Sales Data Famitsu Sales: Week 9, 2024 (Feb. 25 - Mar. 3)

[Bonejack]

DQ8 was released 20 years ago in Japan (hence why I said 19 years) and so you have one game and three remasters.

So 1 in the last 19 years.

Well, okay going with your silly timeframing just to cut out one game, you said 1 "traditional" DQ game. Not new.

So the remakes/remasters count.

And in this case, i'll just drop DQ 8 3DS port then, because that happened within those 19 years.

If i count correctly again, we're still at ... 5 ... traditional DQ games within the last 19 years. Technically i could add 9 too, despite things like an Avatar player character and some tweaks, it's still a traditional DQ gameplay loop in the game, but for the sake of the discussion i'll leave it out.

 

[ngpdrew]

1. They kill no one in the first game even though three people are supposed to die
2. Yeah, sure
3. They super sanitized this to make Shinra responsible which is a large part of the problem.

Outside of the new God of War games, there may not be a franchise more frightened of ambiguity or darkness. It's been really disappointing.

Just FYI, it is at least partially implied in the original game that Shinra had a hand in making the disaster worse than it was.

Also, the end of Remake is great. Sorry.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Just FYI, it is at least partially implied in the original game that Shinra had a hand in making the disaster worse than it was.

Also, the end of Remake is great. Sorry.

Implications and ambiguity are a lot different than clear cut sanitization.

 

[Regulus Tera]

I’m pessimistic of the brand power FF has anymore, but those Rebirth sales are bad. No sugarcoating that.

 

[ngpdrew]

Implications and ambiguity are a lot different than clear cut sanitization.

The War on FFVII continues unabated.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

The War on FFVII continues unabated.

FF7R's real-time with pause combat system is the best combat system I've ever played and Nomura's art here is ridiculously good. Cloud in these games has the best character design maybe of any character I've seen.

The plot (combined with how badly written Sephiroth has been) has been catastrophically bad.

Basically all multiverse stuff is extremely bad and FF7R does it much worse by combining it with the unreliable narrator in gaming.

 

[ngpdrew]

FF7R's real-time with pause combat system is the best combat system I've ever played and Nomura's art here is ridiculously good. Cloud in these games has the best character design maybe of any character I've seen.

The plot (combined with how badly written Sephiroth has been) has been catastrophically bad.

Basically all multiverse stuff is extremely bad and FF7R does it much worse by combining it with the unreliable narrator in gaming.

I'm calling the police on this indirect Spider-Verse slander.

 

[GPKs3]

Quite underwhelming.

 

[ILikeFeet]

DQ was a series that always strove to be on the best selling platform, regardless of what it was. the one time they tried to dump that, they made an emergency 3DS version and a late port to switch, three builds of the same game. I think they learned from that

for FF, it's been a game that sold itself on pushing fidelity, and it happened to be on the most popular systems until the PS3. after that, the decline could really have been felt

 

[soundchaser]

Rebirth has already given me more moments of pure joy than probably everything else combined will this year, and I'm only halfway through the story. For my money, it's the best Final Fantasy since XII. It's a shame that the game's sales haven't matched its quality. I was a little surprised when there was no one waiting with me to pick it up at Best Buy on release morning (there was a LINE for Zelda), but I guess people just aren't as interested.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

FF7 Rebirth doesn't really focus that much on fidelity as it's on a dated engine that they had to use to make the game as fast as possible.

There's a lot of global illumination and texture and IQ problems in the game relative to some technically superior games like Avatar or Spider-Man.

 

[Brock Reiher]

there is hope for the complete trilogy.

that would be excellent!

 

[Machrider]

Gotta think (if there was any doubt) that puts the nail in the coffin of the idea of a Final Fantasy VI Remake with a massive budget.

 

[Sturmgeist]

People can talk as bad as they want about the Rebirth sales, but honestly it's one of the greatest games I've ever played and if it doesn't win GOTY I'll eat my hat

 

[Machrider]

How Final Fantasy VII Started In Japan:

How It's Going:

 

[Linkstrikesback]

People can talk as bad as they want about the Rebirth sales, but honestly it's one of the greatest games I've ever played and if it doesn't win GOTY I'll eat my hat

It might be in the running, but only because as of right now, the playing field is as barren as it was when Bayonetta 2 was legitimately a consideration.

FF7R2 would have been obliterated last year.

 

[Lugia667]

Imagine saying 20 years ago pikmin would be selling better than final fantasy in Japan

 

[Kartina]

People can talk as bad as they want about the Rebirth sales, but honestly it's one of the greatest games I've ever played and if it doesn't win GOTY I'll eat my hat

To me that’s the biggest problem, they made a stellar game and the franchise is still declining more than ever, while I could understand ff16 declining sales because they made some pretty baffling decisions with that game with rebirth I expected a slam dunk and instead it’s doing even worse than 16 in japan and declining from 7 remake in the rest of the world.

 

[ziggyrivers]

Gotta think (if there was any doubt) that puts the nail in the coffin of the idea of a Final Fantasy VI Remake with a massive budget.

I agree with a fellow member that said that FINAL FANTASY VII will be the only FF remake to receive the scope of work it got. Subsequent remake projects will be much simpler.

Square should scale their remake projects down and release something that can be released in several consoles day one

 

[Machrider]

Can FF7R Part III pull off the impossible and open below 200k in Japan? Find out in 5 years.

 

[NBOctoling]

Gotta think (if there was any doubt) that puts the nail in the coffin of the idea of a Final Fantasy VI Remake with a massive budget.

As someone who wants a FFVI remake, I'm not sure I would want a remake in the style of FFVII to be honest. While there would be a lot of work needed for a remake (the Gestahlian Empire in particular since what that empire is depicted when you first arrive via Airship versus the actual map is very different) I'm not sure I would be done for every detail needing a change.

 

[Machrider]

From InstallBase Forum: 1st Week Sales

Dec 2009 [PS3] Final Fantasy XIII - 1.501.964 (Media Create)
Nov 2016 [PS4] Final Fantasy XV - 716.649 (Famitsu)
Apr 2020 [PS4] Final Fantasy VII Remake - 702.853 (Famitsu)
Jun 2023 [PS5] Final Fantasy XVI – 336.027 (Famitsu)
Feb 2024 [PS5] Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - 262.656 (Famitsu)

 

[Imitatio]

The positive reception yet not so great sales performance, as far as we can tell anyway, simply means that my view on Square Enix solidifies itself: they've got some great talent within their development teams, but they suck so much more as a publisher. Particularly in regards to managing the FF brand.

 

[AngryNopon]

Japan just doesn't care about PS5 and overseas i'm not really sure the userbase Sony has been catering to these last few years cares that much about FF either.


I hope the moneyhats were worth it.

 

[Supreme Bum 01]

Japanese sales are always wild to me. In a country of 200 million + people on the cutting edge of technology the top 10 always has a bunch of games that sold in the 4-digit figures. I understand not all the sales are counted but it's still crazy to me.

 

[Lugia667]

Japanese sales are always wild to me. In a country of 200 million + people on the cutting edge of technology the top 10 always has a bunch of games that sold in the 4-digit figures. I understand not all the sales are counted but it's still crazy to me.

Your about 80 million over the actual population lol

 

[Síriocaz]

My only thoughts on FF7R2 in particular are that Square has to stop with these extremely connected games story-wise.

Needing to do tons of homework probably hurt KH3 and FF7R2 a decent bit.

Kingdom Hearts 3 is one thing and Rebirth another, to be fair.

 

[Yavga]

Wonder how much FF7 Remake would sell in a first week on a Nintendo handheld (If it would be downscaled to be able to run)

 

[ngpdrew]

I don't need sales numbers from a country that increasingly doesn't play console games to reinforce my belief that Rebirth rips.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

DQ was a series that always strove to be on the best selling platform, regardless of what it was. the one time they tried to dump that, they made an emergency 3DS version and a late port to switch, three builds of the same game. I think they learned from that

PS4, 3DS, and NX versions were announced at the same time; two years before any version released. If there was any backtracking, it came at an extremely early stage.

 

[Síriocaz]

Wonder how much FF7 Remake would sell in a first week on a Nintendo handheld (If it would be downscaled to be able to run)

Don't think it would need to be downscaled from the PS4 version on Switch's successor, if at all.

It's worth noting that Rebirth had some special kinds of deals for digital editions, something for PSN or so I read. Still, physical-digital ratios don't wholly explain the result, the game just did modestly, leaning to poorly.

 

[AngryAlchemist]

I don't need sales numbers from a country that increasingly doesn't play console games to reinforce my belief that Rebirth rips.

Just wait till you get sales from countries that do play console games! U.K. sales weren't great either.

Absolutely agree though that people shouldn't let sales figures dictate how much they enjoy games.

 

[Síriocaz]

Just wait till you get sales from countries that do play console games! U.K. sales weren't great either.

Absolutely agree though that people shouldn't let sales figures dictate how much they enjoy games.

Sad for those who do get influenced, I bet there can't be too many of them.

 

[AngryAlchemist]

Sad for those who do get influenced, I bet there can't be too many of them.

If this is the joke I think it is, this was an unbelievably good roast

 

[Supreme Bum 01]

Your about 80 million over the actual population lol

100+ million. Fat finger moment.

 

[Midway-AGNC-]

I highly DOUBT Square will keep FF7 Rebirth exclusive for PS5 forever after how this bad this underperformed in Japan.

 

[shoptroll]

DQ was a series that always strove to be on the best selling platform, regardless of what it was. the one time they tried to dump that, they made an emergency 3DS version and a late port to switch, three builds of the same game. I think they learned from that

for FF, it's been a game that sold itself on pushing fidelity, and it happened to be on the most popular systems until the PS3. after that, the decline could really have been felt

And if you go outside of S-E you’ve got long running franchises like SMT/Persona which has undergone a massive expansion of sales in this time frame and Pokemon which was already a sales behemoth that isn’t slowing down despite the last release being clearly rushed to market.

At some point S-E management is going to have to finally acknowledge that the children aren’t the ones who are wrong here.

 

[Harpoon]

As someone who’s felt more hype for Rebirth than Remake, this is disappointing to see…

If the long-rumoured FFIX remake does come out on Switch 2, I’m very curious to see what its sales in Japan will end up being.

 

[ngpdrew]

Just wait till you get sales from countries that do play console games! U.K. sales weren't great either.

Absolutely agree though that people shouldn't let sales figures dictate how much they enjoy games.

I just want to escape numbers.

Why do I teach math?

 

[Evil Lucario]

PS5 games just don't seem to sell in Japan. Rebirth is already like one of the best selling PS5 games there, so relative to everything else it's doing better than the rest aside from... Final Fantasy.

I honestly don't think it has anything to do with Rebirth or Final Fantasy, it's really just the PS5 being unappealing in Japan.

 

[AngryAlchemist]

I just want to escape numbers.

Why do I teach math?

Me studying programming for 3 years be like:

 

[thoughthaver]

I pointed this out on Install Base, but FFVII Rebirth actually debuted lower than Super Mario RPG’s remake.

02./00. [NSW] Super Mario RPG <RPG> (Nintendo) {2023.11.17} (¥5.980) - 301.334 / NEW <60-80%>

01./00. [PS5] Final Fantasy VII Rebirth <RPG> (Square Enix) {2024.02.29} (¥8.980) - 262.656 / NEW

italian excellence on display

 

[ILikeFeet]

PS4, 3DS, and NX versions were announced at the same time; two years before any version released. If there was any backtracking, it came at an extremely early stage.

there definitely was. the pitch for DQ11 was a game to be played at high definition by Yuji Horii. work on the 3DS version started later (and ended sooner).

 

[WestEgg]

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince had a higher debut than FFVII Rebirth, there is absolutely no way that Square Enix will see the trends of the Japanese market and not prioritize Switch or Switch 2 for Dragon Quest XII.

[NSW] Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince # <RPG> (Square Enix) {2023.12.01} (¥6.980) - 346.583 / NEW <80-100%>

 

[Pillydillsy]

Thought on the FF thing
1.) Usually whenever I get into a franchise it immediately begins succeeding (Metroid, Pikmin, Monkey Ball, Sonic, Mario RPG’s, God Of War) but the second I get OG FF7 this happens, it’s strange
2.) I sure hope Square is happy about that exclusivity deal right about now
3.) This further shows how this strategy of only making “revolutionary, industry changing” games is not at all working anymore. These massive games have gotten so expensive that one failure can result in complete disaster for a company. We are really seeing the consequences of this model now with all the layoffs, Xbox and Sony pretty much giving up exclusives to rake in some more sales on PC (and now rival consoles), Square and Sega making more and more smaller games and expanding lesser known franchises with remakes and revivals, etc. Moral of the story, Square should make 50 sequels to Mario RPG

 

[Dardan Sandiego]

The FF brand is experiencing a renaissance in terms of quality and critical acclaim while at the same time drifting rapidly into irrelevance in its home country. If anyone is bothered by the second part so much that they can't enjoy the first, there's really no need to be in this thread in the first place. There's always the option to ignore threads.

 

[Pillydillsy]

I pointed this out on Install Base, but FFVII Rebirth actually debuted lower than Super Mario RPG’s remake.

02./00. [NSW] Super Mario RPG <RPG> (Nintendo) {2023.11.17} (¥5.980) - 301.334 / NEW <60-80%>

01./00. [PS5] Final Fantasy VII Rebirth <RPG> (Square Enix) {2024.02.29} (¥8.980) - 262.656 / NEW

And what’s even crazier is that Mario RPG was probably 1/5th the budget of Rebirth

 

[ILikeFeet]

still think they should go with a single-player, custom-character, player driven game with optional multiplayer

and release it everywhere (including mobile)

 

[DecoReturns]

I was wondering why this thread popped off compared to others.

I honestly expected a low debut for Rebirth. And while I’m loving the game. There’s a ton of stuff that will kinda turn off people. Especially these mini games lol. From my experience it’s so uhh. Gamer centric (I can’t described it, but I’ll try when I can figure it out).

 

[Kartina]

still think they should go with a single-player, custom-character, player driven game with optional multiplayer

and release it everywhere (including mobile)

I really think that square enix should try to do what the zelda team did with botw, go back to their roots and take inspiration from their first game.
The og final fantasy was pretty much an open world rpg with customizable characters that let the player explore a “big” world, and those are all characteristics that are super popular nowadays. They don’t even need to be turn based. Instead they’re chasing other games for no reason at all, I still don’t get how in the modern market they decided to make ff16 a corridor action game, a genre less popular than final fantasy.
Also for the love of god please stop with the ps exclusivity and release day 1 on pc, every rpg is thriving thanks to the pc market and square is the only one that’s missing the boat multiple times.