Current Events > It's kinda crazy how poorly FF16 sold

(+) Yeah! (+)

game hasn't even managed to move 1 million copies in the 2 years since the first week sales burst, despite releasing on 2 more platforms and numerous sales lol

I've heard almost nothing about the game since it came out other than "It's good".

It's what happens when a major RPG franchise is barely an RPG any more. It's more of an action game, but there are better action games out there.

I just don't think final fantasy has the same draw anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if your average teenage gamer is completely unfamiliar with the series.

I feel like most Square games sell poorly these days.

As far as FF is concerned, I imagine after how poorly 15 was received, a lot of people bounced.

the FF fanboys keep defending it too because Yoshi-P was on the helm. Nobody wants the game, i know it's tough to hear but the fact it had absolutely 0 legs is proof enough lol

Oh, TC had an agenda with this topic.

FurryPhilosifer posted...

I just don't think final fantasy has the same draw anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if your average teenage gamer is completely unfamiliar with the series.

Square Enix has been fucking the franchise up for decades. Perhaps revisiting FF7 will lead them out of that pit of doom, but these people are entirely capable of making the next numbered single player FF a Bejeweled clone with massive video cutscenes because they love making movies that much.

I have it but have not played very far into it still. I heard the story is pretty good but the gameplay is extremely different from the traditional games of the series. They should have called it something different than FF16

Make it a new sub series. It plays nothing like older games.

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/464167/update-final-fantasy-xvi-sales-top-35-million-units/

Final Fantasy XVI has sold over 3.5 million units worldwide, according to Japanese analyst Hideki Yasuda stating the sales figures are from Square Enix President Takashi Kiryu during the company's latest financial results briefing.

Rharyx211 posted...

Oh, TC had an agenda with this topic.

Yeah. That's a shame.

Zikten posted...

Make it a new sub series. It plays nothing like older games.

tbf, a lot of main entries have their own play styles. 12 is different than all the others, 8 has its Junction and level-scaling stuff, 15 is real-time combat for the first time, etc.

One of the things I like about FF is that each game kind of does its own thing. And with 16 in particular, the combat is really fun once it opens up enough.

People have been soured on the series for years and XV was the final nail in the coffin for many as its universally considered poor. Couple that with the subset of people that disliked the action game look of XVI and its not surprising. I certainly had zero interest in it.

just pulling numbers out of your ass or what?

I lost all interest the very second I heard it was an action game and not an RPG. It also didn't help that Yoshida defended the all-white cast by saying it's not realistic to have minorities in the game.

FF17 really needs to go back to being a turn-based RPG.

s0nicfan posted...

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/464167/update-final-fantasy-xvi-sales-top-35-million-units/

Yes, that is what I said. 3 million first week, 500k over 2 years after that?

s0nicfan posted...

https://www.vgchartz.com/article/464167/update-final-fantasy-xvi-sales-top-35-million-units/

I think you're missing the part TC is talking about.

This figure is up from three million units shipped in its first week.

So the first week it shipped out 3 million copies, and in the following 2 years, it only sold 500,000 above the initial shipping.

Square can make up for it by giving FF6 the FF7R treatment.

FF16 is a subpar action game that does not have the depth to support the 80 hours it takes to complete it and is entirely devoid of the RPG mechanics that fans of the franchise would want. It's an insane example of a game that has no audience. It is a real shame because the characters, world, and story are quite good and deserve to be experienced by more people. Ironically, the lore is the perfect premise for a turn based RPG. Having to assemble the pantheon of Final Fantasy summoned creatures who can transform during battle, choosing the right composition of elements for the encounters ahead, etc. That shit was a total layup.

TMOG posted...

I lost all interest the very second I heard it was an action game and not an RPG. It also didn't help that Yoshida defended the all-white cast by saying it's not realistic to have minorities in the game.

FF17 really needs to go back to being a turn-based RPG.

Hell, I'd settle for FF17 being any kind of competently done RPG. Square Enix knows how to do this, except for FF.

solosnake posted...

just pulling numbers out of your ass or what?

SE already confirmed 3.5 million. First week sales is 3 million, means less than 1 million since July 2023?

CastletonSnob1 posted...

Square can make up for it by giving FF6 the FF7R treatment.

Please no.

We just want a group of rag tag outcasts and one person who's royalty that connects everyone together. Put them in an end of the world situation where only they have the power to save the day. Good music, lots of weapons and turn based combat. Instead we got an action RPG that tried too hard to be epic.

It's a damn shame because FF16 is the best FF since FFX. Fun gameplay from the Devil May Cry team. Engaging story with actual themes and realistic and developed characters.

It's easily on the same tier as modern GOTY titles.

CastletonSnob1 posted...

Square can make up for it by giving FF6 the FF7R treatment.

I think they said if they do that, it will require more than 3 games to do. That the story of 6, blown up Remake style would take like 5 to 7 games to finish the whole plot

Akagami_Shanks posted...

Yes, that is what I said. 3 million first week, 500k over 2 years after that?

Nah, the way you phrased it kind of implied that they haven't sold a million copies in the entire two years, launch window included. It may not have been what you intended to say, but it's how it reads.

PS5 was a flop

Akagami_Shanks posted...

SE already confirmed 3.5 million. First week sales is 3 million, means less than 1 million since July 2023?

interesting. I wonder if that number would have been higher if they released multiplat from the beginning.

I very nearly passed on it because of how abysmal 15 was. 16 was decent but was a bit too long for what it is

Ryangrad posted...

I think you're missing the part TC is talking about.

So the first week it shipped out 3 million copies, and in the following 2 years, it only sold 500,000 above the initial shipping.

It shipped 3m the first week, not sold 3m. It sold around 370k units the first week in Japan. The 3m and 3.5m numbers aren't for the same thing.

lilORANG posted...

PS5 was a flop

That's part of it. A lot of FF fans never bought a ps5

16 is one of two FF games I will never replay.

It wasnt a bad game, but it wasnt a good FF game.

Akagami_Shanks posted...

game hasn't even managed to move 1 million copies in the 2 years since the first week sales burst, despite releasing on 2 more platforms and numerous sales lol

Jesus christ, seriously!?

Metal_Gear_Raxis posted...

Jesus christ, seriously!?

That's unsurprising -- game with no audience, etc. etc.

Metal_Gear_Raxis posted...

Jesus christ, seriously!?

No. That's someone confusing units shipped with units sold.

I bought every numbered non MMO Final Fantasy at launch except FF16. The style just didn't appeal to me and I don't like GoT.

Squall28 posted...

It's a damn shame because FF16 is the best FF since FFX. Fun gameplay from the Devil May Cry team. Engaging story with actual themes and realistic and developed characters.

It's easily on the same tier as modern GOTY titles.

My main issue with the combat was that they didn't go far enough in the DMC direction. If you're gonna do it then do it full blown, don't half ass it with layouts and cooldowns

I really enjoyed it but it has a lot of flaws. FF needs to reevaluate itself cause it just doesn't know what it wants to be

Zikten posted...

That's part of it. A lot of FF fans never bought a ps5

The ps5 isnt a flop at all tho

It does not have near enough exclusives but its still sold a shit ton regardless

Zikten posted...

That's part of it. A lot of FF fans never bought a ps5

Says who? lol

FF16 just wasn't all that interesting as a final fantasy game.

It was on a console that had very few exclusive games..

Said console was very expensive

SE lost a lot of good faith after 13 and then 15.

The game was just fine. The story is just fine, the gameplay is just fine, the graphics outside of major cutscenes are just fine. The sidequests are mostly terrible mmo garbage, and the upgrade system hardly exists

There isnt a lot to talk about with the game outside of wasnt that boss cool and I wish they did this better.

_____Cait posted...

It was on a console that had very few exclusive games..

Said console was very expensive

It really is time a part of the final fantasy fandom needs to accept that FF16 while trying new ideas just flat out wasn't all that interesting as a final fantasy game.

The PS5's sales in general has proved again.....and again........and again.........and again etc., that exclusives just isn't that huge priority no more for those that play on a playstation. Every other game/IP that is finding success on the PS5 like resident evil, monster hunter wilds or elden ring for example isn't held back by being on a console with "few exclusives, too expensive", but for some reason this is something that is supposed to really hold back sales for FF16 in particular?

If the PS5 was that much too blame for the game's sales, why hasn't the game automatically flew off the shelves when ported to the PC? I don't even buy the "well it has to release at the exact same time" excuse, there has been plenty of PC releases that came out way later than the console counterpart that will still sell great because the game is a quality game people really want to play. (Red dead redemption 2 and rockstar's other console first releases for example).

lilORANG posted...

PS5 was a flop

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/25a0721a.jpg

It was a PS exclusive

Most game sales are down from all time highs. You gotta be a Zelda, COD or GTA to break past 10 mill these days.

Darkninja42 posted...

My main issue with the combat was that they didn't go far enough in the DMC direction. If you're gonna do it then do it full blown, don't half ass it with layouts and cooldowns

Yes! This was my issue with it too. The potential was there. They could have had each eikon form use a different weapon for the basic attacks. So you can switch forms mid combo and keep the combo going. But having just 1 basic combo was a travesty.

TMOG posted...

Nah, the way you phrased it kind of implied that they haven't sold a million copies in the entire two years, launch window included. It may not have been what you intended to say, but it's how it reads.

Disagree

Akagami_Shanks posted...

game hasn't even managed to move 1 million copies in the 2 years since the first week sales burst, despite releasing on 2 more platforms and numerous sales lol

It says since the first week sales so I think you just misread it.

Limey/10

When that one SquEnix guy said Americans want to hear a British voice cast, I was all like "You trippin', bruh." And I ain't playin' no guy named Clive.

CARRRNE_ASADA posted...

It was a PS exclusive

So when it got ported to other platforms like the PC and the xbox finally, did people's interest in the game just up and evaporate for this game?

Its wild this keeps getting repeated while being a PS exclusive did not do a single thing to stop something like persona 5 from being a huge success when it got ported years later to every other platform.

NoxObscuras posted...

Yes! This was my issue with it too. The potential was there. They could have had each eikon form use a different weapon for the basic attacks. So you can switch forms mid combo and keep the combo going. But having just 1 basic combo was a travesty.

Honestly if you could just cycle thru all the eikons like weapons in a DMC game that would've been perfectly good, even with cooldowns (although it would be preferable to not have them at all). But being restricted to two just disincentivized switching things up, at least for me

Let's not forget to add the money Sony gave Squarenix just to have it as a timed exclusive

Rharyx211 posted...

Oh, TC had an agenda with this topic.

Bandit_Keith posted...

Yeah. That's a shame.

But yeah in general its this, lol. Final fantasy/square enix discourse/whining is never-ending on the internet, and the sales that does not matter until they do will just get bent and twisted to fit whatever agenda.