Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sales are underperforming, according to Daniel Ahmad, director of research and insights at Niko Partners. Square Enix has yet to release official sales figures, but citing reports from the “usual” data trackers used by firms, Ahmad says Rebirth is well behind its predecessor, Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
What’s going on with Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth sales?
In response to a Twitter exchange regarding FF7 Rebirth in which a random user brought up the game’s sales, Ahmad said that Rebirth is selling “about half of what Remake sold” within the same time frame. The veteran industry analyst also theorized that Rebirth will have a “weaker tail.” However, this may change if Sony releases the game as part of PS Plus at some point.
There are a couple of widely accepted theories about FF7 Rebirth’s slower sales in comparison to Remake. For starters, Remake was released towards the end of the PS4’s life cycle with a massive install base, and it was also the first entry in a highly-requested remake of a beloved title. Not only is Rebirth a direct sequel to Remake, it’s also only available on the PS5.
Additionally, Rebirth released in the midst of a global lockdown due to the pandemic, during which gaming skyrocketed at an unprecedented rate.