According to a new study, the average age of fans of the Final Fantasy series is 42 years old.
December 18th is the 38th anniversary of the birth of the "Final Fantasy" series.As a result, Square Enix's groundbreaking series is one of the longest-running series in Japanese RPG history, and one of the longest-running series in video game history.
In addition to its forty-year history, the Final Fantasy series also has a relatively mature fan base compared to the average video game series.According to a new study from GEM Partners, the average age of Final Fantasy fans is 42 years old.It should be noted that this data is limited to Japan, and the survey covered 180,000 respondents, which is a considerable sample size.
Final Fantasy series struggles to attract new fans
The findings of this study can be interpreted in two main ways.On the one hand, the average age of 42 years old shows that the Final Fantasy series has been successful in retaining fans, and GEM Partners has observed similar trends in some other classic Japanese RPG series such as Dragon Quest.On the other hand, the data suggests that Final Fantasy faces challenges in attracting new fans.Despite numerous mobile spin-offs and remakes aimed at broadening the franchise's audience, the fanbase continues to age.
The series' difficulty in attracting new fans is also reflected in its historical sales figures.The best-selling title to date is Final Fantasy XIV, which has sold approximately 24 million copies.The game was originally released in 2010, remade three years later, and really exploded around 2021.
In terms of stand-alone games, the original "Final Fantasy 7" released in 1997 is still the sales champion, with cumulative sales of approximately 15 million copies.In recent years, there have been increasing reports about the sales of Final Fantasy games falling short of expectations, and this is the case for both Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth and Final Fantasy 16.
The series' stagnant audience growth doesn't seem alarming.After all, that's the problem most long-running series face. Few series can maintain universal appeal forever, and after nearly 40 years of development, the "Final Fantasy" series may have reached a large portion of its potential audience.
However, Square Enix may still be looking to reverse this trend and attract new players, especially as the cost of developing AAA games continues to rise.At the very least, the Japanese company may work to bring the average age of gamers down closer to that of U.S. gamers, which a recent WFLA study estimated at 35 years old.
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