UK Sales Charts: Final Fantasy 16 Sales Way Down, Out of the Top 10

The whole physical only thing feels quite outdated. Still, with FF having (let’s face it) an aging player base, I’d expect physical sales to be a bit better than some other series.

Good to see TOTK and GOW Ragnarok still in the top 5 ❤️

I've been watching my kid play 16 and honestly 20 hours and 60% done I'm not really feeling it. There's nothing wrong or broken per se, and it's not simply b/c it's not a JRPG, lots of games aren't, we're big Bayonetta and DmC fans, GoW, Horizon, so I don't have a problem w/ action, and this action is pretty good, but there's just no there there and it feels really oddly paced. I watched some NPC woman explain the storyline last night over a map and I was having Xenogears disc 2 flashbacks, and that's not good. Mostly it feels like they took a few fights out of Eldin Ring and stuck them on a Monster Hunter map. ER was my GotY and MH was much better than I expected, but something just feels off here.

So maybe everyone who wanted it got it day 1, and the rest are just waiting on a 1/2 price sale b/c no rush? 🤷‍♂️

@rjejr just finished the game last night and have quite polar feelings about it. The game has some insane spectacle and really high highs, but incredibly low lows as well. At the end I couldn’t bother with the side quests because it felt detracting from the experience. And I’m one who usually avoids finishing a game so I can do all the side stuff. Like you said it’s very oddly paced, in a way that I didn’t like.

@rjejr I think you pretty much nailed it. I think most that were all in day one or bought into the hype and fluffy reviews spurred the initial sales, and most that read into its shortcomings or are not sold for whatever reason are likely going to wait for a sale, until this one is ultimately an afterthought (as square is notorious for not allowing much in the way of significant discounts for a long time.)

Maybe though, depending on how it performed in their eyes, they will discount earlier like they did to Guardians of the Galaxy. Man, they did that game dirty all around.

I throughly enjoyed the game, but didn't do any side quests as they were awful. But... I've been playing through FF6 for the first time, and you just can't ingnore the magic those old games had.

God of war deserves its sucess. Got the Platinum yesterday. Really good game that I really enjoyed

The game is great with some filler side quests that most RPG's have. The pros out weigh the cons.

Also everyone I know that owns it went digital.

Kind of feel bad about so many people skipping the side quests based off the first couple in the game, which really aren’t good. The endgame side quests are some of the most impactful I’ve seen. Design-wise they’re nothing special, but the writing and overall emotional impact is great.

Hoping sales bounce back at some point and they can call 16 a success.

I finished ff16 and as much as I liked it I’m hoping they don’t go action for the next game. I miss starting with the basic spells and then getting the best spell. I finished all the side quests but it was only really the end game side quests that were interesting. I dunno why but I feel like I was missing magic I know magic was in the game but I can’t put my finger on what in particular. Plus i miss having tonberries and cacturs. It also seemed a bit to laid out in terms of here’s one Eikon the next is to defeat them and get their power etc wish it was a bit more not laid out if that makes sense

@Shstrick I genuinely wanted to learn about the world of 16 so the side quests explaining to me how the world works was enough for me to do every single quest and hunt and it was worth it to the end. Now I'm off to play FF mode

@KundaliniRising333 My library has Guardians, I'm going to pick it up after I'm done w/ Pikmin 4. And Kena which is always on sale for $20 but free is better. 😁 My kid bought FFXVI w/ a $50 Amazon gift card, when they're done playing we're going to trade it in towards Mario Wonder. Even if it's only $20 it's $20, nobody sees any reason to go back and replay this FF game.

@TBubs311 My kid has been doing all of the side quests, there aren't that many and they give more experience for leveling up than most random monster fights, and they're pretty short compared to some JRPG we've played - Xenoblade 3 had a side quest where you had to grow potatoes for like 3 frakin' hours I kid you not - so those aren't too bad, just overall I'm not feeling anything new I guess, just bits and pieces from games here and there held together by 1 character's story, which much like this endless run-on paragraph long sentence, may be ok, but isn't ideal.

@TBubs311
"At the end I couldn’t bother with the side quests because it felt detracting from the experience. And I’m one who usually avoids finishing a game so I can do all the side stuff."

That right there is the problem of most open world games. There's always this pressure to save someone or thing, and then branching out to do side quests makes it feel a bit odd. Geralt needs to save Ciri but hey he's playing Gwent and hunting little monsters for some measly coin. V is dying but he's doing side missions for Delamain the taxi AI. Aloy is ALWAYS IN A HURRY to save the world like all her friends tell her. Yet it's the side stuff that helps you level up and gain items. And this where FromSoftware's games shine, there's absolutely no pressure.

Sounds like FF16 is going to be an encore of FF15. Glowing reviews at launch and ravenous praise from fans...and then 2 months later people will completely forget about it. Honeymoon over...

@KaijuKaiser
16 is doing well? It already fell off the charts and I doubt It'll bounce back in like GoW did. 16 is similar to 15 in that it was released to a ton of hype and people praising it...only for it not to really meet those expectations.

If this reflects overall sales accurately, it’ll surely be a corporate disappointment. For me, I couldn’t be happier with what we got. I haven’t had this great of a time with Final Fantasy in years and is up there with Ghost of Tsushima and Elden Ring for most memorable gaming experiences in recent memory.

@rjejr You got me at "Xenogears disc 2"

I would say maybe it’s cause it’s on PlayStation only right now but then there’s no excuse on why God of War and TotK is still selling well

@Shstrick I would agree intially the side quests are laughable, but if you persevere (and I was doing this anyway as I wanted to go for completionist and see everything the game has to offer) these really start to evolve and I'm suprised by the lore and dark stories the side missions are bringing to the fore. The game gradually opens up like a blossoming flower, I loved it right out of the gate, but for those that dont you have to keep playing!

Still in the digital top ten in UK. But people are so negative putting off people who don't want to risk full price.

It's absolutely phenomenal to play. I love the endless string of boss fights. The VA is actually really quite good. The story gets quite crazy, which I always like.

It's a proper game that you have to play to experience it. I had a bunch of concerns going in, especially for combat and enemies, and Clive's character, but I'm completely satisfied with my purchase.

I'm enjoying it as much as I did GoW, and maybe more, simply because there are a lot more boss fights.

@KaijuKaiser Well for £70 I like 100hr games. It's not about the hours, it's the storyline with constant pressure. I mean Elden Ring is 100hrs with no pressure.

I guess diablo 4 is a flop as well because it was outsold by prime day deals and ff16.

@Ravix Gow reboot was just a one and game for me tbh. I was wanting to do ng+ playthrough for Ragnarok but as soon as I got through playing as Atreus with the Angrboda section I changed my mind very quickly.

@rjejr 20 hours and 60% done???? How? I'm 50 hrs in and about 68% (according to my PS5 anyway) granted I have been doing almost all the side quests.
I appreciate that not everyone enjoys the game. For me the side quests are fine, not spectacular. But the rest of the game for me is fantastic! I also really enjoyed FF XIII so...🤷🏾‍♂️

@KaijuKaiser
I'm pretty sure SE corporate does consider it a huge failure. These probably aren't the numbers they were expecting after showing it off again and again and again at every possible showcase.

@Shepherd_Tallon The ending being as good as it was honestly bumped up my overall feelings with the whole game, I was massively underwhelmed by loads of it but it sort of pulled it off in the end. Just wish they hadn’t treated their female characters abysmally.

I’m playing right now and a little meh about it. Just did some stuff for Martha that was boring. Side quests are like talk to person about something boring, run 10 seconds, fight easy monster and/or talk to someone about something boring, run 10 seconds back to first person and talk more about boring stuff, get unrelated reward. Everything is marked on the map. There’s no sense of achievement in finding or doing anything that isn’t combat related. Could we please go back to the days where you actually had to go around and talk to NPCs to find the one you’re looking for? Not just run to green marker. Not everything needs to be served on a platter.

The fighting is quite good but since nothing else in the game really engages the mind from a gameplay perspective, it makes it seem like FF16 is a one trick pony. And for that reason, even though the fighting is good it can get a little stale. If exploring was more rewarding it would break up the combat. If the equipment had interesting attributes that encouraged building your character and strategizing it would break up the combat. If there were interesting locations to find around the maps that would break up the combat. Those things are what made turn-based combat tolerable. The same is kind of true for real-time action.

The only thing that’s there to break up the combat is the storytelling. Which is good. But it’s not gameplay. Storytelling should complement the gameplay not overshadow it. And here the storytelling replaced any effort put into exploration, character building, puzzles, etc.

Everything feels so dumbed down and overly streamlined. The spectacle is great, but I don’t feel like I’m taking part in it because there’s very little that I’m actually having to use my brain for in the game.

@Sakai God of war is hitting those numbers from the Console bundle. But i agree it’s a great game. 😊

Maybe Square should bring it to Xbox/PC later on and then go back to turn based. Not sure yet, i haven’t bought it yet. At this point i might wait for it to hit its first sale down the road. Maybe it will be $50 and I’ll snag it. Looks worth playing to me at least. The music production on it alone with my sound system i upgrade this year has to be worth the time and $50 bucks. 😊

@HonestHick It'll come to PC, but it won't come to Xbox. Square Enix games don't sell well on Xbox and that was before MS conditioned their gamers to not buy games.

Takashi Kiryu should be cleaning house before the year ends. If not, he should be removed by the board by the end of 2025.

I finished Final Fantasy XVI last week and loved pretty much every second of it. Eventually, I'll return to it to do Final Fantasy mode. I'd like to know what the digital sales of the game are as they are likely higher than retail physical sales.

@KaijuKaiser FF games have a long history of puzzles or mazes or having to work out clues dropped by NPCs. It made the games engaging outside of combat. This game is a run to marker, fight, repeat simulator. Dumbed down. Little sense of achievement.

@rjejr lol that NPC woman explaining things over a map is so minor that I have no idea how you could even compare that to Xenogears Disc 2. The first encounter is just to get you familiar with her character. Her importance is to help strengthen the narrative, not supply it. Want to know more about the history of an area you can, optionally, ask her to do so. The story only relies on her 2 or 3 times, the latter of which come at great effect.

FF16's story is fantastic. It is not a game you can back seat game on. You have to play it yourself. Game is very well paced and calling it an action game in the vain of DMC does it a disservice. I get where the comparisons come from, but it doesn't fit. I'm saying that as someone who has finished the title and is in the middle of his second play through.

@HonestHick Xbox makes up less than 9% of FF sales. If it isn't selling well on PS5 in a PS5 dominated region now, it's not going to make up even 3% in a delayed launch. PC tends to do better than Xbox, but again 11% if lucky.

Problem with FF16 is it's marketing has sputtered out early. It's a fantastic game, but we haven't seen any more marketing since launch. You have a lot of gamers still put off by FF15 that they need to win back.

I'm all for seeing people "vote with their wallet" on this and have it affect corporate reception of what mistakes they made in releasing this particular game as the sequel it isn't, but I'm not convinced the physical sales drop off even means that much at this point. It's more amazing Hogwarts and GoWR are hanging in there so steadily.

I'd like it to be the reality that it didn't reach the "new young mass market CoD players" that corporate hoped and they rethink their direction for their series trying to cater to them. But I'm not convinced that's the reality yet.

Its a pretty mediocre entry and is FF in name only so not really shocked.

Yesterday after a 20 minute boss fight and then going back and forwards for the unbearable Mid, I turned it off as I just couldn't face much more of the game.
I'll trade it in for Dead Space Remake on Friday.

Game will struggle in the long term, probably won’t even reach 10 million.

@theSpectre i have a Xbox and PS5 and would buy FF16 on either one and enjoy it just fine, but i would ask since we all know Sony outsells the Xbox by a wide margin how is it Sony makes 24 billion a year, Xbox makes 16 billion a year and Nintendo makes 12 billion a year. Someone is spending money on Xbox besides me HAHA 😊 and thats without the ABK deal so that 16 is likely to go to 20 plus or higher. Not to mention when Starfield and others drop. MS CEO said his goal is to double Xbox’s yearly revenue by 2030. That would be 32 billion a year.

@Shstrick You pretty much nailed it on Final Fantasy XVI's side quests. In a way, they might not be anything special, but they get to be really good story wise and such in the second half of the game. Unless you really don't like getting more depth behind side characters and areas, but if that is the case I have no idea why you'd be playing RPGs like that or actual Western RPGs.

I'm somewhere between 75-80% complete and I've done every side quest so far. I'd say some of them, especially the ones in the second half of the game, are just as good as main story quests. Obviously you don't get the epic Eikon battles and such, but story wise they are mostly pretty good.

As for the sales, it is surprising and a bit disappointing that it's not still in the Top 10 right now, but at the same time it is easy to focus on the negative roughly a month after release. In the end, I don't really care as I'm loving the game and that's what matters.

@HonestHick I have a question: have you played Octopath Traveler 2? Its turned based HD 2D pixel art JRPG from Square. I usually ask this of everyone who says FF should go back to turned based combat.

Man, we live in a world where Battlefield 2042 outsells FF16… I just don’t have words…

Edit: I had to check because I thought I might be delusional, but yes, I do have Battlefield 2042 in my library… which I got given to me through PS+. How has a game this dead risen through the sales charts?

@AdamNovice Ah, thanks. Makes a little sense then. I think the solution for Square-Enix seems clear then — give FF16 away on PS+ and then put it on sale for £5 and it’ll chart. 😅

@NotSoCryptic Xbox port would cost near nothing to the return on investment and the only way to increase your sales on a platform is have that platform market your games and have the games. Tho i understand your point as a Xbox and PS owner. I haven’t bought any FF games on Xbox. Xbox has marketed themselves as the WRPG company and they have loads of those in the works and probably don’t need FF16 after the deal expires on PS. I haven’t played it yet to know what’s good and bad about it. But i do want to play it at some point since it’s action focused and not turn based. I also have a great audio setup in my media room and Square does audio in its games right. So i would love to hear the music on it. It’s on my list to get at some point. In the meantime i am addicted to Diablo 4 on Series X. Diablo is a top 3 all time franchise for me. So i will be on that non stop for a while yet. It’s a console generational title for me, D3 and now D4. 😊

@3Above i haven’t play that. But i am not much of a turn based RPG fan. I prefer the WRPG’s and the action focused FF16 caught my eye. I haven’t bought or played a turn based RPG in over a decade. Maybe i should give them a try and would like them more now. 😊

Feels like it’s popular to crap on FF16 everywhere I go. Honestly, 30 hours in, over 60% of it done and having done all side quests, I would say it’s an incredible game. Some of the side quests are dull, sure, but they fit Clive’s character and his desire to help people. It’s easily one of the best FF games in a long time. And has a lot of throwbacks to IV, which I really enjoy.

@KilloWertz it’s nice to see someone else share my sentiment on side quests. I’ve really enjoyed that they also help me feel like Clive care about more than just destruction and revenge as a character. Plus there are some real singers in there if you stick with them.

@HonestHick Octopath Traveler 2 is actually really great! You should try the demo PS5/4 😀

@ErrantRob @KilloWertz I'm right there with you. In XVI the sidequests serve the narrative, to flesh the plight of bearers and give alittle more insight into the characters. Plus there is your standard stuff. But it's clear the goal wasnt to create sweeping side stories to rival the main quest but rather to enhance it. And I find it to be enjoyable.

@ATaco Despite the some of the problems 16 has I still like it more than 13 & 15

@DennisReynolds I’m going to go out on a limb and say you haven’t played much FF. Every entry has tweaked things and been different since 1. Even 1-6 are all different in ways. With the intro of ATB you lost the turn based argument long ago. True turn based let’s me sit there and nothing ever happens until I move. Heck even 7 was divisive on reception. I know I’m old enough to have been there. People love it now but it was not always that way. 8 too changed up the way we approach everything after that.

Of course 16 has Eikons, Crystals, Fantasy setting, chocobos and more. How pray tell is it not FF? Heck, it even has several nods to IV if you know that game well enough.

Your entitled to that thought, but I tend to hear that though only from those who haven’t played it much or at all.

@3Above best thing square has done in years is the 2d-hd games.

@KaijuKaiser Yeah, I actually do agree with you on that, though that's been the point of the naysayers all along, really. Their direction for this game was to try to make ff a brand for that big huge western casual player base instead of the existing fans, but in the end, ff remains more niche of a brand regardless and the new market they gained just replaced the existing players that weren't interested in the genre change. (Maybe, still not convinced these physical numbers mean that much, even as a naysayer I'm sure it did better than it appears, though ff is one game I'd have thought the fans would be more physical leaning)

@Th3solution yo that's mad, I thought you were waffling but how tf is bf2042 in #5 😂

Guess the devs of FF won’t be making this particular mistake again.

FFXVI was absolutely stellar. Anyone who hasn't picked this up yet I highly recommend. It's absolutely worth $70, esp if you have a great TV setup and sound system

Final fantasy 16 probably sold like 4 million in the first few weeks of the game being out that’s good for a Jrpg. you people expected a Jrpg to sell like gow is very foolish especially being only available on one console with only a 40 million install base.

I'm not in the UK and don't buy physical, but I just bought this game. It looks incredible. I wanted to wait for a couple of patches before diving in.

Maybe if they didn't make the game so easy a drunken soccer mom could beat it blinfolded then it might have stayed on the chart longer.

@ErrantRob Exactly this the side quests may be dull at the start but the payoff from them is great it serves a great purpose of understanding the people and the world of Valisthea.

Despite the gameplay being different and only one main playable character everything about it is FF, I think. The setting is closer to the likes of FFT, FF12 and FF14 to me. The mainstream would compare it to Game of Thrones.

It's crazy people will see this article and think that the game flopped are isn't doing good but in reality this game is already considered a success in the short time it's been out UK isn't the only region that sells games

Didn't a major UK retailer announced that 2800 stores will no longer carry physical games 😕 and aren't we at more than 50% of games sold in UK digital anyway

I am loving FF XVI, but theres just too much Filler dialogue and quests. Sometimes I want to play some battles and end up spending 2 hours going from point A to point B to fetch some item for a random guy that I could not care less.

@Cherip-the-Ripper I know, right?! That’s the real story here. 😂 Everybody is discussing the virtues or shortcomings of FF16 but the big issue is who’s buying all these physical copies of BF2042? It’s actually outselling COD!? Is this a conspiracy against the Activision-Blizzard acquisition where Sony has sent out agents to track down every last copy of BF2042 that hasn’t already been thrown in the garbage and buy them up to devalue COD for negotiating purposes? 😂 😜

@Th3solution I was wondering the same thing, who's buying BF 2042 en masse at this point

@KaijuKaiser This game isn't an experimentation. It's a near complete departure aside from window dressing. Each previous game brought forth elements from past games. The only gameplay aspects that even vaguely resemble anything in previous FF games are but a whisper, and it was done to attract the lowest common denominator to reach a wider market. I guess we still have treasure chests and limit breaks (essentially aping GOW Spartan Rage). They essentially slapped a FF skin and story on top of DMC mechanics. That's basically it. That's not experimentation. That's just copying another game. The job system was experimentation. The ATB system was experimentation. The gambit system was experimentation. These systems were experimentations on top of core gameplay and did not entirely do away with everything that came before. They iterated, refined, built upon, and at times diverged, but not so drastically. The gameplay roots of the series were always there. FF16 could have easily added elemental weaknesses, status effects, optional explorable areas with mega bosses, switchable playable party members, etc. There's a laundry list of FF gameplay mechanics and design that could have been brought forward and adapted into this game that would have only added much needed depth. There was no attempt to do this, or at least any attempt was abandoned in favor of chasing a different demographic that doesn't really seem to have garnered them much greater success than past entries.

"They essentially slapped a FF skin and story on top of DMC mechanics. That's basically it. That's not experimentation. That's just copying another game."

Game's story being about crystals, having chocobos, summons(Not to mention playable summon battles) fighting behemoths, yeah that's certainly a FF skin slapped on a DMC game. Lmao.

@3Above i have heard great things about it. I should give it a try.

@4kgk2 i am a Xbox guy. I also happen to be mature and have a PS5 with a Dual Sense Edge and play many PS5 games. In fact SF6 on PS5 is calling my name tonight after playing some Diablo 4 on my Series X. Must be a tough life to believe some people like more than one brand in their lives and hobbies. Case in point i have a Ford truck and my wife has a Chevy SUV. How dare her right ? 🙄

@ErrantRob Played most of the classic games, FF7 and FF7R plus Crisis Core, FFX and X-2, FF12, the 13 Trilogy and FF15. No i haven't played all of them but i've played enough to know what FF feels like and FF16 doesn't feel like one, instead it feels like a pretty average by the numbers action game at best with FF dressing that's only getting the love its got because its called FF16 and made by Yoshi-P.

@kcarnes9051 Nailed it better then i ever could. Know what's sad? Its not even a good action game, GoW and DMC the games its desperate to be are miles better and in DMC's case have way more depth.

wow, god of war has been out close to a year and is managing to outsell ff 16 in its first month? that is really sad. perhaps ff 16 bombed afterall. it is important to note that god of war is also on the ps4 and i assume they are combining sales of the ps4 and ps5? still, though. we are talking about a final fantasy game in its first month of release already out of the top 10. ouch.

@DennisReynolds When FF16 was first announced with the medieval setting, I was really hoping it was a return to form similar to FF9, where they heavily drew on the roots of its predecessors to inform its design, while adding wrinkles here and there. It did everything a FF should do after a somewhat divisive FF8. Hopefully some day we can get another game in that vein, again, with a modern AAA presentation, but leaving aside the worst trappings of modern gaming, i.e. quest markers, taking quality of life to the extreme by effectively dumbing down mechanics and having the game practically play itself, over reliance on cinematics, etc. The cinematics of FF7 felt like a reward for finishing difficult parts of the game. Now everything is a cinematic. Make cinematics feel special again!

@3Above 20 hours and 60% done????

I don't know, I''m just going by what the PS5 home menu says. W/o getting too spoilery Gav just busted Clive out of his cell. It was a weird place to stop but we had an unexpected guest. Kid didn't play tonight b/c D&D but I'll check again tomorrow. It does feel like they're closer to the beginning than the end but that's what it says. This website says main story is 35 hours so 20/60 would be close to that. 🤷‍♂️

https://howlongtobeat.com/game/83152

@NotSoCryptic I can compare that lady to Xenogears disc 2 b/c she's basically doing the exact same thing disc 2 did, so, not hard at all. 🤷‍♂️ One of the first rules of good storytelling is "show, don't tell".

https://self-publishingschool.com/show-dont-tell-writing/

And we literally call Clive's "limit break" his "devil trigger" as he's basically Dante in DmC at that point. Not a knock, it's 1 of the coolest parts of the game, but it is what it is.

@Czar_Khastik "You got me at "Xenogears disc 2""

One of my life regrets is trading in Xenogears, and I only did it b/c of disc 2. 😢 My other life regret is trading in my PS2 b/c I have a shelf full of games I can't play. Who knew backwards compatibility would never happen for that system after PS3?😩

@Porco the comparison with God of War is unfair due to the PS5 bundle.

But yes, the fact that it left the top 10 already, despite the low number of sales required to make it, suggests it won't have particularly long legs in the UK. Personally, I'm waiting for a price cut.

@Ambassador_Kong "Maybe if they didn't make the game so easy a drunken soccer mom could beat it blinfolded then it might have stayed on the chart longer."

Yes, because the top10 has demonstrated over and over again that only the most hardcore games sell. Nothing else. Also, only good games.

Leading up to the release, 16 was supposed to be a banger. After finishing it, the game was surprisingly derivative. It missed delivering that magic sauce necessary to become a true classic and I can understand why it’s just not resonating with a lot of gamers - FF used to lead the pack and now I worry more than ever that the series is stuck in identity limbo 😣

@rjejr You learn from your mistakes, but fortunately these mistakes can be undone. Ok, Xenogears goes for a pretty buck these days but it's worth every penny as long as it's not severely overpriced.

Regarding the PS2, I tried to make its games work on modern TVs but to no avail. Tried the OSSC but the results are underwhelming because of the PS2s interlaced signal. Tried hooking it up via component cables on my Sony HDTV but it was only OK, not great. The only way to enjoy it properly is to get a CRT TV and play it old school. I'm on the lookout for some smaller 14'' units so I can cure my Burnout 3: Takedown itch. The point here is: get a small CRT and the PS2 console and you'll never look back.

@KaijuKaiser
The launch sales are great for both games (3.5 mil for FF7R and 3 mil for FF16) but both fell of the cliff once the dedicated fanbase had already purchased the game. I think that is the problem here. The dedicated fanbase is often more forgiving of a game's faults but others are not. Dropping out of Top 10 just after a couple of weeks of launch is not a good sign for FF16, especially considering the amount of time and money spent on its development. It shows that the word of mouth is not very good and the game is failing to attract people other than the hardcore Day 1 fans. On the other GoW Ragnarok is once again back on the charts. FF games need to be good enough to have those kind of legs. Currently they have a narrow appeal and are extremely front loaded in terms of sales.

It's a shame that so many gamers seem to assume that open world game side quests necessarily have to be needless filler. We're so far from the days of Fallout, Fable, and The Witcher, which populated their worlds with all flavours of stories and quirky characters, that it seems most of us have forgotten what actual side content should look like. FF16 could be a fantastic experience, but I just can't move past this. It's anathema for game design, and it's a plague on the AAA industry.

That’s not a good sign for FF16’s longevity. I expected a slight drop in its second week but not to drop out of the top 10 entirely.

Battlefield 2042 in top 5 is weirder than FF16 dropping from the top 10!

@Nepp67 I said slapped a FF skin on top of DMC mechanics. Mechanics being the important word there. Stories about crystals are not mechanics. Stories are not gameplay. Fighting as giant kaiju is a new mechanic. If you read my comments you'd understand that a large part of my gripe is that FF16 does not honor past mechanics. It ditches just about everything. Summons skins on kaiju boss battles is not honoring past mechanics. So, yes, more window dressing. I'm sorry, but riding on a chocobo just ain't enough FF to get it done.

@rjejr ooohhhh ok, yeah I'd say you're not even at the halfway mark yet.

Oh, hey, it's good to see my boy Tarnished Maidenless stepping up with the magnitude of 12.6m steps over the flailing corpse of clive all hype rosfield. No staying power at all says something after all that front end hype.

It Says.... Leviathan DLC is coming

please let this be a sign

@OneWingedAngel Let's not forget that Ragnorok is on PS4 and PS5.

@KaijuKaiser I agree the Bloodborne pacing was almost perfect.

FF16 is a mutant of a game - too weird to live, and too rare to die

@3Above Just checked the PS5, 60% and 21 hours, so I was off by an hour. It also says "Capital Punishment 28%" which I'm guessing is how much is done of I believe this main story mission. So right on pace for that 35 hour main story time I mentioned above.

They're an aggressive gamer and obliterate everything in their path which might be speeding things up a bit. I'm sure I would have died half a dozen times by now if the menu is keeping track of that time as well. It's not a 150 hour JRPG at any rate, just finished watching them play XC3 for that long.

@rjejr Agressive indeed! Theres lots of story still to come though. I hope they're enjoying it 😀

@3Above We're all enjoying it, we all just think it should have been called "Vagrant Story 2" or "FF: Clive's Adventure" instead of FF16. 😉

For the record I'm old and as a Squaresoft fan I was very excited reading about "Vagrant Story" before it came out then I bought it day 1 and finished it right away and honestly it just wasn't that good. This is much better than that, but it's still a single player adventure like VS was. 🤷‍♂️

@Czar_Khastik I tried some pirate PC software about a decade ago now, maybe longer, also maybe less, and it sort of almost worked but never quite. At this point by the time some good software is created disc drives won't exist. And I'm not buying a PS2 in 2023. 😝

@Cordyceps DLC for this game? Sign me up, having a blast playing this one.

@MightyDemon82 Leviathan was my fave FF7R fight, be interesting to see as an eikonic encounter

@kcarnes9051 Sucks to be you then my guy, but it still is a Final Fantasy game through and through, just not the one you were wanting.

@naruball that's a fair point about the bundle. that would go a long way to explain it being in the top 10 for so long but i have no doubt it would have performed better than ff 16 regardless.

With regard ff16 . It's not a bad game. I bought it day one out of brand loyalty. But what I don't get is arguably Squenix designed the PERFECT combat system with ff12 ( the gambit system) or the ATB style of ff13 and the class system that you juggled throughout a fight. I think 16 should have been built around one of those combat systems. Ff16 isn't doing "it" for me ( whatever "it" is) and I can safely say that considering the mediocre sales this will probably be the last FF game I spend my money on. There's too much great stuff out there for a final fantasy game to just be....**shudder**...."ok".

So either bring back full turnbased, or the combat styles of 12 or 13 or theresno sale for the next FF game for me. If this is FFs future....it's bleak.

@Cordyceps I can't even remember that so I need to replay it. I do remember the one in XV though.

Looking forward to playing through all entries!

@Nepp67 Well, yeah, it is a FF game because it’s called FF. I was discussing the historical fact about how past entries brought forward past mechanics and iterated on that formula. This was an established trend that anchored the games as a series in a gameplay style that evolved. FF16 did away with that trend, losing much of what anchored the series as an anthology that iterated. And what’s left of FF is, as I’ve said, largely just window dressing, story and aesthetics. That can be responsible for losing some core fans that recognize this large departure and lead to somewhat lackluster sales numbers. That’s my point. I’m enjoying the mediocre game for what it is, an outstanding production with quite good combat but a lot of dull dialog, quests, level design and FF story and aesthetics placed on top of derivative ARPG mechanics. Doesn’t suck to be me. Lots of other good games to play.

@rjejr As you mention Versus XIII I guess XVI is really delivering on what Verus promised gameplay wise and narratively. A spiritual successor if you will. I wouldnt mind is Square alternated between mainline numbered FF and a "Versus" version of that same mainline entry. Could be interesting 🤔

@kcarnes9051 No, it's a FF game through and through, not because of the title alone. Turn based mechanics isn't the only thing that makes a FF game. I don't like Yakuza 8 because it replaced the combat system with turn based mechanics, does that mean it's not a Yakuza game? No it doesn't because there are more major aspects of the game that make it a Yakuza game than just its gameplay alone such as having a goofy and serious tone, crazy and wacky combat, and having Amon as the crazy secret boss. If FF didn't have summons, the well known ff creatures such as Chocobos, Moogles, and Behemoths, magic attacks, and being over the top anime then I would agree with you that it's just a FF game because of its title alone.

@Nepp67 I never said it came down to just turn based mechanics. Here are a bunch of other mechanics and game design elements left to the wayside that could have been still incorporated: status effects, elemental weaknesses, sword and armor effects, multiple party members, jobs (thief, white wizard, black wizard, etc.), limit breaks that are actually limit breaks not Spartan Rage, literally any kind of puzzle that the player has to work out, secret mega bosses, mini games. Do I need to go on? I’m not saying that all past games had these and I’m not saying this game needs all these. But I am saying that the inclusion of an assortment of these builds a game design language over time that has evolved by bringing forward more than what is left behind and by staying true to roots moreso than moving on to new mechanics. FF16 does away with this philosophy. It does away with the vast majority of mechanics and game design elements, aside from mostly non-gameplay elements, that were through lines in the series.

Yakuza 8 has many other game design elements that carry over that allows the series to hold onto a sense of identity beyond window dressing. The mini games are a HUGE part of that series, as is the map location and level design, and they help anchor Like A Dragon in that identity from a game design perspective.

But furthermore, the newer Yakuza games are ditching the numbering convention in part for exactly this reason.

@kcarnes9051 I agree with a lot of what you've said here. Like all of it. Even if I didn't like the direction they were going in, the other games felt like some kind of evolution... this is an abandonment.

And don't worry, they always put turn based in your mouth when you critique a new entry. This is one of the most fruitless conversations in all of gaming. The corporate FF fans versus anyone with an actual opinion.

Keep keeping it real.

@3Above A "Versus" in the title may have helped people's opinions, but Squenix was probably correct in thinking more people would buy a mainline numbered game than a spinoff, even if the game is more of a spinoff than a mainline JRPG.

@DennisReynolds There's different styles of FF the FF1-FF6 style games as well as 9,11,12,FF Tactics and 14 which is more medieval FF. Which 16 is in that group. FF7 as well as the remakes and spinoffs,FF8,FF10 plus FF10-2,FF13 and sequels as well as FF15. Which I put in a bracket called modernized FF.

@Nepp67 you don’t seem to understand what through and through means. Chocobos were introduced in FF2. Summons were introduced in FF3. Not through and through. Status effects and elemental weaknesses have been a mainstay of the series from the get-go. That’s through and through. Not present in FF16. The only thing through and through about FF16 is window dressing.

@AsterZero Different styles sure but all share elements. FF16 though if you were to remove the name and window dressing would never paint an image of FF and that's because its FF in name only.

@DennisReynolds It has a lot of elements from previous games. Some things gameplay wise like elements work similar with FFXIV.

The lore is like FFT,FFXII and FFXIV. The only thing that separates it a lot from is the lack of minigames,controlled party, proper Superbosses,different battle system. Tales of Arise had similar problems but the story in FFXVI was good.

Despite of that I still liked it more than FF13 & FF15.

@3Above 24 hours and 65% so things have slowed down a bit hunting B and A monsters and running errands for Mid. 75% of Riddle of the sands. Things certainly feel like they're picking up a head of steam now. I think by 36-37 hours they'll be done.

@HonestHick "Xbox port would cost near nothing to the return on investment and the only way to increase your sales on a platform is have that platform market your games and have the games"

That return on investment has to becarefully weighed. As someone who has been on the other side of this process, I can tell you it is not cheap. Especially with a delayed port like Rise of the Tomb Raider. It hurts the game significantly and requires way more marketing to get consumer interest up. Less than 9% get's eatin fast. If you're lucky that's 450,000 copies on xbox at 5m units. A port tends to cost more than twice that, after kits, engineers, build inspection, certification, electricity, production staff, marketing staff, materials, 1st party licensing fee (aka their cut of the 3rd parties profits), on a game the size of FF16 with the kind of large scale set pieces they do. You'd need to make up more than that. Cross platform development is no cake walk. Imagine having 40 hours in a week, where 10 of those hours are filled with meetings. Another 10 hours just lost in context switching between issues that crop up in the day. Eventually you get left with 1 to 5 hours in a day. In an industry trying ot be more mindful of overtime. You eventually have to get those missing hours from some where. I find myself working our leading platform, but then spending additional months of our time based on our Jira tracking alone wasting it trying to zero in on a single platforms specific problems. For every platform you add you add a quarter more cost of the leading platform best case. that's N * 25%. It's not cheap. That isn't even factoring in bonus' and compensation for OT. Food for OT. Other related services they have to try to keep us sane.

Now you talk about MS marketing themselves as a WRPG company. They haven't. Furthest thing from it. Just looking at the Witcher 3 alone they don't even make up 1/3rd of that. PC and PS4 made up the bulk of its sales. We're talking over 24m sales out of 28m with both of them being pretty neck and neck.With Switch amazingly enough almost justifying the cost of its port at 800k. That's really the same across the board when looking at things like Fallout 4. In Xbox's defense they sold more copies of the Witcher 3 than they did of FF11, FF13, and FF15 combined on their systems. Hell you could even through the FF12 and FF10 remasters into that and you still wouldn't even come close to that of the witcher 3. So porting to Xbox makes absolutely no sense unless you're extending an olive branch to microsoft for special privilages. Even pulling your market to xbox makes no sense, because it drives your development, production, and marketing costs up to do so.

I will say porting to PC certainly makes sense. Only platform where a game could be 15 years old and still generate a quarterly profit. At the same time Square Enix ports haven't been paragons of porting virtue on PC. Even their latest, Forspoken is questionable in performance and configurable options.

A little food for thought when it comes to ABK. Most of their games are very dependent on PlayStation and to a lesser extent PC, for the Xbox Ecosystem to even have a large enough user base to exist. It's nearly dead when you turn off cross play for any of their games, wait times are unbarable without it.

@NotSoCryptic i merely meant and still mean, MS has loaded their attention to WRPGS studios and own them. Meaning if they so choose, could have Elder Scrolls 6, next Fallout, Starfield, Avowed, Fable, etc etc etc on their ecosystem. Thats a strong lineup. I am interested in that Clockwork game from Inxile. Looks like a time warp Bioshock. As for a port to Xbox/PC for FF16 I could see it doing well enough, but if they choose not to thats fine by me. I have a PS5 as well for exclusives and still really want to play it. But locking down to one machine in 2023 isn’t smart so they should like you mentioned at least get it over to the PC when they can. ABK games sell well everywhere for the platforms size. COD is too big to be on only one console so i am happy to see it across the Big 3 now and PC. The idea is active users, and those users spending money. Xbox now has more active users than PS, even tho Sony has double console sales. Sony is going to hit the live service train and many of those will come to PC, and maybe a few even to the Xbox, that is going to help them gain new and more active users. The Big 3 are all alive and doing well, i enjoy all 3 of them for their own unique experiences. No doubt MS dug a hole for themselves with Xbox one. It will be a slow ride to get some of those users back. But as far as revenue goes, they have a great plan in place to remain very competitive in this space. With the rumors of Sony wanting to possibly buy Square and MS talking with Altus & Sega, things will heat up soon after the ABK deal is done. I am just happy to see both of them cemented in consoles as long as consoles are around. 😊

@rjejr making nice progress, fro.here the sidequests become a little more involved.

@nessisonett Yeah that’s one aspect of the game I’ve heard that kinda put me off from trying it myself.

@rjejr not really, you merely play the fool for doing so. Difference between giving exposition about the story as it happens and a history of the lands to give context for why you might choose guying by land or sea. For that matter giving a mere recap of events.

As much as I love xenogears, comparing ff16 to the must busted aspect of xenogears, a point where they ran out of time and money to finish the game forcing them to narrate the last few hours, is a great disservice to ff16.

As far as I can tell you just sound like a dad looking for excuses not to play with such a lame duck nonsensical reason. It's OK you don't have time to play. Happens the best of us. Making snap judgments based on 25 year old half finished game is just absurdity.

@NotSoCryptic "Making snap judgments based on 25 year old half finished game is just absurdity."

I think you're making a snap judgement of my opinion, I'm making a measured and reasonable comparison of 2 aspects of 2 videogames which are similar. 🤷‍♂️

@rjejr I guaranty you I'm not.

@3Above Final update. Kid finished the game Sunday night, 100% at 52 hours. They looked up a few side quests to get the final sword. Just got back from trading it in for $30 towards pre-order of Mario Wonder. Probably worth it for a $40 rental I guess.🤷🏻‍♂️

@rjejr Wow! Hope it was an enjoyable run!
I'm about to start the Final stretch myself tonight after 84hrs. I've completed everything except the Trials. I've never enjoyed time trials in any game. I'll probably go back and complete them for a platinum run later in the year. I'm going to play Octopath Traveler 2 untill Spiderman comes.

Cheers!

@3Above You should do the trials to make your gameplay a nice round 100 hours. 😉 I think my kid did 2 of them, if they're what I'm thinking of. Each was about 4 levels deep. I think he had to "no hit" the the final boss on the last one b/c they had like 92 health left starting the fight. Better them than me. 😂

I almost never do any of that extra battle stuff either. I feel like I missed about half of God of War b/c a couple of those planets didn't interest me. I almost always do side quests, I like having my characters over leveled and sometimes the extra story beats are nice, but I don't fight for fighting sakes. 🤷‍♂️

@rjejr LOL, I'm sure once I eventually play it on Final Fantasy mode for the platinum I'll go far past 100hr. That might not be this year though. Time trials in particular usually put me off platinuming games, I just do not like them, but will give these a shot one day.