thicc_girls_are_teh_best
Gold Member
The rumor comes from Head on the Block on ResetERA. For those who don't know, this person has been consistently accurate with various Sega/Atlus rumors in the past (particularly surrounding Persona). I believe they were the one who broke wind of Persona 3 Remake stuff and also Final Fantasy IX Remake. So they have a quite reliable track record in this regard.
Well, as you can see above, it'd appear as though Sony and Square-Enix might have either already, or are in the process of, significantly bolstering their partnership. Which, naturally, will probably lead to more Square-Enix exclusives for PlayStation. Primarily Final Fantasy but, this could mean other IP in addition to or in lieu of Final Fantasy.
Now for my own speculation: if this rumor is true, I would think it's related not to an M&A (it's illegal to tease an M&A of a publicly-traded company ahead of announcement, IIRC that would be indicative of things like insider trading and well, go ask Yuji Naka how that went), but a large investment into the publisher. It'd appear Square-Enix were open to outside companies investing into various divisions of them years ago, and even at the time I felt it were common sense for Sony to invest into one, many, or all of said units (at varying amounts, of course). It's possible this has occurred now or is in the process of happening.
FWIW, these investments are not limited to just a company like Sony to do; however as the rumor is specific to them we will keep the focus there. Personally, I would love this to be true, but not just for the prospect of Final Fantasy games. I would love to see IP like Einhander and Parasite Eve return; if Sony can invest in Square-Enix to make that happen, and provide co-development and marketing for said games, it'd be a big W for not just PlayStation (likely console exclusivity), but also fans of those IP. Maybe even stuff like a remake for Xenogears (remember, a lot of the last disc was rushed and content was heavily cut or truncated) could be possible through this.
I would also like to see Sony make similar initiatives with other 3P publishers, Japanese and otherwise. It brings many of the benefits of full M&As without actually needing to consolidate the 3P market, offers more flexibility for all parties involves, and helps secure interests at various levels. Again, this is just me speculating on what likely may be happening here (large investments) if the rumor happens to be true. For me, it could also bring some unique exclusive content to PlayStation, which is always a good thing. In fact exclusive content on all platforms (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo) is a good thing IMO but that's a somewhat different conversation.
Anyway, how do the rest of you feel about this potential rumor? Are you excited about what it could mean for future Final Fantasy content, or future Square-Enix software releases? Do you think it could net revivals of some classic Square-Enix IP like Parasite Eve, Einhander, Xenogears, Erghiez, maybe even stuff like ActRaiser or a remake/sequel to games like Illusion of Gaia? If the rumor pertains to big investments, are there other 3P studios and publishers you'd like to see Sony invest in more heavily/directly?
Well, as you can see above, it'd appear as though Sony and Square-Enix might have either already, or are in the process of, significantly bolstering their partnership. Which, naturally, will probably lead to more Square-Enix exclusives for PlayStation. Primarily Final Fantasy but, this could mean other IP in addition to or in lieu of Final Fantasy.
Now for my own speculation: if this rumor is true, I would think it's related not to an M&A (it's illegal to tease an M&A of a publicly-traded company ahead of announcement, IIRC that would be indicative of things like insider trading and well, go ask Yuji Naka how that went), but a large investment into the publisher. It'd appear Square-Enix were open to outside companies investing into various divisions of them years ago, and even at the time I felt it were common sense for Sony to invest into one, many, or all of said units (at varying amounts, of course). It's possible this has occurred now or is in the process of happening.
FWIW, these investments are not limited to just a company like Sony to do; however as the rumor is specific to them we will keep the focus there. Personally, I would love this to be true, but not just for the prospect of Final Fantasy games. I would love to see IP like Einhander and Parasite Eve return; if Sony can invest in Square-Enix to make that happen, and provide co-development and marketing for said games, it'd be a big W for not just PlayStation (likely console exclusivity), but also fans of those IP. Maybe even stuff like a remake for Xenogears (remember, a lot of the last disc was rushed and content was heavily cut or truncated) could be possible through this.
I would also like to see Sony make similar initiatives with other 3P publishers, Japanese and otherwise. It brings many of the benefits of full M&As without actually needing to consolidate the 3P market, offers more flexibility for all parties involves, and helps secure interests at various levels. Again, this is just me speculating on what likely may be happening here (large investments) if the rumor happens to be true. For me, it could also bring some unique exclusive content to PlayStation, which is always a good thing. In fact exclusive content on all platforms (PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo) is a good thing IMO but that's a somewhat different conversation.
Anyway, how do the rest of you feel about this potential rumor? Are you excited about what it could mean for future Final Fantasy content, or future Square-Enix software releases? Do you think it could net revivals of some classic Square-Enix IP like Parasite Eve, Einhander, Xenogears, Erghiez, maybe even stuff like ActRaiser or a remake/sequel to games like Illusion of Gaia? If the rumor pertains to big investments, are there other 3P studios and publishers you'd like to see Sony invest in more heavily/directly?
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