Can Square Enix Recover?
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- Опубліковано 28 жов 2023
- A video discussing Square Enix, their current financial state, and how they can possibly recover.
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#squareenix #squaresoft #gaming #major_trenton - Ігри
"I want remakes, remakes and remakes."
And we wonder why creativity in triple a gaming is in the gutter.
Lol good point! To be clear that's if I was in charge of the company. As a consumer, I'm definitely more on board with not having remake after remake.
@@major_trenton If a company is that desperate to rely on cheap money making tactics (aside from dark paterns like loot boxes, battle passes and such... episodic releases...) then the business model and the systems it is confined in are broken and both deserve a peaceful end, not a life-support system on shoddy practices... it is disgraceful. for everyone involved.
But I guess thats the ching ching in the nutshell for you XD
Only if they go back to Sakaguchi as director
I loved the single player games published by Square, it's dad
Great video keep going 👏👏
Thank you!
I think, you misunderstanding something. FF16 didn't sell bad, actually it sold pretty well. It was prior to that that the company lost huge amount of money since only FF14 is generating good money for them currentely
I Agree. And people forgot the most important. ONLY ON PS5 plateform.
The studio literally came out saying that it didn't do well. This was after they kept claiming they did well until the investors calling happened. That's why they're now losing money and stock.
@@Cibbic Can you link me to that? I wasn't aware of it. Thanks.
@@realQuestion it's something i saw on X, I don't have X anymore. It was a post reporting the investors call thing and how they didn't make the amount they wanted. Stock was also going down. It wasn't too long ago
@Brigada91RealBriggy That's not true. FF14 is struggling to keep them afloat. FF is dying.
Immediate titles we know are coming, FF7Rebirth, FFXIV Dawntrail, Kingdom Hearts 4, and Dragon Quest 12.
Koji also teased thst CBU3 might be working on another title that isnt the next mainline FF game. There's still a lot of untapped potential left in SE creatives.
Hasn't XVI Dlc been confirmed as well?
going close to bankrupcy and it saving itself is part of its culture. its literally the conception of the FINAL fantasy. must suck to work there
I don't think it's stated enough in this video. For every "win" SquareEnix has, there's 3-4 flops. This is actually really bad because it's not like their wins are making so much that they can keep covering the cost of all their flops and cover the cost to produce and support the winning game. Triangle Strategy sold really well, but not well enough to cover the blow from Avengers or GotG or Forspoken or Outriders or Babylon's Fall, Tomb Raider, etc. Octopath 1/2 sold alright, but nowhere near enough to keep up with all the failures. Final Fantasy cannot be the only game to keep SE afloat. ( I say FF because the other two IPs, while wins, barely make enough to pull ahead of production cost)
Maybe if Square stopped pretending like Sony is the only company they wouldn't be having issues. Stop playing favoritism, it's bullshit, you are a third party developer. Release your games across all platforms so you reach as many people as you can. Not doing so has long term consequences, and they are facing those consequences now. Square has proven with their actions that they prefer short term profit, that is the only reason they accept Sony's deals. Focusing on short term profit very rarely leads to long term success.
I think that more than FF9 they should make a Chrono Trigger remake. That would take everyone by storm and it's acclaimed as one of the best RPGs of all time.
sony should buy it
Yeah by not making their major titles timed exclusive to ps5. It's obviously it's not doing them any favors.
Xbox can afford to get square but the fact that they've just acquired ABK, i don't think they would. its questionable if Sony is able to afford but like they said, theyre focused on exclusive partnership.
Ill buy 16 when on pc, of that counts for anything
Microsoft can easily afford Square.That's not the barrier for them, rather, it's the regulatory scrutiny. Activision blizzard got dicey for awhile and they wouldn't feel safe making a large move so soon.
Good video by the way.
Exactly
Not all people's play ps5 they should sell steam PC
Sony is the only buyer that makes sense - but not for the reasons that you listed, but because manga and anime are a substantial part of Square Enix's business, and Sony is the only console manufacturer that also operates within this space.
Nintendo does as well since they own Pokémon which eclipses some of those franchises. It could be argued since Sony already owns Crunchyroll that further consolidation could nearly roll them into a monopoly if they were to buy Square Enix due to Crunchyroll’s stranglehold on the market as it is.
@@ByTheStorm Pokemon is owned by three different companies. I don't know that Nintendo handles the manga and anime side of things, but if they do then it is just one (admittedly huge) thing. Square Enix is a publisher of a wide assortment of manga, and are involved with numerous anime productions (just like Sony). It is fairly obvious to see how acquiring Square Enix's manga publishing business would fit in with Sony's Japanese operations in a way that they just wouldn't with Nintendo. Nintendo doesn't want to be a publisher of lots of relatively minor mangas, and so if Nintendo were to buy Square Enix they would then have to turn around and find a buyer for Square Enix's manga business. It's not impossible, but it is a clear drawback.
I would agree that Sony has a near monopoly on anime distribution in the West (and I would not be at all unhappy if this were to be broken up), but we are talking about the ownership of Square Enix's Japanese anime interests, so their ownership of Western anime streaming is not all that relevant here, and it is especially not relevant because a lot of the time animes are funded by multiple companies, of which Square Enix is just one. And I imagine that most of the anime they are involved with are already on Crunchyroll anyway.
I would much prefer Nintendo to be the owners of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest - I think they could really turn things around for FF, and that acquisition would fit particularly well with their ownership of Monolith Soft and the Xenoblade games. I just don't see it happening tho.
@@captainthunderbolt7541I agree on the manga and anime rights Japan side to an extent. I remember (not sure if it’s true) hearing that in the business deal, Nintendo came to own the actual Pokémon, like their designs and such. So if in the case Game Freak wanted to go alone or get bought, they’d be forced to start from scratch. I sorta wish Nintendo would just get it over with and integrate Pokémon completely into their company and clean house.
The only concern I don’t like about any possible consolidation is the fact that there’s less competition and creative freedom or diversity. On the other hand? Square isn’t extremely large as an anime or manga company because the only series I know they’ve done was FullMetal Alchemist. Besides that? I just know Shonen Jump.
I’d love if Nintendo owned Final Fantasy because maybe they’d focus less on having ultra real graphics each generation to push the envelope and leave the rest to the dust. Granted? I haven’t played them since X since I don’t have a modern system and never seen the point of buying one for a few games. The newer games seem interesting, but they feel like they lack substance.
That's definitely interesting, I did not consider the anime side of things. Nintendo is definitely a possible buyer, but I agree I don't think it will get to the point where Square will actually need to sell.
@@major_trenton There is also the question of would Nintendo even want to buy them. Square Enix would be a very expensive purchase. Nintendo could for sure afford to buy them, but that money could be used to fund so many different things within the company, and their first party stuff is so strong already.
Yes
Yes yes, don't forget NieR as well!
They have old titles that are dying for remakes or just straight up rereleases on modern consoles. Parasite Eve, Chrono Trigger, and FF Tactics are no brainers. Vagrant Story is another.
They released 3 highly anticipated games, FF7R, Crisis Core and FF16. They really dropped the fucking ball[and will continue) by signing the exclusive deal with Sony cutting out PC gamers and Xbox gamers. They sold well bur when your not releasing a block buster every year of course stock prices will wane. Outside of FF games there othef games dont receive alot of praise and even some totally failures(Echos of Mana). I dont think they are hurting for money otherwise they would change there marketing tactics or release games they have on back burners(FFT HD) or are in copy right hell(Crono Trigger).
Looking at 2024, FF7R in February and the new FF14 expansion in the Spring says that SE will be just fine. No adjustments needed.
Ff7 remake lost a lot of fans when they changed the story and added time travel etc and a secret sequel...it's stupid and it turned everyone off
remakes, remakes, remakes, please stahp!!
Final Fantasy 16 isn't the only game that they screwed up on, but take a look at all previous titles and you'll see that they've done the same thing. Unfortunately if they continue to hang onto all titles that they are flunking out on, then they're just going to hang onto a bunch of games including Dragon Quest, Star Ocean, and Final Fantasy for sentimental value if they decide not sell the titles along with copyrights. Equally, selling the game titles along with copyrights to Capcom or Sony would be disastrous as whatever they make turns to dust. If they were to sell them to American game companies such as 2K or Insomniac Games, then you've got something. Both of those game companies don't focus on making their games so tough that they're unplayable. No. Games are meant to be fun and entertaining. That's something that Square Enix will never get.
Square enix just join Nintendo again
Building on your strength is one important thing, but also having a small team trying to invent new stuff is equally as important.
If Sqaure focuses too much on FF, people might get too full of it. (Not everything runs as well as Call of Duty)
Balance is key. Square simply has to stop doing nonsens decisions and concentrate on making great games instead of "how can we extract the maximum amount of money out of our customers"
Remake: All Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Parasite Eve......Tap into both the older audience and the younger audience! Nostalgia is Profit.
Do they even have any intention to get better though? They're still butting their head to the wall, thinking that westernizing their games is a good idea.
X-3?. No.
Nope, if they keep listening to ponies, they are dead.
after the merger, the new Square-Enix had its sights set on becoming one of the biggest and most versatile video game publishers in the industry, on the level of EA and Activision. as a consequence, it (along with many other Japanese publishers like Capcom) shifted its focus westward, which was good, but! it forgot what made it successful in the first place, which is very bad.
it seems in recent years SE has mostly found its footing again, but its missteps have been huge, from investing in expensive, proprietary engines that saw limited internal use and zero external adoption, to live service flops like Avengers and Babylon's Fall, to holding unrealistic financial expectations for many of its formerly owned IP like Tomb Raider.
too much trend chasing, not enough focus, refinement, and respect for its legacy.
I think if they put more of their titles on other consoles they'll see more in sales. I think a lot of ppl want the new ff7 games on switch, but Sony is playing hardball to increase sales for their Hella expensive console that doesn't have too many "must have" games.
I'm almost certain the hardware is the issue for not porting the new ff7 to switch.
First of all Sony does not own Square Enix, Square Enix just signs an exclusivity deal with Sony which is usually time limited and then released on PC. Switch is also the worst offender of "playing hardball" they have zero room to complain. Most games on switch are exclusive with the majority that are not exclusive being old games that are ported to switch and then sold at full AAA price ($60-$70usd). The switch's price to performance is also abysmal, $300 for 10 yr old tech.
"doesn't have too many "must have" games." That is completely subjective.
Did you not see the mortal Kombat port to switch. And you think ff7r will play on switch?
I'm sorry unless you are ok with a shitty inferior version, ff7r will not be going to switch. It would make more sense to send it to xbox for profit and pc immediately but with the exclusivity Sony has on it hurts square greatly along with its insanely poor business decisions.
They need to make a horny gacha lol
Gone days when FF games sold 5-10 mill on launch because of EXCLUSIVTY bullshits for sony that's why they are in this position overall 3 final fantasy games and all exclusive in 1 year...
Well for starters stop making big budget exclusive games, and making your lesser titles multi platform. That’s an ass backwards strategy. Which actually worked if SE was looking to fail. Since TES came to consoles final fantasy has lost a lot of popularity. I have a knack for these things and I strongly believe that SE needs to go back, yes, back to final fantasy 15 and finish the story. I just find it so strange that SE made 2 unnecessary and unwanted sequels to final fantasy 13 but dropped 15 like a bag of bricks. The story is not complete! Fans of Versus waited 10 years just to get this game and SE dropped the ball big time. Call me crazy but I don’t think things will get better until they finish that game, give us the full story. They can easily get it done, no remake just a $10-$20 dlc, or possibly free. It’ll be the episode noctis that we never got. New location, new magic and gameplay. Multiple endings depending upon your choices. Since noct can time travel a bit, have him time travel to when insomnia was attacked. He’ll have a chance to save his father, and if he’s successful or not will lead him down a branching path. However knowing SE they probably won’t do that.
I hope not, they deserve to go under for forgetting their roots and making trashy boring "action rpgs"
No
Recover from what? FFXVI is a big success, seeing that it is a ps5 exclusive for now and sold pretty well since it's out for a single console only. FFVII Remake sold a lot, and Rebirth will too, the quality looks top tier. FFXIV is the best mmorpg out there, with a lot of profit from it's subs and game shop. FFVII Ever Crisis and Octapath gachas are pretty solid too.
@athreous7332 That's an overstatement. A lot of people didn't like the game and SE came out and said it didn't meet their expectations. Final Fantasy unfortunately is a dying franchise.
I'm no business guru like you, but I have to disagree: If they continue to rely on remakes, remasters, spin-offs and such, (which is just milking dead cashcows) I hope they finally leave the gaming business with a bit of dignity left. Surviving and almost only serving re-iteration has little to no value. (But that's maybe just me)...
That's what I have been kinda hoping (against better knowledge) squaresoft would do ever since it became Sqweenix... but one is allowed to dream.
Thanks for thinking I'm a business guru lol. Just to be clear, as a fan and consumer, I do not want endless remakes and remasters. But as a business model, it's lucrative when done well. 7Remake is over 7M sold now. Capcom statistics also don't lie: RE4 Remake is over 5M sold, RE2 Remake and Monster Hunter Rise is over 13M, etc. Remake or not, if it is an excellent game, then many gamers will pay for it.
@@major_trenton I know, both of it - the first one was kinda of a joke. That it is easy money, is known. (insert GoT meme here)
And sure, newer generations should be able to (kinda) enjoy the arts of the past with remakes (if really necessary) ... or just remasters or heck plain ports.
(yes, I'm that guy who doesn't change the art and leaves it as it was, just bring it to the newer consoles - by far the easiest option in terms of money. You wouldn't "update" the Mona Lisa to look like [insert current sex symbol here] so the newer generations can enjoy it, and if you don't "update" it assume they wouldn't "enjoy" it somehow... people aren't that inept, but are made believe to be and unable to adapt to "older" art. sad!)
If everything fails: just release the source and let the fanboys make their own fanfics before the IP is lost to time XD
Just no spinoffs, prequels, sequels, remixes, reimaginings (Disney, looking at you...) leave something for the imagination, while we still have some.
What I actually always envisioned for over 20 years was a SNES-styled demake, similar to Trials of Mana (turns out, my idea of making it an Action RPG found its way in the "remake" XD)
Final fantasy games it's getting sucks, except ff7 they should invest in profit game not games get them into bankruptcy
Square-Enix has been on a downward slope. Don't get me wrong. Final Fantasy XVI was a really solid game but the problem at hand is everything else.
Over the past few months, they have had flop after flop. Here are a few examples.
- Many of their Marvel related games didn't meet sales expectations such as Marvel's Avengers & Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Forspoken bombed and it led to Luminous Productions shutting down.
- Babylon's Fall died less than a year after its release.
- Their lack of promotion towards games that needed it such as NEO: TWEWY. That game suffered due to lack of promotion.
- Their obsession towards NFTs, Crypto and Blockchain. So much so that they sold off all their western developers to Embracer Group for $300 million. That was a bad sign.
I can go on and on because let's just say that Square-Enix is on borrowed time. It's not a matter of if it'll happen, it's when. I just wish that SE had a nice big serving of humble pie. That and they do nothing for Dragon Quest. As a fan, I am pissed.
If I was in charge of Square-Enix, here's what I would do.
- Have modern ports of Dragon Quest IV through IX and have them be done with love and care.
- Work on an official localization of Dragon Quest X so that it can finally come over to the West.
- Build relationships with Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft to ensure that more games can come for more players.
- Work on providing some improvements to the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters by including the bonus content from previous versions.
- Abandon NFTs, crypto and blockchain completely.
- Have teams work on new games but as stated earlier, have it be done with love and care.
Yeah. It's a bit much.
I think the problem with Square's finances can be traced back to when they decided that Tifa's titties should be huge instead of GIGANTIC. If they had only taken the time to upgrade her chest to legendary proportions none of these financial woes would have happened.
>FF14 new expansion next summer
>FF7R episode coming soon
Please dont believe everything you read on the internet as true. If they were down 2bil, the stocks would show it.
Thanks for mentioning the FF14 expansion, I should have included that!
lol go look at the yearly performance of the stock, its down by -33%, this video only mentions the stock price over a few weeks since some article
Did you speak of Star Ocean and Dragon Quest like Square *ENIX* is a mere publisher? You don't even know this company you presumably likes...