Square Enix: Initial Final Fantasy XVI Sales are 'Extremely Strong' Given PS5 Install Base - Sales
by William D'Angelo , posted on 04 August 2023 / 6,168 Views
Square Enix last month announced Final Fantasy XVI had shipped three million units shipped worldwide in about a week. The figure includes digital sales.
This figure is down from Final Fantasy VII Remake, which shipped 3.5 million units in three days, as well as Final Fantasy XV, which shipped five million units in its first day.
With sales being down compared to the previous entries it led to speculation online the game had failed to meet the sales targets of Square Enix. However, the company in a statement to IGN said sales for the game are "extremely strong" when you consider the install base of the PS5.
"With 38 million PS5 consoles shipped globally (as of March 31, 2023), sales of Final Fantasy XVI surpassed three million units worldwide several days after its release on June 22, 2023," reads the statement from Square Enix.
"Taking into consideration the sales figures of the acclaimed Final Fantasy VII Remake and the difference in size of the install base of the PlayStation 4 at the time of this title’s release, we can see that the attach rate of Final Fantasy XVI is considerably high, given the PS5 install base.
"Square Enix considers the initial sales results of Final Fantasy XVI to be extremely strong, and we will continue to carry out a wide range of initiatives to encourage even more people to play the game."
Final Fantasy XVI released for the PlayStation 5 on June 22.
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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"Given the PS5 install base". I guess FF has permanently been downgraded to just a good franchise , instead of system seller. It has been that way for well over a decade now. Sad!
Currently but not permanently. The franchise is still in recovering phase. I think most fans would agree that it started to decline in quality after X/XI. Hit it lowest point critically and financially with Lightning Returns and XIV original release. But after that things took a positive turn, and all games have been successful. The most recent games are considered "great".
Who knows, the franchise could be on it way back to greatness again.
Decline on 10?
More like decline on 11
"after 10" is what he said
Final fantasy is been good for ages already, change the disc bruh
How much did FFX cost to make? You're comparing a modern game to a game released more than 20 years ago.
Adjusted for inflation, about $56 million.
FFXV sold about 700k Week 1 in Japan, with PS4 sales jumping from 42k to 118k that week. That was the #3 launch of any PS4 game, and was #1 at the time in 2016. As for worldwide, FF15 sold about 2.65 million its first week worldwide.
Even if we go back to FFXIII in 2009/2010, you had an admittedly more impressive FW of about 1.5 million in Japan, but sales were only about 1.3 milion its first week in North America, despite being multiplat for the first time, and were seemingly even lower in Europe.
As for FFX on the PS2, we don't seem to have info regarding FW sales outside of Japan. However, we DO know that non-Japanese/Asian sales only totaled about 2.3 million by mid-2002, barely more than Japanese Week 1 numbers. Even if we're generous, that's the biggest Final Fantasy launch ever worldwide, released to acclaim at the peak of the series's significance, on the most popular console ever, selling maybe 4 million copies for its first week in various regions combined.
Point being, FFXVI seems to be roughly in line with other entries in the series going back a few hardware generations. If Final Fantasy seems less important nowadays, that says more about the rest of the industry being dominated by games with huge sales rather than Final Fantasy itself having declined significantly.
FF15 was a next gen game though, it was the first FF in a long time that saw a gigantic leap in visuals and gameplay changes.
FF16 looks ok, but isn't really better looking than FF15, imo (if you compare against the PC version). Just a bit better. And it is the same action gameplay.
I think the hype for FF15 was so high it could carry through past the game quality. Remember the movies and all the tie ins? Advertising? It was a big deal. FF16 is just back to normal, a quality game, but not over the top.
Definitely great sales, hopefully it has strong legs as well.
It doesn't appeal the way it used to in japan. If dragon quest 12 got negative response because it went dark/adult orientated. Be interesting to see what happenes with it.
There's a small error at the last line: "Final Fantasy XVI released for the Playstation 4 on June 22."
Sales for this game should be good enough. I think as long as the PS5 is selling, this game will keep selling too. I really want to play it, but I don't have a PS5. Oh well.
As long as SE is happy with the sales, that's what matters most. Congrats to the team on a big win! I'm personally really looking forward to playing it when it comes to PC.
I wonder if the exclusivity deal paid off.
I would think so especially if after the exclusivity deal expires, Phil writes a big check to bring it to gamepass.
I doubt that's gonna happen. If it were that easy, FFVII Remake would be on Xbox by now.
That's true, the relationship is not great right now between them, but business relationships can always improve.
Most likely there's an exclusion clause preventing titles to go onto Game Pass that may extend further than the actual platform exclusivity.
Other than that recent news point to Square Enix as always looking for more than typical deals to put games on a platform and all recent non typical deals from Xbox include Game Pass release so there might be a disconnect preventing both side to reach an agreement.
Still strong numbers and I bet it will have some legs as well.
Congrats square loving the game so far,
And it not mindless button mashing lol good grief
Love the dodge mechanics and titanic bloocks and parries so satisfying
Solid game but it overstays it's welcome as it drags in the last 3rd and while I like the combat at first. It's very stripped down and basic compared to any DMC or game of a similar nature. No such thing as elemental damage. Platinum did an amazing job with the boss fights. Story fell apart tho. It's much better than XV and 13 but that was a low bar. TBH Xenoblade is the best quality wise exclusive JRPG series right now.
It's definitely a return to form, and feels like the FF that everything after FF X wanted to be.
But but they said it bomb !?!?;
A classic PR statement in my opinion. FF VII R isn't even a new mainline game and it was only part 1 of a series.
They need to compare it with FF XIV.
Square Enix haven't been shy on complaining about games that didn't met their target in sales.
I mean, considering that it is the only "great" PS5 exclusive game in the last 9 months, it is to be expected.
The best seeling PS5 exclusive since launch should tell you something.
It is not even final fantasy, some crappy dmc in disguise. It won't reach even 10m in my opinion. If SE are happy with the current sales, then by all means keep making games for the boomers. Personally SE should make some traditional ones for the group that still wants them rather than caste them aside.
So, while I agree the idea of button mashing might not be to my tastes in a FF game, I'm not entirely sure it's the "boomers" they are appealing to.
Probably a poorly chosen word. But it does in my opinion favour the younger generation of gamer's. Of course I may be wrong.
Zoomer is the term you are looking for and agreed. Weird really as the Millennials that gew up with FF have more money than ever (well, wthin context of the world being screwed) and yet they aren't making it to appeal to us. :P
Zoomer, quite correct, I get mixed up with all the teminology. I guess we will stick to retro concerning FF, oh well.
I'm old as hell, and I prefer this style. I always loved everything about FF games... EXCEPT for the turn based and random battles. So when I found out that I no longer had to deal with those? Couldn't have been happier!
10M is quite a respectable number for Final Fantasy and SE still do turn based RPGs. And they do abhor the notion that JRPG needs to be turn based.
It is good numbers, sure it will hit it and they do indeed still do turn based games but no one is saying RPGs by them need to be turn based. Considering the catelogue of games I own from SquareSoft/SquEnix back in the day include FF ATB games, Tactical in Front Mission, whatever Vagrant Story was, action in KH or Star Ocean's... thing. Even Valkyrie Profile.
Just to me, FF used to be the pinnacle of a certain genre, now it's just a good version of another genre.
FF is still the pinnacle of the genre, the point is that being turn based doesn't make something JRPG or not.
Never said it did but FF at it's best is turn based.
Probably best you watch reviews such as skillup's. It goes through all the factors that make this a FF game in name only. I am not entirely sure why people just do not admit it and accept it is merely a action game for the modern audience.
As soon as you qualify it as " good for the PS5" you've automatically failed & proven Square shouldn't have accepted payment as an exclusive.
PC would have helped, and since it's an action RPG - that is the demo that Xbox is know for (even if Xbox sales of FF16 would only be decent ), and next gen Switch sales would help somewhat too.
Square simplified or dumbed down a lot of the systems for a broader appeal, but then contradicted themselves by reducing that reach by releasing FF16 on only 1 console....silly contradiction.
What would you classify as decent sales on Xbox?
Essay Pro