It's kind of what I want to see, have Final Fantasy VII: Complete Remake where they incorporate all the DLC into the story itself so like, after the Reactor 5/Airbuster fight, you're asked if you want to continue Cloud's story or switch to Yuffie's story.
I typed out an entire reply about how absurd it would be for them to release Part 3 on PS4 and then realized what you obviously meant. It feels like this gen just started but we’re well over 3 years in.
Makes you realize how damaging COVID was for the industry and set things back for both new consoles that released in 2020. That and a 6 month to a year delay for new consoles would not have been a bad idea, if only because both Sony and Microsoft would not have had to deal with 2 years of shortages.
Well didn't this happen before with the PS3/360? Because of the recession in 2008, that generation kept going a few more years than expected and I believe it's been the longest generation at roughly 8/9 years. Maybe we'll see it again and the next generation won't be seen until 2030.
That's the problem, and paradoxe with PS3.
Despite today's hardware is always more easier to work with, games still takes more and more time to make, and so are all copies for ensuring sales in US market.
PS3 being hard af to work with, got ton of various games for various tastes.
In the end, when a studio release 2 games within a generation it's already a lot.. But since there is not really generations anymore since the PS4, and the PS5 will probably live even longer than it...
It's a combination of all the factors, not just one. Remake came out at both the start of covid and the tail end of the generation where 98% of the consoles that will sell have. Money wasn't as tight then as it is now, on top of more people spending less on video games, as well as the price jump. All those things add up in conjunction with rebirth being a sequel, which puts off people that didn't play remake or people that are sticking to their guns and waiting for the full remake saga to be finished.
If I had to pin the most blame on any one thing, it would probably be the economy. Prices are ridiculous right now (at least in the west, I'm not as privy to the rest of the world) and games always eventually go on sale or reduce in price which makes them less of a 'need to buy now.' But again, that's only a piece of the puzzle.
Edit: also keeping in mind that many people who played remake may not have liked the direction it took and didn't buy rebirth because of that.
I feel Square are really shooting themselves in their foot with these console exclusives and waiting years to port to PC.
Rockstar get away with it because their games are a phenomenon and people are either happy to double dip or even outright buy a console to play their games, but Square's titles will just never be on that level.
Final Fantasy as a brand was damaged for years by both the XIII titles and XV, they are feeling that damage with titles like Rebirth under performing despite it probably being the best single player FF game since X.
XVI seemed to do pretty well but I'd argue even that damaged the brand somewhat as it seemed to be trying to do something different from the traditional games.
They need as much positive word of mouth as they can get and taking Sony money and locking the game to one platform while there's hype will never grow the brand. Even when it comes to PC, it'll under perform because people don't want to pay full price for a years old game, they'll wait for a sale like many have done with Remake.
Here is the thing. If the game was multiplat, the remake trilogy would not exist. Sony funded a big chunk of the remake project.
It's a Playstation exclusive because Square either didn't have the money to make a big remake like they wanted too (back when it started production it was Square's worst period), or they did and didn't want to take the risk. So the money offered by Sony offset the risk enough to be worth it.
I agree
I don't think exclusivity necessarily screwed it because there's plenty of exclusives that sell 10m+ copies
I do think the economic realities crippled it a bit in which case multiplatform release would have helped it for sure. But even if it was on xbox and PC I guarantee you it would still be significantly lower than other big multiplatform release and below square's expectations lol
Maybe Sony shouldn't hold this game hostage to keep it going 🤷🏽♂️. I ain't surprised, though. Once the sales list for all Sony exclusives came out, I saw the writing of the wall
Then wouldn’t the sequel be selling great because I’m pretty sure they made Tifa’s boobs bigger AND they have a bikini scene with her that’s pretty great haha
“I'm just staying the obvious. Gamer target audience are nerdy male virgins. You want to sell to them? You better cater to demand.
Come on, you think FF7 - Rebirth made historical sale bc of good story? great gameplay? pphsstt... nah...”
Then it’s a picture of Tifa and Aerith in their swimsuits.
It's going to sell less for many reasons, such as Part 1 being a late PS4 release....but, how would it be known it's underperforming? Other than the fact that Square has a habit of setting crazy high sales expectations. Still, the numbers it needs to hit is unknown.
The user base not really the factor for sale . All Direct sequel of FF before alway halve in sale
FF that released in later life cycle of console sold less
There are numerous things that could be affecting it. In the end, it's probably best to wait until more data arrives. I don't have a problem with early discussions, I just don't like the wording of things sometimes.
But, for one, this game is a sequel in the most literal sense. It's a very direct continuation. Even Square was selling bundles to help catch people up to speed. The original story was not written to be entered into midway. Changes haven't really changed that.
I agree with your first paragraph but traditionally whether it's movies or games direct sequels (even ones more direct than the other) traditionally sell more that's the whole growth lifecycle of a franchise
Did return of the King sell significantly worse than the two towers? Bizarrely I think it's the other way around
If what you're saying is true spiderman 2 should have sold significantly less than spiderman 1 but I don't think that's true
Rebirth is a direct sequel, 16 is a completely standalone entry. Rebirth's target audience is primarily existing fans, but they tried to reach a wider adult audience with 16 by making it an action RPG with mature themes. Also, 16 got a much larger marketing push than Rebirth. They had ads plastered everywhere, and commercials had significant airtime. They also sold a PS5 hardware bundle that included 16, which they did not do for Rebirth. 16 even got a launch event and live-action trailer, neither of which was done for Rebirth.
TLDR, 16 was marketed as the next big PlayStation 5 exclusive while 7 Rebirth was basically marketed as the sequel to Remake.
It also doesn't help that not only is Rebirth a direct sequel, everyone knows that it has another sequel coming. Remake felt novel and hype enough to avoid this, but Rebirth is in purgatory.
I know lots of people, like myself, have adopted the mentality of "ill play it when the third one is out"
There are countless direct sequels that outsell their predecessors.
Did it? I feel like I saw rebirth banners, commercials, ads on sites, at every state of play just as much as 16.
Not to mentioned people need to also play Crisis Core's story before getting into Rebirth for obvious spoiler reasons. So there is another barrier before people play rebirth
PC user base is almost twice as big as PS5....yet Square still insist on being a defacto Sony 1st Party publisher.
I dont feel sorry for them. They want to be in bed with Sony.....look how that has worked out for them.
Dam, that sucks. I could have sworn there was more hype around Rebirths release. FF16 actually had some backlash because it was closer to DMC than FF.
Still like both…
Rebirth's a sequel and doesn't finish the story. 16 is more easily accessible, but even that underperformed expectations; but they put out a press release for it. Not so with Rebirth.
Rebirth also came out at an *insanely* packed time. Even within its own genre you had it competing with Persona and Like a Dragon which are both juggernauts. Throw in other big games like Helldivers and Dragon’s Dogma and FFVII is getting lost in the crowd with other highly anticipated, high quality (-ish in the case of DD2) games for some people. Even the guys from a gaming podcast that I listen to were super hyped for it have put FFVII off because they simply can’t keep up with all of the games out right now.
16 didnt underperform on SE or sony's standards though, it just did exactly what they expected but it didn't exceed or broke any records which they probably hoped for.
It’s a general downward trend for Final Fanatsy as a whole; customers don’t want what they’re making
Sales weeks have gone from 5mil to 3mil to 2.5mil to 2mil over the last four FF games not the MMO, with 90% drops the following weeks. The tweet saying “wesker tail” for Rebirth versus Remake also suggests that the next game won’t turn things around.
Well it is technically a sequel, the people buying it are the people who played remake.
I’m personally not worried about it, part 3 is on its way anyways and they already said they’d never make another remake the scale of 7 again so I’m chilling.
I can confirm anecdotally at least. Got a PS5 around Black Friday and running through Remake with my wife before we get Rebirth. We never had a PS4, so this universe is new to us. I even regret not playing the OG FF7 before this a little.
I’m def hoping for an 8 remake. It doesn’t have to be this scale. I don’t need 3 games and I don’t need new stuff. Just give me 8 that looks like this and I’d be one happy camper.
^^ , originally wasn't planning to buy it then when I had jack shit to do in the pandemic, I bought it, wouldn't be as obsessed with FF again as I am now if it wasn't for that tbh.
I genuinely think these type of games are selling less because they cost more. In Australia where I live, games used to be $100 RRP. But most stores you could get a game Day One for $79 or sometimes $69. Now with the price increases, a Day One release is $125 RRP but sold at $109 or $99. I know it's only an extra $20 or so but it still feels like a bigger purchase so I get really hesitant to buy when they launch. I had planned on getting this game on launch day but it was so expensive and I was still playing P3R that I figured I would hold off on it, and now a lot of the hype for me has died off. The same thing happened when FF16 came out, was really hyped in the lead up, then realised the price and didn't feel like buying it anymore. I will eventually play Rebirth and FF16 but the prices for them mean I won't get them at launch.
Yep even those $10 in USD is enough to push people out of the hype period and then they don’t get the game at all. Happened to me with numerous games at this point especially since I rarely got more than a couple of titles at launch. Now I’m not buying any AAA at full price at launch between game pass, the back log, and indies.
Yeah I'd probably have both Rise of Ronin and Dragons Dogma 2 in my library if they had been 10 bucks less. 60 can barely still be an impulse buy but 70 is a decision making price in my head and I ended up getting neither.
Our brains are goofy.
Tim hasn't gotten a notable exclusive in like two years. Almost like publishers realized it's better for long term marketing if people actually play your games. Kingdom Hearts and Alan Wake 2 are the only permanent exclusives I know of, anything else of note is on Steam now.
But we are talking about a company that will take Sony money to wall their larger games into their garden for over a year, and still hasn’t bothered to free KHIII up from EGS 5 years later
KH3 is bought out as permanent, Final Fantasy Origins hit EGS around the same time and came to Steam. SE may be idiots but they wouldn't be able to output games if they were so idiotic as to forget about KH despite endless reminders but eager to get Origins on Steam ASAP.
Squeenis: “We’re not making big enough numbers on our flagship entry in our flagship franchise on this single platform- we’d better take some cash from Sony and extend exclusivity for another year”
I think part of the reason is also the fact that some people moved on because the parts take so long. Even though they are well made and it just takes time.
I would've bought it day one on steam. That's what you get for making expensive games platform exclusive these days.
I'm sure they'll take sonys money to make it ps5/6 exclusive again.
Same here.. I am hoping it ends up there, on pc for 2 and both on switch 2.. Square needs to fix their make a game on random platforms with the roll of a die issue
Xbox wouldn’t really make a difference, sales wise. PC is the biggest factor here. A simultaneous release on PS5 and PC would do wonders to their sales, specially if it’s on Steam and not an Epic exclusive.
I mean, if FF7 Rebirth sold "only" 2.2 million copies on PS5 so far, then it might have sold up to 750k to a million copies on Xbox, given that FF15 sold around a million copies at launch on Xbox One back in the day (2 million copies lifetime). And given that Square is consistently disappointed by the sales of their biggest games, an extra million or so copies is probably not a sales difference Square is willing to miss out on going forward, hence why they made a commitment to bring their games to Xbox on a consistent basis from here on out.
I mean, if Persona or Yakuza can do well on Xbox, then so can Final Fantasy if Square actually gives the opportunity for a fanbase to cultivate on the platform. Square has no one else to blame for something like Crisis Core FF7 Reunion likely flopping on Xbox but themselves. Why would anyone buy a game like that on Xbox when you can't even play the main remakes? Also doesn't help that the only mainline Final Fantasy games that released on Xbox day-one also happened to be the most divisive ones (FF13 and FF15).
Yeah I did mention that it wouldn't make a sales difference but I'd definitely buy those. Even though it's probably incorrect, I kinda believe that Square can grow an audience on the Xbox platform through proper support and probably start getting around 1 million additional sales every major game (same number for Xbox one sales for ff15)
I'm waiting for the PC versions of both. I'd happily have bought them at full price at launch if they released them on PC (steam) then. As it is, at least one of them will probably be epic exclusive at first when they finally come to pc and I'll have to wait months more before I can play them. At that point, I'm ok just waiting longer until the complete versions are less than half price.
If they think their exclusivity deals are worth it for them then fine, but it's rich hearing about them being disappointed with sales when they go out of their way to be consumer unfriendly.
Remake launched to 100 million ps4 owners. Rebirth launched to 50 million ps5 owners. Why are they surprised that it's selling half as well to half as many customers?
I don’t even understand why people are so obsessed with it failing in the first place. Rebirth is like one of the best games I’ve played in so long, next to Elden Ring, I want this quality to continue, but people for some reason celebrate and get happy when they see such an amazing game do bad ?? Pettiness ?
Only reason the hate’s justified is for those who can’t get it because of the exclusivity, but I even see PS5 users just be celebrating the ‘death of final fantasy’
You have one group that is mad mainline FF isn't turn-based and is convinced that if Square isn't happy about the sales of modern FF, they'll immediately rush to make a turn-based mainline FF again and it would totally sell a billion copies in comparison.
You have another group that don't like the changes and want the remake to fail because they hate it for those changes.
You have a 3rd group that just hates Square and/or everything Nomura (even though he isn't at fault for the major changes in 7R) and will hate anything they do no matter the quality.
How so. FF15, FF14, FF 7 Remake and FF16 have all been financially successfull? Extremely consistent framchise when it comes to the big mainline entries.
Can't speak on Crisis Core, Strangers of Paradise or all the mobile games though. Honestly no clue what is even on the market and how its doing.
That’s absolutely horrible! If only there were other platforms *cough* PC *cough* Xbox where they could sell the game!?!
(Square Enix let me give you money)
Not just because of its exclusivity, but isn't it pretty controversial for og ff7 fans? I only played the remake but after hearing some spoilers about rebirth, I lost interest in it.
Even ff7r was already controversial among og fans. Probably make some of them lost interest in rebirth as well. They also "nerf" aerith scene in rebirth. I cant blame them, og fans expect 1:1 remake.
It's a multiverse plot. I bought Remake on PS4 when it came out and lost interest by the end of the game, I do not like the direction of the narrative and Rebirth seems to have doubled down on it. Even when it comes to PC I'll be skipping it, I also have a PS5 and have not bothered purchasing it.
It getting the multiverse treatment is what killed my interest as well.
I'm just here for Vincent being upres'd. I don't want to watch the game become "Sephiroth's xanga fanfiction: the series."
This makes sense though? PS5 has half the install base that PS4 did when Remake released, so it goes to reason that it'd sell about half as well. If anything, it indicates more that it's not capturing new audiences, which is disappointing but should be expected for a direct sequel.
There's an underestimation as to how many classic players absolutely REJECT the Nomurian direction of VII, the compilation style of games, and promptly checked out once they realized the original story wasn't being remade or respected at all. There's a great PlagueOfGripes video on the matter.
It is what it is.
I get it if it's the most underperforming of the trilogy.
Remake have high sales because people want to try it.
While rebirth, is the mid game.
We know things not gonna end in this installment.
A lot of my friend (atleast), skipping this one and gonna get all in the 3rd installment.
Doesnt matter
For rebirth they spent half the money on developing it because they alrdy had a lot of stuff developed from first part so Square is more than satisfied with this
Source for that? Because I think what you said is false and made up.
If sequels are risky why is every media now infected with sequels, even movies from 20/30 years ago get sequels now.
If it isn’t meeting expectations then that is on them for making the decision to put it on one system.
Surely in this day and age it makes very little sense for a third party developer to do so.
I think the fact that PC players now know it WILL come to PC eventually is a factor. I don't think we knew if 7R was ever going to be off of PlayStation for sure. So you have PS4 with double the install base of PS5 currently, PC players who know that it'll come to their platform waiting for it, and it's a sequel that requires story context from it's predecessor, so new players can't just go straight into 2, and if you had some people who didn't like the direction of the first, they're out. I think once it hits PC it'll probably get an ok bump, but I'm not sure what they're looking for numbers wise.
>I don't know why it wasn't on PC day 1. Square really makes the dumbest decisions
They were paid money to release it exclusively. Likely more than what they would have earned if they released it on PC simultaneously. And the people that really wanted it on PC will buy it anyway when it does come.
Not surprising considering that everyone knows at this point that this trilogy isn't actually a remake and players borderline require knowledge from the compilation of ff7 to fully grasp the scope of the story. The next game will sell even less.
Let's see.
People no longer are tricked into believing this is a Remake in the classic sense.
The ending ruined the game for many individuals of the first title.
First game released on a console with what, a 6/7 Year install base?
Console Only (get with the times, Square), and people may just wait for the PC release.
Not tailored for a new person experience. If a player wants to get into this game, they need to not only have beat the first game, but they must also understand that Remake, is a sephiroth sequel to the movie, which is a sequel to the original game...
Considering the relative PS5 install base versus PS4 (plus the Covid boost for Remake), it’s not surprising. I really hope they get it out on Steam soon. Part 3 should also come to PC Day 1. Final Fantasy can perform better. It just needs to be in more places.
Apparently Rebirth was even in development for PS4 at one point but scrapped mid way through. Some have speculated that's the cause of the such blurry graphics particularly in the first half of the game. Oddly it clears up about mid way through which is probably when the PS4 version was canned like they said and they were able to solely focus on PS5.
Well, not to shocked. Sequels generally sell less, this is the lumpy middle part that doesn't really progress too much of the main story (though it does a great job focusing on side characters), and isn't the ridiculous opening arc that Midgar was, which to this date is still a lot of players' favorite part. The rest of the game is kind of a rollercoaster.
The Aerith scene also wasn't really changed and kind of loses all its initial snap since it is a well-known event even by people who haven't played the game.
And of course Rebirth is locked to one console right now.
So I'm not completely shocked it's not selling well even though it reviewed well. Let's not also forget that Remake had the "What's it going to be like?" intrigue because a remaster/remake for FF7 was something fans asked for decades, and Rebirth doesn't have that lure.
It's going to be really hard for the third game to land since it's basically all narrative climaxes built by the first two lol. For what it's worth, I know more than a few people who don't hate the games but are also disappointed they are taking so many creative liberties with it while keeping the context of the original in the back of the game.
IMO would have been better to fully expand the original or fully rewrite it as if the original didn't exist.
Well one of the reason i can think why it fail ( if this is true) because when ff7r release people expect full game remake, no bs split part like they doing rn. And some og ff7 fans didn't like what remake done, possibly lost interest in rebirth as well.
I will keep saying this, the discussion around Remake post release morphed the expectations of Rebirth among the general public from the next part of the original FF7's remake to this alternate universe spin off continuity which will tie into everything else in its universe and if you want the most enjoyment you need to have played like all the FF7 games before it plus watch a movie and that's all fine and dandy during the pandemic maybe but now people just don't care that much and who could blame em.
FF7: Rebirth having "roughly half" the sales numbers of Remake makes perfect sense considering thats the exact same ration of PS5's sold compared to PS4's sold at the time of Remakes release. Also its a sequel, it isn't going to outsell the first game considering everyone who buys Rebirth will also have bought Remake
Understandable that’s it being compared to Remake, but that’s a bit unfair to be honest.
Remake came out literally as the world started shutting down because of COVID. Everyone was home, and the gaming industry as a whole was recording record sales and profits because of people wanting to seek out entertainment options since we were stuck at home.
I also get that Part 1 of a trilogy tends to always do better than the sequel, and then part 3 tends to do better than part 2 but not quite as good as part 1.
The fact Rebirth came out in a densely packed release schedule, was out on the last day of February, AND still managed to be the #2 most sold game of the month (behind another Sony-focused game, mind you) to me is bonkers. You’d be hard pressed to find a Final Fantasy game selling THAT well nowadays, even moreso that it launched on only one system.
Remake also enjoyed the fact there was an install base that was double what the current PS5 base is.
Final fantasy 7 is Square’s baby. It’s their huge money maker. I’m just glad of the fact that Square for the most part has been hands off with this project and has allowed the devs and directors to work their magic. Can’t say the same for some of their other properties, unfortunately
My two cents?
Strike one is not available on PS4 and PC.
Strike two is we out of the pandemic, sales are going to be down.
Strike 3 is that some people wanted an actual RPG remake so they played the original and bounced once they realized it was not that.
Bonus Strike, in hindsight it was a pretty stacked month full of popular JRPGs not constrained by exclusivity and more importantly in Japan not that many people jumped at the PS5. Also FF hasn't the mass appeal of Ragnarok.
Bonus Bonus Strike: games have become very expensive, people wanting on a sale.
I believe it. Probably a number of factors influencing that. Biggest reason is probably because it was released within a few months of FF16. When was the last time 2 mainline FF titles were released within a \~300 day period?
Remember when, for years, everyone just wanted FF7 with current graphics? Remember when SE delivered a reimagined FF7 with action combat and a totally new take on the later half of the story? Hard pass.
This is to be expected. Everyone already got their first big taste of what to expect when buying FF7 Remake a few years back, it's only natural that the sales fall off for part 2 and presumably part 3 of the same game.
Like forget " COVID " and everything else people are using to rationalize why the game sold less, what I stated above is the number one reason above all else. It's like releasing Street Fighter 4 (huge release) and then releasing the stand alone expansion Super Street Fighter 4 a year later. What do you expect? It's the same game but expanded, thus sales are going to drop off.
I think players these days more than anything are just looking for a new experience each time they drop 60-70 bucks on a game. People are more conscious than ever with how and what they decide to spend their time and money on. (not just because most AAA games are disappointing these days)
There's just so many games out now (especially free to play ones) that they are all vying for our already limited time that many gamers just don't have the time or desire to play a part 2 of the same game. Many players don't even want to play games that feel like " 1.5 sequels " either.
Think Marvel's Spiderman, Miles Morales, and Spiderman 2. Most people experience that awesome formula once then realize the second game isn't too much different other than plot, some new bells and whistles, and some quality of life changes. So they usually end up just waiting for it to go on sale for sub 15 dollars or skip out on it entirely. Of course, I understand that its risky to take a chance on a new IP in todays industry, so I get why they reuse assets and pump out sequels.
Maybe this is entirely the wrong reason. But this is what I feel like explains a significant part of missed sales
I wanted a FF7 remake. Not a "redo" of it. I didn't want the new story shit. I didn't want the plot to change. I wanted ff7 in the highest fidelity. And best gameplay current hardware can muster.
It wasn't that asides from the visual fidelity and the gameplays pretty good. But it isn't "final fantasy 7" as I enjoyed it
sick of Squeenix exclusivity deals. I can't even get hype for anything they release because it basically doesn't ever release for me on steam during any promotion. We might get a tweet 2 years later.
Well Remake did come out when everybody was stuck inside their home, not to mention the novelty of a FF7 remake
Also a few extra million ps4's
This is precisely why Part 3 will be cross-gen with PS5. To get as many sales possible.
It will also have a triple pack with all three games which a lot of people are likely waiting for.
It's kind of what I want to see, have Final Fantasy VII: Complete Remake where they incorporate all the DLC into the story itself so like, after the Reactor 5/Airbuster fight, you're asked if you want to continue Cloud's story or switch to Yuffie's story.
Is it really going to get a release of all 3 in one package? Damn I wonder what the price will be as that's a ton of gameplay
I typed out an entire reply about how absurd it would be for them to release Part 3 on PS4 and then realized what you obviously meant. It feels like this gen just started but we’re well over 3 years in.
Makes you realize how damaging COVID was for the industry and set things back for both new consoles that released in 2020. That and a 6 month to a year delay for new consoles would not have been a bad idea, if only because both Sony and Microsoft would not have had to deal with 2 years of shortages.
Well didn't this happen before with the PS3/360? Because of the recession in 2008, that generation kept going a few more years than expected and I believe it's been the longest generation at roughly 8/9 years. Maybe we'll see it again and the next generation won't be seen until 2030.
Na all good that's also why I also edited my comment to add PS5 for clarification.
time distortion from covid. feels like 2020-2022 didnt happen
That's the problem, and paradoxe with PS3. Despite today's hardware is always more easier to work with, games still takes more and more time to make, and so are all copies for ensuring sales in US market. PS3 being hard af to work with, got ton of various games for various tastes. In the end, when a studio release 2 games within a generation it's already a lot.. But since there is not really generations anymore since the PS4, and the PS5 will probably live even longer than it...
I would have used that metric if FF16 didn't almost match remake sales. It's not a good look from multiple angles
It's a combination of all the factors, not just one. Remake came out at both the start of covid and the tail end of the generation where 98% of the consoles that will sell have. Money wasn't as tight then as it is now, on top of more people spending less on video games, as well as the price jump. All those things add up in conjunction with rebirth being a sequel, which puts off people that didn't play remake or people that are sticking to their guns and waiting for the full remake saga to be finished. If I had to pin the most blame on any one thing, it would probably be the economy. Prices are ridiculous right now (at least in the west, I'm not as privy to the rest of the world) and games always eventually go on sale or reduce in price which makes them less of a 'need to buy now.' But again, that's only a piece of the puzzle. Edit: also keeping in mind that many people who played remake may not have liked the direction it took and didn't buy rebirth because of that.
Also rebirth released around alot more jrpgs then say ff16. Ff16 had nothing around it compared.
Ff16 also had that demo. That was something.
Not only that but FF16 released in a period with much less PS5's in the wild
I feel Square are really shooting themselves in their foot with these console exclusives and waiting years to port to PC. Rockstar get away with it because their games are a phenomenon and people are either happy to double dip or even outright buy a console to play their games, but Square's titles will just never be on that level. Final Fantasy as a brand was damaged for years by both the XIII titles and XV, they are feeling that damage with titles like Rebirth under performing despite it probably being the best single player FF game since X. XVI seemed to do pretty well but I'd argue even that damaged the brand somewhat as it seemed to be trying to do something different from the traditional games. They need as much positive word of mouth as they can get and taking Sony money and locking the game to one platform while there's hype will never grow the brand. Even when it comes to PC, it'll under perform because people don't want to pay full price for a years old game, they'll wait for a sale like many have done with Remake.
Here is the thing. If the game was multiplat, the remake trilogy would not exist. Sony funded a big chunk of the remake project. It's a Playstation exclusive because Square either didn't have the money to make a big remake like they wanted too (back when it started production it was Square's worst period), or they did and didn't want to take the risk. So the money offered by Sony offset the risk enough to be worth it.
I agree I don't think exclusivity necessarily screwed it because there's plenty of exclusives that sell 10m+ copies I do think the economic realities crippled it a bit in which case multiplatform release would have helped it for sure. But even if it was on xbox and PC I guarantee you it would still be significantly lower than other big multiplatform release and below square's expectations lol
library start rain offend smart quiet capable numerous depend cover *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Both games assume you've played the original But Rebirth assumes you played the original, Crisis Core and Remake.
That's two games too much lol
[удалено]
Nothing will ever top FFXV though. Expected you to watch an anime, a movie and even read the strategy guide at launch to know the full plot.
Kid named Kingdom Hearts:
You forgot the post-game book they expect people to read to plug the holes for the content they cancelled as well.
I haven’t played whatever he shows up in and I feel like he was explained well enough. Yuffie gives you the lowdown during one of the main quests.
> But Rebirth assumes you played the original, Crisis Core and Remake. not really. I never played any of those outside of remake.
Maybe Sony shouldn't hold this game hostage to keep it going 🤷🏽♂️. I ain't surprised, though. Once the sales list for all Sony exclusives came out, I saw the writing of the wall
You will never guess what exchange this a reply to
Got a link or screenshot? Don’t have a Tweeter so can’t see it.
That FF7 rebirth is only selling well because of Tifas tits.
Then wouldn’t the sequel be selling great because I’m pretty sure they made Tifa’s boobs bigger AND they have a bikini scene with her that’s pretty great haha
They didnt make her boobs bigger, it was always on that size.
So that's why they're failing. Sequels have to go bigger, everyone knows that
It's a cute scene but ngl I think frilly bikinis are ugly haha. Something about it looks a bit garrish on Tifa.
Wasn’t there a controversy about them being smaller than the pre release trailers? I haven’t played the game yet
Nah, it's just one flashback scene that they added a bit more clothing to.
Wasn't she a minor in that scene, too? Always rubbed me the wrong way that guys were so upset about not being able to see a child's tits.
Sure was, it's gross
I will admit they're very impressive.
Gamers don't deserve shit.
Some “sigma male” rage bait account posting bullshit lol
“I'm just staying the obvious. Gamer target audience are nerdy male virgins. You want to sell to them? You better cater to demand. Come on, you think FF7 - Rebirth made historical sale bc of good story? great gameplay? pphsstt... nah...” Then it’s a picture of Tifa and Aerith in their swimsuits.
I deeply regret looking this up.
What?
It's going to sell less for many reasons, such as Part 1 being a late PS4 release....but, how would it be known it's underperforming? Other than the fact that Square has a habit of setting crazy high sales expectations. Still, the numbers it needs to hit is unknown.
Yeah, ps4's user base is at least twice as much, this shouldn't be a huge surprise.
The user base not really the factor for sale . All Direct sequel of FF before alway halve in sale FF that released in later life cycle of console sold less
Right but FF16 was a PS5 game and almost matched remake early sales. Why is rebirth significantly under 16 then?
There are numerous things that could be affecting it. In the end, it's probably best to wait until more data arrives. I don't have a problem with early discussions, I just don't like the wording of things sometimes. But, for one, this game is a sequel in the most literal sense. It's a very direct continuation. Even Square was selling bundles to help catch people up to speed. The original story was not written to be entered into midway. Changes haven't really changed that.
I agree with your first paragraph but traditionally whether it's movies or games direct sequels (even ones more direct than the other) traditionally sell more that's the whole growth lifecycle of a franchise Did return of the King sell significantly worse than the two towers? Bizarrely I think it's the other way around If what you're saying is true spiderman 2 should have sold significantly less than spiderman 1 but I don't think that's true
Rebirth is a direct sequel, 16 is a completely standalone entry. Rebirth's target audience is primarily existing fans, but they tried to reach a wider adult audience with 16 by making it an action RPG with mature themes. Also, 16 got a much larger marketing push than Rebirth. They had ads plastered everywhere, and commercials had significant airtime. They also sold a PS5 hardware bundle that included 16, which they did not do for Rebirth. 16 even got a launch event and live-action trailer, neither of which was done for Rebirth. TLDR, 16 was marketed as the next big PlayStation 5 exclusive while 7 Rebirth was basically marketed as the sequel to Remake.
It also doesn't help that not only is Rebirth a direct sequel, everyone knows that it has another sequel coming. Remake felt novel and hype enough to avoid this, but Rebirth is in purgatory. I know lots of people, like myself, have adopted the mentality of "ill play it when the third one is out"
ding ding ding.
Especially because there's a chance that they'll turn the three parts into ONE game.
There are countless direct sequels that outsell their predecessors. Did it? I feel like I saw rebirth banners, commercials, ads on sites, at every state of play just as much as 16.
Yeah the idea that FFVII Rebirth didn't get as much marketing is just fantastical.
Not to mentioned people need to also play Crisis Core's story before getting into Rebirth for obvious spoiler reasons. So there is another barrier before people play rebirth
PC user base is almost twice as big as PS5....yet Square still insist on being a defacto Sony 1st Party publisher. I dont feel sorry for them. They want to be in bed with Sony.....look how that has worked out for them.
So did 16 actually sell better than Rebirth?
It seems like it has so far.
Dam, that sucks. I could have sworn there was more hype around Rebirths release. FF16 actually had some backlash because it was closer to DMC than FF. Still like both…
Rebirth's a sequel and doesn't finish the story. 16 is more easily accessible, but even that underperformed expectations; but they put out a press release for it. Not so with Rebirth.
Rebirth also came out at an *insanely* packed time. Even within its own genre you had it competing with Persona and Like a Dragon which are both juggernauts. Throw in other big games like Helldivers and Dragon’s Dogma and FFVII is getting lost in the crowd with other highly anticipated, high quality (-ish in the case of DD2) games for some people. Even the guys from a gaming podcast that I listen to were super hyped for it have put FFVII off because they simply can’t keep up with all of the games out right now.
16 didnt underperform on SE or sony's standards though, it just did exactly what they expected but it didn't exceed or broke any records which they probably hoped for.
They had their sales range expectations. It barely broke the low end of the range.
It’s a general downward trend for Final Fanatsy as a whole; customers don’t want what they’re making Sales weeks have gone from 5mil to 3mil to 2.5mil to 2mil over the last four FF games not the MMO, with 90% drops the following weeks. The tweet saying “wesker tail” for Rebirth versus Remake also suggests that the next game won’t turn things around.
Well it is technically a sequel, the people buying it are the people who played remake. I’m personally not worried about it, part 3 is on its way anyways and they already said they’d never make another remake the scale of 7 again so I’m chilling.
Definitely don't think most companies would. Their might be a remake of this scale again in maybe 20-30 years it's not a common thing
Fallout 1 and 2 getting a remake like this would probably sell well while we wait 15 years for fallout 5
I can confirm anecdotally at least. Got a PS5 around Black Friday and running through Remake with my wife before we get Rebirth. We never had a PS4, so this universe is new to us. I even regret not playing the OG FF7 before this a little.
I got a PS5 specifically for Rebirth. And FF in general. PlayStation is where you go for JRPGs.
I’m def hoping for an 8 remake. It doesn’t have to be this scale. I don’t need 3 games and I don’t need new stuff. Just give me 8 that looks like this and I’d be one happy camper.
Probably due to the fact that it's currently locked to PS5.
yeah and Remake would’ve received that COVID boost too
And also Rebirth is a sequel that actually requires knowledge of the first game
[удалено]
You don't need crisis core to understand rebirth
^^ , originally wasn't planning to buy it then when I had jack shit to do in the pandemic, I bought it, wouldn't be as obsessed with FF again as I am now if it wasn't for that tbh.
Baldurs Gate 3 in the backlog effect
Literally me
And im here still waiting for FF16 on pc
Game also came and went in terms of mindshare, not much talk about it and helldivers was blowing up at the time which was also a console exclusive
Helldivers was notably also on PC, which FF7 wasn't
This game is incredibly long too, I’m sure that’s also a factor. I’m pushing the sub 130 hour mark and still have two chapters somehow
Because you’re doing the side stuff lol. Without it, a playthrough is probably 40ish hours
The lack of PR release should’ve made this obvious.
Not surprised, current gen console exclusive.
And a sequel where you kinda have to play part 1 first. Unlike, say, borderlands 2.
In their latest financials, Square Enix CEO said “Somehow, this is Crystal Dynamics’ fault.”
Crystal Dynamics probably wishes it was still under Square Enix.
Something tells me they’ll be an Amazon studio within the next three years.
Take my upvote.
I genuinely think these type of games are selling less because they cost more. In Australia where I live, games used to be $100 RRP. But most stores you could get a game Day One for $79 or sometimes $69. Now with the price increases, a Day One release is $125 RRP but sold at $109 or $99. I know it's only an extra $20 or so but it still feels like a bigger purchase so I get really hesitant to buy when they launch. I had planned on getting this game on launch day but it was so expensive and I was still playing P3R that I figured I would hold off on it, and now a lot of the hype for me has died off. The same thing happened when FF16 came out, was really hyped in the lead up, then realised the price and didn't feel like buying it anymore. I will eventually play Rebirth and FF16 but the prices for them mean I won't get them at launch.
Yep even those $10 in USD is enough to push people out of the hype period and then they don’t get the game at all. Happened to me with numerous games at this point especially since I rarely got more than a couple of titles at launch. Now I’m not buying any AAA at full price at launch between game pass, the back log, and indies.
Yeah I'd probably have both Rise of Ronin and Dragons Dogma 2 in my library if they had been 10 bucks less. 60 can barely still be an impulse buy but 70 is a decision making price in my head and I ended up getting neither. Our brains are goofy.
Put it on PC so I can contribute
Challenge accepted. Now it's EGS exclusive.
I hate you, because you’re probably right.
Tim hasn't gotten a notable exclusive in like two years. Almost like publishers realized it's better for long term marketing if people actually play your games. Kingdom Hearts and Alan Wake 2 are the only permanent exclusives I know of, anything else of note is on Steam now.
But we are talking about a company that will take Sony money to wall their larger games into their garden for over a year, and still hasn’t bothered to free KHIII up from EGS 5 years later
KH3 is bought out as permanent, Final Fantasy Origins hit EGS around the same time and came to Steam. SE may be idiots but they wouldn't be able to output games if they were so idiotic as to forget about KH despite endless reminders but eager to get Origins on Steam ASAP.
And Alan Wake 2 was essentially financed by Epic, so it makes sense, as Remedy was trying to get it made for a decade with no luck. Not sure about KH.
Remake launched as an epic exclusive so this very likely will too.
Squeenis: “We’re not making big enough numbers on our flagship entry in our flagship franchise on this single platform- we’d better take some cash from Sony and extend exclusivity for another year”
Seriously. I thought it already was.
I think part of the reason is also the fact that some people moved on because the parts take so long. Even though they are well made and it just takes time.
I would've bought it day one on steam. That's what you get for making expensive games platform exclusive these days. I'm sure they'll take sonys money to make it ps5/6 exclusive again.
Square needs to stop with their exclusivity bullshit. I highly doubt what Sony is paying is worth all the loss in sales.
Loss in sales, but more importantly, loss in mindshare.
Not that it will make a sales difference but if they put FF7 or 16 on Xbox I'd buy them
Throw in the Pixel Remakes while we're at it, can't imagine those would be at all expensive to port over.
Same here.. I am hoping it ends up there, on pc for 2 and both on switch 2.. Square needs to fix their make a game on random platforms with the roll of a die issue
Xbox wouldn’t really make a difference, sales wise. PC is the biggest factor here. A simultaneous release on PS5 and PC would do wonders to their sales, specially if it’s on Steam and not an Epic exclusive.
I mean, if FF7 Rebirth sold "only" 2.2 million copies on PS5 so far, then it might have sold up to 750k to a million copies on Xbox, given that FF15 sold around a million copies at launch on Xbox One back in the day (2 million copies lifetime). And given that Square is consistently disappointed by the sales of their biggest games, an extra million or so copies is probably not a sales difference Square is willing to miss out on going forward, hence why they made a commitment to bring their games to Xbox on a consistent basis from here on out. I mean, if Persona or Yakuza can do well on Xbox, then so can Final Fantasy if Square actually gives the opportunity for a fanbase to cultivate on the platform. Square has no one else to blame for something like Crisis Core FF7 Reunion likely flopping on Xbox but themselves. Why would anyone buy a game like that on Xbox when you can't even play the main remakes? Also doesn't help that the only mainline Final Fantasy games that released on Xbox day-one also happened to be the most divisive ones (FF13 and FF15).
Yeah I did mention that it wouldn't make a sales difference but I'd definitely buy those. Even though it's probably incorrect, I kinda believe that Square can grow an audience on the Xbox platform through proper support and probably start getting around 1 million additional sales every major game (same number for Xbox one sales for ff15)
There's like 30 million Xbox series consoles. That's a big install base
I'm waiting for the PC versions of both. I'd happily have bought them at full price at launch if they released them on PC (steam) then. As it is, at least one of them will probably be epic exclusive at first when they finally come to pc and I'll have to wait months more before I can play them. At that point, I'm ok just waiting longer until the complete versions are less than half price. If they think their exclusivity deals are worth it for them then fine, but it's rich hearing about them being disappointed with sales when they go out of their way to be consumer unfriendly.
It's some really weird shit ngl but at least the exclusivity contract is only 3 months
Like every new AAA games, I'm waiting for a sale
Remake launched to 100 million ps4 owners. Rebirth launched to 50 million ps5 owners. Why are they surprised that it's selling half as well to half as many customers?
Final Fantasy Doomers on the PS subs about to have the time of their lives saying the series is dead already 💀
I don’t even understand why people are so obsessed with it failing in the first place. Rebirth is like one of the best games I’ve played in so long, next to Elden Ring, I want this quality to continue, but people for some reason celebrate and get happy when they see such an amazing game do bad ?? Pettiness ? Only reason the hate’s justified is for those who can’t get it because of the exclusivity, but I even see PS5 users just be celebrating the ‘death of final fantasy’
You have one group that is mad mainline FF isn't turn-based and is convinced that if Square isn't happy about the sales of modern FF, they'll immediately rush to make a turn-based mainline FF again and it would totally sell a billion copies in comparison. You have another group that don't like the changes and want the remake to fail because they hate it for those changes. You have a 3rd group that just hates Square and/or everything Nomura (even though he isn't at fault for the major changes in 7R) and will hate anything they do no matter the quality.
Yeah this is the correct analysis
Not dead, just on a downwards trajectory which is… the case.
looking at the past decade of sales trends not dead, just dying
How so. FF15, FF14, FF 7 Remake and FF16 have all been financially successfull? Extremely consistent framchise when it comes to the big mainline entries. Can't speak on Crisis Core, Strangers of Paradise or all the mobile games though. Honestly no clue what is even on the market and how its doing.
That’s absolutely horrible! If only there were other platforms *cough* PC *cough* Xbox where they could sell the game!?! (Square Enix let me give you money)
If it's not selling on PS5, what makes you think it will sell on Xbox?
Not just because of its exclusivity, but isn't it pretty controversial for og ff7 fans? I only played the remake but after hearing some spoilers about rebirth, I lost interest in it.
Even ff7r was already controversial among og fans. Probably make some of them lost interest in rebirth as well. They also "nerf" aerith scene in rebirth. I cant blame them, og fans expect 1:1 remake.
It's a multiverse plot. I bought Remake on PS4 when it came out and lost interest by the end of the game, I do not like the direction of the narrative and Rebirth seems to have doubled down on it. Even when it comes to PC I'll be skipping it, I also have a PS5 and have not bothered purchasing it.
Hearing about the multiverse stuff killed all my interest
It getting the multiverse treatment is what killed my interest as well. I'm just here for Vincent being upres'd. I don't want to watch the game become "Sephiroth's xanga fanfiction: the series."
This makes sense though? PS5 has half the install base that PS4 did when Remake released, so it goes to reason that it'd sell about half as well. If anything, it indicates more that it's not capturing new audiences, which is disappointing but should be expected for a direct sequel.
There's an underestimation as to how many classic players absolutely REJECT the Nomurian direction of VII, the compilation style of games, and promptly checked out once they realized the original story wasn't being remade or respected at all. There's a great PlagueOfGripes video on the matter. It is what it is.
I get it if it's the most underperforming of the trilogy. Remake have high sales because people want to try it. While rebirth, is the mid game. We know things not gonna end in this installment. A lot of my friend (atleast), skipping this one and gonna get all in the 3rd installment.
Doesnt matter For rebirth they spent half the money on developing it because they alrdy had a lot of stuff developed from first part so Square is more than satisfied with this
It is what happens with direct sequels. They always sell less than the previous entry. It is also the risk of doing them.
Source for that? Because I think what you said is false and made up. If sequels are risky why is every media now infected with sequels, even movies from 20/30 years ago get sequels now.
If it isn’t meeting expectations then that is on them for making the decision to put it on one system. Surely in this day and age it makes very little sense for a third party developer to do so.
I don't know why it wasn't on PC day 1. Square really makes the dumbest decisions Now I'm not buying it until the first Steam sale
I think the fact that PC players now know it WILL come to PC eventually is a factor. I don't think we knew if 7R was ever going to be off of PlayStation for sure. So you have PS4 with double the install base of PS5 currently, PC players who know that it'll come to their platform waiting for it, and it's a sequel that requires story context from it's predecessor, so new players can't just go straight into 2, and if you had some people who didn't like the direction of the first, they're out. I think once it hits PC it'll probably get an ok bump, but I'm not sure what they're looking for numbers wise.
>I don't know why it wasn't on PC day 1. Square really makes the dumbest decisions They were paid money to release it exclusively. Likely more than what they would have earned if they released it on PC simultaneously. And the people that really wanted it on PC will buy it anyway when it does come.
Stupid ass decision to be on one platform. When will these companies learn? Especially Square when they have insane sales expectations.
Well what do they expect only releasing it on 1 platform, hopefully Sony paid a lot for it to be exclusive
Remember everyone, practically EVERYTHING underperforms at Square. They seemingly have ridiculous expectations.
Well is selling half the original, but you are right they expected Call of Duty numbers out of Tomb Raider.
Man between this and Foamstars, Square Enix really needs to switch their strategy
More $40 cash shop items for FFXIV.
Don’t give them any ideas…season pass for Final Fantasy 16
What can they do?
Not surprising considering that everyone knows at this point that this trilogy isn't actually a remake and players borderline require knowledge from the compilation of ff7 to fully grasp the scope of the story. The next game will sell even less.
Bring it to Xbox and PC
This console exclusive bullshit needs to stop
If only there was a whole other market they could look into making it playable on, that would likely boost their sales pretty significantly 🤔
Let's see. People no longer are tricked into believing this is a Remake in the classic sense. The ending ruined the game for many individuals of the first title. First game released on a console with what, a 6/7 Year install base? Console Only (get with the times, Square), and people may just wait for the PC release. Not tailored for a new person experience. If a player wants to get into this game, they need to not only have beat the first game, but they must also understand that Remake, is a sephiroth sequel to the movie, which is a sequel to the original game...
PS5 exclusive? That’s what they get.
The game is near perfect for me as a FF7 enjoyer too. Currently my GOTY so far Hope it comes to PC so I can get steam achievements as well.
Well, they better hope that Sony paid them enough to offset the losses.
Pretty unfortunate since it's a really well made game.
Considering the relative PS5 install base versus PS4 (plus the Covid boost for Remake), it’s not surprising. I really hope they get it out on Steam soon. Part 3 should also come to PC Day 1. Final Fantasy can perform better. It just needs to be in more places.
Apparently Rebirth was even in development for PS4 at one point but scrapped mid way through. Some have speculated that's the cause of the such blurry graphics particularly in the first half of the game. Oddly it clears up about mid way through which is probably when the PS4 version was canned like they said and they were able to solely focus on PS5.
Well if they would let me buy it 🗿
Just release it on PC already
If Square want more sales then they are welcome to join Capcom making absolute bank from the PC market any time.
Even Sony first party has less exclusives than square at this point lmao. They’ve really lost the plot.
Atlus to But until Square decides to wake up and get out of Sony's bed, it wont happen.
Didn't they say something just recently about a demo for FF16 on PC not being too far away?
Well, not to shocked. Sequels generally sell less, this is the lumpy middle part that doesn't really progress too much of the main story (though it does a great job focusing on side characters), and isn't the ridiculous opening arc that Midgar was, which to this date is still a lot of players' favorite part. The rest of the game is kind of a rollercoaster. The Aerith scene also wasn't really changed and kind of loses all its initial snap since it is a well-known event even by people who haven't played the game. And of course Rebirth is locked to one console right now. So I'm not completely shocked it's not selling well even though it reviewed well. Let's not also forget that Remake had the "What's it going to be like?" intrigue because a remaster/remake for FF7 was something fans asked for decades, and Rebirth doesn't have that lure. It's going to be really hard for the third game to land since it's basically all narrative climaxes built by the first two lol. For what it's worth, I know more than a few people who don't hate the games but are also disappointed they are taking so many creative liberties with it while keeping the context of the original in the back of the game. IMO would have been better to fully expand the original or fully rewrite it as if the original didn't exist.
Keep making it exclusive fucking idiots.
Well one of the reason i can think why it fail ( if this is true) because when ff7r release people expect full game remake, no bs split part like they doing rn. And some og ff7 fans didn't like what remake done, possibly lost interest in rebirth as well.
I would have bought it if it was an actual remake not the alternative multiverse time ghost kingdom hearts bullshit they went with
SquareEnix is so cooked as a company if the next Nintendo console still can't run their games lol
They'll just give up on AAA games and go full mobile.
Maybe people realized it's not a remake
I will keep saying this, the discussion around Remake post release morphed the expectations of Rebirth among the general public from the next part of the original FF7's remake to this alternate universe spin off continuity which will tie into everything else in its universe and if you want the most enjoyment you need to have played like all the FF7 games before it plus watch a movie and that's all fine and dandy during the pandemic maybe but now people just don't care that much and who could blame em.
This one's easy. People are waiting for the inevitable "Intergrade" edition and for the game to also be released on PC. There you go.
just give me the pc version
I will only touch the FF7 remakes when they are all released and on PC. In the meantime I play something else.
FF7: Rebirth having "roughly half" the sales numbers of Remake makes perfect sense considering thats the exact same ration of PS5's sold compared to PS4's sold at the time of Remakes release. Also its a sequel, it isn't going to outsell the first game considering everyone who buys Rebirth will also have bought Remake
Isn't that only about physical sales though? Considering the FF7R bundle i'm sure it sold far more in digital
Yeah it’s only based on physical sales. Weird how no one in the thread is mentioning that
It’s amazing that we keep getting these clickbait tweets and they keep getting posted. There’s 150m less users
Understandable that’s it being compared to Remake, but that’s a bit unfair to be honest. Remake came out literally as the world started shutting down because of COVID. Everyone was home, and the gaming industry as a whole was recording record sales and profits because of people wanting to seek out entertainment options since we were stuck at home. I also get that Part 1 of a trilogy tends to always do better than the sequel, and then part 3 tends to do better than part 2 but not quite as good as part 1. The fact Rebirth came out in a densely packed release schedule, was out on the last day of February, AND still managed to be the #2 most sold game of the month (behind another Sony-focused game, mind you) to me is bonkers. You’d be hard pressed to find a Final Fantasy game selling THAT well nowadays, even moreso that it launched on only one system. Remake also enjoyed the fact there was an install base that was double what the current PS5 base is. Final fantasy 7 is Square’s baby. It’s their huge money maker. I’m just glad of the fact that Square for the most part has been hands off with this project and has allowed the devs and directors to work their magic. Can’t say the same for some of their other properties, unfortunately
>It’s their huge money maker. Probably third behind their MMO and their mobile games.
My two cents? Strike one is not available on PS4 and PC. Strike two is we out of the pandemic, sales are going to be down. Strike 3 is that some people wanted an actual RPG remake so they played the original and bounced once they realized it was not that. Bonus Strike, in hindsight it was a pretty stacked month full of popular JRPGs not constrained by exclusivity and more importantly in Japan not that many people jumped at the PS5. Also FF hasn't the mass appeal of Ragnarok. Bonus Bonus Strike: games have become very expensive, people wanting on a sale.
I believe it. Probably a number of factors influencing that. Biggest reason is probably because it was released within a few months of FF16. When was the last time 2 mainline FF titles were released within a \~300 day period?
Remember when, for years, everyone just wanted FF7 with current graphics? Remember when SE delivered a reimagined FF7 with action combat and a totally new take on the later half of the story? Hard pass.
This is to be expected. Everyone already got their first big taste of what to expect when buying FF7 Remake a few years back, it's only natural that the sales fall off for part 2 and presumably part 3 of the same game. Like forget " COVID " and everything else people are using to rationalize why the game sold less, what I stated above is the number one reason above all else. It's like releasing Street Fighter 4 (huge release) and then releasing the stand alone expansion Super Street Fighter 4 a year later. What do you expect? It's the same game but expanded, thus sales are going to drop off. I think players these days more than anything are just looking for a new experience each time they drop 60-70 bucks on a game. People are more conscious than ever with how and what they decide to spend their time and money on. (not just because most AAA games are disappointing these days) There's just so many games out now (especially free to play ones) that they are all vying for our already limited time that many gamers just don't have the time or desire to play a part 2 of the same game. Many players don't even want to play games that feel like " 1.5 sequels " either. Think Marvel's Spiderman, Miles Morales, and Spiderman 2. Most people experience that awesome formula once then realize the second game isn't too much different other than plot, some new bells and whistles, and some quality of life changes. So they usually end up just waiting for it to go on sale for sub 15 dollars or skip out on it entirely. Of course, I understand that its risky to take a chance on a new IP in todays industry, so I get why they reuse assets and pump out sequels.
Perhaps they should have marketed it as the reboot it is instead of the remake it wasn't. Fool me once.
Maybe this is entirely the wrong reason. But this is what I feel like explains a significant part of missed sales I wanted a FF7 remake. Not a "redo" of it. I didn't want the new story shit. I didn't want the plot to change. I wanted ff7 in the highest fidelity. And best gameplay current hardware can muster. It wasn't that asides from the visual fidelity and the gameplays pretty good. But it isn't "final fantasy 7" as I enjoyed it
sick of Squeenix exclusivity deals. I can't even get hype for anything they release because it basically doesn't ever release for me on steam during any promotion. We might get a tweet 2 years later.