Back in the Playstation days they were still establishing themselves and where their future style would go. They were building their reputation using the added CD technology and they did so in the safe userbase of Sony's systems. Now that they have established their credibility however, they realize that growing time is over. They are much more concerned about turning a profit and likewise you are going to see them make decisions that resemble business moves such as making spin offs, waiting to see which console to support, promising exclusives then delaying and then canceling the exclusivity, testing the waters of a new system and its userbase, etc. It iisn't about making the next huge perfect project to establish a reputation other than to sustain the one that they have, it is about what they can do with what they have.
While doing all of this, they may loose sight of many of the things that their fans loved about them in the past but they will still retain enough qualities to keep their image. This process will also encourage old talent to leave. Companies really do evolve and grow up in many ways just like people do, for the better or for the worse.
So Sony/Square fans of old shouldn't expect much in terms of loyalty anymore. SquareEnix doesn't need it. It's a pretty tough time if you are a fan of both.