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Sales-Age: Final Fantasy series 1st month sales history (NPD data)

Square2015

Member
This data may have never been made public on GAF, given the loss of any real sales data each month from NPD (despite promises made by the NPD Group), I may start a series sharing tidbits of sales data from the past.

Title, month & year of debut, rank (#) within that month's chart, NPD units sold, and weeks on sale.

-mainline series-

FFIII Oct 1994:
#5 77,000 (2 wks)

FFVII Sep 1997:
#1 494,000 (4 wks)

FFVIII Sep 1999:
#1 579,000 (4 wks)

FFIX Nov 2000:
#2 331,000 (2 wks)

FFX Dec 2001:
#2 747,000 (3 wks)

FFX-2 Nov 2003:
#3 403,000 (2 wks)

FFXI Online [w/ PS2 HDD] Mar 2004:
#8 115,000 (2 wks)

FFXII Nov 2006:
#2 896,000 (4 wks)

FFXIII Mar 2010:
#1 1,322,000 (4 wks)

FFXIII-2 Feb 2012:
355,000* (4 wks)

FFXIII-LR Feb 2014:
165,000* (3 wks)

FFXIV-ARR Aug 2013:
#9 >115,000** (3 wks)

FFXV Dec 2016:
#2 1,573,000 (5 wks)


*NPD data gets sparse, not enough info released to interpret rank
**one rank ahead of Pikmin 3 which sold 115k so could be tens of thousands higher


-spinoff series-

FF Tactics Jan 1998:
#20 49,000 (1 wk)

FF Tactics Advance Sep 2003:
#2 203,000 (4 wks)

FF Crystal Chronicles Feb 2004:
#1 243,000 (3 wks)

FFVII -Crisis Core- Mar 2008:
#6 302,000 (2 wks)

FF Dissidia Aug 2009:
#7 130,000 (1 wk)


That's all I got. As a big fan of the series it's great to watch its growth over the years within the US.
 

Cipherr

Member
Tactics was robbed considering it was the best FF of that generation. Damn people really didn't mess with SRPGs anymore eh? Shining Force and all of those older games are missed man.
 

Teeth

Member
Tactics was robbed considering it was the best FF of that generation. Damn people really didn't mess with SRPGs anymore eh? Shining Force and all of those older games are missed man.

Anymore? You're talking about an audience of 20 years ago. And Tactics became a cult hit, selling way beyond that initial amount.
 

Kuro

Member
Tactics was robbed considering it was the best FF of that generation. Damn people really didn't mess with SRPGs anymore eh? Shining Force and all of those older games are missed man.

SRPGs need Waifus in order to be successful. Just look at the newer Fire Emblems. Below average games full of waifus so people eat it up.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
How about numbers for Type-0 and WoFF too?
 
The only surprising number there is XII, given that it's one of the lower selling entries that start is extremely strong.

No legs on it due to next generation competition? Or was it received poorly overseas?
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
The only surprising number there is XII, given that it's one of the lower selling entries that start is extremely strong.

No legs on it due to next generation competition? Or was it received poorly overseas?

I get it's a mix of:

1. Coming out right before the release of the PS3
2. Late gen game
3. Look and feel (this is subjective, I know, but it seems like the look didn't click with Japan and Asia)

Edit: yeah this:

I think XII also had no mass market appeal.
 

Square2015

Member
Tactics was robbed considering it was the best FF of that generation. Damn people really didn't mess with SRPGs anymore eh? Shining Force and all of those older games are missed man.

For Tactics that was its first week, in early 1998. That was a good FW back then. In its next (full) month it sold 105,000.
Tactics would go on to sell 900k thanks to a re-release late in the PSX's life something like doubling sales of the original run.
 

vaporeon

Member
Nice to see how FF still manages to grow its sales base in the west.
SRPGs need Waifus in order to be successful. Just look at the newer Fire Emblems. Below average games full of waifus so people eat it up.
Do people still think like this?
 

kennyamr

Member
so in average the main entries keep growing in sales compared to their predecessors. Interesting stuff.

Edit: FFIX forever my #1 ;_;
 

Man God

Non-Canon Member
Those numbers for FF III were incredibly strong back then by the way.

FF VII really exploded as the holidays came on.
 
LOL @ the dropoff from XIII -> XIII-2

It's pretty sad to see the worst games selling the most :| No wonder the series is in the toilet.
 

Cipherr

Member
For Tactics that was its first week, in early 1998. That was a good FW back then. In its next (full) month it sold 105,000.
Tactics would go on to sell 900k thanks to a re-release of the title late in the PSX's life something like doubling sales of the original run.

Well damn :D That's much better. Such a great game.

Anymore? You're talking about an audience of 20 years ago.

Well, I mean I used the word "didn't" in that sentence to denote a time in a the past. I wasn't referring to the present, but instead the generations coming off of Langrisser, Fire Emblem, Shining Force and stuff like Ogre Battle games. The PSX was so great for SRPGS its wild how much I loved those games in comparison to how much they sold I suppose. Kartia was a standout gem for me aside FFTactics.
 
For Tactics that was its first week, in early 1998. That was a good FW back then. In its next (full) month it sold 105,000.
Tactics would go on to sell 900k thanks to a re-release late in the PSX's life something like doubling sales of the original run.

Agree. I remember tactics actually being a rare psx game until Sony re-released it.

You couldn't find that game anywhere. It wasn't doing FF7 numbers but it had strong word of mouth.
 

Man God

Non-Canon Member
VIII is a beloved, well regarded RPG. It has its faults and did back when it released as well. It also looked amazing back then. The main problem among many was that it wasn't FF VII-2.
 
Lightning Returns < Crystal Chronicles seems fair.

I've played through a lot of games and a lot of FFs, but man if Lightning Returns wasn't a chore to play through.

I finished it once just to complete the storyline and will never touch it again.

FFXIII-2 Though? Criminally underrated.
 

Blablurn

Member
I take issue to that comment good sir.

I like VIII a lot. But let's face it. Most people forgot about it. And it has no real foundation in the gaming community except mabye among the hardcore fanbase. It also doesn't help that Square doesn't seem to push it, except some brief moments of Squall in those Dissidia ames.

Goddamnit, I wouldn't say no to an extended FF VIII universe. Really.
 
I like VIII a lot. But let's face it. Most people forgot about it. And it has no real foundation in the gaming community except mabye among the hardcore fanbase. It also doesn't help that Square doesn't seem to push it, except some brief moments of Squall in those Dissidia ames.

Goddamnit, I wouldn't say no to an extended FF VIII universe. Really.
Just to confirm something here do you think Vi and Ix have been forgotten except maybe the hardcore as well
 

Blablurn

Member
Just to confirm something here do you think Vi and Ix have been forgotten except maybe the hardcore as well

I don't know their sales numbers. But my comment was mostly related to the great sales numbers of FFVIII. Despite having them it feels like people still remember VII (obviously) or FF X more. And XIII, despite slowing numbers, kept being in everyones mind due to Square Enix pushing Lightning like no other hero ever before. So yeah, I still think, Squall and Co, have less of an lobby, despite solid sales numbers, than other Square entries and heroes.
 
I don't know their sales numbers. But my comment was mostly related to the great sales numbers of FFVIII. Despite having them it feels like people still remember VII (obviously) or FF X more. And XIII, despite slowing numbers, kept being in everyones mind due to Square Enix pushing Lightning like no other hero ever before. So yeah, I still think, Squall and Co, have less of an lobby, despite solid sales numbers, than other Square entries and heroes.
I mean if you were to do a poll squall would certainly be higher than Vann,Cecil,Zidane,Bartz,terra etc. People remember squall just as much as cloud,lightning,tidus

Unless we talking just gaf than that's an entirely different story
 

Square2015

Member
12 kinda surprised me. then again that was real late in the ps2's life right?

The only surprising number there is XII, given that it's one of the lower selling entries that start is extremely strong.

No legs on it due to next generation competition? Or was it received poorly overseas?

I get it's a mix of:

1. Coming out right before the release of the PS3
2. Late gen game
3. Look and feel (this is subjective, I know, but it seems like the look didn't click with Japan and Asia)
-Five years since the last "real" FF probably did that ( X-2, CC, XI etc. made fans more desperate for the next mainline installment).
-The PS2 user base was sky high at this point and so were SW sales in general for the system.
-even tho PS3 launched that month, sales were pretty low through its first year or so ($600 at launch, remember?), and was not gonna hurt PS2 SW sales.
 

jjonez18

Member
Your a saint Square2015

FFVII put the franchise on the map.

Crazy how FFXV did so well. IMO it had everything going against it.
 

brinstar

Member
I don't know their sales numbers. But my comment was mostly related to the great sales numbers of FFVIII. Despite having them it feels like people still remember VII (obviously) or FF X more. And XIII, despite slowing numbers, kept being in everyones mind due to Square Enix pushing Lightning like no other hero ever before. So yeah, I still think, Squall and Co, have less of an lobby, despite solid sales numbers, than other Square entries and heroes.

Well VII and X were also pushed into people's faces a ton by SE. VII had that gigantic compilation and now the remake. And X got rereleases on PS3, Vita and PS4.

VIII never really got much, not even in the vein of rereleases.
 
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