Dragon Quest IX Overseas Release After April 2010
Square Enix CEO talks sales, bad reviews, and overseas developments for blockbuster RPG
DQIX has remained atop the various top ten sales list since its July 11 release, giving up the number one spot for the first time this week to Monster Hunter 3. Square Enix recently announced that shipments for the game have topped the 3.5 million mark.
Prior to the game's release, Wada said that he expected 5 million sales. He repeated this again today, stating that the company is aiming to top the mark, which would make DQIX the best selling DQ game in history.
One reason for the game's sales success could be its longevity, which keeps people from selling their copies back to shops after they've cleared the main quest. "We've been able to control this well," explained Wada. He said that DQIX is being sold back at 1/2 to 1/3 the normal rate.
Regarding bad reviews, something that appears to have become a topic of conversation following low user review scores at sites like amazon.co.jp, Wada brushed this off, saying "It's the internet. This is to be expected. I'm telling the creators to ignore it as well." As to how negative and positive user online review affect sales, he said "In my experience, there's no relation."
Mainichi.jp's report on the briefing provided an update for those looking forward to playing Dragon Quest IX in a language other than Japanese. Square Enix is currently looking into what countries and territories to release the game, the site reports. Current plans call for a release post April 2010 -- that is to say, not in this fiscal year.