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New data has arrived from the UK based on sales generated in 2018. Boxed video game sales revenue came in at £770 million, which is a decline of 2.8%. There were also 22 million titles sold physically for a drop of 7.1%.

We can thank Switch for preventing a bigger decline. The system’s software sales were up 90.1% year-over-year and revenue rose by 73.4%. Switch was the only platform with increased software sales compared to the previous year.

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What up, kids and squids?!

This week on NEP, Oni and Galen discuss Nintendo’s 2018 efforts—the good AND the bad: all the games, free DLC, ports from Wii U, Nintendo Switch Online and more.
The gang also reminisces on some of their favorite games they’ve played this year, and end the show by explaining what kind of sandwich best represents NEP! Per usual, Galen is optimistic and Oni is pessimistic.

Check out the timestamps and our email address below where you can send us your listener mail!

Minecraft

A little while back Famitsu published a Minecraft interview with a couple of the game’s key developers. Executive producers Roger Carpenter and John Thornton both talked about the title, including some Switch-specific topics.

Famitsu first started out by pointing out that Minecraft has been very successful on Switch, with the physical version having shipped over 300,000 units since June (around the time when the interview was done). Carpenter and Thorton both commented here, with the two stating:

The No More Heroes series finally returns in January with Travis Strikes Again. However, fans are also curious about the next true entry in the series – No More Heroes 3.

We’ve heard Suda51 speak about No More Heroes 3 ever since Travis Strikes Again was announced. And in an interview with Kotaku UK, he once again touched on the topic.

Compared to some other recent RPGs, reaching the “end” of Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee doesn’t take terribly long. Director Junichi Masuda was asked about this in the Japanese strategy guide, which was then published in the English version.

Masuda explained that he didn’t want Pokemon: Let’s Go to entirely monopolize your time – especially in the age of smartphones and the fact that people play other games. The team therefore increased the walking speed “and kept the playtime needed to reach the Hall of Fame on the shorter side.”

2017 was a fantastic debut year for Switch. It seemed like month after month, Nintendo was putting out a big game. Zelda: Breath of the Wild kicked off the system’s launch, with Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and others to follow. You could make a case that 2018 didn’t reach those same heights, but this year had plenty of great games. We saw the likes of Kirby Star Allies, Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu / Eevee, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – and that’s just on the first-party side of things. Third-parties contributed with hits like Octopath Traveler, and many top indies found a home on Switch including Celeste, Hollow Knight, Dead Cells, The Messenger, and many more.

Since 2018 is just about over, it’s time to take a minute to reflect on things. What were your favorite games of 2017? Even if they weren’t on Switch (we can’t forget about the 3DS!), be sure to let us know in the comments below.

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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In just three days, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate sold five million copies worldwide. Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa commented on the early success while speaking with The Sankei News.

Furukawa said, “The people who’ve played Smash before are coming back for this one; that accumulation of players contributed to the initial push [in sales]”. He also said that Nintendo needs to continue selling “and not get caught up in that initial momentum.”

Grasshopper Manufacture has come out with a brand new “Coffee and Doughnuts” trailer for Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes. Have a look at it below.

Recently, Japanese magazine Famitsu interviewed Persona Q2 director Yuta Aihara and producer Daisuke Kanada. Two discussions were published in back-to-back issues. Aihara and Kanada spoke about the reactions from fans, improvements made compared to the first entry, and more.

We’ve readied a full translation of both interviews. You can read the talks in full below.

This week’s issue of Famitsu contains New Year’s greetings for a variety of developers. Two representatives from Game Freak were included as part of the feature: Junichi Masuda and Shigeru Ohmori. Both reflected on the past year and vaguely teased what’s to come in the future:

Here’s what Masuda and Ohmori said:


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