9) Persona 5 – 1.5 Million Units Sold
The Persona franchise has been a big deal in Japan for some time, but has remained a somewhat niche Japanese role-playing game in the west. Even Persona 4 Golden, a remastered PS Vita game that was very well received hardly made much impression in the mainstream market. All that has changed, though, with Persona 5.
1.5 million copies sold since its worldwide release just two months ago following critical acclaim has seen a tremendous boom in Persona’s popularity. P5’s success is rather reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII’s equivalent impact — the entry that introduced the franchise to the west and took its popularity to global heights.
The word of Persona is finally out, and it’s taking off in a big way. Perhaps its biggest draw is the point of difference it offers from the familiar JRPG narrative. Half dungeon crawling, half ramen eating down at the local mall with friends, Persona straddles fantasy and reality. Add into the mix a wonderfully fresh iteration on traditional turn-based combat, and there’s little doubt this unorthodox and unique blend of Japanese culture is here to stay.
