Donkey Kong Country Returns HD Dominates Japanese Sales Charts with Impressive Debut on Nintendo Switch

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD made a powerful debut in the latest Japanese software charts, seizing the number one position in its first week of release for the Nintendo Switch.

According to official sales data published by Famitsu for the week spanning January 13th to January 19th, 2024, the remastered platformer sold an impressive 107,093 physical copies, outpacing several high-profile releases across competing platforms. The momentum behind Donkey Kong Country Returns HD further highlights Nintendo's stronghold on its home market, despite robust competition from new PlayStation 5 titles.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins, the latest entry in Koei Tecmo's storied hack-and-slash franchise for the PS5, landed in second place with 63,805 copies sold.

Meanwhile, Tales of Graces f Remastered saw a split debut across platforms, with the Nintendo Switch version securing third place with 25,701 units, while the PS5 version followed in fifth at 15,669. Continuing their persistent popularity, legacy Switch titles like Super Mario Party Jamboree and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remained fixtures in the top ten.

Super Mario Party Jamboree continued its strong performance, selling 23,154 copies during the week for a cumulative total exceeding 1.1 million units.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, already one of the best-selling Switch games of all time, added another 8,426 sales, driving its lifetime Japanese sales to over 6.2 million.

Other enduring favorites, including Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Minecraft, showed consistent numbers with weekly sales of 6,967 and 6,274 copies, respectively. The success of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD underscores Nintendo’s ongoing appeal, especially as older franchises find new life through thoughtful remasters for the Nintendo Switch.

Famitsu’s latest figures serve as further proof of the platform’s continued dominance in Japan’s console market. Hardware sales for the week mirrored recent trends, with the Nintendo Switch OLED remaining the top-selling console at 30,518 units, followed by the Switch Lite with 12,203 units sold.

PlayStation 5 came in third, selling 5,908 units.

Combined sales of all Nintendo Switch models further widened the gap between Nintendo and its competition, highlighting the enduring popularity of the Switch family. Here is the top five in the Japanese software charts for the week ending January 19, 2024: 1.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD (Switch) – 107,093 (NEW) 2.

Dynasty Warriors: Origins (PS5) – 63,805 (NEW) 3.

Tales of Graces f Remastered (Switch) – 25,701 (NEW) 4.

Super Mario Party Jamboree (Switch) – 23,154 (1,121,410 total) 5.

Tales of Graces f Remastered (PS5) – 15,669 (NEW) On the hardware front, the full ranking includes the Switch OLED, Switch Lite, PlayStation 5, standard Switch, and PlayStation 5 Pro in the top five—a testament to both Nintendo’s and Sony’s continued hardware relevance in Japan.

With speculation surrounding the eventual arrival of Nintendo’s next-generation hardware, these figures illustrate the strong market foundation upon which any successor will build. These results, confirmed by Famitsu, reaffirm Nintendo Switch’s prominent role in the Japanese gaming landscape.

As major releases continue to ignite consumer interest and heritage franchises attract both new and returning players, Nintendo's position at the top of both software and hardware sales charts appears secure for the foreseeable future.

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