Media Create Numbers : 10/29 - 11/4

[Dodece]

I believe its a Chinese proverb, or is it a curse. May you live in interesting times. Microsoft beats Sony on its home turf for a week with a solid release, and a new bundle. Mario falls well below most expectations. The Wii still is not back to its former glory for yet another week. Then finally like the smell of blood in the air no PS3 titles in the top thirty.

Honestly Microsoft is doing everything right in Japan. Not that they have always done so, but they have made a lot of positive steps. Nice to see the market rewarding them for that.

Mario platformers are great games. However the expectations I think were unreasonable. Mario Sunshine has yet to sell more then six million units. Only having sold 870,000 units in Japan lifetime. The attach rate for that game did not exceed fifteen percent. Compared to North America where it reached twenty nine percent.

Technically given the smaller install base on the Wii at the moment in Japan, and the fact that the title is two times more popular in North America. The maximum sales should be around 560,000 lifetime were the Wii to stop selling now. However we all know that you have to account for a tail. So the game has probably generated around forty five percent of its total sales. Thats actually rather impressive considering. The game has even approached a seven percent attachment rate on its first week. Given the success of Sunshine these sales are not shabby at all. They are in line with realism. Just under half of the lifetime sales of its previous incarnation.

Why people expected more is beyond me. All you had to do was research this title. Using wikipedia, and this sites own metrics to have a good idea of sales. This title is doing well for a Mario platformer in Japan. Perhaps not well by North American sales standards, but quite well considering.

The Wii sales are starting to concern me. The console is really losing steam. Which does not mean it is losing, but its slowing down in Japan. This close to the holidays shouldn't some panic be taking hold by this point. I wonder if Japan is falling out of love with the console.

Sony needs to start selling games thats all there is to it. This is not good for developer confidence. Especially if Microsoft can work three titles into the top thirty. Sony is going to be facing some hard questions in the coming weeks. Like why developers should make games for their platform at all. Given the costs, smaller user base, and a domestic attach rate that is this low.

Just my thoughts on the numbers.