Square Enix Wants a New Final Fantasy Every Year

[DarkRyter]

Every studio wants to do that, Square.
It's just that Ubisoft and Activision have money to do that.

You need start makin dat paper before you be rollin big, naw'mean? "Gotta start workin dem streets, befo you be buildin dem streets." Emily Dickinson said dat, and dat ***** was smart or some shit.

 

[AugustFall]

For the love of god. I know you guys are in a hole financially but you need a good game. Not sequels (Seriously, the VII stuff I get but we didn't need a 10-2 or a 13-2)and not more frequently.
Please release another good Final Fantasy that doesn't stick to the style of 10 through 13. It was fine for 10 because it was new but it's gotten super old now and you even ruined Ivalice with it. Ivalice was amazing and awesome when it was straight up Knights and Wizards fantasy with a Final Fantasy twist a la FFT. The appeal of FF has always been new worlds and universes so stop rehashing the same themes and art style.

This is my personal opinion of the FF series, sorry if you disagree, that's fine as your opinion is just as valid as mine.

 

[Lt. Vinciti]

You can churn out a film every year?

/sarcasm

How about making a good Final Fantasy game...
ZOMGREMAKEFF7! <-- Also /sarcasm

 

[DirgeNovak]

OMFG. How can Kitase know so little about his own fucking franchise? A new Final Fantasy means an entirely new universe, not just continuing the same story with the same characters. It's almost like creating a new IP with every installment. And you simply can't create a new AAA IP in one year nowadays.

My love for Final Fantasy is already wavering, please don't put the final nail in the coffin with this kind of bullshit.

Unless he means a spin-off of sorts every year between each main installment. Which I could be fine with.

 

[Revnak_v1legacy]

Every two years would be good enough. Just stop wasting your teams on direct sequels, which will inevitably make less money than a major installment, and you should be fine.

Direct sequels cost alot less since they re-use the resources.

I was going to include something about just reusing the engine once or twice as well, but I didn't. That would be my solution to that problem, reuse an engine for once, there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[twaddle]

And yet Versus XIII still remains almost totally under wraps.

the damn thing has been in development for almost as many years as its roman numerals

 

[Epona]

OMFG. How can Kitase know so little about his own fucking franchise? A new Final Fantasy means an entirely new universe, not just continuing the same story with the same characters. It's almost like creating a new IP with every installment. And you simply can't create a new AAA IP in one year nowadays.

When it comes between you and Kitase and who has the most knowledge of the Final Fantasy series, I'm gonna go with Kitase. You understand, yeah?

 

[Genixma]

Fine release a new FF every year go ahead. Just follow the Jimquisition's suggestions when doing so.

Spoiler: if you haven't seen it yet

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/jimquisition/3700-Two-Rules-For-Square-Enix

 

[Fanfic_warper]

I have mixed feelings on this....the last Final Fantasy I got was XIII and it was awesome, before that, the last square enix game I got was the World Ends With You....Now while I'd love it if they JUST released a game every year, I'm afraid in particular, a new final Fantasy every year, will just squeeze my ever loved franchise dry in probably the next two years. I'd rather it be every other year and allow for some new talent to come up and give us stuff that could be as potentially awesome as TWEWY was without being Final Fantasy...that and it would probably hinder the development of Kingdom Hearts 3, which by now isn't going to be their greatest piece of work ever, will probably incite mass riot.

 

[ChildofGallifrey]

I'll tell you what they need to do, leave Final Fantasy alone and work on these damn games instead.

2. Another Chrono trigger or Chrono Cross

YES!! Thank you! Come on Squeenix! Where's my damn Chrono Break already?? How much money did you make on the DS and VC releases of Chrono Trigger? Don't you want some more of that? Yeah, you do. We all know you do.

Also, Vs. XIII now yes please?

 

[Epona]

I'll tell you what they need to do, leave Final Fantasy alone and work on these damn games instead.

2. Another Chrono trigger or Chrono Cross

YES!! Thank you! Come on Squeenix! Where's my damn Chrono Break already?? How much money did you make on the DS and VC releases of Chrono Trigger? Don't you want some more of that? Yeah, you do. We all know you do.

Also, Vs. XIII now yes please?

Also Chrono Cross was released on PSN 2 weeks ago.

 

[Flailing Escapist]

No no no, good games do not come out a year apart! When has that ever happened? There was what, 2 or 3 years between Assassin's Creed 1 and 2? Then 3 came out a year later and made virtually no impovements and lacked in story. A new Call of Duty comes out every year and where the multiplayer (usually) steadily improves with each new release the single player is always too shallow and linear for me.

You would need to already have an established game engine (or whatever I just play games) that you weren't going to change or upgrade every year, you'd have to re-use locations and settings and you'd probably have to be making sequals if you could even consider releasing good, new games every year (or an unbelievable amount of money and people working on it).

Just because Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed does it doesn't mean its a good idea. But hey, movies only take about a year or less to make so if any one could pull it off Final Fantasy could.

Innovation! We (and when I say we I mean me) want innovation please!

 

[Kirosilence]

Let's not forget, during the franchises peak, they were putting out games that quickly. Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9 and 10 all came out in a 4 year period. 7 came out in Sep 1997 and 10 came out in Dec 2001. Taking so long between titles (MMO's notwithstanding) has hurt them.

During this period they worked largely on the same engine, and design software. They had to rewrite it for FFXII, and FFXIII, which cause an extensively longer design cycle and less actual work on the games. If I remember correctly they recently signed a deal with Unreal, which means they will again be working with similar engines and tools, conceivably over a multiple game period, leading to faster development times, and more engaging content.

So I find this to be a possible good. Square has destroyed the franchise in my opinion, and if they can return to those amazing roots, making great games like Final Fantasy VI, there may be hope yet..

I mean Sonic Generations was good after all, nobody saw that coming! It is possible!

 

[Strife2GFAQs]

*sticks fingers in ears*

lalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalalaiseenothinghearnothinglalalalalalalalala

XII was the first FF where I couldn't finish the second (and third) playthroughs, XIII was the first I didn't buy nor bother finishing...now I just wonder how these guys stay in business. They were going stir crazy long before the tsunami, and this is the proof. To think this same company has yet to ruin DQ.

 

[VondeVon]

but what do Final Fantasy fans really want: consistency or innovation?

Well seeing as they're failing at innovation, I'll take the consistency.

Seriously, better odds of there being something enjoyable.

 

[Something Amyss]

If they can't up the quality of the games and bring something new to the table, all they are going to do is drive their most profitable brand into the ground. But hey, maybe being under a tight schedule will force them to innovate and change things up. Or maybe not. We shall see.

They'll sell like hotcakes. It's Final Fantasy. they'll get 50,000,000 pre-orders a year.

 

[Treblaine]

"When you think of Western triple A titles like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Assassin's Creed, they seem to work with a lot shorter turnaround - they make a new game in 1-2 years. That is something we need to follow up, because that seems to be the best way to keep our fans interested and attracted to the franchise."

What Specious logic, that's just vague association that doesn't look at the bigger picture of COD's success:

-The first it the (modern warfare) series was a VERY good game that drew a lot of people in just as the HD consoles get picking up steam.
-FUN: being a First-Person Shooter in modern military setting has wide appeal (look at dip in fortunes with WaW)
-ADDICTIVE: Using LIGHT rpg mechanics to keep people hooked, like levelling up and limited character customisation (perks)
-Network effect of an online multiplayer that is so fun and addictive with XBL fee encouraging much play to "get money's worth"
-DEPTH: of gameplay that there is a reason for people to make an watch youtube videos about how to best play the game, community
-CONTROLS: are the best on consoles with high framerate and sweet aim-assist in combo with sights-aiming

Then and only then does the Annual Releases tactic become a business strategy that can lead to the huge success and only because you have two rather good studios who are ONLY working to improve on a proven formula, NOT try to revolutionise the game every chance they get.

I think far more fitting is a 3 year dev schedule with episodic content in between.

 

[Sucal]

Personally if they are going to be influenced by any type of western game or developer, it should be skyrim. You know, bring back the old exploration and knight errant style questing things that made earlier games good, rather then relying on turning it into a quick time event filled movie.

Or stop working on 5 ff games at once and actually finish one. What ever happened to the other Crystal based games meant to come out last year?

Heck, even take a page from Eidos and Just Cause 2, considering I'm fairly sure Rico made more money for you then Lightning.

 

[Whyso]

i'm hoping this doesn't get in the way of KH3 and/or thi4f

is thief 4 out yet?

 

[Epona]

Let's not forget, during the franchises peak, they were putting out games that quickly. Final Fantasy 7, 8, 9 and 10 all came out in a 4 year period. 7 came out in Sep 1997 and 10 came out in Dec 2001. Taking so long between titles (MMO's notwithstanding) has hurt them.

During this period they worked largely on the same engine, and design software. They had to rewrite it for FFXII, and FFXIII, which cause an extensively longer design cycle and less actual work on the games. If I remember correctly they recently signed a deal with Unreal, which means they will again be working with similar engines and tools, conceivably over a multiple game period, leading to faster development times, and more engaging content.

So I find this to be a possible good. Square has destroyed the franchise in my opinion, and if they can return to those amazing roots, making great games like Final Fantasy VI, there may be hope yet..

I mean Sonic Generations was good after all, nobody saw that coming! It is possible!

They could get around that new engine problem by hiring a team to spend 3 years working on a new engine while they continue to make games on an old engine. Did they really make Final Fantasy X (a stunning PS2 game) on the same engine as Final Fantasy VII (a badly aged PS1 game)? It doesn't look like it and yet FF 10 was in that 4 year period I listed.