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The Switch is the first console to sweep Japan’s game sales chart in 33 years
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The Switch is the first console to sweep Japan’s game sales chart in 33 years

The Switch is the first console to sweep Japan’s game sales chart in 33 years

Even the PlayStation couldn’t stop Nintendo from achieving the feat.

Jon Fingas
J. Fingas
August 15th, 2021
The Switch is the first console to sweep Japan's game sales chart in 33 years | DeviceDaily.com
Devindra Hardawar/Engadget

The Nintendo Switch isn’t struggling to compete against the PlayStation 5 on its home turf in Japan… far from it. Game Data Library, Axios and IGN report that every game on Famitsu‘s August 8th weekly Top 30 chart was a Switch title, ranging from Super Mario Maker 2 in 30th place to Minecraft at the top. It’s reportedly the first time a platform has swept that chart since November 1988, when Nintendo’s own Famicom (the basis for the NES) dominated the list.

Nintendo has controlled the Japanese games chart with multiple platforms before. In the early 1990s, the Famicom, Super Famicom (aka Super NES) and Game Boy cemented its position. It’s much harder for a single system to rule the rankings, though.

There’s also a sharp contrast with the US. While the Switch has outsold rival consoles in the country and frequently thrives in game sales (Skyward Sword HD was July’s best-selling game), it typically faces stiffer competition from the PlayStation and Xbox ecosystems.

There wasn’t a direct explanation for the sweep, although the titles reflect both Nintendo’s influence and local tastes. Most of the games are either Nintendo’s (including Skyward Sword and Mario Kart 8) or come from franchises that have long been popular in Japan, such as Monster Hunter, Taiko no Tatsujin and Dragon Quest. It also helps that Japan is in the grips of its largest-ever COVID-19 pandemic wave — people may be buying Switch games to keep them and their kids entertained at home.

Whatever the reason, the feat suggests why Nintendo isn’t in a rush to upgrade the Switch beyond modest revisions. Its hybrid console is still one of the hottest game systems four years after launch, even in the face of technically superior alternatives.

All Top 30 best selling retail games in Japan last week were Nintendo Switch titles, first time a Top 30 is from a single console since at least November 1988, when the Top 30 was Famicom only. https://t.co/NgQx0p1EoO

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

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