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[kiphalfton]

I blame FF XV for that...

 

[Dr. Claus]

This is what happens when you release the worst AAA title in the last 15 years.

Still, I have faith XVI will turn the franchise around.

Worst triple a? When you have trash like redfall, halo infinite, and god of war ragnarok? You clearly don’t play many games.

 

[CityHunter1981]

It’s not really surprising, it just doesn’t look like a Final Fantasy mainline game. I am not saying that the game will not be good or even great, but it would have made more sense to give it another title , because it’s such a huge departure.

I feel like in the past Square Enix was more protective of the brand and was willing to give games which are very different original titles (vagrant story would be these days probably also a mainline FF game), but these days they don’t want to go any risk and just count it as a mainline game, because it will surely be more successful that way.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

I think it might debut to lighter (for FF) launch numbers because people are unsure about it right now. But once good reviews and word of mouth start pouring in, it will gain legs. If you haven't played FFXIV you don't understand how good that team is. If you have, you've already preordered FFXVI. That's all really. People had doubts about FFXII too at release because of it's unusual combat system, today it's regarded as one of the greats.

 

[xellos2099alpha]

It’s not really surprising, it just doesn’t look like a Final Fantasy mainline game. I am not saying that the game will not be good or even great, but it would have made more sense to give it another title , because it’s such a huge departure.

I feel like in the past Square Enix was more protective of the brand and was willing to give games which are very different original titles (vagrant story would be these days probably also a mainline FF game), but these days they don’t want to go any risk and just count it as a mainline game, because it will surely be more successful that way.

Come now... is there a real defination of how a final fantasy game look? WE have seen it anywhere from medvial time 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 12 modern time like 6, 7, 8, 13 and 15 and we have mmo like 11 and 14 that can be both medvial and modern depend on which country you are at.

 

[xellos2099alpha]

I think it might debut to lighter (for FF) launch numbers because people are unsure about it right now. But once good reviews and word of mouth start pouring in, it will gain legs. If you haven't played FFXIV you don't understand how good that team is. If you have, you've already preordered FFXVI. That's all really. People had doubts about FFXII too at release because of it's unusual combat system, today it's regarded as one of the greats.

Not to mention peopel need a ps5 to play it right now. Ps5 is common nowsday but it is still expensive lik 500. back when 15 come out, ps4 was like 300 and xbox at 200 ish. People here ignore the greatness of the original primial, born from all the prayer and crystals so bringing up xiv people will just ignore it since they don't consider it a real Final Fantasy. Sound familiar? Playing endcaller in background

 

[Abriael_GN]

I'm not distorting anything. FF XVI is a Final Fantasy game simply because Square owns the IP and it gets to decide what to do with it. If FF XVII was a kart racer, it would still be a FF because Square deemed it so. But just because Square wishes to make that kind of game, doesn't mean I and the others recognize it as Final Fantasy and eat it up. XVI isn't Final Fantasy for me and most of tye fanbase, and probably never will be.

That quote literally tells you, from three of the most influential Final Fantasy developers ever, that Final Fantasy is what its developers decide is best at the time, and that developers shouldn't feel constrained by the past. Obviously, you seem to think you know better than them about what Final Fantasy is, which is a bit ridiculous.

About the second part: Sure, you're right. That's why voting with your wallet is so powerful. It hits companies on where matters most: The money. But that's on the company and the people directly responsible for the game. Just like the quote you used that Yoshida said, about the directors dictating what FF is everytime they make a new entry, its also their responsibility for the success of the game. If it works, they should be applauded. If they fail, they should be critisized. The costumer is the one that will decide if they want that is offered, being it true to the franchise or not, with their money. They are not responsible for making sure that the game succeeds, they are there to be entertained. I will wish for what I want. If it comes to pass or not is not only my call, is of the fanbase and the consumers in general.

Again, you keep going with your strawman argument to try and sanitize your position. Vote with your wallet as much as you want. Not one person is saying you should buy the game. But wishing failure on a game goes beyond that. It literally means wishing ill on all of its developers. Don't be surprised if you're judged negatively for that.

Incidentally, speaking of "voting with your wallet" I wonder how many of Square Enix *many* turn-based games you've purchased. What about games from other developers? Because yanno, they're not deciding to turn to action based on nothing. They're doing so because they have plenty of sales data to back that decision, from their own games and from the industry as a whole.

I see people crying for turn-based games, but when I ask them if they actually support the genre they so vocally demand (which I cover extensively in my news coverage as my own way to support), they really don't do a very good job with it. Covering news (more than most) about most turn-based games gives me a rather unique perspective on how much people really care about the genre, which unfortunately isn't really as much as they say they care.

 

[Sanepar]

So... release pc version day one. Sales will be there.

 

[ProtoByte]

So... release pc version day one. Sales will be there.

You think the cheapskates on PC, hardly a stronghold for JRPG sales, let alone FF, would significantly boost the pre-orders of a 70 dollar game from Square Enix? Lol

 

[ProtoByte]

Simple question: do you think the entire world is the UK?

https://steamdb.info/app/2050650/charts/

Estimates say it sold around 2M on steam. I know PC gaming is a sore spot for you but Capcom does very well on Steam. Your 10% of sales statement is just not true and you pulled it out of your ass.

Despite all that I like you @TGO

Steam estimates are total bullshit. Often overshot by 30+% points at best.

 

[Arsic]

It’s a day one no brainer for me but let’s be real. 3 big games just hit in a short window before their game , and all 3 are massive time sinks. Zelda, Diablo , street fighter.

3 AAA 90+ titles, so if you want purchases you better be a 90+ title too or else most will wait for sales. I usually pre order my games after reviews/impressions are out. Getting burned isn’t an option.

FF16 has a lot of mysteries about its quality. What is true length ? How difficult ? How well does it perform ? Is the story good ? Does the combat stay fun from start to finish ?

Lots of variables but the demo will help with a few.

Either way I have it pre ordered. I’ve played every FF, and this is poised to be squares best title in quite some time.

 

[G-Bus]

With a lot of sales being digital these days I don't see much of a point in pre-ordering outside of being able to preload and have it ready the second it unlocks.

Even that isn't a big deal with a decent internet connection. 10 minute download and I'm in.

 

[Nautilus]

That quote literally tells you, from three of the most influential Final Fantasy developers ever, that Final Fantasy is what its developers decide is best at the time, and that developers shouldn't feel constrained by the past. Obviously, you seem to think you know better than them about what Final Fantasy is, which is a bit ridiculous.



Again, you keep going with your strawman argument to try and sanitize your position. Vote with your wallet as much as you want. Not one person is saying you should buy the game. But wishing failure on a game goes beyond that. It literally means wishing ill on all of its developers. Don't be surprised if you're judged negatively for that.

Incidentally, speaking of "voting with your wallet" I wonder how many of Square Enix *many* turn-based games you've purchased. What about games from other developers? Because yanno, they're not deciding to turn to action based on nothing. They're doing so because they have plenty of sales data to back that decision, from their own games and from the industry as a whole.

I see people crying for turn-based games, but when I ask them if they actually support the genre they so vocally demand (which I cover extensively in my news coverage as my own way to support), they really don't do a very good job with it.

You seem to have some reading comphrehension problems. I said that, as a Square IP, the company and its directors can make any kind of FF game and call it FF. Its their property after all. But as a fan, I have expectations on what I and the fanbase consider as FF. We need to be convinced that that game is worthy of being a FF game. That's called "making a sale", don't know if you have heard of it before. Just because we are fans of the franchise, doesn't mean we will gobble up anything they put a FF logo on it.

Again and again, you go on and ignore every right and feelings people may have about the games and how they want or not want their games to be. We are in a dedicated videogame forum, and yet you call people disgusting for not liking a game and wanting it to be something else, expressing their dissfaction, something that it once stood for, and you equate that as wishing ill on the developers. Something that makes zero sense. The fambase just wants to be heard, and you equate them voicing the disdain for the game as wanting people's career to go under. It's just... evil. You are basically saying that gamers should be grateful of games that companies put out, and we should be acceptful of anything they put out. Where were you when people were shitting on Gollum? Aren't you a gaming journalist to go there and enlighten them that if they don't buy the game, the Gollum devs will suffer? Or should we have accepted the shit games that EA kept making in the 2010 and buying all their microtransactions, because otherwise the poor devs would be fired? That's the same goddamn argument, or lack there of, you are defending. Its completely nonsensical, and the only reason you are using for FF XVI is because you liked the preview you played, you liked the build Square gave to you in their fancy event. Talk about double standards, and one at such a baseless argument.

And now that you have run out of arguments, you have to go at my credibility as a turn based player. Which is something impossible to prove, because I can say I played all the turn based games in the world, but it would be impossible to prove. But sure, I'll say regardless: From Square, the ones that come to mind, I have played in the last 5 years: Dragon Quest 11, Octopath Traveler 1 and 2, Bravely Default 2, FF 7 Remake(Which is a disguised turn based game in an action based appearance), triangle Strategy. Outside of Square, I played all Persona games, played the Mario + Rabbids game, don't like Pokemon anymore got got Legends(Though haven't touched it yet), Chained Echoes, etc etc.

For a bit of proof, here is a review thread I made on Octopath Traveler 2 a few months ago:

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/post-mortem-review-octopath-traveler-2-a-fantastical-sequel-that-improves-on-everything-the-original-did.1656125/

Now, what other nonsensical argument or attack on my person will you go for next? I expected a better logical mind from a journalist, but I guess you are a gaming journalist for a reason after all...

 

[Agent_4Seven]

Well, after such a shit show as FFXV and frankly mediocre FFVII Remake (gameplay, combat and world design wise) and what came after, they should be happy that some people actually decided to give them money before the game is even released.

I mean, I've no doubt in my mind whatsoever that FFXVI will be the best FF game since XII but... FFS, you have to keep in mind all the shit you've made before and tune your expectations acordingly when it comes to sales and pre-order numbers. But hey, it's Square's idiotic and incompetent management acting like it always does, so no surprises here.

 

[Madflavor]

It’s a day one no brainer for me but let’s be real. 3 big games just hit in a short window before their game , and all 3 are massive time sinks. Zelda, Diablo , street fighter.

3 AAA 90+ titles, so if you want purchases you better be a 90+ title too or else most will wait for sales. I usually pre order my games after reviews/impressions are out. Getting burned isn’t an option.

I feel like people shouldn't sleep on this reason. If this were like 2021, where it was a barren time for AAA gaming with not much coming out, FFXVI would probably have a lot more eyes on it and more presales if it were the only big game coming out in the summer. As it stands we've had 3 major AAA games from popular franchises, all reviewing highly, coming out within the same 6 week window. On top of that everything is more expensive these days, including gaming, and people just don't have the money to easily spend as they did back in 2016. Not to mention buying digital has become way more popular now, and with digital there's not much reason to preorder.

There's a lot at play here that's affecting FFXVI's presales.

 

[Days like these...]

Yeah, we're totally going to believe the vague "report" from a former journalist who's totally not trying too hard to draw attention to his thin patreon about how many pre-orders a game has

According to this dude, Square Enix talked about the release of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth because of FFXVI's (alleged) pre-order situation and totally not because it's been a year from its reveal and the game is coming this winter and it may have naturally been high time to say something.

Come on folks. Do we really have to fall into the "insider" trap every time?

Believe him or not sales for this will suck. No one is hyped for this and by no one I mean only a few randos on Gaf who claim FF hasn't sucked since X

 

[Raven117]

I'm the opposite. I really loved X.

You aren’t alone, that’s for sure.

I just… other than ffxii and xiv, they have all lacked that certain special sauce. I didn’t hate x, I just think it set expectations in a different way going forward. (Ie, it was a whole generations introduction to ff…. And they all weren’t like x)

 

[Fredrik]

Guess people like bad news these days.
Any good news doesn't reach that much page.

It’s the exclusivity. Starfield will have the same noise or worse. Exclusivity increase the hype within the closed bubble and increase the negativity outside of the bubble. This thread wouldn’t have existed if the game came out everywhere day 1. The turn based complaints wouldn’t be as loud. The defense for the realtime combat wouldn’t be as loud. It would’ve been a calm release and a lot more pleasant talks here and on other boards and social both before and after the release.

 

[hussar16]

Somehow ff16 looks more generic then 15.it doesn't help the art style is generic and characters look on par with ps3 era.the western market looks at everything and I'd say ff15 looked better in that regrospect.also ff15 got a bad track record so following it up isn't great

 

[ValiantTraveler]

Panicking is a big word that shouldn’t be used lightly. Buzzword to get engagement.

As others have said, there are fewer PS5 owners now than there were PS4 owners back when FFXV came out.

 

[oldergamer]

Square brings this on themselves with frequent bad management decisions. They have routinely messed up studios and talent outside Japan and get themselves into financial trouble or missed sales projections due to all a dumb exclusive deals that limit platform exposure. They should be the EA of Rpg games but will never be if they limit the market for certain games.

We have seen this multiple times over the past 25 years.

 

[odhiex]

 

[GeeseGoose]

Personally I will be passing as the battle system looks crap, in my opinion.

Come to think of it, even FF14 is a drag in later expansions as the relative damage you do is so low and drags it out for too long, but at least it doesn’t have a stagger system, that signalled the end of my love for FF back when they started doing it in FF13.

I think my tastes have changed and I have no need to play FF based on brand name alone anymore, and the combat is not selling it on me.

Note: I probably wouldn’t bother even if they had similar systems to 9, 10 or 12… I think I’m just over bloated, meaningless games.

 

[Wesleyalucard]

15 million copies sold

 

[THE DUCK]

Being on ps5 will limit it somewhat, but I still.think it will do great numbers once people understand it's like elden ring.

 

[GigaBowser]

Preorders don't means squat

 

[Braag]

I'm sure whatever amount Sony paid them will soften the blow if the game doesn't hit their estimated sales figures.
Despite JPRGs probably being the most popular on PS but whatever sale lost on another platform is still a lost sale.

 

[Fredrik]

Being on ps5 will limit it somewhat, but I still.think it will do great numbers once people understand it's like elden ring.

How is it like Elden Ring? Going by previews it seems linear and light on exploration and RPG elements and character building. Someone likened it to a spectacular roller coaster where the story and action set pieces are the focus.

 

[Heisenberg007]

I've heard that Sony is "slightly panicking" over God of War's low pre-orders. Game is gonna bomb hard. #NotMyGodofWar.

 

[THE DUCK]

How is it like Elden Ring? Going by previews it seems linear and light on exploration and RPG elements and character building. Someone likened it to a spectacular roller coaster where the story and action set pieces are the focus.

It being fully live action this time around will have it appeal to more gamers than in previous games.

 

[drganon]

I'm beginning to think Colin's sources aren't all that great.

 

[Fake]

Maybe because is PS5 exclusive? Or maybe because FF lost playerbase since the last one and the route this game take is not appealing anymore?
Can be because too many games releasing close to TOTK. Pick your poison.

 

[Klosshufvud]

The reviews will determine the fate of this game and anything less than 85 may result in lower than expected sales.

I feel like their marketing for this game has been very weak. Nobody even knew it was FF in the initial reveal trailer. It did nothing to sell you this as the next major mainline FF game. Almost as if they deliberately downplayed FF elements not to scare non-FF players. A tactic which IMO is a mistake because any game titled "Final Fantasy..." won't be attracting the CoD-crazed fanboys.

And then every trailer afterwards have been this repetitive mish mash of Kajus wrestling with one-liners that don't make sense in the trailer context. IMO the graphics and art direction have also been underwhelming for FF standards and Soken music has a way of sounding everything but FF. Simply put, I think they migrated too far away from their core and it sort of killed the buzz for JRPG fans (a term not to be used when describing the game according to Yoshida)

 

[lordrand11]

Yeah I run my PC to a 65” LG C1 along with my PS5. Playing FF with any controller besides a PS feels wrong.

Couldn't give a damn what controller I'm using but I prefer MK unless it's for a racing game.

 

[TheGodfather07]

Who the heck pre orders games?

 

[Alan Silvestro]

Who the heck pre orders games?

Me, 2 copies of FF16 (each limited edition).

 

[xrnzaaas]

It's not that surprising. There are going to people who play Zelda or Diablo right now and will also want to play FF16 - and they won't be done when Final Fantasy come out. Plus some people may have actually learned not to blindly trust Square (or any other big publisher for that matter) after being disappointed in the past.

 

[xrnzaaas]

double post

 

[deriks]

I'm beginning to think Colin's sources aren't all that great.

Remeber when he said that the Vita is going to be the greatest thing ever? Maybe we need to look how is going now

 

[TheKremlinBossMan]

There is a disproportionately large amount of FFXVI doom threads. Can't wait for the game to release with a high ass MC score and end all this bullshit.

 

[Madflavor]

There is a disproportionately large amount of FFXVI doom threads. Can't wait for the game to release with a high ass MC score and end all this bullshit.

The possible gloomy news about presales basically emboldened a lot of people to start shitting on it. FFXVI discussion on Era was widely positive for a long time, then the rumor about the presales dropped and suddenly a metric ton of people came outta the woodwork to doom, gloom, and criticize the game. Threads on Reddit were pretty level headed about it though.

I agree though. IF the demo is good, and IF the MC score is 90+, it's going to shut a lot of people the fuck up.

 

[Wastelander92]

There is a disproportionately large amount of FFXVI doom threads. Can't wait for the game to release with a high ass MC score and end all this bullshit.

You just know some outlets will give it a 7/10 because of "diversity" shit.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

double post

T-T-T-TRIPLE POST

 

[wvnative]

With a lot of sales being digital these days I don't see much of a point in pre-ordering outside of being able to preload and have it ready the second it unlocks.

Even that isn't a big deal with a decent internet connection. 10 minute download and I'm in.

This is the literally the reason. Wake up and have the game ready to go immediately.

 

[j.k.2021]

Final Fantasy VII Remake despite all the hype didn't hit 10 million sales.Let alone this....Square is only alive despite all the flops because of exclusivity $$$ it gets from PlayStation.Still, They are desperate enough to hire the NFT guy as their ceo.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

We need to realize FFXV did a lot of damage to the brand. The game sold well at first but we all know how bad it turned out to be.
This game needs great reviews. People pretend reviews don't do anything...but the hype surrounding games like Elden Ring really picked up with the great reviews and word of mouth.

Final Fantasy XVI "only" needs to do one good thing right: Be a great game. It's never easy when you're following a long-lasting IP that has failed its 2 main single player entries before it (XIII and XV).

 

[j.k.2021]

It's simple.Japan is switch territory. Impossible to make big money in Japan while skipping the most popular gaming device in Japan.

 

[Fart Knight]

Forspoken Fantasy

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Man, I think Square should hire some of the Japanese culture experts of GAF. That would really help them to perfect their game design as well as accurately forecast the game’s demand.

 

[Fart Knight]

Man, I think Square should hire some of the Japanese culture experts of GAF. That would really help them to perfect their game design as well as accurately forecast the game’s demand.

Dont release for Xbox