Kirby and the Forgotten Land stormed the Japanese gaming market in its debut week, claiming the top spot in the latest Famitsu sales charts for the period of March 21 to March 27, 2022.
The latest entry in Nintendo’s vaunted Kirby franchise recorded an exceptional launch on the Nintendo Switch, moving an impressive 380,060 physical units in its opening week.
This stellar performance not only highlights the enduring popularity of the iconic pink hero but also underscores the Nintendo Switch’s continued dominance in Japan’s gaming sector. Developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo, Kirby and the Forgotten Land marked its global release on March 25, 2022, and immediately resonated with both long-standing fans and newcomers.
Within days of launch, the game’s Japanese sales far outpaced the incumbent titles, outstripping even consistently strong performers such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Across the reporting week, seven out of the top ten best-selling software titles were for the Nintendo Switch platform, further reinforcing its leadership position in the region. According to Famitsu’s retail data, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which first launched on the Nintendo Switch in April 2017, sold an additional 18,931 units, taking its lifetime total to over 4.5 million in Japan alone.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus, launched earlier in 2022 by The Pokémon Company, continued its robust trajectory with 17,941 units sold and a cumulative total surpassing 2.1 million copies.
Other Nintendo Switch titles such as Minecraft, Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate, Mario Party Superstars, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, all maintained strong positions in the weekly top ten. Hardware sales mirrored software trends, with the Nintendo Switch OLED Model leading the category by selling 49,037 units during the same week, bringing its lifetime total in Japan to nearly 1.5 million systems.
In comparison, PlayStation 5 sales saw an uptick, likely in response to increased availability, reaching 32,364 units sold for a cumulative total of 1,271,750.
Standard and Lite versions of the Nintendo Switch continued their momentum, together accounting for more than 34,000 additional units sold. The new Kirby release has not only injected renewed energy into Nintendo’s 2022 software lineup but has also galvanized hardware sales, reinforcing the enduring appeal of Switch-exclusive titles.
This sales milestone reflects Nintendo’s successful blend of innovation and franchise strength, as Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s performance joins a growing roster of first-party hits that continue to drive the platform’s prominence in a competitive market. The Japanese charts for this period were sourced from the official retail tracking published by Famitsu and further verified by industry resource Gematsu.
As the Nintendo Switch heads further into its sixth year, it continues to redefine expectations for hardware longevity and software dominance in the region.
The latest entry in Nintendo’s vaunted Kirby franchise recorded an exceptional launch on the Nintendo Switch, moving an impressive 380,060 physical units in its opening week.
This stellar performance not only highlights the enduring popularity of the iconic pink hero but also underscores the Nintendo Switch’s continued dominance in Japan’s gaming sector. Developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo, Kirby and the Forgotten Land marked its global release on March 25, 2022, and immediately resonated with both long-standing fans and newcomers.
Within days of launch, the game’s Japanese sales far outpaced the incumbent titles, outstripping even consistently strong performers such as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Across the reporting week, seven out of the top ten best-selling software titles were for the Nintendo Switch platform, further reinforcing its leadership position in the region. According to Famitsu’s retail data, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which first launched on the Nintendo Switch in April 2017, sold an additional 18,931 units, taking its lifetime total to over 4.5 million in Japan alone.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus, launched earlier in 2022 by The Pokémon Company, continued its robust trajectory with 17,941 units sold and a cumulative total surpassing 2.1 million copies.
Other Nintendo Switch titles such as Minecraft, Super Smash Bros.
Ultimate, Mario Party Superstars, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, all maintained strong positions in the weekly top ten. Hardware sales mirrored software trends, with the Nintendo Switch OLED Model leading the category by selling 49,037 units during the same week, bringing its lifetime total in Japan to nearly 1.5 million systems.
In comparison, PlayStation 5 sales saw an uptick, likely in response to increased availability, reaching 32,364 units sold for a cumulative total of 1,271,750.
Standard and Lite versions of the Nintendo Switch continued their momentum, together accounting for more than 34,000 additional units sold. The new Kirby release has not only injected renewed energy into Nintendo’s 2022 software lineup but has also galvanized hardware sales, reinforcing the enduring appeal of Switch-exclusive titles.
This sales milestone reflects Nintendo’s successful blend of innovation and franchise strength, as Kirby and the Forgotten Land’s performance joins a growing roster of first-party hits that continue to drive the platform’s prominence in a competitive market. The Japanese charts for this period were sourced from the official retail tracking published by Famitsu and further verified by industry resource Gematsu.
As the Nintendo Switch heads further into its sixth year, it continues to redefine expectations for hardware longevity and software dominance in the region.
