Square Enix Responds to Final Fantasy 16 Sales Concern, Points to PS5 Install Base

Square Enix has insisted sales of Final Fantasy 16 are “extremely strong”, telling IGN the game has sold well relative to the PlayStation 5 install base.

[Petebloodyonion]

I think the truth is in the middle for 3 million isn't shabby for a new game but it still doesn't change the fact that FFXV sold a lot more while coming in a similar time frame in the pS4/Xb1 life cycle.

[Moegooner]

There were around 50 million PS4 consoles sold when FFXV was released. So actually taking into consideration the PS5 install base, that makes the 3 million sales of XVI more impressive.

[Snookies12]

Definitely agree that this is more impressive considering the platform constraint. This game absolutely deserves every sale too. It has some flaws, with frame rate, some slower slightly boring moments, and being fairly easy overall. But when it shines (and it shines a LOT) it is far better than any RPG I've played with those "spectacle" moments throughout. Not to mention the characters and voice acting being absolutely top-tier. It's going to feel weird going back to FF VII with Rebirth now. I love the cast of VII and it has its own charm. But XVI's cast was just so realistic and well-crafted through and through.

Just beat XVI a few days ago, and the whole ending section was just perfection. Not even sure I want Square-Enix to go back to turn-based after these boss fights. No turn-based game could capture the feelings that these bosses give in XVI. And this is coming from someone that adores turn-based and played through FF I through FF X multiple times over.

[VenomUK]

When concern trolling gets out of hand.

[--Onilink--]

I mean, just because its “more impressive” doesnt suddenly mean they still aren’t making significantly less money or that game development costs are reduced because the install base is lower

[Petebloodyonion]

I agree, the ratio of game to console is incredible no one is debating that.
The question is are they making money or still recouping the cost of the game
for example, if the cost of production was 300 million (probably more) then 3 million at 70$ = 210 million and that is not factoring Sony's cut or Sony's deal.

[DarXyde]

Another point:

I think you've got some hesitation after XV. I wouldn't say that game was Square putting their best foot forward. XVI is, in my opinion, a far superior game, but it's very possible that people are cautious about giving this one a shot.

Even still, 3M for a game that's developed on one platform is nothing to scoff at. I think that's great.

[EvertonFC]

Exactly plus the game price hike this gen

[Charlieboy333]

@ Pete I know you are really really......I meran TRULY concerned about this but don't worry. This game will continue to sell well as more PS5's get purchased as it is simply a must-play game on the system.

[Petebloodyonion]

@Charlieboy
"@ Pete I know you are really really......I meran TRULY concerned about this but don't worry. This game will continue to sell well as more PS5's get purchased as it is simply a must-play game on the system."

Why would I be concerned about how the game sells on the system?
I don't recall owning SE stocks so I couldn't care less
I only pointed out that
A) The game has a bigger attach rate compared to the previous entry which is great.
B) Comparing FFXV sales numbers to FF16 is a valid comparison since they came out at a similar time in the console life cycle.

All the rest like: Should have been on Xbox, exclusive, I want it to fail blabla. Are pure speculation since I never mentioned Xbox at all or my opinion of this game (which funny enough I'm looking forward to playing next week on my PS5).

[shinoff2183]

It didn't sell that many on xbox 1 in the end,something along the lines of 1 million. That number was years later.

[Snookies12]

FF XV also had a lot more eyes on it because of how long it was in production. Development hell has the ever so slight benefit of keeping a game in people's thoughts and conversations over years and years. So of course when it finally comes out, a lot of people are going to want to see what took so long. If it lives up to the time spent, and all that. Plus FF XV had crazy hype right from the start when it was Versus XIII.

[FoxQ]

It's not in the middle at all.

This is a fake issue invented by the usual sources.

Final Fantasy 16 sold essentially the same number of units and Final Fantasy 7R to a user base that's less than 50% of PS4 at the time they released.

The sell through to consumers is higher than any previous Final Fantasy release.

It's sad that even when the company making the game is saying it exceeded sales expectations that it's still met with skepticism.

[Petebloodyonion]

if it's fake news then why does Square acknowledge that they are below sales projections?
Wooldrige explained. "This may be below Square Enix's expectations, but the launch environment and Mature rating of the game do limit its potential somewhat. Given the success achieved by (producer) Naoki Yoshida in turning around Final Fantasy 16, I imagine expectations were particularly high."
https://www.gamespot.com/ar...

And why ppl feel the need to bring sales/ratio as an excuse
Did the production cost of FF16 suddenly become less because there was less PS5 available compared to when FF7 remake was released?

[FoxQ]

"Wooldrige explained" --- Not Square Enix.

Square Enix has repeatedly said they are happy with the games performance citing around a half dozen different metrics for success that certain people keep trying to ignore...

[Petebloodyonion]

my apology for I reread the article and you're right Louise Wooldridge is from an analyst firm "Ampere"
So Stand corrected on that
Still it does not change the point that the cost of making game isn't base on a # console sold.
The why I say it's half truth since the number is still good but at a similar time in the life Cycle of past console FFXV managed to sold 5 millions.

[FoxQ]

It's not in the middle at all.

Square Enix has repeatedly said they are happy with the games performance citing around a half dozen different metrics for success that certain people keep trying to ignore.

[derek]

@Pete, SE just stated that the game is selling very well and they happy with its performance, what ru you even arguing at this point. Give it up.

[-Mika-]

I agree. The wording is what throws me off. All Square Enix says is that sales were strong. They did not say they were happy with the sales nor did they say the game is profitable. FF15 Sold 5 million copies at launch and two months later, it sold 6 million. This game is not going to have strong legs. I doubt we are going to get a new sales update on this game anytime soon.

[derek]

@Mika, move along. Your predictions are meaningless, SE and SIE are happy with the games sales. Apart from that it's a great game enjoying my time playing it.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Guys, seriously, Square-Enix are not shy to say when their games fail to meet expectations, remember Guardians of the Galaxy? The World Ends With You Neo? Forspoken? Tomb Raider? And who knows what else I've forgotten, Square-Enix always sets high expectations for sales and for them to say they're actually happy with FF16 sales is impressive, obviously this is one of the few times where a game of their's met expectations.

[neutralgamer1992]

Keep in mind these early sales have the highest return on investment. So the initial 90-120 days of sales earn the highest gross and profits. Also I really don’t know what they are hiding we all know Sony and square have a deal in place. Everyone who is anyone reported on it and square even sold its assets to embrace group because Sony didn’t want those assets

Now that ABK deal has gone through what’s with all this hiding. Before 2023 ends we will have an announcement of this acquisition. Also wouldn’t surprise me if Sony go hard after capcom after square. Owning square and capcom will give Sony a huge boost even in Japan on those series that only come to Nintendo. Days of acquisitions and mergers are ahead and this ABK deal has paved the way now

[Petebloodyonion]

Can Sony pay for both Square and Capcom?
Perhaps Tencent, Embracer, or Epic would also be interested meaning it would create a price increase for the value of each company.
Just remember at the End of the day, Square Enix answers to shareholders so if Tencent pays more then they will go with the highest bidder.

[neutralgamer1992]

Pete

They have close to 20 billion right now. And while you the right there is a big difference in how business is conducted in Japan. If money is identical they rather sell to their own.

[PunksOnN4G]

it sold 4.28mil on ps4 1 week ff15 it sold 467k on xbox You xbox kids dont buy final fantasy stop lying

[Petebloodyonion]

Your point?
Does it change the notion that FFXV sold a lot more compared to FFXVI when both games were released in a similar timeframe? (2-3 years).

[itsmebryan]

The should have put it on Xbox also.

[GhostScholar]

Anyone who disagrees with what you just said is a fanboy and not using rational thought.

[MrNinosan]

FFXV was released in Black Week, on higher installment.
FFXVI just ahead of summer.

FFXV sold extremely well, and still sold good for many years. I'm sure FFXVI will sell for a few more years as well.

[northpaws]

I don't think I have ever seen any other games getting the same amount of articles to convince people that it is not selling well.

[Hypertension140]

Its so obvious that people complaining are PC and XBOX only gamers, calling it a flop so that Square doesn't make anymore exclusives for playstation ever again.

They probably will never play the game, they just want playstation to lose yet another exclusive, and hope Microsoft buys them too.

In the end of the day this is about putting playstation out of business, just from sheer haterd.

[FoxQ]

No. Square Enix is not trying to contradict xbox fanboys it's bigger than that, they are trying to contradict a statement made by Bloomberg saying that sales were bad before Square Enix was even able to report sales themselves..

Bloomberg who is notorious for spreading damaging rumors about Sony so much so that Sony has had to make their own statements contradicting what Bloomberg has said, much like what Square Enix is being forced to do.

Follow the money, only one company gains from negative press about PlayStation and their partners.

But you are 100% right that the goal is to create a narrative that games need to be on xbox... or we'll smear you in the press.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

I don't see why PC gamers would complain, they'll probably get it sooner or later if they're patient enough.

The media is just out to get Sony like usual, notice how it's more often glowing news for Microsoft/Xbox?

[MadLad]

That's a bit of a misdirection.
If the game is only on Playstation then, realistically, the only people trying to prop it up are PlayStation players.

[outsider1624]

Not only that but it had to come from the horse's mouth to say that it sold well and they were happy with sales but people like Petebloodyonion are so convinced that its not.
This is beyond crazy!

[Petebloodyonion]

Do you know what is even crazier?
ppl like you who give false pretenses to another man's statement
Or perhaps you can explain where I mentioned that FFXVI was bad or I hope it's bad
The only thing I mentioned was that

1) the sales were great when compared to the number of consoles sold.
2) That FFXV did manage to sell more when released in a similar time frame.

[MrNinosan]

@Pete
So you're saying Black Week and just before summer is "same time frame? 😏

[z2g]

You know what has a bigger install base than the ps5? The ps5 and series x install base combined. Throw in pc and it’s huge.

Your sales numbers are your fault. Not the install base’s. Square Enix has done nothing but make stupid, baffling decisions lately and their loyalty pledge to PlayStation apparently is severely limiting the revenue and coverage they could clearly benefit from.

[andy85]

Series X and S would have sold about 150k. It's absolutely not them having to make 2 whole different versions of it for that many sales

[MadLad]

Based on what metrics?

[Hypertension140]

I can say the same about Bethesda.
But that doesn't count right, because Microsoft owns them now and they can eat the cost so screw playstation fans right?

You're against 3rd party exclusives right? Only if the own them is that ok, or are you sure you're not just saying that because Microsoft can afford to buy anyone they want?

Just like you guys love to tell playstation fans to get an xbox or a pc to play Activision/Bethesda games, why don't you just buy a ps5.

[andy85]

I really don't know if you replied to the wrong person here because I don't understand the relevance

[Hypertension140]

@andy85

My reply was for z2g, should of made that clear, sorry :P

[andy85]

I read it 3 times I was so confused 😂😂

[frostypants]

MS would force them to nerf the game for the Series S. That has consequences they didn't want.

[Elda]

Most XB owners don't buy games instead they rent them through GP, as I do as well. FFXVI isn't coming to GP so if a XB owner wants to play FFXVI if they don't already own a PS5, either buy one or if they have a decent PC wait for it to release on PC. I buy games for my PS5 which I happen to buy FFXVI. 19 hrs in & the game is amazing.

[PunksOnN4G]

Here you go clown. FF15 First week sales.
Breaking down the sales by platform, the game sold best on the PlayStation 4 with 2,390,475 units sold (90%), compared to 258,221 units sold on the Xbox One (10%).
yeah xbox WOULD HAVE HELPED SOO MUCH ON XSX WITH A LOWER BASE IF NOT THE SAME AS XBOX1 BASE

[MrNinosan]

And this was before GamePass.
Since then, Xbox sales on third party games has lowered with around 80%.

[outsider1624]

"You know what has a bigger install base than the ps5? The ps5 and series x install base combined. Throw in pc and it’s huge."

Not gonna happen as Xbox players are now only waiting for "gamepass day one". If it's not on gamepass, you guys won't probably buy it. Take a look at the comparison between ps4 sales and xbox's of FF.

[DarkZane]

Even without Gamepass, they still wouldn't have bought it. Would likely have sold 100k at most on Xbox Series without gamepass.

[Shane Kim]

It doesn't sell on xbox.

[gold_drake]

final fantasy games dont do well on xbox platforms, they never have.

im not sure why this narrative of them not doing well is being pushed so heavily.

3 mio. in its first week is pretty amazing in its own right, and it shows that FF is a playstation game first.

and its not a loyalty pledge at all, if you payed attention at all. Square saught them out, and they helped fund it and optimise it for the ps5.

i hope ur gonna cry again when 7 Rebirth comes out for the ps5.

[derek]

Xbox gamers don't buy games enough to warrant the cost in development for x & s.

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

Oh yes, those paltry sales from Xbox would have made such a massive different to FF16's sale numbers, it's their fault for not wasting money to port the game, why would Square-Enix do this?

[PapaBop]

Well hopefully they green light some good DLC content if the sales aren't making them enough money. I'd love for them to do a prequel section focusing on Cid's backstory.

[Knightofelemia]

I would grab the game but I have others on my list to finish and start I'll grab this when it's cheap.

[2moda5gamer]

3m physical copies is amazing considering the market would have pushed more digital.

[MrNinosan]

It's not 3 million physical.
The sales are physical + digital combined, which is still great in terms of sales and hitrate.

[mrbearbear]

I haven't found anything that mentions the sales numbers are both physical and digital.

[MrNinosan]

Well, you could start by looking at SquareEnix official twitter where they posted the news 5 days after release.

[2moda5gamer]

Gotcha, missed that. Yeah, better adoption rate thought tbh to be expected - I'd argue most "loyal" FF fans would have snapped up a ps5 by now.

[lio_convoy]

Cost and replayabilty factored into me not buying it. If it goes on sale down the line I'll probably pick it up if it's offered at a good price. I liked the demo, but the price point new releases are selling for these days take me out of the market for most new games.I'll buy the occasional new game, but only if I know I'll get a good amount of replayability out of it. A RPG like this won't give me the hours I'd be looking for the justify the cost. It was as simple as that for me.

[Charlieboy333]

The game took me 70 hours to complete and there is a new game plus with harder difficulty, new weapons, items, enemy placement, level cap and content. Don't know what your'e on about......there is a lot of game here for the price.

[MrNinosan]

Replayability?
You're a troll right?

My first round took 70hours, second round with new weapons/accessories and monsters another 50h.

And then another 20-30h spent in the Arete Stones.

I will probably end up around 250-300h before I feel done with this game.

[Rainbowcookie]

By the time I can actually afford a PS5 im getting it and to be honest so would many...so as the install base grows so will the sales and it is doing great concerning it's a 1 platform game at the moment and sales relative to ps5 owners are good.

[Hofstaderman]

No amount of fake concern is going to change the fact that it is a console exclusive. Sony assisted in the development of the game and offered Square marketing responsibility thereby significantly reducing risk of investment loss in the title.

Icing on the cake; the game is simply amazing despite naysayers and has sold incredibly well. I’ve put in 64 hours and wrapping up the last hunts and side quests before finishing off my first play through. For me the best Final Fantasy in 23 years.

[repsahj]

I'm now on my new game+ and still excited to play in full graphics mode.

[X-23]

I like how Square Enix saying that the sales are alright should be all that matters in the long run, it confuses me why IGN or other people would argue otherwise. After all if the player base is happy and the Publisher appears happy then it's considered a success. What else is there to argue about? FF7R is also coming up sometime next year so I think Final Fantasy fans and Square Enix will be eating good.

[Shane Kim]

It's a PS exclusive so you have to have big panels and endless discussions wether its score is justified or it has sold enough copies.

[Aloymetal]

100%!! This is the real answer.

[gold_drake]

its so odd just how many of these articles ive seen in the last week or so.

is 3 mio. in its first week not good enough for some people?
or is it the fact that its exclusive to ps5 and not xbox?

[FinalFantasyFanatic]

The media just doesn't like Sony, it's been that way for a long time.

[chobit_A5HL3Y]

i mean, those are really good sales numbers, especially when you take into account that games are the most expensive they've been in a very, very long time, and that it's a single console.

[WheatBread]

It would've sold more if the main character looked like a girl.

[derek]

There was never any real debate, just a weirdo group of individuals online that intensely wants this game to fail, including idiots like yongyea and other YouTubers who dip their tows into the console wars from time to time. I believe becuase it's a big 3rd party ps5 exclusive. 3 million in less than a week is more than some of biggest ips on playstation that have gone on to sell 10-20 million copies.

[ChasterMies]

When Starfield launches, its sales will be the best ever for a new IP from Bethesda launched day one on Game Pass blah blah blah. None of this really matters for the console war, because as Microsoft stated in court, Xbox already lost the console war.

[Aaroncls7]

should've released on pc

[MadLad]

"selling well due to the install base" isn't exactly a great excuse. You chose to isolate the original release to one platform. The production of a mainline FF game is relatively high.
The Tomb Raider reboot cost significantly less to produce, sold around 10 million copies, and you considered it a failure more than a decade ago.

[AmUnRa]

Klickbate headline from IGN made for feeding the consolewars....next....

[dmonee]

In my opinion, it’s because there isn’t as much interest as there used to be and the timing of its release. The PS5 user base might also factor in. I like what I’ve seen, read and played in the demo. I will wait for a future price cut though

[maelstromb]

Should have released in parallel on PC. I don't know why this isn't done more often.

[2moda5gamer]

Requires more money, more staff and more time - I wonder if much of this is due to if having done so, the game would release later and likely be too close to FF7R-2.
This way they still get peak sales of both titles and both platforms (eventually).

[maelstromb]

Not necessarily. Most games are developed on PC and then scaled to meet console hardware requirements. Maybe I'm wrong with PS5 Dev Kits, but generally you develop from a higher fidelity and scale down. In other words, it likely would not have added a significant amount of time to the development timeline.