As part of its annual business report, SEGA has released updated sales figures for its biggest RPG titles, revealing that the Atlus and RGG franchises have continued to perform very well over the past year.
At the very top, as expected, is Persona 5 Royal, which has reached an impressive 8.66 million copies sold.
It is particularly interesting that this figure includes only the Royal edition from 2019, while the original Persona 5 is not counted. If both versions were combined, total sales would undoubtedly exceed ten million copies.
The updated results are as follows:
Persona 5 Royal – 8.66 million
Yakuza: Like a Dragon – 3.12 million
Persona 3 Reload – 2.97 million
Metaphor: ReFantazio – 2.46 million
Shin Megami Tensei V (including the Vengeance edition) – 2.44 million
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth – 2.05 million
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name – 1.01 million
Thus, Persona remains Atlus's most valuable brand, and the excellent results only raise expectations for Persona 6, which has been considered one of the most anticipated Japanese games for years.
In the meantime, SEGA will closely monitor the release of Persona 4 Revival, which is arriving early next year as a complete remake of one of the series' most beloved sequels.
On the other hand, Metaphor: ReFantazio continues to confirm that it is not a passing success. For a completely new IP, nearly two and a half million copies sold is an excellent result, which is why many already expect that a sequel is just a matter of time.
A somewhat more complex situation exists around the Like a Dragon series.
Although Infinite Wealth has surpassed two million copies sold, some analysts believe that SEGA may have expected even better results. The sequel came after a significant shift in the series towards turn-based combat, which has alienated some long-time fans, while for others, this shift has opened doors for the franchise.
As a fan of Japanese RPGs, what interests me most in these numbers is the fact that SEGA now practically has three extremely strong RPG brands — Persona, Like a Dragon, and Metaphor. Few publishers can currently offer so many high-quality and commercially successful Japanese RPG series at the same time, and if Persona 6 meets expectations, it is hard to imagine that this trend will stop anytime soon.
