Highlights

  • Princess Peach: Showtime outsells PS5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin in Japan, with 77,562 physical copies sold in the first week.
  • Princess Peach: Showtime targets a more casual gaming crowd, offering straightforward platforming and easy levels for kids and families.
  • Despite facing stiff competition, Princess Peach: Showtime takes the lead in physical sales in Japan, though digital and global sales may differ.

Recently-released data indicates that Princess Peach: Showtime sales are outpacing the PS5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin in Japan. Princess Peach: Showtime released on March 22, an extremely busy day for the gaming industry. While it's rare for major new game releases to land on the same day, Princess Peach: Showtime shared its launch date with PS5 exclusive Rise of the Ronin and Capcom's open world action-RPG Dragon's Dogma 2.

There was a lot of talk about how big March 22 was going to be for the gaming industry, with a great deal of hype for all three major games that launched that day. Now that the dust has settled, though, it seems as though Princess Peach: Showtime may be performing even better than expected, given the stiff competition.

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Despite having to face off against Dragon's Dogma 2 and Rise of the Ronin, Princess Peach: Showtime was the best-selling physical release in Japan last week, according to Famitsu. Princess Peach: Showtime reportedly sold 77,562 copies in Japan in its first week on sale, with Dragon's Dogma 2 trailing with 68,592 sales. Rise of the Ronin, meanwhile, came in third place, with 64,646 physical copies sold in Japan last week.

Best-Selling Games in Japan (March 18 - March 24)

  1. Princess Peach: Showtime - 77,562
  2. Dragon's Dogma 2 - 68,592
  3. Rise of the Ronin - 64,646
  4. Dragon Quest 10 Online: The Door to the Future and the Sleeping Girl (Nintendo Switch) - 17,919
  5. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 9,276
  6. Super Mario Bros. Wonder - 8,118
  7. Dragon Quest 10 Online: The Door to the Future and the Sleeping Girl (PS4) - 7,33
  8. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth - 7,121
  9. Mario vs. Donkey Kong - 6,987
  10. Minecraft - 6,563

Now, there are some important things to keep in mind when analyzing Princess Peach: Showtime's sales numbers. The biggest thing is that the Nintendo Switch has sold significantly more units than the PlayStation 5, and so it has a significantly larger install base. Simply put, there are more people in Japan with a Nintendo Switch than a PS5, and so that gives Princess Peach: Showtime a distinct advantage. Secondly, it's entirely possible that Rise of the Ronin and Dragon's Dogma 2 have Peach beat when considering digital and global sales, but we'll have to wait for more sales data to be sure about that.

Something else to consider is that while Rise of the Ronin and Dragon's Dogma 2 are targeting the same demographic of gamers, those interested in open world action-RPGs, Princess Peach: Showtime aims for a more casual crowd. Princess Peach: Showtime levels are pretty easy and the game is a straight-forward platformer for the most part, something made more for kids and families in mind as opposed to hardcore gamers. This effectively allows Princess Peach: Showtime to cast a wider net.

Regardless, it seems all three games released on March 22 have gotten off to a decent start, though Princess Peach: Showtime is seemingly ahead when it comes to physical sales in Japan. Princess Peach: Showtime had the lowest reviews out of the three games, which makes its success even more interesting.