Attention Square-Enix: Your PSP Titles Are Doing Quite Well

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So far this generation, it's hard to give Square-Enix the benefit of the doubt if you're a PlayStation fan. They say it's just a matter of "Westward expansion," but shouldn't that just include the addition of games for the Xbox 360 rather than the subtraction of games for the PS3? And what about the PSP?

According to a recent analysis done by FinalFantasyUnion, we learn that earlier in 2008, 45% of all titles Square-Enix had in development were destined for the Nintendo DS, while only 17% were for the PSP. Now, that does make plenty of sense, especially considering the huge installed user base of Nintendo's handheld. However, Square-Enix might want to rethink their focus, as the sales numbers prove that Final Fantasy titles oftentimes fare better on the PSP than they do on the DS. Obviously, the most successful DS title tops the most successful PSP title in terms of sheer numbers - again, due to the user base difference - but the PSP titles clearly sell more during their opening week. And there's a good point brought up about the new Final Fantasy Tactics titles: while the PSP one was basically just a port of the original PlayStation version, the DS got an all-new FFT...and as of now, they've sold about the same number of copies.

And now that Dissidia: Final Fantasy has released with a big splash in Japan (or so we've heard), we're starting to wonder: shouldn't Square-Enix notice this trend and put a little more emphasis on the PSP? Yeah, you'll ultimately sell more copies on the DS, but if you support the PSP a little more, maybe that user base gap won't be so big...right?

1/1/2009 John Shepard

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