Highlights
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth may be underperforming sales-wise, raising questions about the popularity of the FF7 Remake project and the franchise's popularity as a whole.
- Square Enix has faced other sales challenges with recent releases like Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy and NEO: The World Ends With You.
- Releasing exclusively on PS5 means Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth may continue to struggle with matching the sales of the original Remake due to a smaller install base.
Despite releasing to universal acclaim from both fans and critics, it appears that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth may have failed to perform well sales-wise, according to a notable industry analyst. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth potentially 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 like Marvel's Guardian's of the Galaxy, Forspoken, and NEO: The World Ends With You all ended up being financial failures, with the recent game Foamstars losing 94% of its players in two months. Even Final 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 if Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth may be the latest to be added pnto this pile of commercial underperformers.
Stellar Blade Demo Seems to Be Outdoing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
A demo for the upcoming sci-fi action game Stellar Blade seems to be beating fellow PS5 exclusive Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in one key metric.
According to a tweet from industry analyst Daniel Ahmad - the director of research and insights at gaming market research firm Niko Partners - "Rebirth is underperforming sales-wise." Ahmad elaborated on this statement of his, claiming that the game is "selling about half of what Remake sold 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 Rebirth lagging behind Remake in sales shouldn't be surprising, given that Rebirth released exclusively on PS5, which currently has less than half the install base that the PS4 had when Remake released on it. Furthermore, FF7 Remake released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, so higher-than-usual sales should've been expected. That being said, the fact that Rebirth has yet to receive official sales figures more than a month after release may be a red flag.
Square Enix Has Had Several Commercial Disappointments in Recent Years
This disappointing update regarding Rebirth'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 Xbox going 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 of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is the second chapter of Square Enix's Final Fantasy 7 Remake trilogy. Once again, the story follows Cloud Strife and other members of Avalanche as they take on Shinra and Sephiroth, a mission that takes them out of Midgar.
