A Major Blow to Sony in Japan

[Cidien]

Overall FF is more popular than DQ. DQ may be insanely popular in japan but FF is still very popular there too. In the US there are lots of people who don't even know what DQ is. There aren't many people that have ever played a game that don't know about FF. Hell tons of people that don't play games know about FF just because people debate the different games all the time at school/work and such.

[Andromeda18_]

Now, more copies of Dragon Quest 7 were sold than FF 7, 8 and 9 combined in Japan;

Not that I don't believe what you said but according to information on the wikipedia

Dragon Warrior VII's sales totalled 4.1 million

Final Fantasy VII was both a critical and commercial success, and set several sales records. Within three days of its January 1997 release in Japan, the game had sold 2.3 million copies.

in Japan, it (Final Fantasy VIII) sold roughly 2.5 million units within the first four days of release

So basicaly, 2.3 million + 2.5 million = 4.8 million copies. These 4.8 million copies were sold in Japan within 3/4 days after the games were released, which means the number of copies sold outside Japan and the total number of copies sold in Japan aren't included. The number of FFIX copies sold aren't included either.
I'm not saying Dragon Quest 7 didn't sell more than either one of these games in Japan but it certainly didn't sell more than all three combined.



By the way, I came across this bit of information on the wikipedia:

All Time Top 100 by the readers

In March of 2006 Japanese Famitsu magazine readers voted on their 100 all-time favorite games. The top ten games picked by fans were:

1. Final Fantasy X (2001)
2. Final Fantasy VII (1997)
3. Dragon Quest III (1988)
4. Dragon Quest VIII (2004)
5. Machi (1998)
6. Final Fantasy IV (1991)
7. Tactics Ogre (1995)
8. Final Fantasy III (1990)
9. Dragon Quest VII (2000)
10. Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998)

Have you noticed how 8 of those 10 games are RPGs and the other 2 are adventure games? It seems like role playing/adventure games are definite favourites in Japan.
You can see the full list here.

[Cidien]

All the way down the list through 40 almost all of them are RPG's.

[Andromeda18_]

All the way down the list through 40 almost all of them are RPG's.

It only shows the Japanese have good taste. :p

[Blight]

I know Final Fantasy is a big deal. Anyone with any sense does. But so is Dragon Quest, and since only one has shifted focus to a different platform, and more pertinently, a different companies platform, it was really the only one that had any relevance to this conversation. Final Fantasy didn't move off a Sony platform, and Dragon Quest now has, and that is a serious blow to them. It isn't a blow in the sense that now people will absolutely refuse to get a PS3 because Dragon Quest isn't on it, it is more along the lines of now, the two biggest things in Japan right now have joined up. It is kinda snub to Sony in many ways, and having that kind of brand power fall to your competition can steal your wind. If your competition is doing good, that usually isn't a great thing for you, and landing a dream franchise like this on your system is about as good as it gets.

Final Fantasy is irefutably important, but it really had no place in addressing this statement. The statement made was not, how Sony is going to lose the console war, or this is the death of Sony, it was A Major Blow to Sony in Japan. And this fact is also irrefutable. It doesn't mean that Sony can't do things to make up for it, but it is not something to be taken lightly either. I mean, how can losing reign of a major franchise like that NOT be a major blow?

[Andromeda18_]

Sorry about the Final Fantasy thing. Inicially I just mentioned it to say Sony at least still had Final Fantasy, but I did say losing Dragon Quest was a blow to Sony in Japan. I only brought FF up again because Evilomar's statement that Dragon Quest 7 had sold so many copies sounded a bit unrealistic, even if it is the best selling RPG in the history of Japan.

Anyway, I also said this blow was one Sony had known about for some time now. However, this isn't the only blow Sony suffered. Because it took Sony so long to launch the PS3 they ended up losing the exclusivity of a few games.
You can read about it here.

[Blight]

Sorry about the Final Fantasy thing. Inicially I just mentioned it to say Sony at least still had Final Fantasy, but I did say losing Dragon Quest was a blow to Sony in Japan. I only brought FF up again because Evilomar's statement that Dragon Quest 7 had sold so many copies sounded a bit unrealistic, even if it is the best selling RPG in the history of Japan.

Anyway, I also said this blow was one Sony had known about for some time now. However, this isn't the only blow Sony suffered. Because it took Sony so long to launch the PS3 they ended up losing the exclusivity of a few games.
You can read about it here.

You don't have to apologize, you are entitled to say whatever you want, thus is the point of debate and discussion. I just wanted to remind everyone that this big news and not to sweep it under the rug. And yes Sony's launch has only hurt them. They won't even come close to putting out the number of consoles that they said they would, and now they have no idea when they will even launch in Europe. Manufacturing issues will lend aid to both Nintendo and Microsoft long after Christmas is over. I won't say the writing is on the wall for Sony, but I will say the taggers have picked out their spot and are watching.

[Cidien]

Christmas is puttijng microsoft way ahead of the other two. It's like bill gates said. Microsoft is going to sell tons of consoles while sony can only sell the rounding error amounts they can produce.

[Schultz]

Christmas is puttijng microsoft way ahead of the other two. It's like bill gates said. Microsoft is going to sell tons of consoles while sony can only sell the rounding error amounts they can produce.

Actually not true. As what analyst first thought isn't happening. Its looking that they thought with people not able to get Ps3 or Wii that they would get 360 but reality is they are getting DS's and Psp's. And Microsoft is actually changing there prediction for the end of the year as they don't think they will sell as much as they thought they originally where.

[morgorath]

Not that I don't believe what you said but according to information on the wikipedia

In college the professers ask us not to use wikipedia as a source. Thier reason is simple because thier facts are not checked and it is not edited. A good example here from wikipedia is on Eric Bischoff on 10-23-2006 he stated on WWE Monday Night Raw that thier were many falsehoods and misquotes about him. JBL asked him like what and he replied "Like wikipedia, they have my birthdate wrong I wan't born in October 1955. I was born on May 27th 1955." I posted this statment shortly after he said that on wikipedia. It has since been removed and Eric b-day was updated.

Now some cold hard facts from 2003 after all the sells have been counted. Something suprised me. Ruby / Sapphire of the Pokemon fame sold 4,902,220 from 2002 thru 2003
FFX-2 only sold 1,941,727. http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-BestSell2003b.shtmlThat is were I got the info from. now let's do the math...

FFx-2 cost $50 x 1,941,727 = $97,086,350
Pokemon cost $35 x 4,902,220 = $171,577,700
That is a difference of $74,491,350

Maybe this is why we have seen every FF (except FF3 or FF6 on the SNES) be ported over redone and even completely remade in FFIII on to the GBA and DS. It looks like smart money for SE to put DQ9 on the DS.

[geo85]

Reports have come in from all over the us that many retailers have ps3s in stock and no one is buying them, everyone wants a wii or a ds.

[Cidien]

Using FFX-2 really isn't fair. There are TONS of FF fans that hate that game. I don't really like it but I don't dislike it either...

On another note, when asked why no PS3's were selling a sony PR guy stated that sony is outselling the 360 because they are selling more ps2's than 360's.

I might go through my emails with my friend one day and post everything I have.... sony has done so much wrong they almost deserve to go out of business in gaming. It's like they're so arrogant they don't think anything they do or say has an impact on ps3's selling. I know around here we havn't gotten very many ps3's in and they aren't selling at all. A friend at walmart told me they sold 1 in the last 4 days and at best buy they said they sell maybe one every couple days.

I was almost a sony fanboy coming into this console generation and right now they've pissed me off so much I almost don't want to buy one even after a price drop.

[Cidien]

Oh, Wii shipments still sell out within half an hour everywhere.

[Zagatto]

I think the hot sales of the Wii go to show that people want to pay for something that will be fun to play more than something with impressive specs.

Personally, I'm half surprised that Microsoft isn't trying to release an X-Handheld to compete with the PSP and DS. They would loose that battle before it gets started but I can still see the management over at M$ try throwing in and be a player in the hottest part of the video gaming market.

[Cidien]

I'm not. From everything i've seen this generation M$ knows what they're doing. They're kicking the crap out of sony in america. Right now they seem to be banking on blue dragon to blow the doors open in japan. So far it seems like it might do just that. They've sold a lot of 360's just for that game. If they can come up with another couple good rpg's the 360 will have a decent foothold in japan. The only reason it's failing over there right now is the japanese market is quite literally insane. They seem to buy things or not buy things just cuz, rather than because it's good or bad. I've said it before but the 360 is the best system i've ever owned. The games, the dashboard, the online service. It's all awesome.