Yahoo News Final Fantasy 16 sales numbers defended by Square Enix
Square Enix has defended the sales of Final Fantasy XVI, following reports that it has underperformed.
The (currently) PlayStation 5 exclusive was released in June, selling 3 million copies during its launch week. Final Fantasy VII Remake sold 3.5 million copies in 3 days when it launched as a PS4 exclusive in 2020, and Final Fantasy XV sold 5 million copies on day one back in 2016, across both PS4 and Xbox One.
A report from Famitsu also stated that Japanese sales for FFXVI dropped 90% in its second week, coming in second behind Nintendo Switch title Master Detective Archives: Rain Code (read Digital Spy's review here). In fact, it's the only non-Switch title in the Japanese top 10.
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Publisher and developer Square Enix have issued a statement claiming that they are happy with the sales, citing the PS4's much bigger install base when FFVII Remake released, and the fact that FFXV released on two systems at once (it also had a promotional movie and anime, and a decade of build-up following its very first announcement).
In the statement (via IGN), Square Enix said: "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.
"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.
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"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."
While the latest main entry in the franchise received a solid Metacritic score, it has been more contentious amongst the fanbase for its Devil May Cry-esque combat, lack of RPG elements, and attempts at a more grounded (and sweary) story.
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