Nintendo has put a lot of faith in Fire Emblem Fates, but it looks like the marketing and the games’ positive reception paid off greatly. As of now, the game has sold over 300,000 copies between its two versions, Birthright and Conquest. Out of the two versions of the game, Birthright sold the most with Conquest not too far behind. This is nearly five times as many sales as the previous Fire Emblem game, Fire Emblem Awakening. Fire Emblem Fates is the most successful launch out of any game in the series, quite impressive for a franchise that was Japan exclusive for over fifteen years. Fire Emblem Fates is sure to see more success when it’s released in Europe later this month.
It looks like the Fire Emblem series has become much more recognizable in North America. For a series that was only noticed by the States because two of its characters were in Super Smash Bros. Melee, it’s impressive to see Fire Emblem become one of Nintendo’s most popular IPs. I guess in the end most Americans didn’t care about petting people’s heads, they just love a good tactical strategy game.
Some customers may have been confused with FE: Fates being split to two games, with a third story as upcoming DLC, and a collector’s edition with all three of the stories in it, but it didn’t seem to affect Fates success. It’s also possible that the release of Fate’s protagonist Corrin as a DLC fighter in Smash Bros. might have provided some good marketing for the game. Either way, it looks like Nintendo nailed the advertising for Fire Emblem Fates, and its sure to pass Fire Emblem: Awakenings 1.8 million global sales.
Nintendo hasn’t had the best success recently, but it’s good to know that Fire Emblem is a reliable brand for them. Fire Emblem is no longer just some Japanese series that Marth and Roy came from, it’s now a tent-pole franchise for Nintendo.