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[Nirolak]

To give you an example how open those discussions are - we're talking to Epic at the moment, about maybe what we could possibly do there, and if we did a Switch version maybe we'd be able to partner and do something there. Their Unreal environment is just amazing, and will be very useful.

I can just feel the bright future of Luminous oozing from this quote.

 

[DMiz]

While it would be very impressive if they managed to pull this off, I've already played this game on the PS4 and I don't see how making it portable would make me love it any more.

Granted, there's a lot to this game that does have a lot going on that make it a good pick-up and play title; most notably, the way the car works and how you can drive from mission to mission serves a lot as a portable title (and is in keeping with how Tabata designed his other projects with S-E for the PSP and Vita).

But all it takes s the memory of that horrendous plot and how plodding the gameplay is from moment to moment that turn me right off.

The others have it right - port me FFXIV and I would pick it up in a heart beat. Otherwise...

 

[nubbe]

Will be interesting to see for sure
But it is the kind of game i'd rather play on my PC then Switch, since FF games are all about the visuals and not the content

 

[ToysAndMoreClub]

Hopefully Epic will convince Square Enix to port FFXV to Switch if they start to get away from the possibility. I'm sure Epic would love to have the entire Square Enix portfolio be made using their UE4 + engines.

 

[AuthenticM]

So they are willing to recode the entire game in the Unreal Engine just to put the game out on the Switch?

Would it even be worth it?

 

[Rad Shadow]

Hard pass.

 

[HeroR]

While it would be very impressive if they managed to pull this off, I've already played this game on the PS4 and I don't see how making it portable would make me love it any more.

Granted, there's a lot to this game that does have a lot going on that make it a good pick-up and play title; most notably, the way the car works and how you can drive from mission to mission serves a lot as a portable title (and is in keeping with how Tabata designed his other projects with S-E for the PSP and Vita).

But all it takes s the memory of that horrendous plot and how plodding the gameplay is from moment to moment that turn me right off.

The others have it right - port me FFXIV and I would pick it up in a heart beat. Otherwise...

I think it is more for Japan since they would buy a mobile version of FFXIV without questions over the PS4 version, even if it looks visual worse. And Square is trying to make their money back for that game that a long and trouble development cycle and sold less than any other FF outside of maybe the spin-offs and the MMO games.

 

[Nirolak]

So they are willing to recode the entire game in the Unreal Engine just to put the game out on the Switch?

Would it even be worth it?

It would if they're going to drop Luminous and use Unreal Engine 4 for all their projects going forward, since they would want to move all their custom tech to it anyway, and they could get a head start (and make money) while doing so.

They would also be able to more easily share resources with every other Square Enix Japan team making AAA or high end AA games, as they're also all on UE4, were they to switch to UE4 going forward.

 

[AetherZX]

So they are willing to recode the entire game in the Unreal Engine just to put the game out on the Switch?

Would it even be worth it?

Portable FFXV, in Japan.

 

[CaviarMeths]

No my concern is that currently theyre only doing it because they caught on to the switch's success late and most devs won't go to the lengths of making downscaled or custom switch version in the future when itd be easier to just work from the lowest target and add res/aa etc to the other versions going forward. Its gonna happen to ps4 pro and xb1x it happens with pc versions all the time.
Nobody is making games targeting 1080 ti and then customizing and downscaling for ps4. Its only justified because it doesnt sound profitable at all to primarily target people with 1000 dollar cards.

You're clearly making up your concerns as you go. Stop what you're doing, take a breath, and remember that 90% of 3rd party games will still be developed for PS4 as the lead platform. You already know this and you're getting yourself into a tizzy. Is it worth all the heartache?

So they are willing to recode the entire game in the Unreal Engine just to put the game out on the Switch?

Would it even be worth it?

For FFXV, probably not. But for future projects, the tools and knowledge in place to make games scaleable, portable, and viable for other platforms is pretty valuable. Anything to help SE not be a dumpster fire when it comes to PC ports. If they can port FFXV to Switch without significant compromise, they can port anything to anything.

 

[Litri]

Thanks god I bought a 256gb microSD just in case...

 

[MetalliCabombination]

Android uses a different version of UE4. The engine is built so that you can create one version of your game and port it as both a mobile version and a console/PC version but there are a lot of changes made between the two versions, including the type of rendering I believe. I'm not really an expert in UE4 but I have used it quite a bit so I'm somewhat familiar with the features.

Regarding new consoles, the truth is I don't know why everyone is so convinced there will actually be a PS5 and XB2 in 2 years. I can easily see this generation lasting as long as the previous one, especially now that the PS4 is a roaring success. But in the event that there are new consoles in 2 years, if they are targeting 4k standard, that really doesn't present much of a problem in scaling down because the Switch will still have a 720p resolution, so the first (and easiest) thing to cut will be resolution, and that will cut out a huge amount of the GPU load. From there it will be the standard scaling process, cut down texture res, LoD, view distance, effects, shadows, etc...

As for CPU issues, I really don't know if the PS5/XB2 (I really hope they don't call it the Xbox 2 by the way haha) will go for much better CPUs, but if they do that will begin to present a problem for Switch ports, yes.

About the cpu bit, its less about them going for more expensive ones but just that word around town is theyll use amd's ryzen which will be a huge boost simply by the virtue that its a modern cpu(apu?) that can fit into a console while the janguar is old tech that simply didnt have an alternative until now.

 

[FyreWulff]

So they are willing to recode the entire game in the Unreal Engine just to put the game out on the Switch?

Would it even be worth it?

The Wii U sold more than the PS4 in Japan when it was actively produced.

FFXV Switch in Japan would definitely expand their customer base.

 

[Muskieratboi]

3 years from now:

FFXV - Ultima Rebuild edition, Remade for UE4, 4k60 Coming to PC, PS5, XB2 and New Nintendo Switch!

 

[Skittzo0413]

About the cpu bit, its less about them going for more expensive ones but just that word around town is theyll use amd's ryzen which will be a huge boost simply by the virtue that its a modern cpu(apu?) that can fit into a console while the janguar is old tech that simply didnt have an alternative until now.

It's just that Sony and MS didn't prioritize CPU tech for their latest consoles, so I'm not sure why they would for new ones. I mean, the last time a console maker DID prioritize CPU tech the PS3 lost Sony billions of dollars.

So you may very well be right, and if Ryzen is mature enough at that point it may very well be the case, but it will be really interesting to see what happens. I'd love if we suddenly got a giant leap in CPU bound game elements like AI, weather, destructible environments, etc...

 

[Thraktor]

I think the problem with his thinking is that he's assuming companies will go into this compromising the more powerful versions of their games in order to accommodate the switch, when the actual reality of how companies have been doing it so far is that they can develop with PS4/XBO in mind while either scale the engine down enough (NBA2K18, Skyrim) or change or custom-make the engines (FIFA 18, DOOM) for the Switch versions just like they had in the Wii era.

Of course this time it's with much more dev friendly tech.

Two notes:

Doom uses the same idTech 6 engine on Switch as it does on every other platform. They said it's a "custom build" of the game because they've tailored it for Switch, just as the PS4 version is a custom build tailored for PS4, the XBO version is tailored for XBO, etc.

From all the evidence we have, the decision to use a variant of Ignite for FIFA18 on Switch was a matter of resources, not capability of the hardware (that is, the Frostbite team was too busy supporting other projects to port the engine in time). As I've pointed out a number of times (not to you, just on Gaf in general), Frostbite isn't automatically going to run worse just because it looks better. FIFA 17 (Frostbite) runs just as well on low-end PCs as FIFA 16 (Ignite), while looking better in the process.

 

[MetalliCabombination]

You're clearly making up your concerns as you go. Stop what you're doing, take a breath, and remember that 90% of 3rd party games will still be developed for PS4 as the lead platform. You already know this and you're getting yourself into a tizzy. Is it worth all the heartache?

My argument has been the same since my first post. Feel free to point out where i shifted goalposts from my argument that devs targeting switch for aaa multiplats will hurt the ps4 xb1 versions.
Some people continue to spin it as concern trolling but ive come to expect it at this point.

 

[Trago]

Seems like a lot of work for one port?

 

[Ahasverus]

Watch it run better than the Pro version lmao

 

[Ouroboros]

It will run better than the Xbox One version. Calling it now.

 

[Oregano]

Two notes:

Doom uses the same idTech 6 engine on Switch as it does on every other platform. They said it's a "custom build" of the game because they've tailored it for Switch, just as the PS4 version is a custom build tailored for PS4, the XBO version is tailored for XBO, etc.

From all the evidence we have, the decision to use a variant of Ignite for FIFA18 on Switch was a matter of resources, not capability of the hardware (that is, the Frostbite team was too busy supporting other projects to port the engine in time). As I've pointed out a number of times (not to you, just on Gaf in general), Frostbite isn't automatically going to run worse just because it looks better. FIFA 17 (Frostbite) runs just as well on low-end PCs as FIFA 16 (Ignite), while looking better in the process.

Re:Frostbite its always worth remembering that the Need for Speed Director literally said they could make a Switch version of they wanted to.

 

[heringer]

To people saying it's too much work, they are creating completely new assets and gameplay for a mobile version. Clearly they care enough about FFXV to put up with the work. They still have a lot of milking to do.

 

[fortunato]

It would if they're going to drop Luminous and use Unreal Engine 4 for all their projects going forward, since they would want to move all their custom tech to it anyway, and they could get a head start (and make money) while doing so.

They would also be able to more easily share resources with every other Square Enix Japan team making AAA or high end AA games, as they're also all on UE4, were they to switch to UE4 going forward.

Might this also make sense if they are willing to port FFXV on future platforms? I guess having the game running on UE4 can be useful nonetheless.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Nice to see them really putting in the effort to support the Switch.


*glares at Capcom*

USF2's a hit and Capcom be like, "we need more tests"

 

[Skittzo0413]

Seems like a lot of work for one port?

As other people have said, the Switch will soon be the market leader in Japan and this is also about future proofing their designs, rather than letting the game die held back by the terrible Luminous Engine.

EDIT: or basically this-

Might this also make sense if they are willing to port FFXV on future platforms? I guess having the game running on UE4 can be useful nonetheless.

Re:Frostbite its always worth remembering that the Need for Speed Director literally said they could make a Switch version of they wanted to.

I was actually looking for that statement the other day, do you have a link to that?

 

[celsowmbr]

Change the engine was a good move for Minecraft because Java for game sucks!

 

[Gestault]

Man, Square-Enix has overseen some really stupid game engine decisions in the modern era.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

They will never ever stop working on this game, will they?

 

[Smiles and Cries]

sounds like a long wait, I wonder if its worth it sales wise?

 

[celsowmbr]

Seems like a lot of work for one port?

same for Nintendo 64's Resident Evil 2 and Doom 3 for Xbox Original

 

[Interfectum]

Man I'd love to dig back through all the old Switch posts with smug posters saying third party games and especially AAA third party games weren't happening on Switch. Now we got Wolf 2, Doom and a full version of FF15 on the way. Shit is just getting started.

 

[Maintenance]

 

 

[Aleh]

Interesting that they're really looking into porting it to Switch. It really shows they see it as a big potential, which only bodes well for the future - even if this particular port doesn't end up happening in the end.

P.S: How about starting with FF9 FF10 and FF12 ports first though cough

 

[R10Neymarfan]

So they are willing to recode the entire game in the Unreal Engine just to put the game out on the Switch?

Would it even be worth it?

I was about to say, that would take a whole lot of work and it may still run poorly and not look at good to a platform that isn't established

 

[Oregano]

As other people have said, the Switch will soon be the market leader in Japan and this is also about future proofing their designs, rather than letting the game die held back by the terrible Luminous Engine.

EDIT: or basically this-





I was actually looking for that statement the other day, do you have a link to that?

On mobile so
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1389452

I remembered because I made the thread.

 

[Trago]

As other people have said, the Switch will soon be the market leader in Japan and this is also about future proofing their designs, rather than letting the game die held back by the terrible Luminous Engine.

EDIT: or basically this-

That seems reasonable.

 

[JonnyDBrit]

I find it interesting how they specify they're talking to Nintendo with regards to what the latter feels is the best thing to do. It really does suggest this more of a mutually beneficial thing they're trying to pursue, rather than simply another platform to put the sub-franchise out on.

 

[J@hranimo]

Watch it run better than the Pro version lmao

It will run better than the Xbox One version. Calling it now.

Wow lol

 

[Koozek]

The irony of Square willing to roll-up their sleeves to put FF into a small cart isn't lost.

😂

 

[Lylo]

What i find interesting is that the discussions at plublishers/developers changed from IF they should port a game to Switch to HOW to port that game to Switch.

 

[cw_sasuke]

I assume they are already in work... But honestly SE should focus on bringing games like FFX/X-2 and XII to the Switch first.

On one hand it feels like a no brainers after their statements about porting many titles to Switch...but considering how long it takes them to release games like FF9 even on PS4... Welp.

 

[Dmax3901]

Final Fantasy XVI is never coming out.

 

[PhilipDoesMatter]

Let this FF die SE. For its own good.

 

[FinalAres]

Good point, you can always count on that when it comes to Nintendo.

Ooh pre-emptive white knighting. That's a new one. I thought Nintendo fans didn't have a persecution complex?

FFXIV would definitely be the one for me. Wouldn't have to worry about hogging the TV until I'd finished a piece of content.

To be honest any JRPG is good for Switch, as it would make the grinding more bearable.

 

[AuthenticM]

It would if they're going to drop Luminous and use Unreal Engine 4 for all their projects going forward, since they would want to move all their custom tech to it anyway, and they could get a head start (and make money) while doing so.

They would also be able to more easily share resources with every other Square Enix Japan team making AAA or high end AA games, as they're also all on UE4, were they to switch to UE4 going forward.

For FFXV, probably not. But for future projects, the tools and knowledge in place to make games scaleable, portable, and viable for other platforms is pretty valuable. Anything to help SE not be a dumpster fire when it comes to PC ports. If they can port FFXV to Switch without significant compromise, they can port anything to anything.

yeah, I guess they would learn a lot of know-how, and indeed they might want to future-proof FFXV.

 

[Sammy Samusu]

While it would be very impressive if they managed to pull this off, I've already played this game on the PS4 and I don't see how making it portable would make me love it any more.

Granted, there's a lot to this game that does have a lot going on that make it a good pick-up and play title; most notably, the way the car works and how you can drive from mission to mission serves a lot as a portable title (and is in keeping with how Tabata designed his other projects with S-E for the PSP and Vita).

But all it takes s the memory of that horrendous plot and how plodding the gameplay is from moment to moment that turn me right off.

The others have it right - port me FFXIV and I would pick it up in a heart beat. Otherwise...

XIV is the superior game but not until you invest 50h doing the boring early stuff.

 

[Skittzo0413]

On mobile so
http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=1389452

I remembered because I made the thread.

Ah thanks. Right, I was curious how explicit the whole "the Switch can run Frostbite" thing was, and it turns out it wasn't all that explicit, even if we know it's the case.

I find it interesting how they specify they're talking to Nintendo with regards to what the latter feels is the best thing to do. It really does suggest this more of a mutually beneficial thing they're trying to pursue, rather than simply another platform to put the sub-franchise out on.

Yeah, it sounds like Nintendo might be interested in helping to market it too. I'm curious how much Bethesda is in talks with Nintendo about this type of thing as well... if Nintendo is actively reaching out to secure big AAA support, then this is hopefully just the tip of the iceberg.

Ooh pre-emptive white knighting. That's a new one. I thought Nintendo fans didn't have a persecution complex?

Eh, it's more just a statement of fact judging by basically every Nintendo related thread here.

 

[fortunato]

I assume they are already in work... But honestly SE should focus on bringing games like FFX/X-2 and XII to the Switch first.

On one hand it feels like a no brainers after their statements about porting many titles to Switch...but considering how long it takes them to release games like FF9 even on PS4... Welp.

I'm sure that if FFXV is under planning, Square Enix will first bring other entries, such as those you mentioned, and possibly Type-0 HD and FFXIII.

 

[RPGCrazied]

I couldn't even imagine how this would run, seeing as how the base PS4 struggles with frame pacing.

But good luck indeed.

 

[ElBoxyBrown]

Let this FF die SE. For its own good.

Why do you hate the possibility of making money?