Dragon

Square Enix is certainly in a tricky spot right now, with under-performing games and a major reshuffle at the top thanks to some poor financial results.

Things have just gotten worse for the firm with the news that one of its big titles for 2013 — Dragon Quest X on Wii U — has only managed to sell 33,000 units in its first week of release. Compare that with sales figures during the same period for Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon (110,000 units) and Animal Crossing: New Leaf (58,000) and it makes for dismal reading — especially when you consider that New Leaf has been out for months.

Square Enix admitted that sales and subscription retention for the Wii version of Dragon Quest X — which launched in August of last year — were disappointing, but the hope was that the Wii U edition would revitalise the game's fortunes. That's clearly not been the case, and when you can't rely on Dragon Quest to pull in the punters, it's time to worry.

Do you think the Dragon Quest series has lost its shine in Japan, or is the online nature of this particular release to blame? Post a comment to tell us what you think.

[source escapistmagazine.com, via api.viglink.com]