The lights are on
The Final Fantasy series has been a constant in gaming since the days of the NES. With the hype surrounding the Western release of the latest numbered entry, Final Fantasy XIII, you might think that Square Enix is secretly preparing yet another traditional sequel. Not so fast. According to Square Enix President and CEO Yoichi Wada, he doesn't think that the relatively safe move of offering more of the same is the best call. "I believe Final Fantasy XIII is going be something special, and that it’s going to be well received by the audience," Wada told Edge Online in an interview. "But whether we are going to continue to internally create this type of game remains to be seen, because I actually feel that the team that was involved with Final Fantasy XIII should next move on to create and generate some ‘next generation’ forms of play. Internally and externally I feel there’s an expectation of Square Enix to offer something new, and I really think that the Final Fantasy team could create something completely different, but at the moment they’re strictly catering to the particular audience they have now."Following up, he says that the company may have relied too heavily on its most well-known brands. "We don’t want to be seen as the company that only has Final Fantasy, or Dragon Quest, it’s true, but we would like to maintain the prospective of the audience thinking when they hear the words Square Enix that they would only think of high-quality games." Those are some surprisingly bold words coming from the head of a company that comfortably churns out reliably decent RPGs for a sizable fanbase. Could these "next generation" forms of play refer to an entirely new way of looking at the RPG genre, or is he more interested in having its internal development focus on entirely different genres? Is Wada refering to Sony's upcoming motion controller or Microsoft's Project Natal? What do you think? Are you happy with Square Enix's output? Would you rather see them work on completely new concepts and ideas? Do you think their design expertise extends beyond RPGs?
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Say it ain't so!
Still, I find it hard to believe they'll completely abandon their core series. I think this statement is a ploy to position themselves to expand their brands into other genres.
I have been sure to play the FF series since playing the first one on NES in my friend's basement. I hope this isn't a complete move away from RPGs. That isn't likely, so I'm thinking they want to expand beyond the hardcore fans they already have.
I wouldn't abandon it completely. Just give it a rest. I think we can all agree that FFXIII is going to be a huge release, and quite possibly the series at its finest.
I applaud him for wanting to take a risk. Look at a company like Activision who thinks its necessary to have 3-5 new Guitar Heroes per year. That's an example of overkill.
I'm really curious to see where (if anywhere) this leads. While they try to figure out their next move they really should just make a new ActRaiser.
Another Actraiser would be awesome,though it'd probably end up some kind of 3-D new yet old final fantasy crystal chronicals type game...its rare to see actual old style games nowadays,and I seriously doubt Square Enix would go back to a traditional style of game.
Also,they're so going to end up making another final fantasy...I trust them to not make another RPG final fantasy as much as I trust Hideo Kojima to not make another Metal Gear.
I'm calling it. A SE RP FPS will be hitting shelves sooner than you think.
If Square were to say start working and developing with thge new motion controls system I for one will not bother with them anymore. The motion controls DO NOT belong in a RPG and should not ever be in a RPG. They are just some cheap ass gimmick to compete with the Wii and should only be used for party games, that's it. As far as moving on to something different in the gaming I wouldn't believe that, isn't this like the third or fourth time they've said this already? I would like to see a Final Fantasy co-op game in the future, so if this is something they are working on, go Square!
In all fairness, we all get to play final fantasy games then move on to another game like nothing, for them its years at a time and then again to start over.
Creatively yeah its a challenge. For anyone on the team that has been doing this for a decade it might be a breath of fresh air to start on something else for a change. In that sense I am for it.
In another, I wait long enough between final fantasies! I can't eat them fast enough. I am currently playing: final fantasy tactics a2, kingdom hearts for ds, and final fantasy 12 (my son erase my 80+ saves 3 times :( and i love them. I play many other great games but i can't have a game world without a fantasy...
With RPGs stories and immersion are important. I'd hate to see that disappear as the focus shifts to gimmicky motion controls (which still ignore the fact that the Wii is so popular not just because of motion, but because it has ridiculously simple and painless entry. They even made the control more remote like to appeal to folks more comfortable with a TV remote than a control pad, but I digress).
I wouldn't mind seeing them focus on other gameplay (not controller, but gameplay) elements, and other IPs. That would be welcome. I just hope it isn't a "hey, everyone loves motion controls, lets work on games for motion sensitive controllers... maybe a chocobo posing game..."
I read somewhere that Square Enix is working with, or possibly bought, Crystal Dynamics, the same company that has been making the new Tomb Raider games. Perhaps they could be starting to work on that. Doesn't final mean final??
Jeez, I hope they stick to doing RPG's and whatnot.
Yes kinslayer, well eidos which is basically the same thing.
I agree that they need to branch out, but don't get rid of the FF or DQ series. Change them to fit the times. That would work best with your "next generation".
all this means is that they are expanding there reach beyond traditional japanese games and IP's. a long overdue move if you ask me. they should open up some western studios.
I am so glad that they are going to stop releasing crap like FFXII and what looks like crap FFXIII! Hooray!
Good riddance, nothing gets me rolling my eyes faster that ANOTHER Final Fantasy game. That poor series has been beaten into the ground so bad not even dental records would make it identifiable.
The key to all this is the amazing stories they come up with for Final Fantasy games. If Square Enix wants to use the FF team to make something totally new, awesome, as long as they create another fantastic story to go along with that game. I might be in the minority, but I never played any FF game for the game mechanics, I always play for the story.
i could see them making changes, just loook at the last few ff. however, i seriously doubt that they would ever abandon the series they're best known for. i can understand if they want to diversify though. i just hope its not some dumb motion control gimmicky crap.
Square Enix has a some really great games, but it is not like everything out of their stables could make a run for a triple crown. Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest, and Final Fantasy are great titles that sell well.
If SE starts pumping out "completely different games" there sales will suffer and the their development costs will skyrocket. Meaning longer waits for titles and worse games.
SE doesn't need to reinvent the wheel, just keep creating fun titles without a long wait between sequels. Kingdom Hearts I was released in 2002 and KH II was released in 2005, but still KH III has not been mentioned. Please SE master your field before making completely different games.
They might just be making a jump in gameplay similar to when Final Fantasy went 3D for the first time.