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Graph-Age: 16-Bit J.RPG LTDs (U.S. Sales)

Okay I'll spoil everyone...here are the LTDs of so many 16-Bit classics released after 1993:
Light Purple = SNES
Dark Blue = GEN/SCD
rpgsales16bitys0.png

While I was denied posting...
Banned Again!
, I scaled up my '94 sales (especially SNES) after re-avaluating other data, slightly. So they should be more accurate.

Inform me if I may have missed a J.RPG released after 1993 on these consoles but I think I have the important ones.
I know Secret of Evermore may not have bin Japanese but it sold so well I had to include it and it's a sequel a J.RPG.

Again I don't have sales before 1994, sorry...wish I did tho.
 
Huh, I'd say this seems like it's more or less in line with most of these titles would do today, isn't it? The FF games would do more, and probably Mario RPG and CT would be a hit higher, but in general it's not too different from what I'd expect to see now.

...which is interesting, because the market has expanded so much since the 16-bit era. You'd think that overall RPG sales would be higher now. But I guess that since there are more RPG releases now, that probably divides up the sales more.
 

ethelred

Member
Wow, this graph is fantastic. Thanks so much for compiling the data and putting this together.


Despite all the bitching these games seemed to get from their publishers, Earthbound and Secret of Evermore sold really well.

Greenpanda said:
Huh, I'd say this seems like it's more or less in line with most of these titles would do today, isn't it? The FF games would do more, and probably Mario RPG and CT would be a hit higher, but in general it's not too different from what I'd expect to see now.

...which is interesting, because the market has expanded so much since the 16-bit era. You'd think that overall RPG sales would be higher now. But I guess that since there are more RPG releases now, that probably divides up the sales more.


You think? I'd say you could easily double the numbers for a ton of these games if you were looking at current releases for them.

I mean, take SF2 at 80k. The remake of SF for GBA sold 40k, and that was with a conservative Atlus publishing. Though I guess Neo and Tears didn't sell too well, but they were widely regarded as not being consistent with the series and its overall quality.

I'd expect MUCH better numbers for PS4, Crusader of Centy (40k range minimum), Ogre Battle for sure, Lufia 2, and Breath of Fire 2 (based on the sales of 3 and 5).
 

Animal

Banned
Scrow said:
how the hell do you triple post a thread?

I know i posted in one of them and then I wen't through a weird twilight zone moment on the intraweb were neogaf was dead and then bam, back to reality. eerrr i mean virtual reality.
 

MrDaravon

Member
Scrow said:
how the hell do you triple post a thread?

GAF got all weird. It was showing 0 posts in a thread I'd posted twice in, there was three of these threads, then GAF wouldn't load at all for me. Seems to be okay now though.
 
Yeah, Ogre Battle would def. do better now...

and I'm assuming it was more successful in Japan, hence the continuation of the series.

edit: Shining Force II actually did better than I would have thought! :)
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Well, remember, development costs were much lower back then, and cost of living was much lower, and game prices were higher.
 
castle007 said:
Hey Square where the helll is Super Mario RPG 2????

nice triple

Ask Nintendo, I'm still waiting too.
With Square-Enix back on board with Nintendo why not have them team up again and create a new Nintendo RPG!?
Maybe instead of Mario a different Nintendo franchise?
Mario RPGs have bin overused lately so...

HOW ABOUT A SQUARE-NINTENDO ZELDA RPG FOR Wii!!!
If Capcom can make Zeldas why not let Square-Enix! Can't say R&D4 are that good at RPGs tho (Zelda II) so let S-E do one!

Just a thought (but it would be so awesome)...
 
Check out the prices at release:

Brain Lord $69
Brandish $73
Breath of Fire $67
Breath of Fire II $63
Chrono Trigger $77
Earthbound $68
Equinox $59
FFIII $74
IoG $70
Lufia II $77
Ogre Battle $69
Evermore $69
Mario RPG $66
Wiz IV $67

Beyond Oasis $76
Centy $67
Eye of the $49 (CD)
Light Crusader $72
Lunar $53 (CD)
PSIV $94!!!
Popful $56 (CD)
SF II $78
SF $50 (CD)
Vay $53 (CD)

The Sega CD may be worth the price just for the cheaper software...
 

Deku

Banned
Yeah a Square-Enix SMRPG would be highly preferable. If only for the production values and intricate graphical detail.
 

Tarazet

Member
I didn't even realize Equinox came out. I remember reading a glowing review in Gamepro in early 1993, then a scathing review in EGM in the middle of 1994.
 
Deku said:
Yeah a Square-Enix SMRPG would be highly preferable. If only for the production values and intricate graphical detail.

But it's already bin done!
Why not try Zelda?

Miyamoto wants two Zeldas per console and the first is nearly done for Wii so let S-E handle the next one like Capcom has in the past.
That way R&D4 can work on other/new/original projects (like more uber-selling non-games!!:D).
 

Angelcurio

Member
I never imagined that Illussion of Gaia sold better than Chrono Trigger.

But that game was really good. I still remember that the first time i finished Gaia, i started a new game once again. Really adicting.
 
Angelcurio said:
I never imagined that Illussion of Gaia sold better than Chrono Trigger.

Well, Nintendo published Gaia, and I remember them pimping the heck out of it. Cover of NP, ads, etc. That definitely helped.
 

Angelcurio

Member
Greenpanda said:
Well, Nintendo published Gaia, and I remember them pimping the heck out of it. Cover of NP, ads, etc. That definitely helped.
Nintendo? but i remember the Enix logo on that title. I thought that Enix titles were localized by themselves. Well, i guess we learn something new everyday :)
 

starship

psycho_snake's and The Black Brad Pitt's B*TCH
Welcome back buddy
Thats great to see these types of sales data. I can't wait for your weekly NPD charts.
 

Kusagari

Member
I always thought Earthbound sold way worse than that. Most people always say we never got Mother 1 and 2 and now Mother 3 cause Earthbound bombed here... But I don't see how almost reaching 150k is THAT bad.
 
Square2005 said:
If Capcom can make Zeldas why not let Square-Enix! Can't say R&D4 are that good at RPGs tho (Zelda II) so let S-E do one!

Bite your tongue! Zelda II rocked! There needs to be another Metroidvania Zelda.
 
mmlemay said:
Do you have the sales figures for:

Final Fantasy 2 (IV)
Soul Blazer
Zelda 3
Landstalker
Lunar: Silver Star Story
Dark Wizard

Only After 1993:
Final Fantasy II - 18,796
Soul Blazer - 424
Zelda III - 607,729
Landstalker - 13,615
Lunar CD - 48,041
Dark Wizard CD - 44,559 <- LTD (rel. 3/94)

You'll have to guess the sales prior to 1994.
 
B.K. said:
What were the sales for Tactics Ogre?

In the US? The 16-bit version wasn't released here, only the PlayStation version. As far as Japanese sales ... someone who knows where to find those will dig it up, I'm sure :)
 

Lapsed

Banned
Amir0x said:
Really shows just how much the industry has grown.

No it doesn't. Back then, RPGs were not exactly mainstream. At that time period, people were running around saying that RPGs were dead and needed to come back.

Games such as Baldur's Gate was designed to combat the 'RPG drought'. Final Fantasy 7 was released around 1997. So around then, RPGs began to pick up greatly in sales for the US.

If you check other game sales, you'll find them rivaling the game numbers today. RPGs then were a growing niche in the 16 bit generation that didn't fully blossom until the next generation.

And those games were WORTH $70-90! I <3 Final Fantasy 3/6. :) Strange how I have more money today and have to talk myself into buying a $20 RPG. :lol
 

GhaleonEB

Member
Square2005 said:
Okay I'll spoil everyone...here are the LTDs of so many 16-Bit classics released after 1993:
Light Purple = SNES
Dark Blue = GEN/SCD
rpgsales16bitys0.png

While I was denied posting...
Banned Again!
, I scaled up my '94 sales (especially SNES) after re-avaluating other data, slightly. So they should be more accurate.

Inform me if I may have missed a J.RPG released after 1993 on these consoles but I think I have the important ones.
I know Secret of Evermore may not have bin Japanese but it sold so well I had to include it and it's a sequel a J.RPG.

Again I don't have sales before 1994, sorry...wish I did tho.
Boy do I own unpopular stuff:

Shining Force II
Beyond Oasis
Popful Mail
Lunar Eternal Blue
 
i didnt know illusion of gaia sold so well

i always thought it was one of the more underappreciated games, but i guess it did fine after all in sales at least
 

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
Those Genny figures ain't surprising. Afterall, it wasn't very popular in Japan.

Saturn did better didn't it? Is it the most successful Sega console in Japan?
 

ethelred

Member
Oblivion said:
Those Genny figures ain't surprising. Afterall, it wasn't very popular in Japan.

Saturn did better didn't it? Is it the most successful Sega console in Japan?


Er, these are US NPD figures.

You think FFVI only sold 450k in Japan? :D
 

Oblivion

Fetishing muscular manly men in skintight hosery
ethelred said:
Er, these are US NPD figures.

You think FFVI only sold 450k in Japan? :D

Oh, crap! :lol :lol

The title said JRPG so I thought it was Japan. Didn't see the other part...
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
The thing is, the first and only shipment of OB was 25,000 copies. That's all Enix shipped.
 
Why the hell did Illusion of Gaia sell so much? What is wrong with us? We supported that game way way too much!

Did anyone ever get all the red crystals? I did. Do you remember what the reward was? That was the first time I'd ever felt cheated by a game.
 

Ark-AMN

Banned
I'm just mad that after all the support Illusion of Gaia got, we never got a release of Terranigma over here (I think it was sort of a similar title).
 
GaimeGuy said:
The thing is, the first and only shipment of OB was 25,000 copies. That's all Enix shipped.

Well, if it only sold 19,000, I wonder what happened to the remaining 6000 copies? Sold to discounters, or dumped in a , er, dump someplace, like ET?

In '95 or so, I wanted to buy it and couldn't find it anywhere, except one local store which had a brand new copy. Great, except the owner wanted $120 for it (though being "nice", he was going to throw in a copy of the strategy guide, too).

I said screw that, I'll buy one off the internet. He laughed at me and said "Good luck". But hah, got one for $35, box and maps included.
 

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
Ark-AMN said:
I'm just mad that after all the support Illusion of Gaia got, we never got a release of Terranigma over here (I think it was sort of a similar title).
Yes.

Soul Blazer
Illusion of Gaia
Terranigma.

These are the three games known as the Quintet Creation Trilogy. Terranigma is easily the best out of all of them. It was released in Europe. By any means necessary,
legal or not,
find a way to play it. You will not regret it.
 
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