PlayStation 5 games are selling poorly in Japan, that’s despite the impressive console sales in the country.
As picked by Gematsu (via Famitsu), much like the rest of the world, PlayStation 5 consoles are regularly selling out in Japan. Though there are some signs of steady improvement at retailers. Yet for some reason, despite the console selling out, PS5 games aren’t selling all that well. At least in terms of physical sales.
In an age when digital sales are on the rise, physical sales still more than have their place in the market. Especially for gamers that still love to hold a game in their hands or even pick up a collector’s edition with a statue.
That said, leading PS5 exclusives such as Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade are not selling well at all in Japan. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has only sold under 15,000 physical copies in Japan. Whereas, FF7 Remake Intergrade has performed a little better with just under 21,000 physical copies sold.
Why are sales so low?
There’s a theory that the reason physical sales are so low despite PS5 consoles selling out, is due to re-sellers claiming all the console stock and distributing their own personal sales throughout Asia.
If genuine buyers were picking up the PS5 consoles, it’s likely that most consoles will be bought with a new physical copy of a game. This might explain why PS5 console sales are high but physical game sales are so low.
In terms of console sales in Japan, as reported by TwistedVoxel, the PS5 has actually sold around 700,000 units since its launch. That’s more than 40,000 more units sold than the PS4 up until the second week of May 2021.
On the flip side, Nintendo Switch games are selling fantastically in Japan, largely due to the console being quite easy to obtain. It’s worth noting that physical game sales are performing differently in other markets. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart sold more copies in its second week than first in the UK.
Let’s just hope in the coming weeks for both PS5 and Xbox Series X, the stock becomes more readily available at retail for genuine gamers.
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Featured Image Credit: Sony