Remake Sales

[nahkampfbiber]

Japan, first week: 145.000 units sold (Second best selling game of that week in total)

For comparison: (first week sales)
FE6: 138,920
FE7: 120,429
FE8: 172,032
FE9: 101,296
FE10: 76,631
(source: vgchartz.com)

(don't get why SacredStones sold so good, but whatever... oO)

I guess it's good enough, so that Nintendo doesn't ditch the franchise after Radiant Dawn. Especially since I think this game has the potential to sell for a longer period of time than it's predecessors. But the series will likely stay on handhelds for the next few years.

NA/PAL-Zone release will be interesting. Maybe we'll get a "Marth outside of Japan"-boost.
But, I already see a lot of low review-scores coming. Whining about missing features, difficulty-level and bad graphics.

[Datsura]

Thanks.

I hate how FE8 sold so much.

Since FEDS sold so well, Nintendo definitely won't ditch Fire Emblem. I am hoping for a FE4 remake.

[Cold Popcorn]

Difficulty level? This is both the easiest and by far the hardest FE ever. What do they honestly want anyway?

I'm not really surprised by the sales to be honest. And if I remember right FE8 dropped off quickly in sales.

[SlippyToasterTrooper_UK]

The franchise still isn't at the heights it saw with FE3 and FE4 but maybe like the Wii it'll be a turn around...

I also have a feeling they released it now so that it would actually hit number 1 in the charts due to Summer being dead and all for games essentially. They were lucky Dragon Quest V wasn't delayed

NA/PAL-Zone release will be interesting. Maybe we'll get a "Marth outside of Japan"-boost.
But, I already see a lot of low review-scores coming. Whining about missing features, difficulty-level and bad graphics.

We don't get numbers for PAL zone...well we do get anecdotal numbers for the UK via ELSPA. You see ELSPA award games with titles after they go past certain numbers.

That said, Fire Emblem sells terribly over here due to NOE being incapable of marketing it (not even trying*) or releasing the games months after people who did care imported. The boost PALzone will give i'd say will be less than 50'000 maybe even 10'000 unless NOE learn to market it you just need to say the word Marth in an advert and...

*-And they are capable of it...

[Suichimo]

Honestly, I'd love for FE games to stay on handhelds.  Despite whatever IS has against them there is plenty of good stuff there to use and they certainly won't suffer in quality just because its a handheld, thats '90s era thinking.

However, I do have to agree that there will probably be some bad reviews.  It will most likely be for idiotic things as well, such as no Mii support in Radiant Dawn.


@Starwolf

I'm pretty sure its the same here, advertisement wise.  All they'd really have to say is "Hey, here is Marth's game.  Now give us your money."  And it'd start flowing in.

[Levin]

Oh those sales are pretty good! It would be terrible if the ended the Fire Emblem franchise, I didn't know they were seriously considering it. As for the reviews, at least Famitsu gave it a good score. However over here Fire Emblem does decent in reviews, never outstanding but something like 8.0 or so...hopefully it isn't lower than this, but I can see a lot of complaining about the sprites.

I hope FE DS continues to sell really well over there, and hopefully Marth being in this game will give a big boost to U.S. and European sales.

[Areth]

It sold another 35,000 this week, for a total of 180,000.

Not sure if that's good or bad.

Speaking of U.S and European sales, I called Nintendo of America about a release date for this game, and apparently there is none for the foreseeable future. For some reason I have this weird suspicion that it might not be localized here at all. I told them I would like to see this game localized for the U.S., and I encourage everybody who feels likewise to call Nintendo of America (or Europe, depending on your location) and do the same.

[SlippyToasterTrooper_UK]

Those sales are pretty normal for more hardcore franchises like Fire Emblem. They sell big then fall rapidly becuase all the fans own it now.

As for the NOA response. Customer services can only report what they have been told. They are the bottom of the company and so won't be pivy to the real goings on. They have not been told of anything on the horizon so there isn't. Personally, it would be foolish to start work too soon as Fire Emblem games tend to be revised due to feedback from Japanese players (look at the differences, some are minor tweeks while some are bigger coding work like making Radiant Dawn 16:9).

I'll do the NOE responses I'll get without even bothing to e-mail becuase they are so predictable and useless.
UK (Codestorm): No reply after over a month of waiting (95% probability) or something like:

Dear Customer,
I don't know of this 'Fire Emblem' you keep talking about. Please keep tuned to the Nintendo of Europe website *URL* for any details.
Your Nintendo Team

Germany:

We don't deal with people who are not German even if they write in German. Please contact Codestorm for all your Nintendo needs

The last few times i've gotten that which is a shame as the German customer services are usually more capable of giving dates (for instance with the Gamecube Zelda TP they told me sometime in December* while codesotrm danced about like headless chickens with regards to the question) but only if vauge Q3 etc exists.
*-Which is when it came out

[Peechu with a side of popcorn]

Looks like it's pretty sound; I've started playing it a couple days ago and I think it's absolutely fantastic. Can't wait to start playing the difficult modes to see how it matches up to other games in the series-- this is easily one of the best to come out in a while, I really haven't been appealed too much by the Gamecube/Wii games as of late, looking forward to more remakes instead.

[arashisama without the decorative symbols. RANDOM ENOUGH?!]

Sales in Japan almost always drop off really quickly. The only big difference is in the "BAM" of the first-week sales. It's a "get 'em while they're hot" market there, and even superstars are having trouble nowadays.

[KiddoCabbusses]

For another comparison, how did the Famicom Fire Emblem sell?

Also, has anyone been keeping track lately? I don't know if it's been on the charts or not, but there's a chance that Fire Emblem can buck the "Get it while it's hot" trend, and actually be the kind of title that gets a steady stream of sales for a while (as per Nintendo's recent successes/the casual game market)

[Areth]

If Kotaku is to be believed (or rather, this particular post: http://kotaku.com/5043640/japanese-gamers-love-soccer-hate-new-square-enix-ip)

Fire Emblem: Shin Ankoku etc. is number 28 on the software sales chart, although it doesn't say how many it sold.

Still, I'm pleased that it managed to stay in the top 30 for three weeks...

[BassForever]

That really isn't very good, I'm sad but FE might not continue if sales continue to be abysmal.

[Derpicane]

That really isn't very good, I'm sad but FE might not continue if sales continue to be abysmal.

That's not really 'abysmal'.

[arashisama without the decorative symbols. RANDOM ENOUGH?!]

Exact first week sales: 147,704 copies.

The total number would have been more, but the Japanese Oricon week starts on Wednesday's... and well, this game was released on a Sunday, so it had half a week of sales there.

Rhythm Kingdom Gold seems to be owning it though... nearly matched FEDS in sales, and it was in its second week. Granted, it had the whole week...

I think Oricon is a bit slower for updating the game list, as it primarily is a music rankings site.

[KiddoCabbusses]

Staying in the top 30 for a prolonged period is a potential sign that it may more a "stable sales" example an the "rapid dropoff" people expected. If that's the case, this may actually be one of the more sucessful Fire Emblems as of recent.

[I Fell In Love With Judas, then I got Herpes]

Week 1   147,753
Week 2   34,112
Week 3   5,494

This is from the same vgchartz source. There goes the 'steady sales' idea, eh?

[Superbus]

I'm less worried about Japanese sales than I am about American ones.

Fire Emblem, I believe, will always be around in Japan. It's bringing it over to America that worries me. And the series sold ABYSMALLY here since FE8, with FE10 being practically irrelevant.

[Levin]

I am likewise afraid that maybe the lack of American sales recently might make IS not bother with all the work (translations, etc.) of bringing it out over here.

However I still think japanese sales are important, though fire emblem would probably never get canceled, higher sales should usually translate to higher budget for the next game.

[caleb723]

Wait, I just saw RD's sales... It seriously did that badly?  I guess people were overly critical about it, the difficulty, lack of motion-sensitivity, (but, WHAT could possibly be added that could actually add to the FE series and not be a gimmick?) and lack of "better graphics," but still.  I liked FE on the big screen, but I think it's being accepted as better off on the handhelds.  I really hope they give us a chance; and, as Suichimo and Starwolf said, just mention Marth and the idiots (the seven year-olds who play Brawl/Melee and worship Marth as god...) will come running.

Now, about this Nintendo of America phone number...