FFVII Remake Sells 3.5 Million Copies in Three Days

Given the Times, That is Impressive

It’s been a couple of weeks since the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake and it feels surreal to live in a world where this game exists and it’s actually good in most areas. The expectations were through the roof and much of the decision to move forward on a remake was reportedly based around the aging group of original designers that were still available. The pressure must have been immense but the release went through (with some distribution bumps) and the reception seems to be mostly positive, scoring an 88/100 top critic average on Open Critic with 93% of critics recommending the game. All of us at Forever Classic Games are actively playing Final Fantasy VII Remake and I’ve finished it with a review and additional content on the way. That said, Square Enix shared an interesting bit of sales data worth acknowledging. 

In three days, Final Fantasy VII Remake shipped and sold 3.5 million copies worldwide with “exceptional digital sales" according to a press release and social media post. 

Note, this was a console exclusive for a game with troubled messaging about what exactly was included in this release. There was a ton of discourse about the game’s episodic structure and even after release everyone seems to be wondering what Square Enix will do next. 

What I find fascinating about this is the fact that FF7R released in the middle of a global pandemic where the future of various global economies is uncertain and many larger game production companies are losing momentum. Secondly, this figure does not include the percentage that was physical sales and many players got their special editions and copies early so that number may be tougher to calculate anyways. Now, could this figure have been that much larger if FF7R had been released on Xbox One and PC simultaneously? Probably, but this is yet another example of a PS4 exclusive doing well critically and financially which seems to be setting up the PS5 for a boost this holiday. Of course, that’s if the new consoles do actually hit their release windows before the end of the year. 

Comparing this number to other major titles in the Final Fantasy series, FF7R does seem to be selling quickly enough to eventually surpass the other titles but even overcoming the estimated 7.7 million sales of the critically panned Final Fantasy XIII may be a tough hill to climb. Interestingly enough, VGSales also lists FFXV at 7.7 million which was a heavily marketed game with a troublesome string of post-game content and updates. This tells me that in the face of lower scores and a large volume of issues, Final Fantasy fans will still happily buy these titles, myself included. 

Regardless, 3.5 million is impressive given the current global circumstances and as a fan of Final Fantasy VII Remake, I’m excited to see how players take to this ambitious retelling of an all-time classic. 

Keep an eye out for our review, features, and a special podcast episode on Final Fantasy VII Remake. 

For more game news, check out our initial reaction to Kemono Heroes, the realization that Sega makes a cool space projector, or how an anime soccer game got us jumping out of our seats in excitement.