What has gotten into Square Enix?

[Onyxmeth]

forevercloud3000 said:
Have you guys ever thought of it this way? SE is not supporting Sony fans, who have a much stronger SE following. We have the right to be displeased with them. And half of those at odds with SE are multiconsole owners (CGI for one) so FFXIII's MP deal means nothing to them(in the sense of it being MP). Have you ever stopped to think that SE is not pleasing ALL their fans(at least 75%,50 being PS3 and 25 from 360 and Wii) due to lackluster console debuts?

You try to dismiss my claim because I am a known Sony fan, but you cant even refute the fact that many are not in compliance with SE's actions of late.

Here we go. It all starts to unravel and the truth starts spilling out.

The first mistake you made is to assume with this quote...

"(at least 75%,50 being PS3 and 25 from 360 and Wii)"

...that Square's entire fanbase consists of console owners.

It's always been painfully obvious that Square leans heavily on the Japanese audience to measure where their gaming software is going. The recent comments about trying to attract a western audience is why the 360 and not the PS3 received three mediocre(in my opinion and seemingly yours also) RPGs. At the time the Wii had not settled it's dominance in America and the 360 was the console of choice. I wouldn't be surprised to find out some money changed hands, but the 360's western position made it all the easier to accept those funds and throw some B-level quality work at the audience to see if anything sticks.

Now let's see something really funny.

@your bolded statement: Square is not supporting Sony fans? Let me show you where you're painfully wrong.

PSP

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy I
Final Fantasy II
Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth
Star Ocean: First Departure
Star Ocean: Second Evolution
Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep
Dissidia: Final Fantasy
Parasite Eve: The 3rd Birthday
Final Fantasy Agito XIII

PS3

Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Crystal Defenders
The Last Remnant
Untitled Square Enix MMO Project

Now you'll notice there are more PSP games. Well it's been out longer and it's far more of a success in Japan than the PS3 is. More Sony fans own a PSP, so Square went where the fans are. There are 12 million Japanese PSP owners and only 3 million PS3 owners. PSP sales are continuously higher in Japan even as we speak (also worldwide). The gap will only widen. It is good business to put your games where the majority of your "Sony fans" can get them. That is obviously not the PS3.

This may come as a shock to you, but strong Japanese sales are also why the DS gets so much attention. You see Square realized in 1996 when they dumped Nintendo that fans would not necessarily stick with them, so they went with the more profitable venture. Back then it was a CD format coupled with the Sony Playstation. Now it's little UMDs and carts courtesy of two monster handhelds.

You claim to be a Square Enix fan, but no self respecting Square Enix fan I know would deprive himself of owning their primary platform, especially with how low it's entry point is. The DS is the new Playstation. It is the new Playstation 2. Sony fans are getting a really good fill though on their own handheld but ultimately Square is in bed with the DS, and those that choose to ignore that will get left behind. You bitch about Square's lack of quality all you want while still wishing for Star Ocean 4 on the PS3. I'm going to go play Valkyrie Profile on my DS.