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Pro Evolution Soccer 2014: Challenge of the Blue Samurai was released in Japan last week. The game is an expanded version of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, with additional modes that involve leading Japan to victory in the FIFA World Cup. It allows players to create a Japanese “Dream team” by choosing from all players of the J1 and J2 leagues, as well as Japanese players that play for foreign clubs.
2014: Challenge of the Blue Samurai sold approximately 60,000 copies across three platforms—the PS3, 3DS and PSP. First-week sales of the game were one-third of the previous instalment it is based on, Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, released this past November.
Japanese sales tracker Media Create reports that the release of 2014: Challenge of the Blue Samurai mirrors that of 2010: Challenge of the Blue Samurai, released in 2010 and also prior to the FIFA World Cup, similar to the new game. Like the 2014 version, the 2010 version sold one-third the amount of copies that its predecessor, Pro Evolution Soccer 2010, sold at launch.
2010: Challenge of the Blue Samurai did sell more than the 2014 version, though. The 2010 version sold around 100,000 copies across five platforms in its opening week, and the interesting thing is that the game went on to sell 488,000 copies in total.
Media Create says this is due to the fact that Japan’s national soccer team had made a great effort in 2010, which buoyed the sales of 2010: Challenge of the Blue Samurai. At 488,000 copies sold in total, the game has managed to sell more than half the amount that Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 did (837,000 copies).
With this in mind, Media Create hypothesizes that sales of 2014: Challenge of the Blue Samurai will depend on the activities of Japan’s national soccer team this time around as well. If all goes according to plan, the game should theoretically manage to sell around 250,000 copies—around half of Pro Evolution Soccer 2014, which has sold 495,000 copies to date since its November release.
