Sonic Frontiers is presently selling well in Japan, becoming the franchise’s fastest-selling game in the country. Sonic Frontiers, the first mainline 3D Sonic game since 2017’s Sonic Forces, was just released globally. While critical criticism has been varied, fan reaction has been positive since the game’s release. The popularity of Sonic’s recent open-zone adventure is reflected in various places of the world, including its own nation.
While Sonic the Hedgehog is a famous video game IP, its popularity has historically been concentrated in the Americas and Europe. Many people observe that the character isn’t nearly as popular in Japan as he is in the Western areas, owing to his demeanour and character, which is reflected in poor sales in Japan as well. Despite this, Sonic’s recent global appeal has grown as a result of the success of the Sonic movies, and this attraction appears to be paying off, as Sonic Frontiers had some respectable sales statistics in its first week.
According to Famitsu, Sonic Frontiers has already sold over 40K units across all platforms, making it one of the biggest sales figures for the series in Japan in its first week. Sonic Adventure 2 sold 84K units when it initially debuted on the Dreamcast in 2001, the franchise’s previous high. According to these rankings, the Nintendo Switch version of the game is doing the best, selling over 26K sales and ranking #4 in the top ten, while the PS4 and PS5 versions have sold a combined 20K units.
? A look at #SonicFrontiers regional sales numbers:
? Impressive start in @famitsu's Japan software sales. With 46.2K total, it becomes the fastest selling mainline title since 2001.
? For the UK's physical sales, Frontiers starts at #4, with PS5 making up 40%.#SonicNews pic.twitter.com/J8bsLysjkE
— Tails' Channel (@TailsChannel) November 17, 2022
This statistic is amazing, given how worried fans were about Sonic Frontiers’ performance when it debuted alongside God of War: Ragnarok. When compared to the last mainstream game, it outperforms Sonic Forces’ 10K launch sales in 2017. Given that the game was named one of the most anticipated titles of 2022 at the Tokyo Game Show, it appears that the franchise’s efforts to appeal to a Japanese audience are also bearing fruit.
Sega will be giving a bunch of free DLC for Sonic Frontiers, which appears to be increasing the game’s momentum. Following the release of the Monster Hunter cooperation packs in 2023, these updates will be published throughout the year.
Sonic Frontiers is currently available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
