Metaphor: ReFantazio set the internet ablaze with its trademark Atlus execution and the generous provision of an extensive free demo ahead of launch.
Extra attention was also on the game as a result of the marketing deal with Xbox, meaning all general trailers for the game and plenty of out of home advertising came with Xbox logos adorned. We’ve already covered some of this, but the key question was whether it would pay off. On PC, the game has seen very strong sales and time played performance, especially for a new IP.
But on console, it looks like the marketing has so far struggled to make a big impact for Xbox and Atlus. While Metaphor: ReFantazio heads the Japanese Top Paid charts, it has only managed P15 in the US chart (behind other new releases such as Undisputed, DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO, New World: Aeternum and Starship Troopers: Extermination).
In the UK it’s even more stark, with the likes of Squirrel with a Gun and Heavy Cargo: Truck Simulator beating it (Metaphor is in P24 in the UK. It should be noted those other two titles are budget releases). While we may see this improve a little from here (the game is slowly climbing the chart), it’s unlikely to dominate in the way you might have expected based on the pre-release hype.
Comparing with PlayStation directly, it’s currently P6 in Japan, P15 in the US and P16 in the UK for digital sales, so things do appear to be on the soft-side overall. However, with 91% of Xbox games now sold digitally compared to 78% on PlayStation, you would expect the Xbox version to be at least ahead.
Note: The top sellers charts between Xbox and PlayStation are not necessarily a direct comparison (we don’t know the measurement period of each), but can be useful as a guide.