Summary
Despite releasing to universal acclaim from both fans and critics, it appears thatFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthmay have failed to perform well sales-wise, according to a notable industry analyst.Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthpotentially underperforming may bring into question the popularity of the franchise as a whole.
The Japanese publisher has had a bit of a rough time in recent years when it comes to the sales success of its latest releases. Back in February 2023, Square Enix noted to investors that revenue from the sales of the console games it released in 2022 was down across the board. This was likely the result of a chain of commercial disappointments for the company throughout 2022 and beyond. Titles likeMarvel’s Guardian’s of the Galaxy,Forspoken, andNEO: The World Ends With Youall ended up being financial failures, with the recent gameFoamstarslosing 94% of its playersin two months. EvenFinal Fantasy 16, which Square initially claimed it was pleased with the sales of, also failed to meet the “high-end” expectations of the company, according to CEO Takashi Kiryu. And now, it appears as ifFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthmay be the latest to be added pnto this pile of commercial underperformers.
According to a tweet from industry analyst Daniel Ahmad - the director of research and insights at gaming market research firm Niko Partners - “Rebirthis underperforming sales-wise.” Ahmad elaborated on this statement of his, claiming that the game is “selling about half of whatRemakesold in the same timeframe and looks like it’ll have a weaker tail (prior to any PS+-like release).”
There is a lot to unpack regarding this information. For one,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthlagging behindRemakein sales shouldn’t be surprising, given thatRebirthreleased exclusively on PS5, which currently has less than half the install base that the PS4 had whenRemakereleased on it. Furthermore,FF7 Remakereleased during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, so higher-than-usual sales should’ve been expected. That being said, the fact thatRebirthhas yet to receive official sales figures more than a month after release may be a red flag.
This disappointing update regardingRebirth’s sales comes during a time of corporate restructuring within Square Enix and a change in its business strategy. Just recently, Square revealed that it was refocusing on in-house AAA game development going forward and relying less on business units and external developers. In addition, back in July 2023,Square Enix announced plans to release more games on Xboxgoing forward, suggesting a more multi-platform approach for the publisher. EIther way, it seems that Square has an uphill battle to face to improve sales performance for its future games after the release ofFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover a vibrant and vast world in this standalone entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second entry in the Final Fantasy VII remake project, which retells the story of the genre-redefining RPG across three distinct games. Iconic heroes Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aerith and Red XIII have escaped from the dystopian city Midgar and are now in pursuit of Sephiroth, the vengeful swordsman from Cloud’s past who was thought to be dead. This new adventure can be enjoyed by all players, even those who have yet to play Final Fantasy VII Remake or the PlayStation original. Expect a new standard of cinematic storytelling, fast-paced combat and rich exploration across a vast world.
