Final Fantasy 16 Pre-Orders Reportedly Below 15's, Square Enix "Panicking"

thegamer.com:

Final Fantasy 16 is almost guaranteed to be a hit when it launched on June 22, but right now, it might not be reaching the heights of its predecessor. This is according to a report on the behind-the-scenes at Square Enix, which says the company is "panicking" over Final Fantasy 16's pre-order figures.

According to journalist Imran Khan, Final Fantasy 16's pre-orders are "tracking behind" Final Fantasy 15's, even after adjusting for the fact that 16 is a PS5 exclusive. Khan continues to say that this has Square Enix "slightly panicking", suggesting that the game's promotional period has not gone as planned, even with the positive reception to early gameplay demos.

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Khan mentions this apparent concern within Square Enix in relation to the company's recent announcement that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is still in development and aiming for its winter release window. Khan speculates that this reminder came in response to 16's apparent poor pre-order figures, suggesting that the company believes it didn't do enough to encourage fans to purchase the game early.

Of course, no one is suggesting that FF16 will sell poorly. But as with every triple-A game nowadays, getting some money in the bank before launch is always promising, given high production costs. It also shows how much interest the publisher can expect at launch, helping them prepare physical copies. This is why so many games try so hard to encourage pre-orders, offering a bunch of different perks to those who buy early.

If it's true that FF16 is failing to drum up the pre-launch sales that Square Enix was hoping for, it might not necessarily be the game's fault. Unlike FF15, 16 is launching at a time when