Metal Gear Solid, Knack Are Japan's Best Selling PS4 Games

I wonder where Dragon Quest Builders would be if it wasn't on Vita and PS3. Obviously Square Enix wants it on all three platforms since it's doing crazy numbers on each, but I wonder how many buyers would have gone for the PS4 version had it not been available elsewhere.

@ShogunRok So are you saying people who own a PS4 choose to buy their games on a PS3 instead? I would think if you own a PS4 you buy that version. So even if the game didn't come out on PS3 PS4 wouldn't have sold any more copies b/c probably anybody who wanted it on PS4 who owned a PS4 bought it on PS4. Vita version is admittedly a little more complicated.

"Either that, or there's just not enough locally developed games these days."

I'm going w/ that one as DQ is at 3 and 9. I'm guessing FFXV is somewhere on that list when all is said and done. Well unless it gets delayed until PS5 w/ KH3.

And ShogunRok does have a point. If Squennix dropped PS3 2 eyars agoprobably more PS4 would have bene sold, and then mor egames would have bne sold. But PS3 would need to be dropped by everyone, not just Squenix. How many on that list are still getting Xbox360 versions in Japan? Might help explain a little why X1 sellls so poorly there.

@Grawlog It's one of these things where I think even the Japanese publishers themselves didn't quite know which way to go - they largely played it safe with the release of the PS4, and I suppose most are still unwilling to take any kind of risk, especially since the console market in Japan has undeniably shrunk over the last few years.

Still, like you say, it'd be really interesting to see how things would have turned out had publishers put their full support behind newer hardware. It's a weird situation in that, like I say, these companies don't want to take any real risks with the market in its current state - but that also means there's been no obvious opportunity for growth. At this juncture, it looks like Japanese publishers are happy to just see this generation coast along.

One good thing about this, though, is that we're getting a lot of localisations here in the West because this is where the biggest PS4 market is. But yeah, it really makes you wonder how things could have changed.

@rjejr Hmmm, I think when it comes down to raw sales numbers, I don't think keeping Dragon Quest Builders as a PS4 exclusive would have resulted in more success for Square Enix, although it probably would have shifted a decent amount of PS4s.

On that note, Dragon Quest XI should be interesting, seeing as it's essentially a PS4 exclusive with a kind of watered down version coming to the 3DS (although I'm not sure that description is entirely right as we don't know a lot of the details yet). Given the 3DS' install base in Japan, you'd imagine the handheld edition will do best, but with a franchise that's as big as Dragon Quest, people might go mad or the 'next-gen' edition. Either way, it's games like that and Final Fantasy XV that will end up being major factors in the PS4's future in Japan.

@Grawlog Knack actually sold pretty badly. Over 300k of its sales were first week sales of ps4 when you couldn't get a ps4 without Knack.

@Grawlog As far as I'm aware, nothing's been confirmed regarding DQ XI and the NX, but even if it did come to the NX, I don't see why Japanese consumers would suddenly shift to a new console to play it if they own a PS4 - although that depends on whether they already have one.

I personally reckon it's way too early to assume anything of the NX. I'd also be sort of worried for Nintendo if the NX turns out to basically be a PS4 - I think that would give the company an absolute mountain to climb.

Japan have a Knack for Solid games...

I have no regrets.

Yay go on mgs. The only series which has delivered quality and originality with every release.

@ShogunRok What he said. @Grawlog
NX > PS4 if NX gets both DQ and FF games an dit's both a handheld and home set of hardware. (I know, a lot of its.)

And this non-Nintnedo centric link for fairness.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-07-28-dragon-quest-11-is-coming-to-3ds-and-playstation-4-and-the-nx

it's sad to see that even in Japan Call of Duty is among the top sellers

@Grawlog I definitely agree with that. Nintendo has to make something that stands out - it's the only feasible way (that I can see) for the company to be successful with its next venture. It's obviously in a tough spot, but it's gonna be really entertaining to see what it comes up with either way.

I frequent a lot of second hand game stores in Japan and I don't recall seeing any copies of Knack. Mind you, it might just be selection bias as I have zero interest in the game, but I don't think it's being resold at a high rate.

I frequent a lot of second hand game stores in Japan and I don't recall seeing any copies of Knack. Mind you, it might just be selection bias as I have zero interest in the game, but I don't think it's being resold at a high rate.

@naruball are they going to make people buy the sequel too?

@Davidspegasus As a Knack fan, I wish!