Dragon Quest IX Tops Two Million Units In Launch Weekend

Japanese retailers and industry-watchers had expected a major launch weekend for Square Enix's Dragon Quest IX but the title's first two days of sales have beaten expectations -- the game has sold 2.34 million units since July 11. Preorders for the title were clocking well over the two million mark, as predictions wondered whether the title would outsell the previous franchise bestseller, PlayStation 2 title Dragon Quest VIII. According to consumer weblog Kotaku, which also translated DQIX launch sales from Famitsu publisher Enterbrain, DQVIII sold 2.23 million in its first week, meaning the new DS title has already beaten prior benchmarks in just one weekend. Both games share a developer in common: Both DQVIII and DQIX, whose full title is Dragon Quest IX: Defenders of the Starry Sky, are developed by Japanese independent Professor Layton publisher/developer Level-5. Merchandizer Taketo Matsuo of popular chain retailer Tsutaya recently said that in his experience, DS games "have a tendency to be long sellers even with low pre-orders," so it's likely unit sales for DQIX have plenty of growth potential ahead.