After almost a decade of waiting, Final Fantasy XV is finally here. Fans around the world rejoiced not just the fact that the game was released, but also that it turned out to be a really good game. However, it appears that sales are not quite as stellar as might be expected from this venerable series. Sales figures from the game’s launch are out from Japan, and while Final Fantasy XV hit #1 on the charts, it is way down for the franchise, selling about 56% lower than Final Fantasy XIII, and the having the lowest debut since Final Fantasy V for the Super Famicom.
This is according to the figures shared by Media Create, via NeoGaf. According to them, for the week of November 28th to December 4th Final Fantasy XV sold 690,471 units on PS4. Xbox One had one of its first sales chart additions with the game as well, taking the 19th spot with an additional 3,791 units. Taking out spinoffs and direct sequels, and focusing on just numbered entries in the series, Final Fantasy XIII was the last game to compare to. It sold over 1.5 million units on the PS3 marking a huge lead over FFXV.
Many are using this data to say that the Final Fantasy series is in trouble, and it very well might be. It isn’t quite the unstoppable franchise that it once was, mostly due to some design decisions on recent games, the huge delay for FFXV, and a bunch of poorly received spinoffs and sequels in the last few years. However, some of this discrepancy could also be covered with digital sales, which have become a much larger portion of the audience on PS4.
Another factor is that Japan has been transitioning away from traditional console gaming, with sales down across the board. Handhelds are still strong, with the 3DS holding a number of the top 20 charts, but console games have been struggling to keep up.
Worldwide, Final Fantasy XV sales seem to be doing quite well, so maybe this is just a blip, rather than a sign of some big shift in the series’ reception in its native country.
