Famitsu 2023 annual — NSW#1 (-15%), PS5#2 (+124%), XBS#3 (−47%) | Zelda TOTK#1, Mario Wonder#2, Pikmin 4#3 (physical only)Highest PS5 sales since 2004

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Famitsu 2023 annual report — NSW#1 (-15%), PS5#2 (+124%), XBS#3 (−47%) | Zelda TOTK#1, Mario Wonder#2, Pikmin 4#3 (physical software only​

About the domestic home video game market in 2023

The size of the home video game market* in 2023 was ¥ 267.49 billion (127.5% year-on-year) for hardware and ¥ 136.38 billion (82.6% year-on-year) for packaged software, for a total of ¥ 403.88 billion (107.8% year-on-year).
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The hardware market exceeded the previous year's results for the fourth consecutive year and is the largest in the past decade. The top spot for annual unit sales was taken by the Nintendo Switch, which sold 4,063,000 units (total of the three models). The PlayStation 5 sold 2,587,000 units, more than double the previous year's figure, against the backdrop of an end to shortages. It secured the largest share in value terms, partly due to the impact of price revisions, contributing to the expansion of the market size.

In the packaged software market, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo / 12 May 2023 / Switch) topped the annual software ranking with 1,930,000 units sold.The Nintendo Switch's launch title, The Legend of Zelda. Breath of the Wild (Nintendo / 3 Mar 2017 / Switch), the long-awaited sequel to Breath of the Wild, is quickly closing in on the 2,264,000 total sales accumulated by that title.
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In second place was Super Mario Bros Wonder (Nintendo / 20 October 2023 / Switch), which, together with third-placed Pikmin 4 (Nintendo / 21 July 2023 / Switch), made up the Top 3 for Nintendo titles. However, the packaged software market as a whole fell short of the previous year's line-up, which had three titles with over 2 million units, and was also affected by the development of digital distribution and the increase in basic fee-free games.

In 2024, the home video game market is expected to see a further boost from strong new titles such as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Square Enix / scheduled for release on 29 February 2024 / PS5).
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Market size comparison (unit: billion yen)​

2023 (53 weeks)​

  • Hardware: 267.49 billion yen
  • Packaged software: 136.38 billion yen
  • Total: 403.88 billion yen

2022 (52 weeks)​

  • Hardware: 209.78 billion yen
  • Packaged software: 165.04 billion yen
  • Total: 374.82 billion yen

Hardware​

Nintendo Switch​

  • Manufacturer name: Nintendo
  • Release date: 2017/3/3
  • Estimated annual sales: 4,062,609
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 31,786,656

PlayStation 5​

  • Manufacturer name: Sony Interactive Entertainment
  • Release date: 2020/11/12
  • Estimated annual sales: 2,587,468
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 4,964,857

Xbox Series X|S​

  • Manufacturer name: Microsoft Japan
  • Release date: 2020/11/10
  • Estimated annual sales: 141,712
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 540,107

PlayStation 4​

  • Manufacturer name: Sony Interactive Entertainment
  • Release date: 2014/2/22
  • Estimated annual sales: 73,292
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 9,491,059

Top 10 home game software sales in 2023​

1st place "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom"​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: Nintendo
  • Release date: 2023/5/12
  • Estimated annual sales: 1,929,603
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 1,929,603

2nd place ``Super Mario Bros. Wonder''​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: Nintendo
  • Release date: 2023/10/20
  • Estimated annual sales: 1,549,401
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 1,549,401

3rd place "Pikmin 4"​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: Nintendo
  • Release date: 2023/7/21
  • Estimated annual sales: 1,119,027
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 1,119,027

4th place ``Pokemon Scarlet Violet''​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: Pokemon
  • Release date: 2022/11/18
  • Estimated annual sales: 907,432
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 5,246,363

5th place "Momotaro Dentetsu World: The Earth Spins with Hope" ~"​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: KONAMI
  • Release date: 2023/11/16
  • Estimated annual sales: 795,681
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 795,681

6th place "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe"​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: Nintendo
  • Release date: 2017/4/28
  • Estimated annual sales: 617,223
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 5,631,598

7th place "Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe"​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: Nintendo
  • Release date: 2023/2/24
  • Estimated annual sales: 514,581
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 514,581

8th place "Dragon Quest Monsters 3: Journey of the Demon Prince and the Elf"​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: Square Enix
  • Release date: 2023/12/1
  • Estimated annual sales: 510,477
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 510,477

9th place "Splatoon 3"​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: Nintendo
  • Release date: 2022/9/9
  • Estimated annual sales: 503,312
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 4,191,126

10th place "Super Mario RPG"​

  • Hardware: Switch
  • Manufacturer: Nintendo
  • Release date: 2023/11/17
  • Estimated annual sales: 447,687
  • Estimated cumulative sales: 447,687
www.famitsu.com

2023年ゲームソフト&ハード販売数が公開。『ゼルダの伝説 ティアキン』が首位を獲得 | ゲーム・エンタメ最新情報のファミ通.com​

2024年1月12日、ファミ通調べによる2023年ゲームソフト・ハード売上データが公開。『ゼルダの伝説　ティアーズ オブ ザ キングダム』が年間ソフトランキング首位を獲得し、ハード市場はNintendo Switchが販売台数トップを記録した。
www.famitsu.com
www.famitsu.com

*Credit thick thighs on gaf

Nintendo has now dominated Japan game sales for 19 consecutive years

www.videogameschronicle.com

Nintendo has now dominated Japan game sales for 19 consecutive years | VGC

Switch led software and hardware sales comfortably in 2023…
www.videogameschronicle.com www.videogameschronicle.com

PS5 sold 2.6 million units in Japan in 2023, the highest ever for a PlayStation console since the PS2 in 2004​

 
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Gamernyc78

Gamernyc78

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Damn ps5 sold more than double than last year! What game got them moving?
 
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Evilms

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Famitsu Japan 2023 (annual report)

1-NSW (-15%) : 4.062.609
2-PS5 (+124%) : 2.587.468
3-X/S (-47%) : 141.712
4-PS4 (+221%) : 73.292
5-3DS (-71%) : 3.033
 
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Gamernyc78

Gamernyc78

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Evilms said:
Famitsu Japan 2023 (annual report)

1-NSW (-15%) : 4.062.609
2-PS5 (+124%) : 2.587.468
3-X/S (-47%) : 141.712
4-PS4 (+221%) : 73.292
5-3DS (-71%) : 3.033
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Look those PS5 numbers :) warms my soul.
 
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Gamernyc78

Gamernyc78

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JAHGamer said:
Nah I was jokin, but I could see them doing something like that 😂😂
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Remember tht Black Friday thread I put up smh when one publication said Xbox was clear winner... 🤣🤣

icon-era.com

Microsoft ‘clear winner’ in video game space this Black Friday with X Box Series X most in-demand hardware. Prepare for mental gymnastics 😂

https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/1034374/microsoft-clear-winner-in-video-game-space-this-black-friday-with-x-box-series-x-most-in-demand-hardware-1034374.html Black Friday 2023 in the video game space differed from previous years as there was ample inventory of high-end...
icon-era.com icon-era.com

They be dumbing out.
 
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Evilnemesis8

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Number of PS5 sold unfortunately doesn't tell the full story in Japan.
We just have no way of knowing how many consoles are being exported outside of Japan, but it's highly suspected that it's not a trivial amount.

PS5 attach rate for games is historically bad and through things like the Insomniac leak we know that Japan's digital ratio is fairly low. We also know they are not subscribed to PS+ at the same rate as the west. So that leaves us with only F2P which is fairly high usage in Japan(PlayStation themselves said it was the case) but even that can't totally explain the low amount of software sales for the console.

At the same time, there's really nothing to be done to combat the Nintendo domination in Japan in any meaningful way.
PlayStation current strategy in first party doesn't really take Japan into account, so they're reacting in kind, with apathy.

I think that the current PlayStation can leverage new emerging markets like EMEA, China and other emerging markets/regions to counter balance the lost of ground in Japan but it's always unfortunate when your marketshare anywhere is shrinking.

Xbox can tell you all about this in 2023 :ROFLMAO:
 
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thicc_girls_are_teh_best

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Cool hand luke said:
Please don't bring installbase conspiracies over here. They're deloo-loo.
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It's not really too far-fetched to speculate on, though. The Japan software charts are always dominated by Switch (and specifically, Nintendo 1P, aside Minecraft and maybe a random Square-Enix game here or there) titles. I personally thought we'd see more PS4/5 titles regularly in the Top 10 after FF XVI's release, at least 2-3 PS titles in Top 10 even if on the lower half of the chart. That's what I expected.

Instead such hasn't really panned out. And yeah, we do have data from the ransomware hack showing digital skew for Japan is lower than many other markets, so even if accounting for F2P usage (which in order to verify, we'd have to get player data statistics for games like Apex Legends or Geshin Impact on console in Japan) that doesn't 100% explain hardware/software discrepancies.

So, are there some portions of PS5s in Japan being exported to other territories in Asia (or markets nearby like Australia or even Russia where IIRC PS5s are not being officially sold due to the war)? Probably. What percentage? Anyone's guess. But it's very likely beyond the margin of error (aka > 3-4%). It sucks that bad faith actors and fanboys have latched onto that idea as an anti-PlayStation narrative, but their stupidity doesn't in itself completely invalidate the theory itself.
 
Zzero

Zzero

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Fwiw, its possible that Switch game sales are also slightly inflated. The low yen makes it the cheapest market to buy games in so there's definitely a subset of people who import stuff or buy from the JP Switch store. Lots of hoops to jump through but the savings can be significant.
 
JAHGamer

JAHGamer

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thicc_girls_are_teh_best said:
It's not really too far-fetched to speculate on, though. The Japan software charts are always dominated by Switch (and specifically, Nintendo 1P, aside Minecraft and maybe a random Square-Enix game here or there) titles. I personally thought we'd see more PS4/5 titles regularly in the Top 10 after FF XVI's release, at least 2-3 PS titles in Top 10 even if on the lower half of the chart. That's what I expected.

Instead such hasn't really panned out. And yeah, we do have data from the ransomware hack showing digital skew for Japan is lower than many other markets, so even if accounting for F2P usage (which in order to verify, we'd have to get player data statistics for games like Apex Legends or Geshin Impact on console in Japan) that doesn't 100% explain hardware/software discrepancies.

So, are there some portions of PS5s in Japan being exported to other territories in Asia (or markets nearby like Australia or even Russia where IIRC PS5s are not being officially sold due to the war)? Probably. What percentage? Anyone's guess. But it's very likely beyond the margin of error (aka > 3-4%). It sucks that bad faith actors and fanboys have latched onto that idea as an anti-PlayStation narrative, but their stupidity doesn't in itself completely invalidate the theory itself.
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I don't get this though, PS5s are available in China for whoever wants them, Sony even said it's one of their fastest growing regions and a region they're actively trying to expand in. So what's the point of exporting them? And Russia? That place is dominated by PC gaming....

The main reason why the Switch is always present the most on sales charts is because there are literally 10x more Switch's than PS5s, and when you add in PS4, its 3.5x more Switch's than PlayStations. But when big releases come out only on PS, it always reflects on Famitsu. Yakuza Gaiden had over 100k, FF16 over 300k, Spider-Man 2 over 100k, Armored Core 6 over 100k, Hogwarts Legacy over 100k, etc

Another issue with Install Base is that they act like NO ONE in Japan buys games digitally 😂 that site is full of annoying anti Sony weebs that label everything Sony related a flop. They act like any time a game isn't released on Switch it's doomed to fail, and they hold resentment for 3rd party publishers that don't support Switch. They want to hold back gaming just so Nintendo can look better than Sony 😒
 
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