It finally came true. At a store in Tokyo he saw a PlayStation 5.
In fact, PS5 hardware surpassed 3 million units in Japan this month, now that the console supply is finally plentiful. That’s just under 10% of his total of 32 million units sold worldwide since launch.
The PS5 launch was a difficult one around the world, but it felt awful here in Japan. In his first two years since the console launched in November 2020, I actually haven’t seen a single one of him. Like, literally never. Once inventory was available, most chains restricted sales to those with loyalty cards, previous purchases were recorded, and other very strict measures were taken.
I’m good at drawing lottery, so I didn’t have a chance to buy a lottery ticket myself.
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Of course, the stock always sells out quickly. Was it extreme demand or low supply? Or both? Well, 2021 and he’s been hovering around 15,000-20,000 units per week for most of 2022, with many gamers complaining that he can’t get even one. was leaking. Global PS5 inventory. This is a country with a population of about 130 million, he is one of the top three gaming markets in the world and is also the birthplace of PlayStation. Many fans felt forgotten by Sony.
The PS5’s scarcity has become something of a meme here and has permeated into wider popular culture. I can’t help but be three-waywith desperate lyrics that translate to “Life is helpless without friends – even the PS5 is sold out.” It was filled with bitter comments of the “as if I could buy it anyway” type.
Times were certainly rough. But not necessarily a big surprise. Japanese PlayStation watchers may have seen this coming, as Japan is becoming less of a preferred market for PlayStation.
In February 2014, the PlayStation 4 was finally released in Japan. It launched about three months later than the US. It took several years before sales started in earnest here. While the PS2 exceeded 20 million units in Japan and the PS3 topped 10 million units, the PS4 fell slightly below 10 million units, declining with each generation. It started to become apparent that it was a very strong market. (Handheld PSP and Vita blazed a brighter path in Japan than elsewhere.)
In 2016, the PlayStation business moved its headquarters from Tokyo to San Mateo, California, signaling a shift in SIE priorities. In 2021, the oldest PlayStation studio, Japan Studio, was abruptly dismantled. The closure of Japan Studios has led to AAA Western games like The Last of Us and God of War over the endless variety and middling sales of Japanese games like Gravity Rush and The Last Guardian. emphasized Sony’s commitment to The PlayStation may be owned by the Japanese conglomerate giant Sony, but the heart and soul that powers the PlayStation is as American as hamburgers, apple pies and rebellious chocolate bars.
(For full disclosure, I worked for Japan Studio for a period of time as a community manager and loved almost every game the studio made. Except Knack. Of course.)
That brings us to today. Of course, PlayStation is still a beloved game brand in Japan, and demand for the PS5 is high.
A quick glance at Japan’s multi-format charts for a given week over the past few years paints a consistent picture. In Japan, Nintendo is king. For example, in 2022 overall software charts, 18 of the top 20 were games for his Switch, and almost all of them were first-party Nintendo games. PS4’s “Elden Ring” ranked 10th, and PS5’s “Gran Turismo” ranked 18th.
Still, now that the PS5 has finally launched in Japan, it looks like the drought is over and we can get a better idea of what the demand really is. (combining the standard PS5 and the discless version), sales peaked at around 93,026 units in a week in February. It’s been steadily declining since then, but at the time of writing, he’s still number one on the hardware sales charts, with sales of 64,869 in the most recent week. For comparison, the Switch, now in its seventh year, will sell around 60,000 units a week in 2023, totaling over 28 million in Japan alone.
So with supply catching up with demand, the PlayStation 5 is selling well in Japan, while the Switch has a long, long lead overall.
But now that Japanese players can finally get their hands on a PS5, what games are they buying? Probably not what you’d expect. Like the PS4 before that, the PS5 launched with a lack of games that appealed to the Japanese market. But the domestic release and backward compatibility with his PS4 definitely helped bridge the gap.
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When it comes to lifetime sales of physical disc games, Gran Turismo 7 takes the lead as PS5’s biggest seller, with 294,714 physical copies sold on PS5. This seems to be the PS5’s closest match to a killer app for system sales in Japan. This is followed by Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, Hogwarts Legacy and Resident Evil Village. Meanwhile, God of War: Ragnarok cracks into #10 with 53,816 physical copies sold on PS5.
SIEJA does not regularly release digital sales figures, but does publish rankings. Top digital games of the last few months include Monster Hunter Rise, Forspoken, One Piece Odyssey, Hogwarts Legacy, Wild Hearts and Like a Dragon: Ishin.
Several PlayStation games can also be seen on the weekly multi-platform physical charts. The last few weeks have seen his spot on the Wild Hearts chart appealing to Japanese Monster Hunter enthusiasts. Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is hot among Soulslike fans. Hogwarts Legacy is receiving a magical reception in a country where Harry Potter is wildly popular and where language and cultural barriers prevent the author’s online comments from damaging the brand. .
Multiplatform charts occasionally include PS4 games as well.Because old hardware remains in people’s homes – Tales of Symphonia Remastered, Final Fantasy Theater Rhythm Final Bar Line
“Fatal Frame Gesshoku no Kamen” also performed well. Again, Switch versions will chart higher than usual, like Theatrhythm and Fatal Frame, when Switch versions are available.
So where does this leave Japan’s PlayStation 5? There’s no doubt that Sony’s console has a good chance of doing well in Japan now that hardware is more readily available. Nintendo continues to eat Sony’s bento box, but the 3 million consoles sold shouldn’t be sneezed at, and with the right games, demand could grow. The Man games are doing well here, so the launch of Spider-Man 2 later this year will be worth keeping an eye on. Final Fantasy isn’t as big as Dragon Quest in Japan, but FFXVI and FFVII are popular enough. Playback will definitely drive PS5 console sales.
Multiplatform games also sell better on Switch when versions are available, but PlayStation usually outsells PC and Xbox. PS5 will undoubtedly become his default platform for multi-platform games that aren’t on Switch, like Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Removed His Name.
“But what about PS VR2?!” Also, since you are speaking loud enough to be heard in Tokyo, please allow me to answer. We don’t yet know how many PS VR2s will sell in Japan, but if the $550 price tag in the US seems harsh, his ¥75,000 in Japan is a hefty sticker shock. High cost of PS5 (60,000 yen) and PS5 digital version (50,000 yen). Combined with the shrinking of his existing PS5 install base here and the lack of killer games for the Japanese market, there are certainly many hurdles. But it is not necessarily insurmountable. With the right games and services, there is still hope.
Over the last few years, it’s been devastating to see PlayStation lose heavily to Nintendo in Japan. In fact, with the rise of mobile gaming, Japan has become as big a market as all the console and PC gaming markets combined. The PC gaming market is growing rapidly here, partly due to the lack of new generation hardware.
However, I think PlayStation is at a turning point in Japan. Making the PS5 console more readily available here without the frustrating lottery system could dispel some of the negative sentiment and make the platform more tangible. With a number of upcoming games to appeal (many of them third-party), the PS5 is well positioned to take a very strong #2 position in Japan. So I think it will end up being a higher number than the PS3’s.
which is good. Look? Japanese gamers seem to want SIE to treat its birthplace with a little more love, and with good reason. The increased inventory of PS5 consoles is the first big step.
Daniel Robson is Editor in Chief of IGN Japan. you can find him on twitter here.
