It’s no secret that the Falcom’s Trails series has flourished in the West over the last decade or so, with the Cold Steel saga introducing a whole fresh wave of gamers to the PS4.
In previous interviews, the company’s CEO Toshihiro Kondo has confirmed that sales in the West now routinely eclipse sales of the same games in Japan – but in reality, it looks like Falcom would be in trouble if it weren’t for the success it has enjoyed abroad.
During the developer’s last shareholders’ meeting (as reported by Mr @michsuzu), Kondo was asked about the disturbing downward trend in sales in Japan. More specifically, the shareholder pointed out that sales of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter — the remake from earlier this year — were down compared to previous entries.
In a rather truthful response, Kondo admits that the number of people covered by the first chapter actually fell “well below expectations” – but only in Japan.
“We anticipated that such problems might arise in advance, so we aimed to expand globally at the same time,” he explains. “Overseas, this time especially in North America, we achieved the highest sales.”
Kondo also mentions “significant growth” in markets such as China, especially thanks to the title’s release on PC via Steam.
Of course, Falcom is not the only Japanese company that has recently expanded beyond its country’s borders. Much larger gaming entities like Capcom, Square Enix, and Bandai Namco have had to adapt their strategies over the years due to the continued lack of interest in console releases (at least outside of Nintendo’s evergreen releases).
Kondo concludes: “In terms of moving forward, our main focus will be on overseas markets and cross-platform strategies.”
The future could therefore bring large changes for Falcom. It is worth remembering that Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter had a simultaneous world premiere – the first in Falcom’s history. Its upcoming sequel, Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, will be released in Fall/Fall 2026.
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