The average Final Fantasy fan is 42 years old, according to a newly published study. This finding is reflective of one key challenge that the Final Fantasy franchise has faced for many a year now.
December 18 will mark the 38th anniversary of Final Fantasy. Square Enix's seminal series is hence one of the longest-running JRPG franchises, and among the longest-running video game series overall.
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Posts 1In addition to a history spanning five decades, the series also has a relatively mature fan base compared to the average video game franchise. According to a new study by GEM Partners (via TheGamer), the average age of Final Fantasy fans is 42. The main caveat is that the data is limited to Japan, though the survey covered a substantial sample of 180,000 respondents.
Final Fantasy Is Struggling To Attract New Fans
CloseThe study's findings can be interpreted in two main ways. On one hand, the average age of 42 suggests that Final Fantasy has consistently managed to retain its fans, which is a trend that GEM Partners also observed with some other legacy JRPG franchises, such as Dragon Quest. On the other hand, the data implies that Final Fantasy is struggling to attract new fans. In spite of numerous mobile spin-offs and re-releases aimed at broadening the series' reach, the fandom continues to skew older.
The struggle to attract new fans is also evident in the series' historical sales data. With approximately 24 million sales to date, the best-selling entry is Final Fantasy 14, originally released in 2010 before being relaunched three years later, then truly blowing up around 2021. Looking at single-player games, the original Final Fantasy 7 from 1997 is still the top dog, with around 15 million in lifetime sales. In recent years, reports of Final Fantasy games struggling to meet sales expectations have been on the rise, with both FF7 Rebirth and FF16 falling into this category.
In isolation, the apparent plateau in the series' outreach may not seem particularly concerning. After all, this is a natural trajectory for most media franchises: few properties maintain universal appeal indefinitely, and after nearly 40 years, Final Fantasy has likely reached much of its potential audience. However, Square Enix may still be looking to reverse this trend and attract new players, especially amid the rising costs of AAA game development. At a minimum, the company may aim to lower the average fan age closer to that of the overall gaming population, which a recent WFLA study estimates at 35 in the United States.
Sources: VG Sales Wiki, WFLA
