Square-Enix exec: Long console cycle drove devs to mobile platforms

Food for thought.

Jonah Falcon

I doubt it. The more likely reason is that the amount of smartphone users is rapidly increasing, and the large amount of studio closures during the last few years made developers realize that they need to start creating games with a more practical scope. A good example is Petroglyph: the only big game they're working on nowadays is End of Nations, and yet Trion Worlds is slowly taking over that project. Everything else Petro made recently is just small downloadable games or apps.

Well, the 3DS and Vita sales were also pretty pale. Meanwhile, Infinity Blade raked in a lot of cash for Epic.

Yeah, Epic says that IB is probably the most profitable game ever for them...which is interesting...

Although 3DS sales is actually pretty good (surpass even 1st year DS sales)...it's just that it's a loss leader right now...

edited 11th Jul '12 5:10:36 AM by onyhow

Give me cute or give me...something?

This just makes me think of Dragon Quest on a smart phone. Is that a thing yet? If it's not it needs to be. You people and your cellphone games...I KNOW NOTHING OF THEM. Save that Angry Birds is apparently a thing. I still don't know what that game is...

edited 11th Jul '12 5:40:45 AM by Aondeug

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

^ Dragon Quest not yet...Final Fantasy? Heck yeah...(1-3, Tactics)...also Secret Of Mana...

Give me cute or give me...something?

I think there's a decent amount of truth to the original claim. Its just, the real problem was the development cycle growing impossibly long *at Square-Enix*. I don't think it was just standard industry-wide trends that hit them, I think they suffered from ( and are likely still suffering from ) some kind of internal structural problem. They used to be able to put a new Final Fantasy title out every two years or so, by having two rotating teams. Somewhere along the line, that seems to have fallen apart.

Home of CBR Rumbles-in-Exile: rumbles.fr.yuku.com

God dammit, Squeenix. Get your good franchise on the smartphones...

If someone wants to accuse us of eating coconut shells, then that's their business. We know what we're doing. - Achaan Chah

The full interview with Julien Merceron.

Square Enix will also move away from any large-scale internal development. I think it's a good decision.

Fantastic Supreme Überkaiser Emperor Folt of The Infinity and Beyond" ... "The First"!

I guess that mean's we'll never see Versus or KH 3 at this point now....

What makes you say that? They didn't say they're cancelling those...

Give me cute or give me...something?

They're still taking their sweet old time.

Heck, Kingdom Hearts 3 isn't really even official I think yet. For all we know it may just end up being another 3DS game.

Move away does not mean cease completely just yet. It probably just means anything other than those two and maybe Dragon Quest will be done by someone else. In fact I was under the impression some of the more recent Kingdom Hearts games were being made by a different team. They could still make KH 3.

Nope. Nomura has said it's time for KH to get back to the consoles and that it will be the next game in the series. The reason it's not out yet is because the KH team has been making Versus this entire time.

edited 12th Jul '12 8:28:43 AM by Kostya

They are going to have one serious problem with the plot, though. A lot of folks, myself included, have not played any of the handheld games, and from what I understand there's actually quite a lot of important plot information in them. Trying to catch up and explain all that's happened in a single game without making it sloppy won't be easy.

The newest game for the 3DS has a feature that allows you to read up on the stories of other games in the series, presumably 3 will have something similar. It's not ideal but it should help somewhat.

edited 12th Jul '12 8:53:57 AM by Kostya

you believe next kingdom heart is in console? LOL

i believe when i see it

Nomura said so. The only question is which console. I think it will be on a Sony home console, but if not, Nintendo.

Then again, Nomura tends to twist the truth a bit to suit him...

Fantastic Supreme Überkaiser Emperor Folt of The Infinity and Beyond" ... "The First"!

Nomura said that he wants to make Kh3, and that he wants it to be on a console.

He also said that he can't start development because the only Console Action RPG team in Square Enix is busy with Versus XIII.

Whether Kh3 is the "next game" however is a different issue entirely.

edited 12th Jul '12 9:45:16 AM by unnoun

You say that like it's a bad thing.

People aren't as awful as the internet makes them out to be.

You say that like it's a good thing.

Welcome to th:|

yeah pretty much. there is no denying that KH 3 is for home console. but is it next KH?

edited 12th Jul '12 6:00:05 PM by rrw

There, fixed.

I'm reading this because it's interesting. I think. Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, over.

Versus 13? Yeah. It's very very obvious on how the KH team is working on it. I mean, look at the real time battle team of three and the fire magic. Don't tell me that fire magic from the 2011 trailer didn't remind you of KH 2!

On topic: Square-Enix exec is like a frog in a well, much like other bigshots who've never put a foot on other places. That's how they can make such short-reaching statements

What profit is it to a man, when he gains his money, but loses his internet? Anonymous 16:26 I believe...