Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth had 2nd biggest PS5 launch in Japan only behind FF16! Launch Sales (physical) - 262, 656

[reziel]

Well I can tell you the reason I haven't yet bought Rebirth is because of the last reason you mentioned. They basically butched the original game in Remake in so many ways. So I just don't care about the rest of it.

Like I said elsewhere, still might get Rebirth to check out how they remade the locations, hear the new arrangements etc. But I couldn't care less about the game. I know I'm not the only one in that boat.

I bought Remake before it released.

Rebirth actually helped put that one back on track. All I can say though without spoiling anything is when Nomura came up with this remake he had Marvel on the mind.

 

[Remember_Spinal]

Everyone following the Japan sales trend will say the same thing, PlayStation software sales is on the decline and has been for a very long time.
DD OG first week sales:
01./00. [PS3] Dragons Dogma <ACT> (Capcom) {2012.05.24} (¥7.990) - 302.040 / NEW
04./00. [360] Dragons Dogma <ACT> (Capcom) {2012.05.24} (¥7.990) - 29.024 / NEW

It's also one of the Top 20 best selling PS3 games in Japan, and I'm fairly sure DD2 is only going to do a fraction of these sales.


Switch/Switch 2 or don't bother when it comes to Japan at this point.
Xbox is irrelevant, PlayStation is weakening, PC is growing pretty rapidly in recent years but is still too small of a market.
Although certain publishers like FromSoft and Capcom, that have been supporting the PC platform the longest, are selling a decent amount on PC locally.

3rd party games don’t sell gangbusters on the switch either outside of minecraft and monster hunter.

A lot of their first party action games like bayonetta, Xenoblade and astral chain didn’t even sell that well

 

[Dabaus]

So of the 5.3 Million PS5s sold in Japan, 732k are digital. IDK how that translate into sales splits and percentages but thats at least 700k consoles that we no idea what their buying habits are like.

• PS5 - 41,786 (total 4,613,083)
• PS5 DE - 6,281 (total 732,266)

 

[Dr Bass]

Rebirth actually helped put that one back on track. All I can say though without spoiling anything is when Nomura came up with this remake he had Marvel on the mind.

He should have had being faithful to the source material in mind while elevating the production values. That's my opinion anyway.

I never got into Kingdom Hearts, but from what I've heard people say he massacred that series too lol. He has no business handling stories.

 

[Dabaus]

Elden Ring went on to sell over million in Japan in a month. (https://www.neogaf.com/threads/how-did-elden-ring-sell-over-a-million-in-japan.1659115/) Physical launch sales arent the full story. Again we also dont know how much PC is a factor in Japan.

"Elden Ring was the highest selling new release of the week, opening at

188,490 copies on PlayStation 4
and 90,017 copies on PlayStation 5

for an opening week total of 278,507 retail copies sold."



Second Week Elden Ring:

1. [PS4] Elden Ring (FromSoftware, 02/25/22) – 55,310 (243,800)
2. [PS5] Elden Ring (FromSoftware, 02/25/22) – 14,746 (104,763)

Elden Ring 3rd Week:

1. [PS4] Elden Ring (FromSoftware, 02/25/22) – 30,341 (274,141)
2. [PS5] Elden Ring (FromSoftware, 02/25/22) – 7,067 (111,830)

Elden Ring 4th Week:

1. [PS4] Elden Ring (FromSoftware, 02/25/22) – 19,487 (293,628)
2. [PS5] Elden Ring (FromSoftware, 02/25/22) – 4,733 (116,563)

You get the Idea. Elden Rings physical launch between ps4 and ps5 isnt that dissimilar to FF7 Rebirths. We dont know how many digital ER did and we dont know how many digital ff7 rebirth did. So in a months time PS4 and 5's Physical of elden ring combined were: 410,191k. So where did the other 600k come from if Bandai Namco isnt lying?

One of three things has to be true:
1: Digital downloads are alot more common for playstation in Japan than people assume for big games
2: PC has at least marketshare as ps5 and ps4 combined at the time
3: Xbox one and Series S lowkey have a huge audiance who download games.

Of those 3, what makes the most sense?


In regards to PC in Japan, https://www.serkantoto.com/2022/11/06/japan-pc-gaming-market/ data is from 2022, so elden rings launch year:
"
Going back to 2021, KADOKAWA ASCII says of those 16 million PC gamers in Japan, 4.5 million played exclusively on that platform (while the others also played on consoles or smartphones).

That number is up an incredible 100% up from 2.2 million PC-exclusive Japanese gamers in 2015."


So the PC only audience in Japan was about 4.-4.5 million when elden ring came out.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Sorry you're going to have to reframe this for me because I don't get what point you're making. "It has to do with PlayStation in the region, and here are some examples of multiplatform games that had lower debuts to prove it."

Well, I took your post to imply it's an issue with the game or IP, which is why I mentioned those other games. All of them are doing well globally despite both comparatively lower Japan numbers (vs. Rebirth) + being multiplatform releases in Japan from Day 1.

So my idea is, it's less an issue with FF if people are viewing these numbers as low, and more an issue with PS5 itself in the Japanese market. Maybe the higher price for the new model is having a negative effect. Maybe a decent amount of units sold were shipped off to other markets like China or Russia, more than some want to admit. Maybe PS5 physical game prices are too high at launch relative the economy there, I dunno. Or other things, like overall advertising not being as effective, or the PS5 not having a portable variant that can play its games having some negative effect.

Could even be as simple as not enough PS Portals in stock because a lot of would-be FF buyers planned on streaming the game on a Portal while out-and-about, versus staying home to play the game (it's a big game and most Japanese youth & working-age people are barely at home due to commute and long work/study hours).

430k means a 40% digital ratio for Rebirth.
I doubt it but hey it can happen
But 450k for a FF game in Japan still show big decline.

Square Enix PR probably will wait 3 million worldwide.

And if they manage 3 million in a same or smaller time-frame than XVI, it'll just show that 1: overall brand health is very healthy and 2: ROTW is more than making up for drops in Japan.

I think some of it has to do with japanese tastes in video games as well.

The regions just isn't the best place for these games to be successful.

True. People keep saying Switch dominates but when you look at the software charts it's 90% Nintendo's own games doing the really big numbers. 3P games on Switch, on average, aren't selling that many more copies than the PlayStation versions despite a significantly larger install base. Very rarely will you see such a gap in physical sales for Japanese 3P games on Switch and PS4/PS5.

Maybe Square-Enix should make a 2.5D Final Fantasy platforming spin-off. That would probably sell like crazy in Japan.

 

[FatKaz]

Maybe Square-Enix should make a 2.5D Final Fantasy platforming spin-off. That would probably sell like crazy in Japan

Yeah I think square just like capcom and from shouldn't have to compromise on their vision and do massive downgrades to support the switch.

Just release the more less demanding titles for Nintendo and leave the more bigger scope games for playstation and whoever else that doesn't release potatoe hardware.

 

[Dabaus]

Remember when during the ABK ordeal Japan gave a break down of its market share? Anyone else recall that and post a link please?

 

[arvfab]

Has anybody thought about the fact that the digital double pack, containing the first game for the same price as the single game MIGHT have skewed the sales towards digital in this case?

 

[Evilms]

In Germany, FFVII Rebirth has had the best start of the year so far.

PlayStation 5
1-Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Standard Edition
2-Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Deluxe Edition

Xbox Series X/S
1-Call of Duty Modern Warfare III
2-Banishers Ghosts of New Eden

Nintendo Switch
1-Super Mario Bros. Wonder

PlayStation 4
1-Grand Theft Auto V Premium Edition
2-It Takes Two

Xbox One
1-Grand Theft Auto V Premium Edition
2-Burnout Paradise Remastered

PC
1-Farming Simulator 22

GfK Entertainment - „Final Fantasy VII“: Wiedergeburt auf Platz eins der PS5-Charts

„Final Fantasy VII Rebirth“ landet an der Doppelspitze der offiziellen deutschen PS5-Charts, ermittelt von GfK Entertainment

www.gfk-entertainment.com

 

[Gamernyc78]

Has anybody thought about the fact that the digital double pack, containing the first game for the same price as the single game MIGHT have skewed the sales towards digital in this case?

Gd point.

 

[ethomaz]

Has anybody thought about the fact that the digital double pack, containing the first game for the same price as the single game MIGHT have skewed the sales towards digital in this case?

That should means people that didn't brought Remake are buying Rebirth.
But the sales don't show that.
Because over 700k people brought Remake at launch in Japan... they don't need the Twin Pack at all.

 

[arvfab]

That should means people that didn't brought Remake are buying Rebirth.
But the sales don't show that.
Because over 700k people brought Remake at launch in Japan... they don't need the Twin Pack at all.

And how many of them upgraded to Intergrade on PS5?

 

[ethomaz]

In Germany, FFVII Rebirth has had the best start of the year so far.

PlayStation 5
1-Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Standard Edition
2-Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Deluxe Edition

Xbox Series X/S
1-Call of Duty Modern Warfare III
2-Banishers Ghosts of New Eden

Nintendo Switch
1-Super Mario Bros. Wonder

PlayStation 4
1-Grand Theft Auto V Premium Edition
2-It Takes Two

Xbox One
1-Grand Theft Auto V Premium Edition
2-Burnout Paradise Remastered

PC
1-Farming Simulator 22

GfK Entertainment - „Final Fantasy VII“: Wiedergeburt auf Platz eins der PS5-Charts

„Final Fantasy VII Rebirth“ landet an der Doppelspitze der offiziellen deutschen PS5-Charts, ermittelt von GfK Entertainment

www.gfk-entertainment.com

I can't read... they say anything about how it compares with FFXVI or Remake?

 

[Dabaus]

Has anybody thought about the fact that the digital double pack, containing the first game for the same price as the single game MIGHT have skewed the sales towards digital in this case?

No because FF7 Rebirth can only sell to people who bought remake and it only counts if its physical.

 

[Evilms]

I can't read... they say anything about how it compares with FFXVI or Remake?

There's no direct comparison, just that the game is making a successful debut like FF7 Remake in 2020.

And so far the game is achieving the best start of 2024.

 

[Dabaus]

There's no direct comparison, just that the game is making a successful debut like FF7 Remake in 2020.

And so far the game is achieving the best start of 2024.

Besides FF7, has there been anything notable to compare it to? Hell divers ? Anything else im missing?

 

[Gamernyc78]

There's no direct comparison, just that the game is making a successful debut like FF7 Remake in 2020.

And so far the game is achieving the best start of 2024.

Agreed.

 

[Cool hand luke]

Well, I took your post to imply it's an issue with the game or IP, which is why I mentioned those other games. All of them are doing well globally despite both comparatively lower Japan numbers (vs. Rebirth) + being multiplatform releases in Japan from Day 1.

The issue is Japan. Rebirth is solid gold.

 

[Cool hand luke]

PC
1-Farming Simulator 22

PC gamers' tastes, everyone. Old farming sims. There's no market there for quality.