Fire Emblem: Three Houses is now the best-selling game in the entire Fire Emblem series, according to Nintendo's latest sales data. The data reflects how the series has grown from a niche franchise to one of Nintendo's flagship intellectual properties.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses breaks new ground for the Fire Emblem series by centering its story around a military academy. Players must recruit, train, and socialize with students before taking them into battle at the end of each month, as a civil war begins to tear apart the country of Fodlan. The game features multiple story routes, based on which of the eponymous houses the player chooses at the start of the game. The game's DLC expansion also added a secret fourth house hidden deep underground, expanding on the game's lore further.
Nintendo revealed that Fire Emblem: Three Houses has sold over three million copies worldwide since its debut in the summer of 2019. This makes it the best-selling game in the series, surpassing prior successes like Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem Awakening. While the sales of Three Houses pale in comparison to those of games like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which has sold almost 30 million units, it is an impressive achievement for the franchise.
One possible reason why the game has sold so well is the quality of its writing. The game's main setting, Garreg Mach Monastery, is full of interesting and likeable characters. Although fans like some Three Houses characters more than others, they all contribute to a complex and compelling story. Part two of the game, which varies substantially depending on the player's earlier decisions, uses this world-building to make every skirmish between former friends seem more intense. In turn, this adds replay value, as players can make different choices.
Another factor in the game's success may be that it included all of its main content in one release. Fire Emblem Fates required a separate purchase for each of that game's three routes, and each of the playable routes in Three Houses requires roughly equal skill whereas Fates made some routes harder - notably the grim Conquest campaign. Since Three Houses doesn't necessarily use difficulty as a way to distinguish between routes, it means anyone can choose the house they like most.
After Three Houses, fans seem to be hungry for whatever the Fire Emblem series holds for the future. Nintendo will be localizing the original Fire Emblem game for the first time in December, and collector's editions of the re-release are already selling for enormous prices on eBay. Whatever form it takes, the future of the Fire Emblem series looks to be bright.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is available now for the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Resetera
