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Sales: In terms of UK boxed sales, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth's opening week is down nearly 30% over the launch of the previous game
Thick Thighs Save Lives
NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
Ah, totally forgot it launched during the beginning of the lockdowns.
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Portugeezer
Member
Digital adoption has increased a lot in those few years.
TheTony316
Member
Probably Covid boost and digital sales in general being way higher than they were even just 4 years ago.
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SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
Not good. Install base is almost 50 million but people in uk are not buying games anymore. Digital should make up for it and get them close to the last game but sequels should sell more upfront.
No idea what’s going on in the uk. U.s sales have been fine. Maybe no one wants to pay $70 pounds for these games.
No idea what’s going on in the uk. U.s sales have been fine. Maybe no one wants to pay $70 pounds for these games.
Raven117
Member
Stop. This is not apples to apples.
Whether the sales of Rebirth are good or not… don’t know. But to compare it to a launch Nintendo Switch title is just silly.
ByWatterson
Member
I mean it might be lower overall, but are we really still doing the "UK boxed chart means a ton" thing? It has proven so unreliable in the past, especially given how boxed sales go down and down year after year.
Physiognomonics
Member
I think it will probably sell very well. Only PS5, not during COVID and digital will be higher, as usual.
As I thought. It sold better than the mainline FF.
Hayabusabruh
Member
It's cause everyone is waiting for Korean butt game next month.
near
Gold Member
Super Mario 64, best-selling N64 game and a launch title. The list can go on because once again, when a platform has lots of great games, people will buy them. The amount of great games explains the amount of console sales, not the other way around.
Look at the top-selling PS2 games. You'd think the best-selling ones would all be late games but 6/10 came out within 2 years of the platform's release.
What about PS4? Same thing. Second best-selling game is GTA IV that came out in 2014. Third one is Uncharted 4 that came out in May 2016, 1.5 years after launch. The The Witcher 3, 6 months later. And it goes on and on and on.
Some titles don't have the capacity to move systems, while others do. I don't see how that list proves the irrelevancy of having a higher install base.
Right, if you're discussing long term sales and totals, then you account for the continued growth and sales of the system it is also being sold on. I can agree with you on the argument that the boxed sales disparity in this case isn't solely due to the current install base. As there are a variety of other factors to consider. Having said that, install base is always relevant to sales data.
rickybooby87
Member
Interfectum
Member
It's up from FF16 and will have longer legs throughout the years because the third one will bump sales down the line. I'd bet SE will be happy with the result.
ProtoByte
Weeb Underling
I wouldn't be so about it be way higher... the type of player that wants FF is always going to skew physical.
Tiago Rodrigues
Member
FFXV is one of the best selling FF games ever. Not sure why that's surprising.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Thanks for this! So this does tell us something.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
And those games' numbers are in a time when digital wasn't that crazy. This 41k isn't the full picture. It's good data, but not all the data.
You seem happy that this game is selling less. Why? It's a little weird.Super Mario 64, best-selling N64 game and a launch title. The list can go on because once again, when a platform has lots of great games, people will buy them. The amount of great games explains the amount of console sales, not the other way around.
Look at the top-selling PS2 games. You'd think the best-selling ones would all be late games but 6/10 came out within 2 years of the platform's release.
What about PS4? Same thing. Second best-selling game is GTA IV that came out in 2014. Third one is Uncharted 4 that came out in May 2016, 1.5 years after launch. The The Witcher 3, 6 months later. And it goes on and on and on.
I'm discussing long term sales and totals. The argument that the main difference explaining the boxed sales disparity is the install base is incorrect. A much more important factor is the split between digital and physical, and the fact that FF VII Remake was released during the peak of the COVID. These are much more relevant than a 60M install base vs 90-100M.
They don't have a major impact on AAA exclusive lifetime sales as countless examples show. Furthermore, the smashing success of BOTW is more responsible for those big numbers than the number of Switches available for TOTK. Games sell consoles, not the other way around. Halo 2 was one of the best-selling games of its generation and there were what, 25M Xbox sold?
Gaiff
SBI’s Resident Gaslighter
Where did you even get that? I'm saying install base in this context doesn't explain the lower physical sales. Rather, this is due to the higher digital percentage.
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rickybooby87
Member
Remake debuted with 100-110million PS4s, and sold 60K* at launch in the UK.
Rebirth debuted with 55million PS5s, and sold 42K* at launch in the UK.
Selling 30% less physical copies against 50% less consoles is rather impressive. I'll be curious to see UK digital sales data, we could be on track to match or exceed Remake's first week sales, if it does, that will be insane because there is literally 50% less hardware to sell this game on.
Rebirth debuted with 55million PS5s, and sold 42K* at launch in the UK.
Selling 30% less physical copies against 50% less consoles is rather impressive. I'll be curious to see UK digital sales data, we could be on track to match or exceed Remake's first week sales, if it does, that will be insane because there is literally 50% less hardware to sell this game on.
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A lot of people argue that 15 didnt start that amazing and it was the price drops that pushed the numbers.
In Japan Remake & 15 had pretty much 1:1 physical sales in their debut week. So a 2:1 from UK is a different beast.
Larivel
Member
It's not the only factor, but I don't see how having a bigger install base wouldn't result in higher sales. They maybe wouldn't be higher than FF7 Remake, but I would bet that the gap wouldn't be 30%.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
But we aren't talking about lifetime physical sales. But first week physical sales. It 100% matters what the console base numbers are. 100%!!!
SlimySnake
Flashless at the Golden Globes
Yeah there is something else at play here and that’s far more interesting to dissect than blaming it on the userbase which is already pushing 50 million.
If I was SE, I would look at whether or not it was a good idea to make up a brand new 30 hour game instead of including a lot of these rebirth levels in the first game. Was it a good idea to split it into 3 games?
It's also possible the first game wasnt as well received as they thought. At least not with the fanbase or rather the casuals who picked up the first and just didnt care for it.
Lastly, i dont think the FF series is as popular today as it was in the past. FF16 proved that. Its a franchise on the way down and their attempts to rejuvenate it havent brought in new players. I thought FF16 demo was absolutely fantastic and was shocked to see it disappear from the charts after selling 3 million in the first week.
Maybe the demand for JRPGs is dying. Blaming covid, digital sales, and install base is easy. These games have sold far worse than FF15 did almost 8 years ago. Thats not a good trend.
Go_Ly_Dow
Member
So about 30% under Remake and 30% over FF16, but a bit of a useless comparison without digital. On one hand FF7 Remake launched on double the install base at the start of the pandemic, but on the other digital sales are likely a fair bit higher now since 2020 and Rebirth had a digital dual pack where you get Remake for free.
16 was frontloaded and we know it sold 3mil copies in the 1st week of release. I think Rebirth should have more sustained sales as it's open world, its FF7, higher metacritic (92 vs 87) a crazy high metacritic userscore (9.0 vs 8.1), better word of mouth and you have part 1 and in a few years part 3 driving interest into it.
It's an exceptional game and more will play it I'm sure once word gets around and as the trilogy of games comes to an end.
16 was frontloaded and we know it sold 3mil copies in the 1st week of release. I think Rebirth should have more sustained sales as it's open world, its FF7, higher metacritic (92 vs 87) a crazy high metacritic userscore (9.0 vs 8.1), better word of mouth and you have part 1 and in a few years part 3 driving interest into it.
It's an exceptional game and more will play it I'm sure once word gets around and as the trilogy of games comes to an end.
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Go_Ly_Dow
Member
Sure ultimately these companies want constant IP growth, as do the shareholders. But as the mini industry crash shows constant growth isn't sustainable all the time hence all the layoffs. There's a competition for attention and a handful of very big games are winning that battle. So I think you just accept the trend, make sure the games are profitable enough to make more and then look for that breakthrough moment when the wind blows the other way.
Also I wouldn't say they've sold far worse. FF7 Remake part 1 for example is at 7-8mil copies sold (Sept 2023 last update) and this is despite launching on exclusive platforms and despite being put on PS+ a year after release and staying there. FF15 is at about 10mil. A lot of 15s sales would have come when the game has been heavily discounted, whilst Remake seems to have retained a higher price which = more revenue.
Remake and Rebirth will have good legs considering there's a blockbuster finale to come.
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Mr Moose
Member
Dr. Wilkinson
Member
As is typically the case, if it's a direct sequel to an existing game, on the same console, the sequel typically doesn't do as well commercially.
Your audience by definition is smaller than the first title, because you're only selling it people who bought and played the first game. Rather than vs the original, where anyone could jump in and give it a shot. You go from an audience of potentially the entire user base, down to just the people who bought the first game. And rarely will you ever get more customers that way.
Same thing as what happened with TotK, Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope, or if Nintendo released Mario Kart 9 on the Switch instead of on new hardware. It would only have a chance at matching or outselling the first title, if it released on new hardware.
Sort of like the old-school economics of cinema, which is still true occasionally. "A sequel costs twice as much to make, and makes half as much money". But there are exceptions, of course. Always.
Your audience by definition is smaller than the first title, because you're only selling it people who bought and played the first game. Rather than vs the original, where anyone could jump in and give it a shot. You go from an audience of potentially the entire user base, down to just the people who bought the first game. And rarely will you ever get more customers that way.
Same thing as what happened with TotK, Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope, or if Nintendo released Mario Kart 9 on the Switch instead of on new hardware. It would only have a chance at matching or outselling the first title, if it released on new hardware.
Sort of like the old-school economics of cinema, which is still true occasionally. "A sequel costs twice as much to make, and makes half as much money". But there are exceptions, of course. Always.
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vaibhavpisal
Member
I think Remake sales / players are ceiling for Rebirth sales.
Nobody’s is gonna play Rebirth if they haven’t played Remake already.
Nobody’s is gonna play Rebirth if they haven’t played Remake already.
Kenneth Haight
Gold Member
I already owned intergrade physically but this is what I did. I’m a sucker
Kenneth Haight
Gold Member
This makes no sense whatsoever. How does the final fantasy franchise mean “physical” ?
we are going more and more digital every single day. There are a few stalwarts here still holding the fort and I applaud them for it but this will be my last generation of buying physical games, it is so much more convenient having a digital library, the main reason and I know it’s a dumb one but you have no loud as fuck disc drive spinning randomly during your play session. Sometimes thought my PS5 was going to lift off, what is it doing
. Check the disc is there to authenticate the key and then shut up.
phant0m
Member
This likely entirely the answer.
kazuyamishima
Member
I think too much emphasis has been put into Japanese sales for this game when the rest of the world is seeing higher sales than games like FFXVI.
magnumpy
Member
I'll never understand you humans and your supposed so called "emotions"
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Mister Wolf
Member
Not surprised. Install base isn't an excuse. Look at Spiderman 2.
Kumomeme
Member
first opening week not indicator. tons of game that sold well not having big week numbers.
whats important it is keep selling even in long run. the game is good. it is even has type of stuff that usually would factored in selling well like the open world aspect.
it is gonna be fine.
whats important it is keep selling even in long run. the game is good. it is even has type of stuff that usually would factored in selling well like the open world aspect.
it is gonna be fine.
Hardensoul
Member
Another tidbit about that BoTW launch on Switch. There was actually more BoTW copies sold than Switch consoles.Super Mario 64, best-selling N64 game and a launch title. The list can go on because once again, when a platform has lots of great games, people will buy them. The amount of great games explains the amount of console sales, not the other way around.
Look at the top-selling PS2 games. You'd think the best-selling ones would all be late games but 6/10 came out within 2 years of the platform's release.
What about PS4? Same thing. Second best-selling game is GTA IV that came out in 2014. Third one is Uncharted 4 that came out in May 2016, 1.5 years after launch. The The Witcher 3, 6 months later. And it goes on and on and on.
I'm discussing long term sales and totals. The argument that the main difference explaining the boxed sales disparity is the install base is incorrect. A much more important factor is the split between digital and physical, and the fact that FF VII Remake was released during the peak of the COVID. These are much more relevant than a 60M install base vs 90-100M.
They don't have a major impact on AAA exclusive lifetime sales as countless examples show. Furthermore, the smashing success of BOTW is more responsible for those big numbers than the number of Switches available for TOTK. Games sell consoles, not the other way around. Halo 2 was one of the best-selling games of its generation and there were what, 25M Xbox sold?
Zelda on Switch actually outsold the hardware itself in March
Record-breaking attachment rate revealed in Nintendo's latest financials.
ChorizoPicozo
Member
wait. are people dooming and glooming without knowing the number of digital copies sold, or am I missing something?
Sakura
Member
I would disagree. The audience for a game like FFVII is going to be comprised of largely core gamers. The kind of people who want to buy a game like FFVII, are also going to be the kind of people who purchase a video game console in the first half of its life. Kind of like how Xenoblade 2 and 3 both have similar first week sales numbers even though Xenoblade 2 was released in 2017 when the Switch had an install base of 10~ million, and Xenoblade 3 was released in 2022 on an install base around 10x higher at 110 million.
Obviously there would be some increase in the amount of sales if FFVII Rebirth was released on the same install base as Remake was, but I don't think it would be anything that significant.
In any case, this is just one data point. It is hard to say anything without knowing digital sales (split could favour digital more than previously) and other regions (UK in general could be buying less games than they did when Remake came out because of economy etc).
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mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Yes and it's insane. They can't even wait until we get the full first week numbers before they doom and gloom.
But you're assuming the first 50 million are the hardcore and only the hardcore would buy a FFVII: Rebirth game. That's an odd thought. You even said it would have sold more if it was sold with a higher user base. That difference could have been that it could have sold 10% less, instead of 30% less. Who knows.
Astral Dog
Member
By critics? Yes
By gamers? it was mostly positive with some mixed opinions, but the linear nature of Remake vs Rebirth will push the later higher.
I believe Rebirth will eventually surpass Remake in sales, even if this data suggest otherwise, the quality is there, maybe advertisment was a little weak?idk but this game is basically a must play for any FF fan
Hardensoul
Member
How will this work? To get full(but still incomplete story
, you would still want to play Remake first. This isn’t a new entry it’s a direct sequel that you should play previous game to understand story!Yeah, the install base arguments are a bit washy, 4 years into the gen. We had a current gen exclusive Final Fantasy XVI release nearly a year ago. It’s fair to assume that the bulk of people who’d be purchasing an FF game day one would already own a PS5 by now.
This most likely has a higher digital split thanks to the great preorder deal