Dragon Quest 3 Remake Exceeds Square Enix’s Sales Expectations

by

Summary

  • Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake exceeded initial sales expectations, surpassing two million copies sold globally.
  • The MMO division also saw a boost due to the release of Dawntrail, the latest expansion for Final Fantasy 14.
  • Dragon Quest 1 & 2 HD-2D Remake is scheduled to be released sometime in 2025.

In their latest financial report, Square Enix shared that the remake of Dragon Quest 3 in High-Definition 2D (HD-2D) surpassed its initial sales projections. This gaming powerhouse typically keeps quiet when a game outperforms expectations, but the strong sales figures of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake have been hard to ignore. Since its launch, this remake has garnered impressive sales, leading Square Enix to acknowledge its success publicly.

The “Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake” is a completely revamped version of the original “Dragon Quest 3” for the NES, powered by an HD-2D graphics engine and boasting several user-friendly enhancements. This JRPG was launched on November 14, 2024, and quickly became a phenomenon, with close to one million physical copies sold in Japan within its first week. In December, Square Enix announced that the “Dragon Quest 3 Remake” had exceeded sales of two million units globally, taking into account both shipments and digital purchases.

According to their recent financial report, Square Enix was pleasantly surprised by the success of the Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake. The game outperformed initial expectations, contributing to a rise in revenue for Square Enix’s HD Games division that encompasses console and PC titles. Simultaneously, the MMO division experienced an uptick following the launch of Dawntrail, the newest expansion for Final Fantasy 14. However, overall net sales still decreased compared to the previous year as per Square Enix’s financial results for 2023.

Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake Surpassed Sales Expectations

Typically, when Square Enix shares its financial reports, it often mentions that several of its games fell short in meeting sales targets. This is surprising considering Final Fantasy 16 sold over three million units within its first week. Initially, Square Enix expressed that the sales for Final Fantasy 16 were exceptionally robust; however, they adjusted their storyline when unveiling the financial report concerning the game’s launch period. As per the company, the long-term sales for Final Fantasy 16 didn’t sustain at the expected level, resulting in lower-than-anticipated revenue.

Previously, the company has acknowledged that titles like Tomb Raider and Sleeping Dogs didn’t perform as well as anticipated, and there were indications (but no explicit statements) suggesting that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PS5 followed suit in terms of sales. Interestingly, one of Square Enix’s recent successes was Trials of Mana, a remake of the third installment in the Mana series, which was originally launched for the SNES and surpassed expectations.

Based on these projected sales and other considerations, Square Enix is shifting towards releasing games on various platforms instead of sticking to exclusive partnerships with PlayStation and Nintendo. For quite some time, Square Enix has had successful collaborations with both companies, launching their games on their respective consoles, but only temporarily. Now, the Japanese corporation has made it clear that they will terminate exclusivity agreements and plan to distribute future games across several platforms such as consoles and computers.

Read More

2025-02-07 20:46