Square Enix’s 3DS JRPG Bravely Default has sold 400,000 units in Japan and 600,000 in western markets.
It might be fair to say that Square Enix has made some unfortunate moves in recent years. With the experimental Final Fantasy XIII failing to grab the widespread acclaim the company was hoping for and its efforts to gain ground with audiences outside of its traditional fan base falling short, there were more than a few fans (present company included) who wished it would just go back to the way it used to make games in the good old days.
Then it released Bravely Default. Built around traditional JRPG sensibilities, it was a surprise hit that sold well across borders and partially led to Square Enix announcing that it would be refocusing its efforts back toward the genre that gained it its fame in the first place. It really makes you wonder; if that’s how it reacted when the game had sold just 200,000 copies in North America, how does it feel now that it’s sold a million worldwide?
While the company has yet to confirm the number itself, reports have stated that the little-JRPG-that-could recently crossed the million mark with 400,000 units sold in east and another 600,000 in the west. Granted, these sorts of numbers aren’t on par with titles like Tomb Raider, which Square Enix once branded a failure for not selling five million copies. That said, we can only imagine that making a 3DS game costs a tad less than crafting a AAA action title, leaving more leeway where profit’s concerned.
These figures are probably also welcome since the publisher is already in the process of creating a sequel: Bravely Second. Second has yet to be announced for western markets just yet, but with 60 percent of the first game’s purported sales taking place outside of Japan, we’re willing to bet it will come our way in due time.
Source: Dengeki Online via IGN
