Yeah the prices vary way more than here on a game to game basis. Add to that the 30% cut on mobile, I think your revenue example should give a general idea.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Mobius: Final Fantasy's launch is a huge success, hits #5 top grossing iOS app in JP
- Thread starter Nirolak
- Start date
Yeah the prices vary way more than here on a game to game basis. Add to that the 30% cut on mobile, I think your revenue example should give a general idea.
Yeah, so far I've almost always encountered the same types of enemies, with just different elements / slightly different body parts. And, between the "story" mode and the special area, I've probably played around...eh, 50-60 battles against very similar enemies (visually), with just a very small amount of different enemies (the bosses, or sort of basically). It increases the sense of repetitiveness honestly, since the game is made of battles, you just go from a swarm of enemies to another. Heck, the main character uses the exact same animation whenever he wins a battle that's not the final in the swarm, whatever job he has and, thus, whatever weapon he's using XD
At least, the combat system is fun and it allows for strategy and a bit of variety, between normal attacks, summons, element drive, and this is without counting the job element...even if the repetitiveness of the enemies kind of lowers the summon system, considering how they drop the cards you use to summon them.
Ah, I wasn't thinking about that. It's hard to imagine that voice actors could be so recognized over there, when they're really hardly talked about here in the states.
Yeah, wrong example. I know it's pretty high-quality for a mobile game, BUT it's still not a FFXV. You know what I mean when I say mainline FF. Mobius is still generally lower than Lightning Returns production value-wise (it even recycles some of LR's monster models - which I find totally okay, btw) and the gameplay is way more basic.
I don't know what @dream meant with "back to basics". 16bit? Bravely Default? My ideal of "throwback" would be a scaled down PS1-style FF with a bit less content (10-15h story), pre-rendered backgrounds with parallax effects (hand-drawn-like, if realistic is too costly), classic ATB, virtual joysticks like in Chaos Rings (worked very well with pre-rendered backgrounds), no voice-acting and a premium pay-once model (15-25$). That would be great for a spin-off series.
I was actually looking forward to Mobius and I'll probably play the English version. It's a shame that it's Stamina-based. When they first revealed it they made it sound like a premium pay-once game. That's why I was excited in the first place.
I'll give it a try, nonetheless, alone for the Suzuki soundtrack.
DarkLordMalik
Member
I am really curious to try this on my mobile. Looks interesting enough. Hopefully localization announcement at E3.
Does anyone know how big the budget for Mobius was?
Keep telling yourself that. Unless by FF on consoles you mean Apple TV, lol.
Parakeetman
No one wants a throne you've been sitting on!
Wow thats pretty impressive stuff.
SE hasn't said anything about moving AAA productions to mobile. If they put that to mobile, they would be lying to their shareholders which is something you do not want to do.
RyougaSaotome
Member
Was really curious to see how this'd do, cause FTP story-intense mobile stuff is usually so hit or miss on the market, feels like.
Sega has been doing a good job of it, but attempts by SE in the past have sorta just fallen on their face.
Glad to see they're finding some success though.
Sega has been doing a good job of it, but attempts by SE in the past have sorta just fallen on their face.
Glad to see they're finding some success though.
bobawesome
Member
Congratulations.
so does mobius have an overworld, the ability to travel through it in 3d space and visit towns? or is it selecting a place to go, fighting a string of monsters and leveling up? how does s-e make money on it, and is this a 'complete' product, or will it be episodic (and never-ending)?
There's no reason to think Final Fantasy on consoles is going away.
TheJollyCorner
Member
Good for Kitase.
Hope he gets another console FF again in the future, though.
Still dreaming of that Kitase/Itou reunion on the main series...
Hope he gets another console FF again in the future, though.
Still dreaming of that Kitase/Itou reunion on the main series...
I suspect that's a trick question, but it's a Japanese F2P mobile game-as-a-service "RPG" from top to bottom: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjbwzkAFPI0
So yes, you select a place to go, fight a through a stream of monsters (or enable auto-battle), level up and gain loot. Game seems to need a constant data connection too. Money is made by selling the same kind of stuff other mobile F2P Japanese "RPGs" sell: currency, more gatcha rolls, etc. There's no exploration.
thanks, i couldn't find gameplay footage.
so really this game was sold on its visual presentation, i take it.
Edge_Maverick
Member
Yes and no. It's true that they range between 5,000 yen (typically Wii U games) to 8,000 yen, but 8,000 yen is about 60 USD converted. $80 would be more like 10,000 yen which is only really for special editions of games.
Velcro Fly
Member
Effort and investment paying off. Good for Square
Of course, not with XV, and maybe not even with XVI, but then again XVI may be a very different kind of game than the traditional production value-pushing, lengthy quest with an even lengthier development time. I think it's very likely, in fact. And I think it's also very likely Dragon Quest will either be mobile or multiplatform for either XI or XII.
Well, I mean, other than economics. But honestly, I hope you're right, man. I really do. It's just hard not to see how the economics of this kind of production are looking more dire by the day.
For the record, Mobius has tweaked assets not only from Lightning Returns, but also from FFXIV, though in both cases they amount to only monsters.
I've been playing a bit everyday, and the game feels a little lacking as far as the story content goes, it's not very difficult to clear the only available chapter, but there are other side regions to complete in the mean time.
I think, if SE manages to keep a steady stream of content within the first few weeks, as well as announcing some sort of collaboration with other popular games soon, they'll probably be able to maintain Mobius as yet another mobile success.
I've been playing a bit everyday, and the game feels a little lacking as far as the story content goes, it's not very difficult to clear the only available chapter, but there are other side regions to complete in the mean time.
I think, if SE manages to keep a steady stream of content within the first few weeks, as well as announcing some sort of collaboration with other popular games soon, they'll probably be able to maintain Mobius as yet another mobile success.
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Isn't it telling that this supposed "Full FF experience" on mobile doesn't have any exploration?
I wouldn't mind a real game on a mobile device, but they just keep showing that the monetization of these games only comes through casual, short-session experiences.
I wouldn't mind a real game on a mobile device, but they just keep showing that the monetization of these games only comes through casual, short-session experiences.
orthodoxy1095
Banned
I want an English version ASAP.
The game does offer a little exploration on super small areas, though. They'll likely expand on this component in further updates if the feedback they receive says so.
Also, I'm fairly certain that as a show-of-power SE will soon port FFXIII to iOS/Android, which may open the gates to more console-like experiences on mobiles. Even then, games like Chaos Rings III do feature exploration and are premium, and available now.
PirateKing
Junior Member
This is why companies started making mobile games. Congrats and hopefully it'll be released everywhere so i can play it.
Secretly I wanted this for Vita ;_;
Nope. See this fresh interview with FFXIV's Yoshida who is the first SE employee to officially mention "FFXVI". He's talking about how it needs to push the boundaries even more than FFXV to impress people again with the FF franchise. So exactly the opposite of what you said
"“I think we still have a long way to go. The Final Fantasy that I know was even better,” he says. “Final Fantasy XIV is not a standalone Final Fantasy title; it’s an MMO. Unfortunately some fans will remain on the fence about it because it’s online, so we can’t reach all of them.
“Of course, with XV coming out as a standalone title, that’s very important. But it’s not only XV - we need to be able to do more and bring back that impact that Final Fantasy gave us when we ourselves played it for the first time. That shock – the good kind of shock – and try to bring that back. Maybe we won’t do that before Final Fantasy XVI. Maybe it’ll be even further in the future. But I still feel we need to continue to strive to improve... There’s a long road ahead.""
FF13 is already on mobile. You can play it using their mobile streaming service, Dive In.
I know, but nobody really uses that. An actual port, not a streamed version.
7DollarHagane
Banned
I wonder how this compares to record keeper.
That game is incredibly generous for a mobile game and never asks for money. I really enjoy it and have spent a few bucks just because it's given me plenty of enjoyment.
Is this game more pushy about its transactions?
That game is incredibly generous for a mobile game and never asks for money. I really enjoy it and have spent a few bucks just because it's given me plenty of enjoyment.
Is this game more pushy about its transactions?
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Aww Christ. People at SE should not say things like that in any context.Nope. See this fresh interview with FFXIV's Yoshida who is the first SE employee to officially mention "FFXVI". He's talking about how it needs to push the boundaries even more than FFXV to impress people again with the FF franchise. So exactly the opposite of what you said
"I think we still have a long way to go. The Final Fantasy that I know was even better, he says. Final Fantasy XIV is not a standalone Final Fantasy title; its an MMO. Unfortunately some fans will remain on the fence about it because its online, so we cant reach all of them.
Of course, with XV coming out as a standalone title, thats very important. But its not only XV - we need to be able to do more and bring back that impact that Final Fantasy gave us when we ourselves played it for the first time. That shock the good kind of shock and try to bring that back. Maybe we wont do that before Final Fantasy XVI. Maybe itll be even further in the future. But I still feel we need to continue to strive to improve... Theres a long road ahead.""
D
Deleted member 20920
Unconfirmed Member
Boss★Moogle;166813684 said:
At this point I think it's best to hope that Japanese companies can gradually make better mobile games, rather than to hope they fail. As much as we want and like them, the shift towards mobile in Japan is probably neber going to be reversed.
Pennywise83
Banned
Hard to say.
First of all, we do not know how much the app is grossing; the ranking is not enough to say something meaningul, in my opinion; taking apps monthly revenues from financial reports as a reference is a bit reacing, in that there might be huge seasonal effects and daily distortions due to inherent factors (I suspect during weekends people spend more) and endogenous ones (events, promotions). Secondly, we have to remember that Apple is taking a 30% cut on all sales generated through the App Store and the game itself (so million a day would translate into 700.000) + featured advertising (which might involve costs or not).
As for a physical release, there are other factors to account for. For example, DLC; we know that paid downloadable contents are popular among gamers, and they might be a good stream of revenues on top of the entry fee (I suspect Theatrhythm sequels were greenlited thanks to the success of DLC, because sales were not that high overall). Also, worldwide release; we have seen how many Japanese games have struggled overseas, while doing spectacularly well in Japan; therefore, a FF game by the same team might have been developed with Western markets in mind (LR bombed in the West as well, but at least XIII-2 sold good enough to grant another entry).
Therefore, it is quite difficult to answer your question, and maybe also pointless. After all, whether a success or not, SQEX will keep developing on mobile, otherwise we would have not gotten Mobius and Record Keeper to begin with.
I'd generally consider Square Enix's new "Let's try everything." approach to be a major success even if it's had a lot of stumbling blocks.
Mobile, MMO, and traditional all had very strong performances last fiscal year without any AAA retail blockbusters, and they put up some of the best results they've had in ages.
Japan has shown good strength in mobile, mid-sized, and MMO, while their Western office has done well on both AAA retail and PC.
F2P on PC (in both regions) is probably still their biggest weakness across both branches. They still seem to be investing against that though given they just announced a new title today.
Non-retail downloadable is also not as good as it could be (think XBLA or even $30-$40 digital only games), but Life is Strange is at least showing some tide change there.
I do agree it's hard to do a comparison of a more successful game than Lightning Returns to whatever Mobius is earning given we have pretty limited data for either at the moment, though I suspect they'll report happiness with Mobius whereas they tried to never mention Lightning Returns in fiscal reports.
Mobile, MMO, and traditional all had very strong performances last fiscal year without any AAA retail blockbusters, and they put up some of the best results they've had in ages.
Japan has shown good strength in mobile, mid-sized, and MMO, while their Western office has done well on both AAA retail and PC.
F2P on PC (in both regions) is probably still their biggest weakness across both branches. They still seem to be investing against that though given they just announced a new title today.
Non-retail downloadable is also not as good as it could be (think XBLA or even $30-$40 digital only games), but Life is Strange is at least showing some tide change there.
I do agree it's hard to do a comparison of a more successful game than Lightning Returns to whatever Mobius is earning given we have pretty limited data for either at the moment, though I suspect they'll report happiness with Mobius whereas they tried to never mention Lightning Returns in fiscal reports.
Pennywise83
Banned
LR bombed, indeed. Mobius just launched, so I'd wait a few more weeks to talk about its overall performance. Also, Mobius is a "traditional " jRPG that caters a "traditional" audience, that is those that would typically buy day-on on consoles, hence, I'd not be surprised about its good launch. Mobile games are made to generate revenues over time, so let's how it'll keep performing.
encephalon
Member
The game makes my phone run hot. I guess I should have downloaded the mid-tier version? The "settings" menu doesn't bring up anything for me.
silvermember
Banned
Even if that is true, complaining about it will not change the "inevitable" outcome.
DiipuSurotu
Banned
Hopefully this success compels Kitase to do his next mainline FF without Toriyama's involvement.
Yeah, when you put it like that, it's super depressing. These types of things are just too lucrative for companies to pass up.
This is also how preservation dies. This is not a game that will last. 20 years from now will it even be possible to play? Not that any companies actually care about that.