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Final Fantasy VII Remake sold over 5 million copies; Highest selling digital title for Square Enix ever

Hudo

Member
Would it have really gotten this far without Sony's assistance at E3, promotion, etc?
Yes. Square Enix are very capable when it comes to market their own stuff (look at FF15, look at KH3, look at how they turned around FF14), they don't need Sony for it. And it's FF7, one of the most revered Final Fantasy games ever. It's more like Sony needs Final Fantasy more than Final Fantasy needs Sony at this point. So my only guess is that Sony really paid quite a lot of money. And I don't understand why Sony wouldn't use that money instead to push their own first-party offerings.
 

Oberstein

Member
I bought it on launch and haven't even played it. Really should do that one of these days

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I see some talk about FF13 sales. Remember that back then Japan still bought PlayStation consoles. A few million FF13 copies were sold in Japan alone.
The FF7 remaster isn't on Switch so that impacts sales.

As an aside I saw someone make an interesting video on Final Fantasy trying to appeal more to Western tastes because of Japanese gamers switching to phones/handhelds.
 

Dee_Dee

Member
Different demographic. FF7R is for young adults, thus the fund issue, college, bills, ect. The other is for kids, which have mama or papa to buy games for them lol
Hmmmm....nope.

"It hasn’t just captured the imaginations of kids and teens either – according to Nintendo, one of the main player demographics is people in their 20s and 30s, looking for a nostalgia hit by playing the latest iteration of a game they first encountered in their youth.

And by the company’s estimates, some 40 per cent of sales to date have been to female players."
 
Hmmmm....nope.

"It hasn’t just captured the imaginations of kids and teens either – according to Nintendo, one of the main player demographics is people in their 20s and 30s, looking for a nostalgia hit by playing the latest iteration of a game they first encountered in their youth.

And by the company’s estimates, some 40 per cent of sales to date have been to female players."


Its the Switch baka:messenger_winking:

Same reason why Octopath sold despite being painfully uninspired.
 

Thirty7ven

Banned
As an aside I saw someone make an interesting video on Final Fantasy trying to appeal more to Western tastes because of Japanese gamers switching to phones/handhelds.


These days Japan only cares about gaming on the go that you can fit in your trips to work and lunch brakes and a whole lot of gacha.

The rest are stuck worshiping idols and k pop stars. The country has become an ant colony. Once you’re out of high school your life is over.

Big game creators over there are stuck making games to the rest of the world.
 

correofake333

Neo Member
Impressive. I'm glad it did that well, I really enjoyed the game, probably my favourite from this generation (biased opinion given that FF7 OG is my fav game since 1997). Sadly, this data means that we are going to see FF XVI also exclusive in PS5... I really wanted to have the chance to play it on PC first day.
 

yurinka

Member
Is this a huge success? How many copies can it potentially sell still?
These are 3-4 month sales, so basically the early launch sales peak. Nowadays it's around half of the total sales (not counting future ports).
Couldve been 10 million if they released it for Xbox.
No, MS has less than the half of the install base and their fans are less attached to Final Fantasy. Adding Xbox maybe it would have been around 7 million, not 10.
 
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Hmmmm....nope.

"It hasn’t just captured the imaginations of kids and teens either – according to Nintendo, one of the main player demographics is people in their 20s and 30s, looking for a nostalgia hit by playing the latest iteration of a game they first encountered in their youth.

And by the company’s estimates, some 40 per cent of sales to date have been to female players."

Never excluded them, and last I checked, kids can be female too!
 

Dee_Dee

Member
Never excluded them, and last I checked, kids can be female too!
People in their 20s and 30s which is one of the main demographics didn’t have mama and papa buy it for them.
Even without that stat your reasoning why one sold the way it did vs the other doesn’t make sense. I could argue that people with kids could be struggling just as much as young adults during this pandemic.
 
People in their 20s and 30s which is one of the main demographics didn’t have mama and papa buy it for them.
Even without that stat your reasoning why one sold the way it did vs the other doesn’t make sense. I could argue that people with kids could be struggling just as much as young adults during this pandemic.

Obviously you can't read, the key word in the sentence you provided was "one" not the "only", stop putting words in my mouth asshole. Secondly the very first sentence you provided emphasized kids and teens as their primary demographic. Lastly most parents do not struggle with shitty minimum wage jobs, nice try, but try again, this time try using your brain.

I should add the fact your case further proves my point the demographic is different since it's mass appeal to casuals is more varied across the board, even though I stand firm that kids is and will always be their primary demographic.
 
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Zathalus

Member
If the rest of the game gets made for the PS5 hardware generation, then I hope they come back to part 1 to remaster the graphics when (if) they eventually release the entire thing.

It will be a bit jarring going from UE4 to UE5 in the same story.
 

M.T.S

Neo Member
The anticipation for FFXIII was insane, even with how linear we knew it was going to be, because the series, up to that point, was still the high watermark for quality console games. It's not anymore in 2020.

FFVII did about 9-10 million on its initial run (with a few million more over the decades of its long tail). That is the upper limit for any derivative work like a remake. It was also 23 years ago - the FF base today is not what it was. Maybe you think it should've done 7-8 million instead of 5-6, but I think it's pretty silly to act like this woefully missed its mark.

Also, this is an action game. The original Final Fantasy VII is my favorite game of all time, but I won't play this because it's not a real remake. Maybe your argument is that they took this in the wrong direction, in which case I would agree.

Not a real remake ? dumbest shit I've read in a long time. They might have done some changes to the story here and there and there but it doesn't mean it completely changes it so much that it isn't even a remake. I'd say it was a real remake with some extra.
 

Thabass

Member
If the rest of the game gets made for the PS5 hardware generation, then I hope they come back to part 1 to remaster the graphics when (if) they eventually release the entire thing.

It will be a bit jarring going from UE4 to UE5 in the same story.

A Remaster for a Remake. Oh yeah, I can see Square's marketing machine starting to churn.
 

octiny

Banned
would’ve expected more for the supposed most hyped up game of all time.

it did halo 5 numbers...

Not impressed

This.

Although to be fair, Halo 5 did 5 million in 3 months on a install base of just 15 million at the time. Absolutely absurd attach ratio.

5 million in 5 months with a 100+ million install base for one of the most anticipated remakes of all-time is utter shit. Especially during Covid.
 

M.T.S

Neo Member
This.

Although to be fair, Halo 5 did 5 million in 3 months on a install base of just 15 million at the time. Absolutely absurd attach ratio.

5 million in 5 months with a 100+ million install base for one of the most anticipated remakes of all-time is utter shit. Especially during Covid.

It's not utter shit.
 

LarknThe4th

Member
I mean it was VERY hyped, some people where saying it would stomp every big game of 2020, seems a bit on the low end its basically on a Resident evil 7 trajectory

I guess they are happy enough but Covid has been helping with game sales and I was expecting this to be in the 8 or 9 million area by now
 

Zoro7

Banned
Did the lack of jumping and having to line up on those blue arrows constantly annoy the shit out of anyone else?
 

Fbh

Member
Not bad but I thought it would sell more given the hype, how long fans have waiting for it and how it broke multiple sites when it was announced.
Didn't XV do similar numbers?

Though as long as it sells enough for Square to finish the story I'm fine.

Did the lack of jumping and having to line up on those blue arrows constantly annoy the shit out of anyone else?

I liked the game a lot (it's still my GOTY for this year) but some of the level design and mechanics did feel really dated, including those weird blue markers and the constant forced slow walking
 

Eanox

Member
Reading the thread it feels like FFVIIr bombed.
Lol.
When does selling 5M in 4 mos. bad?


key things need to point at:
  • FF XV was released on a holiday period hence the extra shipments.
  • FFXV was over shipped in Japan never had a 2nd shipment while FFVIIr had major stock problems hence a High digital sales in Japan.
  • FFXV was discounted faster than FFVIIr
  • FFVIIr is more profitable than FFXV because of digital sales and selling it at full price longer
 
I would have bought this game day 1 if it had been also release on PC but now that i have watch people walkthrough videos i have no desire to buy it anymore game would have sold alot more if also release on PC too.
 
Why? is it that fun watching people play games!? I prefer wait and play other games rather than what other people play. I like really like know the logic behind wanting to watch other people play games.
Im not gone to wait over a year for a game that is already release on the PS4 to come to the PC and not look at gameplay videos and reviews. How can you expect anyone to not look at the gameplay walkthrough when it is posted all over youtube im sorry but it is what it is they should really release it on the PC day 1 too.
 
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Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Im not gone to wait over a year for a game that is already release how can you expect anyone to not look at the gameplay when it is posted all over youtube im sorry but it is what it is they should really release it on the PC day 1 too.
Thats the story with me for most Japanese games that takes whole year to get released in west. But I don't want to rub myself from the experiencing the game myself, so I just play other games and wait for the game finally releases here, like I have been doing for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim which released last year in Japan.

I don't know about anybody else, even with my most favourite game all time, its really boring watching someone else playing the game.
 

Lethal01

Member
Thats the story with me for most Japanese games that takes whole year to get released in west. But I don't want to rub myself from the experiencing the game myself, so I just play other games and wait for the game finally releases here, like I have been doing for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim which released last year in Japan.

I don't know about anybody else, even with my most favourite game all time, its really boring watching someone else playing the game.

But you have no other choice unless you know japanese, it's not an issue you could solve by paying money for a different console.
 
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Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
But you have no other choice unless you know japanese, it's not an issue you could solve by paying money for a different console.
Even if I knew Japanese, I don’t want to watch someone else play the game I’m looking forward, I want to play it myself.

Also we knew from the beginning that FFVIIR is only timed exclusive and eventually coming out for other platforms, if it was a game that never going to come out on PC then that would be at least little bit more understandable.
 
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Mister Wolf

Member
Thats the story with me for most Japanese games that takes whole year to get released in west. But I don't want to rub myself from the experiencing the game myself, so I just play other games and wait for the game finally releases here, like I have been doing for 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim which released last year in Japan.

I don't know about anybody else, even with my most favourite game all time, its really boring watching someone else playing the game.

Its been a struggle for me to not watch gameplay of Trails Of Cold Steel 4.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
Its been a struggle for me to not watch gameplay of Trails Of Cold Steel 4.
Don't! I'm crazy hyped for 13 sentinels: aegis rim but I want to experience that game for myself.....I started replaying Odin Sphere to keep busy until this comes out.
 

Bodomism

Banned
The remake of the most iconic JRPG only managed to sell 5M on 112 million userbase while FFXV managed to sell more than that in the same timeframe on 70 million userbase.

Please think that for a minute.
 

German Hops

GAF's Nicest Lunch Thief
The remake of the most iconic JRPG only managed to sell 5M on 112 million userbase while FFXV managed to sell more than that in the same timeframe on 70 million userbase.

Please think that for a minute.
Yeah, I think Square should have finished VII remake a lot sooner, when the iron was hot.

Remember all of the excitement when it was announced at E3 2015? And then fans had to wait five years after that..

Timing is everything.
 

EDMIX

Member
Yeah, I think Square should have finished VII remake a lot sooner, when the iron was hot.

Remember all of the excitement when it was announced at E3 2015? And then fans had to wait five years after that..

Timing is everything.

Nah. I think they are fine doing exactly what they are doing. If they want to maintain quality, they are correct to do it in parts, not rush out a fucking AAA game while the "iron was hot" as gamers still buy games at release. Coming out a year later or 2 years later etc isn't going to stop gamers that actually want to buy games. They have no ode to rush out games man.

So I'm buying Part 2 if it comes out 2021 or 2022 or 2023 or 2024.....

I don't give a shit man lol

I'm still buying it as gamers still actually play games for quality, not simply a release date. Thats like saying someone will buy a game regardless of its quality tomorrow if the developer told them it was coming out the next day RIGHT AFTER the reveal trailer or something... Gamers still buy games based on quality. So QUALITY is everything. I don't know to many gamers that buy games based on release dates alone bud.

like zero...
 
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Honjo

Banned
5 million is close to the upper limit for this sort of release. At the end of the day, despite the enduring legacy of the original, we're still talking about a niche genre. JRPG's just don't have enormous mass appeal. I don't think any story-based linear RPG could expect to do more in that timeframe.
 

Bodomism

Banned
5 million is close to the upper limit for this sort of release. At the end of the day, despite the enduring legacy of the original, we're still talking about a niche genre. JRPG's just don't have enormous mass appeal. I don't think any story-based linear RPG could expect to do more in that timeframe.
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Madflavor

Member
Reading the thread it feels like FFVIIr bombed.
Lol.
When does selling 5M in 4 mos. bad?


key things need to point at:
  • FF XV was released on a holiday period hence the extra shipments.
  • FFXV was over shipped in Japan never had a 2nd shipment while FFVIIr had major stock problems hence a High digital sales in Japan.
  • FFXV was discounted faster than FFVIIr
  • FFVIIr is more profitable than FFXV because of digital sales and selling it at full price longer

I don't necessarily disagree with you. I think it's because for almost a couple decades, a Remake of FFVII was considered the crown king remake, for the crown king Jrpg. So I think, rightfully so, some people were expecting something a bit more impressive than 5 million in 4 months. I think more than anything, it really shows how much the playing field has changed in the gaming landscape on what's popular these days. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Jrpgs were the hottest shit out there. Today not so much.

All that being said, I expect FFVII Remake to have incredibly strong legs. Sales will get a bump when it releases on Xbone and PC, then another bump for the inevitable PS5, and then probably another bump in sales when Part 2 is nearing release.
 

Eanox

Member
I don't necessarily disagree with you. I think it's because for almost a couple decades, a Remake of FFVII was considered the crown king remake, for the crown king Jrpg. So I think, rightfully so, some people were expecting something a bit more impressive than 5 million in 4 months. I think more than anything, it really shows how much the playing field has changed in the gaming landscape on what's popular these days. In the late 90s and early 2000s, Jrpgs were the hottest shit out there. Today not so much.

All that being said, I expect FFVII Remake to have incredibly strong legs. Sales will get a bump when it releases on Xbone and PC, then another bump for the inevitable PS5, and then probably another bump in sales when Part 2 is nearing release.
Their are only select few games that can manage to sell 5M in 4 mos.
People are just acting that 5M is a disappointment and it already stop selling.

FFXIII 7M
FFXV 8.9M
FFVII 11M.
People that are disappointed with the 5M for 4 mos. Doesn’t even know the sales history of FF series.
 
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