Famitsu sales: Death Stranding at number 1

Famitsu has published its estimated physical game software and hardware sales data for Japan for the week of November 4, 2019 to November 10, 2019.

[Traecy]

Nice.

[darthv72]

Congrats to Kojima on a successful inaugural launch.

[IamTylerDurden1]

Death Stranding sold 186K units in Japan in 2 days.

It released November 8th and the sales data is from November 4th to November 10th.

So, first week sales in Japan are probably much higher. Pretty crazy. I'm excited to see worldwide numbers as the first week numbers in Japan alone will beat certain AAA game's first week numbers worldwide.

Well deserved, the game is phenomenal and it gets better as you go.

[Nyxus]

"Death Stranding has had a monster debut in Japan

- Nearly 186k units week 1
- Biggest new IP launch of the entire generation
- 3rd biggest debut for a game published by Sony this gen
- Fantastic performance. Congrats @HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN

Thanks to @GameDataLibrary for the numbers"

https://twitter.com/BenjiSa...

[moriarty1889]

game is doing very well as expected. Kojima is on another level imo.

[pwnmaster3000]

Yeah sells for this game was always gonna be great. A lot of people I knew bought it anyways despite some what reviews said and they are loving it. This game actually sold out pretty quick at the game store I go to. I bought in the morning after work and I told my friend they had a shit ton left, but apparently in the afternoon it was already sold out. Pretty crazy.

[moriarty1889]

yeah here too. sold fast everywhere. the limited edition consoles are all gone as well. they look real nice imo. love the controller.

[Inzo]

Definitely. I've been playing the game for hours now and its clear that Kojima isnt afraid of thinking outside the box. The problem is that some games journalists dont like that.

[moriarty1889]

yes Kojima isnt afraid to take chances. thats how great games are made. I respect any dev who does that as opposed to playing it safe like journalists may prefer.

[TheGoodestBoi]

And apparently it has "mixed reception" yet it has a higher score than the likes of call of duty and not a peep about that

[rdgneoz3]

Its "mixed reception" is in the US, as other countries are rating it higher. Even IGN from outside the US rates it higher than the US one. The US loves its COD and shooters...

[IamTylerDurden1]

Overall scores

Open Critic - 85

Game Rankings - 85

Metacritic - 83

I wouldn't call that "mixed" i'd called that a game with an excellent critical reception. Unless 85 is somehow bad now..?

Yes, there were quite a few troll scores for the game, but even with those absurd scores it still averages out to an 85. Btw, Metacritic uses a weighted average, the game IS an 85 when all the reviews are averaged.

[goldwyncq]

It seems to be reviewing well in Japan and Europe. Maybe Kojima's comment about Americans not appreciating the purpose and message of the game as well as others might be true after all.

[pwnmaster3000]

This game reminds me of the Joker. Word of mouth of other players is gonna boost this game.
It happen to a couple of people I know who had no interest in buying it until they heard other People talk about it and bought it. So far they are loving it.

[UltraNova]

In Solid's Voice: Controversy.... controversy has changed.

[bluefox755]

It has a message of hope and unity, a very pro-america message. Something the media probably doesn't like.

[FunAndGun]

So build a wall or a bridge?

[Brave_Losers_Unite]

@FunAndGun

In the game you do build bridges for real players so actually use so...

[TK-66]

Please, America talks about unity at the end of every election cycle. At this point, the talk of unity from both sides of the aisle is hollow as neither really understands what is required to achieve it.

Unity is an idealism that is usually only achieved by finding an "other" to rally against. What other are we going to fabricate this time into an "imminent threat"?

[rainslacker]

@TK

America talks about a lot of things all the time. They just don't do a very good job of following through on the talk. At least not when it comes to the media, and the general populace doing something that they care enough about to comment on.

I'm American, and I've noticed that Americans are good at saying what they want, but not very good at doing what they have to to get what they want. As a general statement, they want a lot of things done for them, and I think they've really forgotten how to fight for what's important to them. Now it's more that people feel they're being productive by complaining about stuff on social media.

Mad props to those who affect change through purposeful action though.

[BlahBlahWhatever]

Both Japan & EU love different/unique stuff & they are open to new ideas, NA gamers seem to not be that way & prefer one of the same again & again & again... nothing bad with that at least there will always people out there who appreciate creators like Kojima with unique ideas who will never drop his standards in order to appeal to the masses, that's what make him one of the best & most revolutionary creators out there & a true genius! :)

[leoms]

There were so many butthurt dudebros from this comment though. It's hilarious

[rainslacker]

I'm American. I think it was a stupid generalization he really shouldn't have made, because the US consumer has been pretty good to him overall. Plus, the reviews from US media weren't terrible as a whole, and it was really just troll reviews, and general public reception has been pretty good despite the people trying real hard to bring him, or the game down. I'm not butthurt or upset about it, but I don't like to be lumped into general groups when someone is calling out specific actions. Plus, American's are pretty broad in their interest, and all these people I see make general statements about how screwed up America, or American's are because of our media highlighting stupidity and ignorance, really gets tiring.

Been all over the world in my time. I've found people to be awesome everywhere I've been. I see stupid things from those places sometimes, but I certainly don't judge the entire people by those stupid things.

[Thundercat77]

Kojima's comment is true after all. Do you think is a coincidence that every IGN region gave 9s and 10s score except for IGN USA who gave a low score?

[Vegamyster]

Except the game reviewed higher in North America than it did in Japan and was relatively the same across the different regions: https://www.resetera.com/th...

[Cikatriz_ESP]

And Lord knows Kojima worshippers aren’t capable of critically analyzing the shit that comes out of his mouth.

[Elda]

Great! I'm enjoying the game immensely.

[Neonridr]

sadly it didn't really help push much extra hardware.

[cochise313]

stop hating. PS4 is over 100 million sold.

[Neonridr]

? where in my statement did I "hate".

I simply said that even though the game moved some solid numbers, it certainly didn't help move extra consoles.

Jesus, I own a PS4 and this game. Thanks though.

[septemberindecember]

Not in Japan it isn't.

[Atticus_finch]

Here, have a fresh mushroom.

[Thundercat77]

No other console this gen is over 100 m like the PS4. Go back to your cave toxic troll.

[Neonridr]

thanks, I own both the console and the game. Nice try.

[Dragonscale]

@neon, how the hell do you even know that?

[Neonridr]

because I look at how much hardware sold last week compared to this week. Watch how Switch / Switch Lite sales do next week when we factor in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Hardware will go up over 100%.

It's not really that difficult to see.

[THC CELL]

Neo be quiet. Please

[Ratchet75]

How do you know?
Do you have some figures to share with us?

[IamTylerDurden1]

Neon

DS released November 8th, this sales data only accounts for 2 days on market.

Maybe give it a full week of sales to see if it moved any consoles?

[averagejoe26]

It sure did.

Every store around me was sold out of the PS4 bundles.

100% moved extra hardware.

[rainslacker]

Yeah. Didn't see any bump in X1 or Switch sales because Death Standing released. Was quite odd. Sony and nintendo are still chugging along quite nicely though it would seem.

[Knushwood Butt]

PS4 hardware sold around double that of the prevoous week.

PS4 Pro／8546台（累計 131万6224台）
PS4／7264台（累計 716万6947台）

Compared to the previous week:

PS4／4992台（累計 715万9683台）
PS4 Pro／3346台（累計 130万7678台）

[Neonridr]

yep, you are correct Knushwood. But are we really excited about 7500 extra consoles? How many extra Switch consoles do you think will sell when Pokemon releases tomorrow?

[Knushwood Butt]

I'm not excited, but you said, 'it certainly didn't help move extra consoles.', when clearly the sales doubled compared to the previous week.

[yomfweeee]

You're going tting hate because... what's your point? The console is 6 years old now. No single game is going to impact console sales at this point.

[Hungryalpaca]

Why would it? The ps4 is already over 100million. Most people who probably want DS have probably already bought a ps4

[Neonridr]

while you are accurate for WW numbers, we are talking about Japan only here. And in Japan, this game didn't attract many new people to purchase a PS4. That was my only point. Age of the console and the fact that the Switch is more appealing definitely factor in. I was only saying that while the software did great, the hardware, while doubling it's previous week, isn't much to get excited about. There was no hate in my statement, as much as so many people here wanted to try to dig for.

[S2Killinit]

Good. People judge for themselves.

[waverider]

Well, only some would think that this game would flop. All the boring «news» and all the «Walking simulator» news and fake metacrap reviews. Well, if this game is getting phisical sales high in japan and Europe, combined with digital, that many say are always much higher, it will be one, if not the bigger, new IP of 2019 for consoles. Lets connect more gamers and lets create more bridges between gamers. Congrats to all those who think with their heads and seek new experiences.

[Hungryalpaca]

Those calling it a walking simulator may as well call Mario a jumping simulator and Forza a driving in circles simulator.

[Atticus_finch]

30 hrs in and I can't stop playing, the game is incredible. I haven't had a game hook this bad since Bloodborne.
The Decima engine is amazing, and I can't wait to see what Horizon Zero Dawn 2 will achieve with it.

[Traecy]

Indeed!

[Hungryalpaca]

Same. I thought I wasn’t going to like it. It wasn’t on my radar. Then all the hate for it started so I had to give it a shot. Glad I did. Excellently crafted game that doesn’t rely on adrenaline or killing to be fun.

[septemberindecember]

Death Stranding performed really well. Sold more than Luigi's Mansion 3 did first week, I believe. Hopefully it stays on the charts for a while.

The Switch hardware is still selling really well. All good news!

[averagejoe26]

Yup.

Luigi's Mansion 3 in Japan after 7 days = 150,000
Death Stranding in Japan after only 4 days = 189,000

I'm glad players vote with their wallets and don't trust incompetent reviewers.

[septemberindecember]

Well I wouldn't call them incompetent. They just have a different opinion. But the premise is the same. You don't know how good a game is until you play it for yourself.

[moriarty1889]

thats why Sony is smart by not putting major AAA games for free on psnow like Ms does with GP. Sales like this help the devs to recoup alot of the money it took to make the game. Hope Sony continues this next gen.

[Thundercat77]

Game pass is a solution for low sales. It is better to have a monthly subscription than the low sales Xbox has. Sony and Nintendo doesn't need this because their sales are very good with their exclusive games.

[moriarty1889]

good point. yeah i guess every bit helps. Is it sustainable for devs long term though like Coalition? Gears 5 had very low sales compared to its predecessors cuz of GP. How do you recoup the money they invested into making that game when that happens? I would think at some point it is hurting them more than helping. Just my two cents worth.

[rainslacker]

When you have 1 game a year that people are likely to buy on your system, then you can make more revenue by getting people to pay $120/yr for game pass. Then you also get people playing your other games they probably wouldn't buy anyways, which can have it's own benefits. Only downside is MS has to pay for additional content, so potential profits could actually be less.

Given the games that MS has released, there is such a disparity between their AAA hardcore games and their other games, that I imagine that the bulk of the userbase probably doesn't buy more than one MS game a year, if that, because how many Forza's do you really need? Game forums aren't good representations of the general market, so people around here may be more prone to buying a variety of games, but the general market tends to stay within their comfort zone.

I don't think Sony is really in the situation that MS is in with game sales, as many of their published and developed games have sold in the 6-10 million range this gen. That's actually pretty exceptional, and many publisher would love to have that high a percentage of successful games. Some publishers may have more successful games in number, but they also have a lot of duds. Some may make more on some of their successes, and that may even dwarf what Sony has made on their games, but the numbers for Sony's games aren't bad at all. This is especially true since Sony appears to have streamlined development enough that the cost to produce these big AAA games is much less than what some publishers are saying they spent on their mega-franchises. GOW and Horizon were both made for $40 million, and it's reasonable to assume their other games fall within that same budget. TLOU and UC4 may cost them more.

[Veneno]

Yes Sony Understands the value of their exclusive content just like Nintendo. Nintendo doesn't have to cheapen their content because, where else are you going to play it other than a Nintendo hardware? Same with PlayStation exclusives .

[Realms]

MS have very few AAA quality exclusives so it makes sense to put their games day 1 on GP. I suspect that if the quality of their games improved they would raise the monthly fee of their service.

[Ristul]

Imagine that, loosing ownership of games to a service that is going up in price to be profitable. Its either that, or games will keep being far apart or lower quality.

[Thundercat77]

I am a Master Transporter right now and I am loving it.

One question to the Porters out there. Are you giving likes to others or just waiting to receive likes? Are you taking good care of your BB?

[Dragonscale]

Great job Kojima and Sony. Seems all the negative hype was in vain.

[DefaultComment]

It has sold 140k psrox and that's as high as it will ever get, next week i would say under 9k

[Traecy]

LMAO!! I'm guessing you're a professional video game sales analyst.

[DefaultComment]

No, but I'm the happy owner of a moderate intelligence, those don't come very often nowadays.

[Hungryalpaca]

Awe did kojima get ink in your wittle butt? Is that why it hurts?

[DefaultComment]

That charlatan has nothing I can hold a grudge, what sickens me is the vast amount of brown nosers and fanatics with little intelligence that this man has harbored over the years because of a successful franchise and the rest be "default" has to be at the same level.
In other words I don't care about Kojima, I just find disgusting what his fanboys are to the gaming community.

[Elda]

How the pot calling the kettle black!! You've got nerve to talk about brown nosing & mentioning anything about fanboying. You do know this article is about a Sony game not Nintendo.

[DefaultComment]

You tell me then...to who am I brown nosing? Nintendo? Xbox?

[Atticus_finch]

Here, have a fresh mushroom.

[leoms]

LMAOOOOO

[DefaultComment]

Here, you can have this mushroom
8========D

[Atticus_finch]

You tried... 1/10

[Sgt_Slaughter]

It's like Joker, reviews all over the place yet it's an instant success

[IamTylerDurden1]

The "mixed" reviews is nonsense. This game is an 85 on Open Critic and Game Rankings.

Even on Metacritic it's rated 24 points higher than Joker.

It has a higher Game Rankings and Open Critic than Gears 5 and a higher Metacritic than CoD MW.

I agree with the sentiment, that both Joker and DS were great and that both were controversial, but overall DS scored really well.

[Hungryalpaca]

Joker was controversial for no reason. It’s not that violent at all. Remove the blood and couple of curses and it could be PG13.

DS is controversial because it took a boring concept and somehow made it fun.

[yoshatabi]

I love how everyone said that the joker movie was really dark. When it wasn't at all

[BLUEKNIFE]

Thanks Kojima for bringing something new and special in an era where pleasing the lower denominator is the norm and innovation is totally lost.

[Cikatriz_ESP]

It’s legitimately fascinating the extent to which the people who frequent this site are indoctrinated. What attracts you to this place, the fact that anywhere else you go has people who actually call you out on your shit?

[X-23]

Glad I didn't buy into the negative vibe for this game that so many tossed around. I fell in love with this game like 20 minutes in after realizing that the presentation was on a whole other level.

Even though Kojima stated he'd like his studio to work on movies in the future I hope he sticks around in the gaming industry for just a bit longer, I really want to see more of his stuff now that he isn't tied down to Konami.

[ifrit_caress]

Such is the power of hype.

[SolidGamerX]

Congrats to Kojima/Sony on their success.

[pornflakes]

Since Sony Fanboys like to talk about hardware sales we have to agree that with a install base of 100 Million people everything below 10 Million copies sold ww for this game will be a huge flop :)

[Atticus_finch]

You're butthurt and it's really entertaining.

[Hugodastrevas]

Hell yeah!