It’s amazing how far a single hail mary can take you. After betting it all on Final Fantasy in the late 1980s, Square Enix, then known only as Square, the franchise has now sold more than 180 million copies following the best-selling release of Final Fantasy 16.
This lofty achievement, announced by the company over the weekend (thanks, NoisyPixel), sets the series firmly within the upper echelons of video game sales.
Among the other storied franchises that Final Fantasy has outsold include Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario Kart, Resident Evil, and The Legend of Zelda.
As any fan of video gaming’s rich history will testify, few franchises cast as long a shadow as Final Fantasy. Now, Square, the development powerhouse behind this storied RPG saga, is celebrating a significant milestone that proves the longevity of the franchise and its enduring appeal, even though its most recent entry has proved to be divisive, at best. Although Final Fantasy 16 has been review bombed and told off by supposed fans for reinventing the franchise for the worse, we need to remember that each installment has always introduced something new. As each entry remains a standalone experience, all of them only borrows from the series’ tradition while building upon an incredibly rich and deep tapestry of imaginative worlds, memorable characters, and gameplay innovation. In doing so, Final Fantasy has set benchmarks in terms of spectacular visuals, compelling stories, and technical prowess.
One of the key contributors to this colossal sales milestone was the latest release, Final Fantasy XVI. In just a few days after launch, it sold over three million copies. While this might not match the staggering day-one sales of two of its most recent mainline predecessors, Final Fantasy VII Remake and Final Fantasy XV, it remains a tremendous achievement, nonetheless.
The comparison becomes even more noteworthy when we look at the performance of other PS5 exclusives. FF16 is now the fastest-selling exclusive title on the PlayStation 5. This feat, no doubt, represents a resounding success for Square Enix and reaffirms the status of Final Fantasy as a high-profile franchise in the PlayStation family.
That being said, let’s not forget that there’s more to Final Fantasy than just the mainline games and the still-ongoing Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy. The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, a faithful remastering of the first six Final Fantasy games, contributed significantly to this sales achievement. On top of that, new entries to the series like the constant updates to Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth show that Square Enix isn’t ready to let the franchise rest on its laurels.
With plans to remaster older Final Fantasy titles, among others, including still-unconfirmed modern re-releases of some of the series’ most beloved entries like Final Fantasy 9, Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy Tactics Remaster, it’s safe to say that the enormous popularity and staying power of the franchise will continue to soldier on.
In the pantheon of RPG franchises, only Pokémon surpasses Final Fantasy in terms of sales. With a staggering 480 million units sold across all games, including spin-offs, Pokémon holds the crown. But for a franchise that’s been around for over 35 years and still going strong, Final Fantasy doesn’t have anything to prove.
In fact, the only thing that Square Enix has left to do is to give audiences, and even members of their development team, what they want and that is to make more Final Fantasy games.
