Press Clippings | FFVII Sells Over 500,000 Copies in the U.S.

Final Fantasy VII For PlayStation Hits Million-Unit Mark

Latest Sell-Through Numbers Make Square's Final Fantasy VII Worldwide Best Seller

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--December 4, 1997--Sony Computer Entertainment America announced today that sales momentum for Final Fantasy VII, available only on the PlayStation game console, has continued since its debut.

Selling more than one million copies in North America, the Final Fantasy VII frenzy began months ago as hundreds of thousands of consumers throughout the country reserved a copy of the game, months before its release. Retail outlets nationwide broke the official North American September 7 release date, eager to satisfy the overwhelming consumer demand for Final Fantasy VII.

"Final Fantasy VII's success in North America has surpassed our original sales expectations and with the holidays steadily approaching, this is only the beginning," said Andrew House, vice president, marketing, Sony Computer Entertainment America. "We knew the anticipated strength of the Final Fantasy franchise was going to reach a broad audience of both epic adventure enthusiasts and traditional fans of the series, but the sales success reported from our retailers to date is proving that an expansive variety of videogame players are buying Final Fantasy VII."

"Sony redefined the role-playing game (RPG) category and expanded the conventional audience with the launch of Final Fantasy VII," said Edward Williams, analyst with Monness, Crespi, Hardt & Co. "PlayStation's momentum shows no signs of abating and clearly Final Fantasy VII is the crowning achievement on what is already going to be an incredible year for the PlayStation."

Final Fantasy VII, the latest continuation to the legendary epic adventure game series, features state-of-the-art 3D graphics and animation to bring players the most immersive movie-like game experience ever offered on the PlayStation game console.

In December 1996, Sony Computer Entertainment America agreed to a multi-title publishing deal with Square Co. Ltd., allowing the company full North American publishing and distribution rights to Square's 1997 PlayStation product line. Along with rights to publish the revolutionary Final Fantasy VII, Sony Computer Entertainment America also has released Bushido Blade, and other upcoming PlayStation exclusive releases, Final Fantasy Tactics and SaGa Frontier.

Square Soft, Inc., a subsidiary of Square Co. Ltd., Japan, manages the publishing and development of videogames in North America. The company was established in 1989 in Redmond, Wash. and relocated its headquarters to Costa Mesa, Calif. in July 1996.

Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. markets and distributes the PlayStation game console in North America, develops and publishes software for the PlayStation game console, and manages the U.S. third party licensing program. Based in Foster City, Calif., Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

Visit us on the Web at http://www.playstation.com

CONTACT: Molly Smith, 650/655-6044
molly_smith@playstation.sony.com
or
Kathryn Ver Hagen, 314/982-1722
verhagek@fleishman.com

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