Japanese Game Unit Sales

Electronic Gaming Business, August 11, 2004

Rank  Plat.  Title                                     Publisher    This Week
1     PS2    J. League Pro Soccer Club                 Sega         27,241
2     PS2    Jissen Pachisiot: Fist of the North Star  Sammy        22,010
3     PS2    Gacha Mecha Stadium Saruvatore            SCE          20,325
4     GC     Donkey Konga Hit Song Parade              Nintendo     17,007
5     PS2    Xenosaga Episode 2                        Namco        14,778
6     PS2    Dokapon DX: Wataru wataru                 Asmik Ace    10,465
7     GC     Pikmin 2                                  Nintendo     10,111
8     GBA    Famicon Mini: Ganbare Goemon              Nintendo     10,061
9     GC     Harvest Moon: Wonderful Life for Girls    Marvellous   9,975
10    GBA    DQC: Tomeko's Big Adventure 3             Square-Enix  9,336

Rank  Plat.  Title                                     Total
1     PS2    J. League Pro Soccer Club                 298,460
2     PS2    Jissen Pachisiot: Fist of the North Star  664,493
3     PS2    Gacha Mecha Stadium Saruvatore            57,900
4     GC     Donkey Konga Hit Song Parade              49,175
5     PS2    Xenosaga Episode 2                        229,677
6     PS2    Dokapon DX: Wataru wataru                 -
7     GC     Pikmin 2                                  401,829
8     GBA    Famicon Mini: Ganbare Goemon              134,745
9     GC     Harvest Moon: Wonderful Life for Girls    -
10    GBA    DQC: Tomeko's Big Adventure 3             72,305

Source: Media Create

The Japanese market hits a dreary milestone, dropping beneath 400,000 game units sold. While game sales are down for the industry, the audience size is actually growing, according to the latest report from Japan's CESA (Computer Entertainment Suppliers Associetion). In 2003, 37% of Japanese people played games, up from 25.6% in 2002. They are spending less, however - only $2 billion, down from $2.26 billion the year before. Early July proved to be an unusual slump, as title sales topped 800,000 by early August with a rush of new releases, although they continued to sag below weekly averages.

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