Simply put it is bad business model to pay a consumer profit orientated production company money for production. Often this leads to an un/minimal profitible company. While many of the larger software companies do profit from there own sales many smaller companies tend to become relient on a major publication house to continue operation. Resulting that there company is surviving on hand outs. Companies like this end up producing continuations to their original idea or stuff the larger company makes. Often these smaller companies end up being forced to close shop, creative staff leaving, or just shutting down.
Ensemble Studios made great games, but are an example that they exist living on the handout of MS to directly produce games for their publishers. Some companies start making profitble profit and are purchased out. Bungie made Halo, but Halo didn't make money for Bungie. Though they probably recieved a percentage. That's why Bungie given the oppertunity managed to get themselves out of the trap.
Now companies like SE are another matter. They do produce and publish their own games. The problem with SE is that they produce one of the more expensive model of game developement. Cinematic orientated games stand at the top of developement costs and length of time. SE is all about these. That's why they merged with each other. Alone they could not produce enough games to support their business model. The gaps between release were impacting them strongly. This is why SE has used the DS as a remake console. It allows continous income to produce their new larger games. These remakes have ALOT less production values. Most of it's already done. Just need an art upgrade and port. Some of you may remember the attempt that SE wanted to buy out a more action game company. There were jokes about these games going to RPG version. Well that's incorrect. They didn't want the IP for RPGS, they needed easily and quickly made games to support their high tier game developement.
What this comes down to is that while FF13(HD), Versus(PS3) and FFCB(Wii/DS) will make money in the end. They are a draw on current resources. So they accept money to offset the development costs. This in business is a sustaining. Sustaining in the end leads to decline. The next FF14 will cost even more production in both time and money. The problem is that profit does not go up. Profit goes up by increase number of consumers. So if consumers are not increasing and production cost and drain is. When does it become not profitable. Well that's when the money hatting comes into play. Even this has it's limit. When does the money handouts become not enough. Well that's when things have to change. If it doesn't the money hand outs stop and the company goes under. if they are lucky they can hold off creditors and try to produce a revival game. In the end the actions that SE are displaying seem to be along the lines of sustaining and trying to stay afloat. FF13, Versus are assumed will sell the vast amounts. It's a gamble inspite of the current trend of consumers.
We can blame Nintendo for not loving it's customers and not paying out to others, but that's not true. It maybe hard to believe, but this is the better route for companies for the long duration. It forces effeincy, smart descisions and companies to stand on their own. Parent can't hold the hands of kids forever. They have to be self suffecient some day.
FFCB, will come out in some form if it's profitable. In the mean time expect ports to sustain and bring income sot hat they can come out.
Squilliam: On Vgcharts its a commonly accepted practice to twist the bounds of plausibility in order to support your argument or agenda so I think its pretty cool that this gives me the precedent to say whatever I damn well please.
