GTA IV Outsells LBP in Japan According to Charts

What an amazing week for PS3 gamers in Japan. The release of two massive titles -- which couldn't be more different from one another -- meant that gamers suddenly had a lot to choose from on a platform that has had slim pickings in recent weeks. Of course, LittleBigPlanet and Grand Theft Auto 4 are not what one would consider typical blockbusters in Japan. Role playing titles such as Infinite Undiscovery attract a much larger following than platformers and sandbox gangster simulators usually do in that country. Nevertheless, Japanese PS3 owners surprised the West by snapping up large qunatities of Rockstar's urban crime drama last week. LittleBigPlanet sold less than half as many units, as Japanese gamers were largely nonplussed by the cute, interactive platformer.

The good news for Sony was that both releases prompted an uptick in PS3 hardware sales, which had been lagging in recent months.

Japanese software sales for week ended November 2, 2008:

1. GTA IV [PS3] - 122.000 (NEW)
2. Valkyrie Profile: The Accused One [NDS] - 74.000 (NEW)
3. Little Big Planet [PS3] - 47.000 (NEW)
4. GTA IV [360] - 38.000 (NEW)
5. Wagamama Fassion Girls Mode [NDS] - 38.000/125.000
6. Pokemon Platinum [NDS] - 37.000/1.831.000
7. Gran Turismo 5 Prologue: Spec III [PS3] - 34.00(NEW)
8. Rhythm Tengoku Gold [NDS] - 33.000/1.001.000
9. Chocobo's Dungeon DS+ [NDS] - 28.000 (NEW)
10. Wii Music[WII] - 23.000/164.000

Japanese hardware sales for week ended November 2, 2008:

1. DSi 171,000
2. PSP 50,000
3. PS3 36,000
4. Wii 25,000
5. DSL 17,000
6. PS2 6,800
7. 360 6,300

[Source: Famitsu]