Hmmm, XIII will sell, but I predict it selling...maybe 4 million.
See, XIII WOULD sell that many if it was simultaneously released. But the fact is that people will import the game, play it and the 'reviews' and spoilers will run like wildfire.
And if it's not positive, it could hurt...
I predict 4 million or 3 million at launch in Japan and maybe 2 million in the states. So I guess if you couple them together you'll get the 6 million you're looking for.
Including the PS3 bundle, probably another million on top so you'll get like 7 million.
Oh I'm not disputing that....XIII will sell, probably more in the states for the 360 but PS3 sells will circle it. (because of the PS3 only release in JP)
It's feasible that XIII can break past the 6 million mark. Likely? Very slim...but still possible.
There's one way to do it Square Enix. Just one. Pull up a chair and listen closely, cause I'm only going to say this once.
You gotta have a story. There. That's it. Seriously. Why did everyone buy up FF7? Shiny graphics? 3D world? Nope. It had a story and everyone told everyone else and it spread like wildfire. So if you want to hook us again, you gotta provide a story. Know why I've gone from a rabid FF fanboy to a "doubt I'll even pick up FF13" shmoe? Story. I was behind you 100% right up until I played FF10. That game was terrible. Don't listen to all the fanboys of today, because they are generally too young to remember the glory days of FF4 or 6. Both 10 and 12 were utter disasters as far as story goes. And though your sales numbers are still very high, there will come a point where your market becomes niche. Final Fantasy used to dominate in the west for any fan of RPGs. Now you're just another JRPG. Think that one over and think about what's changed in the series over the years.
You've lost your story. Find it and please come back. (You want my opinion, grovel at Sakaguchi's feet until he comes back. He was obviously the heart and soul behind the series and his loss has already cast a dark shadow.)
@jargy1: You liked 7's story more then 10's? 10's story felt much more polished imo and I loved it. In fact the only story I felt was a disappointment was 12. 12 was easily the lowest point in the series as far as story goes, but every other one was amazing.
@nerdmanwhippy: Seriously? 10 didn't HAVE a story. It was a glorified tech demo of "find the summons". With a backstory tacked on afterwards trying to masquerade as a plot.
I'm pretty sure the 6 million number is just Squenix saying they need to reverse the trend of each FF game selling less and less. FFXII sold like 5.1 million copies total, and they don't want a repeat of that.
They should be alright though. FF13 is the first FF game of this gen, FF12 came out on the old gen right as the new consoles were coming out.
@Tacticalspoon: The reason XII sold less is because the majority of the fanbase was expecting a Final Fantasy game, not a pseudo MMORPG with a boring political plot and underwhelming battles.
6mil is actually a pretty reasonable number of copies, assuming the fan base still exists and is willing to buy a 'fantasy' RPG that's devolved into a fancy schmancy 'stylish' RPG. Number of PS3s in existence may be relatively low, but FF10 came out when similar numbers of console have been sold, and still came out fairly successful. It's really going to be a matter of whether the supposed international JRPG fanbase that's ignored much of the titles released thus far is there for it.
Translation: We poured massive amounts of money into this game and ported it over to the 360 because we needed to expand our sales. If this game doesn't sell 2 million then we're screwed, and it wouldn't have been worth our time if it doesn't sell 6 million. We're also building in the cost of XIII VS into these necessary sales figures because we're not too sure how the PS3 version of XIII will sell in North America and Europe.
Sorry SE but since FFVII each FF sold less than the previous one and I don't think this will change, while FFXIII may be a good game I know plenty of people who just don't care anymore for it because of the long wait.
Yes the game will sell in two systems but the one who will buy it in on the 360 are most likely those who bought a 360 because it's a good console for RPG not because it's a game for mainstream 360 players. PS3 owner will buy it but the base is not as large as the PS2, but at least they should be thankful that everyone copy on the PS3 is real.
I know I shouldn't anticipate this as I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment but I have to say I'm psyched for FFXIII, way more so than I was for X or XII.
@ReVivAL: Call me a sucker, but I love this games designs. I love the future-fantasy styling, and the characters certainly look good. Combat looks fun, love the modified ATB it's got going on.
I don't see how it's even possible for FFXIII not to sell at least that much.
MGS4 sold over 4 million on the PS3 alone, and FFXIII is coming out on two systems and after the PS3's price drop and more-than-likely Great Userbase Hike of Christmas '09.
@Antiterra: Considering wikipedia is listing FF12 sales at around 5.2 million worldwide up until March 2007 it seems somewhat unsure. I bet it can sell 6 million in its lifetime, but it's doubtful X360 and PS3 have big enough interested user bases to sell that much right away.
I'm very interested to see how it goes though.
@Jilkon: Yes, but by that rationale, MGS3 sold 3.7 million (still according to Wikipedia), yet MGS4 did better on a less popular console and without a Subsistence-type edition so far.
FFXIII is the first blockbuster JRPG on a console that many people purchased thinking it would inherit the PS2's JRPG mantle.
It'll also be the first Final Fantasy in 3.5 years, after an iteration (XII) that many fans weren't too fond of.
I think it's hard to overestimate just how eagerly JRPG fans (PS3 ones in particular) are waiting for this game.
@Antiterra: I think it's possible that FFXIII could and probably will be the best selling game of this generation. Like you've mentioned PS3 owners are frothing at the mouth for a good Japanese RPG, especially for the PS3.
Honestly, I didn't even know what to do with myself after I finished Lost Odyssey (and I did EVERYTHING in that game, well... except that damn treasure trove achievement, +110 hours awww yeah) but anyway this game is going to sell like crazy, especially if it gets the rave reviews I'm expecting it to get.
And like you said, the PS3 has had a significant price drop which can only help increase the user-base in Japan, AND this is the first time a Final Fantasy game is launching on two consoles simultaneously in North America. There's a huge possibility for this game to sell ridiculously well, especially if people who are not already acquainted with the series buy into the hype/promotion, which will definitely be crazy high as the game nears release in North America.
@KnightsofRound: Don't even talk to me about that bloody treasure trove achievement... :D
But I'm like you, I bled Lost Odyssey dry of every second of enjoyment it had to offer. And that was for me the last worthwhile JRPG.
(Infinite Undiscovery was terrible, SO4 and Vesperia, while decent I suppose, simply don't appeal to me.)
@Antiterra: Agreed. I have never played Infinite Undiscovery (it just looks pretty terrible imo) or any of the other ones you've mentioned, but none of them along with Eternal Sonata really have much appeal to me. I'm not really a fan of fast-paced action-oriented RPGs, I liked the more old-fashioned turn-based style of combat like Lost Odyssey, and FFXIII. I am also not really much of a fan of the art style used in any of those games either.
I am kinda interested in The Last Remnant though, despite the mixed reviews.
mintycrys is HOT for Bayonetta promoted this comment
Snappywave: Subtitle option for the Deaf please was starred
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@Snappywave: Subtitle option for the Deaf please: Bear in mind that Final Fantasy XII came out six years into the PS2's lifespan, and before the DS, it was by far the top-selling system of that generation. We're only about three years into this console generation, so it may take a few years to hit 6 million.
I want this series to finally end so they can start trying something new. There have been so many iterations of summoners, elemental magic, recurring beasts, that they have stepped into the realm of incredulity, with mecha inspired summon monsters that turn into motorcycles being one glaring example.
I'm going to buy 2 copies, a ps3 copy and a 360 copy. I'll keep the ps3 one for me and give my cousin the 360 copy just to laugh in his face. What's so funny? Do you know how many discs that thing will contain?
Thing is your cousin will probably just laugh in your face because for his free copy of FFXIII all he has to do is suffer the incredibly minor convenience of changing the disc after many hours of playtime, the horror.
It's nice to have it all on one disc sure but changing the disc is such a minor thing that it's hard to even care about it.
What they're REALLY saying, of course, is they want to sell that many because holy shit have you seen how long these games have been in development please please please oh god we have mouths to feed over here!
@BlueToast:
The Japanese homeless put our low-tech hobos to shame. You know those trashy drum can fires ours have? Japanese hobos have real fires...playing on their fucking OLED TVs!
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See, XIII WOULD sell that many if it was simultaneously released. But the fact is that people will import the game, play it and the 'reviews' and spoilers will run like wildfire.
And if it's not positive, it could hurt...
I predict 4 million or 3 million at launch in Japan and maybe 2 million in the states. So I guess if you couple them together you'll get the 6 million you're looking for.
Including the PS3 bundle, probably another million on top so you'll get like 7 million.
09/29/09
I know I'm going to spend Christmas day showing this thing off to all my relatives.
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09/29/09
Oh I'm not disputing that....XIII will sell, probably more in the states for the 360 but PS3 sells will circle it. (because of the PS3 only release in JP)
It's feasible that XIII can break past the 6 million mark. Likely? Very slim...but still possible.
09/29/09
Well we don't know about SE region locking the game yet...the language barrier has stopped anyone from importing before.
09/29/09
You gotta have a story. There. That's it. Seriously. Why did everyone buy up FF7? Shiny graphics? 3D world? Nope. It had a story and everyone told everyone else and it spread like wildfire. So if you want to hook us again, you gotta provide a story. Know why I've gone from a rabid FF fanboy to a "doubt I'll even pick up FF13" shmoe? Story. I was behind you 100% right up until I played FF10. That game was terrible. Don't listen to all the fanboys of today, because they are generally too young to remember the glory days of FF4 or 6. Both 10 and 12 were utter disasters as far as story goes. And though your sales numbers are still very high, there will come a point where your market becomes niche. Final Fantasy used to dominate in the west for any fan of RPGs. Now you're just another JRPG. Think that one over and think about what's changed in the series over the years.
You've lost your story. Find it and please come back. (You want my opinion, grovel at Sakaguchi's feet until he comes back. He was obviously the heart and soul behind the series and his loss has already cast a dark shadow.)
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If you played Grandia II before X...you'll understand why I wasn't impressed by X's story.
If you stack X's story against XII...then yeah, I enjoy X's story more, simply because XII was insanely boring.
But, everyone has a favourite, mine's is VII. So to each his own.
09/29/09
They should be alright though. FF13 is the first FF game of this gen, FF12 came out on the old gen right as the new consoles were coming out.
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Yes the game will sell in two systems but the one who will buy it in on the 360 are most likely those who bought a 360 because it's a good console for RPG not because it's a game for mainstream 360 players. PS3 owner will buy it but the base is not as large as the PS2, but at least they should be thankful that everyone copy on the PS3 is real.
09/29/09
The bottom line is if the game is good enough then the wait doesn't matter.
I think since FF8, the character design and storylines has went downhill.
I want to like FF and I want to like this game but I can't bring myself to be excited. Because I know it will probably end in dissapointment.
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MGS4 sold over 4 million on the PS3 alone, and FFXIII is coming out on two systems and after the PS3's price drop and more-than-likely Great Userbase Hike of Christmas '09.
09/29/09
I'm very interested to see how it goes though.
09/29/09
FFXIII is the first blockbuster JRPG on a console that many people purchased thinking it would inherit the PS2's JRPG mantle.
It'll also be the first Final Fantasy in 3.5 years, after an iteration (XII) that many fans weren't too fond of.
I think it's hard to overestimate just how eagerly JRPG fans (PS3 ones in particular) are waiting for this game.
09/29/09
Honestly, I didn't even know what to do with myself after I finished Lost Odyssey (and I did EVERYTHING in that game, well... except that damn treasure trove achievement, +110 hours awww yeah) but anyway this game is going to sell like crazy, especially if it gets the rave reviews I'm expecting it to get.
And like you said, the PS3 has had a significant price drop which can only help increase the user-base in Japan, AND this is the first time a Final Fantasy game is launching on two consoles simultaneously in North America. There's a huge possibility for this game to sell ridiculously well, especially if people who are not already acquainted with the series buy into the hype/promotion, which will definitely be crazy high as the game nears release in North America.
09/29/09
But I'm like you, I bled Lost Odyssey dry of every second of enjoyment it had to offer. And that was for me the last worthwhile JRPG.
(Infinite Undiscovery was terrible, SO4 and Vesperia, while decent I suppose, simply don't appeal to me.)
09/29/09
I am kinda interested in The Last Remnant though, despite the mixed reviews.
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By March 2007, FFXII shipped 5.2 million copies worldwide. With the help of multiplatform (Xbox), looks like it just may sell over six million.
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I want this series to finally end so they can start trying something new. There have been so many iterations of summoners, elemental magic, recurring beasts, that they have stepped into the realm of incredulity, with mecha inspired summon monsters that turn into motorcycles being one glaring example.
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almost.
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Hmm. Does that mean I have to answer "Pleasure" at passport control?
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n_n
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4 at the minimum, 6 at maximum (though that's unlikely).
Thing is your cousin will probably just laugh in your face because for his free copy of FFXIII all he has to do is suffer the incredibly minor convenience of changing the disc after many hours of playtime, the horror.
It's nice to have it all on one disc sure but changing the disc is such a minor thing that it's hard to even care about it.
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ESPECIALLY the homeless ones living under bridges!
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The Japanese homeless put our low-tech hobos to shame. You know those trashy drum can fires ours have? Japanese hobos have real fires...playing on their fucking OLED TVs!