Japan’s games industry is in dire straights right now, it seems. 2015 has marked the country’s worst in 26 years for video games, but why? Nobody really knows the definite answer, but the report by Famitsu (via Destructoid) says that Japan’s games industry was worth ¥321 billion in 2015 – a 13% drop from 2014.
Before we all start calling time on Japan’s flailing portion of the industry, we should note that the figures don’t take into account digital sales, so that means mobile gaming is excluded – an important occlusion, considering how massive mobile gaming is in Japan right now.
Anyway, here’s the top 10 most popular software and hardware for the entirety of last year.
Japanese top 10 bestselling software 2015
1. Monster Hunter X (Capcom) 3DS – 2,441,977
2. Yo-Kai Watch Busters: Akaneko-dan / Shiroinu-tai (Level 5) 3DS – 1,965,202
3. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (Nintendo) 3DS – 1,282,880
4. Splatoon (Nintendo) Wii U – 1,064,897
5. Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King (Square Enix) 3DS – 864,865
6. Super Mario Maker (Nintendo) Wii U – 674,194
7. Monster Strike (Mixi) 3DS – 636,709
8. Yokai Watch 2: Shinuchi (Level 5) – 3DS – 625,223
9. Rhythm Heaven: The Best+ (Nintendo) 3DS – 607,343
10. Fire Emblem Fates: White Kingdom/Black Kingdom (Birthright / Conquest) (Nintendo) 3DS – 538,669Hardware sales Japan 2015
1. Nintendo 3DS (including 3DS, 3DS LL, New 3DS, New 3DS LL) 2,189,900
2. PS4 1,205,163
3. PS Vita (including Vita TV) 959,342
4. PS3 188,207
5. Wii U 82,304
6. Xbox One 18,093
It’s no secret that Japan’s traditional games industry has been shrinking for a while, but can it recover, or will it continue on its downward spiral?
Published: Jan 7, 2016 12:34 pm