Granblue Fantasy Relink Tops 2M Sales, But What’s Next?

If someone had said a few years back that Granblue Fantasy—once confined to gacha mobile circles—would move over two million copies with its first full-scale console and PC RPG, I’d have laughed. Yet Cygames just confirmed Granblue Fantasy Relink has crossed that milestone in under 18 months. That’s a real statement for a series that, until now, mainly resonated with smartphone die-hards.

Granblue Fantasy Relink: Strong Sales, Lingering Story Questions

• 2M units sold in under 18 months—a breakout success beyond its mobile roots.
• Combat shine draws comparisons to Monster Hunter Rise’s fluid hits and God Eater’s frantic boss encounters.
• Narrative gaps leave fans craving depth similar to Tales of Arise or Final Fantasy VII Remake.
• 60% discount on Steam and PlayStation Store—an aggressive push to onboard more players.
• Japan Expo debut offers Western fans a first hands-on, signaling Cygames’s global ambitions.

Feature	Specification
Publisher	Cygames
Release Date	February 1, 2024
Genres	Action RPG, JRPG
Platforms	PS4, PS5, PC (Steam)

Context matters. Cygames has been a mobile powerhouse—Granblue Fantasy itself boasts millions of downloads, and the spin-off fighter Versus earned praise on PC and consoles. But a full-blown action-RPG is another beast. We’ve seen big mobile IPs like One Piece or Dragon Ball struggle when they shift to triple-A scope. For every Genshin Impact that breaks through, there’s a dozen titles that fizzle once players demand more than nostalgia.

So Relink’s numbers tell us the core fanbase is dedicated, and there’s real interest in a console-style JRPG under this banner. Early hands-on reviews and player chatter on forums highlight combat as the star: combos feel tight and responsive, with a clear Monster Hunter Rise influence in big-weapon swings and party synergies. Fans on Reddit rave about lunging spins and elemental Burst attacks—comparing the thrill to the best ARPG multiplayer runs.

Yet the story remains many players’ sticking point. Critics have noted that Relink’s narrative moves in fits and starts: side-quests loop back on themselves, and key plot turns resolve too quickly to leave an emotional mark. Compared to the character arcs in Tales of Arise or Yoko Taro’s layered writing in Nier Replicant, Relink’s lore feels cursory—enough to propel you into the next dungeon but not to linger once credits roll.

That said, not everyone balks. On Cygames’s official Discord, longtime Granblue devotees celebrate cameos from fan-favorite characters and a surprisingly robust loot economy. Some veteran JRPG streamers argue that if you go in expecting action-first design, Relink delivers more consistently than Dragon’s Dogma 2’s early hours or the rough technical launch of Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness.

Behind the scenes, studio head Tetsuya Fukuhara has been refreshingly candid about the uphill battle—team turnover, scope creep, and post-launch support. His recent commemorative illustration feels more heartfelt than standard PR, and players have responded by sharing fan art in return, cementing a grassroots vibe.

The Bigger Picture for Future JRPGs

Cygames is clearly treating Relink as more than a one-off experiment. The current 60% markdown on Steam and PlayStation is a savvy move to capture the curious—those who balked at the full price but might be tempted by a bargain. And appearing at Japan Expo for the first time signals a serious push into Europe, where action-JRPGs with strong co-op like Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot or Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles have found pockets of enthusiasm.

Looking ahead, the big questions are these: Will Cygames invest in post-launch expansions that deepen the plot—think episodic story DLC like NieR Automata’s 3C3C1D119440927—or lean harder into live-service events? Could they partner with Western studios to tighten narrative beats? And what lessons will they draw from Genshin Impact’s seamless worldbuilding, where every side mission feels woven into the tapestry?

What This Means for JRPG Fans

If you’re driven by slick hack-and-slash combat and a roster of anime-style heroes, Relink’s sale window is your chance to jump in. It nails the core loop: clear a boss, loot rare weapons, swap to your favorite support character and chain combos. But if you crave emotional storytelling on par with Final Fantasy X or Persona 5, you might find yourself pausing mid-quest and scrolling your backlog for deeper narratives.

Ultimately, Granblue Fantasy Relink’s sales milestone proves there’s hunger for high-energy, party-based action RPGs on PC and consoles—especially from mobile tentpoles willing to level up their ambitions. Now, the true test is whether Cygames builds on this momentum with richer story content, stronger worldbuilding, and ongoing support that keeps both fans and newcomers engaged.

TL;DR: Action Hits Hard, Story Lags Behind

Granblue Fantasy Relink has sold over two million copies thanks to exhilarating combat and a sprawling character lineup—but critics and many players still want more narrative depth. With a hefty discount live and a bigger international push under way, now’s the time to see if Relink can evolve into a lasting franchise or remains a thrilling one-off for series loyalists.