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[adamsapple]

Forspokens really burnt them bad, huh?

 

[PanzerCute]

Maybe they will learn and make great AA games again? Probably not.

Course they could make RPGs with systems that aren't bullshit.

How many Squix games have you bought in the last 3 years to say something like that?

 

[DenchDeckard]

So atrocious, how could SE ever live with themselves after 16's reception?

Just shameful. Horrific. Devastating.

Deserves no more than a 7 out of ten...if ypu are being kind. Just for production value. I gave it a 6 personally.

Why would I care what reviewers think. They are talentless hacks.

 

[MagiusNecros]

How many Squix games have you bought in the last 3 years to say something like that?

We will start with 2020 leading up to 2024.

Octopath Traveler
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Trials of Mana
Bravely Default 2
NieR Replicant
FFVII Remake
Chocobo GP
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Valkyrie Elysium
Star Ocean: Divine Force
Dragon Quest Treasures
Forspoken
Octopath Traveler 2
Star Ocean Second Story R

Thank you for asking! I look forward to Rebirth and the next Dragon Quest.

 

[mckmas8808]

I don’t follow them very closely, but, why the fuck are there so many Final Fantasy 7 games? Who is playing this shit?

Literally MILLIONS of people lol

 

[asdasdasdbb]

FF7 is a franchise in and of itself.

 

[OGM_Madness]

What?

I think he tried to say that Final Fantasy is one of the games ever made.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Squeenix is a lost cause.
They put those arrogant producers in charge that think they "know best" how to make a FF.

Turn based?
Oh you think you want that, but you don't really want that! You dumb, we smart!

Don't like the otaku pandering, bad shounen writing and filler in our recent games?
How DARE you? Drop those nostalgia glasses and get with the times! People LOVE cinematic walkie talkie segments!

Also, that'll be $70 for the first part.

Dragon Quest will be next. There will be nothing left then.

 

[Woopah]

I hope Yoshi and Asano get promotions out of this. They are doing great work.

 

[BennyBlanco]

Squeenix is a lost cause.
They put those arrogant producers in charge that think they "know best" how to make a FF.

Turn based?
Oh you think you want that, but you don't really want that! You dumb, we smart!

Don't like the otaku pandering, bad shounen writing and filler in our recent games?
How DARE you? Drop those nostalgia glasses and get with the times! People LOVE cinematic walkie talkie segments!

Also, that'll be $70 for the first part.

Dragon Quest will be next. There will be nothing left then.

I hope it hurt their feelings to see BG3 win GOTY and sell a zillion copies. They took an old ass franchise and made it feel modern without dumbing it down. Can’t wait for their FF9 remake where you mash X and watch Vivi do backflips while the screen fills with particle effects in between slow walk and chats.

 

[TheAssist]

FF7 is a franchise in and of itself.

And I am of the very unpopular opinion that they should do that for more FF games. There is so many different kind of FF games these days and so many fan bases. Its impossible to make a FF game and not get a shitstorm from one side or the other.
I think they should spend more time with each entry and iterate more on their concepts. I think iterating on FF7 Remakes systems is going to to wonders for the game. Not spending 6 years on a game just to shelf everything you've learned while making it would be a great start.

Maybe they have actually learned from FF7 Rebirth. They only took 4 years to make a game that is vastly bigger than Remake in terms of story covered (meaning Cutscenes), assets needed, world scope and size, enemy numbers and variety and so on. But still their turn around was faster, since they had little churn on the developers side. Most people stayed with the team, so they knew how the engine worked, they knew how the game worked, they knew each other and the processes.

So maybe in the future Square will make more FF (and other franchises) of similar kind. So back to the X-2 and 13-2 stuff, but hopefully good. And of course people will call out "greedy publisher" but I think it would be a decent idea.

- use a 3rd party engine
- iterate more on already working systems and franchises (and I mean working ones, not the ones no one gives a shit about)
- probably try to separate studios less. Which might also be something they've learned from FF16 development. More collaboration between all the studios

 

[Kenpachii]

Back in the PS1 and PS2 area they where great, they dropped the ball in the PS3 area and never really recovered. So its good to hear they going to make some changes.

 

[RoboFu]

Huh?... gaf told me FF16 sold great! That it blew away expectations!!

 

[Faust]

According to wiki this was their 2023 output:

• Forspoken
• Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
• Octopath Traveler II
• Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo
• Square Enix AI Tech Preview: The Portopia Serial Murder Case
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Ketsugou Danshi: Elements with Emotions
• Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai – Infinity Strash
• Star Ocean: The Second Story R
• Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
• Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis

I see two hits, one big commercial miss, and a bunch of stuff that only small audiences care about. Something needs to change.

I really liked FF16 too.

Forspoken was a massive flop.
Theatrythm is fantastic, but niche to rhythm game fans who also like final fantasy music.
Octopath, Star Ocean, and FFXVI were great games that did well, according to the data we have.

The rest were massive flops, a niche of a niche of a niche, or insulting gacha garbage.

Of course their sales would be low if this was their output.

 

[Rentahamster]

One easy way would be to let me play their games and I'll tell them if the game is shit.

 

[kazuyamishima]

So it seems a lot of people are still blaming FF16.

When their Mobile/MMO sections are in decline, that's why mostly they are flat alongside other games released that didn't meet their expectations (not FF16 of course)

But, the narrative continues it seems.

 

[Sojiro]

Curious what this means for their "AA" games, because I have been loving SE's output with that department: Octopath 1 and 2, Live a Live remake, Star Ocean Remaster, Tactics Ogre Remaster, and Triangle Strategy have been fucking great games. I hope this restructuring doesn't mean those kind of games start disappearing.

 

[danklord]

Forspoken was a massive flop.
Theatrythm is fantastic, but niche to rhythm game fans who also like final fantasy music.
Octopath, Star Ocean, and FFXVI were great games that did well, according to the data we have.

The rest were massive flops, a niche of a niche of a niche, or insulting gacha garbage.

Of course their sales would be low if this was their output.

Show me the Star Ocean sales data because to me only Octopath and FF16 are commercial successes, regardless of quality.

 

[KimDongHwan]

I rather wait an extra year for more quality than another halfassed Final Fantasy game.

I think they can maybe reduce the scope of future games but make it a very condensed turn-based JRPG. It is clear that making the same 4-CDs type of games is not feasible monetarily speaking so maybe this path can lead to some higher quality (less bloat) and JRPG mechanics that actually feel good.

 

[proandrad]

Huh?... gaf told me FF16 sold great! That it blew away expectations!!

More like people on gaf hard coping that is was a failure because is wasn’t a “proper RPG.” FF16 sold great, reviewed great, and the majority of people liked it. Deal with it.

 

[RoboFu]

More like people on gaf hard coping that is was a failure because is wasn’t a “proper RPG.” FF16 sold great, reviewed great, and the majority of people liked it. Deal with it.

Every time numbers come out they tell another story.

 

[MagiusNecros]

More like people on gaf hard coping that is was a failure because is wasn’t a “proper RPG.” FF16 sold great, reviewed great, and the majority of people liked it. Deal with it.

It's a failure because GILGAMESH isn't in it. It really is that simple.

 

[Danjin44]

Less AA slop, more AAA big budget.

Are fucking kidding me!? I love those AA games they make, I hope they continue making them.

 

[thicc_girls_are_teh_best]

Huh?... gaf told me FF16 sold great! That it blew away expectations!!

This isn't about FF XVI but, I get it. Still not on Xbox (maybe never), so you gotta hate.

Anyway, I hope this overhaul includes a surprise reveal for a Parasite Eve remake at the State of Play later today. That IP really does deserve more love, don't let The 3rd Birthday sully everything Square-Enix!

Every time numbers come out they tell another story.

What numbers? We got the 3 million around launch, the game has ranked on NPDs/Circanas, Amazon lists, seen spikes on ROTW charts etc. since launch, and is probably close to between 4 - 5 million in sales.

Meanwhile, RE4 Remake just crossed 5.5 million not too long ago with an earlier launch and many more platforms, but I don't see you concern-trolling about that being a bomb. It'd be nice for once if you dudes just admit you have a hateboner for Square-Enix games on PlayStation because you feel they are obligated to bring everything to a certain other platform, that hasn't exactly earned the business of such.

And then when it does get a big Final Fantasy release, they slap another subscription service charge on top of it. Like come on

So it seems a lot of people are still blaming FF16.

When their Mobile/MMO sections are in decline, that's why mostly they are flat alongside other games released that didn't meet their expectations (not FF16 of course)

But, the narrative continues it seems.

Yep and it's just boring at this point. They really do have an axe to grind with Square-Enix just because they prioritize PlayStation for the big Final Fantasy games. That's all it really is about.

 

[near]

A lot of Square Enix's output has come from external developers, very few projects are actually handled in-house. The restructuring that Kiryu is referring to is more than likely just staff allocation across the business to optimise in-house productivity. Possibly even cutting down on their publishing arm activity with IPs that haven't sold very well.

Just give Natsuko Ishikawa a lead writer role on the next mainline FF, so that I can experience her work, and I'll respect these changes. I'm still not willing to lose my life to FFXIV!

 

[mckmas8808]

Deserves no more than a 7 out of ten...if ypu are being kind. Just for production value. I gave it a 6 personally.

Why would I care what reviewers think. They are talentless hacks.

So 149 reviews don't matter, but your one opinion does?

 

[DenchDeckard]

So 149 reviews don't matter, but your one opinion does?

It does to me. Looks like I'm in almost the 10 percent of the crowd that felt the same.

 

[Killer8]

Are fucking kidding me!? I love those AA games they make, I hope they continue making them.

Those games are not what i'd consider as the AA slop. Live A Live is an awesome game.

I'm talking about this shite:

 

[Danjin44]

Those games are not what i'd consider as the AA slop. Live A Live is an awesome game.

Some will be hit and some will not, I want SE keep on experimenting with AA games, that how we get interesting games.

 

[MagiusNecros]

Divine Force is great though. And you can play as GILGAMESH in Chocobo GP so it's a auto win.

Elysium I have mixed feelings on.

 

[Alebrije]

Just hope they don't fuck "RPG Factory" they have great traditional games.

 

[Scotty W]

Literally MILLIONS of people lol

Nah. You are conflating the remake. It’s dreck, and shame on you for playing and defending it! Imagine, a grown ass man who defends dilly dally shilly shally. You are stupid!

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

FF7 Rebirth looks and sounds

 

[EDMIX]

I rather wait an extra year for more quality than another halfassed Final Fantasy game.

Well....tbh, the quality of FFXVI was never an issue. Its of high quality, I merely disagreed with a few design choices, but that really isn't something that can be corrected in an extra year.

 

[Fbh]

Fire everyone except the FF7 remake team, the DQXI team and whoever made Triangle Strategy.

Use all the extra money to get Yoko Taro to make more big games like Nier Automata

 

[hyperbertha]

Story was great.

QTE is such a non issue.

The combat is fantastic— to achieve depth would be via making the game more difficult which is what I requested. Then you’d have to care about which eikons you’re using, their abilities, and be mindful of what enemies do.

The issue with most action RPGs is it’s a shooting gallery of waves of moron enemies you slaughter like a dynasty warriors game then the bosses actually have mechanics. It needs to be that way always to keep players engaged and on their toes.

The story was the most generic predictable shit show in a ff game. Very boring villain. Complete tonal 180 after the first half as well.

Qte are pointless and add nothing to the game.

Difficulty alone doesn't add depth. As it is, it's still too button mashy.

 

[Mister Wolf]

Squeenix is a lost cause.
They put those arrogant producers in charge that think they "know best" how to make a FF.

Turn based?
Oh you think you want that, but you don't really want that! You dumb, we smart!

Don't like the otaku pandering, bad shounen writing and filler in our recent games?
How DARE you? Drop those nostalgia glasses and get with the times! People LOVE cinematic walkie talkie segments!

Also, that'll be $70 for the first part.

Dragon Quest will be next. There will be nothing left then.

The founder still has creative control over Dragon Quest. You don't trust him?

 

[OuterLimits]

Curious what this means for their "AA" games, because I have been loving SE's output with that department: Octopath 1 and 2, Live a Live remake, Star Ocean Remaster, Tactics Ogre Remaster, and Triangle Strategy have been fucking great games. I hope this restructuring doesn't mean those kind of games start disappearing.

Completely agree with this. I have bought a ton of their AA stuff the last couple years and enjoyed them more than their big budget AAA releases.

Part of the problem was that Square released many of their smaller titles within a few month period which certainly didn't help.

 

[Skelterz]

Imagine SE remembered what makes them great and makes a AAA TB jRPG.

 

[@gkTH]

Move the studio to Playstation Production.

 

[Myths]

Thankfully 16 wasn't that, they seemed to get the message with 15.

What we need is more serious, "anti-anime", western sensibility-focused FF games like 16.

Yeah, exactly. Go play the Tales Of and Atelier games if you need that fix, cause this isn’t it.

 

[Torrent of Pork]

Are fucking kidding me!? I love those AA games they make, I hope they continue making them.

These games are infinitely better than 'button-mash to see the next cutscene' modern AAA Squeenix.

 

[kyussman]

There are a lot of western devs who could do with improving the quality of their games......they would never be humble enough to say that in public though.

 

[DeceptiveAlarm]

Thankfully 16 wasn't that, they seemed to get the message with 15.

What we need is more serious, "anti-anime", western sensibility-focused FF games like 16.

I agree. 15 was horrible 16 is one of the best games I ever played. I'm getting close to finishing it. It's a excellent game. I'm so glad they ditched turned based. The boss fights are amazing.

 

[near]

Just hope they don't fuck "RPG Factory" they have great traditional games.

It was announced about a week or so ago that Tokyo RPG Factory got dissolved, and a perfect example of what Kiryu means by restructuring. They were a subsidiary under Square Enix that failed to produce a meaningful return on their investments, and as a result got shut down.

I think we'll still see SE publish and produce AA/B tier projects. Games like Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler were largely developed externally, but the character designs/illustrations, artwork, scenario, and direction were handled internally. We could see them shift the main programming and technical duties of these types of games in-house moving forward.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Idea #1 : Main FF done in HD-2D graphics
Idea #2 : Remake Chrono Trigger with HD-2D graphics
Idea #3 : make Dragon Quest with HD-2D graphics

…

You see where this is going?

 

[Freeman76]

They are idiots. They need to release their games on PS5, Xbox and PC on day one and stop doing stupid exclusivity deals that tank the value of their company. They also need to stop turning their RPG franchises into action games.

 

[Arsic]

Idea #1 : Main FF done in HD-2D graphics
Idea #2 : Remake Chrono Trigger with HD-2D graphics
Idea #3 : make Dragon Quest with HD-2D graphics

…

You see where this is going?

These things sell niche. SE wants big AAA success like their PS1-PS2 days with the franchise.

They have a very solid blueprint with ff16. The issue is their structure is a team makes a FF then another one comes in to do the next. They need to commit to one mainline FF team to keep making the next game better from their own learnings. Western studio AAA tends to keep the same team working on a franchise to expand upon it like Uncharted for example.

SE already takes care of the HD2D gang with octopath , triangle strategy, and the planned Dragon Quest remaster.

 

[near]

These things sell niche. SE wants big AAA success like their PS1-PS2 days with the franchise.

They have a very solid blueprint with ff16. The issue is their structure is a team makes a FF then another one comes in to do the next. They need to commit to one mainline FF team to keep making the next game better from their own learnings. Western studio AAA tends to keep the same team working on a franchise to expand upon it like Uncharted for example.

SE already takes care of the HD2D gang with octopath , triangle strategy, and the planned Dragon Quest remaster.

FF7 and FF8 are the only two titles in the franchise that did gangbuster numbers. The rest fall in line with FFXVI without re-releases, ports, compilations, sales etc. Most people have a skewed reality of how successful FF was in the past, because of how those games made them feel when compared to more recent releases. Those games you mentioned might seem niche to you, but they're considered really successful. Octopath 1+2 sales are in the region of 4-5 million units. Dragon Quest III HD-2D would also easily do those numbers alone. I'm almost certain that there is far more scrutiny from management when investing in AAA projects as opposed to AA/B tier 2D titles, which obviously has a better risk/reward ratio.

 

[Bernardougf]

Finally... will look forward for not completely shit modern final fantasies