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[CountAntonius]

I haven't bought a primarily single player games in years unless it's has a ton of replayability. I love Games as a service if it's done in a good way.

 

[120v]

The Witcher 3 seems to have paid CDProject Red water bill quite well. This is just a case of a company who's made and are making Single player RPG looking at all the money they're not making by not releasing games that follows the GAAS model.

the witcher 3s and Skyrims are the rare exception though and CDPR is a different company in a very different position from where SE is today.

it's all up in the air because who knows, maybe they'll tap a western dev to follow the "industry trends" while leaving FF, KH, ect alone or maybe they'll go whole hog but a company that size has to factor the current state

 

[Shadow Broker]

The Witcher 3 would fall under GAAS with Square. It has DLC and expansions, gets post-launch patches/support, and the devs are communicating with their base about the game. That's what Square is talking about here.

It's easy for me to not see the Witcher 3 as a title Square Enix is talking about because I bought the Complete addition a couple weeks ago so I got it all without waiting for the DLC releases as they were happening. With that said and with my mistake of thinking of GAAS type titles as more multiplayer focus without considering what you said you are correct.

 

[DXLelouch153]

The Witcher 3 would fall under GAAS with Square. It has DLC and expansions, gets post-launch patches/support, and the devs are communicating with their base about the game. That's what Square is talking about here.

if thats truly what they mean then great
the more games with WItcher tier support the better
also i guess that means Shovel Knight is a GAAS if what you said means its GAAS
where is your god now GAF?

 

[Shadow Broker]

the witcher 3s and Skyrims are the rare exception though and CDPR is a different company in a very different position from where SE is today.

it's all up in the air because who knows, maybe they'll tap a western dev to follow the "industry trends" while leaving FF, KH, ect alone or maybe they'll go whole hog but a company that size has to factor the current state

Someone pointed out that the Witcher 3s and Skyrim also fall under the GAAS type titles so my argument to what you initially said is flawed. It appears that we can still get the massive single player experiences with that model.

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

An entire generation of games is just going to end up unplayable in the future.

 

[Unknown?]

Square Enix is at its worst when focusing on profits. They were just starting to bounce back!

 

[Keym]

Look at the bright side: maybe now they'll risk making sequels like Chrono Trigger 3 by adding in-app purchases and multiplayer modes!

 

[Heartfyre]

Single-player games are very much my bread-and-butter, but...I have been playing a lot of FFXIV, which is exactly the kind of game Square-Enix is talking about here.

As that is a rich and complex game world full of thoughtful dialogue and interesting storytelling...I don't have a dislike of the concept in principle.

 

[Poona]

Well until they drop the online multiplayer paywalls I won't be participating.

 

[PokéKong]

I bought XIIHD because I've always wanted to play the optimal version of one of my favorite FF games, but also to show support and "vote with my wallet", yet sadly my worst fear seems to be true that the furthest extent of a "Ivalice Revival" is some MMO content I will never ever have any desire to play.

 

[VegiHam]

I don't like this timeline very much at all.

 

[texhnolyze]

So Square Enix is on board the GaaS train as well now.. Who's next?

Are you excited for the 'games as a service' future?

 

[Mechanized]

Well this could mean less writing and awful stories, so it's not all bad.

 

[Sparrowhawk]

Square Enix's Battlegrounds when?

 

[Vital Tundra]

Makes sense. It's not the end of single player games, just a bigger focus on continues support of games.

 

[shimon]

Knew it was coming,still sucks

 

[JamesHolden]

This is great news. I play MP GaaS games almost exclusively. Excited to see what's next from Square Enix.

 

[Eusis]

The Witcher 3 would fall under GAAS with Square. It has DLC and expansions, gets post-launch patches/support, and the devs are communicating with their base about the game. That's what Square is talking about here.

Nirolak pointed out they specifically mentioned MP.

Although if they could understand how it worked so well for something like the Witcher 3 and apply that to their games that wouldn't be bad. I feel like FFXV itself isn't actually that good a template to work off of (or they're not really good at working with it.)

That's kind of the tricky thing really, it's rare for DLC like that to come out. Usually it just feels like a small morsel on the side, possibly something hyper linear in a game that was more open ended, like Operation Anchorage in Fallout 3. A really good story with a set of extra quests (Heart of Stone) and a significant new area (Blood and Wine) do tend to be best.

Then there's putting extra features and QOL improvements, though Nintendo decided to charge for that partially with the BotW Expansion Pass.

 

[Chris Metal]

 

[RichiRamjag]

I thought we reached the point where we realized tacked on multiplayer does nobody any favours.

I feel like investing in a great New Game Plus mode is more cost effective. People aren't looking to play B or C tier multiplayer experiences.

Pretty much. Most of us will only play but so many multiplayer games at once. It’ll take something special to pull me away from those, especially when red dead 2 online is out.

 

[kromeo]

The company is only good for Dragon Quest these days as far as I'm concerned, I don't really care what they do anymore

 

[Eusis]

Well until they drop the online multiplayer paywalls I won't be participating.

I actually wonder if they may give up eventually and just make MP free... with each game getting Gold/Plus incentives for subscribing, I.E. free loot boxes every week/month in Overwatch or something.

 

[phant0m]

Gatcha As A Service

There it is

 

[Arkage]

Yep, seeing where this industry is heading with MP-only games, lootboxes, microtransactions, kids yelling on twitch and whatnot.. this sounds realistic.


The good thing is I'll finally be able to play my gargantuan backlog.

Feeling this as well. I mean people love to play the "change with the times old man" card but not every new thing or attitude is by default a positive innovation simply because it's the hip thing. All these big companies transitioning away from single player to multi CAN work - via Bungie going from Halo to Destiny which I'm pretty happy with. But there are too many publically owned companies on the stock market that now have tremendous pressure to chase that gambling profit, which is essentially what many of these new "innovations" are.

 

[funkystudent]

FF16 gonna be a co op focused loot game confirmed!

 

[Spyder_Monkey]

Good luck when that inevitably backfires.

 

[Mihael Mello Keehl]

Clown company.

Seems like now whenever a company fail to maintain an identity they fall in line with this type of thing. Maybe they see others making money like, rockstar and feel like they are leaving money on the table.

 

[Compsiox]

In theory if the industry keeps up this trend developers shouldn't have to crunch so hard. With a sizable team they should be able to put out small amounts of content without much crunch. Although, knowing publishers they'll probably push developers to their limits anyway.

 

[Kaako]

https://giant.gfycat.com/FeistyChiefAfricanporcupine.gif

Perfect.
Say no to clowns.

 

[Koozek]

Nirolak, if FFXVI is being developed by the FFXIV team, should we expect FFXVI to be heavily online focused?

Obviously it will have some online components, like FFXV. See:

I genuinely quite strongly believe that Tabata's division will actually end up doing something with the ideas behind Agni and FF16 will come from the 14 Business Division (which, if you've been watching, has been on a large hiring spree looking for people with non-MMO experience - but also, curiously, still with some online multiplayer experience).

 

[PshycoNinja]

Nirolak pointed out they specifically mentioned MP.

Although if they could understand how it worked so well for something like the Witcher 3 and apply that to their games that wouldn't be bad. I feel like FFXV itself isn't actually that good a template to work off of (or they're not really good at working with it.)

That's kind of the tricky thing really, it's rare for DLC like that to come out. Usually it just feels like a small morsel on the side, possibly something hyper linear in a game that was more open ended, like Operation Anchorage in Fallout 3. A really good story with a set of extra quests (Heart of Stone) and a significant new area (Blood and Wine) do tend to be best.

Then there's putting extra features and QOL improvements, though Nintendo decided to charge for that partially with the BotW Expansion Pass.

In the link and quoted text, Matsuda separates "Games as a Service" and "Multiplayer" as two separate design "philosophies" that can be used to enhance games and to keep people playing their games for a long time. One doesn't predicate the other. Will they use both together? Absolutely. XIV is an example of that.

Essentially, Matsuda is musing how to keep people playing games long after release. I am sure they'll go with what makes sense. This doesn't mean every game they make will have either of those two things. It just means they are thinking about it.

It does not mean FFXVI will be a co-op multiplayer shooter with loot boxes. That isn't what he is saying here.

 

[zelas]

I haven't bought a primarily single player games in years unless it's has a ton of replayability. I love Games as a service if it's done in a good way.

Yep. I rather play a game that continually introduces new content than a game I'm done with after a week and $60. Thank god for gamefly.

 

[sungahymn]

Is Square Enix completely out of touch with their fans? Or is there some great majority within their playerbase that would love this new direction the company is taking?

Cause I sure don't.

 

[zerokoolpsx]

Whelp.

 

[Inuhanyou]

I mean, they're most successful FF is an MMO. They're doing a pretty good job their.

yes, but those categories in gaming should be seperate and funded equally. It should not be at the cost of single player experiences

 

[entremet]

I think GTA Online is the big bellwether here.

People see GTA5 lighting up the charts and think it's campaign mode only. It's not alone. It's the huge GTA Online scene that keeps it evergreen, which also has a huge Twitch/YT base.

 

[PshycoNinja]

yes, but those categories in gaming should be seperate and funded equally. It should not be at the cost of single player experiences

If it gets to that point then I will be on that wagon with you and decry what they are doing. But what your describing has not happened and is not what they are really saying here. You're jumping to conclusions.

 

[Eusis]

Feeling this as well. I mean people love to play the "change with the times old man" card but not every new thing or attitude is by default a positive innovation simply because it's the hip thing. All these big companies transitioning away from single player to multi CAN work - via Bungie going from Halo to Destiny which I'm pretty happy with. But there are too many publically owned companies on the stock market that now have tremendous pressure to chase that gambling profit, which is essentially what many of these new "innovations" are.

There's also the fact some are just naturally geared for that. Halo was always great with MP even when it wasn't online (which itself was mainly a casualty of becoming Xbox exclusive and pre-Live; it even had it put in on PC) and similar applies to Blizzard, maybe more heavily. Square Enix generally only has MMOs as highly relevant MP games, at least outside of mobile/browser stuff.

 

[Champion]

Square Enix is at its worst when focusing on profits. They were just starting to bounce back!

 

[AgentLampshade]

Ah well, fuck them then.

 

[Giolon]

Here we go again, learning the wrong lessons. Just, Horizon's or Nier's success doesn't mean anything?

From a recent Zero Puncuation,

*~Let's all laugh at an industry
that never learns anything
tee hee hee~*

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Here we go again, learning the wrong lessons. Just, Horizon's success doesn't mean anything?

From a recent Zero Puncuation,

*~Let's all laugh at an industry
that never learns anything
tee hee hee~*

By Square Enix's definition, Horizon is a GaaS game. It has updates and DLC that keep you playing after launch, thats all it means to them.

There's literally nothing to freak out about, Square Enix never said that they arent making single player games anymore.

 

[SMattera]

This was obvious 10 years ago.

 

[dreamfall]

Eeeeesh. Not like this.

 

[ArchedThunder]

He didn't say they are going to prioritize multiplayer, he said they are going to try to keep people playing their games, and you can already see some of that with FFXV having events and DLC.

 

[Raging Spaniard]

These proclamations are always flavor of the week, big companies have been saying things like these for a long time now and they barely ever stick.

 

[Toni]

Guys this is where the money is at.

Due to the different monetization infrastructure, Mobile developers almost always have a constant, safe stream of money coming in.

By using Gaas, Microtransactions, Dlc, etc. Console devs can get much better profit returns. Also this can be utilize to make money on the projects that didnt meet expectations due to high af development cost that are required for console development.

Even if its not implemented right, I am all for this. Gaas ensures developers stay afloat on the console industry.

 

[AmuroChan]

Guys this is where the money is at.

Due to the different monetization infrastructure, Mobile developers almost always have a constant, safe stream of money coming in.

By using Gaas, Microtransactions, Dlc, etc. Console devs can get much better profit returns. Also this can be utilize to make money on the projects that didnt meet expectations due to high af development cost that are required for console development.

Even if its not implemented right, I am all for this. Gaas ensures developers stay afloat on the console industry.

That's not really true though. For every successful mobile game there are 1000 that failed. The mobile market is dominated by a handful of big mobile publishers. Most mobile developers out there aren't swimming in cash.

 

[BBboy20]

Guys this is where the money is at.

Due to the different monetization infrastructure, Mobile developers almost always have a constant, safe stream of money coming in.

By using Gaas, Microtransactions, Dlc, etc. Console devs can get much better profit returns. Also this can be utilize to make money on the projects that didnt meet expectations due to high af development cost that are required for console development.

Even if its not implemented right, I am all for this. Gaas ensures developers stay afloat on the console industry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFKnv1YzI3k For so long this is a thing, you can never quite know where that money is going to.