By Sagar V. Mankar Atlus’s latest RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio has sold over one million copies across digital and physical platforms within the day of its release.
Sega, Atlus’s parent company, announced this achievement, which covers all versions of the game, including PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
This success makes Metaphor: ReFantazio the fastest-selling title in Atlus’ 35-year history, surpassing the previous record held by Persona 3 Reload. Released in February 2024, Persona 3 Reload sold one million copies in five days, a milestone Metaphor reached in just under 24 hours.
In addition to strong sales, Metaphor: ReFantazio saw an impressive performance on Steam, with nearly 62,000 concurrent players during its launch, per SteamDB. This figure outshines Persona 5 Royal’s peak of 35,474 concurrent players in 2022 and Persona 3 Reload’s 45,002 players earlier in 2024. The game has now become Atlus’ most successful launch on the platform, and the numbers could grow even more in the coming days (85,961 on October 12th).
Several factors contributed to this remarkable success. Unlike Atlus’s previous releases, Metaphor: ReFantazio benefited from a simultaneous global launch, allowing players from various regions to access the game at the same time. Another smart move by the publisher was the release of a lengthy demo before the game’s launch. This demo gave players a taste of what to expect, hooking many and encouraging them to purchase the full game on release day. The game also garnered positive attention during the demo by winning the “Future Division” award at the Japan Game Awards for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024), as voted by the public.
The game’s development team includes key staff from the critically acclaimed Persona 5, such as director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro.
To celebrate the achievement, Shigenori Soejima, created a special sketch featuring Gallica, a character comparable to Persona 5’s Morgana or Persona 4’s Teddie.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is already being considered a top contender for Game of the Year. Currently, it holds an impressive Metacritic score of 94 for the PlayStation 5 version and 92 for both the Xbox and Steam versions, placing it on par with major titles like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (92), Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (94), and Astro Bot (94).
Persona 3 Reload has also received rave reviews with an 87 Metacritic score, contributing to Sega’s strong 2024 lineup alongside other major titles like Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.