theprodigy
Member
It wasn't that difficult...just release them in February in US, and you win!!!
Bravely Default should've released in Europe during April too
j/k
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Bravely Default Outsells Lightning Returns FF13 in the US
- Thread starter Principate
- Start date
Bravely Default should've released in Europe during April too
j/k
I would love to see you qualify this with ANYTHING concrete (by concrete I mean something other than your feelings. Market history, data... anything) 200k in a month is absolutely good sales for a new IP JRPG in the US on a handheld. Doesn't even matter what gen you are talking about either. That would be a good number last gen, and its a good number this gen too.
200k on the other hand for LR is downright miserable and pretty damn scary for a game in the mainline of Final Fantasy.
gundamkyoukai
Member
Did people really expect anything from lighting returns the game sold 400k in Japan and comes out in the west where last gen software dying .
After all is said and done it will most likely sell 1 to 1.4 million world wide which just sad .
Funny enough i think FFXIII-2 sold half of what FFXIII did and now lighting returns sold half of FFXIII-2 .
If SE thinks these sales are shocking after Japan there is no saving them , it's rather funny that SE decide to milk a FF game but did so with one people don't care about .
After all is said and done it will most likely sell 1 to 1.4 million world wide which just sad .
Funny enough i think FFXIII-2 sold half of what FFXIII did and now lighting returns sold half of FFXIII-2 .
If SE thinks these sales are shocking after Japan there is no saving them , it's rather funny that SE decide to milk a FF game but did so with one people don't care about .
Well, pick any RPG with mainstream appeal and tell me how much it sold in the first month, eastern or western.
200k is less than Persona has sold first month, entries 1-4, and everyone agreed Persona was definitely niche.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
There are so many posts in this thread about how: this serves Square right, this should teach them a lesson for making crap like more XIII games, they need to listen to the fans and get back to making RPGs like it was 1992 again...
We all realize that a console FF under-performing just leads to more F2P mobile game future, right?
We all realize that a console FF under-performing just leads to more F2P mobile game future, right?
chaosblade
Unconfirmed Member
I'm surprised anybody is saying 200k for BD in three weeks isn't good. Probably more than a lot of games from the niche publishers do. Hopefully Nintendo is pretty happy with it and we get the next game.
Waiting for a price drop on LR, and with those sales I imagine a lot of people are.
Waiting for a price drop on LR, and with those sales I imagine a lot of people are.
charlequin
Banned
Well, in its first month Skyrim sold like 7 million worldwide.... (You know, like Final Fantasy games used to do.)
Square-Enix being a terrible company that has successfully ground all of their in-house talent into sawdust and bone is what's leading to more F2P mobile games.
FFXIII sold about 7 million, but not in the first month. FFXV will hopefully pull numbers like that or bigger.
And you're exactly right to make that comparison. They're looking at Skyrim, and Mass Effect numbers. Mainstream audience RPGs. That is their intended audience for FF, not the BD audience.
They follow the sales numbers. Every developer in Japan is looking at mobile and f2p, because they are exploding in popularity at the same time console sales are shrinking. If it's every developer, then SQEX's company environment obviously isn't the reason.
Sawdust and bone? That's ... kind of weird :/
Lazy.
Square Enix is already heavily invested and profits off of mobile in Japan. It's worth noting that it predates this thread.
If all of these people think Lightning sucks and don't like all three games, they should want to actively influence Square to make games they actually like, but for the fact that with the economic power dynamics involved, Square might not have to listen.
KiTA
Member
So just how well did it do in Japan? I worry that SE won't learn anything if it didn't bomb there, too.
BD doing well is great news for everyone. Do I dare hope that we might get a Dragon Quest title now? Or maybe SE US/EU will have to explain why they passed that title up for localization to SE JP?
I mean, eventually SE JP is going to have to wonder why they're paying the people at SE US when Nintendo's doing all the work, right?
BD doing well is great news for everyone. Do I dare hope that we might get a Dragon Quest title now? Or maybe SE US/EU will have to explain why they passed that title up for localization to SE JP?
I mean, eventually SE JP is going to have to wonder why they're paying the people at SE US when Nintendo's doing all the work, right?
gundamkyoukai
Member
People have already said don't like anything to do with FFXIII but SE is one of the worst manage companies around so they don't seem to care .
No one in there right mind would have green light Lighting returns after FFXIII-2 sales .
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
So you're basically agreeing with me.
In today's market, when a console FF bombs, their instinct won't be to make a better console FF. Their instinct will be to reduce the amount of console FFs altogether and devote further resources to mobile.
Toriyama don't care. He's gonna put Lightning on your Lightning and sprinkle it with a little more Lightning
whyreggielie
Member
FFXV will not sell less than lightning returns, lets be realistic now.
BD is a great game that deserved its awesome sales, I personally haven't picked it up but that amazing demo convinced me into buying this game.
Continue to dig yourself deeper and deeper. Defend Lightning no matter what. Toriyama would be proud.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
First FFX HD outselling FF13 LR and now BD lol.......this is finally the end of the Lightning Saga.
Soon.
Soon.
You could make this easier for yourself by not being disingenuous. I'm saying that people should directly advocate for things that interest them and if the entire XIII trilogy were a commercial success in some alternate universe, celebrating its commercial success while lamenting all the things that made them suck merely for the sake of getting more console Final Fantasy is an awful idea. Why should the people you're complaining about sacrifice honest feedback to tacitly enable more games they don't want? Who should love a franchise name so much they'll piss on their wallet like that? Moreover, people should be calling out terrible management in gaming companies.
I actually don't buy your idea that console Final Fantasy's in particular will be reduced, because Final Fantasy, in spite of the thrashing the brand took with the XIII trilogy, is still one of the most prominent JRPG franchises in the world. What happened with the XIII games I'm sure would have killed several other franchises. Since XIII is being rejected and Bravely Default and the X series are seeing more success, I see this as rejection of Square's management of FF. When I said Square might not have to listen to fans, I was talking about making games that interest lots of fans and respect their wishes, not axing console FF's, the baby-out-with-the-bathwater approach. It would do them well to listen better.
Also, the mobile profitability and investment has been going on for years now, concurrent with XV and at least some of the XIII trilogy's development. The point is--it's too late to fret about devoting resources to mobile, because they're already doing it: the new mobile Mana game is just further reinforcement, and that Star Ocean game for mobile years ago. To try and assign culpability to people lambasting/criticizing XIII series' last two titles' commercial failures is ridiculous.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
You've projected a lot of intention onto my words that isn't there. And your angle that mobile focus is "already happening" doesn't ease my concerns in the slightest.
The fact is this: When Square Enix sees that X number of console games has resulted in meager profits (or losses), and mobile is thriving? The resources go that way --> to mobile.
FF's not going away, no. But this is truth: a sales failure for LR is not a win for those who want another game in it's place that fulfills whatever their checklist is for the best possible FF game. It is a signal that console games are less profitable, not that Lightning/XIII games are less profitable. Next gen we get less small-release FF titles... not more quality, original games that stroke old-school fans' hearts.
Uh, I don't think that's right... (if we are talking about US market).
Persona sold 200k in a month in the US?
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
Lol no. With games like FFX HD doing so well the signal is clear that very few people want Lightning.
K
kittens
Unconfirmed Member
I'm pretty surprised. How do people who don't read forums and stuff know about this game? From the demo?
Freezasaurus
Member
I think it's less about Lightning than it is about people having a preference for old-school RPG gameplay. Before Final Fantasy became... whatever the hell it is now. The games change drastically from one to the next and Square has no clear direction where to go with the series. Final Fantasy is trapped in experimentative bullshit limbo.
That1BlackGuy
Member
How much did Bravely Default sell compared to The 4 Heroes of Light? I can probably guess that BD sold a lot more in its first week (and will have better lifetime sales) due to much better promotion.
Sigh, given the time/effort/money they put into LR they actually made profit with this numbers *pukes*.
It is still however, an undeniable bomba for the Final Fantasy series. And the story sucks hardcore. And it ruined the reputation of the Final Fantasy brand.
Thank Etro this abomination of a trilogy is now over!
It is still however, an undeniable bomba for the Final Fantasy series. And the story sucks hardcore. And it ruined the reputation of the Final Fantasy brand.
Thank Etro this abomination of a trilogy is now over!
HawthorneKitty
Sgt. 2nd Class in the Creep Battalion, Waifu Wars
Except Lightning Returns is clearly the best evolution of the ATB system.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
Eh? It was advertised pretty well. I saw several ads in the UK.
200k is good but nothing special. Just goes to show how much the jrpg genre has declined. Whats more important is its legs. With good legs it could do very well. For instance I remember Ni No Kuni having a not so good launch but look where it is at now. Word of mouth and reviews really help games in this genre.
.
Nah I am sure its because of Lightning. The other FF spin offs do great as well. The brand is still one of the strongest in the rpg genre. Lets just wait and see how well FFXV does
How much have they done until now those (in US)?
toddhunter
Member
When you think about All the bravest, dirge of cerberus, mystic quest ...
Lightning returns is hardly the thing that ruined the reputation of the brand.
Shadow Ranger
Member
Oh it will hurt you...
Good for BD for beating LR. Too bad it's US only though. It's a shame it hasn't done nearly as well in EU given the longer time frame it's been out.
And you know that how?
Laughing Banana
Weeping Pickle
Then it is about Lightning, isn't it.
LE sold the way it was isn't a good indication of how 'good' the power of FF brand in the eyes of the public, imo. Because it basically had to overcome various hurdles: you need to actually play 2 games first before it and you need to actually like Lightning as a character enough to shell full-priced money for it. Unlike, say, FF7-10 where each of them is self contained.
I think the real test will be FFXV.
Psycho_Mantis
Banned
BD did quite bad in the EU charts iirc. So did LR but it opened at at a higher place before disappearing.
In all likelihood LR has outsold BD WW.
That's like saying "this pile of puke is fun and engaging to play with."
It was sold out in all the stores on the first 2 weeks in Italy and France.
Don't think it sell that bad :/
Acquiescence
Member
I'd feel better about Bravely Default's victory if I didn't slog my way through the monumentally lazy chapters of 4 to 8. This news pretty much guarantees Bravely Second being localised, but I'll only buy that if I have it in writing from Square Enix that it doesn't pull the same repetitive Groundhog Day horseshit that its predecessor did. No way I'm putting up with that again.
still super salty at what a nosedive in quality that game took
Thank you Shinta. This pretty much sums it all up.
The thing is...that FFXHD only outsold LR by less than 100k in Japan thanks to Vita and the difference between BD and LR here is very small as well. It is not that much of a 'victory' but an indication that the core audiences are roughly the same.
Dark_castle
Junior Member
I would take "experimentative bullshit limbo" if it gives us something like FFXII:IZJS or Type-0 than clones of Bravely Default.
Top 10 like we usually get in PAL land is really worthless for this kind of discussion, we'll never know how much it sell on the long term where LR could widen the gap or BD could manage do better.
Seriously at this point the only thing we know is that....It did worse in a totally different environment (is the #10 selling the same amount when BD was released than #10 when LR was released?).
So yeah I wouldn't make that claim one or another, it's a foolish errand.
Anecdotal experience of mine say that the game was VERY hard to find between its release and the end of the year (seriously even Amazon, fnac and co were out of stock).
Low supply? High Demand?
We have no way of knowing either but I'll never claim that it sold badly or not considering that we have ZERO data to support it.
On top of that I'd expect LR to do better in PAL considering that Square Enix was pushing the game heavily.
At a popular event last july here they had 3 games we could try : Kingdom Hearts HD, Lighting Returns, FFX HD.
BD was on a small stand in Japanese version on Nintendo's stand forgotten besides other 3DS games while ALBW had a stand the size of the 3 SE games stands.
You can have Type-0 but only in Japanese or you can have BD translated....
Yeah I'll take the one I don't have to go through hoops myself.
This is just it, it's misleading to think that just because the chapters are numbered, that they are all of equal length. I pretty much consider BD to have four main chapters that totalled around 45 hours of play and a fifth end chapter (comprising 5-8) that I spent all of three hours on, as I ignored any sidequest that looked repetitive. If anyone is struggling through the last part, just skip all the optional stuff, the end boss battle made it all worth it for me.
Ringabel and Edea made the game for me with a good script and voice acting, although Tiz as generic protagonist and Agnes as generic, naive self-sacrificing priestess (channeling Yuna and at least three-dozen other oh-so-holy-and-pure JRPG female leads) added nothing new, they both needed something else to round out their characters a bit.
The theme also felt a bit off: major spoiler regarding chapter 4 onwards:
Throughout the game you told to ignore what you are told, to bravely make your own decision. However, doing so and ignoring Airy's warnings regarding the crystal leads to the bad end. It felt, to me, that to be coherent with the theme of the story, what they should have done is keep moving you through alternate worlds, dropping heavier hints each time, that to break the cycle you need to stop following orders. As it stands, to reach the true ending you just do exactly as you are told each time, which feels a bit at odds with the theme.
1st Course
Member
Fantastic news.
XIII was one of the worst games I've played, really glad we're finally done with this mediocre trilogy.
XIII was one of the worst games I've played, really glad we're finally done with this mediocre trilogy.
tiggerkiddo
Member
We may get more BD games but I don't see us getting more DQ games. The series is too niche outside of Japan.
Go_Ly_Dow
Member
Lightning Returns
1.5-2 years devopment. 2 hd platforms. Marketed, localized and distributed across the whole world by Square-Enix. Gonna fail to hit 1mil WW.
Bravely Default
Sucessfull enough in Japan to warrant a sequel. Risk overseas shared with Nintendo.
Looking at previous examples it seems safe to say 200k is enough to cover the cost of localisation.
1.5-2 years devopment. 2 hd platforms. Marketed, localized and distributed across the whole world by Square-Enix. Gonna fail to hit 1mil WW.
Bravely Default
Sucessfull enough in Japan to warrant a sequel. Risk overseas shared with Nintendo.
Looking at previous examples it seems safe to say 200k is enough to cover the cost of localisation.