Famitsu Sales: Week 16, 2020 (Apr 13 - Apr 19)

[The_Liquid_Laser]

nantonaku said:

It was said that Japanese people like JRPGs, but I don't think this is true.
They just like Pokémon, DQ, and MH, not JRPGs. With the majority of Japanese publishers focusing on mobile, it's hard to see any new JRPGs on consoles.
Honestly, as a Japanese, I'm happy to see indie games inspired by the JRPGs of yesteryear like Chrono Trigger, Valkyrie Profile, and Earthbound, but at the same time, I'm a little saddened by the mobile-only state of affairs in Japan.

I'm the one who said the Japanese like JRPG's.  It's pretty apparent if we just look at the sales numbers.  Going by the top 10 selling games on PS4 in Japan (using VGC numbers) it looks like this:

1. Monster Hunter World
2. Dragon Quest 11
3. Final Fantasty 15
4. Final Fantasy 7 Remake
5. Kingdom Hearts 3
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
7. Metal Gear Solid 5
8. Nier: Automata
9. Knack 
10. Persona 5

That is 7 out of 10 games that are JRPGs.  It's not only the most popular genre in the top 10, but it's more popular than all other genres combined.
The 3DS top 10 in Japan tells a similar story:

1.  Animal Crossing: New Leaf
2.  Pokemon X/Y
3.  Pokemon Sun/Moon
4.  Monster Hunter 4
5. Yokai Watch 2: Bony Spirits/Fleshy Souls
6. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby
7. Mario Kart 7
8. Monster Hunter Generations
9. Yokai Watch 2: Psychic Spirits
10. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

On the 3DS the charts are even more lopsided, because 8/10 of the titles are JRPGs. In the West we have this stereotype that Nintendo first party games crowd out all of the third party games.  But in Japan the story is very different.  In Japan, JRPGs crowd out a lot of Nintendo first party games.  Mario platformers, Smash Bros, Luigi's Mansion, etc... never made the top 10, because it's full of JRPGs. 

Regardless of platform, JRPGs dominate.  That is why it is absurd for someone to say that JRPGs are not popular in Japan, or that Animal Crossing represents changing tastes.  Animal Crossing is the only simulation game in either top 10 list.  It's still mostly JRPGs.