LinkStrikesBack

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
16,606
I'm trying to do some math on the Metroid games and I was wondering if we had any kind of numbers for Pinball and the Prime Trilogy, I assume not but I figured asking wouldn't hurt. Also, do you think it'd be disingenuous to give FF less than 0.5M? Because everyone seems to agree it was the hardest flop in the series so I don't want for it to look like we had a flat line going from FF to Samus Returns, the latter certainly sold more.

Even if somehow federation force did sell the same number of copies as Samus returns, it only did so at much deeper discount, as it dropped in price like a rock, same as other m did actually, whereas Samus returns didn't.
 

Luke88

One Winged Slayer
Member
Dec 29, 2018
2,560
Italy
Even if somehow federation force did sell the same number of copies as Samus returns, it only did so at much deeper discount, as it dropped in price like a rock, same as other m did actually, whereas Samus returns didn't.
oh, I'm not that familiar with how badly Other M flopped so it's probably best to leave everything at a flat 0.5M
 

Peleo

Member
Nov 2, 2017
2,656
In the last graph Sword & Shield are in yellow instead of green.

Do we think Link's Awakening and Three Houses could sell 1M in the current fiscal year?

Thanks for the heads-up! Sword & Shield took the spot of the D&P but I forgot to change the colour.

I think it's a bit more likely for Link's Awakening than Fire Emblem, but wouldn't be surprised if the game stayed below the 1m million but still close.
 

Luke88

One Winged Slayer
Member
Dec 29, 2018
2,560
Italy
So it didn't turn out as interesting as I hoped because of the share number of Metroid games with no sales data but I figured I'd share this scatter graph of Metroid game sales and the number of days between the launch of the system and the US release of each game.

1QzBVJu.jpg


I also have the gaps between Japanese releases and Japanese system launches but since the Prime Trilogy never came out in Japan and the IP was never that popular in Japan it wasn't really necessary. There is a negative correlation but of course corelation=/=causation and it isn't even very high, If we had numbers for Federation Force and Pinball it probably would be more meaningful.

Some funny/interesting things I learned:
1- Fusion was the first Metroid game to release in Japan within 1000 days of the system launch;
1.5- If we consider the Famicom Disk System as the platform for Metroid however then the game not only released within 1000 days of its release, it's also the closest Metroid release ever for any territory, releasing less than 6 months after the launch of the Disk System;
2-Other M was the only game with a shorter system launch-game launch gap in Japan compared to the US, this was only due to the Wii launching almost 15 days later in Japan, the game actually released 2 days earlier in the US;
3-Samus Returns was the only game with a Worldwide simultaneous release (better late than never, ammirite Atlus ?);
4-Samus Returns is also the game with the largest gap, the only title in the series to release over 2000 days after it's platform's launch, that is if we consider the western releases, because Federation Force actually came out 2008 days after the Japanese launch of the 3DS;
5-This is widely known, but Fusion released the day after Metroid Prime, likely cannibalizing it's sales, despite that Fusion is still one of the best selling Metroid games;
6-The original Metroid released 666 days after the American launch of the NES, was this some kind of curse?
 

Arynio

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,236
So it didn't turn out as interesting as I hoped because of the share number of Metroid games with no sales data but I figured I'd share this scatter graph of Metroid game sales and the number of days between the launch of the system and the US release of each game.

1QzBVJu.jpg


I also have the gaps between Japanese releases and Japanese system launches but since the Prime Trilogy never came out in Japan and the IP was never that popular in Japan it wasn't really necessary. There is a negative correlation but of course corelation=/=causation and it isn't even very high, If we had numbers for Federation Force and Pinball it probably would be more meaningful.

Some funny/interesting things I learned:
1- Fusion was the first Metroid game to release in Japan within 1000 days of the system launch;
1.5- If we consider the Famicom Disk System as the platform for Metroid however then the game not only released within 1000 days of its release, it's also the closest Metroid release ever for any territory, releasing less than 6 months after the launch of the Disk System;
2-Other M was the only game with a shorter system launch-game launch gap in Japan compared to the US, this was only due to the Wii launching almost 15 days later in Japan, the game actually released 2 days earlier in the US;
3-Samus Returns was the only game with a Worldwide simultaneous release (better late than never, ammirite Atlus ?);
4-Samus Returns is also the game with the largest gap, the only title in the series to release over 2000 days after it's platform's launch, that is if we consider the western releases, because Federation Force actually came out 2008 days after the Japanese launch of the 3DS;
5-This is widely known, but Fusion released the day after Metroid Prime, likely cannibalizing it's sales, despite that Fusion is still one of the best selling Metroid games;
6-The original Metroid released 666 days after the American launch of the NES, was this some kind of curse?

Thanks for sharing. What's the value of r? Maybe removing Metroid Prime Pinball, which is not only a spin-off, but in a completely different genre, makes sense.
 

Nitpicker_Red

Member
Nov 3, 2017
1,282
The key states " Blue = Home Console ; Yellow = Handheld Console ; Green = Hybrid Console " it doesn't make much sense to export the colours of the single franchise from their respective graphs since many follow different keys, I'm positive it was just a mistake.
Hey no! I'm not making anything up, I was just reading to you what's written under the graph in the post itself.
Each graph has a different labelling, Peleo explicitly re-wrote the key under each graph.
POKEMON SALES
7NYC3DU.png

Blue = Original Version ; Yellow = Third Version ; Green = Remake
 

PillFencer

Banned
Nov 15, 2018
2,431
I think it's for games that do 1 million within the current fiscal year (April 2020 - March 2021) so we should be getting quarterly updates on Xenoblade DE's sales numbers until March 2021. But yeah, we probably won't get any more sales updates on Xenoblade 2 unless someone asks Takahashi in an interview.
We get yearly updates thanks to CESA Games White Paper. We'll get the 2019 ones soon.
 

Sander VF

The Fallen
Oct 28, 2017
26,312
Tbilisi, Georgia
It's just proof that you just need to put Isabelle in your game if you want to sell north of 20m. The 100% completion credits of Metroid Prime 4 will have Samus take off her helmet and it'll be Isabelle under there. Boom, biggest Metroid of all time.
But is she bigger than Waluigi?

www.resetera.com

Who's more popular: Isabelle or Waluigi (aka help settle a stupid debate)

After the Direct last night, while joking around in a group chat, I mentioned that Isabelle was more deserving of the spot in Smash, to get the goat of a friend who semi-ironically goes all "Waluigi was robbed" (fortunately not enough to support the threats to Sakurai and stuff though...

It takes every bit of self-restraint not to bump the hell out of that thread.
 

Gartooth

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
8,440
Looking at that chart of the Switch's 10 best selling games, I think there's a conversation to be had about NSMB, perhaps even 2D platformers in general. In a vacuum the sales are great, but it isn't experiencing Switch growth like other IP.

It's the lowest performing NSMB game except for the original NSMBU, and even then it's hard not to find the original's results more impressive given the install base it had to work with on Wii U.
 

pokéfan

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,307
Will Zelda BOTW end up higher than the Pokemon games LTD ?

never thoughts i would see this day.
 

TheMoon

|OT|
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Oct 25, 2017
18,784
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Looking at that chart of the Switch's 10 best selling games, I think there's a conversation to be had about NSMB, perhaps even 2D platformers in general. In a vacuum the sales are great, but it isn't experiencing Switch growth like other IP.

It's the lowest performing NSMB game except for the original NSMBU, and even then it's hard not to find the original's results more impressive given the install base it had to work with on Wii U.
but it's also just a filler January re-release without any weight thrown behind it and a much more fancy looking game in the same IP out right before and another, more "interesting" 2D product coming right after. That context is also very important. _I_ haven't even rebought it (and I usually grab everything they put out).
 

Luke88

One Winged Slayer
Member
Dec 29, 2018
2,560
Italy
Will Zelda BOTW end up higher than the Pokemon games LTD ?

never thoughts i would see this day.
I certainly hope so but it's too early to tell, if the Crown Tundra expansion is significant in scope the sales might get a big bump, it's getting late for an announcement but there's still a chance they'll release a retail version that includes all DLC whenever Crown Tundra drops.
 

Gartooth

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
8,440
but it's also just a filler January re-release without any weight thrown behind it and a much more fancy looking game in the same IP out right before and another, more "interesting" 2D product coming right after. That context is also very important. _I_ haven't even rebought it (and I usually grab everything they put out).

I for sure agree there's a lot of possible factors behind its' performance here which may not make it a true gauge of 2D Mario's current power.

I think it's crazy though that we may get to the end of the generation without a 2D Mario in the Switch's top 10 best sellers. This feels like a first since 2D Mario has always been in a Nintendo platform's top 10, with the exceptions of N64 and Gamecube where one just didn't exist.
 

PillFencer

Banned
Nov 15, 2018
2,431
Looking at that chart of the Switch's 10 best selling games, I think there's a conversation to be had about NSMB, perhaps even 2D platformers in general. In a vacuum the sales are great, but it isn't experiencing Switch growth like other IP.

It's the lowest performing NSMB game except for the original NSMBU, and even then it's hard not to find the original's results more impressive given the install base it had to work with on Wii U.
It'll easily outsell NSMB2 (unless a bigger 2D Mario game launches on Switch and "steals some of its sales")
 

LegendofLex

Member
Nov 20, 2017
5,530
Looking at that chart of the Switch's 10 best selling games, I think there's a conversation to be had about NSMB, perhaps even 2D platformers in general. In a vacuum the sales are great, but it isn't experiencing Switch growth like other IP.

It's the lowest performing NSMB game except for the original NSMBU, and even then it's hard not to find the original's results more impressive given the install base it had to work with on Wii U.
i would like to meet the person that looks at NSMBU and says "I'm really excited to play this game." I just don't think the star power is there for new NSMB games, especially since they've all used a virtually identical setup since the Wii game, with the same 8 worlds and the Koopalings, and even the "giant Bowser" boss fight at the end.

Before NSMB, every Mario had a really unique set of gameplay hooks, settings, and characters that made the games feel more grand and more uniquely Mario.

Super Mario Bros. 2 USA obviously added a ton of iconic characters and elements, like the unique character attributes, the Shy Guys, Birdo, the new Subcon setting and its biomes & unique music.

Mario 3 obviously added a bunch of shit, including the iconic airships, Toad Houses, the Raccoon/Tanooki/Frog suits, the concept of mid-world Fortresses, the Goomba's Shoe, an explorable world map, the Koopalings, new block types, and two players going co-op through the same adventure.

Mario World was also radically different even from 3. It had the Cape+Yoshis, secret level exits, a single world map with passages between worlds, new biome types (Choco Mountain + Forest of Illusion + Star Road), and again a whole bew

With NSMB DS, the big hook was that it was the first all-new 2D Mario in 15 years (debatably less if you count Yoshi's Island). It built mostly on established ideas, but it did add a few never-before-seen characters.

With NSMB Wii, we mostly got NSMB DS on console, with simultaneous co-op multiplayer added and the return of the Koopalings. We also got the Propeller Suit, Ice Flower, and Penguin Suit, though none of those really achieved iconic status. Really hard to say it had any other significant gameplay hooks or new content (new settings, characters).

NSMB2 had a gameplay hook: coins. But other than that and having an associated score attack mode, I'm not sure what the selling point here was even supposed to be. None of the radically new/different stuff we got from 2/3/World, even though we shifted to a new platform. still very rooted in NSMB Wii. The Raccoon suit came back, though?

NSMBU adds new artwork for the established biomes, brings back the single world map, and introduces the Super Acorn. It also has Nabbit, I guess? But otherwise it's barely distinguished from NSMB Wii. Same structure overall, same content ideas reused, same gameplay mechanics across the board.

2D Mario hasn't had a big selling hook since NSMB Wii's simultaneous co-op besides "so I herd you liek Mario Bros. games" and it shows in the sales.

Despite this, there's clearly a hunger for Super Mario Bros. games since they still sell millions of copies. And people love the new shit in Mario Maker, but I think that game being based on user-generated content hamstrings its potential; people want a grand Mario adventure like the ones they got with Galaxy and Odyssey, but in 2D.
 

TheDinoman

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,144
Yeah, 2D Mario seriously needs a kick in the ass at this point. It's sad how much Nintendo has let that series stagnate when it was the game that literally put them on the map all those years ago back on the NES. Super Mario Bros. was literally the game that built the house of Nintendo and yet after the SNES, Ninendo has always treated the 2D games as a second fiddle, whereas the 3D Mario games are the ones that get all the impressive production values.
 

TheMoon

|OT|
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Oct 25, 2017
18,784
Video Games
but there's still a chance they'll release a retail version that includes all DLC whenever Crown Tundra drops.
they have no history of doing anything resembling "complete editions" (unless it's a remaster/new-platform-port) so I don't see how there's a chance of that all of a sudden. the NSMBU+NSLU release on Wii U is the only exception I can think of.
 

Tbone5189

Succ-essor
Member
Mar 25, 2020
4,919
I certainly hope so but it's too early to tell, if the Crown Tundra expansion is significant in scope the sales might get a big bump, it's getting late for an announcement but there's still a chance they'll release a retail version that includes all DLC whenever Crown Tundra drops.

Pokémon could get a huge bump, but it won't outsell BotW. BotW sales trajectory is heading for 30mil on NSW alone
 

Gartooth

Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
8,440
It'll easily outsell NSMB2 (unless a bigger 2D Mario game launches on Switch and "steals some of its sales")

From the "stealing sales" angle, I'm really unsure yet curious how that's all going to work out the rest of this generation.

We have what, 2 rumored games that re-release old 3D Mario games, on top of 2 more projects Nintendo is hiring for that may or may not be 2D and 3D Marios, spread out over the next 2 to 3 years? NSMBU DX's continued legs is a wildcard to me on whether those new releases impact it or not. Or if the game was ever expected to be the evergreen 2D Mario for Switch like we suspect MK8D to be for that IP.
 
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PillFencer

Banned
Nov 15, 2018
2,431
From the "stealing sales" angle, I'm really unsure yet curious how that's all going to work out the rest of this generation.

We have what, 2 rumored games that re-release old 3D Mario games, on top of 2 more projects Nintendo is hiring for that may or may not be 2D and 3D Marios, spread out over the next 2 to 3 years? NSMBU DX's continued legs is a wildcard to me on whether those new releases impact it or not. Or if the game was ever expected to be the evergreen 2D Mario for Switch like we suspect MK8D to be for that IP.
Honestly I think the Mario IP is big enough to have all those titles reach numbers close to their full potential because fans will buy most of them as long as it doesn't come to the point where multiple titles offer very, very similar experiences but one is so obviously more attractive than the others. Mario Kart 9 would likely be just that: the most recent game in the series with the most content and adding even more non-Mario characters to the cast, that's all the general public needs to stop buying MK8D since there would be a (on a surface level) 'superior version' available on the same system they own. However, although they're all Mario platformers, even the more casual players will notice that Odyssey / 35thCollection / 3DWorld / NSMBUD / Maker2 are vastly different experiences all worthwhile in their own way that can't simply be replaced with other titles from that group. A new 2D Mario game could very well take the role of a NSMBUD 'upgrade/replacement' though, just imagine if NSMB DS, Wii, 3DS and U were developed for the same hardware and asking a non-experienced player what are the differences between them. At the same time it would be risky to change things from the New subseries too much, there is a reason why it has survived for more than 14 years, Nintendo found a winning formula back then and other styles of 2D platformers are so much less popular.
 

TheMoon

|OT|
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Oct 25, 2017
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At the same time it would be risky to change things from the New subseries too much, there is a reason why it has survived for more than 14 years, Nintendo found a winning formula back then and other styles of 2D platformers are so much less popular.
well they really just need to keep 4-player support and that beautiful wall-jump. and nabbit. cause nabbit rules.
 

PillFencer

Banned
Nov 15, 2018
2,431
I've heard about it once, but I don't know much about it. Should it give updated numbers on all of the Switch's million sellers as of December 2019?
From a few Japanese companies that agree to share their shipments figures with the CESA, including Nintendo yeah
well they really just need to keep 4-player support and that beautiful wall-jump. and nabbit. cause nabbit rules.
The art style as much as I hate it plays a big part in its success I believe.
 

Mekanos

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 17, 2018
44,651
I don't think the art style has much to do with NSMB's success, people were just excited about a new 2D Mario (and NSMBW had party game appeal with four player co-op), but after four games and little variance in major gameplay or presentation the series has probably hit its ceiling. 10-15 million LTE is still a massive "ceiling" that most video game franchises would kill for, don't get me wrong, but I think 2D Mario is gonna need a shakeup to break 20 million again.
 

TheDinoman

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,144
NSMB DS and NSMB Wiis were both novelties at the time. NSMB DS was the first 2D Mario game in 13 years since Mario Land 2, and NSMB Wii was the first console 2D Mario game since Mario World all the way back in 1990 (that's literally a 19 year gap between the two games), and it also massively expanded on the concepts of the DS game with improved level design, Yoshi, 4-player co-op, etc

NSMB2 and NSMBU just didn't have as much to offer, in comparison. They just felt more of the same.
 
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evilmonkey

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
1,481
Canada
NSMB DS and NSMB Wiis were both novelties at the time. NSMB DS was the first 2D Mario game in 13 years since Mario Land 2, and NSMB Wii was the first console 2D Mario game since Mario World all the way back in 1990 (that's literally a 19 year gap between the two games), and it also massively expanded on the concepts of the DS games with improved level design, Yoshi, 4-player co-op, etc

NSMB2 and NSMBU just didn't have as much to offer, in comparison. They just felt more of the same.
The same argument could be used for Mario Kart, but that series kept selling well despite being iterative and also being limited to one entry per console. I think it has more to do with the state of the market at the time. The 2D platformer genre saw a huge resurgence since then, arguably thanks to the success of NSMB DS and Wii, and due to that the later entries saw a lot more competition. Mario Kart comparatively doesn't have nearly as much competition. You can count the number of kart racing games in one hand, but there are literally hundreds of 2D platformers and sidescrollers.
 

Mekanos

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 17, 2018
44,651
The same argument could be used for Mario Kart, but that series kept selling well despite being iterative and also being limited to one entry per console. I think it has more to do with the state of the market at the time. The 2D platformer genre saw a huge resurgence since then, arguably thanks to the success of NSMB DS and Wii, and due to that the later entries saw a lot more competition. Mario Kart comparatively doesn't have nearly as much competition. You can count the number of kart racing games in one hand, but there are literally hundreds of 2D platformers and sidescrollers.

It's true that 2D platforming sees more competition now than it did 15 years ago, but I also think Mario Kart is a bit of a different ballgame as a mostly multiplayer experience. It's a game that people come back to over and over and over, which NSMB taps into to some extent, but not as much. This is why other iterative multiplayer series like COD still do well. Mario Kart can also be played online which gives it more options.
 
OP
OP

Celine

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,030
I've updated the lower selling million-sellers for NSW, 3DS and WiiU with data updated as December 2019.

Just a few tidbits:
- The sum of the first-party million-seller on 3DS has officially surpassed 200 million units sold. 3DS joins this restricted club of which Game Boy, DS, Wii and Switch were already members.
- With a last moment push Star Fox 64 3D and Rhythm Heaven Megamix became new additions to the 3DS million-seller list.
- The Switch version of Captain Toad has surpassed the original WiiU version.

A big thanks to Marth
 
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TheDinoman

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,144
Star Fox 64 3D is the first million selling SF game since Adventures back in 2002. And it only took like 9 or so years after its release.

Damn.
 

Kcannon

Member
Oct 30, 2017
5,694
The real shame is Metroid Samus Returns.

Maybe if it were released a year earlier, it could've clawed its way in as well.
 

TheGreatLugia

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,078
I mentioned it in the Direct thread, but since Xenoblade 2 sold an additional 190k in the last 9 months of 2019 it's probably at 2 million by now. Granted we won't know for sure until this time next year lol.

The timing on the Star Fox 64 3D sales is funny because just this week I was surprised about it never reaching a million.
 

Kcannon

Member
Oct 30, 2017
5,694
Meanwhile, DK sells around 400K in less than a year.

Very impressive. Probably close or already at 3M.
 

IronTed

One Winged Slayer
Member
Jun 6, 2019
1,435
Glad SF made it to a million, and to have more updates on lower selling software.
 
Oct 27, 2017
1,302
Glad Rhythm Paradise Megamix became a million seller. Although that was mainly thanks to Japan (sold 700k there according to Famitsu). I really hope to see a new episode for Switch