Square Enix set message boards on fire at this year's E3 by announcing that Final Fantasy XIII would be heading to the Xbox 360. Despite upsetting whiny teenage fanboys committed PlayStation 3 owners, Square Enix has stuck by its decision, declaring that exclusive titles just aren't worth it anymore.
"Not so long ago the PS2 dominated the market so if we developed an exclusive game for PS2 then we could enjoy a very good profit. But that time is already over," states Square Enix US boss John Yamamoto.
"To maximize and spread our games to as many users as possible I think we have to go to multiformat - the Xbox 360, PS3 and also the PC as well.
"The Japanese market is very strong and back when we could concentrate on developing games for just one console, business was very good. But the one-console market is over."
A fair assessment, especially in these dark financial days. I don't think anybody sensible could blame Squeenix for wanting to make sure it gets its money's worth from a game. While consoles will of course continue to have their high profile exclusives, the time of third parties possessing a unique brand loyalty is definitely drawing to a close.
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Contest:
12:09 PM on 11.20.2008
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The prices have to fall, sony, or I'm no longer going to be the consumer I once was.
1
But this news is irrelevant. SquareEnix's greatest titles are behind them, and those titles are still console specific.
@ Sephiroth
I find it insanely amusing you pick a name from one of the most overrated and needlessly praised Final Fantasies while talking about Square's "Greatest titles." Also, stop your fanboy whining. Square never had the power to swing a console war in one particular direction, not alone. As much as I'm Square's bitch and will totally admit it, I'm not wearing such rose-tinted glasses as to presume Square's "good old days" were any worse or better than the present.
Just like now, there was plenty of Square-made crap back in the day. And just like then, there are plenty of great titles like TWEWY, Sigma Harmonics, etc, today.
I guess it's a 3 console market then.
@all of you whining about leaving Sony:
SquareEnix always teamed up with the company with the console with best graphic support.
The NES was an only one, the SNES had better graphics than the Genesis, the PS1 got a fair competition with the N64 but the policies in Sony gave them more liberty, then the PS2, and obviously the PS3 having a total dedication of graphics is great, howver they are just spreading more around as they touched other systems like the GameBoy, GameBoyAdvance, mobile phones, PSP and Nintendo DS. SquareEnix is beginning to expad much more far away than only RPGs to also mangas publishing YenPress. So good for them.
YOU'LL GET CRYSTAL BEARERS AND YOU'LL LIKE IT.
There's no need to develop for the 360/PS3/PC.
Stop developing 360/PS3/PC games and 360/PW3/PC will go out and buy a Wii.
Problem solved.
The Wii is the perfect console for exclusives, in any case.
Eh, what? Both the PS1 and PS2 didn't have the "best graphic support"...