When one examines the statistics correctly, one can't help but be blown away by Japan's collective interest in the recently released Final Fantasy XIII .
Early reports indicated that Square-Enix had shipped anywhere between 1.6 and 2 million copies of the hotly anticipated RPG when it launched last week. Reports soon followed that over 1 million copies had already been sold, but we finally have a more official confirmation from Japanese sales tracker, Enterbrain. According to PC World citing Enterbrain, FFXIII has now sold over 1.5 million copies in Japan and Square-Enix fully expects them to hit the 2 million mark very soon. Now, there are a few things to remember: firstly, the game has only been available for four days. Secondly, it's only available for the PlayStation 3 in Japan (the Xbox 360 version doesn't exist there) and the installed PS3 user base in that country stands around 4 million. This being the case, it means that nearly 40% of all PS3 owners in Japan already own FFXIII and it could very well be half before the month is out. To add one final bit of perspective, the best-selling PS3 exclusive in Japan before FFXIII was Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots , which has only sold around 700,000 units in total since it released over a year and a half ago.
But here's the thing: we're only talking about the existing PS3 user base. If FFXIII is this popular; if apparently the whole of Japan wants this thing, they need to own a PS3. Therefore, don't be surprised to see a huge spike in PS3 sales in the Land of the Rising Sun and…well, it has already begun. Enterbrain says sales of Sony's machine have already topped 250,000, which is about 100,000 more than when the system hit another high point after the big price drop in September. In short, FFXIII is the biggest PS3 title by a long shot in Japan and for one final compare-and-contrast piece, FFXII sold 2 million copies all told. And that was on the raging PS2. Sony ought to be happy with FFXIII, yes?
Related Game(s): Final Fantasy XIII
This is a really impressive showing — keep in mind that while Japan has certainly maintained strong and steady interest in Final Fantasies over the years, it's Dragon Quest that usually gets the CRAZY sales. Not sure how FF XIII compares to the Dragon Quest IX launch over the summer, but this a pretty amazing start regardless.
I am really, really looking forward to this game!
I'm curious to see how sales of 'Dragon Quest X' and this will compare in Japan, since they favor 'DQ' and the Wii. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the turning of the tide…
Seeing as how DQIX sold almost 2.5 million in it's first two days should tell you something. I don't see Final Fantasy reaching the sales of DQ over there just yet.
Any figures on the sale of the Xbox 360 version, im generaly curious lol. I have to admit im envious of Japan getting FFXIII for christmas, i just keep telling myself, 2 months till Heavy Rain, 2 months till Heavy Rain. by that time i will have had a months worth of H.R then FFXIII shall be upon me 😀
There's no 360 version in Japan. The game is a PS3 exclusive there. Only North America and Europe will see a 360 version released.
Really, i never knew that. How odd.
Really, i never knew that. How odd.
Ben reminds everyone in this article that it's exclusive in japan.
Not that it was a PS3 exclusive though.
"Secondly, it's only available for the PlayStation 3 in Japan (the Xbox 360 version doesn't exist there)"
I'm not trying to troll, just showing you were it was. 🙂
Last edited by Jawknee on 12/21/2009 2:27:57 PM
Ultima,
I used to look up to you, you're the reason I bought Siren. Don't ever disappoint me again.
Good Lord, ok so i miss read something, no need to execute me! Some people honestly….
Those figures are unbelievable. Here's another contrast figure, although it's not verified:
All games for the 360 combined in Japan sold less than 1 million copies. That means that the PS3 beat the 360 in Japan in a day.
I was really excited about FFXIII, but then I heard that it was some sort of RPG-Action game hybrid. And linear as Uncharted 2 (don't get me wrong, I really loved that game).
I guess I'll have to see for myself. Go FFXIII!
EDIT: They really ought to make this site more PS3 browser friendly. I check it 90% of the time on my PS3 and I have to copy-pate the articles so I can read them, given how the adds cover up the text in the articles.
And another thing, every time I post a comment on the PS3, it's posted twice for some reason. I have to delete one of them.
Anyway, go FFXIII (again)!
Last edited by Linseed on 12/21/2009 11:03:11 AM
If they chose a more linear aproach then we have the 360 to thank for that. Cant make an open world games open when its forced to be on more then one disc. Seriously, why can't xbots see that a game being released on multiple discs is a step back. This isn't the 90's anymore.
linseed you need to go into your browsers settings and mess with the resolution. the browser will display properly but you have to change some settings. i go on here all the time from my ps3 and have no problems.
in your browser, press triangle, go to tools, go to resolution and turn it up til your page displays better
@Jawknee
As Ben (or Arnold?) recently pointed out – using Mass Effect as an example, RPGs with an open world experience are lazy games because rather than work on story and character, the developer presents the gamer with an open world and expects them to make their own story. There are only so many steal object, kill target, escort target, deliver object, protect target missions you can do before it becomes pretty repetitive.
@Frylock and Linseed
Indeed, adjusting the browser makes a difference, you also want tom make sure that your java scripting is turned on.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 12/21/2009 11:55:18 AM
Was FFX and XII lazy?
Don't me wrong, FFVII, VIII and IX are great and my favorite RPG's to date but it seems going back to the disc swapping formula is a step backwards in terms of how the game is played.
Last edited by Jawknee on 12/21/2009 12:05:12 PM
No disc swapping for BluRay…
Yes I know but the game was still designed around the disc swapping formula due to it being on the 360. I have a feeling it will feel more like VII, VIII and IX in it's experience. Which is fine, those were fun, but it doesn't seem like a step forward. I didn't like not being able to access an area on disc one when I was on Disc 2 or 3. That problem was solved in X and XII.
Last edited by Jawknee on 12/21/2009 12:14:32 PM
I tried tampering with the resolution, but to no avail. It helped a bit at max resolution (+2) but still, the ads blocked the text.
By the way, what I meant to say in my first comment was "All games for the 360 combined in Japan sold less than 1 million copies this year.". I forgot to add 'this year'. Sorry bout that 😛
Last edited by Linseed on 12/21/2009 9:01:22 PM
On the subject of linearity: I have heard multiple reports that while the game starts off extremely linear, it opens up quite a bit about 20 hours in. That sounds fine to me. It actually sounds kind of similar to FFVI in that respect and you might guess from my icon I kind of like FFVI 😉
I think most of the people bitching about the linearity haven't actually gotten very far in the game yet.
As for the combat, it's definitely more action-oriented, but not devoid of strategy. Actually using the optima change system is essential for doing well in combat and a number of people have said the fights can be quite challenging. I was a bit skeptical about the get-healed-after-every-fight business but it worked for Dragon Age and it does let the developer ramp up the difficulty of individual encounters without worrying about trapping the player in an unwinnable situation.
Jawknee, I felt that FFX was the most linear FF game ever (and I've played them all…), so I don't know what you're even talking about.
FFXII is a completely different story, but then a whole lot of fans reacted negatively to that. The reason they made FFXIII more linear is because that's what people *wanted*. It is not a technical issue.
If they give me an Airship 20 hours in, I may pee in my pants a little.
Have there been any English language reviews of this game? I'm headed to Japan next week, and I'm thinking of picking this up.
Probably no reviews yet but plenty of people have imported the game and have their impressions online. If I could understand Kanji, I'd import the game.
Somebody in my friends list over the weekend had a bunch of kanji where it shows the name of the game they were playing. I should have asked if that was FFXIII.
A japanese cat on my friends list has been playing the game, and it just shows up as "Final Fantasy XIII". Ive been quite jealous everytime I see him online by the way.
@frylock25,
Thanks for the "go into tools" advice, it certainly helped me out too.
Doesn't suprise me given that fact that the demo alone helped sell more then 600,000 units the week Advent Children Complete was released.
Stay on top of FFXIII numbers when it comes stateside Ben, I wanna know the different in Ps3 vs 360 sales. Probably not even worth making the port.
You know, I can't help remembering that some MS spokes droid stated that the 360 version of FFXII would outsell the PS3 version.
Somehow, I can't see that happening.
Next up in Japan is Gran Turismo – another big PlayStation name.
What a nice time to own a PS3 in Japan.
Last edited by TheHighlander on 12/21/2009 11:58:12 AM
Yea that droid was Aaron Greentoad.
Aaron Greenberg…….
"Halo Reach will be the biggest game in 2010, Gran Turismo 5 won't even come close to it"
"We're confident the Xbox 360 will sell 100 million units"
"The PS3 sale is hemmoarging(I forgot how to spell this word)"
"We're converting PS gamers into Xbox gamers"
"The Xbox 360 versioon of FFXIII will definitely sell more"
Yea you know……..all his prediction and analysis are messed up.
Aaron Greentoad. King of trolling.
Can't help but think that linear world has to do with multiple discs.
PS3 = BluRay = no disc swapping.
Linear doesn't mean no side quests, or a totally closed, on the rails story. But totally open makes story telling much, much harder because if a world is totally open the player could take actions that break the story. The point of an RPG is that it's story and character driven like a novel. How many novels do you or anyone else know that allow you to start on page one, skip from page 10 to 53, then 98, then back to 47, on up to 212, a quick dip to 73, and then a run through pages 15-27 before returning to the 'story' on page 11?
The linear nature of story telling is why RPGs have a relatively linear form.
The stories in X and XII were told just fine with a less linear approach.
Last edited by Jawknee on 12/21/2009 12:20:01 PM
And choose-your-own-adventure books are still being made, and they allow you to travel to different pages throughout the book. A lot harder to find than they used to be though.
Just sayin, they would have had to alter any more eploring elements to make it the same in both countries on Japans version and the two US versions. I notice people are buzzing about it on the net, and they shouldn't be if it is the same kind of linear as X, X-2, and XII
Highlander,
I would argue that the point of an RPG is role-playing, which (if it is to have any meaning as distinct from how we play roles in all games) must include a greater degree of player choice in identity and action.
What you're describing are adventure games…and most JRPGs are excellent adventure games.
Last edited by Fane1024 on 12/21/2009 5:44:36 PM
You know, I'm not the least bit surprised. But then again who was? I'm sure a majority of everybody on this site already knows how big of a monster the Final Fantasy Series is. Squaresoft is what got me into gaming, and I freakin got the PSP primarily for I, II, Dissidia, Agito, and Tactics: War of the Lions (which is the same friggin game as the original give or take some extras) Another thing is I want to download the Final Fantasy VII and the recent VIII for PS3 (because it has more space) that are in the Network Store even though I'm looking straight at the discs which still play fine. At this point I own Anthology, VII (+Dirge and the movie), VIII, IX, Tactics, X, X-2, and the Collector's Edition of XII (had to get it)… So yeah like I said, not surprised… and given that I know quite a few people who are looking forward to Versus, I think that will possibly be even bigger than this.
Yeah i even preordered the game when it was about to come out. I got golden guns on Uncharted 2. I still don't know how such a masterpiece never sold like it was supposed to.
It's sad. At least I got the Limited Edition one which you can't get anymore.
As for this game, (FFXIII). I hoping that it will sell good enough on PS3 or more inUS and rest of the world. Just to shut the XBOTs mouths.
That attach rate is just insane…~40% of PS3 owners owning the same game? I guess its obvious what Japanese PS3 people want to play.
Does anyone know the best attach rate for a game in the US or Europe? (across any system)
US gamers should have rewarded uncharted 2 this way.
I did my part, Jawknee.
As did I.
Me too. 🙂
-Arvis
I paid full price for it (which I almost never do) and only got to play about 10 minutes of the story before it killed my PS3.
So, it cost me $237. I think I did my part.
Does anyone think theres gonna be a little surprise in the ps3 version the 360 wont have?