Hot Shots Golf 5 snags 300,000 preorders in Japan
by Nick Doerr 
{ Jun 12th 2007 at 4:45PM }
Since it's almost impossible to find anything on the GameFront website, we're attributing this piece of news to user collie9877 over at the PS3Forums. In a fairly surprising twist, Japanese specialty retailers are really gearing up for the release of Minno no Golf 5, pre-ordering around 300,000 copies. Does that mean Japan will get a boost in console sales this July? Who knows. Let's discuss further.The bit on GameFront is pretty vague: does this mean 300,000 people have pre-ordered the game? Have retailers ordered that many copies of the game to ship to their stores? If the latter, that sounds like a small number for an entire country. But whichever case it may be, moving that many games over a month before the release is a pretty strong candidate for a million-selling game. We downloaded the demo, we enjoy it, too. Hopefully this game helps out the dismal PS3 library in Japan and gets a quick release in the rest of the world, too.
[via PS3Forums]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt B @ Jun 12th 2007 4:58PM
Bring it to the states and I'd pre-order too!!!!!!!!
a.j. @ Jun 12th 2007 5:09PM
yeah, this is a must have for me. love the old ones and the demo for this new one was awesome. great fun.
Bababooey @ Jun 12th 2007 5:23PM
Of course it's a must have. With a game line-up like the PS3 even Meet the Robinsons is a must have title.
Khash @ Jun 12th 2007 5:30PM
Can't wait for Hot Shots Golf 5. I'd also love to see a PS3 Hot Shots Tennis.
BlackBeltJones @ Jun 12th 2007 5:30PM
I had no idea this series was that popular.
Popfrogs @ Jun 12th 2007 5:51PM
I hope this makes it out of Japan. How hard will it be to translate a few menus and dub some goofy audio?
I love the demo, it's a great little pick-up game that you don't have to spend hours playing to enjoy it. We need some more 'accessible' games like this.
humpty @ Jun 12th 2007 5:52PM
^ PS3 is region free.. just find a place to import it.
Kxpuc @ Jun 12th 2007 6:40PM
I'm so getting this game when it hits japan i've been playing the hell out of the JP demo. I wouldn't even have a PSP if it wasn't for playing a imported JP Hot Shots golf game before the NA release of the PSP
massive_98 @ Jun 12th 2007 7:41PM
How do you play this game? I can't read Japanese!
Marco Cano Jr @ Jun 12th 2007 7:57PM
Well according to IGN and Gamestop, Hot Shots is supposed to come out by this fall. If thats the case, this game will not sell, along with Folk Lore. I do not like the idea of Sony releasing basically every game shown on gamers day this fall/winter. With games like Assasins Creed, Metal Gear Solid (2008?), Burnout Paradice (PS3 Lead Console), Call Of Duty 4, GTA IV, etc. coming out at the same time, will people even notice Hot Shots Golf 5, Folks Lore, or even Ratchet & Clank. The right thing for Sony to do is to release its games in a monthly fashion to avoid a drought. I am interested in 90% of Sony's PS3 games and I intend to buy and play all of them but if they don't change the scheduled releases, I don't know if I'll have the time or money for these games.
kingofwale @ Jun 12th 2007 8:51PM
I suppose 300K copies is the definition of "will not sell" eh?
it's a good game, this game and Ninja Gaiden will DEFINITELY boost PS3 sales in Japan. I think we should see at least 15% of increasing.
John @ Jun 12th 2007 9:16PM
@ Marco Cano Jr
But dude... all this means is that after xmas, when these go gold or whatever it is, you can get them for cheaper.
There are people who are counting down the Ratchet and Clank release, and don't care much about anything else.
I had no idea this golf thing was so big. Guess I better play the demo?
I wouldn't mind having a Japanese voice version as long as the menus are American.
Marco Cano Jr @ Jun 12th 2007 10:31PM
@11: Well I was talking about the US market.@12: Yeah I see what you mean but Games sell better when it comes out not after. For those people who are counting down to Ratchet and Clank's release, sadly they are the minority not the mainstream.I hate to be all negitive but its sadly its reality. Although I could be wrong.
Draco @ Jun 12th 2007 10:44PM
boy John, you sure made me feel stupid, here I was thinking that American was the people spanning the western hemisphere, not a language.
Kxpuc @ Jun 12th 2007 11:51PM
@11 most current-gen titles only need to sell 500k copies to break even. so having 300k in one region alone (even for pre-orders) is a nice step on the way to 1 million which is guarantee for profit
Neil @ Jun 13th 2007 7:08AM
@12 John.
"I wouldn't mind having a Japanese voice version as long as the menus are American."
There is no American language John, At best, you speak an american dialect of English. English is an amazing language with a history going back over a thousand years and originating from many other languages throughout europe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_English_language