Dragon Quest has always been popular in Japan, while Final Fantasy was more popular in the West, which is why, in only one week since its release,Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake has outsold Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and the numbers aren’t even close.Dragon Quest III 2D-HD Remake sold, according to Famitsu, 826,945 copies split between the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5. By comparison, since its release in February, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has sold only 339,168 copies. The one caveat is that this is for boxed copies, but by taking the size and buying habits of Japanese RPG fans into account, it’s clear that the final result is not what most people expected at the start of the year.
Review: Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
Is HD-2D the key to revitalize Dragon Quest III or should it have stayed in the past?
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake was always going to sell well, since it’s the first entry in the franchise since 2017’s Dragon Quest XI, and four years since the enhanced Definitive Edition, but it’s alsoa ground-up remake of the most popular entry in the franchise. Dragon Quest III, released in the West as Dragon Warrior 3, was the first to introduce the class system, the day/night cycle and a significantly-larger world than the previous two games. Again, by comparison, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a brand new game in the classic franchise thatmade a few controversial changes from the original PlayStation classicand it’s a PlayStation 5 exclusive that can’t run on Japan’s most-popular console, the Nintendo Switch.
A Rising Franchise, A Falling Franchise
In 1988, Dragon Quest III sold a million copies in one day, and over 30 years later,Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake fell just shy of that number in the span of a week. In the West, there’s reports on social media of fans that can’t get their hands on physical copies, and thanks to digital purchases, there’s no telling how popular it really is. For a classic, turn-based RPG, these are incredible numbers that prove there’s an audience for this type of gameplay experience, and while it’s significantly smaller than the more mainstream Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto audience, it’s larger than you’d think.
For a classic, turn-based RPG, these are incredible numbers that prove there’s an audience for this type of gameplay experience, and while it’s significantly smaller then the more mainstream Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto audience, it’s larger than you’d think.
The same week that the Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake team is taking a victory lap following the amazing sales numbers andincredible reviews, the Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth team had to make it clear there’s no Intergrade-style DLC coming for the controversial game. Square, during investor calls this year, said thatRebirth and Final Fantasy 16 both fell short of sales expectations, so it’ll be interesting to see what they say about the latest Dragon Quest. While Final Fantasy is faltering and has been accused of losing touch with its fanbase, Dragon Quest, another series from the same company, is reaching new heights by honoring its history.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Gets PS5 Pro Update
Square Enix details the improvements implemented for PS5 Pro.
