Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 729: Final Fantasy 7 Sales Surge

"Uuuh... my Aerith!" In a household somewhere in Japan, a man in his forties sat in front of the television, unable to hold back his tears.

All because, in the trailer, he had caught a fleeting glimpse of a certain female character.

Just that one split-second was enough to overwhelm his emotions.

He was a devoted Final Fantasy fan—he always had been, ever since he first got into the series around Final Fantasy III.

He loved every installment, but if he had to choose his favorite, there was no question: it was Final Fantasy VII.

Not only was the story set in a world similar to modern society, it also carried a tone of critique toward that very society.

From a critical standpoint, Final Fantasy VI was often hailed as superior. But in terms of sales? Final Fantasy VII was the undisputed king.

The man still remembered the overwhelming sadness he felt upon finishing Final Fantasy VII years ago.

That night, he barely slept—he simply couldn't get over Aerith's death.

His wife, annoyed by his gloom over a video game character, intentionally made a terrible late-night snack to express her disapproval. It was a rare act from someone usually skilled in the kitchen.

Clearly, she was frustrated that her husband could be so moved by a game character's fate, yet never got that emotional over her love and effort.

Now, watching the trailer, the memories rushed back.

Even today, he would occasionally dust off that game and replay it—and each time, he felt something new.

Which is why he recognized the protagonist in the trailer instantly.

Wasn't this the soldier who appeared in Cloud's illusion sequence in Final Fantasy VII?

In that game's story, the character had already died.

The game gave a vague explanation for his death, just enough to imply that it was his passing that led Cloud to become who he was.

What was that soldier's name again?

Oh, right—Zack Fair.

Without hesitation, the man opened the official website.

He had restrained himself with the previous two game announcements—despite liking both female protagonists, he didn't want to preorder in front of his wife.

But he had already made up his mind to sneak out and buy them once they were released.

As for Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core? There was no holding back.

Buy it. No hesitation.

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There was no other choice—this game had to be bought, no questions asked.

Final Fantasy VII was Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's ace in the hole.

In this world, a game reaching 20 million sales was almost unheard of. That FFVII achieved it largely on the strength of its story proved its greatness.

At first, many players weren't that interested when the teaser only showed the silhouette of a man.

But once they realized which universe the game was set in, their passion exploded—even stronger than the hype for Bayonetta or NieR: Automata.

The original Crisis Core had been a handheld game.

In this world, Gamestar's GSL handheld had specs roughly equivalent to the PSP of the original world—maybe even a bit better—but Takayuki still decided to bring Crisis Core to the home console platform instead.

The GSL was nearing the end of its lifecycle, and smartphones were hot on its heels. Now wasn't the right time to pull out the handheld trump card.

Thankfully, in this world, no one really knew about Crisis Core. So releasing a high-res remake on console raised no eyebrows.

All fans knew was: If it's set in the FFVII universe, you buy it. No questions asked.

Suddenly, the awards show's slowly declining viewership numbers spiked again thanks to the Crisis Core trailer.

Once the trailer aired, the awards show officially concluded.

But gamers weren't ready to leave. Or maybe they simply forgot to switch the channel—they all rushed to their computers to search for anything Final Fantasy VII-related.

The Crisis Core announcement was a bombshell, shaking loose an entire wave of veteran fans from hiding.

Even busy working adults were thrilled to hear about a new FFVII spin-off and rushed to preorder the game.

Newer players unfamiliar with the context got filled in by the veterans.

Final Fantasy VII had come out several years ago, on the previous generation of consoles.

Many younger players had only heard of it but never actually played it.

Time had moved on, and the player base had changed.

But that also meant many were now curious and began looking for the original Final Fantasy VII game.

Thankfully, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's backward compatibility policy allowed older titles to run smoothly on newer consoles—so most people could play FFVII on the latest hardware, no problem.

And so, the original Final Fantasy VII saw a massive resurgence in sales.

Industry insiders were left speechless.

This was a game from six or seven years ago. A standalone game, no live service.

Graphically, it couldn't compete with newer titles.

Modern engines like Unreal had pushed the graphical frontier way ahead.

And yet—nothing quite compared to Final Fantasy VII.

The day after Crisis Core's trailer aired, sales of the original Final Fantasy VII jumped by 100,000 units in just a single day.

It was a second spring for the legendary title.

The price helped, too: normally $10, but currently on a 50% discount—just $5.

Even if they didn't plan to play it, fans bought it just to "support the legacy."

It was a rare kind of unexpected success for such an old game.

And since all those sales were digital, nearly every cent went straight to Gamestar's pocket. No middlemen, no distributors.

The wave even hit physical media—old Final Fantasy VII discs became hot collectors' items.

Secondhand stores, who had nearly written them off as junk, smelled profit and immediately raised prices.

There were plenty of copies out there, so prices had previously stayed low, roughly the same as the digital version.

But now? The collector's value had kicked in. Prices tripled or quadrupled overnight.

FFVII merchandise saw a boom too—especially figures of Aerith and Tifa, who remained the most beloved characters in the franchise.