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Square Enix output strategy | Discussion thread.

What platforms do you believe Dragon Quest XII will release on?

  • Nintendo platform (Switch and/or Switch successor)

    Votes: 58 89.2%
  • PlayStation 5

    Votes: 38 58.5%
  • PlayStation 4

    Votes: 28 43.1%
  • PC

    Votes: 36 55.4%
  • Xbox (One and/or Series)

    Votes: 25 38.5%

  • Total voters
    65
  • Poll closed .
What is it with companies and nfts?
They see it as a possible revenue generator.

Though funny enough, even some NFTbros laughed at the way Ubisoft handle them since the ones Ubisoft is selling has to be tie to your Uplay account, which completely defeats the ownership argument that is often made in favor of NFT's.
 


Kawazu effectively saying that SaGa team has a remaster, a remake and a new game in the works. I imagine all will be on Sony and Nintendo platforms as well as PC.

Romancing SaGa remake (er, more Minstrel Song demake?). SaGa Frontier 2 remaster. Romancing SaGa 4 new game (Kawazu wants to "make it before I die").
 
I figure if they were going to remake any of the SaGa games, it'd be Unlimited (the most clunky of the SaGa games). Or Romancing 3 (the most popular SaGa game). While Minstrel Song isn't the prettiest game its gameplay is pretty solid.
 
I figure if they were going to remake any of the SaGa games, it'd be Unlimited (the most clunky of the SaGa games). Or Romancing 3 (the most popular SaGa game). While Minstrel Song isn't the prettiest game its gameplay is pretty solid.
Uhh...
 
That's a remastery though. They did to it what they did to the SaGa Frontier remastery.
 
I just want Kawazu to be outed as a secret producer of Chrono Trigger/Cross/FF V-VI/Front Mission 3 so those games could get loving remasters/remakes.

Also Mulligans on Secret of Mana and FF:CC remakes.
 
Yeah, I think it's more-so likely Unlimited Saga is the remake. Kawazu mentioned the game, in it's current form, it's extremely inaccessible. He even mentioned he would have to likely do a lot of revisions and possibly remake the game. So if they're working on a remake, it's likely that.

As for remasters, it's likely Romancing SaGa (PS2) and SaGa Frontier II, if I'd have to guess. He probably will eventually do something with the DS remakes (likely port them) in the future, but SaGa Frontier II and Romancing SaGa remain the two ported to modern platforms right now in terms of console games. I think Kawazu "might" try and bring the WSC version of Romancing SaGa too, as an extra, but I feel the PS2 version of Romancing SaGa is probably the focus.
 
Like I keep saying, FFXIV revenue let's Squeenix executives take complete leave of their senses.
In the next Nier, after playing through the true ending, you have to return the NFTs to Square Enix and have your score deleted.

Without money return, of course.
 
Kawazu said there were four options for rereleasing RS1. (1) SFC original remaster (2) Minstrel Song remaster (3) sprite based re/demake combining the two or (4) Minstrel Song full remake ($$$). He said he was leaning towards the latter options for a "definitive version" and trying to please all fans and my bet is option 3 to bring things in-line with the recent RS2-3 remasters (and also being cheaper).

Commercially too if they're going to remake a SaGa, then Romancing 1 has MUCH more potential than Unlimited.
 
New Year's letter from the Square Enix president. Keywords: NFT, Metaverse, and Blockchain.

I realize that some people who “play to have fun” and who currently form the majority of players have voiced their reservations toward these new trends, and understandably so. However, I believe that there will be a certain number of people whose motivation is to “play to contribute,” by which I mean to help make the game more exciting.

Welp, SQEX had a good run I guess. Time to bail out.
 
Every big game company trying to cash in on the ponzi scheme lately. I'm sure the traditional game audience is OK if their hobby becomes a money making economy over entertainment.
 
Gaming companies trying to scam their consumers isn't really surprising, they're legally obligated to make as much money as humanly possible. The dumb part is that everyone knows its a scam, everyone is telling them they know its a scam and that they don't want them using the tech that's exacerbating the climate crisis and they continue to do it anyways.

Last we heard Ubisoft has made a grand total of $400 off this, you're damaging your relationship with your consumers for literally hundreds of dollars, it's one of the dumbest things we've seen this industry do, it makes horse armor seem like a great value in comparison because at least you're getting something for your money.
 
Going by the recent new years comments this isn't just the bean counters pushing for this. Quite a few of the people from SE said they were interested in the metaverse and NFTs.
 
I wouldn't worry about it too much. If Ubisoft's "Quartz" was anything to go by, the consumer isn't stupid enough to fall for it.

Not yet anyway. "Quartz" only managed to make 400 dollars in sales out of 15 purchases (as of Dec 29, 2021). This NFT thing just seems like an extremely lazy and greedy way to make money like valve does with the steam marketplace and the cosmetics from games like TF2, CS:GO and Dota 2. Except it's several times more consumer unfriendly as steam marketplace.

Shit, even Nintendo's Amiibo is more consumer friendly than this shit since you at least get a little physical figurine. When the game/server for that NFT you bought gets taken down because the company that owns it no longer wants to foot the bill for its regular upkeep/maintenance you can expect two words from them and it won't be 'we're sorry'.

It'll be 'no refunds'.
 
Gaming companies trying to scam their consumers isn't really surprising, they're legally obligated to make as much money as humanly possible. The dumb part is that everyone knows its a scam, everyone is telling them they know its a scam and that they don't want them using the tech that's exacerbating the climate crisis and they continue to do it anyways.

Last we heard Ubisoft has made a grand total of $400 off this, you're damaging your relationship with your consumers for literally hundreds of dollars, it's one of the dumbest things we've seen this industry do, it makes horse armor seem like a great value in comparison because at least you're getting something for your money.
400 dollars lmao
 
NFT's are literally a scam lol.
I say this at every given opportunity: We must nurture a culture where people who buy nfts are being pointed and laughed at.


Nfts are the ultimate scam, even worse than the crypto-gambling, and no youtuber/influencer should be praised for a 'I SPENT 10000 DOLLARS ON NFT!!1' videos.

Let's take a hard stance against something so obviously bad from the start and not normalize it like mtx, crypto and such. We know it can work, see Stalker 2.
 
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Apparently Japanese forums are not thrilled with the NFT and blockchain idea.
I'm surprised that only Square Enix has such a reaction from the Japanese, SEGA really doesn't seem to be relevant for the Japanese.

Let's wait and see how Square Enix will package it and whether they are able to pull it off for 10 years until customers get used to it (see numerous other types of paid content).
 
Aren't NFTs and the like things by investors and for investors? It doesn't surprise me their stocks increased. We pay the price of course.
 
Aren't NFTs and the like things by investors and for investors? It doesn't surprise me their stocks increased. We pay the price of course.
Yes. The actual reason everyone and their mother wants to get into NFTs is that there is a LOT of VC capital looking to invest in anything NFT related. Basically a get-rich-quick scheme.
 
NFTs are one of those things where out of touch investors who don't have a finger on the gaming scene or software engineering think its an evolution when in actuality its snake oil. I've researched crypto very deeply over the years and as a software dev its clear what it is.

The biggest NFT platform atm is rifle with fraudulent transactions such as wash trading which results in individuals being the bagholders rather than exchanges which just take a commission fee, and a whole host of copyright issues that are yet to be settled in court.

You basically profit of people wash trading, trying to scam each other, and speculative gambling. Being the exchange you take very little liability (until a serious lawsuit happens) and make money either way from fees.

Good news is the gaming and art community are heavily against NFTs and crypto in general. Multiple large moves by companies and products have been reversed due to the massive backlash. Companies or products such as Discord, STALKER II, Terraria, Neopets, Ubisoft and upcoming Kickstarter.
 
Looks like investors like Square Enix's NFT and blockchain ideas:

As if I needed any more proof that the stock market is a shit way to measure actual value.
NFTs are one of those things where out of touch investors who don't have a finger on the gaming scene or software engineering think its an evolution when in actuality its snake oil. I've researched crypto very deeply over the years and as a software dev its clear what it is.

The biggest NFT platform atm is rifle with fraudulent transactions such as wash trading which results in individuals being the bagholders rather than exchanges which just take a commission fee, and a whole host of copyright issues that are yet to be settled in court.

You basically profit of people wash trading, trying to scam each other, and speculative gambling. Being the exchange you take very little liability (until a serious lawsuit happens) and make money either way from fees.

Good news is the gaming and art community are heavily against NFTs and crypto in general. Multiple large moves by companies and products have been reversed due to the massive backlash. Companies or products such as Discord, STALKER II, Terraria, Neopets, Ubisoft and upcoming Kickstarter.
Blockchain is a bubble that will pop when met with reality, a reality that crypto has danced around (as “value” is a mercurial and poorly-legislated concept open to interpretation) but NFTs cannot ignore because of how they infringe on ownership/possession and creation/labour, where there is mountains of case law ready to make NFTs potentially worthless.
 
Rumor has it is Sony is doubling down on keeping mainline FF exclusive to PlayStation consoles this generation, as well as pursuing more timed exclusives with Square in general. Most of it is due to money. To the lesser extent the old ties between Square and Sony.



Most likely, FF7 Remake won't come out for non-Sony platforms till the following console generation, where then its old news.
 
Rumor has it is Sony is doubling down on keeping mainline FF exclusive to PlayStation consoles this generation, as well as pursuing more timed exclusives with Square in general. Most of it is due to money. To the lesser extent the old ties between Square and Sony.



Most likely, FF7 Remake won't come out for non-Sony platforms till the following console generation, where then its old news.

"even beyond what's publically known"

Feeling better about my acquisition prediction every day ;p
 
SE went back and forth on multiplat vs exclusive a couple of different times during the PS4 generation so it's hard to predict what they will or won't do. They have a tendency to chase after whatever shiny object they see at that particular point in time. They were pumped for the cloud but shut down Shinra Technologies and nothing to show for it, you could see their awkward implementation of DLC/MTX in games like Mankind Divided, they had some awkward strategies with GaaS by turning Avengers into a multiplayer game which nobody asked for, and gave pretty significant post launch support to XV when they could have probably made a sequel and made alot more money that way with the amount of time, money, and resources they put into it. Right now they believe NFTs are the next hot thing in gaming, i strongly suspect they'll never mentioned them again after this year.

Just got to hope that they'll come to their senses.
 
I am skeptical about these sorts of rumors which claim insight into high-level corporate strategy tbh and I agree with Arkham that Square Enix seems like they change ideas constantly. I'm sure the stuff like Final Fantasy and Forspoken will be exclusive but their western studios are still multiplatform, FF Origins is multiplatform and they have numerous Switch exclusives on the way. DQ12 is the big question because if Square makes that PS5 exclusive it might be one of the biggest mistakes they have made, which would be saying something.
 
SE made a ground up version for the 3DS and from what i understand had to essentially remake the game again for Switch, it's not going to be a PS5 exclusive. It's not a stretch that they'd do the same if thats what it took to get on Switch or whatever their dominant platform is when XII releases.
 
SE made a ground up version for the 3DS and from what i understand had to essentially remake the game again for Switch, it's not going to be a PS5 exclusive. It's not a stretch that they'd do the same if thats what it took to get on Switch or whatever their dominant platform is when XII releases.
That's the reasonable, rational decision that everyone agrees with. And now we're waiting for SE's decision.
 
Considering the decline of their biggest brand, considering the way they are handling the brand and considering what the CEO said a few days ago, they are lucky to have these supposedly exclusive deals because this is now their free pass to continue where they were stuck.
 
Rumor has it is Sony is doubling down on keeping mainline FF exclusive to PlayStation consoles this generation, as well as pursuing more timed exclusives with Square in general. Most of it is due to money. To the lesser extent the old ties between Square and Sony.



Most likely, FF7 Remake won't come out for non-Sony platforms till the following console generation, where then its old news.

I always take insider accounts with a grain of salt but I can see Square Enix doubling down on keeping mainline Final Fantasy as a Sony console exclusive. Final Fantasy XVI could reverse the decline of the series in the West if they get the Dark Souls and Game of Thrones fans to buy into what appears to be a dark fantasy game but we'd need to see more about it to be sure that's the direction they're going for. Keeping it on Sony platforms isn't going to do anything to help them in Japan because PC is a nonfactor for Japan and I think the FF7R saga will see diminishing returns in Japan as the game essentially requires you to know 20 years worth of Final Fantasy 7 lore to fully understand what's happening so Final Fantasy will probably be lose relevance to Japan in 5-10 years if current console trends continue.

If they ever tried to do the same with Dragon Quest, it would be the beginning of the end of that series's viability.
 
I bet that FF VII Remake Part 2, next KH, Nier and Tomb Raider entries will be (timed) exclusive to Sony consoles.

btw, how does square enix eastern and western divisions structurize ? So we can have a better speculation about their potential future output.
 
"even beyond what's publically known"

Feeling better about my acquisition prediction every day ;p
Reading in between the lines, it seems like this might point towards the Chrono Cross remake or remaster (rumors are unclear about which it is) being a PS5 timed exclusive (which NateDrake has said). Or it could be something completely different but people were expecting Chrono Cross at the Geoffs.
 
I always take insider accounts with a grain of salt but I can see Square Enix doubling down on keeping mainline Final Fantasy as a Sony console exclusive. Final Fantasy XVI could reverse the decline of the series in the West if they get the Dark Souls and Game of Thrones fans to buy into what appears to be a dark fantasy game but we'd need to see more about it to be sure that's the direction they're going for. Keeping it on Sony platforms isn't going to do anything to help them in Japan because PC is a nonfactor for Japan and I think the FF7R saga will see diminishing returns in Japan as the game essentially requires you to know 20 years worth of Final Fantasy 7 lore to fully understand what's happening so Final Fantasy will probably be lose relevance to Japan in 5-10 years if current console trends continue.

If they ever tried to do the same with Dragon Quest, it would be the beginning of the end of that series's viability.
Do you see Square keeping mainline FFs of other console platforms by their own choice, Sony constantly playing them to extend the "timed" exclusivity, or both? If anything, there's a good chance that FF7 Remake, FF16, and it there is time in this generation, FF17, not seeing ports to other consoles until the following console generation, at the earliest, if at all. I'm more focused on Sony doing anything to keep mainline FFs associated with PlayStation and Square just going on with it.
 
Rumor has it is Sony is doubling down on keeping mainline FF exclusive to PlayStation consoles this generation, as well as pursuing more timed exclusives with Square in general. Most of it is due to money. To the lesser extent the old ties between Square and Sony.



Most likely, FF7 Remake won't come out for non-Sony platforms till the following console generation, where then its old news.


This is inline with my expectations. I mean anyone can see how close the Square Enix and Sony relationship is at the moment:
  • FF7R
  • FF16
  • Forspoken
  • Babylon
  • FF14
I expect KH, Nier, perhaps a DQ game, and perhaps Tomb Raider (to fill in Uncharted's gap, unless UC5 is happening). One does have to wonder, at what point does Sony and Square simply agree to merge when so much of the lineup is already in some form exclusive.
 


Triangle Strategy will not be the only Asano game this year.

Stuff like this is what makes me skeptical of a Sony Square acquisition, they are still publishing tons of games for Switch so I don’t imagine Square being acquired any time soon, I just think they love taking money from anyone who will pay.
 
Do you see Square keeping mainline FFs of other console platforms by their own choice, Sony constantly playing them to extend the "timed" exclusivity, or both? If anything, there's a good chance that FF7 Remake, FF16, and it there is time in this generation, FF17, not seeing ports to other consoles until the following console generation, at the earliest, if at all. I'm more focused on Sony doing anything to keep mainline FFs associated with PlayStation and Square just going on with it.

Yes, Square is consciously making that choice because they trust Sony and believe strongly in the PlayStation brand for mainline Final Fantasy. I don't doubt money is being paid for timed exclusivity but the strength of the Sony and Square Enix's relationship is equally important because trust is very important for Japanese businesses. Sony shares Square's vision for mainline Final Fantasy to be cinematic high tech showpieces, and association with the PlayStation brand itself brings Final Fantasy prestige. I would love to see multiplatform ports but I can see why Square Enix would keep them exclusive. Sony helping market the Final Fantasy games also removes some of the risk on Square's end and that is also part of the cost/beneft analysis SE does on keeping them exclusive versus multiplatform from the start.
 
If thats the case, I'm surprised that they haven't outright stated that new mainline Final Fantasy will be PlayStation only, console-wise, for the foreseeable future. Basically deconfirm late ports to Xbox/Switch Successor and such. Clear the drama if they aren't getting any of the new mainline games for the next few console generations.
 
If thats the case, I'm surprised that they haven't outright stated that new mainline Final Fantasy will be PlayStation only, console-wise, for the foreseeable future. Basically deconfirm late ports to Xbox/Switch Successor and such. Clear the drama if they aren't getting any of the new mainline games for the next few console generations.
agreed just basically confirm what everyone and anyone is saying about it being PlayStation exclusive than this guessing game of if it's going to another system or not.
 
If thats the case, I'm surprised that they haven't outright stated that new mainline Final Fantasy will be PlayStation only, console-wise, for the foreseeable future. Basically deconfirm late ports to Xbox/Switch Successor and such. Clear the drama if they aren't getting any of the new mainline games for the next few console generations.
That requires a level of care and concern for the consumer that I don't believe they actually have.
 
If thats the case, I'm surprised that they haven't outright stated that new mainline Final Fantasy will be PlayStation only, console-wise, for the foreseeable future. Basically deconfirm late ports to Xbox/Switch Successor and such. Clear the drama if they aren't getting any of the new mainline games for the next few console generations.
State what, Final Fantasy was never announced for Xbox or Switch and everyone knows that a potential Xbox late port down the road will happen only if Microsoft pays for it.
 
I think Final Fantasy VII Remake on Dane* (code-name for Nintendo's next console, which appears to be a Switch successor/new model) is likely, given the general audience and popularity of the series is in Japan. I can't see Square Enix looking at keeping the FF7R stuff on Sony's consoles, given the situation with Sony in Japan right now. I think it's possible some titles for sure (including newer mainline titles for Final Fantasy, such as Final Fantasy XVI), but with Final Fantasy VII REMAKE stuff with an established history in Japan? I'd be absolutely shocked.

EDIT: Also to clarify, I'd be shocked but companies have done some questionable things that have shocked me these last couple of years...
 
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