Ever since Final Fantasy 16 launched, an argument has swirled surrounding its sales numbers and how well the title has done compared to other recent games in the series like Final Fantasy 15 and Final Fantasy 7 Remake. A recent Bloomberg article kicked the argument up into high gear by revealing the game's rather large dropoff in sales in Japan in the second week after launch, which people used to suggest it could potentially be considered a bit of a disappointment by Square Enix's standards.
Thankfully, Square Enix itself has now commented on the argument, insisting that Final Fantasy 16 sales have been "extremely strong" relative to the install base of the PS5. In a statement provided to IGN, Square Enix explains Final Fantasy 16 sold 3 million copies in the first few days after its release, a number it considers a success given that the game is exclusive to PS5 consoles of which roughly 38 million have shipped.
It also argues that since Final Fantasy 7 Remake sold 3.5 million copies in the same amount of time depsite being on the PS4's much larger install base, it considers the attach rate for Final Fantasy 16 to be "considerably high".
"With 38 million PS5 consoles shipped globally (as of March 31, 2023), sales of Final Fantasy 16 surpassed three million units worldwide several days after its release on June 22, 2023," reads Square Enixs statement.
"Taking into consideration the sales figures of the acclaimed Final Fantasy 7 Remake and the difference in size of the install base of the PlayStation 4 at the time of this title’s release, we can see that the attach rate of Final Fantasy 16 is considerably high, given the PS5 install base."
It makes a lot of sense considering expensive hardware like the PS5 is only just becoming easier to get a hold of, and there's literally nothing to worry about if Square Enix is happy with where the sales of Final Fantasy 16 currently are. Then you take into account that the game is a lot different to your usual Final Fantasy adventure, and you can start to see why it may not have hit the heights of games like Final Fantasy 15 or Final Fantasy 7 Remake with its ever popular cast of characters.
That number will probably grow too as more people pick up a PS5 now they're more widespread, so paranoid Final Fantasy fans can maybe chill out and relax. Final Fantasy is doing fine, and will probably keep doing fine well into the future, whatever that may look like.