Square-Enix Realizes It Should Develop for Its Core Audience

[Aikouka]

Yep, folks... yet again, Square-Enix is admitting that they're "losing their focus". Will they actually fix their problems this time or continue to disappoint their long-time fans? I have a feeling that we won't see much given that the article doesn't mention Final Fantasy at all. Square-Enix is still hung up on calling their third-party titles a failure even when FF XIII-3 sold so poorly.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/31/square-enix-to-refocus-on-jrpgs-after-bravely-default-success

Here's probably the pertinent bit:

He went on to say that, thanks to Bravely Default, the company has been shown that even niche Japanese-focused titles can enjoy international acclaim. As a result, the company wants to take this information and re-examine how it's been working on projects, starting with the new Hitman title in development for PS4 and Xbox One. Matsuda explained pressure to appeal to the mass market caused serious problems with Hitman: Absolution's development.

"The development team for Hitman: Absolution really struggled in this regard," he said. "They implemented a vast amount of 'elements for the mass' instead of for the core fans, as a way to try getting as many new players possible.
"It was a strategy to gain mass appeal. However, what makes the Hitman series good is its appeal to core gamers, and many fans felt the lack of focus in that regard, which ended up making it struggle in sales.

"So, as for the AAA titles we're currently developing for series, we basically want to go back to their roots and focus on the core audience, while working hard on content that can have fans say things like 'this is the Hitman we know'. I believe that is the best way for our development studios to display their strengths.

EDIT:

Figured I would make the title a little more apparent rather than a South Park reference.

 

[smackababy]

Isn't this the same company that said Tomb Raider was a failure because it failed to meet the incredibly unrealistic expectation of 5 million sales in the first month, but did sell 3 million?


They won't go back and refocus the FF series, why bother? People are going to buy it because there isn't a popular JRPG that even rivals it, in terms of fanbase. If some company sprung up overnight and started releasing good JRPGs, we might have some hope FF will get a chance. Otherwise, it will still be the best selling JRPG on name alone.

 

[Aikouka]

Isn't this the same company that said Tomb Raider was a failure because it failed to meet the incredibly unrealistic expectation of 5 million sales in the first month, but did sell 3 million?

They won't go back and refocus the FF series, why bother? People are going to buy it because there isn't a popular JRPG that even rivals it, in terms of fanbase. If some company sprung up overnight and started releasing good JRPGs, we might have some hope FF will get a chance. Otherwise, it will still be the best selling JRPG on name alone.

Well, everything they say about Hitman: Absolution is applicable to the Final Fantasy series as well, and I think Square realizes it. Lightning Returns hasn't really sold all that well considering, and the game hasn't really been received all that well... especially over here. The thing is... we've seen this song and dance in the past from Square-Enix, and now, the real question is whether they'll actually live true to their word and return more to their roots. They were willing to spend quite a bit of money to fix Final Fantasy XIV!

 

[exdeath]

Well, everything they say about Hitman: Absolution is applicable to the Final Fantasy series as well, and I think Square realizes it. Lightning Returns hasn't really sold all that well considering, and the game hasn't really been received all that well... especially over here. The thing is... we've seen this song and dance in the past from Square-Enix, and now, the real question is whether they'll actually live true to their word and return more to their roots. They were willing to spend quite a bit of money to fix Final Fantasy XIV!

They will just continue to make Call of Duty clones and think that having "The Crystalz!" make a cameo appearance for 15 seconds in a "mad tyte cutscene" that it will fix things and make it old school again.

 

[smackababy]

Well, everything they say about Hitman: Absolution is applicable to the Final Fantasy series as well, and I think Square realizes it. Lightning Returns hasn't really sold all that well considering, and the game hasn't really been received all that well... especially over here. The thing is... we've seen this song and dance in the past from Square-Enix, and now, the real question is whether they'll actually live true to their word and return more to their roots. They were willing to spend quite a bit of money to fix Final Fantasy XIV!

But, Hitman is not really the niche market game a JRPG like FF is. FF is in a unique position that it really doesn't matter what they do, the core audience is going to buy it anyway. People who play JRPGs will buy it; people who play FF games will buy it; and, by adding all the flavor of the month stuff they've been doing, they might get additional sales of someone who thinks it is an action game. If they went back to the their roots, they'd only get the JRPG and FF people buying it.

 

[xantub]

they should spin-off Squaresoft and Enix and let them battle for RPGs like they used to.

But, Hitman is not really the niche market game a JRPG like FF is. FF is in a unique position that it really doesn't matter what they do, the core audience is going to buy it anyway. People who play JRPGs will buy it; people who play FF games will buy it; and, by adding all the flavor of the month stuff they've been doing, they might get additional sales of someone who thinks it is an action game. If they went back to the their roots, they'd only get the JRPG and FF people buying it.

You're wrong right there. They alienated the franchise. I played FF games and I still play jRPGs but I won't touch FF XV with a 10' pole.

 

[zerocool84]

The problem is that the market has changed, Western RPG's have taken over. They haven't kept up with the times.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Isn't this the same company that said Tomb Raider was a failure because it failed to meet the incredibly unrealistic expectation of 5 million sales in the first month, but did sell 3 million?


They won't go back and refocus the FF series, why bother? People are going to buy it because there isn't a popular JRPG that even rivals it, in terms of fanbase. If some company sprung up overnight and started releasing good JRPGs, we might have some hope FF will get a chance. Otherwise, it will still be the best selling JRPG on name alone.

There are good companies releasing JRPGS. Atlus, XSEED, Level-5 etc. they just don't get the same hype as Final Fantasy, and honestly since the PS2 days I didn't like any game that bears the Final Fantasy name.

The problem is that the market has changed, Western RPG's have taken over. They haven't kept up with the times.

This too. Square needs to realize that not everyone wants to play a game with chibi characters, boys who look like 13 year old girls and save the world with a 10 foot long sword, and other such characters. The audience has grown up and gaming has evolved around them as well. It's ok to take a more realistic approach now. Heck, there's even companies who make JRPGs who are crafting complex stories that are a little more mature in tone. Persona for example. I might even say Dark Souls is an RPG. It just happens to be in a more western style but Square can learn from that I think.

 

[exdeath]

The problem is that the market has changed, Western RPG's have taken over. They haven't kept up with the times.

The same market for JRPGs that was ever there before is still there and bigger than ever.

Ni no Kuni is a million seller. Tales isn't doing bad either and Bravely Default owned Lightning Returns.

The real problem is nothing is considered successful anymore if it doesn't beat CoD sales, and bloated investor run companies desperately trying to grab a piece of that while ruining long running franchises and alienating their real market.

Plenty of money to be had in that market when you are profitable with 250,000 units, but now days 250,000 is considered a flop even though very few SNES and PS1 JRPGs ever broke more than a couple hundred thousand units lifetime.

Appealing to shooter and western RPG tastes is WHY they are failing. It's just not what they do. They need to get over it and quit being jealous of Angry Birds and Call of Duty.

Square needs to downsize massively and go back to doing their own thing. Get rid of all the suits who have nothing to do with making games

 

[PieIsAwesome]

"Its what w'eve been trying to tell you!"

 

[xantub]

The same market for JRPGs that was ever there before is still there and bigger than ever.

Ni no Kuni is a million seller. Tales isn't doing bad either and Bravely Default owned Lightning Returns.

The real problem is nothing is considered successful anymore if it doesn't beat CoD sales, and bloated investor run companies desperately trying to grab a piece of that while ruining long running franchises and alienating their real market.

Plenty of money to be had in that market when you are profitable with 250,000 units, but now days 250,000 is considered a flop even though very few SNES and PS1 JRPGs ever broke more than a couple hundred thousand units lifetime.

I agree but it's not so easy as you think. In those days 20 people could make those games. Some sprites for the characters, an hour or two of recorded music, no voice acting, and scripting. Now it's much more involved (and expensive), so 200k doesn't cover the costs anymore.

 

[exdeath]

Maybe they should get back to making games then instead of Hollywood budget FMV.

If Ni no Kuni can have Studio Ghibli and Tokyo Philharmonic involved and be profitable with less than a million US sales...if Namco can keep cranking out Tales games with 100 hours of animation and voice acting and be successful with 300k units shipped over and over again...

Then so can Square.

 

[xantub]

Maybe they should get back to making games then instead of Hollywood budget FMV.

If Ni no Kuni can have Studio Ghibli and Tokyo Philharmonic involved and be profitable with less than a million US sales...if Namco can keep cranking out Tales games with 100 hours of animation and voice acting and be successful with 300k units shipped over and over again...

Then so can Square.

I agree and hope more come. What I see is a big empty area between AAA and 'indie'. I don't need multi-million $ RPGs. Instead of cinematic cut-scenes, I'm ok with in-game cutscenes. Instead of FF XIII lifelike animations, I'm ok with DQ8s character styles. Those two things should cut development costs by a big chunk. But also I honestly can't find interest for quick cheap games made by 1-5 developers like what you get in PSN or Xbox marketplace. In the PS2 days there were lots of RPGs, AAA games like FFX weren't even the majority. But now it's all we have except for few exceptions.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I agree but it's not so easy as you think. In those days 20 people could make those games. Some sprites for the characters, an hour or two of recorded music, no voice acting, and scripting. Now it's much more involved (and expensive), so 200k doesn't cover the costs anymore.

Then make mobile (iOS/Android) the target platform instead of consoles for new AAA JRPGs.

 

[exar333]

Well, everything they say about Hitman: Absolution is applicable to the Final Fantasy series as well, and I think Square realizes it. Lightning Returns hasn't really sold all that well considering, and the game hasn't really been received all that well... especially over here. The thing is... we've seen this song and dance in the past from Square-Enix, and now, the real question is whether they'll actually live true to their word and return more to their roots. They were willing to spend quite a bit of money to fix Final Fantasy XIV!

This.

FF: LR was absolute s**t. The story of FF 13 and 13-2 was bad, but the gameplay mechanics where there. That was the frustrating part...

Square needs to focus less on FMV sequences and rediculous graphics and stick with their roots. Good story, good gameplay, and lots of replayability.

I really like both JRPGs and 'western' RPGs, and enjoy them both. To me, they both have their merits. I love playing a classic FF game and a game like Skyrim as well, but fully-open Elder Scrolls-types games do tire me out after a while.

It's been a real treat to have the chance to replay the FFX-HD remake, and enjoy what one of the last 'true' FF games was. The number of voice actors doesn't bother me (same with other games like Oblivion where it is limited) and the game engine movies/cut-scenes are great. I don't need crazy-expensive stuff, just good story-telling with relatable characters.

I will not be touching FF XV with a ten-foot pole either...it look's terrible. If I just saw the game, I would have guessed it was a Capcom DMC-like clone.

As for what other said, I will NOT be buying any Square games without seriously researching them before. There are too many great games from the past I am ready to re-play, and I know I missed some good ones (or just don't remember others) along the way too. Will be ignoring new releases if I need to.... Vote with your wallet!

 

[exar333]

Then make mobile (iOS/Android) the target platform instead of consoles for new AAA JRPGs.

I definitely hope not. Mobile gaming is pretty much terrible...Angry Birds for 5-10 minutes is fine on my phone, NOT an RPG...

 

[poofyhairguy]

I definitely hope not. Mobile gaming is pretty much terrible...Angry Birds for 5-10 minutes is fine on my phone, NOT an RPG...

Meh, I like playing the "remastered" or whatever FF6 on my phone. The remake of FF3 and FF4 are pretty awesome too.

JRPGs are at their best when the technology is limited. The power of the 360 and the PS3 is what ruined the genre, as almost every developer said "well we have enough power for live action fighting, and WOW is popular, so lets do it!"

 

[exdeath]

Meh, I like playing the "remastered" or whatever FF6 on my phone. The remake of FF3 and FF4 are pretty awesome too.

JRPGs are at their best when the technology is limited. The power of the 360 and the PS3 is what ruined the genre, as almost every developer said "well we have enough power for live action fighting, and WOW is popular, so lets do it!"

Again...

Tales of *
Ni no Kuni
Lost Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles

Even FF XIII was good presentation wise, just needed more story and free roaming. None of the failures of FF XIII are the result of "unlimited" power but just poor design and deviating from the establishment in an attempt to get mainstream dollars.

 

[exar333]

Again...

Tales of *
Ni no Kuni
Lost Odyssey
Xenoblade Chronicles

Even FF XIII was good presentation wise, just needed more story and free roaming. None of the failures of FF XIII are the result of "unlimited" power but just poor design and deviating from the establishment in an attempt to get mainstream dollars.

This.

I am not a huge fighting game fan, but look at what Capcom did with SF4. It looks amazing on last-gen hardware.

Modern hardware can be 'tempting' to focus solely on graphics and skimp on story/mechanices, that is true, but it is NO EXCUSE. Use the modern system advantages. The sound on Ni No Kuni and FFx-HD is amazing, it totally draws you in and immerses you in the world. Solid graphics with good detail and solid 60fps for a JRPG and I am hooked.

exdeath pointed out some great recent titles that did it right. We need more...

 

[exdeath]

All of FFXIIIs issues are purely design decisions guided by trying to appeal to the mainstream and cash in on the popularly of macho military bro worlds and personas (hence Lightning's emotionless tough guy attitude, etc)

The things they did wrong had nothing to do with cost, budget, console power, etc

Honest characters not too sexy and badass for their shirts, a world map, the ability to back track and revisit places for optional content, paths that fork in dungeons instead of just a single hallway, and more lore and story in game that doesn't require reading outside sources to grasp. The story of the Falcie, their creators Pulse and Lindzei, the one true maker Bhunevelze, etc isn't even a bad story but in game it sits in the third row seat to emphasize the 733t combat and kewl badass characters.

Once you get to Pulse at the end and get a taste of what the ENTIRE game COULD have been and realize they CHOSE not to it just makes it worse.

Even the final scenes in the fight with Orphan get a little epic and inspirational, but one emotional speech and epic musical score in the last 5 minutes doesn't make up for the first 80 hours of run and gun.

 

[exar333]

All of FFXIIIs issues are purely design decisions guided by trying to appeal to the mainstream and cash in on the popularly of macho military bro worlds and personas (hence Lightning's emotionless tough guy attitude, etc)

The things they did wrong had nothing to do with cost, budget, console power, etc

Honest characters not too sexy and badass for their shirts, a world map, the ability to back track and revisit places for optional content, paths that fork in dungeons instead of just a single hallway, and more lore and story in game that doesn't require reading outside sources to grasp. The story of the Falcie, their creators Pulse and Lindzei, the one true maker Bhunevelze, etc isn't even a bad story but in game it sits in the third row seat to emphasize the 733t combat and kewl badass characters.

Once you get to Pulse at the end and get a taste of what the ENTIRE game COULD have been and realize they CHOSE not to it just makes it worse.

Even the final scenes in the fight with Orphan get a little epic and inspirational, but one emotional speech and epic musical score in the last 5 minutes doesn't make up for the first 80 hours of run and gun.

Honestly, that is why I liked XIII-2 a LOT more than XIII. I thought the mechanices for traveling to different versions of the same place was great. The execution on quests and so forth should have been a lot better though. It had TONS of potential, but Square fell flat on the poor story and too many 'fetch quests'. The optional content was pretty great, and there were some pretty cool areas and quests to do. I had fun despite the story. With a great story and more added complex quests, it could have been a top-tier FF, IMHO.

Edit: The dungeons left a lot to be desired though...

 

[Pr0d1gy]

exdeath pointed out some great recent titles that did it right. We need more...

The problem is that WE are a dying breed my friend. Most people are not looking for a strategic, or worse *gasp* a turn based, game for their gaming fix these days.

 

[Newell Steamer]

I've given up on them. They can go to hell.

 

[Lil Frier]

They need to fix the fractures in the Kingdom Hearts universe BADLY. I want to play all of the games, but I'm not getting a PS2, PS3, and a 3DS to pull it off. I'm really hoping that they have a massive HD collection release on the new consoles to fix that. Reading that KH3 will follow Dream Drop Distance earlier annoyed the hell out of me, because it means the game won't make sense to me. Without an HD collection (or 3-4 emulators), I won't be buying the next Kingdom Hearts.

 

[MrPickins]

The problem is that WE are a dying breed my friend. Most people are not looking for a strategic, or worse *gasp* a turn based, game for their gaming fix these days.

I would kill for a new Final Fantasy Tactics game (that's not for a handheld console).