Square Enix: We've "fallen behind in multi-plat development,"

[ShinGundam]

It's no secret that the traditionally Japan-focused game developer Square Enix has recently been eyeing the huge North American game market. This is a new direction for a company that has only briefly flirted with Western-focused development in the past—most notably with Secret of Evermore and Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest, both released on the Super Nintendo.

Recent releases like The Last Remnant—which was designed to appeal to both markets—and publishing deals with companies such as Gas Powered Games both go to show just how serious Square Enix is about its strategy. The most telling sign is the new development studio the company has opened up in Los Angeles. Ars spoke with Game Development Manager Fumi Shiraishi to get an idea of what kind of games we can expect from the LA studio and what the company expects from a California studio.

"Square Enix isn't necessarily shifting, it's more of a growth," he explained of the company's recent interest in the North American market. "The stuff [games created by Square Enix in Japan] does what it is supposed to do...but the Japanese market isn't growing."

"It's a different approach entirely," Shiraishi told Ars when asked how the studio's current project compares to past efforts like The Last Remnant, which was specifically designed with the intention of appealing to Western gamers. "We're not deliberately focusing on the North American audience," he said. "We're just trying to make a good game."

But where the LA team has the advantage when it comes to appealing to Western gamers is that it is also made up of Western developers. Cultural differences can make it difficult for a team in Tokyo to create an experience that a gamer in New York enjoys. "It's not a good idea to make a game for people you don't understand," Shiraishi said.

This has created something of a dilemma for the LA team: how do Western developers retain the elusive Square Enix feel?

"We're not trying to make a game with a Western looking main character and with blood and gore," Shiraishi said. Instead, his team is attempting to follow in the footsteps of previous Square Enix games by taking risks and trying to create an experience gamers haven't seen before. "The developers at Square Enix aren't afraid to try new ideas."

"There is no point in making another FPS," he explained. "Our task is different."

Though he wasn't able to reveal what platform—or platforms—the new game is being developed for, Shiraishi admitted that the choice is a big decision. "Square Enix as a whole fell behind in multi-platform development," he said. While the LA studio has the technology to create titles for a variety of different systems, ultimately it's a business decision.

Shiraishi couldn't reveal much about his team's upcoming project, although he did tell Ars that it would fall into a "Western niche" category. In the mean time, the studio is still adding to its roster of developers, and Shiraishi will be on hand at the Game Developers Conference later this month looking for fresh talent.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/03/western-march-ars-talks-with-square-enixs-fumi-shiraishi.ars

SE FTL

[Zezlar]

You think, they haven't developed shit for the PS3 yet.

BTW I think the unannounced game is The Last Remnant 2.

[Sundance Kid]

You think, they haven't developed shit for the PS3 yet.

BTW I think the unannounced game is The Last Remnant 2.
Yeah I hate that. What pisses me off more is that SE says "oh the white engine is only capable on PS3" and look what happened. PS3 ain't getting shit cuz it's "harder to work with" I mean come on SE, you're supposed to be like one of the head honchos of game development and you're saying EA and these other lower ranked (if you will) game developers have no problem making an awesome game like "Dead Space"?

I mean don't get me wrong I know it's not easy making a game but I mean really? SE the least you could do is not over hype games and send out shite games.

[StrangeCat]

I know more then a few people that will be at GDC the end of this month.

Square Enix bought Eidos in February securing there western market for the US.

no worries guys.

[Neal]

Stop accepting cheques from Microsoft then, faggots. :wtf:

[Near|DanteXP|Sasdx]

Stop accepting cheques from Microsoft then, faggots. :wtf:
I agree with this quote

[Xion]

You think, they haven't developed shit for the PS3 yet.

They havent? Square Enix Developed The Last Remnant, a game that although isnt out for PS3 yet, is coming and was multiplatform from the start. The only other high End games Square Enix has announced to be in development are FF13, originally a PS3 Exclusive, Versus 13 a PS3 exclusive, and a multiplatform MMO.

So the notion of Square Enix not making games for the PS3 is quite absurd IMO. Publishing a title however, well that is something else. ^_^

[rutea7]

when he's saying that the platform of choice is a businness decision he's saying its for whoever pays for exclusivity.

happy they arent doing FPS but sad they are soooo stupid, their games were already worldwide apreciated before they started screwing things up trying to please the western market.

if they dont start making the games this generation deserves and keep presenting half assed made games to please the western market they will loose credibility

[Thunder]

Stop tryng to appeal North American market. Feggots.

[Kurai Warrior]

Square-Enix is getting more retarded by the minute. They have pretty much sucked this generation with their games.
Stop being raging FAGGOOOOOTSSSS.
classic way to describe their actions "trying to fix something that isn't broken"

[Heaven's Cloud]

But where the LA team has the advantage when it comes to appealing to Western gamers is that it is also made up of Western developers. Cultural differences can make it difficult for a team in Tokyo to create an experience that a gamer in New York enjoys.A bit stupid if you ask me, there games were always good enough for us and then they start trying to appeal to NA . Where are they now, no excellant games this gen .


"trying to fix something that isn't broken"
that's the perfect cliche for this

[Hitoshura]

They havent? Square Enix Developed The Last Remnant, a game that although isnt out for PS3 yet, is coming and was multiplatform from the start. The only other high End games Square Enix has announced to be in development are FF13, originally a PS3 Exclusive, Versus 13 a PS3 exclusive, and a multiplatform MMO.

So the notion of Square Enix not making games for the PS3 is quite absurd IMO. Publishing a title however, well that is something else. ^_^

And yet they delay FF13 because of the 360 version but not the PS3 version of TRL. Dont tell me that thats "fair."

[Neal]

They havent? Square Enix Developed The Last Remnant, a game that although isnt out for PS3 yet, is coming and was multiplatform from the start. The only other high End games Square Enix has announced to be in development are FF13, originally a PS3 Exclusive, Versus 13 a PS3 exclusive, and a multiplatform MMO.

So the notion of Square Enix not making games for the PS3 is quite absurd IMO. Publishing a title however, well that is something else. ^_^
Don't try to defend them. :lol: They haven't released anything, he means.

There's no good reason for TLR to still not even have a release date for PS3. Star Ocean must have made them no money, and Infinite Undiscovery... well you can keep that. :aldo: I'm pretty annoyed that we're going to have to wait even longer for the english version of FFXIII thanks to the 360 port. I wish they'd just go with their original business plan instead of selling out. It's gotten them fucking no where so far. :cookie:

WKC outsold TLR and IU's first days put together in Japan, I wish they'd do some market research. :wtf:

[Xion]

Don't try to defend them. :lol: They haven't released anything, he means.

There's no good reason for TLR to still not even have a release date for PS3. Star Ocean must have made them no money, and Infinite Undiscovery... well you can keep that. :aldo: I'm pretty annoyed that we're going to have to wait even longer for the english version of FFXIII thanks to the 360 port. I wish they'd just go with their original business plan instead of selling out. It's gotten them fucking no where so far. :cookie:

WKC outsold TLR and IU's first days put together in Japan, I wish they'd do some market research. :wtf:

I wasnt trying to defend them, i was just saying that Square Enix really have only developed and released 1 game for the 360. The fact that Last Remnant still doesnt even have a release date for PS3 is pretty bad, but UE3 sucks on PS3 and perhaps there really trying to get a quality product out. But quite honestly :lol:considering what they put out in the first place, i doubt even that....:|

But in any case, the only thing i really care for Square Enix to bring to me is Final Fantasy XIII, and as long as that's good, i dont really care.

[Kurai Warrior]

I wasnt trying to defend them, i was just saying that Square Enix really have only developed and released 1 game for the 360. The fact that Last Remnant still doesnt even have a release date for PS3 is pretty bad, but UE3 sucks on PS3 and perhaps there really trying to get a quality product out. But quite honestly :lol:considering what they put out in the first place, i doubt even that....:|

But in any case, the only thing i really care for Square Enix to bring to me is Final Fantasy XIII, and as long as that's good, i dont really care.
One game for the 360? WTF are you talking about. They have released three...if its got square-enix on the box they had something to do with it.
1. Infinite Undescovery
2. The Last Remnant
3. Star Ocean The Last Hope
And none have them are that good either :aldo:
I still blame that cunt Wada for some of this stupidity

[Xion]

One game for the 360? WTF are you talking about. They have released three...if its got square-enix on the box they had something to do with it.
1. Infinite Undescovery
2. The Last Remnant
3. Star Ocean The Last Hope
And none have them are that good either :aldo:
I still blame that cunt Wada for some of this stupidity

I responded very specifically to Square Enix Developed Titles

[Aurelia]

WKC outsold TLR and IU's first days put together in Japan, I wish they'd do some market research. :wtf:

But wouldn't that make them money??? I was under the impression that they liked wasting it on lost causes.

[Shiranui Reborn]

in response to the title of thread:
no shit :wtf:

"It's a different approach entirely," Shiraishi told Ars when asked how the studio's current project compares to past efforts like The Last Remnant, which was specifically designed with the intention of appealing to Western gamers. "We're not deliberately focusing on the North American audience," he said. "We're just trying to make a good game."

hermmmmmm
contradiction at first glance kinda made me mad at first

[Hitoshura]

One game for the 360? WTF are you talking about. They have released three...if its got square-enix on the box they had something to do with it.
1. Infinite Undescovery
2. The Last Remnant
3. Star Ocean The Last Hope
And none have them are that good either :aldo:
I still blame that cunt Wada for some of this stupidity

Two of those games are made by Tri-Ace, so..... :rolleyes:

[chaosblade77]

We've "fallen behind in game development."

Fixed. Seriously, SquareEnix console development is abysmal this generation. We're three years into this generation and they have released one game, and that game still doesn't have a date for the PS3. Lest we mention that game seemed like a rushed mess.

Beyond that, we have FFXIII and Versus, one we might see at the end of this year (in Japan) and the other is still entirely in the air.

That's pitiful for such a major company like SquareEnix. Their handheld development has been pretty good, even if it includes a lot of remakes and refreshes. On consoles though, what the hell? Multiplatform? They haven't even succeeded in developing for ONE platform this generation as far as I'm concerned.

[Shock]

IMO the reason why they're falling behind in multi-platform development is that they're too busy taking in Microsoft's money, they lose more then what they get from Microsoft, e.g Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope. That is a prime example of how much effort MS is trying to put in so that they could have all of those exclusives and time exclusives from SE as much and as long as they can/possible. Where is TLR for the PS3 anyway?!

[rutea7]

by the time TLR comes out for ps3 nobody will care, there will be better games to purchase. might as well release it straight to a platinum version if they do release it

[Neal]

I responded very specifically to Square Enix Developed Titles
They've never made a game for any other company, and considering it's up to the publisher what versions come out, a pay off would decide exclusivity so there's pretty much no difference.

UE3 sucks on PS3No, shitty developers can't work it. Gears 2 is on UE 3 and doesn't suffer the same tech issues at TLR for 360. If it was the PS3's fault then the 360 version should be fine. Games like Mirror's Edge run perfectly on PS3 and that's Unreal Engine 3 as well :wtf:

[Zezlar]

^ Mirror's Edge had alot of problems on the PS3. That anti aliasing was awful. ; ;

[Neal]

I played it on the PS3, it was fine. No slow down or anything, nothing comparable to the crap of The Last Remnant.

- There is a difference and that difference is Either developed by Square Enix or Not Developed by Square Enix. I dont care if it says Square Enix on the box, if they didnt develop the game, i dont expect the kind of quality (or not) that comes from THEM. Thats completely unrelated to exclusivity or sales, its the quality of the game itself. :wtf:

They obviously help with development. Just like how Sony supports Naughty Dog and Quantic Dream or whatever.

-UE3 was made by Epic, so obviously they would have the better knowledge of how to make a game on it, as opposed to a japanese developer working with american tools.:wtf: HOWEVER, that does not excuse the absurd technical issues with the game.

Mirror's Edge is made by DICE and is nothing to do with Epic and they managed it :wtf:

[Aurelia]

Star Ocean 4: The Last Hope.

Hahaha I just realized how befitting that title is for this game. :awesome:

[Zezlar]

^ What do you mean? The game was very good.

[rutea7]

Hahaha I just realized how befitting that title is for this game. :awesome:


the last hope they had a jrpg would sell well in xbox360!!!!!:P LOL i love that Aurelia, thank you for pointing that out :lol:

[Sundance Kid]

^ Mirror's Edge had alot of problems on the PS3. That anti aliasing was awful. ; ;
I know there was/is a bug on the Mirror's Edge at one part in the game. I'm not sure if it was on just PS3 but that was the only problem I had and it happened maybe once for me. But other then that I had no issues with it myself.

[Joseph Handibode]

Well I knew this all along. No game that went multi-platform ever succeded over exclusives such as Halo, Zelda and Gears of War. Just say Halo went on PS2 at the time and Xbox. No one would buy it because it was on both systems. It got popular because it was the best game on Xbox and could not be played on PS2. Without Halo there would be no more Xbox. Zelda and Mario are staples of Nintendo. It it were multiplatform it would destory Nintendo. Gears of war would not sell well if on both PS3 and Xbox 360. Square shot themselves in the foot with FF going multiplatform.

[Ascending Adonis]

Well I knew this all along. No game that went multi-platform ever succeded over exclusives such as Halo, Zelda and Gears of War. Just say Halo went on PS2 at the time and Xbox. No one would buy it because it was on both systems. It got popular because it was the best game on Xbox and could not be played on PS2. Without Halo there would be no more Xbox. Zelda and Mario are staples of Nintendo. It it were multiplatform it would destory Nintendo. Gears of war would not sell well if on both PS3 and Xbox 360. Square shot themselves in the foot with FF going multiplatform.

GTA4 was probably the biggest game this gen & it was multiplatform. As was Call of Duty 4. And Guitar Hero. Zelda/Mario are 1st party titles & the Halo license is owned by Microsoft; I don't really see the argument. Sure exclusives can sway a consumer to purchase a certain console, but the major blockbuster titles of the past few years have all been multiplatform, with the exception of Halo or Wii Sports or something.


One game for the 360? WTF are you talking about. They have released three...if its got square-enix on the box they had something to do with it.
1. Infinite Undescovery
2. The Last Remnant
3. Star Ocean The Last Hope
And none have them are that good either :aldo:
I still blame that cunt Wada for some of this stupidityIU was funded by Microsoft & they had an exclusive publishing contract, but they turned to Square because they had little expertise, or credibility, pushing RPGs in Japan.
Star Ocean was released fairly early as RPGs go this gen, because they had access to the hardware a full year early...they've even said so in interviews.
TLR was probably a timed exclusive that was on the verge of being delayed, but was instead rushed to market to keep share prices up. UE3 is a fickle engine...the developers admitted that it fell short of their expectations when it came to certain tasks.

I've said this in another post, but the likely reason they've pushed out smaller titles & published a few 360 titles (while only developing one) is because their PS3 titles are taking a LONG time, and are incredibly expensive. They can't devote all their resources towards big PS3 titles, each of which take about 6 years to produce, and publish nothing in the interim. That would be fucking insane.

And stop blaming Wada for everything Christ. He's actually got some pretty bold & healthy goals for the company. Most of you seem to just be lashing out at him for some reason, using him as a scapegoat, without really stopping to think what he is and is not responsible for.