Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Seems to Be Winning the Battle Against Persona Creators’ Metaphor: ReFantazio
It's Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero vs. Metaphor: ReFantazio, as both heavy-hitters will launch on the same day this month.
- October 11 will see the releases of two major video games coming from Japanese developers.
- Sparking Zero is the next Budokai Tenkaichi installment, whereas Metaphor: ReFantazio stays true to its Persona roots.
- The upcoming Dragon Ball title is giving tough competition to almost every other game.
Dragon Ball and Persona have more than just their Japanese origins in common, as both are massively popular franchises with die-hard fanbases that have stuck around with them for a very long time.
Continuing their respective dominance in the video game industry, Bandai Namco Entertainment and SEGA are all set to go head-to-head in just over a week on October 11, with Sparking Zero gearing up to pay tribute to the iconic Budokai Tenkaichi series and Metaphor: ReFantazio marking a new chapter in director Katsura Hashino’s creative path.
However, although the battle between the two behemoths is quite close, the former seems to have a clear edge over the latter, surpassing it when it comes to sales on various platforms.
Even Before Its Release, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Is the Top-Selling PlayStation 5 Game on Amazon
The hype for Sparking Zero to finally continue the Budokai Tenkaichi series after 17 long years has been reaching unfathomable peaks leading up to its highly anticipated launch, even bringing the Japanese Prime Minister into the fold, as fans have been waiting for the next installment since the PlayStation 2 era.
While the excitement during the pre-order phase of the upcoming Dragon Ball game is not exactly surprising, the charts show that perhaps not even developer Spike Chunsoft would have expected its title to perform this well, especially pre-release. It looks like the OG PlayStation 2 fanbase has shown its dedication and come through for the next Budokai Tenkaichi on the PlayStation 5 as well, as Sparking Zero is currently holding the position of the best-selling PS5 video game on Amazon.
Rivalled only by digital currency cards for the PlayStation Store and Fortnite, Sparking Zero is sitting at number 3 on Amazon’s “Best Sellers in PlayStation 5 Consoles, Games & Accessories” list. What is even more impressive is that it is not just the Standard Edition of the game that is ranking this high but the much higher priced Ultimate Edition that has been stealing the show, proving Dragon Ball‘s unmatched supremacy in the realm of video games.
Metaphor: ReFantazio Is Not Too Far Behind, but the Persona Connection Can Only Do So Much
With a huge demo that can even rival full-length video games, Metaphor: ReFantazio is being developed by individuals who played a massive role in making Persona what it is today, Katsura Hashino, Shigenori Soejima, and Shoji Meguro.
But even with such a massive IP connected to it, SEGA’s upcoming action RPG is trailing behind Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Sparking Zero, although the difference is not too glaring on the PlayStation 5 charts, as Metaphor: ReFantazio is the second highest game on the platform at the time of writing.
However, it becomes a lot more obvious on the Xbox Series X and S charts, where the Dragon Ball title only has digital currency cards, accessories, and sports games ahead of it as it sits at number 28, whereas Metaphor: ReFantazio is 32nd on the list.
Of course, it is important to consider that it is the $150 Collector’s Edition of Metaphor: ReFantazio that has secured such a high place on the charts, which is a feat on its own. Regardless, October 11 is shaping up to be a spectacular day for fans of Japanese video game developers, with both SEGA and Bandai Namco providing varied experiences through their respective titles.
