Wyrdness said:
IcaroRibeiro said: I have no doubt XVI will be released on PC eventually, your fake concern about sales is baseless. PC release came 2 years after console release, and it still sold a lot on PC. XV came out 7 years after XIII, just like XVI came out 7 years after XV, I don't know how is this exactly relevant to the discussion XIV has a big and active userbase and keep getting awards on yearly basis, whatever bitter taste it left on launch it's now far gone. If anything XIV is the biggest Square success this decade, maybe their biggest ever. No wonder why they deployed XIV team to create XVI, and the results was a much more smooth development cycle compared to XV You seem to have a very Fordist mind. Not everyone wants to release games made only to sell. In the same way not everybody wants to only release super hero movies. Sure, development costs are huge that's why what they can do is still limited as the game need to be at least commercialy appealing, but so far I can't say FF is flopping, far from that. You basically wants the only AAA IP who can dares to experiment in every entry to start being more of the same. For what reason? What has the industry or anyone to gain with turning FF a new RPG commodity? A few more sales to brag about on forums? If anything, you should be happy because even if you hate a FF entry there are chances that you will like the next one, because they are so different from each other |
Not sure your point on PC as that backs the point of being multiplatform, not everyone makes things only to sell but ultimately that is the defining factor in a series sustaining itself this isn't Fordist it's acknowledging aspects of reality in the long run. You miss the point with the named games it highlights the inconsistency that crops up when the is no identity guiding direction, identity doesn't equate to more of the same it equates to being more focused which helps consistency. FF being an Rpg commodity would be an improvement tbh and help the industry by helping push the genre like it did before. |
I said I was sure about the PC release to drive bigger sales in the long run, so sales decreasing now compared to XV aren't really a trouble unless the PC version comes out.
As far I am concerned the series are very sustainable, XV was the best selling JRPG last gen, and XVI has a chance to repeat it (although Persona 6 or Dragon Quest XII can be a contender, I would love to see any of them reaching 10 million).
I don't agree with your point about FF turning into a commodity for massification, in handsight for FF to sell as much as other IPs it would to drastically changes the gameplay because I can't see a story focused single player games selling like Monster Hunter of The Witcher. I'm totally okay if they want to turn FF into a, let's say, Elden Ring, but only if they do it in a conscious way instead of a desperate attempt to sell more copies
Nonetheless, there is already a mass market product on FF franchise, which is FF XIV. It's perfectly appealing. It's a MMO with focus on multiplayer while it keep many if the single player games aspects as you can finish every main season by yourself in few weeks and then just wait for the next update. It has a massive world and overall is just much more suited for making money.
I understand and respect you want FF to find a formula and stick to it, it's your right. I'm just glad Square is not stepping back. We already have too many franchises that goes to the path (and I'm a fan of many of them), meanwhile we have a shortage of IPs who do the opposite, so I hope FF never change their design Philosophy