Square Enix Greatly Limits Final Fantasy XV Demo Availability

[roseofbattle]

Square Enix Greatly Limits Final Fantasy XV Demo Availability

Square Enix states it will never release the Duscae demo for Final Fantasy XV as a standalone demo.

Square Enix revealed in a blog post the Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/final%20fantasy%20xv] The demo, titled Episode Duscae, will never be released as a standalone.

Buried in a post about the collector's edition of Type-0 HD, the demo is highly limited. Originally, all Square Enix confirmed was that Final Fantasy Type-0 HD players will receive a voucher with the Episode Duscae demo. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/137524-Final-Fantasy-XV-Demo-in-2015] Now we know anyone who wants to play the demo will need to preorder either the collector's edition or the Day One edition of Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. The demo will not be available after the first shipment of Type-0 HD.

"We're never going to release [the demo] as a stand-alone piece down the line," Scott Strichart, associate product marketing manager for Square Enix, wrote in the blog post. "Secondly, it's intended to be a special gift for those of you who purchase early - the demo will be limited to the 'Day One' edition of the game, meaning that only the first shipment is going to have the demo in it. So if the demo is something you think you might like, we highly encourage you to pre-order or to be quick about getting to the store on launch day, March 17th, 2015."

It's hard not to see this as anything but a way to bolster sales for Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. Nintendo also did something unusual for the demo of Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire, where those interested needed a code to download it.

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD launches on PS4 and Xbox One March 17, 2015 in North America and March 20, 2015 in Europe.

Source: PlayStation blog [http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/12/11/final-fantasy-type-0-hd-collectors-edition-revealed/#sf6278684]

Permalink

 

[Burchy22]

....I'm torn. This is a game I took interest in anyway and the demo was a great bonus to that, but the way Square enix is acting this week first with the trolling, then the re-re-releasing a 13 year old game at full price and now this "pre-order or tough shit" is wanting me to tell Square enix to shove this game up their ass.

 

[Kajin]

What...

A demo is something you want to get in as many hands as possible so that they can see if they want to play the game or not. This is not the purpose of a demo.

 

[JarinArenos]

Goddamnit, Squeenix, stop being shit! I want to like you again!

 

[remnant_phoenix]

Agreed with the above.

FFXV could very well be the salvation of the series or the final nail in its coffin for A LOT of fans. Myself included.

After 8 YEARS OF HYPE for this game, they need to publicize and spread goodwill among those interested as much as possible. I can understand them wanting to raise sales/hype for Type-O HD, but they could at least stagger it! Say that the demo will be a timed exclusive for day one customers with a demo wide release to come out on a later date. Everybody wins.

The decisions that Squeenix has been making for the past decade or so baffle me to no end.

 

[ryukage_sama]

Wow! The demo is used as a gift for fans . . . who already gave Square their money.

I'm not really sure who's going to be waiting in line to pre-order the actual game if the gameplay appears suspect. I suppose those who see this as Fujoshi Fantasy may be satisfied with the pretty graphics and character models.

 

[hermes]

Square Enix seems to be locked in time, back to the years were demos were used as a carrot and stick to sell new games... before things like Broadband Internet.

Maybe that is why they also think people will get hyped for a 17 years old game being resold.

 

[Arqus_Zed]

Eh, I remember you had to buy FF VI on PSOne if you wanted to play the demo of FF X on PS2.

That said, we live in a day and age were you can't even trust a demo anymore. I'm just gonna wait for the reviews, watch some gameplay videos and then decide whether I'll buy this or not.

Honestly, what surprised me the most about this post was the whole 'demo of Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire' thing. Really? Really!? Really... Because Pokémon games are always so revolutionary with each new installment, I'm sure.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Maybe the demo cost so much that they literally can't afford to release it fully.

Oh who am I kidding? Square Enix is all about splurging excessively on stupid shit.

 

[RicoADF]

This just tells me that they have no confidence in their product which in turn gives me no confidence and thus no reason to buy said game until after reviews are released. Yeah Square, blackmailing your consumers is a bad idea, we hold the wallets and thus the power.

 

[FoolKiller]

What...

A demo is something you want to get in as many hands as possible so that they can see if they want to play the game or not. This is not the purpose of a demo.

I guess they didn't get the memo. I actually am quite disappointed in the lack of demos for the new generation of consoles. I appreciate the ones they have for things like FIFA 14/15 but would rather things such as Shadow of Mordor or Evil Within. I want to try these new IPs before dropping lots of money on them. I guess they just don't love money.

 

[llubtoille]

It sounded silly at first but after reading it, I think it's fine.
They're not making the demo in promotion of FF15, instead it's a bonus gift for buying the other game.
Much like that Metal Gear 5 teaser game, they don't see a need to advertise (at least not through demos) FF15 as anyone who wants to play the demo already knows it exists.
Actually it's probably more likely a demo would dissuade potential buyers (rather than entice) as they might find what the demo shows is not to their liking.

Don't think of it as a demo, this is more like a preview, similar to how some games ship with a teaser video for another game.

 

[Trishbot]

So... in the past week...
Square Enix trolls the whole world with a cheap PC port of Final Fantasy VII on PS4.
Square Enix reveals this port of a 17-year-old game will cost $16, more than any other version on PSN or PC.
Square Enix reveals they'll be putting their OTHER decade-old game, Final Fantasy X/X-2 on PS4... after many people already bought it on PS3 and Vita. It, of course, will be full price.
Square Enix reveals their big FF15 demo is limited to day-one, first-come purchasers of Type-0.

The fact that, after Bravely Default, Square also said "wow, JRPGs DO sell in the west!" and then, literally a few months later, when asked about Dragon Quest VII on 3DS said "sorry, but JRPGs don't sell in the west" makes me think that Square Enix either has amazing amnesia, or they have zero clue what they're doing.

 

[CharrHearted]

I really don't get why we're complaining, we're all going to buy TYPE-0 anyway considering it is literally one of the best final fantasy games of all time... I was already going to buy it so it coming with a demo of my dudebro adventures XV is extra "addon" on the "insert food item here"!

 

[CharrHearted]

I really don't get why we're complaining, we're all going to buy TYPE-0 anyway considering it is literally one of the best final fantasy games of all time... I was already going to buy it so it coming with a demo of my dudebro adventures XV is extra "addon" on the "insert food item here"!

Kind of making a leap here aintcha? If there's one lesson that's been beaten into gamers this year it's "Don't buy at launch". And with the reception of the last few Final Fantasies, I can't imagine too many people are willing to pay full price blind. Hell I liked Final Fantasy XIII and I have no intention of buying this any time soon.

I don't think i'm making a leap too soon, I played type-0 on PSP and almost entirely in japanese and it was literally fantastic, great boss fights, fluent combat, great characters even through i couldn't understand most of it. It's a really great game and to see it turn into this beautiful ps4 game is a dream come true. Trust me, it'll be worth the money.

 

[KazzyGabranth]

Wow. To be honest I thought the pc port for VII was kinda funny. This is just crap.
I don't quite understand what Squeenix are trying to acheive any more :/

 

[CharrHearted]

I don't think i'm making a leap too soon, I played type-0 on PSP and almost entirely in japanese and it was literally fantastic, great boss fights, fluent combat, great characters even through i couldn't understand most of it. It's a really great game and to see it turn into this beautiful ps4 game is a dream come true. Trust me, it'll be worth the money.

Oh I'm sure it's good. But to most people who haven't heard about Type-0's original Japan-only release, it's just another Final Fantasy game in a line of Final Fantasy games that have been pretty bad. If the last three (Four, if you count All the Bravest) have been terrible, why should this one be any different?

And when I said I wasn't buying it any time soon, that wasn't intended as a slight against the game, I just don't buy games at launch.

Trust me, there's playthroughs online, it wouldn't be hard for any person to go onto youtube and look up a playthrough, watch a few hours and go "Okay, that seems worthy of my purchase!" You know?