Strong performance of Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 leads to big sales for the PS3 in Japan.
The last week of November may have been hugely important for retailers in the U.S., but it seems Sony saw their biggest gains (relatively) in Japan. For the week of November 24 to November 30, the PlayStation 3 sold 34,978 units in Japan, more than doubling the 17,436 units it sold the week prior (via PS3Fanboy). What caused this sudden surge? The release of Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, it seems. Consider it the Madden of Japan, because lord knows Madden sure isn't the Madden of Japan.
PES 2009 debuted in second place on the Japanese sales charts, selling 168,405 copies. Meanwhile, after being released in the U.S. in mid-October, it failed to crack the top 10 in the November NPD report -- the latest indication that the United States continues to defy the world in its nearly complete indifference to soccer.
