Analysis

In just 13 short weeks, Fire Emblem Three Houses is the fastest selling game in the Fire Emblem series. In its second quarter fiscal reports, Nintendo revealed that FE3H sold over 2.29 million units. Although the newest installment released just 13 short weeks ago, FE3H surpassed the lifetime sales of Fire Emblem: Awakening.

Fire Emblem Three Houses popularity is interesting for many reasons, which include the following:

• Role-playing games are not the most popular titles in the United States. According to Statistica, first-person shooters and action games represent over 47 percent of annual video game sales. While the role-playing genre is the third-best selling genre, RPGs represented only 11 percent of total video game sales in 2018.

• Despite Awakening’s popularity, the game sold less than one million units in its first 13 weeks. Fire Emblem Three Houses sold twice this amount; however, there is a caveat. The install base of the 3DS and Nintendo Switch differ for these two titles. At the time of Awakening’s release, Nintendo had sold less than 17 million 3DS units. In contrast, Nintendo has sold more than 41 million units prior to the FE3H release. Based on the overall percentage of the install base, a higher number of 3DS owners purchased Awakening than Switch owners purchased FE3H.
• Finally, over 50 percent of FE3H sales are from North America. This is curious, especially considering Japan’s original stance on the strategy RPG genre. For many years, Japan believed the SRPG genre was too slow and hard for the Europe and NA to grasp. How the times have changed! If FE3H sales are any proof, it is that gamers worldwide love the SRPG genre.

Conclusion

While the excitement of FE3H sales should be tempered, the newest installment in the Fire Emblem series breathes new life into the franchise. As fans anxiously await the upcoming DLC, it will be interesting to see how well the game sells during the holiday season.

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