APRIL 30, 2009 • The same Monster Hunter franchise that has done wonders for PSP sales in Japan has finally come to the Wii. Monster Hunter G, a port of the same PS2 game that served as the basis of Monster Hunter Freedom on the PSP, moved 132,000 units in its first week of release in Japan. The real test is how well the Wii exclusive Monster Hunter 3 performs when it is released this summer.

Impact: In recent years, Nintendo has been very successful in Japan.  However, there are some signs that Nintendo’s Japan success may be slowing.  According to Enterbrain’s Famitsu service, through the first quarter of 2009, the Japan installed base for the Wii was 8 million, compared with 3 million for the PS3.  The installed base for the DS was 26 million compared with 11.8 million for the PSP.  However, Monster Hunter helped the PSP surpass the DS in Japan during the first half of 2008.  The November 2008 launch of the DSi, helped drive sales for that platform, but the portable hardware race is now much closer in Japan.  On the console side, Wii software sales have struggled and the market is dominated by Nintendo products.  With a much lower installed base, the PS3 is rapidly catching up in software sales.  In other words, Nintendo needs third party franchises like Monster Hunter if it wants to maintain its momentum.