Square Enix Expects Five Million for Dragon Quest IX

Analysts and industry insiders have in the past expressed their belief that Dragon Quest IX could end up selling five million copies. Today, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada got in on the act.

In an interview with the Nihon Keizai Shimbun daily today, Wada said, "We expect Dragon Quest IX's shipments to reach more than five million, and expect it to bring life to the game market as a whole."

As reason for his optimistic outlook, Wada cited the possibility of an expanded audience for the game thanks to its support for four player wireless play.

Sales tracking firms Media Create and Enterbrain reported earlier in the week record initial sales of over 2.3 million units for DQIX. Square Enix followed up later with an announcement that the game had, as of its fourth day, already shipped three million units.

Some insiders have suggested that the game could have longer legs than your typical Square Enix RPG hit. In a weekly sales analysis report at Mainichi.jp, Tsutaya representative Taketo Matsuo said earlier this week that the game saw success with a wide range of child age groups. This market is important, he said, because it means potential boosts during gift seasons later in the year.

The paper also asked Wada about overseas sales for Japanese games. In the past, Wada has suggested that Square Enix wants to give DQIX a big push outside of Japan. But, he didn't mention the game here. Instead, he noted that 25% of Square Enix's iPhone game sales come from such territories as South America and the Middle East. He also said that the next big topic in international gaming markets will be China.