Four weeks after the release of Final Fantasy 16, Square Enix said that it is pleased by the sales figures for the latest entry in the long-running series. The news came despite Final Fantasy 16 sales figures taking a sharp tumble in Japan, but Square Enix clarified how successful FF16 is compared to its predecessors.Though reviews for Final Fantasy 16 have been on the favorable side, the game was not without its flaws. Though Final Fantasy 16's PS5 exclusivity remained a sticking point for some critics, the pace of some side quests was a major point of contention on social media, with some players wondering about some plot-related questions that were left unanswered. Despite those issues, Square Enix recently addressed the game's motion blur complaints in Final Fantasy 16's 1.03 update. Though the sales of Final Fantasy 16 are not as high as other titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, that has not stopped Square Enix from putting the numbers into perspective. In response to recent reports, Square Enix said that it measured the success of Final Fantasy 16 relative to the installation base of the PS5 globally. According to the company, over 38 million PS5 units were sold as of March 31, 2023. As a result of PS5 sales being stifled by the COVID-19 pandemic, Final Fantasy 16 did not have the potential installation base that other titles such as Final Fantasy 7 Remake had. Square Enix added that Final Fantasy 16 launched while the PS5 is still in its early lifespan, and stated that Final Fantasy 7 Remake was released late into the PS4's cycle. Despite the comparatively smaller audience and the Mature rating, Final Fantasy 16 still sold three million units in one week. This means that roughly 12% of all PS5 users have a copy of Final Fantasy 16 on their system.
While the sales figures for Final Fantasy 16 are impressive, its predecessor Final Fantasy 15 sold over five million units in 24 hours. As a result, Final Fantasy 15 retains its title as the fastest-selling entry in the Final Fantasy series to date. However, Final Fantasy 15 had the benefit of being available on both PS4 and Xbox One during its 2016 launch.
Due to the game's success and positive feedback, producer Naoki Yoshida said that the development team has considered the possibility of adding DLC to Final Fantasy 16 in the future. It remains to be seen if Yoshida and Square Enix will follow through with it.
Final Fantasy 16 is available now for PS5.
Source: IGN