Final Fantasy XV 10 million unit goal isn't about profit, but the team's personal ambitions

By Erren Van Duine on April 1, 2016 at 10:01 AM

It’s no secret Final Fantasy XV has been in development for a long time. While the game we see today has only been in development for the better part of the past 3 years or so, Square Enix probably spent a lot of resources on the original Final Fantasy Versus XIII concept as well.

So just how much has the game cost so far? Well we don’t know that quite yet but director Hajime Tabata did clue us in on how many copies of the game need to be sold for it to be considered a success. Speaking with European press following Uncovered, Tabata said the game needs to sell upwards of 10 million units over its lifetime. This has nothing to do with profitability, however.

In a statement issued to Famitsu, Tabata clarified the 10 million figure is nothing more than a goal for the team. He said the number is probably exaggerated but was put out to demonstrate the team’s lofty ambitions. “We’ve thought about what we need to do to achieve this number and tasked ourselves with this huge objective.”

This isn’t the first time Tabata has spoken on the challenges of his game. Previously he expressed his desire for XV to surpass Final Fantasy VII – a high goal to bring in new audiences, sales and more.

Final Fantasy XV is due out on September 30, 2016 worldwide.