noname2200 on 05 January 2009
The sales thing likely has something to do with the fact that most JRPGs biggest mainstream hitters haven't arrived yet (Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and now Kingdom Hearts) while the biggest WRPG developers (Bethesda and Bioware) have already released their games. Give the situation another year, and see where we stand.
Mind you, the fact that the WRPGs are already hard at work on sequels to their multi-platinum games, while the JRPGs are still not yet near complete is a troubling sign in and of itself. But it's one that has more to do with development/business philosophy than with the genres' respective popularity.
