Dread has already outsold nearly every Metroid game in Japan
The Switch instalment enjoyed a strong first-week debut in Nintendo’s home territory
Metroid Dread has enjoyed a strong first week in Japan and already outsold nearly every other instalment in the region in its opening few days.
That’s according to the latest Japanese sales data collated by Famitsu, which shows that Dread sold some 86,798 copies during its first three days on sale, making it the best selling game for the week ended October 10.
According to website Game Data Library, which collates Japanese sales data since 1995, Dread smashed the first-week sales record for every instalment released during this period (data for the first three Metroid games is not included).
The data also suggests that in just three days Dread has already outsold the lifetime sales of nearly every Metroid game in Japan, excluding Fusion (2003), Hunters (2006) and the original Metroid (data for Super Metroid and Metroid II isn’t available).
Because the Famitsu sales data only includes physical sales, Dread’s first-week sales will have been even higher when digital is taken into account.
Metroid series Japanese sales
Source: Game Data Library (first week / lifetime)
- Metroid Dread 86,798
- Metroid Fusion 49,680 / 155,528
- Metroid: Other M 44,103 / 75,578
- Metroid Prime 39,829 / 78,384
- Metroid: Zero Mission 39,112 / 85,045
- Metroid Prime 3: Corruption 34,151 / 74,647
- Metroid Prime: Hunters 32,613 / 90,028
- Metroid: Samus Returns 28,596 / 42,437
- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes 17,680 / 40,355
- Famicom Mini 23: Metroid 14,900 / 50,353
The Metroid series has historically struggled to sell well in Japan, but Dread was supported by a strong marketing campaign including prominent TV advertisements.
Earlier this week, sales data for the UK also showed a strong start for Metroid Dread.
According to GfK data, Dread enjoyed the series’ biggest ever launch in the UK. While boxed copies were slightly short of the biggest launch in franchise history (by less than 1,000 copies), digital sales, which are not accounted for, will likely have pushed this number far beyond the previous record.
Dread sold three and a half times more copies at launch than the last 2D Metroid Game: Metroid: Samus Returns, which launched on 3DS in 2017, according to Gamesindustry.biz journalist Christopher Dring.
“Metroid is a smaller franchise for Nintendo,” Dring wrote. “It is the fifth biggest Switch launch of the year, behind Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, Zelda: Skyward Sword, Monster Hunter Rise and New Pokemon Snap.”
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Metroid Dread has triggered a franchise sales boost across multiple platforms
Metroid Dread has also caused a boost in sales for other titles in the series across Nintendo platforms.
In VGC’s Metroid Dread review, we wrote: “With a near-perfect balance of nods to the past and fresh ideas, Metroid Dread brings cinematic flair, fast-paced action and a surprising story to the side-scrolling classic. This is the comeback fans have been waiting for.”
It’s recently been claimed by various sources that Nintendo plans to release Metroid Prime 1 on Nintendo Switch, instead of the much-rumoured trilogy.
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