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GRIN blames Square-Enix for the death of its studio, exposes S-E incompetence

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
http://www.vg247.com/2011/05/28/gri...dium=twitter&utm_term=vg247&utm_content=games

Speaking in an interview with Aftonbladet, Ulf and Bo Andersson said Square not only made ridiculous demands of the firm, but it also reneged on $20 million contract for the firm’s Final Fantasy spin-off game, codenamed Fortress. Square also insisted, according to the Anderssons, that the firm fax it the game’s code and music files.

“It is as silly as it sounds,” said Bo Andersson. “It is an impossible requirement, you can not send ASCII or binary codes on the fax. It is backward. Really retarded. It was almost a criminal activity.”

According to the developers, Square also claimed the firm was not delivering its work to the correct departments. It should have, instead, been sending all its work to Square’s legal division, and furthermore insisted it didn’t like the game’s Nordic style, which it specifically requested from the beginning and was one of the main reasons it chose a Swedish firm in the first place.

So, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .

The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”


“Then we realized that whatever we do … they have decided,” Bo Andersson said. “We wanted to come in and revolutionize Final Fantasy, which is exactly what they need. The latest version sucks of course.”

We’ve mailed Square to see if it has any response to these rather harsh allegations.
 

linko9

Member
Just saw this, pretty crazy stuff. Honestly I wouldn't put it past SE, though obviously we're only getting one side of the story here. I'm really just baffled by why SE wanted this game to be made in the first place...
 

Seda

Member
"So, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .

The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”

Man.
 

Kifimbo

Member
Andersson forgot to mention Terminator: Salvation, Wanted and Bionic Commando. Not saying Square Enix wasn't a factor, more like the last straw.
 

Psi

Member
So, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .

The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”

LOL, that's gold.
 

Shiggy

Member
So, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .

The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”

lol
 

Nemo

Will Eat Your Children
So, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .

The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”
BWAHAHAHAHA

Should've just said fuck you at that point
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Aquavelvaman said:
Fax the game's code and music files? Really, Square-Enix?

Not sure why they didn't do it. You can fax compiled code and music just as easily as text, it'll just look like gibberish on the other side. Whenever manager makes an obviously shitty demand of you and refuses to listen to logic, satisfy the demand and let them get hoisted by their own petard.
 
“Then we realized that whatever we do … they have decided,” Bo Andersson said. “We wanted to come in and revolutionize Final Fantasy, which is exactly what they need. The latest version sucks of course.”

I said god damn.

Oh Square, way to sabotage a potentially fruitful western alliance. Here's hoping they never make any important decisions over at Eidos.
 

Crazetex

Member
This is horrifying. Like, it's not even funny. I totally agree with the final statement.

I'm not sure what's worse, the faxing bit or the concept art bit.
 

1-D_FTW

Member
Seda said:
"So, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .

The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”

Man.

I think Square was paying attention, they just didn't have the stones to say they changed their mind on the project and were trying to grind them into quitting through frustration. "How about this, Mommy?" No. "This?" No. " How about this?" "Nope. No dinner for you tonight. You failed."
 

Shadow780

Member
1y7sjl97ui.gif
 

Totobeni

An blind dancing ho
So 2,5 hours long Wanted and 4 Hours long super shitty Terminator Salvation weren't the real killers!!! I knew it.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Fax the game codes?

Good luck faxing a 1000+ pages of codes though.

So, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .

The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”

lol
 

Brannon

Member
One look at Final Fantasy XIV and I have to agree. Not letting GRIN off the hook for their failures, but damn.

Not surprised at all by Square's actions.
 

Shiggy

Member
elrechazao said:
personally i think their terrible games killed grin, but what do I know.

It was Square pretty much. They still worked together with Capcom but even they cancelled their contract when Square went away, as Capcom was afraid Grin would use their money to pay off debt and then close down.
 
Kifimbo said:
Andersson forgot to mention Terminator: Salvation, Wanted and Bionic Commando. Not saying Square Enix wasn't a factor, more like the last straw.
Pretty much this. Grin's death was really their own doing, their survival hinging on this one project was very much a position they put themselves in.
 

Mau ®

Member
I CANNOT at the FFXII story.

To be honest, what exactly is Final Fantasy's look? According to Square anyway...

And he's right, FFXIII does suck. Ive never been more dissapointed in a game in my life.
 

SSJ1Goku

Banned
So, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .

The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”
DAYUM LMFAO!
 

Shiggy

Member
lunchwithyuzo said:
Pretty much this. Grin's death was really their own doing, their survival hinging on this one project was very much a position they put themselves in.

They had a few other projects in development. Wanted 2 apparently (with no publisher though), an XBLA title meant to be published by themselves, and finally Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 - also XBLA.
 

Dega

Eeny Meenie Penis
inthezone said:
I CANNOT at the FFXII story.

To be honest, what exactly is Final Fantasy's look? According to Square anyway...

And he's right, FFXIII does suck. Ive never been more dissapointed in a game in my life.

I dunno, was he talking about 13 or 14. lol

Guess it doesn't matter which? lol
 

ezekial45

Banned
That faxing the game code (music code too?), and FFXII art was just ridiculous. I hope that the catastrophe that is FFXIV has woken them up. For it's unfocused and lazily put together design. Probably not though.

I do remember that there was a gaffer that worked at GRIN. Perhaps he can add something to this?

Also, weren't they still working on Fortress with another dev? I'd hate to see what they have to say.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
Stumpokapow said:
Not sure why they didn't do it. You can fax compiled code and music just as easily as text, it'll just look like gibberish on the other side. Whenever manager makes an obviously shitty demand of you and refuses to listen to logic, satisfy the demand and let them get hoisted by their own petard.

I'll feel sad for the manager/programmer who'll receive the faxed codes and trace them on paper and say "it's not Final Fantasy".
 
Absolutely repulsive behaviour, if true.

The fax request is pointless and condescending, and the rejection of SE's own concept art shows their hypocrisy. Sounds like a nightmarish company to work for.
 
GRIN pretty much dug their own grave with the games they made, but if this story is true, that doesn't excuse Square-Enix knocking them out with a shovel and filling in the dirt.
 
Very easy to see if there's any truth to that: is there a GRIN lawsuit against S-E over unpaid milestones? Because if there isn't the guy is either lying or is a moron who deserved to be screwed over.

I cannot imagine one would not fill a lawsuit in a situation like that.
 

Kagari

Crystal Bearer
Castor Krieg said:
Very easy to see if there's any truth to that: is there a GRIN lawsuit against S-E over unpaid milestones? Because if there isn't the guy is either lying or is a moron who deserved to be screwed over.

I cannot imagine one would not fill a lawsuit in a situation like that.

Definitely not lying.
 
elrechazao said:
personally i think their terrible games killed grin, but what do I know.

I'm actually at a LAN party right now, and we're about to play Bionic Commando. The multi player is so fun!

Crazy about Square saying FFXIII doesn't look like Final Fantasy, I'll be a lot of fans would actually agree.
 

Seda

Member
EchosMyron1 said:
I'm actually at a LAN party right now, and we're about to play Bionic Commando. The multi player is so fun!

Crazy about Square saying FFXIII doesn't look like Final Fantasy, I'll be a lot of fans would actually agree.


Its was 12. Not 13.
 
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