TSUTAYA 2015 Annual Rankings for Game Software Announced

2015.12.28 Press Releases
TSUTAYA Co., Ltd.

- The top-selling game overall is "Monster Hunter Cross" for 3DS! -

TSUTAYA Co., Ltd. (Head office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo / President and CEO: Masuda Muneaki / hereinafter referred to as "TSUTAYA"), which operates approximately 1,450 TSUTAYA stores nationwide, will compile and analyze its own database and announce its annual TSUTAYA rankings at the end of the year.
At the end of each year, TSUTAYA will release a ranking based on an analysis of its own database. Additionally, the MD in charge of game software sales will provide an overall review of this year and predictions for next year. This ranking is published on the TSUTAYA official website.

■ [Game Software Sales Overall Category Ranking]
　　1st place: 3DS "Monster Hunter Cross"

In the overall category for all platforms, the top-ranked action game in the 3DS category, "Monster Hunter Cross," took first place. While most of the series' titles have recorded sales lower than their predecessor, this title has surpassed its predecessor. The reason for this is that in addition to current users of the series, users who played Monster Hunter on another platform (PSP) more than five years ago are picking it up again.

Another notable title is "Splatoon" for WiiU, which topped the WiiU category and came in fourth place overall. The product was released in May, but it has had an unusually long tail and is still selling well more than six months after its release. The game is a multiplayer shooter game that uses the internet, a style that has traditionally been common in realistic games, but by using friendly characters, it has been well received, especially among younger generations, and has become the title that has driven sales of the Wii U console this season.
Additionally, while the 3DS dominated the top spots until last year, Sony platforms such as the PS3 and PSV are now also making their way into the rankings, showing that users are choosing game hardware to suit their lifestyles. Sales of the PS4, which unfortunately did not make the rankings for the PS3 or WiiU due to the timing of the calculations, are also increasing. Sales of home video game consoles, which not only offer games that can be played anytime, anywhere but also offer a wider variety of gameplay with higher graphics, are booming, and it appears that games are once again returning to living rooms at home. In particular, the PS4 has recorded strong sales and expanded its user base since the price was reduced by 5,000 yen in October.

■【Game Software Sales PS3 Category Ranking】　
　　1st place: "Dragon Quest Heroes: The Dark Dragon and the Castle of the World Tree"

The top spot in the 2015 PS3 rankings went to "Dragon Quest Heroes: The Dark Dragon and the Castle of the Etrian Odyssey," an action RPG released on February 26th that gained popularity for its exhilarating battles. Coming in second place is the impressively selected Tales of Zestiria, the 15th main RPG in the Tales series, released to commemorate the series' 20th anniversary. Looking at other titles that made the list, action titles such as "One Piece Pirate Warriors 3," "Resident Evil Revelations 2," and "Dragon Ball Xenoverse" tended to stand out. Additionally, the latest titles in popular series such as the action adventure "Yakuza 0: The Place of Oath," the soccer game "Winning Eleven 2016," and the simulation RPG "Super Robot Wars Z 3: Tenkuu-hen" showed their strength.

■【Game Software Sales PS4 Category Ranking】　
　　1st place: "Dragon Quest Heroes: The Dark Dragon and the Castle of the World Tree"

Square Enix's action RPG "Dragon Quest Heroes: The Dark Dragon and the Castle of the Etrian Odyssey" took first place, just as it did in the PS3 category. Although they have only been available for a short time, "Call of Duty: Black Ops III," released on November 6th, ranked second, and "Star Wars Battlefront," released on November 19th, ranked eighth. "METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN," which was released in September, ranked third and fourth in both the regular and special editions. Also, "Bloodborne," a completely new RPG that attracted attention, made it to seventh place. Overall, FPS (first-person shooter) games are somewhat popular, and with improved graphics performance compared to the PS3, many titles that offer beautiful visuals tend to rank highly.

■【Game Software Sales PS Vita Category Ranking】　
　　1st place: "GOD EATER 2 RAGE BURST"

In the PS Vita category, apart from the adventure game "Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition" which came in second place, Bandai Namco Entertainment's titles ranked in third to seventh and ninth places, with the dramatic hunting action game "GOD EATER 2 RAGE BURST" taking first place. It showed good compatibility with PSvita. By title, anime-related titles performed well, including "GOD EATER 2 RAGE BURST" in first place, the action RPG "Sword Art Online: Lost Song" in third place, and the training RPG "Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth" in fifth place. Additionally, it ranked first in sales across all game platforms in October 2015 (according to Famitsu.com). The urban mythological action RPG "Tokyo Xanadu Standard Edition" came in 8th place.

■ [Game Software Sales Wii U Category Ranking]
　　1st place: "Splatoon"

　In the Wii U category, the action shooting game "Splatoon," released on May 28th, ranked first. Six Mario-related titles made the list, including "Super Mario Maker," which comes in second place and allows users to create their own 2D Mario courses, the competitive action game "Super Smash Bros. for Wii U," the party game "Mario Party 10," the racing game "Mario Kart 8," and the action game "Yoshi's Woolly World."Looking at the rankings by manufacturer, Nintendo titles dominate the rankings except for the RPG "Dragon Quest X: Legend of the Ancient Dragon Online," which comes in fourth place. 2016 is also set to see the release of the sports game "Mario & Sonic at the Rio Olympics" and the latest "Legend of Zelda" title, and it looks like Nintendo's momentum is not slowing down.

■ [Game Software Sales 3DS Category Ranking]
　　1st place: "Monster Hunter Cross"

　"Monster Hunter Cross," the latest installment in the "Monster Hunter" series, which won the Feature Category at the "Japan Game Awards 2015" and has shipped over 2 million copies domestically, took first place. Coming in second place was the RPG "Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King," which was released for the PS2 in 2004 and has now been revived for the 3DS. "The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D," a remake of the popular action-adventure game for the Nintendo 64 and other platforms, was also selected in 7th place. The action RPG "Yo-kai Watch Busters: White Dog Squad" came in third place, and the action RPG "Yo-kai Watch Busters: Red Cat Corps," which was released at the same time, came in fifth place. "Yo-kai Watch 2 Shinuchi" also ranked 8th, showing Level-5's true strength.

[Annual Ranking Summary]
Collection period: Thursday, January 1, 2015 to Monday, November 30, 2015

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TSUTAYA 2015 Annual Rankings for Game Software Announced ~3DS "Monster Hunter Cross" Takes the Top Selling Spot!~

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