Forspoken Sales Have Been “Lackluster,” Square Enix Says

Square Enix’s action-RPG Forspoken has seen “lackluster” sales so far, management said during a recent investor briefing. Not only that, but reviews for the game “have been challenging,” the company said.

That said, Square Enix said Forspoken has received praise for its action features, including combat and parkour. Even if Forspoken ends up being a dud, Square Enix said the game could pay dividends down the road. “It has yielded results that will lead to improvement of our development capabilities of other games in the future. Even so, its sales have been lackluster,” Square Enix said.

Forspoken launched at the end of January for PS5 and PC, but Square Enix has never released a sales figure for the title. Asked about the impact Forspoken’s launch might have on Square Enix’s upcoming business outlook, management said it’s too soon to say because the game is relatively new in the market. Square Enix will also roll out “forthcoming promotional initiatives” that could help spur sales, the company said.

Forspoken not getting off to a great start sales-wise is no big surprise, as retailers–including Amazon–discounted the game just days after launch.

The game follows protagonist Frey Holland (played by Ella Balinska from Charlie’s Angels), a contemporary New Yorker with a cat named Homer, who gets transported to the magical world of Athia. Frey discovers she has magical abilities in Athia and is also able to resist The Break–a magical storm-like phenomenon the average citizen of Athia cannot survive. All she wants to do, however, is get home.

Forspoken’s cast also includes Star Wars actor Janina Gavankar, while the story was written in part by Gary Whitta, Amy Hennig, Todd Stashwick, and Allison Rymer.

GameSpot’s Forspoken review scored the game a 5/10. Reviewer Jordan Ramee said, “Combat is visually impressive but not all that engaging, and the excellent sound design and the catchy musical score are regularly undermined by unfunny quips from an unlikable protagonist.”