Making vague arguments about profitability seems premature and silly when you're talking about one region for a game that's going to sell in every region over multiple consoles, doesn't it?

Famitsu's expectations for this game could quite possibly get blown out of the water. That, at least, would seem an accomplishment, however much we're going to argue over where the goalposts should be on this site...

How can something have great sales yet be a disapointment?  Aren't sales relative per game?

Whatever though, it's not important.

Also, why do you think the PS3 is going to stay forever at 4 million in japan?

Final Fantasy Japan Sales May Reach Record for PS3 (Update1)
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By Pavel Alpeyev

Dec. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Square Enix Holdings Co., the creator of the “Final Fantasy” franchise, aims to sell at least 2 million units of the role-playing game’s latest edition, setting a record for Sony Corp.’s PlayStation 3 console in Japan.

The company shipped 1.8 million units of “Final Fantasy XIII” to Japanese retailers, President Yoichi Wada said at the title’s release event in Tokyo today. The game, priced at 9,240 yen ($103) in Japan, is scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. and Europe from March 9.

The first PS3 title to sell more than 1 million units in Japan may bolster demand for Sony’s flagship game console, according to JPMorgan Chase & Co. Fans of the “Final Fantasy” series worldwide may buy as many as 5.6 million units of the latest installment, analysts said, helping Square Enix’s earnings weather shrinking demand in global software sales.

Matthias Mann, a fan of the series for 10 years, flew into Tokyo from Germany for the release because he couldn’t wait three months for a version in his own language. The 42-year old video game-shop owner was one of about 170 fans lined up at 6 a.m. in downtown Tokyo today to buy the game, which has sold more than 92 million units worldwide since its release in 1987.

“The look, the action, the characters -- this game is just mind-blowing,” said Mann, who is on his fourth trip to Japan to buy a new version of the game on its release. Mann doesn’t understand Japanese and said he plans to buy a German copy once it’s available.

Square Enix gained 1.8 percent to 1,903 yen as of the 11 a.m. break on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, narrowing the shares’ decline this year to 34 percent. The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average added 0.4 percent.

5.6 Million Sales

Worldwide sales of the game may reach 5.6 million units, Barclays Plc said in a report on Dec. 16. That compares with 5 million forecast by MF Global Ltd. and a projection of 4 million by Macquarie Group Ltd.

Sales of “Final Fantasy XII” for PlayStation 2 reached 6 million worldwide, of which 40 percent were in Japan, since its release in March 2006, Square Enix spokeswoman Misa Tokunaga said. The series generated at least 29 percent of the Tokyo- based company’s software sales last fiscal year, the game developer said in May.

The 13th iteration “is a really strong title and sales look a lot better than we expected,” said Yusuke Tsunoda, an analyst at Tokai Tokyo Securities Co. Domestic sales may exceed the results of the previous Final Fantasy title and help bolster demand for the PS3, said Tsunoda, who has an “above average” rating on Square Enix stock.

Declining Software Sales

Japan’s video-game software sales slumped 7.5 percent to 132.9 billion yen in the six months to Sept. 30 from a year earlier, Enterbrain said in October. Sales in the U.S. dropped 3.1 percent to $1.41 billion in November, extending the decline this year to 11 percent, researcher NPD Group Inc. said earlier this month.

Square Enix last month forecast its sales in the game software business will jump 90 percent to 93 billion yen in the year ending March 31, more than half of the company’s total revenue in the period. The operations include titles for Sony’s PS3 and PSP handheld player, Nintendo Co.’s Wii consoles and DS portable device and Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360.

Boost For Sony

The newest “Final Fantasy” version will help Sony increase its PS3 sales in Japan by 500,000 units, Hiroshi Kamide, an analyst at KBC Securities Japan, and Hirokazu Hamamura, president of research firm Enterbrain Inc., said in September. Tokyo-based Enterbrain yesterday said PlayStation 3 sales in Japan exceeded 4 million units since the console’s release in November 2006.

“Final Fantasy” players control a group of lifelike characters exploring a futuristic world, using a mixture of magic and technology to battle enemies and complete tasks to advance the story line.

“It’s a complete world inside,” Wada said today. “We want to you come and explore for months on end, but don’t forget to buy other games too.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Pavel Alpeyev in Tokyo at palpeyev@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: December 16, 2009 22:20 EST

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601091&sid=aLG88TYivp_s

Pssh to the people who weree saying "JRPGs are a dying genre!!!"

This game will be massive.

So... In other words... I was right.

One gaf member is reporting price drop and tons of copies not sold in his store.

That sounds... ridiculious. 

A price drop... already? 

I mean... wait a day?

he has a receipt too.

There could some meltdown tomorrow.

You could photoshop such a thing... or it could of just been a deal to bring people to that particular store.

I mean...  has anyone ever dropped sales day 1 before?

Gaf believes SE overshiped and there is no way the PS3  can ever sell 1.8 million anytime soon.

the receipt looks real, i have never heard of price drop so early.