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Guilty Gear Strive Sales Break Record High in August! 2.5 Million Copies Sold !!!!

Figure. Guilty Gear Strive Sin and Sol

In the gaming industry, few game series have ever managed to claw their way out of the niche title to an industry leader, and one of the best among these game series is Guilty Gear. A series that started out in the late 1990s, but only in recent years has it seen a massive jump in popularity. Much due to the continued improvement of its developers, and the support of its die-hard fans.

A Look at the Game

Guilty Gear Strive, is the latest entry in Arc System Works' oldest running franchise, and if some fans are to be believed their best series to date. Unlike previous entries which only served to expand the plot of the original timeline, Strive makes a bold move to end the story of its main protagonist Sol Bad Guy and in essence, makes sure that he will not appear in future games as a playable character. It also puts in the leg work to establish its secondary cast and a new protagonist so that even without the iconic Sol Bad Guy the story will continue.  While fan reception to the end of this iconic character's journey was mixed over its release fans have come to appreciate Arc System Works for taking the risk and giving the fan-favorite character a happy ending. This ending also gives the games the creative freedom to pursue a new storyline instead of the Chaos storyline from the original.

This storyline also has a massive effect on the gameplay as many side characters have grown to become powerful mainstays in the cast such as Sin and May, who are bound to play even bigger roles in the upcoming expansion. Combat also has been perfected by Arc System Works as the game runs and plays as smooth as butter and the net code is so well optimized that players can even cross-play with next to zero lag.

The Esports Connection

Fighting games have gained massive popularity in recent years due to tournaments such as EVO and State Masters. Among these tournaments' ranks Guilty Gear Strive turned out to be a massive hit as it was featured on EVO the same year it was released. Meaning it was balanced and bug-free at launch, a true oddity in the modern gaming scene.

This massive boost in popularity through esports also allowed the game to break free from its cult classic restraints and reach a more mainstream audience. Which in turn led it to be featured in more esports tournaments and gain even more popularity. Which no doubt played a pivotal role in the sales the game was able to generate.

Breaking Records

In August of 2023, Guilty Gear Strive officially sold over 2.5 million copies and broke the all-time series high set by Guilty Gear Revelator. While this might not seem that big of a success considering the top-selling games in the industry, we need to realize that Guilty Gear is not like those other games. It comes from a Studio that only in the late 2010s has seen massive success and is from a franchise that always played second fiddle to the popular ones. Yet now a game that requires you to have insanely good response time and a deep understanding of complex mechanics is considered one of the most successful games in the fighting game genre.

Additionally, the positive reviews from series long diehard fans were a massive plus in the perception of the people. For in regard to fighting games only the most avid and die-hard fans can give you an accurate review of the state of the game.

Fanbase’s Influence and Future Prospects

To wind it all up, we need to acknowledge one aspect of the popularity of the game that goes unappreciated, and that’s the fans. For series such as Guilty Gear that lived in relative obscurity for so long, it is truly heartwarming to see the fans not only get acknowledged for their dedication to keeping the series alive but also awarded with a story that gives a genuinely good conclusion to characters many fans have followed for decades. And with news of upcoming character packs and DLC, it seems the future of this series is as bright as ever.



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