| Soriku said: @Onyx Yeah...but console games take a lot to develop than handheld games. Plus the handhelds have been out longer. |
Exactly my point. Take Star Ocean for instance. Let's say it'll cost 20 million to make Star Ocean. How many DS games could be made for the same amount? Maybe 5 games? Now what sounds like the better investment for Square? 5 DS games on a 70 million + userbase or 1 360 game on a 20 million + userbase? You can even apply this to the Wii to a lesser extent. For the cost of one Wii RPG, Square might be able to make 3 DS RPGs. What's the better way to go? This is why the DS is going to stay their primary platform for releases, both in quantity, quality and coming soon...popularity. Just you watch as Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts end up as DS games. Don't say never, because three years ago we would have all said the same thing about Dragon Quest IX.
Handhelds have changed and can now sustain main series on their own that used to belong on consoles. Syphon Filter, Final Fantasy Tactics, WipeOut, Valkyrie Profile, Front Mission, Castlevania, Contra, Dragon Quest, Ape Escape, and the list will grow in time. DS games can sell past 10 million without bundling. Even damn close to shovelware can massively succeed on the DS. The DS has built franchises and genres from scratch. Brain Age. Nintendogs. The DS has turned a modestly popular franchise like Animal Crossing and made it a juggernaut. Do you think Square is oblivious to what the DS can offer them?
Final Fantasy III=2.21 million copies sold. How big do you think that budget was? 2 million?
Dragon Quest Monsters=1.88 million sold. This is a spinoff! How big do you think the budget was on that?
Even if a Wii, 360, or PS3 game can match the sales Square can get on the DS, they can't match how much of that is profit.
Tag: Became a freaking mod and a complete douche, coincidentally, at the same time.
