Final Fantasy XIII Needs "10 Times the Success"

[John Funk]

Final Fantasy XIII Needs "10 Times the Success"

Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase says that there is an extraordinary amount of pressure on the game to succeed, and succeed overwhelmingly - "ten times the success" of normal games.

So, how 'bout that new Final Fantasy game? It's been a long time in the making - five years, as a matter of fact. Five years is a long time in the games industry, and for a big-budget series like Final Fantasy, five years of development isn't exactly cheap. With Squeenix stock [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/89238-Squeenix-Stock-at-Five-Year-Low] at a five-year low, there's bound to be some pressure on the FF13 dev team to hurry the hell up to get some sort of return on investment, no?

"You're right, there is an unusual sort of pressure on Final Fantasy XIII," producer Yoshinori Kitase told EDGE Magazine. "I'd say we need this game to have ten times the success of these smaller titles."

Still, despite the pressure, Kitase stated that the team wasn't looking to cut corners: "I don't think that means we've compromised in terms of the game design or creativity in any way," he continued. "Indeed, the development of the game has very much followed in the tradition of the previous titles in the series, welcoming input from the full range of development staff."

Despite that, it's hard to imagine that the Squeenix folks aren't beginning to sweat just a little bit, as the game isn't slated to be launched outside of Japan until 2010 [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/88716-Final-Fantasy-XIII-Not-Due-Overseas-Until-2010]. Let's refer back to our handy little chart of Final Fantasy sales releases, shall we?

[blockquote]
Final Fantasy - 1987 (Japan), 1990 (NA)
Final Fantasy II - 1988 (Japan)
Final Fantasy III - 1990 (Japan)
Final Fantasy IV (II NA) - 1991 (Both)
Final Fantasy V - 1992 (Japan)
Final Fantasy VI (III NA) - 1994 (Both)
Final Fantasy VII - 1997 (Both)
Final Fantasy VIII - 1999 (Both)
Final Fantasy IX - 2000 (Both)
Final Fantasy X - 2001 (Both)
Final Fantasy XI - 2002 (Japan PS2/PC), 2003 (NA PC), 2004 (NA PS2), 2006 (All Xbox 360)
Final Fantasy XII - 2006 (Both)
Final Fantasy XIII - 2010...???
[/blockquote]

The (presumed) four-year gap between FF12 and FF13 will be tied for the longest in the series' history - and this time around, it won't have the multiple launches of FF11 to cushion the blow.

So, better get crackin', fellas. Maybe if you hadn't spent so much time trying to get the game to use 100% of the PS3's power [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/90608-Final-Fantasy-XIII-Will-Use-100-of-PS3s-Power]...

(Videogamer [http://kotaku.com/5201245/square-enix-ffxiii-needs-ten-times-the-success-of-smaller-titles])

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[SimuLord]

Wait a minute...what's that sound? Is the ghost of 1983 rattling around in here again? The graphics/hype machine arms race has reached a point where the entire industry's about as stable as the Soviet Union circa October of 1989. If Squeenix manages to take a bath on FF13 it'll do to gaming what the fall of the Berlin Wall did for Eastern European communism and we can finally get the corporate suits out of the equation as they abandon the industry as not worth their imaginary wealth and gamers can take games back.

And don't think the Wii will save a damn thing because we've already seen the wealth of shovelware for the Wii (and the DS), which brings to mind nothing so much as the Quaker Oats company setting up a video games division in 1982.

Much like in '83, PC gaming will survive more or less untouched (as long as people have computers there will be games for them) and consoles' salvation will be found in simple, awesome games that people love to play. This whole recession's been all about filtering out excesses and the video games industry will get its turn.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

*sigh* While I'm probably going to love this game... Square... seriously... you've put all of your eggs in one basket here. I think you're going to end up being disapointed.

 

[L.B. Jeffries]

Heh, Huling was right. That thing is the Battleship Yamato, obsolete before it even gets finished.

 

[Frank_Sinatra_]

You know when I get this game I'm gonna buy some eggs as well. Why? Well I want to cook something on top of my PS3 while I'm playing. Don't want to stop playing to go to the kitchen and make something.

 

[Lvl 64 Klutz]

it's not so much if they hadn't spent so much time using 100% of the PS3's power so much as if they hadn't spent so much MONEY using 100% of the PS3's power. Graphics, voice work, ridiculously long-term marketing, and just about everything else that costs the big yen won't do the game much good if it plays like crap.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

I doubt that it will be a bad game, but it's like Ray Huling's comparisson, the Yamato was a perfectly fine Battle Ship... too bad Aircraft Carriers had made such a big battle ship largely obselete.

 

[Erana]

Sadly, a lot of fanboys are going to protest that it isn't "Final Fantasty" enough because it won't be a tribute ff7.

And then a lot of people will refuse to buy it because Final Fantasyt is the epitome of JRPG, which people don't buy on principal in many cases.
Thus, Final Fantasy 13 would have done better as a stand alone game, if they've put this much effort into it.

Whoo, mixing tenses.

 

[Banaticus]

Or maybe if Sony hadn't deliberately made the PS3 difficult to develop for . . .

Honestly, trying to tie developers hands so that new games in the presumed 10 year lifetime of the hardware don't blow all later games out of the water leaving "nowhere to go"? Yeah, nowhere to go but to maintain public dominance with the suite of totally awesome games . . . that could have been developed. As it now stands though, the PS3 just don't have much.

 

[sanzo]

So long as the combat is fun and well done like XII's, it'll be a good game in my book.

I really can't see this game tanking, but not sure if it'll do as well as they hope

 

[GonzoGamer]

This reeks of desperation; prepare to watch your PS3s glitch out and your 360s to burst into flames.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

Well, seeing that it's going to be released on two consoles, the odds of it having 10 times the success is very unlikely.

 

[elvor0]

After the non existent game that never happened (FF X-2) and the fact FF13 just looks like a rehash of that, I don't have much hope. FF13V on the other hand, looks awesome, unfortunately I can't afford to take a mortgage out on a ps3.

 

[Nova Tendril]

*sigh* While I'm probably going to love this game... Square... seriously... you've put all of your eggs in one basket here. I think you're going to end up being disapointed.

They did the same thing with the original Final Fantasy. Perhaps they think they can repeat this success (well they obviously do if this is the 13th time they've made this game).

 

[Sevre]

They could pull it off you know, its a long shot but they can do it

 

[Eri]

Lol. I don't buy things from sellouts.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

This is totally a great idea guys! JRPG's are doing gangbusters business! Just look at Star Oce-oh fuck.

PS: Ironically, as has been mentioned, this is what the original Final Fantasy was: a go for broke all or nothing final game before they shut their doors. No offense boys, but I don't think lightning will strike twice.

 

[AnteGravity]

Square seems to enjoy putting itself in these positions.

If they fail, it will likely be a company-altering blow, and if it proves to be worth the wait then it will be another iconic title in their pocket that will push them into the spotlight again and re-kindle their legendary status.

Lol. I don't buy things from sellouts.

...says the paperboy with the Naruto anime avatar?