Video game companies are never above tooting their horns. Square Enix, in particular, is one of those companies that has always had a knack for praising its best-selling outings and, for the lack of a better term, throwing its poorly performing titles under the bus.
Just last year, the Japanese gaming giant couldn’t wait to announce that Final Fantasy 16 had surpassed the 3 million sales mark a week into its launch. This reveal came months after it called out Forspoken for its disappointing sales that eventually led to the dissolution of its developers.
Thus, this begs the question, why is Square Enix oddly silent about the low Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sales?
While FF7 Rebirth has been universally praised for its engaging storyline and a massive world that’s filled with all sorts of things to do, the early (but unofficial) reports suggest that its physical sales in both the UK and Japan are lagging behind both Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Final Fantasy 16.
The argument exists that these numbers are inexcusable for the sequel, which received an extensive marketing campaign with tons of exposure at several events, multiple demos, and relatively little competition.
The seemingly low Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sales has led to speculation about what may have caused it and whether Square Enix should worry about the future of the Final Fantasy 7 remake project.
Several factors could have potentially contributed to the reported sales trend. Firstly, there has been a general decline in physical media purchases in the gaming industry in recent years, with more players opting for digital downloads. In fact, a growing number of games have launched exclusively digitally, including last year’s GOTY winner, Baldur’s Gate 3, although the game did eventually get a physical release. Alan Wake 2, another critically acclaimed title, and Helldivers 2, one of the most popular games right now, are both digital-only as well. This growing shift could partly explain the lower physical sales numbers. Additionally, the smaller PlayStation 5 player base when compared to the PlayStation 4 during the release of Final Fantasy 7 Remake may have limited the potential audience for Rebirth.
Unfortunately, this argument falls apart when you take a look at the sales performance of Final Fantasy 16, which released to fewer audiences last year while sandwiched between The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Diablo 4 and dealing with backlash.
Another factor affecting the sales of FF7 Rebirth is the nostalgia has already worn off. In 2020, FF7 Remake benefitted from a relatively fresh nostalgia blast, the pandemic, and a much larger install base on PS4. But it turned out to be a mostly 1-to-1 recreation of the original Final Fantasy 7 only to swerve in the end, which may have ultimately turned off players from trying out the sequel who only wanted to enjoy the 1997 game’s storyline in a modern lens. This deviation from the original, combined with the lengthy playthrough time of the sequel, may have deterred potential players.
Finally, it’s a sequel. Even if Square did try to give away a free copy of FF7 Remake as a pre-order bonus, it’s a massive timesink for players looking for something that doesn’t require as much commitment to enjoy. The former PlayStation boss Shawn Layden made an excellent point about how today’s games are becoming absurdly long.
The combined length of FF7 Remake and FF7 Rebirth, which could easily take well over a hundred hours on a casual playthrough, is a good example of this.
Despite these challenges, there are reasons to believe that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth might be more successful than the physical numbers indicate and that it’s on track to achieve long-term success.
For starters, FF7 Rebirth‘s positive critical reception suggests that it offers a compelling experience that could attract more players. Furthermore, the continued success of the Final Fantasy franchise – Final Fantasy 14 is coming to Xbox on March 21 with FF16‘s PC port possibly releasing later this year – and Square Enix’s reputation for delivering high-quality titles provide a solid foundation for the game’s sales longevity.
Nevertheless, it’s odd that Square Enix hasn’t talked about FF7 Rebirth‘s sales yet. Is it that bad that it now finds it self stuck between a rock and a hard place – close to being forced to admit that it overestimated the popularity of the all-time classic JRPG?
For what it’s worth, fans seem to be loving the overall FF7 Rebirth experience, including the decision to finally confirm the relationship between Cloud Strife and Tifa Lockhart. Also, all signs indicate that progress on Final Fantasy 7 Remake Part 3 is going well, so Square might not have to recoup as much costs for FF7 Rebirth and the trilogy’s finale. But with players still waiting for the PS5 patch to address performance issues along with the official sales numbers, you’d best bet that this discussion won’t die anytime soon.
