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The Square-Enix blessing, how far can it go?

Torquill

Torquill

Member
Historically, in every hardware generation, the system that gets the most exclusive Square-Enix love (or both Squaresoft and Enix, as the two have always given the most love to the same systems) wins the console war. There has been no exception, NES, SNES, PSX, PS2, Square-Enix always tends to favor one console for development over the others and drives a lot of hardware sales, especially in Japan.

So far, the PS3 seems to be the one who is getting their favor this generation, with their only two original next-gen releases announced for that system.

However, the price of a PS3 cannot be ignored. My question is, will the "Square-Enix blessing" be sufficient for enough fans to overlook the high price and buy a system, or do you think we will see lots of system sharing, because let's face it, some people just have to play their FF games.

EDIT: I'm merely asserting correlation here, not causation. I'm not suggesting SE single handedly wins a console their market share. ;>
 
SE is already branching out. PS3 price or not SE has already taken steps to do this with FF on the Gamecube and putting FFIII and Seiken Densetsu on the DS and FFXI on the Xbox360. All before the "Price" of the PS3 was announced.
 
ffxiiprojekt3gg.jpg
 
BlueTsunami said:
SE is already branching out. PS3 price or not SE has already taken steps to do this with FF on the Gamecube and putting FFIII and Seiken Densetsu on the DS and FFXI on the Xbox360. All before the "Price" of the PS3 was announced.
Click to expand...

I doubt this branching out thing will last long.

I'm not sure how well FFXI on the 360 is selling, but I have a feeling its not much. Why is it not selling? Obviously because its a last gen game on a current gen system. But something tells me that Square is going to use poor sales as an excuse to ignore the 360 this generation. Sorta like how Konami released MGS2:S on xbox when Splinter Cell came out and seemed befuddled that their game sold like shit.
 
winter said:
I doubt this branching out thing will last long.

I'm not sure how well FFXI on the 360 is selling, but I have a feeling its not much. Why is it not selling? Obviously because its a last gen game on a current gen system. But something tells me that Square is going to use poor sales as an excuse to ignore the 360 this generation. Sorta like how Konami released MGS2:S on xbox when Splinter Cell came out and seemed befuddled that their game sold like shit.
Click to expand...

Your saying that Square is purposely tanking their offerings on the XBox so they can use that as an excuse not to support it? That's insane, man. Square is under no obligation to support any particular console, and they certainly don't need to waste time and resources creating a straw man so they don't take a PR hit among console fanboys.
 
ghostlyjoe said:
Your saying that Square is purposely tanking their offerings on the XBox so they can use that as an excuse not to support it? That's insane, man. Square is under no obligation to support any particular console, and they certainly don't need to waste time and resources creating a straw man so they don't take a PR hit among console fanboys.
Click to expand...

I don't think he's saying this is what they did. I think he's saying that they're going to use a wonky excuse to not support the 360 as much as the other consoles because of FFXI's supposedly poor sales.
 
Torquill said:
However, the price of a PS3 cannot be ignored. My question is, will the "Square-Enix blessing" be sufficient for enough fans to overlook the high price and buy a system, or do you think we will see lots of system sharing, because let's face it, some people just have to play their FF games.
Click to expand...
The PS3 will not be $600 (or open-ended) forever and most everyone will end up getting one at one point or another. What other console is Japan going to buy? The Xbox 360? We all plan on getting a Wii but that's beside the point.

On top of that they've also got the White Engine, which is a proprietary piece of middleware built specifically for the PS3. Square-Enix's support for the PS3 really doesn't seem to be affected by the price, at least not at this point.
 
Lost Fragment said:
I don't think he's saying this is what they did. I think he's saying that they're going to use a wonky excuse to not support the 360 as much as the other consoles because of FFXI's supposedly poor sales.
Click to expand...

But they don't need an excuse. There is only one reason to put any of their games on the XBox: to make money. If the market is there, Square will be there, too, I presume. If Square was predisposed to not supporting XBox, Square wouldn't support XBox. I think they're serious about going multiplatform, and they targeted FFXI to the 360 because of the emphasis on online. They're launching sister franchises (CC, DQS) on Nintendo's consoles.

I'd bet Square will try again on the 360, probably with a spin-off franchise, even if FFXI performs horribly. If FFXI does well ... well, maybe they're testing the waters as far as making their main franchises multiplat.
 
kenta said:
The PS3 will not be $600 (or open-ended) forever and most everyone will end up getting one at one point or another. What other console is Japan going to buy? The Xbox 360? We all plan on getting a Wii but that's beside the point.

On top of that they've also got the White Engine, which is a proprietary piece of middleware built specifically for the PS3. Square-Enix's support for the PS3 really doesn't seem to be affected by the price, at least not at this point.
Click to expand...

The PS2 is at, what, $135? It launched at $300? Do you really see a $600 console getting down to $150 within five years?
 
If I recall correctly Square Enix wants to get away from one system support in order to make more money. Also the Wii is geting some love from Square Enix.
 
ghostlyjoe said:
Your saying that Square is purposely tanking their offerings on the XBox so they can use that as an excuse not to support it? That's insane, man. Square is under no obligation to support any particular console, and they certainly don't need to waste time and resources creating a straw man so they don't take a PR hit among console fanboys.
Click to expand...

What Lost Fragment said. I don't think they are intentionally bombing their initial 360 offering. I'm just saying that Square seems to be testing the waters with a game that's not going to reflect the 360 userbase's interest in potential Square titles.
 
ghostlyjoe said:
The PS2 is at, what, $135? It launched at $300? Do you really see a $600 console getting down to $150 within five years?
Click to expand...
I never said it had to drop to $150 in order to get people to buy it. The price will definitely be at a more acceptable price point in five years, though, and people will buy them because developers like Square-Enix have put games like Final Fantasy XIII on it
 
winter said:
What Lost Fragment said. I don't think they are intentionally bombing their initial 360 offering. I'm just saying that Square seems to be testing the waters with a game that's not going to reflect the 360 userbase's interest in potential Square titles.
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I think I can explain this one, to put it down to basics, SQ wanted to expand their hidious PlayOnline service, MS was willing to make conessions in order to get some Japanese support; thus we have Final Fantasy XI on the XBOX 360.
 
ghostlyjoe said:
The PS2 is at, what, $135? It launched at $300? Do you really see a $600 console getting down to $150 within five years?
Click to expand...

It's possible. Blu-Ray drives should drop in cost precipitously as manufacturing picks up. It really depends on the cost of the Cell, which I'm not sure on.
 
winter said:
What Lost Fragment said. I don't think they are intentionally bombing their initial 360 offering. I'm just saying that Square seems to be testing the waters with a game that's not going to reflect the 360 userbase's interest in potential Square titles.
Click to expand...

Short of the main FF, DQ and KH series, what would you like to see on the 360? Another spin-off series, ala the Wii, or maybe a less popular series exclusive. That seems to be Square's multiplat strategy at the moment, but I can't help but think that, considering all the resources they poor into FF, they're eyeing the 360 as another outlet for their big guns.

How much is riding on FFXI's success is anybody's guess, but I love FF and I would never buy it.
 
This is totally off-topic but I'm drunk right now so it's okay...

why did square ever said to the guys of chrono resurrection to stop making their game ffs... square sucks now imo and they should die

I'm sorry...

kind regards...

santa
 
tehrafe said:
This is totally off-topic but I'm drunk right now so it's okay...

why did square ever said to the guys of chrono resurrection to stop making their game ffs... square sucks now imo and they should die

I'm sorry...

kind regards...

santa
Click to expand...

Ho Ho *belch* Ho
 
tehrafe said:
This is totally off-topic but I'm drunk right now so it's okay...

why did square ever said to the guys of chrono resurrection to stop making their game ffs... square sucks now imo and they should die

I'm sorry...

kind regards...

santa
Click to expand...

Cuz they were protecting their intellectual property?
 
The very notion of some Square-Enix blessing is absurd.

If, in some realm or universe the Xbox 360 and/or the Wii sell more units than the Playstation 3 (read: Reality), there is no way Square is going to stay exclusive on a dying ship. With development costs as high as they are, it would simply be a bad business decision to not port their games regardless.

I know they announced Final Fantasy XIII as exclusive, but this is hardly binding. Just ask Metal Gear Solid 2 and Resident Evil 4.
 
360 is going to have to sell in Japan to get more than token support from Square/Enix. If you want Square games, you don't want a 360
 
neoxavean said:
The very notion of some Square-Enix blessing is absurd.

If, in some realm or universe the Xbox 360 and/or the Wii sell more units than the Playstation 3 (read: Reality), there is no way Square is going to stay exclusive on a dying ship. With development costs as high as they are, it would simply be a bad business decision to not port their games regardless.

I know they announced Final Fantasy XIII as exclusive, but this is hardly binding. Just ask Metal Gear Solid 2 and Resident Evil 4.
Click to expand...

Well, there may be no Square blessing, but if the scenario you just layed out occurrs, there just might be a Square curse.
 
Torquill said:
Historically, in every hardware generation, the system that gets the most exclusive Square-Enix love (or both Squaresoft and Enix, as the two have always given the most love to the same systems) wins the console war. There has been no exception...
Click to expand...

WonderSwan vs. GameBoy Color

Thread over man, thread over!
 
trmas said:
360 is going to have to sell in Japan to get more than token support from Square/Enix. If you want Square games, you don't want a 360
Click to expand...

Well, the Wii is out by default (power issues). You don't think Square might look to the 360 in Western markets? They're a business, after all, and they sell their products globally, so jingoism isn't going to do them any favors.
 
The PS2 is at, what, $135? It launched at $300? Do you really see a $600 console getting down to $150 within five years?
Click to expand...

In Canada there were $700-800 dollar packages for the PS2 with 2 or 3 games.

Now it can be had for $99 during some specials and usually $130 regular. Canadian dollars. It's not the exact same thing but it's possible.
 
ghostlyjoe said:
Well, there may be no Square blessing, but if the scenario you just layed out occurrs, there just might be a Square curse.
Click to expand...

Like I said -- the Wonderswan.

But a curse? Doubtful.

Look at Konami and you could probably say the same thing. Look at very game developer, and you'll find most have supported the biggest game platform.

If anything, there may be a curse....a curse that the game platform with the most [exclusive] games wins.....bum buuuum BUUUUUUUUUUUM!
 
OT from the main topic.

Putting FFXI on 360 is a win win for them. MS probably gave them some money on the side and they get to grab some new subscribers to their game.

FFXI has had a fairly stable subscriber base and it will be around for a while, having as many outlets for people ot play it as possible is a good thing.

I'm not on the Wii60 bandwagon, but I'm looking to upgrade to the 360 eventually just for FFXI for my widescreen in the living room and I can run 3 accounts simulaneously! 1 pc 1 ps2 1 360..
 
The Wii isn't out by a longshot. The Wii is going to OWN Japan, development will be cheaper, so what console do YOU think will get the most support? PS3 development has already got an engine from the FFVII demo, and PS3 will still get support though I expect the majority of initial support to be on the Wii. Long-term it will probably even out between the PS3 and Wii
 
neoxavean said:
Like I said -- the Wonderswan.

But a curse? Doubtful.

Look at Konami and you could probably say the same thing. Look at very game developer, and you'll find most have supported the biggest game platform.

If anything, there may be a curse....a curse that the game platform with the most [exclusive] games wins.....bum buuuum BUUUUUUUUUUUM!
Click to expand...

I just meant that Square pulling PS3 exclusivity would be a milestone in gaming and officially signal the decline of the PlayStation.
 
ghostlyjoe said:
Well, the Wii is out by default (power issues).
Click to expand...

Square has always been on the platform with the weakest graphics (save for the GameCube, which wasn't as powerful as the Xbox), and suddenly they aren't going to make games for a system because it isn't powerful enough?

I really doubt. If the Wii was the market leader, I think they would jump at the chance to work on a machine where games can be made faster, easier, cheaper, and would sell more.

ghostlyjoe said:
I just meant that Square pulling PS3 exclusivity would be a milestone in gaming and officially signal the decline of the PlayStation.
Click to expand...

Everyone expects the Playstation brand to face decline this generation. How much of a decline is yet to be known. But the PS3 still could win, even without exclusive games from Square (if it actually had something notable besides MGS4)
 
ghostlyjoe said:
Short of the main FF, DQ and KH series, what would you like to see on the 360? Another spin-off series, ala the Wii, or maybe a less popular series exclusive. That seems to be Square's multiplat strategy at the moment, but I can't help but think that, considering all the resources they poor into FF, they're eyeing the 360 as another outlet for their big guns.

How much is riding on FFXI's success is anybody's guess, but I love FF and I would never buy it.
Click to expand...

That's exactly my point. It seems retarded to release something on the 360 that had such limited appeal to even FF fans during last gen. But -- like you stated -- to Square it seems to make sense. They seem to be stereotyping the xbox owner. To them, we only like FPSes and online games (which seems to answer why we got FFXI on the 360). But no one has tested the truth of this stereotype by actually releasing a JRPG on the xbox. Square should have released KH1-2, DQ8, and FFXI and other games on the original xbox. The market for those titles on the xbox may not be as large as PS2, but it has to be there.
 
trmas said:
The Wii isn't out by a longshot. The Wii is going to OWN Japan, development will be cheaper, so what console do YOU think will get the most support? PS3 development has already got an engine from the FFVII demo, and PS3 will still get support though I expect the majority of initial support to be on the Wii. Long-term it will probably even out between the PS3 and Wii
Click to expand...

I meant for the main franchises. Do your really think FFXIII or FFXIV will show up on Wii? No. Wii's getting its own exclusive Square offerings. 360 is the real wild card here, IMO.
 
Deku said:
OT from the main topic.

Putting FFXI on 360 is a win win for them. MS probably gave them some money on the side and they get to grab some new subscribers to their game.

FFXI has had a fairly stable subscriber base and it will be around for a while, having as many outlets for people ot play it as possible is a good thing.

I'm not on the Wii60 bandwagon, but I'm looking to upgrade to the 360 eventually just for FFXI for my widescreen in the living room and I can run 3 accounts simulaneously! 1 pc 1 ps2 1 360..
Click to expand...

MMORPG Madness!!!
 
The PS3 will retain the main FF franchise. I expect DQ to move to Wii or stay on the PS3. The 360 will get some online-centric games, but not the main titles. Sales are complete crap in Japan.
 
I hate the PS3 price. I hate having a Blu-Ray drive shoved down my throat and I'm ready to stop supporting Sony. Unfortunately the games, such as FF XIII, are there and I will have to bite the bullet at some point. So yes, in my case the blessing is working for them.
 
trmas said:
The PS3 will retain the main FF franchise. I expect DQ to move to Wii or stay on the PS3. The 360 will get some online-centric games, but not the main titles. Sales are complete crap in Japan.
Click to expand...

Eh, I doubt it, but to each their own.

Sells are complete crap in Japan? Maybe to the people who play games (as it is everywhere), but companies do care about sales.
 
neoxavean said:
Sells are complete crap in Japan? Maybe to the people who play games (as it is everywhere), but companies do care about sales.
Click to expand...
I'm convinced he meant sales of Xbox360 are crap in Japan, essentially supporting your argument.
 
Yep, sales of the 360. The original XBox sold well everywhere BUT Japan, and still got no real support. The only 360 game is a rehashed FFXI game which looks like they didn't put any real effort into it.

MS might get more than token support, but I wouldn't gamble my money on such horrible odds.
 
winter said:
I doubt this branching out thing will last long.

I'm not sure how well FFXI on the 360 is selling, but I have a feeling its not much.
Click to expand...

Here
SQUARE ENIX INC 360 FINAL FANTASY XI ONLINE 46,627 $2,341,876 46,627

And don't forget Project Sylph!
 
Joe Molotov said:
WonderSwan vs. GameBoy Color

Thread over man, thread over!
Click to expand...
As was said, Enix never supported the Wonderswan.

Also, it lived about twice as long as any other Japan only competitor for Gameboy, almost entirely thanks to FF remakes. Square didn't even give them a major new game and it was the closest thing to competition the GB saw.

Regardless, this entire thread is worthless. Its based on some groundless assumption that Sony is going to leave the PS3 at $500/$600 its entire life. Thats hardly going to be the case. They will soon start 65nm fab, and as it is the lower end version has more features for only $100 more than the X360. The PS2's pricing history is a horrible indicator of the PS3's future, as Sony basically dominated last generation out of the gate and never looked back. They could easily have sold it for a hell of a lot cheaper, it just wasn't worth it to them. Sony will be able to stand toe to toe with MS on pricing if they really choose, they just don't think there will be any need.
 
Well techinally two Wii SE games could be out a longtime before any PS3 title from them. The jury is still out just how much thought will have gone into them but it seems like a good start for a coming change to me. If Wii does extremely well maybe few more ready at same time as ps3 offerings.
 
ghostlyjoe said:
I meant for the main franchises. Do your really think FFXIII or FFXIV will show up on Wii? No. Wii's getting its own exclusive Square offerings. 360 is the real wild card here, IMO.
Click to expand...

I REALLY disagree with that. IF PS3 bombs, Square isn't simply going to stop the main FF series. They would be losing 2 million Japanese sales if they went on the 360. Wii has the best chance to carry the FF series if PS3 is in trouble.
 
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