MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
The Japanese video games market suffered an overall decline of eight per cent year-on-year in 2011, according to the latest Famitsu data. In total the market was worth 454,380m. Andriasang reports that the software sector fell by 14 per cent to 274,640m throughout the period, though the launch of platforms …
Read More »Retailers discount Vita in Japan
Following lower than expected week two sales of Sony’s PlayStation Vita in Japan, some retailers have reportedly discounted the device in an effort to stimulate sales. The more expensive 3G Vita model, in particular, is said to be selling in very low numbers. GamesRadar reports that some retailers have now …
Read More »Sony apologises for Vita bugs
Platform holder Sony has apologised and released a guide to help PlayStation Vita owners fix an early system freeze problem. A number of buyers have reported bugs since the handheld went on sale in Japan this weekend, such as unresponsive touchscreens and system lockups, reports Engadget. Several have uploaded videos …
Read More »Vita shifts 321,000 units in Japan
PlayStation’s new portable console has been out in Japan for a few days now, and the first numbers are in. Famitsu (citing Enterbrain) says 321,407 Vita machines were sold in its first two days on sale. It’s a decent figure, higher than what the original PSP managed. But it is …
Read More »PS Vita launch shipments upped
Retailers in Japan will receive 200,000 more units of PlayStation Vita in time for launch, bringing the total shipped to 700,000. Andriasang reports sources close to Sony that the format holder had originally planned a shipment of 500,000 units, but this has now been raised to cope with pre-order demand. …
Read More »Monster Hunter sends 3DS sales skyward in Japan
What Call of Duty is the UK and US market, Monster is to Japan – so it’s no surprise to see Capcom’s Monster Hunter 3G shoot straight to the top of the charts in Japan, boosting 3DS sales in the process. Capcom’s title sold an impressive 521,959 in its first …
Read More »Nintendo: ‘3DS is approaching 3m sales in Japan’
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata believes the 3DS is about to cross the 3m sales mark in Japan and will reach a 4m milestone by April. Speaking to Nikkei, as translated by Andriasang, Iwata said the 3DS has regained its vigour” thanks to the price drop and major new releases such …
Read More »Gran Turismo 5 Spec II retail release confirmed
A bonus version of Gran Turismo 5 will zoom to Japan next year but Sony says it has no plans for a UK release at the moment. Spec II is a boxed release that includes the full Gran Turismo 5 PS3 racing game along with all of its downloadable content, …
Read More »Skyrim claims first Western 40/40 from Famitsu
Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has become the first game developed in the West to receive a perfect 40/40 score from weekly Japanese consumer games mag Famitsu. The publication asks four reviewers to score each title out of ten, with these then added together to form the overall total. It’s …
Read More »Kinect’s year one Japanese sales revealed
In celebration of its first birthday in Japan, Famitsu has published firm Japanese sales data for Xbox 360 motion camera Kinect. And the truth is the numbers aren’t very good. In total the device has sold 114k at Japanese retail. That represents fewer than one in ten Xbox 360 owners …
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