The Trails series from Falcom has become increasingly popular in the west over the past ten years, especially with the release of the Cold Steel games on PlayStation 4, which attracted many new fans.
Company CEO Toshihiro Kondo has stated in past interviews that sales in western markets now consistently exceed those in Japan for their games. In fact, Falcom’s success outside of Japan has been crucial to the company’s overall performance.
In a recent shareholders meeting, a shareholder questioned Kondo about falling sales in Japan, as reported by @michsuzu. The shareholder specifically noted that sales of the remake of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter, released earlier this year, were lower than previous games in the series.
Kondo openly shared that initial sales for 1st Chapter were much lower than expected, but this was only the case in Japan.
“We anticipated that such issues might arise in advance, which is why we pursued simultaneous global expansion,” he explains. “Overseas, particularly in North America this time, we achieved the highest sales.”
Kondo also noted a large increase in popularity, especially in China, driven by the game’s release on PC through Steam.
Falcom isn’t alone among Japanese game companies in expanding its reach internationally. Larger companies like Capcom, Square Enix, and Bandai Namco have also had to change their plans over time, largely because interest in console games (outside of Nintendo’s consistently successful titles) hasn’t been strong enough.
Looking ahead, Kondo says their main focus will be expanding into international markets and developing strategies for multiple platforms.
Falcom has some exciting developments on the horizon. Notably, Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter was the first of their games to be released worldwide at the same time. They’re continuing this approach with the upcoming Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter, which is scheduled for release in fall 2026.
It’s great to see Falcom’s Trails series becoming popular in the west! Share your thoughts on The Legend of Heroes in the comments below.
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2025-12-18 21:07