Metaphor: ReFantazio shipments and digital sales top two million

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
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Via Gematsu

Total worldwide shipments and digital sales for fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio have surpassed two million units worldwide as on March 31, 2025, according to a SEGA SAMMY Management Meeting 2025 presentation published on June 18.

The game was last reported to have surpassed one million units, day and date with its release on October 11, 2024.​
 
Good news and happy for them. But well, there were a lot of people saying that Metaphor FOR SURE sold more than expedition 33 despite 33's bigger numbers on steam because metaphor was FOR SURE a lot more successful on console.
 
Same
I want to play it but I'll just wait for the proper complete and enhanced edition.
My issue with that is often than not Atlus adds some new mechanics in enhanced version that just breaks the balance of the game.

So always like to play the original release first.
 
Maybe a controversial take, but these aren't great numbers IMO.

People are going to say it's a new IP, but are we going to pretend it wasn't riding off the hype and recent(ish) surge in popularity for Persona 5? Did SEGA & Atlus not put multiple Persona games on Game Pass prior to Metaphor's release? Did the game not have multiple showings? I even saw some commercials for it on TV, a rarity with Xbox's involvement but it was nice to see.

Considering it hit 1 million in shipments & digital sales very shortly after launch, it'd suggest sales slowed down considerably afterwards, and I imagine a lot of what's sold since have been in big sales promos. Just frankly, SEGA & Atlus gimped this IP's chances by locking all the Western marketing to Xbox, and barely ever mentioning PlayStation or Steam. And they've since double-screwed up by still not having a Switch or Switch 2 version ready. Why was a port for Switch 2's launch not a priority? Absolutely massive oversight on their part.

Those are all the reasons why I say the 2 million figure just doesn't sound all that great, because in actuality it just isn't, when you consider the choices made in promoting & releasing the game. These aren't even sold-through numbers, and while I'm sure it's had a less budget than, say, FF XVI, it isn't by some magnitudes less. I'd also argue Expedition 33 at most has a comparable budget, though potentially less, and doesn't come from a team withy any JRPG pedigree like Atlus. Yet it still managed to do 3 million (in actual sales) in way less time, while also being on Game Pass (though I strongly doubt that did much to boost sales; in fact it might've sold a bit more if not for the Game Pass inclusion).

Yes, I know. Metaphor, FF XVI, Expedition 33...these are all different games that just happen to be JRPGs (or JRPG-like in E33's case if you don't consider it an upfront JRPG). But again, coming off the glow-up of Persona 5 over the past few years, and the hype the game was getting online, of course I thought Metaphor would've done better. I figure it'd at least be around 3 million by now.

And yeah, there's a bit of pettiness here in it for me. Not even just directed at certain commentators and the media, but publishers. Somehow a game like XVI was considered a failure for doing 3.4 million (sold-in & digital sales) in a week as an exclusive on a single platform, but Metaphor is being considered a success doing 2 million sold-in after eight months while on everything besides Switch? Rebirth is a failure doing 2 million in like a week or two on one platform, but Metaphor is considered a success for less? And again, that's directed at publishers too: Square-Enix just aren't a good publisher in general. These guys called Tomb Raider a failure at 6 million sales, and after XVI's ridiculously low debut on Xbox we've heard not a word from them on it failing to meet certain targets? Did they REALLY want to hit 25K in a debut on Xbox?

But I guess a game hitting somewhat soft numbers is perfectly fine, as long as it's "pro consumer" by being on all platforms, right? Which Metaphor doesn't even satisfy, since it's still not on Switch or Switch 2.

Anyway, rant over.
 
Honestly I would've thought this would've cleared 3M by now easy since it was in the talks for GOTY last year by some publications.

For me? It's got a lot of good ideas but overall is a disappointment. SMTV and Raidou are much better games so far for my tastes. Persona 6 when?
 
Honestly I would've thought this would've cleared 3M by now easy since it was in the talks for GOTY last year by some publications.

For me? It's got a lot of good ideas but overall is a disappointment. SMTV and Raidou are much better games so far for my tastes. Persona 6 when?
Said it once and say it again. Games in 2025, that are on PC which has grown like crazy in the last 10 years, would make more money at 50$ than they do at 70. This game would have similar sales to expedition 33 if it also had launched at 50$ and it would have made more money.
 
Great numbers. Fastest selling Atlus game ever. Still a Switch 2 release and the inevitable expanded edition to come. Sega themselves said to shareholders that the game exceeded expectations.

This will be the second best selling Atlus game in their history (behind P5) when it's all said and done.
 
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Said it once and say it again. Games in 2025, that are on PC which has grown like crazy in the last 10 years, would make more money at 50$ than they do at 70. This game would have similar sales to expedition 33 if it also had launched at 50$ and it would have made more money.
Nah. It's anime. Clair ain't, and had god tier word of mouth PLUS shits circles around whack ass metaphor all day.
 
Nah. It's anime. Clair ain't, and had god tier word of mouth PLUS shits circles around whack ass metaphor all day.
At the same time clair was on gamepass. And metaphor had extremly good word of mouth. It also has been out for longer. Not saying it would have sold 3M in a month, but it for sure would have sold it by now.
 
I want to play it, but I'm fine with waiting for the complete remaster edition with all the content in a couple of years.
it's a well-made, enjoyable game (that, like some others, goes on a bit too long for its own good), but nowhere near as memorable as most persona games, imo. so, yeah, if you're willing to hold off, go for it...
 
My issue with that is often than not Atlus adds some new mechanics in enhanced version that just breaks the balance of the game.

So always like to play the original release first.

Maybe. But be it SMTV, Persona 5 or Persona 4. The consensus is usually that the enhanced version is better.
And while I like Atlus games, they are super long and I don't love them enough to want to buy and play them twice.

So if I'm likely going to only play through it once, I'd rather wait for the version most people agree is better.

Personally I'd prefer if they released proper DLC. If they did stuff like what Monolith does with Torna The Golden Country or Future Redeemed I'd buy the base game and the DLC. Instead I wait 3-4 years to buy the complete edition of their games on sale.
 
I ended up liking the game a lot. I do wish they would break away from their Persona structure, though. That was a bit of a letdown after all the years of silence and after the initial "we're playing pen & paper RPGs etc!" stuff that was said, it ended up being fantasy Persona. Again, I still liked it, but I also kinda wished they had been bolder.

That being said, Atlus' style of "setting up your tetris" turn-based combat is just really fun and flows really well.
 
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Good news and happy for them. But well, there were a lot of people saying that Metaphor FOR SURE sold more than expedition 33 despite 33's bigger numbers on steam because metaphor was FOR SURE a lot more successful on console.
Expedition 33 of course sold more since it appeals to chumps like me who'll never play pure turn based.
 
I never ended up buying this one after waiting for a sale and watching sale after sale pass by

Just not motivated to play another Persona game with a different skin

I'll just play Raidou Remastered instead at this point
 
Mediocre game and those weak sales show it for. Atlus needs to rely less on fanboys praising their copy-pasted/non-stop miliking remasters and do something original or else they will slowly fade away. That or make a high budget new Persona game, you know, what everyone wants?
 
Sales fell off a cliff after the first day. Jeez.

These numbers are definitely bad in the context of the narrative around the game if not Sega's balance sheet.

"Wow high quality new IP!"
"Turned based JRPG doing well! Take notes, Square."
"Multiplatform release will skyrocket this one!"
"Game of the year contender!"

Don't forget they started on the new IP venture before Persona 5 even came out. Did they lose money? It's very unlikely, but walking away with less than 100 million before Gamepass money is not even the median target of what any of these companies want for a major release today.
 
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Just coming by to say this game is overrated as hell.

awkward bart simpson GIF

I tried giving it a shot cause i want to try a new jRPG, but it was just so fucking ugly. Graphics aliased as fuck, lousy texture detail, lame lead protagonist (and party members), no HDR. Felt like I was playing a mediocre 3rd party title on the Switch 1.
 
I like the persona games but honestly..I tried the demo and noped out on it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 
And yeah, there's a bit of pettiness here in it for me. Not even just directed at certain commentators and the media, but publishers. Somehow a game like XVI was considered a failure for doing 3.4 million (sold-in & digital sales) in a week as an exclusive on a single platform, but Metaphor is being considered a success doing 2 million sold-in after eight months while on everything besides Switch? Rebirth is a failure doing 2 million in like a week or two on one platform, but Metaphor is considered a success for less? And again, that's directed at publishers too: Square-Enix just aren't a good publisher in general. These guys called Tomb Raider a failure at 6 million sales, and after XVI's ridiculously low debut on Xbox we've heard not a word from them on it failing to meet certain targets? Did they REALLY want to hit 25K in a debut on Xbox?

I'm sure part of the reason is that different games have different budgets and hence different expectations for being considered a success.
 
According to my calculations, metaphor sold around a million on steam (Idk if this is mentioned or not) so atlus rpgs will definetly be steam day 1.

Very dissapointing that a AAA Goty contender just does these numbers regardless of the genre. A roster updated FIFA can do this in its first hour. You guys are a really small niche.
 
I must admit, I was disappointed. It just didn't click with me. I kept waiting for it to "get good" and it didn't.
Closing in on the end of replaying SMTVV right now, and I FAR prefer it.
 
It is nowhere near as good as Persona 5. Not terrible, but it likely explains why the sales never picked up.

Also, it sold 2 million in 8 months, Persona 5 took 15 months to do the same, almost twice as long. If this game had been the same quality, sales would likely be a good bit higher due to word of mouth.
 
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Can you provide these budget figures for us to compare?

I cannot, and estimates that I've found online are almost entirely based on conjecture, but I would hope that it'd go without saying that this game

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would have had a lower development budget than this game, both having been created in Japan.

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I think two million is good and would've been a fair projection if achieved. Even though Atlus' games have grown in popularity, I still consider there games niche. It wasn't until Persona 5 that they blew up in public reception. But despite that the average consumer isn't going to get hyped for a new Atlus IP, they haven't reached that level. The game probably deserves to sell more though (I haven't started my play through yet).
 
As an Atlus fan and somebody who has the platinum trophy, I can say that this is one of the most overrated game this gen, game is like an 80, certainly not a 94.
 
Probably could have sold better if they hadn't marketed it so heavily on Xbox. Probably the reason why even though they showed p4 remake at the latest Xbox event, they didn't let them pretend it was exclusive for a while.
 
Its on game pass and i enjoyed the demo, but the game has so much filler dialogue even in the prologue demo and i heard its worse in the full game. Dunno if i want to play this after expedition 33
 
I'm sure part of the reason is that different games have different budgets and hence different expectations for being considered a success.
I'm sure FF16 was more expensive than Metaphor, but Metaphor wasn't a cheap game either. It had an 14 month long marketing campaign and started early development in 2016. It wasn't a particularly small team.

When you consider that FF16 sold 3 million at a full 70 dollars (not including deluxe editions) in just one week, with Sony backing the marketing campaign and even helping/(probably) partially funding development, plus probably taking a smaller storefront cut, FF16 would have made twice the revenue for Square in one week that Metaphor has made for Sega in 8 months. That should count for something in the discourse, even if Square and Sega are very different entities.
 
Crazy that a niche RPG like this (and Claire Obscur, and Persona) can do millions.

Happy that's happening.
I don't think anything made by Altus can be labelled as niche anymore. Expedition 33 I grant you, but this is most certainly mainstream.

Sales are fine, but underwhelming compared to the likes of Persona 5, which is fair as the game is underwhelming compared to Persona 5.
 
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