US FFVIII Sells One Million

Square Electronic Arts announced on Thursday that Final Fantasy VIII for the PlayStation has sold more than one million units in North America since its September release. The game has also sold more than four million units in Japan.

"Final Fantasy VIII has grossed more than US$50 million in revenue in only 13 weeks of sales in North America," said Jun Iwasaki, president of Square Electronic Arts. "With the holidays still ahead, we anticipate that Final Fantasy VIII will continue to break sales records."

The next installment in the Final Fantasy series (part IX) will be unveiled in Japan during a Square-sponsored event, called Square Millennium, next month.

"Final Fantasy VIII is one of those rare titles that just gets bigger and bigger in terms of anticipation and demand," said Doreen McKenzie, director of merchandising of video games for Babbage's Etc. "There is usually a lot of hype and excitement in the air around the release of a new game such as Final Fantasy. The difference with this franchise, however, is that it maintains a frenzied sales pace over a long period of time. Final Fantasy VIII is the type of game that will get a huge boost in sales through the holidays and remain a strong seller thereafter. It is one of the few titles whose value to consumers maintains through the holiday season, and will most likely continue until its sequel is released."