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Dragon Quest and DS Ruled Japan In 2009

by Joe Juba on Apr 01, 2010 at 10:25 AM



Yesterday marked the end of Japan's fiscal year, which means that reports are coming in about the overall performance of the Japanese video game industry. With Dragon Quest IX topping the software charts and the Nintendo DS dominating hardware, the results are interesting...though not particularly surprising.

On the hardware front, the DS sold nearly 4 million units in 2009, though that number includes all incarnations of the system (like DSi and DS Lite). Unfortunately, the Xbox 360 continued its disappointing performance in the country, clocking in at a meager 251, 911 units for the year.

On the plus side, Japanese software sales were up a total of 3.7%, with Dragon Quest IX selling a staggering 4 million copies. It even moved more units than the DS hardware! While the Dragon Quest series doesn't usually get the same stellar reception when its entries hit North America, this kind of success is something that should impress any gamer.

Are you planning on grabbing DQ IX when it releases Stateside this summer?

[source: andriasang]