The Final Fantasy series has sold a whopping 200 million copies, while the Pixel Remaster reportedly outsells FF16 with 5 million copies

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Publisher Square Enix has announced that its beloved JRPG anthology series has passed a major milestone as more than 200 million Final Fantasies have been sold over the last 37 years.
"The Final Fantasy series has now sold over 200 million copies across the globe," the publisher announced today, "Wherever you joined us on our adventures, thank you." Those sales account for a whopping 16 mainline games (22 if you include numbered sequels and the recent FF7 remakes), alongside countless mobile spin-offs, strategy pivots, orchestral rhythm tappers, fighting game experiments, and much more.
Squeenix's recent Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster "series" has also moved more than five million copies after receiving staggered multiplatform ports across PC, mobile, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox. The Pixel Remaster bundle includes the series' first six classic outings with a much shinier coat of pixels slapped on top, though each game is also available to buy individually, so I'd be curious to see how those sales were split. I'd guess some (FF4 and FF6) probably fared better than others (sorry, FF2).
To coincide with the major milestone, the Pixel Remasters got a new patch addressing minor bugs across all platforms. Final Fantasy 3 now also has a handy accessibility feature allowing you to adjust the "rate that character job level increases" if you'd like to cut down on the grinding.
Pixel Remaster's success is so nice to see because turn-based, non-Pokemon JRPGs were almost an endangered subgenre two console generations ago. Now, the collection is seemingly a bigger hit than the spectacle-stuffed Final Fantasy 16, which reportedly has only managed to sell 3.5 million copies. Maybe that multiplatform strategy is finally bearing fruit.
Either way, Final Fantasy's updated numbers puts it in very exclusive company, as only the likes of Mario, Pokemon, FIFA, Call of Duty, and a few others can boast of such success.
For now, why not reminisce with the very best Final Fantasy games of all time?

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The Verge

a day ago

• The Verge

Final Fantasy fans, now is the time to get into Magic: The Gathering

The Final Fantasy Magic: The Gathering set is here, and there's never been a more perfect assemblage of Magic cards. The set features cards taken from every mainline Final Fantasy title, including the two MMOs, so there's something for every generation of Final Fantasy lovers. And while Magic has featured other video game crossovers in the past (hello, Assassin's Creed and Fallout!), with the way this set is constructed, from card mechanics to art, you can tell this one is a developer favorite, sure to appeal to the massive chunk of people who love both games. But what if you don't inhabit the center circle in the Venn diagram of Magic and Final Fantasy lovers but are still interested in experiencing this set for yourself? Magic: The Gathering is an intimidating game, even if you're a seasoned player like myself. There are so many ways you can play, both in person and online, that it can be overwhelming to figure out the best way to jump in. So here's a few tips and tricks to playing the Final Fantasy Magic set. Be warned, though: this is the best-selling set in Magic's 30-plus-year history, and you will pay for the pleasure of this experience — if you can find the product to pay for it at all. How to play: physical edition Over the years, the designers at Magic developer Wizards of the Coast have realized it can be intimidating as hell for a new player looking to start their planeswalking journey. To help these new players along, Magic developers have created a line of products called Starter Kits. Each is a set of two 60-card decks featuring cards specifically designed for new players and an instruction booklet that goes over the game's basic rules and cadence of play. Keep one deck for yourself, give one to a friend, and learn as you play together. For MTG x FF, the starter kit features two decks themed around Final Fantasy's greatest rivalry: Sephiroth vs. Cloud. These decks are a decent introductory course to Magic. Cloud's is themed around equipment cards (think the Buster Sword or the Ultima Weapon), which are essentially weapons you can attach to your creatures to pump up their damage and hit hard. Sephiroth's deck is all about him. Kill creatures (yours and your opponent's) to make him as big as possible. I played both decks against the set's designers and managed to beat them both, a monumental feat for any Magic player. However, if you want to play them for yourself, the Starter Kit is currently sold out on Amazon, so your best bet to find one is to hit up your local card shop (known in the community as your LCS) to see if it has any in stock. Wizards' website does feature a handy store locator if you don't know where your nearest LCS is. There are also four Commander decks you can buy and play, with each one themed around a specific title in the series. Commander is the most popular format of Magic, but the rules are slightly different from standard play, and matches can often include more than one opponent. The Final Fantasy Commander decks are beginner-friendly but expensive, running anywhere from $80 to $130 when Commander decks in other sets are much cheaper. How to play: online edition If you don't have any friends you can beg, bribe, or beat into playing Magic with you, there is another, far easier option: the game's online version, Magic: The Gathering Arena. Arena is the best way to experience the Final Fantasy set as there's no worry about stock, it's relatively cheaper, and there are so many different ways to play that in-person playing simply does not accommodate. Once you've made your account and downloaded the game, you can play through the game's tutorial, which I recommend to get your bearings. Not only does it explain how to play, but the color challenges also give you a feel for the playstyles of Magic's five different colors. Think of colors and color combos as characters in your favorite hero shooter. Each has different abilities and favors a specific style of play. Blue and white center on going over your opponents' heads with flying creatures, while mono green (my favorite and the best way to play) favors big, stompy creatures that run over your opponents' defenses. The Final Fantasy set makes it easy to find a color or combo that works for you. If you want to get straight into the Final Fantasy set, you can simply skip the tutorial to unlock all of Arena's many game modes and features, and it'll still be there to try if you ever need to go back. Once you're ready, you have a number of options available. You can get right into the thick of things and start playing the game's constructed modes. If you've never played Magic before, do not do this. It is expensive, costing a lot of resources your account will not have unless you buy them in the game's cash shop, and it is hard. Making decks is difficult; even I don't like it that much compared to playing decks preassembled for me. Your best, most economical option is to play Jumpstart mode. In Jumpstart all the hard work of making a viable deck is done for you. You are presented with a number of archetypes: Bold, Mage, Chocobos, Equipment, and more. You can pick two of them based on nothing more than vibes and personal preference, and the game will automatically create a deck using those two archetypes. Then you play your deck against other Jumpstart decks and rack up the wins or the valuable experience that comes with losing. The great thing about Jumpstart is that it's cheap — a new account grants you enough currency to try the mode three times — and the cards you pick are yours to keep. Do it enough times and you'll eventually have enough cards to tool around with making your own decks to try out in the game's friendly mode, Quick Start. I've enjoyed all the different Jumpstart decks I've made, but if you really wanna have some fun, pick chocobos whenever you get the chance. They're creatures that get stronger whenever you play a land card (think of land like the gas that powers your deck's engine) and have incredible synergy with other card types, leading to a deck that will overwhelm your opponent. Also, they're chocobos! What could be more Final Fantasy than chocobos? If you are a Final Fantasy fan, I cannot stress enough how much fun its Magic set is. And if you're intimidated by Magic's difficulty, don't be. There are so many beginner-friendly ways to play, and there are so many beginners trying this set out for the first time, that you'll be in good company. Plus, I've found the community is always happy to help newcomers. When I played at an in-person event, my first opponent had never picked up the game before. Over the course of our match I taught him everything I knew as best I could, and before the end, he beat me. Badly. I've never had more fun.

Yahoo

2 days ago

• Yahoo

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster (Switch 2) Review

Thirteen years ago, Square Enix released one of the best Final Fantasy spin-offs they'd made to-date but called it by a different name: Bravely Default. Standing on its own merits, it proved to be a cult classic for the 3DS by the time it arrived in the west in 2014, and still stands as one of the Nintendo 3DS' must-play RPGs (alongside its direct sequel, Bravely Second: End Layer). And yet, it still seems to lack the recognition it deserves as an upstanding modern take on classic JRPGs. Now, with as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, this can finally be set right. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster is a definitive take on the original game, which amalgamates its myriad re-releases and refreshes it for Nintendo's brand new console. Despite taking on the subtitle of the very first edition, Flying Fairy, it's based on the updated For The Sequel edition, which was the version we initially received in English—because what's a Square Enix JRPG franchise without some convoluted names? Naturally the game has been converted to suit the Switch 2's single screen, after originally utilizing the dual screen of the 3DS. This transition has been handled remarkably well, and will hopefully inspire more developers to bring their 3DS gems to Switch 2. Akitoshi Yoshida's character models and the game's beautiful storybook-like environments also translated nicely to both modern TVs and the Switch 2's screen. Though it was, admittedly, a little jarring to see the mouths moving on certain kookier character models, but that's testament to how much clearer the experience is now. While the 3DS' display was fine at the time, the HD, 16:9 presentation is vastly superior, breathing new life into Bravely Default's folksy world of Luxendarc. Most environments are enhanced by the clearer resolution, which shows off the paint-like texture of the landscapes. Even without the touch screen, this almost feels like the way it was meant to be seen. (Missing entirely is the original game's use of the 3DS' gyroscopic camera. This enabled a handful of AR cutscenes which sounded cool in theory, yet were gimmicky in practice, like the intro CG cutscene.) Beneath Bravely Default's fairy tale appearance (no pun intended) lies a well-crafted tale that combines the motifs of classic Final Fantasy, like crystals and warriors of light, with some plot elements from more modern FF, like the corrupt governments and natural resource wars of Final Fantasy VII. The party consists of Tiz, a young man who's the sole survivor of his simple village; Agnès, sheltered cleric of the Wind Crystal; Edea, a defector from Eternia, the enemy state that seeks to destroy the crystals' hold over society; and Ringabel, an amnesiac who hasn't forgotten his womanizing ways and carries a prophetic journal. Guided by the fairy Airy, they seek to restore the four crystals and thus, the balance of nature while thwarting the forces of Eternia along the way. Bravely Default's writing is still incredibly good by modern standards, even if the voice acting (and a late-game slog) will probably remain as divisive to audiences in 2025 as it did in the twenty-teens. The main characters are charming, as are the minor antagonists in their own way, and the world is easy to invest in. Allusions and homages to Final Fantasy are littered throughout, from the recurring names of spells (Fire-Fira-Firaga), to classes (White Mage, Black Mage), and items, to deeper thematic cuts (like the actions of the Water Crystal's Vestal). Squint just right and it could practically be a sequel to Final Fantasy III, but with profoundly more character and plot. Nowhere is that connection to classic 2D Final Fantasy more apparent than in battle. Players unlock up to 24 jobs (called Asterisks here) throughout Bravely Default, by defeating practitioners of that class. In this department, it harkens more to fellow underrated game Final Fantasy V: each job has distinct active and passive abilities, and as a character increases that job's level they unlock more permanent upgrades which can be equipped even after swapping to another class. Tiz might learn Black Magic, for example, then switch to the Time Mage class and keep the Black Magic command and the Pierce ability. This take on job classes is a tried and true system, and I'm glad to see Bravely Default still putting it to good use even if Final Fantasy isn't. It's kept fresh with some original inventions and unique interpretations of classic jobs, each well-earned in battle with the sort of villains you love to hate. If jobs were 'something old' or 'something borrowed,' Bravely Default's 'something new' was the battle system its name stems from. Actions in a fight cost 1 BP, and characters earn 1 BP per turn normally. Outside of the usual conventions of turn-based RPG combat, each participant can 'default' on their turn to guard and store up their BP, or 'brave' to take 2-4 actions at once. This deceptively simple paradigm can have big strategic ramifications. In weaker random battles, characters can go all out with braves and quickly dispatch their foes in one turn—instead of stooping to a 4-turn slugfest. In harder fights, will your opponent default and tank through your biggest assault? Or can you successfully brave when their guard is down and tear them to shreds instead? It's a simple tweak on the usual turn-based format which lends the game a very unique feel. All of the gameplay holds up just as well today as it did at Bravely Default's western debut. Thankfully, the 3DS original's connectivity features remain intact as well. Friends with the game can be added into your file, allowing you to 'link' your character with theirs—so if your friend has a maxed out Monk Edea, you can use the Abililink system to give your Edea some of those advanced, level 9 abilities. As well, the ability to call upon other players has been salvaged from the 3DS. In a similar fashion, players can 'record' their best moves in battle and save them to their profile, so that other players can summon them. (The game also provides fake, computerized 'ally' profiles periodically to avoid leaving behind those with smaller friend lists.) Even the town restoration minigame, where players idly repair Tiz's hometown over time, has made the jump. Once delegated to the bottom screen, the Norende Village Restoration is easily summoned with a press of the Switch 2 D-pad, as is the in-game reference book and the encounter rate setting, among other bells and whistles. New to Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster are two minigames using the Joy-Con 2's mouse features. Much like the system's mouse function itself, I found these distractions to be better than expected, though still a little too cumbersome to be a main event. The first, Luxencheer Rhythm Catch, also invokes another Final Fantasy spin-off, Theatrhythm. Bravely Default's take injects a sliver of Beat Saber, turning the Joy-Con 2s into a pair of light-stick cursors on the screen. As notes pass by, players must position those cursors so that the notes are caught between them, or move the correct cursor over the notes and press a button in time. It's more elegant in practice than it sounds on paper, and was actually a pretty fun use of the mouse, though I'm in no rush for Theatrhythm to adopt this approach instead. The other, Ringabel's Panic Cruise, is an airship pilot simulator. Meant to show all the work Ringabel does when flying the party's airship, this minigame tasks players with not only steering the craft horizontally and vertically, but also manipulating various controls to fulfill other character's requests or defending the craft from attackers. Though a tonal shift from the rest of the game—the first level has you fending off ghost pirates, because Reasons—it's another fun little distraction. Neither minigame is worth the price of the remaster's admission alone, though there are a plethora of rewards to be earned from playing them periodically, like more background on the characters and unique costume or special move parts. Each minigame has three difficulty levels and more stages to unlock through main plot progression; higher difficulty means more medals, and faster rewards. Like the original game using the 3DS' camera for AR cutscenes, the new minigames in Bravely Default's remaster make a case for the potential of the Switch 2's mouse controls. Fortunately this makes a better case than the first, and I'm pleasantly surprised with the mouse's application, but I still need a little more in-depth proof of its worth. (Bring on Metroid Prime 4.) My only real nitpick with the experience here is the unreliability of the network connection. Bravely Default isn't exhaustive in its network features, only requiring a passive connection to send or receive friend data. In theory, it's 'set it and forget it.' Yet if the connection is disrupted—say, by taking the Switch 2 off the dock—it can be tedious to reconnect. A small quibble in the grand scheme of things, perhaps addressable through updates, though still a minor nuisance. All in all, I couldn't be happier to see Bravely Default get a second chance in the spotlight with a bigger audience. Over a decade ago it proved that classic JRPGs weren't dead or a taboo—a lesson that studios still need to be reminded of, evidently. The Switch 2 has revitalized that core experience, in some ways revealing a superior form, and any fan of original Nintendo-era Final Fantasy, or even classic PS1 RPGs, should give it a shot. With backward compatibility, fans of the genre can already feast well on Switch 2, and having a strong, classic launch title like Bravely Default helps show how Nintendo's partners like Square Enix can keep that feast going. (For a perfect dessert course, the sequel would be a great fit as well, just saying…)

Yahoo

2 days ago

• Yahoo

Body Language Expert Says Prince William "Sad and Subdued," as Royal Aides Claim Kate Middleton Missing Royal Ascot Is "No Cause for Alarm"

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Royal fans were shocked when Kate Middleton canceled her appearance at Royal Ascot on June 18 at the very last minute. Former royal butler Grant Harrold suggested Prince William would "definitely feel the void" of Kate's absence, via Spin Genie. Now, palace insiders are setting the record straight about Princess Kate's decision to skip Royal Ascot, while a body language expert has weighed in on the Prince of Wales's solo appearance. At the time, royal sources said the Princess of Wales was extremely "disappointed" to miss the prestigious event, but she needed "to find the right balance as she continues her recovery from cancer and a phased return to full duties," via The Sunday Times's royal editor, Roya Nikkhah, on X. However, GB News has since reported that "palace insiders moved quickly to quell any speculation, insisting the situation stemmed from administrative confusion rather than health concerns." As reported by GB News, "Royal sources stressed there was 'no cause for alarm' and that Kate was adhering to the guidance previously given about finding the right equilibrium in her duties." As for how an alleged mistake about Princess Kate's attendance could have occurred, GB News stated, "The administrative mix-up unfolded when Ascot executives released the day's procession list at midday, listing both the Prince and Princess of Wales in the second carriage behind The King and Queen." It would seem that, according to palace insiders, the Princess of Wales had chosen to skip Royal Ascot long before the public became aware of her decision. Body language expert Judi James analyzed Prince William's appearance at Royal Ascot on June 18, telling the Express, "While his father, The King, chatted happily to their guest in the carriage, using some animated, good-humored body language displays, William seemed to sit back quietly with a slightly slumped posture, looking subdued and rather reflective without Kate at his side." James told the outlet that the Prince of Wales appeared to be "sad and subdued" at the regal event.