360 Final Fantasy XIII flops in Japan

By Robert Purchese Published 23 December, 2010

Held up by the snow? Lightning?

I doubt Japan ever expected to play Final Fantasy XIII on Xbox 360, but last week a cut-price, content-boosted version of the game on Microsoft's machine was released.

So, how did it do?

Abysmally.

Final Fantasy XIII showed up 39th in the regional software chart. Sales figures aren't noted for games past position 20, but if the game occupying 20th sold 22,579 units then FFXIII, which is 19 places lower, can be estimated to have a much lower tally.

When Final Fantasy XIII appeared on PS3 in Japan, in December 2009, launch-week sales were 1.5 million.

The only explanation for poor Xbox 360 sales we have is that Japan reads Eurogamer's Digital Foundry blog, which pointed out, emphatically, that the Xbox 360 version of FFXIII was the vastly inferior of the two.

It certainly can't be because no one cares about Final Fantasy XIII. Can it?

In reality, it's probably a combination of factors. The Xbox 360 doesn't quite have an installed base of 1.5 million in Japan, while the PS3 marches close to six million. And not only is the 360 port of FFXIII a poor one, it's also a year late in Japan, where Final Fantasy fans had been lead to believe buying a PS3 was the only way they'd play the 13th instalment.

Final Fantasy XIII was released in March this year. Was it the show-stopping next-generation Final Fantasy debut Square Enix had promised? Wrote Oli Welsh for Eurogamer: "What's left, though, is faultlessly accomplished, gorgeous to behold and, in the long run, thoroughly enjoyable. For better or worse, it's another new beginning, and that's one Final Fantasy tradition that should never be changed."

PS3 versus Xbox 360 - our favourite type of fight.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds. @Clert on Twitter.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (53) Latest comment 1 year ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #1 1 year ago

    Another fantastic sub title from Eurogamer, keep it up!

  • JBlokeUK #2 1 year ago

    Wow, I'm shocked, I really am.

    I mean how can it possibly flop in a country where hardly anyone actually has a 360 to begin with?

    Sorry EG, but this is easily the most pointlesss article you've posted this year.

  • CygnusReactor #3 1 year ago

    I'm curious how well Monster Hunter Frontier did as that is an IP that's huge in Japan and xbox (console) exclusive. I hope it did well so we may see it some time over here. I understand MH3P sold 3 million in little over 2 weeks on the psp.

  • berelain #4 1 year ago

    and in other news: The sky is blue.

  • Darren #5 1 year ago

    I can't say that I'm surprised really. What was surprising was that Square-Enix didn't release the game on the 360 and PS3 simultaneously; had they done so then I suspect sales might have been better. How many Japanese Xbox 360 owners sold or ditched their machines and bought a PS3 just to play the game for example?

  • Lunastra78 #6 1 year ago

    It might seem as if there is no "Hope" for the 360 in Japan.

  • GamesConnoisseur #7 1 year ago

    However fewer there were of X360 compared to PS3, there are 1.2 million of X360s in Japan to under 6 million of PS3.

    So mathematically, we would have expected all things being equal a SIXTH of FFXIII sold in Japan for X360, but of course they are not, what with being a year late and people may have already played FFXIII on PS3 if multi platform owners.

    SO, even including these factors, we would have expected FF starved X360 only owners to be buying FFXIII, so interesting in what this meant, that the tarnished FFXIII reps finally got around enough? Is this more of the factor than the 1 year delay accounting for less than representative sales (based on X360 to PS3 ratio)?

    As X360 version of other Japanese games do occassionally sells a bit more.

    Of course not in question is the chance of X360 in Japan, which we all know is dead in water, but I have applauded MS for continuing to support the market and fans. Just as we would want to see Sony continue to actively support PSP owners even if PSP is not as vibrant here in Europe as it is in Japan.

  • technicianTed #8 1 year ago

    Not only was it a bad port, it was a bad game as well.

    How anyone can enjoy a bloke with an afro who has a chick nesting in it and some annoying aussie girl who umms and oooo's a lot is anyone's guess.
    It was the most annoying game i've played all year(better on ps3 though for sure).

  • slickster #9 1 year ago

    its probably because the japanese got f**ked off with all the rod problems and when with ps3.

  • MattEdWithCheese #10 1 year ago

    "f**ked" "rod"

    /giggles like a little girl

  • gjgjg #11 1 year ago

    This won't help X360's rep in Japan anyway. I doubt there's much fanboy waring over there however, given the disparity in install base.

  • Eraysor #12 1 year ago

    There is of course the fact that it's rubbish...

  • Makeem95 #13 1 year ago

    After just selling 20,000 or so copies, I hope SE thought it was worth all the anger from fans & damage to their integrity by releasing this garbage on the 360.

  • Darknight #14 1 year ago

    Given this, and the way the 360 version of FFXIII was received, what are the odds on future entries in the series being multi-platform? I think Square will take one look at these sales, and think "sod that, it's not worth the hassle".

  • SpookyTang #15 1 year ago

    I think SE sold enough FF13 in the west to justify the 360 release, i also think that SE don't give two flying fucks for Sony/360 fanboys venting on forums.

  • sonicyoda #16 1 year ago

    @CygnusReactor

    If MH Frontier did well in Japan then it's probably down to PC sales and not 360.

  • qwertymz #17 1 year ago

    How many times can one say 'vastly inferior' in a half-page article? Geez. I have the Xbox 360 version. It's not as awful as this makes it out to be -- the reason it flopped is because 1) Xbox isn't popular in Japan; 2) FFXIII has been out on PS3 for OVER A YEAR now, 3) The Xbox version presumably offered no advancements; 4) Isn't there a Final Mix type version coming out soon? People will be wanting that...

  • Steroyd #18 1 year ago

    It might seem as if there is no "Hope" for the 360 in Japan.

    The Xbox 360 version doesn't have Hope?

    Obviously it's the superior version then. :)

  • Rodster #19 1 year ago

    A better title would have been Final Fantasy XIII flops in Japan. I bought it for the PS3 and it was a snooze-fest, which I never finished.

  • 32768Colours #20 1 year ago

    Regarding the comparison video between the two formats featured in this article, I once again find myself struggling to see any differences what-so-ever. In fact the only time that springs to mind where I've really seen a disparity was on Red Dead Redemption, which did look a bit blurred on PS3. Did it have a dramatic effect on PS3 sales of RRR though? Probably not.

    Likewise, I think its highly unlikely the technical achievements of one format over another had much to do with FF XIII sales figures. Its far more likely it was simply down to bad release timing and there being fewer 360 owners.

  • chessboxer #21 1 year ago

    @CygnusReactor

    Monster Hunter Frontier on 360 sold 92,807 units in its first week. It ranked 14th in the 2nd week and was not in the top 50 in the 3rd week.

  • Power_n_Glory #22 1 year ago

    MS may have a shot at cracking Japan with Kinect. We'll see how that one goes down. But they don't have to crack Japan. Japanese games aren't selling all that well here, Western games don't sell well there.

    How many Japanese games from major developers have flopped over here and vice versa.

    Different taste in games. It's no big deal.

  • geeza2020 #23 1 year ago

    The fact that the game was a steaming sack of shite probably had something to do with it...

  • coolbritannia #24 1 year ago

    shit game sells bad shocker.

  • lockload #25 1 year ago

    Who needs trolls when you have robert

  • stevetuck #26 1 year ago

    The game was ass anyway

  • miiiguel #27 1 year ago

    damage to their integrity

    You can't be serious. Or you're very young.

  • Phishfood #28 1 year ago

    Uh oh.

    Microsoft better pay out some big money to secure a Monster Hunter exclusive for the 360, but wait they already did that. Then they better do it again!

  • ElNino9 #29 1 year ago

    lollerBox lol60

  • Feanor #30 1 year ago

    "shit game sells bad shocker."

    FFXIII has sold very well worldwide.

  • Raiko101 #31 1 year ago

    How is the 360 version inferior. I don't mean to sound ignorent, i've not really played FFXIII. I can't tell the difference between the visuals of the 360 and PS3 version in that video.

  • Lord_Gremlin #32 1 year ago

    Huh, they should have
    1) Kept the game PS3 exclusive everywhere.
    2) Made open-world areas 2-3 times larger + NPCs. L'cie stones are fucking boring.
    3) Used another story. The current one is retarded, with Orphan being the most illogical and stupid creature to appear in a videogame.

  • Bander #33 1 year ago

    "3) Used another story."

    This one in particular. Something a lot of JRPGs and even several western ones have been guilty of lately is being far too linear at the start, and then dumping you in at the deep end of full exploration several hours later. I'm playing through Secret of Mana again at the moment, and love how I'm allowed quite a bit of freedom to go where I like right away. Yet not so much that I get lost or feel that deviating to see everything is going to be a massively time consuming chore or an essential task.

    Gameplay has to come first, otherwise the sections where the story is given priority for a long period of time isn't going to feel particularly involving.

  • SomaticSense #34 1 year ago

    With all the BS constantly spouted about the game by both fans and critics, I think it's time for a dose of reality to be doled out.

    1. No, it's obviously not as good as as FFVII (but then has any FF game since released been as good?).
    2. It's not a shit game, by any means. The only real fuck up Square made was removing towns. Anyone who genuinely thought the game was "shit" really should get out there and try some games that don't average 8's or 9's for a change. What a blissful gaming existence to have never actually played a proper "shit" game for comparison sake, eh?
    3. The battle system was fantastic.
    4. Yes, the characters could be annoying at times.
    5. The graphics were way better than a lengthy RPG should ever had been capable of.
    6. The game was no more linear than most other JRPGs (the aforementioned removal of towns has helped contribute to this fallacy).
    7. The final boss was an utter cunt, and whoever at Square was responsible for it should be sacked immediately and arrested for crimes against video game design.
    8. The 360 port was nowhere near as bad as is always made out. Want an example of a genuinely bad port? Look at PS3 Bayonetta for a recent example (loading for menu screens, hmmm...), or any of the games from the eighties or early nineties ported between various consoles.
    9. And finally. At least it was better than FFXII, with it's completely shit story, shit characters, and poorly thought out wannabe MMO elements (in a single player RPG!?).

    I got the 360 version for the admittedly cheap £14.99. and was expecting a bland RPG with no depth (akin to some of the comments here), but was thoroughly surprised with how good it was. Methinks a lot of the negative views surrounding it are borne from a) non-JRPG fans getting caught up in all the admittedly OTT hype on release and since realising they never actually liked the genre, b) obbessive stuck-in-the-mud JRPG traditionalists who resented some of the changes and blew them up to be bigger flaws than they actually were (shops at save points is BETTER people!), and c) pissy PS3 FF fans who were sulking at losing an exclusive and having to wait for a simultaeneous release of both formats.
    Edited by SomaticSense at 24/12/10 @ 11:59

  • FortysixterUK #35 1 year ago

    Somaticsense, can't agree with you all the way there.

    In my opinion, FF12 was a great game and should have been the direction they went with all other FF games it was fresh and challenging, or else Squenix need go back to the really old school stories/designs of possibly the best FF, FF3/6 ( depending on where you lived, it had a female mage held captive in a robot suit at the start).

    The rest of your post was pretty much spot on. The removal of towns was a bad thing , left you with little feeling of achievement, and gave you no real spots to refer to as safe, usually much needed after an arduous quest.

    I thought graphically the game was fine on 360.

    Squenix were bold with the design but ultimately it did flounder somewhat.

    Two of the best JRPGs on xbox are, again , in my opinion, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey. Shame Square didn't make 'em !

  • spekkeh #36 1 year ago

    Thoroughly enjoyable eh? Was that why I had to urge myself to keep playing for over ten hours, and then still gave up halfway at the 25-hour mark?

  • spekkeh #37 1 year ago

    I didn't find real fault in the story. At least it was nice that they framed it, by beginning halfway into the story, and then gradually exposing the first thirteen days building up to where you were now. I don't really know any other game that does that so expertly.

    The two main problems with FFXIII imo were:

    1) No choice, not even small branching pathways. Not having to think about the environment makes them trivial backdrops, especially because

    2) the ONLY gameplay element turned out to be the battle system. Nothing else. Just fight, fight, non-interactive movie, fight, fight, ad nauseam. Nothing to roleplay, because you didn't get to make real decisions, no interactions with npcs, etc. I wouldn't consider it a JRPG, just a fighting minigame with bonus movies as a reward for winning. Well, that's pretty bleak as a game. There's a reason why FPS games only last 6 hours.

  • stepleftstepright #38 1 year ago

    bad game selling less on the least popular console in Japan. What a surprise. I am shedding my tears over this news. Whatever.

  • drumbaby #39 1 year ago

    I thought the DF article said that the Xbox 360 was only a tiny bit worse, and could even be considered better if you squinted in a certain light.

    Ah well, my bad.

  • Jamiesan #40 1 year ago

    @everyone asking how the 360 version is inferior:
    IIRC the ingame visuals are nearly the same, there's the usual 360 advantage on alpha effects and ps3 with lighting.
    The main difference is in the pre-rendered videos, which are much, much better on the PS3. The 360 version's were encoded with an ancient codec with a bad quality/bitrate ratio, and frankly I can remember half a dozen occasions which look like I was watching an old youtube vid during intense scenes. To make matters worse, there was a lot of unused space on the disks which could have been used to provide a higher bitrate on the more intense vids. A really lazy effort by S-E. At the time, DF showed how using an open source codec could have provided a much better video, for less disk space.

  • romelpotter #41 1 year ago

    Where is the news in this story?

    FF on Xbox 360, in Japan is always going to be flawed being as it is, PS3 is the favoured console.
    FF 13 is a poor game by many peoples standard, on any system!

    FF13 released on xbox 360 with extra content, in Japan sells poorly.

    Wow! ... just wow!

  • Lucodeath #42 1 year ago

    But Japan flops everywhere else at the mo. FF lost the plot after FF7. The snes FFs were fun to play but cant remember what number they were cos it was different to the Jap versions.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #43 1 year ago

    Square only have themselves to blame. Had they not taken the stupid decision to stagger the 360 version release, after the PS3 version, while giving the rest of the world the game on both formats, same day release, there'd be less of a problem.

    Sod stupid PS3 exclusivity, as its still the third place console anyway. I guess the shares that Sony have in Square, might have also led to this decision. The bigger question is what did MS think of this, and afterwards, did MS realise that they don't need an FF to sell Xbox360. There's still a lot of Xbox 360 apathy in japan, some of which I can understand, but MS have done quite well, without a flood of jrpgs on 360.

    As for FFXIII, I'll pick it up eventually, for £10. I do feel that eventually, the rise of Mass Effect, Dragon Age etc, offer a more compelling, entertaining game. With Mass Effect soon on PS3, I think a lot of japanese gamers, are going to get a culture shock, to how far western games have come, and realise FF isn't that great after all.

  • Nephirion #44 1 year ago

    The 360 version of FF13 was awful, lower quality fmv and fps lag made it a pain to play.

  • frazzl #45 1 year ago

    At least Asian 360 gamers can now get FFXIII in English for the 360, not that the game is very good or anything.

  • kirankara #46 1 year ago

    probably been said, but hardly a shock is it? Game that been traditionally played on playstation by japanese gamers, sells more on playstation , as opposed to console that doesnt sell well due to patriotism) and a lack of userbase understanding (360) . It would been a massive shock if it had sold well on 360. They making small inroads, but cant see how 360 will ever make a real impact on japanese market. Japanese are very patriotic, and will mainly buy japanese products, they also dont tend to buy into the styles of games western countries play, so microsoft were at huge disadvantage with their library. They spent money to get some games to appeal to japanese market, but seems that it's not really enough.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #47 1 year ago

    Thing is the wind has changed. FF is no longer needed to sell system, as much as MS once feared on the original Xbox. The hour of the jrpg has passed, and the hour of the western rpg is at hand, which are in abundance on 360.

  • Hei #48 1 year ago

    It is because 360 sucks in japan

  • Daikon #49 1 year ago

    Even though it's a new release on 360 in Japan, the fact that the game is packaged as an "Ultimate Hits" budget title (yet not priced like one) can't have helped sales much...

  • Collymilad #50 1 year ago

    So Eurogamer, even though it is fact that the 360 version is inferior, you really think it has nothing to do with

    a)the 360's installed base in Japan
    b)the Japanese populations attitude to American products (yes, even the reliable ones)

    Ok, sure.

    :|

  • Daikon #51 1 year ago

    @SpaceMonkey77:

    We're talking about the Japanese market, not the Western market. 360 and Western RPGs fail to sell in significant numbers and JRPGs are king.

    @Collymilad:

    That would explain why the iPhone is not popular in Japan. Oh wait...

  • smelly #52 1 year ago

    It should've flopped in the west too.. as it was shite.

  • SomaticSense #53 1 year ago

    @ Collymilad: "So Eurogamer, even though it is fact that the 360 version is inferior"

    Yeah the game is massively inferior to the PS3 version, what with it's slightly lower resolution cutscenes and.......... erm........ exactly the same everything else.

    /sarcasm