Summary
Square Enixhas made plenty of iconic characters over the course of its long history, thanks to massive JRPG behemoths likeFinal FantasyandDragon Quest. We also know that iconic characters make for some of the best merchandise, and Square Enix has never been shy at using some of its more popular characters for posters, plushes, statues,and pretty much everything else you’re able to think ofto bring in some extra cash.
In fact,while Square Enix’s biggest games regularly failed to meet expectations last year, their merchandising revenue was actually “strong”,as revealed by a new earnings reportdetailing the nine-month period ending on December 31 (thanks GamesRadar). In that time, Square Enix managed to rack up a whopping 14.8 billion yen (around $97.8 million), compared to the same period last year which saw them bring in 12.4 billion yen (around $81.9 million).
Square Enix Merch Sales Have Risen Thanks To Tifa And Nier Automata’s 2B
That is an increase of a whopping 2.4 billion yen over the space of one year, and Square Enix made sure to point out just who was responsible for the increase. In the earnings report, Square Enix says that strong sales are a result of “new character merchandise featuring key IP”, with Final Fantasy’s Tifa and Nier Automata’s 2B both given special shoutouts.
The products in question includea relatively normal action figure of Tifa, with sales most likely spurred on by the release of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in early 2024. However, it seems as though Square Enix was successfully able to capitalize on all the gamers out there down bad for 2B, as Square Enix points to a stupidly expensive and raunchy statue of the android as one of its major products.
The statue in question wasthe Masterline Nier Automata statue of 2B, that went on sale last year for a whopping $2,600. Not only is it ridiculously detailed and 1/3 scale, making it gigantic to boot, but it also has 2B’s cheeks on full display, which may or may not have been a deciding factor for a few people. There isa cheaper version of the statue that has 2B in a bit more clothingthat was also mentioned, but that also costs $2,400.
I guess it just goes to show how popular 2B actually is that so many people are willing to shell out thousands of dollars for a massive statue of her, and Square Enix will most likely keep the merch coming if the money keeps flowing. Now, all we need to is to try and convince them to make a new Nier game,though it sounds as though one may be arriving in the near future.
