The Yo-Kai Watch series was quite a phenomenon in Japan, with a multi-pronged media blitz spanning video games, cartoons, and toys; leading the series to even eclipse Pokémon in some respects. Naturally, Level-5 was keen to bring the franchise to the West in hopes of there being a similar reaction, but recent reports seem to suggest that the early response hasn’t nearly been as rosy.

Akihiro Hino – the CEO of Level-5 – recently chatted with Nikkei Trendy on the series and its success both domestically and abroad. According to Hino, Yo-kai Watch only sold 400,000 units in North America – compared to the 1.4 million units in Japan for the equivalent period when the game launched there – though the TV show has been doing well in ratings. This still hasn’t completely deterred the company from quitting on the Western front; Hino explained how Level-5 intends to provide North America with content either at the same time, or slightly ahead of Japan in the near future. So, it seems that the series is having a more difficult time catching on in the west; no doubt the launch of Yo-kai Watch 2: Bony Spirits & Fleshy Souls will have significant impact on the its future outside Japan.

What do you think? Will Yo-kai Watch eventually catch on outside Japan? What did you think of the game? Drop us a comment in the section below.