Featured Post

PSP2, Switch 2 and an Xbox handheld... a brighter portable future?

2017's best performing game launches in Japan

With faith restored in Vita game sales by the decent impact of Hacker's Memory in the Media Create chart, I figured now is a good time to look at the best selling launches in Japan over the year. Note, these numbers exclude digital sales!

For a start, we can see why Super Robot Wars X is on the schedule for 2018! The little robots and the psycho killers from Danganronpa look like the only standout series left running on the Vita, when it comes to sales.

1. Super Robot Wars V (Bandai Namco) - 83,733
2. Danganronpa V3: Killing Harmony  (Spike Chunsoft) - 76,166
3. Accel World Vs. Sword Art Online: Millennium Twilight (Bandai Namco) - 38,653
4. Uta no Prince-Sama: Repeat Love (Broccoli) - 29,008
5. Dungeon Travelers 2-2 (AquaPlus) 27,381
6. Digimon Story Hacker's Memory (Bandai Namco) 24,636


Elsewhere, it is mostly long-running series or crossovers helping keep up the Vita's profile. The rest are an endless series of visual novels, love adventures and so on, with literally 100s of the little rascals not making this list.

Scattered among them a few poor showings, with new RPGs like The Lost Child and Tokyo Clanpool failing to make a major dent. Bandai clearly remain the leading publishers, but there's a healthy supporting cast helping to keep the Vita moving in 2018. As long as they are happy selling 5,000 copies per games, perhaps that enough to see them into 2019!

7. Uta no Prince-sama: Amazing Aria & Sweet Serenade Love (Broccoli) – 19,904
8. Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary (Square Enix) – 18,784
9. Valkyria Revolution (Sega) - 18,219
10. Warriors Stars  (Koei Tecmo) - 17,866

Blue Reflection (Koei Tecmo) - 13,850
Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 3 Ultimate (Koei Tecmo) - 13,682
Sukitomo. Tsukiuta. 12 Memories (Bandai) - 12,763
Re:Zero - Kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu - Death or Kiss (5pb.) - 11,762
Osomatsu-San: The Game - Hang-Up Finding Employment Advice (Idea Factory) 11,579

Konoyo no Hate de Koi o Utau Shoujo: Yu-No  (5pb.) - 8,858
Omega Labyrinth Z  (D3Publisher) - 8,821
Gun Gun Pixies (Compile Heart) 8,675
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows (Nippon Ichi) - 8,255
Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon (Koei Tecmo)  7,168

Shiin (Experience) - 7,099
Kono Yokubukai Game ni Shinpan o! (5pb.) - 7,000
Kenka Bancho Otome: Kanzenmuketsu no My Honey (Spike Chunsoft) - 6,931
Chaos;Child: Love Chu Chu!! (5pb.)  - 6,240
Kamaitachi no Yoru: Rinne Saisei (5pb.) - 6,140

Nil Admirari no Tenbin: Kuroyuri En'youtan (Idea Factory)  5,450
God Wars: Future Past (Kadokawa) - 5,291
Tokyo Clanpool (Compile Heart)  5,197
Valkyrie Drive: Bhikkhuni - Bikini Party Edition (Marvelous)  - 5,078
Sousei no Onmyouji (Bandai Namco) - 4,681
Shinobi, Koi Utsutsu: Kanmitsu Hana Emaki (Idea Factory) - 4,629
Occultic;Nine (Mages) - 4,595
Hana Oboro: Sengoku Denranki  (Idea Factory)  - 4,522
Shiro to Kuro no Alice (Idea Factory) 4,385
Black Wolves Saga: Weiss und Schwarz (Idea Factory) - 3,890
New Game! The Challenge Stage!  (5pb.) - 3,662
The Lost Child (Kadokawa) - 3,658

Depending on interest, I may do a total sales version of this, but first week sales are pretty decisive in Japan, especially for a niche format like the Vita. Only Minecraft on Vita had legs for more than a few weeks in the chart! Let me know if I've missed something!

Currently playing on my Vita/PS4/PS5