The sequel to FF XIII sold 1/3 the number of copies that XIII did.
Final Fantasy XIII is one of the most divisive games in the series, on both sides of the world. The game has one of the lowest Metacritic scores for a main entry in the RPG franchise, and the creation of the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII-2 is to address the complaints that stalwart fans had of the 2010 release. That sequel launched in Japan last week, and the sales look strong. That is, until you dig a little bit deeper.
According to popular Japan-focused website Andriasang, Final Fantasy XIII-2 sold over 500,000 units. 525,271 to be exact. It debuted in first place for PlayStation 3, although the Xbox 360 version didn’t place in the top 20. Excellent numbers for that region these days, and it even surpassed the week one sales of Monster Hunter 3G, the first 3DS entry in the wildly popular monster slaying series. It has even sold better than The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, according to Siliconera.
But take a look back to the launch of Final Fantasy XIII, and you start to see a different story. That game, released on December 17, 2009, sold a whopping 1,500,000 copies that first week (PS3). With such a huge drop in first week sales, it begs the question: has the Japanese gamer’s faith in Final Fantasy been shaken by FF XIII, or is this a product of the economy and tsunami recovery? To compare, the most recent RPG to be released for the PlayStation 3 in Japan was Namco Bandai’s Tales of Xillia back in September. That game, which has always sold to a smaller audience, saw sales of 525,605 copies, squeaking past FF XIII-2.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 is set to make some big waves for the ongoing series, and part of that is the inclusion of DLC for the first time. While we don’t know exactly what form that DLC will take, we do know that the Xbox 360 version is getting an exclusive weapon. Serah can equip the special Azrael bow, which increases her Chain Bonus, which can help to put enemies in a Stagger state easier. The weapon costs 80 Microsoft Points, or $1.
Shouldn't be any surprise this sold less. People now know what they are in for and are making an informed decision. It's a controversial game, so a limited set of sales is to be expected.
Seems like it still did pretty well overall, though. Glad to hear it, as I really enjoyed the first game and I'm looking forward to the improvements they are making here.
This still isn't too bad. They don't have to re-develop the engine and they were probably able to re-use a lot of the assets they had in and left over from FF XIII. They probably still made a crap ton of money even with (relatively) low sales
Sales in Japan usually spike and then drop, but I think this is a case where word of mouth might increase sales in the long run, especially here.
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