6. Sega - 806.292 (4.6%)
  7. Marvelous - 645.507 (3.6%)
  8. Level 5 - 468.311 (2.6%)
  9. Koei Tecmo - 384.970 (2.2%)
  10. Imagineer - 323.036 (1.8%)
  11. Teyon Japan - 233.241 (1.3%)
  12. Neos - 199.646 (1.1%)
  13. Atlus - 192.518 (1.1%)
  14. Epic Games - 167.656 (0.9%)
  15. Game Addict - 145.272 (0.8%)

Capcom
3DS - 13.963.745
PS4 - 4.592.505
Switch - 2.987.397
TOTAL: 21.543.647


Level 5
3DS - 15.156.138
Switch - 468.311
TOTAL: 15.624.449


Square Enix
3DS- 7.367.144
PS4 - 6.495.010
Switch - 1.474.408
TOTAL: 15.336.562


Bandai Namco
3DS - 3.600.831
Switch - 2.711.080
PS4 - 1.040.171
TOTAL: 7.352.082


Konami
Switch - 3.878.917
PS4 - 1.544.686
TOTAL: 5.423.603


Microsoft
Switch - 3.599.796
TOTAL: 3.599.796


GungHo
3DS - 2.126.757
TOTAL: 2.126.757


Sega
PS4 - 1.297.353
Switch - 806.292
TOTAL: 2.103.645

These are the third party publishers that managed multi-million sales in the past Decade in Japan.
In the coming years as the Switch is the only relevant platform in Japan, I would expect that essentially a lot of these Publishers will be able to score their best results on the Switch. The exceptions look like will be Level 5, Capcom & GungHo who will find it difficult to match how well they were doing on the 3DS.
 
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Third-party total physical software sales per system as December 2020 (Media Create Top 1000 for the period 2009-2020; Media Create Top 500 for the period 2006-2008; Media Create Top 100 for 2005; Media Create Top 200 for 2004)

DS: 80.21M
PSP: 70.01M
3DS: 68.01M
PS3: 67.27M
PS4: 45.24M
PSV: 20.95M
NSW: 18.70M
WII: 18.21M
XB360: 6.01M
XBO: 0.16M
PS5: 0.03M
 
Celine said:
Third-party total physical software sales per system as December 2020 (Media Create Top 1000 for the period 2009-2020; Media Create Top 500 for the period 2006-2008; Media Create Top 100 for 2005; Media Create Top 200 for 2004)

DS: 80.21M
PSP: 70.01M
3DS: 68.01M
PS3: 67.27M
PS4: 45.24M
PSV: 20.95M
NSW: 18.70M
WII: 18.21M
XB360: 6.01M
XBO: 0.16M
PS5: 0.03M
Click to expand...
This year across the Top 65 third party games Famitsu Switch's total was 8.2M, so it's at minimum 26.9M. With the Top 1000 it could very well be around 30M, closing the gap to PS4 to around 20M as PS4 is unlikely to end up much higher than 50M lifetime

Lifetime for the Switch I think will end up over 60M a lot depends on the type of third party support it receives in the next four to five years. Regardless of a successor launching - I think Switch will continue to be produced and sold well into the successor's life.

For this year we don't really know much outside of Sunbreak, Triangle Strategy, Touken Ranbu Musou, eBaseball 2022, 13 Sentinel, Demon Slayer etc. We need a direct this week in order to find out what else we can expect this spring/summer. I'm sure there would be a few games third party games launching spring summer that we don't know about.

Also for the fall I hope we finally get another big third party game, since so far only Momotaro can be categorized as such and we are into the second half of the Switch life. Four different big fall periods missed by third parties - last year was another lackluster year in that regard.
 
Hino failing lead to Switch third party not exploding is just depressing. When Switch hit it out of the park, they should have been ready with many project and not just dragging themselves from the graves.T_T
 
The degree to which 3DS's top third-party games are reliant on a small group of IP is very stark compared to the Switch. The Top 10 third-party 3DS games are all from 3 IP--Monster Hunter, Yo-kai Watch, and Dragon Quest. 17 of the Top 20 are, too. On Switch? Only 6 games from those IP in the entire Top 50 so far (and probably not all that many more by the end of the system's life either). Much better diversity in this regard on the Switch.

The other thing that jumps out is how the third-party successes on Switch are very much runaway hits compared to everything else on the system (from third-parties). For example, Switch's #3 (Monster Hunter Rise) and #4 (Dragon Quest XI S) are separated by 1,636,410 units. On PS4, you can see a similar gap between #1 (Monster Hunter World) and #2 (Dragon Quest XI), but from #2 onward it's much more gradual. There are currently 19ish games on Switch at >200k unit sales (according to this specific dataset, at least) and 41 on PS4; that'll be another interesting metric to look at in another year or two.

A different dataset I've posted around before, but as another element to consider here is a Top 50 for all third-party games that have at least one home console SKU, including Switch, for 6 CYs (CY2015-2020) for which we have good data from Media Create:
VONxqOt.jpg


Additionally, the 3DS-exclusive games that would have otherwise been included in the above ranking are:
  1. Monster Hunter 4 <ACT> (Capcom) {2013.09.14} (¥5.705) [incl. 4G/Ultimate version] - 5.970.984
  2. Yo-kai Watch 2: Specters, Spirits, and Souls <RPG> (Level 5) {2014.12.13} (¥4.600) - 5.848.739
  3. Yo-Kai Watch Blasters: White Dog Squad & Red Cat Corps <ACT> (Level 5) {2015.07.11} (¥4.600) - 2.291.882
  4. Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki, Sushi, and Tempura <RPG> (Level 5) {2016.12.15} (¥4.800) - 2189.514
  5. Monster Strike <RPG> (Mixi) {2015.12.17} (¥4.500) - 888.224
  6. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Remastered <RPG> (Square Enix) {2015.08.27} (¥5.980) - 881.477
  7. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 <RPG> (Square Enix) {2016.03.24} (¥5.250) [incl. Professional version] - 870.147
  8. Yo-kai Sangokushi <SLG> (Level 5) {2016.04.02} (¥4.600) - 578.379
  9. Yo-kai Watch Blasters 2: Secret of the Legendary Treasure Sword & Magnum <ACT> (Level 5) {2017.12.16} (¥4.800) - 553.029
  10. Disney Magic World 2 <ETC> (Bandai Namco Games) {2015.11.05} (¥5.690) - 386.096
  11. Monster Hunter Stories <RPG> (Capcom) {2016.10.08} (¥5.800) - 344.712
  12. Momotaro Dentetsu 2017: Tachiagare Nippon!! <TBL> (Nintendo) {2016.12.22} (¥4.980) - 327.627
The goal of this in my view is to be a bit more wholistic in its approach to evaluating which third-party games have been most successful in the previous generation, looking at combined SKUs and what games went for a hybrid approach (PS4/PSV or 3DS/WIU) as opposed to a purely console-centric approach, or cross-generation (PS3/PS4) in an era where certain developers were doing so as late as 2016.
 
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Shows both how certain third parties really slept on Switch to their detriment and also how badly certain devs mismanaged their IP in general(level-5 is the biggest offender basically all their series have collapsed in sales, or simply stopped being made and new IP land with a flop) as well as the just how strong 3DS was in Japan compared to everywhere else.
 
Fukuzatsu said:
The degree to which 3DS's top third-party games are reliant on a small group of IP is very stark compared to the Switch. The Top 10 third-party 3DS games are all from 3 IP--Monster Hunter, Yo-kai Watch, and Dragon Quest. 17 of the Top 20 are, too. On Switch? Only 6 games from those IP in the entire Top 50 so far (and probably not all that many more by the end of the system's life either). Much better diversity in this regard on the Switch.

The other thing that jumps out is how the third-party successes on Switch are very much runaway hits compared to everything else on the system (from third-parties). For example, Switch's #3 (Monster Hunter Rise) and #4 (Dragon Quest XI S) are separated by 1,636,410 units. On PS4, you can see a similar gap between #1 (Monster Hunter World) and #2 (Dragon Quest XI), but from #2 onward it's much more gradual. There are currently 19ish games on Switch at >200k unit sales (according to this specific dataset, at least) and 41 on PS4; that'll be another interesting metric to look at in another year or two.

A different dataset I've posted around before, but as another element to consider here is a Top 50 for all third-party games that have at least one home console SKU, including Switch, for 6 CYs (CY2015-2020) for which we have good data from Media Create:
VONxqOt.jpg


Additionally, the 3DS-exclusive games that would have otherwise been included in the above ranking are:
  1. Monster Hunter 4 <ACT> (Capcom) {2013.09.14} (¥5.705) [incl. 4G/Ultimate version] - 5.970.984
  2. Yo-kai Watch 2: Specters, Spirits, and Souls <RPG> (Level 5) {2014.12.13} (¥4.600) - 5.848.739
  3. Yo-Kai Watch Blasters: White Dog Squad & Red Cat Corps <ACT> (Level 5) {2015.07.11} (¥4.600) - 2.291.882
  4. Yo-kai Watch 3: Sukiyaki, Sushi, and Tempura <RPG> (Level 5) {2016.12.15} (¥4.800) - 2189.514
  5. Monster Strike <RPG> (Mixi) {2015.12.17} (¥4.500) - 888.224
  6. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King Remastered <RPG> (Square Enix) {2015.08.27} (¥5.980) - 881.477
  7. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3 <RPG> (Square Enix) {2016.03.24} (¥5.250) [incl. Professional version] - 870.147
  8. Yo-kai Sangokushi <SLG> (Level 5) {2016.04.02} (¥4.600) - 578.379
  9. Yo-kai Watch Blasters 2: Secret of the Legendary Treasure Sword & Magnum <ACT> (Level 5) {2017.12.16} (¥4.800) - 553.029
  10. Disney Magic World 2 <ETC> (Bandai Namco Games) {2015.11.05} (¥5.690) - 386.096
  11. Monster Hunter Stories <RPG> (Capcom) {2016.10.08} (¥5.800) - 344.712
  12. Momotaro Dentetsu 2017: Tachiagare Nippon!! <TBL> (Nintendo) {2016.12.22} (¥4.980) - 327.627
The goal of this in my view is to be a bit more wholistic in its approach to evaluating which third-party games have been most successful in the previous generation, looking at combined SKUs and what games went for a hybrid approach (PS4/PSV or 3DS/WIU) as opposed to a purely console-centric approach, or cross-generation (PS3/PS4) in an era where certain developers were doing so as late as 2016.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the details! You forgot Puzzles & Dragons Z which sold ~1.5M in Japan on 3DS. Although I guess it did release late in 2013 (although you do have MH4 in there due to its initial release?)
 
ZSaberLink said:
Thanks for the details! You forgot Puzzles & Dragons Z which sold ~1.5M in Japan on 3DS. Although I guess it did release late in 2013 (although you do have MH4 in there due to its initial release?)
Click to expand...
Yeah, apologies if it wasn't clear but the six-year aggregate data set only accounts for sales of games within that timeframe, and any upgrades thereof; so if MH4 Ultimate sells a significant amount, I did go back to check what the totals were of other SKUs (such as the original MH4) to get the full number overall. Same with games that sold a lot over a long time like Dragon Quest X.
 
ILikeFeet said:
Youth oriented media is difficult because tastes change more rapidly.
Click to expand...
I hear this repeated a lot but so many big gaming franchises that are huge with children don’t seem to have this problem. LoL, fortnite, minecraft, roblox, Pokémon, rocket league etc. The most popular games with kids seem to have plenty of longevity and IMO that argument holds little water explaining level 5s decline.
 
Adventureracing said:
I hear this repeated a lot but so many big gaming franchises that are huge with children don’t seem to have this problem. LoL, fortnite, minecraft, roblox, Pokémon, rocket league etc. The most popular games with kids seem to have plenty of longevity and IMO that argument holds little water explaining level 5s decline.
Click to expand...
It's not terribly difficult to understand if you have a sense of how trends work in Japan. Kids would watch cartoons, parents would hear the song, it would get stuck in their head, after work and drinking parents would go to karaoke with coworkers, sing the song stuck in their head, coworkers unfamiliar would get the song now stuck in their head, buy the game to either check out where the song came from or to give to kids cause they now knew it was popular after the x time hearing the song. That's about it.

 
Adventureracing said:
I hear this repeated a lot but so many big gaming franchises that are huge with children don’t seem to have this problem. LoL, fortnite, minecraft, roblox, Pokémon, rocket league etc. The most popular games with kids seem to have plenty of longevity and IMO that argument holds little water explaining level 5s decline.
Click to expand...

I think, u can't really compare Fortnite, Minecraft with Youkai there. The comparison is quite simple. Those IP there got insanely huge backing by Multinational companies that live and breath those IP alone. Youkai on the other hand simply is unable to follow the tide of the fast moving industry. Hino being the one who did almost everything probably is the biggest reason for its downfall for YW there.
 
KtSlime said:
It's not terribly difficult to understand if you have a sense of how trends work in Japan. Kids would watch cartoons, parents would hear the song, it would get stuck in their head, after work and drinking parents would go to karaoke with coworkers, sing the song stuck in their head, coworkers unfamiliar would get the song now stuck in their head, buy the game to either check out where the song came from or to give to kids cause they now knew it was popular after the x time hearing the song. That's about it.

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That’s a good insight that I certainly didn’t have but that’s not as simple as kids games have a more fickle audience. It is pretty interesting hearing how different the trends work in Japan.

Also whilst level 5 was mainly successful in Japan it did see some success elsewhere mainly in the EU where they have totally collapsed as well.
AruanaRiva said:
I think, u can't really compare Fortnite, Minecraft with Youkai there. The comparison is quite simple. Those IP there got insanely huge backing by Multinational companies that live and breath those IP alone. Youkai on the other hand simply is unable to follow the tide of the fast moving industry. Hino being the one who did almost everything probably is the biggest reason for its downfall for YW there.
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But that’s a thing that all games face not just kids games. Looking at all video games it doesn’t seem to me that kids games are any more of a fast moving industry than any other games. The most popular kids games seem to have plenty of longevity. I’m sure it’s more difficult to keep popular in the kids space but looking at all the biggest kids games it’s clearly more than possible.

I think that’s a massive oversimplification of why Level 5 has so spectacularly fallen from grace, it might be one aspect but not the whole story.
 
Not that they deserve mind you, but surely EA would have compiled enough sales to make it into the Top 15 third party publishers on Switch?

Didn’t FIFA 18, 19 and the two legacy editions sell comparably with the PS4 versions?
 
Nintendo Switch, similar to 3DS, is a market leading system, with third party support that doesn't reflect its actual dominance in the market. No surprise that the consequences seems to be a lot of money left on the table.

Really upsetting how Level5 dropped the ball after living the dream on NDS and 3DS.

To varying extent many developers and IPs are losing mindshare in Japan, while Nintendo successfully cements their IPs on gamers minds, demonstrated by leading software sales.
 
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