PC gamers have demonstrated their significant influence with a notable event in the video game industry. The complete Kingdom Hearts collection, priced at $100, experienced a dramatic surge in its monthly sales ranking, climbing 396 places following its availability on Steam.
After over three years of exclusivity on the Epic Game Store, the Kingdom Hearts series made its Steam debut in June. By July, it had impressively climbed 396 positions in the monthly sales ranking chart in the US.
The Kingdom Hearts: Integrum Masterpiece collection includes ten games and initially launched on PC in 2021 as an Epic Game Store exclusive. In May of the current year, Square Enix announced that the series would become available on Steam starting June 13. According to sales data from NPD analyst Mat Piscatella, this strategy has proven to be highly successful.
The collection surged from the 399th spot to third place on the monthly premium game sales chart in the US, ranking just behind Elden Ring and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The strong performance of a Call of Duty game was expected, as was the success of FromSoftware's Elden Ring, bolstered by the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion released in late June.
What makes this achievement particularly remarkable for the Square Enix series is that it is the most costly Kingdom Hearts collection by a significant margin. Despite the high price tag of $100/£85, many fans deemed it worth the investment, highlighting their dedication to the franchise.
One might feel sympathy for the buyer who purchased Kingdom Hearts on the Epic Game Store just five days before the Steam release announcement. Fortunately, the player had the option to refund their entire purchase on the Epic Game Store, except for the rhythm spin-off, Melody of Memory.
If you're considering diving into the series, it's advisable to consult a guide on playing the Kingdom Hearts series in sequential order before the release of Kingdom Hearts 4.