So you enjoyed The World Ends With You? Too bad. You won't be seeing anything remotely like it from Square-Enix anytime soon, according to company president Yoichi Wada, who recently issued an ultimatum to his staff: if any games are made that don't fit into the mainstream's circle of interest, job cuts will follow. So long, unique concepts that break the mold!
This was supposedly part of a heated business meeting in which Square discussed the results of their 2007 fiscal year, which were none too sunny, showing general profits down 20 percent and taking the worst of it in overseas sales.
Business is business, but I have to say my heart sank when I read those words. If Square was doing anything I was excited to see, it was things outside the Final Fantasy spectrum, but financial troubles like this certainly excise any hope of experimental titles in the future (at least until the numbers improve). I'm glad to see the giant falter a bit, if only in hopes that the results will push them towards a more focused future.
[Via Develop Mag - Thanks, Justin]
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Contest:
11:04 AM on 05.27.2008
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/sarcasm
As me and my friends say . . . net profit loss. Clamping down on game designer creativity will only cause them to want to leave. I'm tired of FF and Dragon Quest remakes; The World Ends With You was an awesome, awesome release. Looks like FFV is next . . .
Just the other day I was in a discussion about how Last Remnant, TWEWY, and Sigma Harmonics were all signs of Square finally being a bit more unique.
Freaking Square...I've always been their bitch, but it's going to be damn hard after this. >_>'
This is stupid.
I know, I was thinking along the lines of exclusives like FF13.
Um I believe you misinterpreted this.
What is really meant that they need to stop making games that only the developers want to make. Those games being old PSX and SNES games: remakes off FF series, Front mission, star ocean, and DQ.
Remember this is from a Japanese perspective, The world Ends with You, is exactly what Wada wants.
Right now in Japan Square is only doing cheaply done remakes and mainstream casual games, like DS Wine and Cookbooks and other slew of casual non-games that have come out on the DS.
So I'm sorry Colette, this is actually good news for us folks who are tired of Square developers wanking themselves with remakes of their favorite old games or those who love making games for their wives,and fellow house-wife friends.
Final Fantasy VII: MLAAK would be freaking awesome.
Other than the flame-bait, I think you're right on the money.
I'm just saying Wada is being misinterpreted by the english press.
He says the company is becoming more insular, because developers are focusing on old school remakes, which is really popular among the producers in Square-enix. Wada knows that remakes aren't going to cut it, because honestly the Japanese video game market isn't the same as it was in back in the 90s.
Again he's remarks are being extracted to fit the American conception of Square Enix, and that is incorrect. Wada makes to make new more mainstream games from the Japanese audience, which is means less Old School Remakes.
@Teta: Are you serious!? Ever hear the term "Final Mix"? They release the same game twice with more content in Japan because they can't get enough of it over there. Kingdom Hearts isn't going anywhere. (And if that was sarcasm, which it probably was, I'll feel really stupid having written that.)
Oh well, it's not as if Square hasn't released much truly exciting in the past five years. More Final Fantasy ports, remakes, and spin-offs, HERE WE COME!!! :D
I counted every SquareEnix game in America since the merger. Of those, only five of the games have not been sequels to preexisting franchises (FF, DQ, KH, Mana, Front Mission, etc.)
Five whole games.
These remakes were pet projects within the Square-enix company.
Wada wants to stop these pet projects.
I don't see anything wrong with what he said.
I want more new games.
Hence the reason why Infinite Undiscovery is being pushed for the end of this year.
Wada also wants to stop Mobile phone games too, hence the reason for the cancellation of a major mobile phone game release.
The English blogosphere is completely misinterpreting Wada.
Right now Square is known for cruddy remakes, mobile phone games, and casual non-games on the DS.
That's horrible and I'm happy Square profits are shrinking because of it.
Wada wants to chang this.
Please stop spreading the misinterpretation.
I'm not disparaging either company necessarily, as was said, business is business. However, what this will do to Square is exactly what's happening to EA. Instead of one year of bad sales, each year sales will slip.
This is.. scary, to say the least.
I hope the remakes aren't affected, however--note I said "remakes" and not "ports." Apart from Dragon Quest VIII (which wasn't even made by Squeenix), the only reasons I even look at SE anymore is for things like DQ IV DS, FF IV DS, and that stuff. I haven't liked an "original" Squeenix game since, oh... Chrono Trigger. And I haven't liked a marquee Final Fantasy game since X.
too bad, because The world Ends with You is the best game Square has made since dq8, and yes I count dq8 as square since it was published by squareenix, its very common among big developers to have a smaller developing group within the company to develop certain games, jsut like in the case of The world ends with you (which was developed by Jupiter) and we all agree The world ends with you is a Square game.
And yeah, still a little miffed at your 'review' of Baroque. :)
Over at the Hair Palace, the comments are full of "FF7 remake plz" and fail.
what about somo other genres, what about something like Einhander. i bet most of the Shmups fans will pick a game like that for the Ds or PSP, i dare to say even on wiiware, Psn or XBLA.
*sigh*
I do hope byrc is right and that TWEWY its this kinds of games he wants to make as opposed to remakes but then again you look at all the raving FF7 fans demanding hd FF7 and how FFIV DS will probably crush The world ends with you on sales.
This is sad news, for RPG fans is not as easy as saying "ill just take my business elsewhere" unless you know fluent japanese, other companies SUCK at localizing, I mean how long do we have to wait for Tales of Innocence on DS!