Theory: Something is Wrong at Square Enix
I make it no secret that I love 90’s Square. So naturally, I like to keep my eye on Square Enix. While I don’t think they’ve recaptured that golden age they had on the Super Famicom or original PlayStation, Square Enix still knows how to make a damn good game. I can’t deny the sheer quality of Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth.
And yet, something seems a bit…off about them.
For one, Square Enix has been pretty vocal about the sales of their games disappointing them. They mentioned this not only with last years Final Fantasy XVI, but with the aforementioned Rebirth. Both of these games did well in terms of critical and fan reception, and have sold millions of copies. But Square isn’t happy. What baffles me about this is, not only are they both exclusives (XVI now moving to PC), but Rebirth is a sequel to a four year old game. Sequels naturally have a higher bar of entry for most people. Not only that, but anybody keeping their eye on the Final Fantasy VII remake project knows that its going to be a trilogy. So again, many people are probably waiting for all three parts to be out and an inevitable $150-$200 “complete” edition.
Clearly some sort of exclusivity deal was made between Square Enix and Sony for the Final Fantasy VII trilogy, so why is Square vocalizing disappointment? Exclusives have a smaller audience to sell to.
Secondly, Square Enix has recently become well known for poorly pacing their releases. By my count, they release 18 video games in 2022, not including rereleases and ports! While I would like to give them credit for not forgetting their “lesser” IP such as Star Ocean and SaGa, how do you expect these IP to grow when you drown them with competition provided by your own games! Not including games from other companies! This was cut back to 11 games in 2023, and only six in 2024 (not including the Fantasian port). At least they’re learning that lesson.
Thirdly, the way Square Enix talks about their own projects really concerns me. Of course, the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy spurns interviewers to ask higher-ups at the company about the possibility of other Final Fantasy games being remade. Yoshinori Kitase has gone on record saying that a remake of Final Fantasy VI could take 20 years! When asked about a Final Fantasy IX remake, Yoshi P said the following:
““When you think about all of that volume, I wonder if it’s possible to remake that as a single title. It’s a difficult one. It is a tough question.””
I’m sorry, but what? Are these higher-ups under the impression that their audience only wants these high budget, multi-part, expectation shattering remakes? I highly doubt that even the new combat system of Final Fantasy VII Remake/Rebirth is breaking the barriers between JRPG and non-JRPG fans. Final Fantasy is for JRPG fans. Other than the small bubble of mainstream appeal starting with the original VII and ending with X, Final Fantasy has always been for JRPG fans. I’m sure millions of players such as myself would be happy with just some better graphics, good voice acting and quality of life features. That’s it. We don’t need it to cost hundreds of millions of dollars.
The infamous NVIDA leak can also been brought up here. They’ve been proven correct many times by now. Even Square Enix products such as the then-unannounced Chrono Cross remaster and Tactics Ogre remaster were in the NVIDA leak. They’ve both been released since then. We still have the Final Fantasy Tactics remake which was denied by original director Yasumi Matsuno. But just a few months ago Jason Schrier said it was real. A Final Fantasy IX remake was also in the leak and now we have Yoshi P acting like he’s never heard of it. Is this just cagey language to keep their projects a mystery? Or the sign of something else?
The last thing I want to mention is the lack of any Square Enix iconography in Astro Bot. So many companies were reportedly happy to work with Team Asobi on getting their character in the game. We saw Ryu and Ken from Street Fight, Lara Croft, Klonoa, Crash, Spyro, and many more! Square Enix has had a deep connection to PlayStation since the original console. So where are they? Where is Cloud and the gang? Is this a sign of pettiness from Square? Perhaps they’re upset with the “disappointing” sales provided by their exclusivity deals.
Either way, I think Square Enix has a lot to work on. They need to remember who they’re making games for. They will never hit God of War or Horizon sales. They make games for JRPG fans, who are more than likely anime fans. And guess what? Anime is on the rise! Stop assuming remakes need to take a decade to make. Stop competing with your own products.
And for the love of all that is holy, stop acting like making Final Fantasy XVII turn-based is a bad idea.
