Sales are definitely lower than projections I'm sure, it not only moved half the copies of FF7 Remake in the same timeframe but also sold at least 1m less copies in the same timeframe than FF16 sold last year (FF16 sales were themselves down compared to FF15), and FF16 released to a smaller PS5 install base than FF7 Rebirth.
Several factors at play here I'd say:
1. $70 is alot to pay for any game in this economy. Stats show gamers increasingly waiting for discounts and playing older games over newer games more than ever before.
2. It's the middle game in a trilogy of remakes, many people are probably waiting on all 3 parts to release before they play FF7 Remake trilogy
3. Story changes in FF7 Remake proved contentious among the FF7 fanbase and may have chased away some FF7 fans from buying Rebirth
4. FF7 Remake released to a much larger late life PS4 install base than Rebirth releasing to a mid life PS5 install base.
5. It released fairly close to other big PS console exclusives like Helldivers 2 and Granblue Famtasy Relink, not to mention Q1 was jam packed this year in general, with other notable releases like Tekken 8, Like A Dragon 8, Persona 3 Reload, and Dragon's Dogma 2. Gaming budgets are more limited than ever, releasing in a busy quarter hurts.
PS timed exclusivity will have hurt sales for sure, but doesn't explain why it moved less than FF7 Remake and FF16, which were also both PS timed exclusives. PS timed exclusivity moreso explains why FF16 sold less than FF15, than it explains why FF7 Rebirth sold half of FF7 Remake.
But there is no doubt that PS timed exclusivity has hurt Square Enix on multiple games now, there is a reason why the new President who took over middle of last year seems to be moving them to day one multiplat releases going forward, starting with the new Mana game releasing on PS5, Xbox Series, and PC day one (with a Switch 2 port likely after Switch 2 releases next year).
Last edited by shikamaru317 - on 15 April 2024
