The “Non-Exclusive” strategy of Square Enix seems to be paying off well, as Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth PC version has managed to achieve the third highest sales of games in the United States in January 2025.
These figures come from Circana (formerly NPD), which previously provided information about FF7 Rebirth’s sales performance on PC. The top-selling game of January 2025 was the perennial favorite Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, followed by Madden NFL 25. The fact that FF7 Rebirth was able to sneak into the third spot is quite noteworthy.
Square Enix acknowledged during a financial briefing that sales did not meet their expectations (although specific numbers were not disclosed). The company’s pivot to selling the game on other platforms was considered a success according to plan. The revenue numbers will have to wait to be revealed at Square Enix’s next financial briefing in May.
Mat Piscatella, an analyst at Circana following this trend, mentioned in an interview with IGN that it is becoming increasingly challenging for third-party game developers who do not own their own platform. Selling games in a non-exclusive manner on a single platform and expecting sales success without platform owner financial support is proving to be a tough proposition.
Source – IGN
TLDR: Square Enix’s Non-Exclusive strategy with Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth PC version achieves impressive sales rankings, amidst challenges for third-party game developers without platform support.
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