Metaphor: ReFantazio is currently considered Atlus’ fastest selling title ever. With the game simultaneously releasing across consoles and PC worldwide, it sold over a million copies on the first day, topping Persona 3 Reload. In an interview with 4Gamer, director and creative producer Katsura Hashino says that PC gamers have accounted for a larger proportion of the title’s sales than Atlus anticipated.
Metaphor: ReFantazio was the first Hashino-led title that was simultaneously released for console and PC worldwide. While the preparation for a global release on all platforms was not easy for his team, he considers it a significant thing that players all over the world got to experience this game at the same time on every platform. “Even as a developer, I believe that there is much merit in each player being able to enjoy the game in their preferred environment, and I’m glad that we were able to accomplish that.”
What surprised the development team was how well-received the game was with PC users – Hashino says that the number of downloads of Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Windows version has greatly exceeded their expectations. He explains that, “although Atlus is generally associated with console games,” their survey results show that the percentage of PC users playing their games is rising year by year. “Even if you look at long-term data from over the past 5 to 10 years, the trend is evident,” he adds. Hopefully, this positive precedent will encourage Atlus to continue warming up to the PC market.
Another big factor for simultaneously releasing Metaphor: ReFantazio on all platforms worldwide were overseas fans, Hashino says. “It’s a great thing that fans all over the globe get to play the game at the same time, in a sense that everyone can enjoy the game together. Another important reason for this would be the prevention of spoilers.” Hashino acknowledges that there are many people who would want to go into the game blind and experience all of the exciting parts for themselves – if a game releases early in specific regions, there’s a risk of spoilers spreading online, so a simultaneous worldwide release is the best way to prevent that, giving every fan an equal chance to experience the story spoiler-free.
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