General Gaming Imran Khan: Square Enix "slightly panicking" over Final Fantasy XVI pre-orders, tracking below Final Fantasy XV

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

From Imran's Pateron newsletter:

 

Everything Everywhere Once A Week (6/02/2023) | Patreon

WWW.PATREON.COM

---

Official Post from Imran Khan

 

Quote

In what may be one of the oddest Q&A-style updates on a game I’ve seen from a major publisher in some time, Square Enix tweeted today with a reminder that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth development is still progressing and they’re working on committing to a release date — likely still within the initial window of “winter.”

 

I bring this up because I had heard recently that Square Enix is panicking slightly over Final Fantasy XVI preorder numbers, which are tracking behind FFXV even accounting for the lesser number of launching platforms. Granted, those are pre-order numbers and they’re usually only useful to gauge guaranteed day-one sales (versus potential day-one sales), so the actual number could blow everyone away. But with the current tracking, I wonder if they want to remind people the next chapter of Final Fantasy VII’s remake trilogy exists and give it more marketing time than they had planned.

 

The initial sales of Remake were quite good, but it slowed down faster than Square Enix seemed to expect, so I imagine they really want Rebirth to sell as well as possible. Well, of course they do, but I imagine they’re really, really hoping for an uptick in sales.

 

A listing for the demo just appeared on the PS Store, so that should provide a sales boost when it releases in about a week...or at least that's what I'm sure SE is hoping for.

 

Final Fantasy 16 Demo Spotted on PS Store

WWW.PUSHSQUARE.COM

---

It's almost time - The long-promised playable demo for Final Fantasy XVI will obviously have to release in the near future...

 

[Bacon]

It if wasn't for the fact I really enjoy FF14, I'd probably be staying away from this game. I am excited to play through the story of this game, but nothing really is wowing me visually or gameplay-wise. And, there are a fair number of people who dislike like 15, and at a glance, this looks like an FF in the style of 15, imo. Cuz like, despite what YP says, this isn't the first ARPG FF.

 

Also, they don't have a giga cool trailer like these and you need really cool trailers

 

Should've had one of those for FF16 and you'd see some sales for sure.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

It ain't for lack of gaming media exposure either.

 

ANOTHER extensive set of previews (supposedly the "final" round) was released just a few days ago.  It genuinely seems like we've gotten four or five rounds of extensive previews since the beginning of the year.

[Xbob42]

Maybe if you want it to sell better you should put it on more platforms you shit slurpers.

[Bacon]

I also wonder how many people are like, "I don't want FF16, I want FF7R2!"

 

Again, I feel like a major selling point has been the team behind FF16, and if you don't play FF14, you don't care. Also, giant monster fights as a selling point seem pretty hit or miss. I feel like the Eikon battles, even if you think they look cool, aren't what you play FF for. It seems to me that most people rather be the little guy fighting the big bad monster rather than becoming monster-sized.

[Dodger]

I just don’t care about these games anymore.

[ThreePi]

Its hard to get excited about action-RPG Final Fantasy games. Its a move designed to make the game more appealing to a larger audience, but I just don't think it works.

[Keyser_Soze]

Everything surrounding the game sounds like "no fun allowed" in a series that has been mostly lighthearted in nature.

[Keyser_Soze]

14 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

It ain't for lack of gaming media exposure either.

 

Deathloop syndrome. People are tired of seeing it already.

[crispy4000]

I don’t think it going action is the hold up.  It’s a FF set in a less technologically advanced time, with castles and such.  But without the old school charm.

 

Square has to convince us this is the style of FF we’ve been wanting for.  And that Summons are still exciting.

[Bacon]

I wouldn't be surprised if SE is just wrong in what sells.

 

If this was a turned-based RPG, I wonder how many people would be interested. Didn't DQXI do well? Every time YP talks about what kind of game they are making with FF16, I just feel like they are horribly pitching the game. Almost like a "do you guys not have phones?" moment. You can smell the desperation to sell the product.

[Keyser_Soze]

6 minutes ago, Bacon said:

I wouldn't be surprised if SE is just wrong in what sells.

 

That's no surprise. You're talking about the people bringing out bootleg Splatoon and investing in NFT games.

[Bacon]

This all said, I know streamers are looking forward to the game which may help if the game is good. Maximilian_DOOD, MOONMOON, Asmongold, and pretty much every FF14 streamer seem like they are intending to play the game on their stream. I have no idea how that kind of exposure helps a game, but if streamers get it early, please god no, it could give a last-minute boost.

[Bacon]

3 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

bootleg Splatoon

 

minus the art, it seems like a more interesting game mechanically with how the foam works IMO

 

lol, never gonna play it, but still

[Bacon]

Also, has changing a series like this ever worked? I'm not saying there aren't any, but I can't recall any off the top of my head.

 

Well, I suppose it might have for Resident Evil, but First Person RE is just a good horror game and it would have sold even if it wasn't called RE7.

 

[Xbob42]

I dunno, the shame they feel around turn-based combat feels like they took the memes and/or opinions of people who never liked turn-based combat to begin with and made them think that it's easy to make action games. And so far, they've at the absolute best made a single "okay" action RPG in FF7R, and I feel like it only gets that far because of presentation, production values and how bad their previous efforts were.

[Keyser_Soze]

2 minutes ago, Bacon said:

Also, has changing a series like this ever worked? I'm not saying there aren't any, but I can't recall any off the top of my head.

 

Fortnite

 

[Keyser_Soze]

1 minute ago, Xbob42 said:

I dunno, the shame they feel around turn-based combat feels like they took the memes and/or opinions of people who never liked turn-based combat to begin with and made them think that it's easy to make action games. And so far, they've at the absolute best made a single "okay" action RPG in FF7R, and I feel like it only gets that far because of presentation, production values and how bad their previous efforts were.

 

They maybe should look at the success of Honkai. It's a turn based RPG, very colorful, futuristic. Totally the opposite of the direction Final Fantasy has taken.

 

But it's not boring turn based. You literally do your ultimate like every 3 attacks.

[Xbob42]

I mean Bravely Default, another Square game, already nailed how to make exciting, strategic and fun turn-based combat without having to rely on stuff like doing ultimates or whatever. But as usual, Square Enix's best ideas are consumed on their lower-effort, non-flagship titles.

(They also fucked it up with Bravely Default 2, since each character takes their turn as you input an action, so you can't line up a barrage of attacks that wipe out the enemy before they ever get to move... or result in you not killing the enemy and spending several turns getting your ass beat if you're not quite the tactician you thought you were.)

[stepee]

lol yeah I can’t help but laugh at this when they do the delayed pc release going you buy it twice thing - and I know they released something saying that they need to focus on the ps5 version first but also thats bullshit 

[Keyser_Soze]

2 minutes ago, stepee said:

and I know they released something saying that they need to focus on the ps5 version first but also thats bullshit 

 

"Jim Ryan will hurt us if we don't say this"

[Xbob42]

1 minute ago, stepee said:

lol yeah I can’t help but laugh at this when they do the delayed pc release going you buy it twice thing - and I know they released something saying that they need to focus on the ps5 version first but also thats bullshit 

So a funny thing about Yoshi-P and Final Fantasy, specifically 14, is that a huge part of the story about turning that game around was getting away from the notion that Square Enix games had to have the absolute best graphics and super impressive summons and all that because it was fucking demolishing their teams and making them take a trillion years to get games out, which super didn't work with FF14 1.0 and nearly broke the company.

 

And yet here's Yoshi-P yapping about how only the power of the PS5 could handle this game and showing off big summons and shit and unlearning lessons that were crucial to his success and elevation at Square. It's so bizarre.

[Bacon]

SE really needed to see that post that says, "bless the devs that are still making games in the "4 friends in a row" genre," and two of three games were made by SE.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

It will be an interesting comparative exercise when all is said and done to analyze the reception of the radical change in gameplay mechanics of this entry in a long-standing series (from turn-based to action-oriented) to the generally positive reception that the equally radical change in gameplay mechanics of Yakuza: Like a Dragon received (from action-oriented to turn-based).

[Dodger]

This is the company that sold the Tomb Raider developers for $300 million who then licensed out the IP for $600 million. At this point I just assume Square has no idea wtf they are doing. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

16 minutes ago, Bacon said:

Also, has changing a series like this ever worked? I'm not saying there aren't any, but I can't recall any off the top of my head.

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a recent example where a radical change worked.

[Bacon]

5 minutes ago, Xbob42 said:

And yet here's Yoshi-P yapping about how only the power of the PS5 could handle this game and showing off big summons and shit and unlearning lessons that were crucial to his success and elevation at Square. It's so bizarre.

Gotta wonder, how much did sony pay? At least a morbillion yen.

[Bacon]

Just now, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

 

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a recent example where a radical change worked.

Oh yeah. People really seem to like that game.

[Xbob42]

12 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

It will be an interesting comparative exercise when all is said and done to analyze the reception of the radical change in gameplay mechanics of this entry in a long-standing series (from turn-based to action-oriented) to the generally positive reception that the equally radical change in gameplay mechanics of Yakuza: Like a Dragon received (from action-oriented to turn-based).

Funny thing is, it made total sense for Yakuza to go in that direction as well. After so many very similar feeling action games, and the fact that your character would often have many friends but would rarely actually do anything with them, plus the wacky nature of the games, lends itself really well to turn-based combat, but they were also able to smartly implement it so it still felt very dynamic, impactful and Yakuza-y. Plus you could still have the big cinematic moves that are just part of a turn-based game but always cut away from the actual action in action games to either a QTE or a cutscene or some other thing that breaks the flow.

 

Meanwhile going action-oriented has made no sense for Final Fantasy and the series has not found its footing at all in over a decade.

[Bacon]

Doesn't mean shit, but this was ranked as famitsu's most wanted now that Zelda is out lol

[Keyser_Soze]

4 minutes ago, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

Yakuza: Like a Dragon is a recent example where a radical change worked.

 

It worked but they also splintered off the old style onto Judgement, and also kept  bringing out Yakuza games in the old style. It will be interesting to see if actually works out the next time an actual new Yakuza game comes out.

[Xbob42]

2 minutes ago, Bacon said:

Doesn't mean shit, but this was ranked as famitsu's most wanted now that Zelda is out lol

Another funny thing, turn-based is still hugely popular in Japan and Dragon Quest has barely had to change a bit to satisfy people. I bet if a new DQ was coming out at the same time, FFXVI wouldn't even rate in Famitsu. Ironically I actually don't really like DQ since I find it to be way too intentionally generic with bad, simplistic combat, but that's besides the point!

[Xbob42]

1 minute ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

It worked but they also splintered off the old style onto Judgement, and also kept  bringing out Yakuza games in the old style. It will be interesting to see if actually works out the next time an actual new Yakuza game comes out.

Well yeah, don't wanna leave fans of the old style who don't like the new style behind, SQUARE.

[XxEvil AshxX]

How To Squeenix in Four Easy Steps:

 

1. Make Final Fantasy action-based to appeal to non-FF fans.

2. Notice that non-FF fans still don't give a shit about FF.

3. Also notice that FF fans are now no longer FF fans.

4. Wonder why new FF doesn't sell as well.

[Bacon]

I wish more devs would make old-school versions of IPs alongside the new ones. Worked for Zelda when OoT came out. I feel like Bravely Default was a success and that was basically FF all things considered. Never beat it cuz I got filtered by the repeating boss, but it was good until then. Loved how you could just turn off random encounters and then grind at a hot post at your leisure.

 

I remember grinding them turnip dudes for hours.