Square Enix’s blockbusting remake of Final Fantasy VII, helpfully called Final Fantasy VII Remake, has been out on the PlayStation 4 for a few weeks now, and people are just as eager to play the remake as they were to play the original when it came out for the PlayStation way back in 1997. In fact, according to Square Enix itself, the game sold over 3.5 million copies in its first three days on the market (that includes physical copies shipped to stores and digital downloads):
We're proud to announce we shipped and digitally sold over 3.5M copies of #FinalFantasy VII Remake in 3 days! 🥳
— FINAL FANTASY VII (@finalfantasyvii) April 21, 2020
All of us would like to raise our Buster Swords to say THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us during launch, we hope you’re all enjoying the game! #FF7R pic.twitter.com/4m93Op7O9I
That makes it the highest-selling PlayStation 4 exclusive game in that period, eclipsing both God of War (which moved 3.1 million units over its first three days) and Spider-Man (3.3 million).
There are lots of reasons for this. To start, even all these years later, Final Fantasy VII is a beloved game that kickstarted the RPG boom of the late ’90s and early ’00s. This new game covers only the first section of the 1997 original, with freedom fighters like Cloud, Barret, Tifa and Aerith making their way through the dystopian city of Midgar and trying to take down the mega-corporation Shinra, which is draining the life energy from the planet.
The jury’s still out on how exactly the follow-up games will split up the rest of the story. This first one adds a ton of content to this first leg of the journey, and also incorporates some intriguing changes.
The other reason is that people are stuck at home right now thanks to the coronavirus and video games are a perfect way to pass the time. The Hollywood Reporter reports that video game spending topped $1.6 billion in March, which is a 36% jump over the same time last year. Final Fantasy VII may be a beloved game, but it can’t hurt that the remake is coming along at a time when a lot of people have basically nothing to do but play it.
Oh, and there’s also the fact that Final Fantasy VII Remake is terrific. Whatever the reason people are playing, kudos to Square Enix on their success. And now the waiting begins:
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