There is some ambiguity with regards to Final Fantasy VII's placement here. If we're looking at development costs alone, this highly regarded RPG doesn't even crack the top 20. But Square (Now with added Enix!) was so focused on making inroads into the seemingly uncrackable US market that they pumped more than double the development budget into marketing alone. And it worked. Before Final Fantasy VII, very few RPGs from the land of the rising sun had made meaningful impact in the West, struggling to capitalise on this huge customer base and their swollen wallets. One hundred million dollars did the trick though, which is what sources claim Square earmarked as a marketing budget for this genre-defining (and fanbase-dividing) role player. The Japanese market devoured the game right away - hardly surprising for a Final Fantasy launch in its home country - selling over 2 million copies in its first three days. US gamers came to the party too, reaching the half-million mark within three weeks. A fraction of those sold in Japan, but an impressive achievement considering the US market's previously cold reception of JRPGs. By May 2010 Final Fantasy VII had sold 10 million copies, justifying the $145 million spent on the creation and marketing of one of the most loved role-playing games of all time.
Game-obsessed since the moment I could twiddle both thumbs independently. Equally enthralled by all the genres of music that your parents warned you about.
