Square Enix explains why it went the MMO route with Dragon Quest X
Square Enix decided to make Dragon Quest X into an MMO. This was initially seen as a huge disappointment by most Japanese gamers, and the lack of interest has been reflected on the sales charts. While not a flop by any means – and even considering the difference in platforms – Dragon Quest X has only sold around 600,000 units. That’s a long way’s off from Dragon Quest IX’s 4 million units sold.
Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada explained to investors why Dragon Quest X is an MMO at its financial results briefing last month. The short answer is that the game could end up making lots of money for the company.
“People said a lot of things about FFXI when it came out in 2002. At a time when game consoles were still at their peak, we needed to exceed 2 million units to be considered a success in the [Final Fantasy] series. While the early stages were used to recover costs, this title eventually contributed greatly to the overall revenue scheme in the latter half of its lifespan, and proved that MMORPG has a sustainable capacity over a long duration.”
Over ten years, the online game Final Fantasy XI resulted in 40 billion yen ($484.7 million) of profit. Square Enix seems to think that Dragon Quest X could end up providing similar revenue.
