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Soundwave on 14 March 2024
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Chazore said:
Soundwave said:

I think it's coming out now because they have a new president just recently put into the job now. His first order of business was probably "fuck, we have to get some of these games on other platforms guys, we can't keep operating like this". FFXIV he could do, FF16/7 Remakes were probably tied up by exclusivity contracts up the rear end before he became president so there's probably not much he can do with that. 

I think even Phil Spencer alluded to that, that they were happy to have Square-Enix helping them again and they weren't going to push them to have to do something that they knew was tied up by pre-existing contracts. 

I do buy that logic, because to me it makes sense. A new president also can involve a new set of strats to employ, but also a new mindset to adopt, and that mindset now seems to involve them trying to spread out across the platforms more often, much like how Sony and MS have been doing in regards to reaching PC more often now than they were 10yrs ago. 

SE just needs to lay off the exclusivity crack for 5 seconds to realise that 1 years isn't really worth it, nor 6 months, because you still have to pay for more marketing for those other platforms (that marketing for FF XIV Xbox wasn't free, but SE will never tell us how much that campaign cost to make and put out), as well as trying to actually incentivise the platform they've ignored for a time to actually buy their game for their asking price (which is a hard sell to ask for when you're coming in a year later and still asking for £60-70, when your competition is busy releasing brand new games, and the AA/indie market have cheaper alternatives).

The remakes were likely as you said, last remnants of a previous binding contract, so we'll see what happens going forward after Rebirth Pt 3 and when 17 eventually comes about. I do think SE would better benefit by extending itself to as many platforms as possible, because even if one of the platforms sells slightly less, the others can make up for it, instead of them betting on just Sony, and PC a year later, then complaining their forecast didn't line up to expectations.

The reason why I'd push for multiplat day 1 releases, instead of 1 plat per year basis, is because I focus on the long-term goals, not the short term, because short term could dry up in months, if not a year and then you're up shit creek. One of my E-business professors taught me that long-term sustainability is more important than short term contracts, because the short term can easily leave you with zero options or simply dry out in shorter time, leaving you more venerable to negative impacts that could last years (which is also why we're seeing buyouts of companies that made poor short term decisions, that left them negatively impacted and thus worth little value and little to output with to sustain their independence). 

I think it's also just a changing market. Square-Enix would be right ... 25 years ago maybe. 

Back then 2nd/3rd party exclusives that were impressive were treated like "wow! this game is amazing! I have to buy a N64/PS1/PS2/Dreamcast/whatever now!"

Saw that many times literally in person, I think no less than 3 of my buddies owned a Playstation 1 but bought an N64 after playing GoldenEye 007 at my place. I know a few people who bought a Dreamcast after seeing Soul Calibur, some people who had an N64 but bought a PS1 for FF7, etc. etc. etc.

But it seems like today that attitude has changed from

"Wow! I will buy a 2nd console for sure! This game is awesome!"

to

"Fuck you, I'm not buying your game period and I'm now not even interested in your IP, I'll just play something else."

lol. Felt that kind of energy around Starfield as well. If you're not going to offer your product on the platform the player is at, they're not going to give you the time of day any more.