Nintendo Has Been The Gaming Sales Leader In Japan For Almost Two Decades

What does it mean to be “dominant?” Well, there are levels to it, as many will agree. There is short-term dominance, and there is long-term dominance. In sports, you can be dominant for a season and then earn the title that “you deserve” because you blasted everything in your path on the way to that title. But if you have long-term dominance, you’re a dynasty. A legacy that can’t be overcome unless someone tops you. Given the nature of the gaming industry, you might think there are no such “dynasties” to be had. But with Nintendo, they have a streak going in Japan that will likely be hard to top.

This started when Famitsu released the annual sales report of physical gaming sales in Japan for 2023. As they note, Nintendo wasn’t just on top, but it had all ten best-selling console game slots! Not to mention, it sold 4 million Switches last year.

As the magazine can also verify, starting in 2005, Nintendo has dominated Japan’s sales market on the software and console fronts. In 2004, the PS2 was the “top dog,” including numerous slots in the gaming top ten. But since then? The Big N has been the console leader and the software leader. Whether it was for their consoles like the Wii or handhelds like the DS or 3DS, they were on top. Then, when the Switch came into the mix? It was a whole other level of domination.

Now, that’s not to say that Sony isn’t doing something in Japan. They have had success post-2004 in the country, including one year where the PSP was on top of hardware sales. To be blunt, that’s weird to hear. Anyway, in 2023, the PS5 did remarkably well, selling over two million units. But that’s just half of what the Switch did, and that shows that even though it’s bounced back well from its shortages, The Big N is still on top. And let’s not talk about Xbox because they’ve never done well in this market, and that’s not likely to change in the future.

If you’re curious about the best-selling game in Japan in 2023, console-wise, that would be The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom. It’s not too surprising, given the grandness of the title.

And with the next console from The Big N on the way, it looks like they’ll be able to keep their dominance going so long as the quality is there.