PS5 Exclusive Final Fantasy 16 Hits a Slightly Skewed 3 Million Sales at Launch

3m copies on a console with a current install base of less than 40m in just a few days seems like a great start.

Yet I'm sure Square Enix will still be hugely disappointed.

Not to forget that XVI had a way, way smoother development cycle and also not an expensive Movie, Anime and so on pre-launch (like XV) which bloated the budget. And with Sony giving them a big bag of money for development (and offering dev support) this looks even better for XVI.
A copy of FFXVI is also 10-20€ more expensive than XV

3 million in a week? Seems pretty good to me

Good for them.
I am 15 hours in but i just dont feel it yet.

Excellent numbers. Hope it has long legs.

I was 2 of those sales 😆😆😆😆😆

Congrats to Yoshi-P and his team. I had fun with this one.

Square was probably projecting about 10 quadrillion copies sold as per usual so they'll likely be disappointed, but 3 million for a PS5 exclusive in less than a week sounds pretty damn good.

Not amazing numbers but if you consider that almost 10% of the PS5 users bought a copy, seems OK.

@Ashkorsair I played the demo and really didn’t enjoy it. Slightly overhyped for my liking.

Also Final Fantasy 15 had a much bigger user base to sell to.

I bought it last night on the PS5 store, shell be starting it later today.

I suspect that the game will linger in the charts for a few months, but 3 mil seems respectable, although a smidge underwhelming. Being less than XV is a bit of a spit in the eye, and it’s also behind FF7R’s pace which topped 3.5 mil in 3 days.

Considering they limited the potential audience to one console and to an M-rated crowd, they can’t be disappointed.

loving the story on this, but Christ the filler in between is absolutely dreadful, my recommendation for anyone is just to skip the side quests, I've done about 15 and have all been fetch quests.

7 Remake's sales was 3.5m in 3 days (although I'd argue the number of days has lower significance) so I guess 3m is pretty good too
I'm sure it's below SE's expectations though

@EquiinoxGII Idk, I like the side quests in this game. Some of them even tell pretty interesting stories I wouldn't want to miss

@Th3solution I was wondering weather it being rated M made a difference. I do have a feeling it did TBH.

3M people playing at 30-45fps.

F in the chat.

I would have probably bought it if they weren't so greedy with their 80€ games. Instead of buying it at a normal launch price, I'll wait for it to drop below 40€

@TrickyDicky99 F indeed for people not enjoying great games because they constantly focus on the negative.

@naruball The game isn't going anywhere, I can enjoy it at 60fps either via PC, PS5 Pro or PS6.

Going off of the demo, the game should become a hit and it seems to be on track to do so.. I'm sure Square Enix will still moan and weep though

@TrickyDicky99 Absolutely, man. Same with God of War Ragnarok that you greatly enjoyed.

Great sales for PS5 install base of 40 million. Also, FF15 came during the Hollidays period.

@naruball I wouldn't play Ragnarok even if it was free on PS+

@TrickyDicky99 You do you, boo.

I think I am near the end of the game on my first play through of it. What an incredible game, and a amazing feat for it. Big congrats to Yoshi P and the team.

Great game so far, about 20 hours in. Side quests are fine, Not as boring as they are being made out to be. one even made me laugh and another tear up a little .

Where is all the sex/nudity and swearing we were promised? I'm assuming all that comes in the back half of the game as it's pretty tame for an 18 so far. Still an 11/10 game despite it's flaws!

That's amazing. I love FFXVI. Might end up being my favorite FF ever.
All them alarmist can suck a toe now 😂😂😂

@MightyDemon82 I'm near the end, no sex, and nude wise all I've see is male butts, so.

@Jaz007 Yeah, after I said that I’m not sure but do think it could have limited sales a little bit, especially since the series is traditionally a T and E rated series.

The average gamer is probably in their 30’s, but stats indicate that about 25% of gamers are under age 18. Yet, I suspect that the demographic that actually buys games is the older groups, and the younger ones spend their time in F2P like the Fortnite’s of the world.

Still, I’ve been in a GameStop and overheard when a pre-teen kiddo asked his mom if he could get a certain game and she said no because of the M rating. So it does happen. But maybe there’s just as many 30 yr olds who would pick up the box for FF7R and see the T rating and don’t buy it because it’s not an M game. 😅 So I don’t know.

"Care to explain what the f**k your dog just did?!"

Gav saying this in his Geordie accent has been the best thing I've heard in this game. Top bloke.

@ApostateMage Gav said exactly what I was thinking at that part

@SuperSilverback Good. It doesn't need to be there. And yes, that does make me sound like a prude, but I would like to remind everyone that FFX got away with a single kiss in a lake and that has gone down as one of the most famous scenes in all of gaming.
That beautiful moment wouldn't have been in any way enhanced if Yuna got her kit off.

FF13 and FF15 are easily the two worst games in the series.

I bring that up solely to say that this is the best FF game in nearly two decades. Whilst I don't agree with the "muh awesome" reviews, it is a return to form.

@naruball I'd like to know the numbers for Zelda Tears, that'll be brilliant to know that 20 millions do not care about 30fps or less!!! hahaha

FFXV took 5 years to sell 5 million and had a more successful launch. Time will tell whether or not sales "didn't meet expectations". The PC port will boost numbers

@cassiel exactly. A good game is a good game.

It's been really great so far so congratulations for the strong launch numbers Square!

@LifeGirl There is a cardinal number between 13 and 15, FYI.

@LifeGirl well to be fair, people are naked, but you see nothing. The camera angle gives nothing away. Except male butts.

I preordered and I’m really happy with the game

So many 'financial experts' in the comments. If SE are disappointed then the product didn't meet their expectations and that's that.

For reference - Zelda sold 10M copies in it's first three days. If FF tumbles down the JP/NA/UK charts like all of the other PS5 exclusives then Square Enix is in real trouble. They will have to fire up that NFT machine and release 'Pixel Remasters - 2 - The 2D-3D-4D Remastering' ahead of schedule.

This game deserves more appreciation than it has as its truly fantastic and for me it’s much more fun than Diablo IV.

@dancingstar93 FF14 is good but also not what i would call a mainstream title.

They don't really need to worry, while the number of sales will certainly increase faster in the first few weeks since launch, a brand new Final Fantasy will definitely continue to sell for years until 17 is ready.

Diablo 4 has 6 millions across all main gaming platforms. FFXVI has 3 millions on one machine. Isn't that enough!?

@djlard How does Activision's sales numbers affect Square Enix's bottom line?

Cool, now release it on PC as well and I'll add to those sales.

@Jaz007 The rating was THE reason I won’t be picking it up. That may be prudish to some, but as much as I love the Final Fantasy series (and I have since the 90’s when I discovered it as a teen), content matters to me as a parent. I’m also religious, so I mostly game in the E - T realm…you know to keep my mind “pure”. and besides that my backlog is insane.
It still includes games from the 90s sitting on shelves and in drawers. Not to mention all those sales these days!
All that said, the game looks pretty cool, the story sounds epic. No judgment from me to those who are loving it. I won’t be getting it, but I’m glad for those that are enjoying it.

@LifeGirl I don’t really know how to quantify worst, but I quite like XV, and that’s after having played every mainline game multiple times. Is it my favorite? I don’t know, I have a hard time ranking enjoyment. It’s fun, the bros. banter is so well done it’s easy to feel part of the “boy band” as I play.
Not really disagreeing with you, more just saying I have found a lot of enjoyment in that mess of a game.

Will it keep selling and not fall off a cliff like FF7 Remake which couldn’t reach 10 million though?

Idk selling as well as 7R (a remake of a beloved entry) in a very similar timeframe despite all the factors against it as a PS5 exclusive is pretty damn great. Especially when you consider the fact they probably weren't even expecting big launch numbers if Yoshi Ps interview is anything to go by. I just find it funny people are screaming capgod when RE4R sold similar numbers but with XVI you have all sorts of twisting of logic to downplay it and FFs in general. It happened to 7R and it's absolutely gonna happen to 7 Rebirth lmao

Anyway congrats to CBU3 they managed to sell a ton of copies of a great product with little to no development issues. That alone is worth celebrating. Can't wait for 7 Rebirth and to see what this fantastic series has in store afterwards

@Ashkorsair yeah Its a great action rpg lite game ,the side quests are dreadful though

This really is Devil May Fantasy.
Final Cry? 😄
I guess you hire the DMC director, you get a DMC game.
Taken as it's own, it's an excellent action game with good acting and story. (Bit lacking on the treasure chests and side quests, but nothing game wrecking.)
Still, it's not a Final Fantasy game.
I was never a big follower of the series so it doesn't bother me. I could understand FF fans wanting an FF game would not want this. That should hit sales a bit.
Then the obstacle of trying to get newcomers to try out a game with the number 16 of a series on it.
The casual gamer isn't like the people who comment in a PushSquare thread, who are more informed on games.
Casual and new gamers have no idea FF's are self contained stories, made only more confusing by when the series made sequels within a certain number of FF.
Great game for me though! I'm enjoying it. Nice to play a game with so few glitches.

@PlasmaticSnake I've been playing it in French.
Actors are great in that language, as well.

Nice! I am loving it!

The battle system exploded at this point. I had a giant smile on my face with the last Boss battle.

And that battle music!!!! I am crazy about it. Last night I was sure a big fight was coming and paused the game and got my very best headphones.

It is like that part in CONTROL where they tell you to put on the headphones. And the music just makes the action so much better.

"The Ring" scene earlier in the game was amazing. SE creepiness at its best! 😅🤣

This guy is jRPG GOLD!

Nice, I hope it can sells more than 10M

If 3 Million copies sold in a week isn't impressive anymore, the industry is in trouble.

@kedireturns it actually drops down into the 30's in performance mode and is a lot of the time outside the VRR range of 48fps+

The game will be far better played at 60fps on the PS5 Pro/PS6

I wasn’t one of them. Actually need to play at least X / X-2 first.

Originally I got X for PS2 upon release way back when, but didn’t like as wasn’t the same as VII. Everyone said should give a chance. Soon I will (and now much enhanced / extended for subsequent gens 😀).

@EquiinoxGII Nah, I've been doing all of em and it's been a good time for me personally. Especially when you get to ride your chocobo or get an upgrade out of it.

@PlasmaticSnake most complaining about performance issues are probably the ones who haven’t played it. The game runs superbly on fidelity mode. I was a 60 FPS minimum snob up until I played Spider-Man on PS5 and realised that some games 30 really works with. I can’t play Spider-Man at 60 anymore because it doesn’t feel as realistic. Frame pacing is just as important as high frame rate.

@Th3solution It could also have to do with the combat since it's completely different than what some people wanted. Anyway I can't wait to get my copy this weekend.

@kedireturns true but with sub hd resolution. I'm hoping they can do some patches to clear these performance issues.

It’s a travesty to me that 15 broke any kind of record.

@Alpha_Pulse I don't know, when it comes to character action games I feel like I need the 60fps. On the other hand 16 does have some pretty forgiving parry windows so I'll try it out.

I'm almost 30 hours in. It's a fun action game with very minimal RPG elements. Character customization is too limited for me and the equipment is boring as hell. Long quest chain to build a legendary sword and what do you get? Just more attack and stagger. Dull.

It's not the Final Fantasy I wanted but I am still in enjoying it. Music is great, Japanese VA is on point, and it's got some beautiful art. I don't understand why people keep saying it's a more mature story than previous FF games though. Blood and a bunch of curse words does not a more mature game make.

I don't see myself ever playing it again though. The combat's limited options start to get boring. At this point only my interest in the story keeps me vested. And even that isn't groundbreaking.

@Nepp67 being honest the combat is like Fisher Price my first action game. The dodge and parry windows are extremely forgiving. I've been playing on 30fps mode because performance mode is too ugly and janky and I've had no issues with combat. Game is easy.

The game runs like a charm. I really want to like it, but coming fresh off of tears of the kingdom and being about 1/3 through, I'm afraid this is a really shallow RPG.
Hell, ff7r, ff15 and even crisis core have deeper gameplay. Maybe I'm wrong and some important gameplay mechanic will be introduced soon, but I'm afraid it's just running from red marker to red marker, sometimes green, beat a few things to a pulp along the way and watch a pretty cutscene.

Very proud of CBU3 and Square for this amazing game. FFXVI became one of my top 5 favorite FF games. Congrats on 3 million units!

@Nepp67 definitely worth a pop. If it’s not for you then it’s not for you! 😊

@Synthatron_Prime this is true but there is the new game plus so fingers crossed this is much less forgiving!

@Alpha_Pulse Yeah I wish that difficulty were available from the beginning. I'm not someone that needs a punishing games but I do appreciate a fair challenge. I might do a NG+ playthrough in a few years. There are lots of things I enjoy about the game.

Glad to see its doing well, not that there was really any doubt. Every Mainline Final Fantasy has reviewed and sold very well, even the supposedly "hated" 13 and 15.

@Cashews it was just comparation.

@TrickyDicky99 saying you won't play Ragnarok even if it was free makes me disregard everything you say because you clearly hate great games 😂

@tameshiyaku I absolutely loved TOTK and I'm also loving FFXVI. I'd love to know your thoughts as you get further in the game, just out of curiosity.

3milly in a week sounds like amazing numbers I'd say it could easily hit 5+ in a month

@fromjtov don't hold your breath... with kids, work and everything else I'm advancing only in tiny increments :-/
That's why I love my switch for all the small downtimes.

@Ashkorsair takes a long time to get going.a long time

Not sure why you used all caps for some words but here we are. I understand all the data behind the performance and resolution. It can be very choppy when traveling and trying to maintain 1440p. Then just drops to a lower than HD base resolution (720p) in battle to try to maintain 60fps. It can look pretty ugly for a PS5 big budget title during those battles. That's why I stick with fidelity mode despite preferring 60fps.

If that stuff doesn't bother you that's great. Enjoy the game. I'm not trying to take away anyone's enjoyment. Hell, I enjoy the game. But I'm not giving everything a pass because it's Final Fantasy. I have issues with it and those issues are measurable and I'm hoping they get patched out.

@Andy22385 they purposefully gimped the game by making it a last gen game, I have no interest in it.

Just because some people think it's a great game doesn't mean everyone else has to agree. I think VR gaming is great, plenty of people disagree though and call it a gimmick.

@kedireturns I've watched another video (ElAnalestaDeBits) where it drops to 30fps in performance mode

A reasonable amount of sales for an average game imo
Not a fan of the story or characters though, a snoozefest headlined by a cast of wood planks.

I plain to add a sale to that number at some point. 😊

@kedireturns I don't think we'll agree here so I'll end engagement after this comment because you called me a liar which is silly and not true. I never said the game wasn't upscaled. I understand how common (and smart) AI upscaling is in gaming nowadays and I'm here for it. But upscaling from a lower resolution is going to affect output quality. That's a fact.

720p is not considered HD resolution. It hasn't been for years. Yes, it's upscaling it to look better but it's not great. This game probably uses FSR 1 for upscaling which is not very good. It causes all kinds of issues. Read about how many people are pissed about Starfield excluding DLSS and forcing FSR on PC for more info on that.

Again, if none of this bothers you that's great. Not everyone is bothered by these issues and if people are happy that doesn't bother me. Enjoy it! But just because you say it looks great doesn't mean it's true or everyone agrees.

@tameshiyaku I know how that is! Haha. Life keeps on lifing.

@TrickyDicky99 considering it was gimped it won the most awards at the GOTY awards. Pretty good 🤣

@kedireturns ngl if that's 720 it looks fantastic so the upscaling does a great job. I'd also like to see where it drops to 30 fps too because my monitor tracks it and I've not seen it drop under 40 once yet.

I think despite older game having higher sales so far, it's done well. Some people are mixed as this title is an action RPG. Considering it's only on PS5 and the size of the userbase is 38-40 million. Plus, not as much development/management troubles that FF13 & FF15 had people craved for FF more back then with mainline entries taking ages as well as people being put off the series with those 2 games. I think it will do well enough in the long run plus it will get extra sales with a PC release sometime next year-ish. I think it will keep selling and it will do fine with Sony hand in marketing and development which took a year or 2 off development time and the money.

Just battled with Titan. Great spectacle, sublime music but the actual gameplay was mostly QTEs. I am enjoying the game but I'm not feeling that massive sense of adventure as Clive travels across the map like I did with Vaan in FFXII. Valisthea just doesn't seem to have any scale to it.

@kedireturns at the 2m50 mark. Or you could just watch the video yourself

Seems that they gained maybe around only half of what they have spent, and even less. So it doesn't seem as a success in terms of business imo. Another failure by SE?