Lightning Returns: With a Whimper

[Lamia]

Considering that Lightning Returns outsold Super Mario 3D World (which came out the same day) three times over, I'd say this has more to do with Japanese game sales being in a slump altogether, not the fact that it's an FFXIII game.

Interesting. What about other games out that week? Did it top the charts, or...?

Mario games do not sell QUICKLY. However, they have have consistent sales which allow them to make millions in the long run. For instance, Super Mario Galaxy, a phenomenally successful game only sold 260k (Mario Sunshine 160k) in its first week in Japan but went to be a multi-million seller. Final Fantasy, and many other franchises, sell a lot in the first week, and their first week sales are usually indicative of how well the game will sale in the long run.... but that is not the case for Mario or other Nintendo franchises.

However, PS3 sales in Japan are actually very weak this year yet they are still robust in NA/EU (probably because of The Last of Us, Beyond: Two Souls, God of War: Ascension, and other Sony exclusives that came out this year...)