The Way Forward for Square Enix?

[EternalReckoning 1,135]

Hey everyone, how're you all doing? Over the last while I've had a few thoughts going around in my head about one of Squares most recent decisions, a change in direction for the company that has left many fans feeling uncertain, I speak of course of the episodic release of large game titles. You cant blaim people for being sceptical, I mean there are a lot of negative ideas associated with this method of release, and without any real explanation for why Square are doing this, all we can do is speculate and make ourselves worry even more about it, we have every right to do this.

When I first heard that Final Fantasy 7 and 15 were going to get an episodic release I was really freaked out, the idea of the possibility of having to pay for each segment individually, the wait between the episodes and innability to play the games consitently from beginning to end without waiting for the release of the next episode. But once the idea of it and initial shock had completely set in and I was able to think objectively again, a completely new set of thoughts started to surface in my mind, maybe episodic release is actually the way forward for Square, the knight in shining armour that could save the gaming monster from the pits of failure that it seems to have fallen into. This wasnt a decision I came to over night however, my decision to fortify my belief in episodic titles was mostly because of a number of aspects of episodic games that became apparent to me.

• Production Time: Episodic Games have the potential to be developed over a longer period of time while still making it into the public domain gradually in finished segments, why is this a good thing? well we only have to look as far as incomplete games like Final Fantasy X111 Lightning Returns to know why, LR was an entire game produced over a 1 year period, sure the game was huge and it was released fast, but the result of this hasty development led to a heavily flawed, buggy and over all quite dissapointing and weak entry to the final fantasy series. If LR had been released gradually and say episode 1 and 2 were released that year instead of an entire game, Square could have continued to fine tune and work on the rest of the game and the eventual final release of the game would have been a lot more finished. 
• The struggle with next Generation consoles: I am aware that Direct x11 has made game production greatly more efficient since its implementation into console game development, but the greater graphical expectations of next gen games does take up a certain amount of time to reach that standard, and if you know Square, you know they will sacrifice everything from story to gameplay to make sure their game looks as pretty as it could possibly be, with an episodic release square would have time to reach this excellence in graphics while maintaining a better standard of game in terms of everything else, an episodic game would liberate square and allow them to create a much more balanced and thouroughly enjoyable game.
• Letting the Fans in the door before opening hours: By releasing their games episodically Square will be able to get feedback about where there game is at production wise and how fans are reacting to it while it is still in production, using this information Square will be able to better create the game their fans are looking for which can only be a good thing. A game that is in development for 5-6 years without ever getting any public exposure is a very isolated game in terms of development, the developers of a one release game that takes that long to come out would have no idea what the fans think of the game where it is before its final release so as a result the final release's popularity and public appeal is just pot luck, I mean when you consider games like Final Fantasy XIII that were produced over a long period of time without public exposure and wound up being badly recieved, if it had been released gradually Square could have taken the fans feedback and made the later segments of the game more intricate and less linear.
• Greater Tension in the story: I realise this doesnt suit everyone and a lot of people would rather get it over with, but nothing beats the anticipation of waiting to find out what happens next in a story and letting the ideas that it presents to you rest in your mind before progressing. Episodic titles will offer square the ability to pace their fans playing of the story and introduce cliffhangers which should increase the impact that the story has on the audience, it will feel more like a journey.
• People who are worried about having to buy individual episodes? I know Square can be a bit stingy, but from what I can tell Nomura is in it for the fans and loves what hes doing more than the money. I figure that there will be a form of season pass type system for the release of the episodes so additional costs probably wont be a problem outside the inevitable additional dlc that will be released, but thats the case with most games, be they episodic or one off release. I mean just look a life is strange, that was also released by square and we just bought all those episodes in 1 purchase, I dont think we have anything to worry about there

Edited February 28, 2016 by EternalReckoning

[teh lazy prince Xylek 1,559]

im almost inclined to agree because of how long this is without readying it all...

[EternalReckoning 1,135]

im almost inclined to agree because of how long this is without readying it all...

Probably should have just made a video lol

[The Deathdealer 96]

Another way forward for Square Enix is to release their games on PC simultaneously with the consoles if they can please, OH AND DON'T LOCK SHIT UP IT'S GETS ANNOYING

[Headphone Jack 1,147]

is it too much to ask for a complete game on release these days

 

i mean really

 

i'm not against episodic gaming  in general but when it become the solution to long development time maybe the developer needs to step back and reevaluate the situation. how about they announce the game when it's within a year (or two) of being released. the less the players know, the less they have to complain about. and this way you can take all the time you want to with the development and no one will make an angry thread on a forum about it. 

 

didn't SE have a habit of announcing games that were years off from their actual release date? don't do things like that. keep players in the dark so the devs can work at their own pace. 

[teh lazy prince Xylek 1,559]

Probably should have just made a video lol

now you're speakin my language but seriously i do agree and (personally) disagree with points breaking things into parks makes it easier, more controlled, can get feed back blaa blaa blaa...but waiting ughhhh 

[Lulcielid 159]

 

When I first heard that Final Fantasy 7 and 15 were going to get an episodic release I was really freaked out, the idea of the possibility of having to pay for each segment individually, the wait between the episodes and innability to play the games consitently from beginning to end without waiting for the release of the next episode.

 

Not sure if you fact checked before posting but, FFXV is NOT getting an episodic release, it will be release as a full game.

is it too much to ask for a complete game on release these days

Complete games do release. The Witcher 3 was complete.

[Toominator 916]

Complete games do release. The Witcher 3 was complete.

 

Name 5 others tho lol

[Lulcielid 159]

Name 5 others tho lol

• Bloodborne
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Life is Strange
• Mortal Kombat X
• Super Mario Maker
• Splatoon
• Until Dawn
• The Order: 1886
• Call of Duty: Black OPS 3
• Battlefield Hardline
• Xenoblade Chronicles X
• Fallout 4
• Rocket League
• Undertale
• Evolve
• Heroes of the Storm
• SOMA
• Her Story
• Tom Clacy´s Rainbow Six Siege
• Dying Light
• Tales from the Borderlands
• Ori and The Blind Forest
• Batman Arkhan Knight (consoles)
• Fire Emblem Fates
• Yoshi´s Woolly World
• The Legend of Zelda Majora´s Mask (3DS)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse
• Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
• Resident Evil Revelations 2
• Terraway Unfolded
• Disgaea 5 Alliance of Vengeance
• The Legend of Zelda Tri Force Heroes
• PERSONA 4 Dancing All Night
• Hotline Miami 2
• Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
• Mario Party 10
• Final Fantasy X & X-2 HD remaster (PS4)
• J-Stars Victory VS+
• The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
• Dragon Quest Heroes
• Yo-Kai Watch

[Toominator 916]

 

• Bloodborne
• Rise of the Tomb Raider
• Life is Strange
• Mortal Kombat X
• Super Mario Maker
• Splatoon
• Until Dawn
• The Order: 1886
• Call of Duty: Black OPS 3
• Battlefield Hardline
• Xenoblade Chronicles X
• Fallout 4
• Rocket League
• Undertale
• Evolve
• Heroes of the Storm
• SOMA
• Her Story
• Tom Clacy´s Rainbow Six Siege
• Dying Light
• Tales from the Borderlands
• Ori and The Blind Forest
• Batman Arkhan Knight (consoles)
• Fire Emblem Fates
• Yoshi´s Woolly World
• The Legend of Zelda Majora´s Mask (3DS)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse
• Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
• Resident Evil Revelations 2
• Terraway Unfolded
• Disgaea 5 Alliance of Vengeance
• The Legend of Zelda Tri Force Heroes
• PERSONA 4 Dancing All Night
• Hotline Miami 2
• Final Fantasy Type-0 HD
• Mario Party 10
• Final Fantasy X & X-2 HD remaster (PS4)
• J-Stars Victory VS+
• The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth
• Dragon Quest Heroes
• Yo-Kai Watch

 

Wow okay no, SO MANY of these games had HUGE problems at launch. Some of these we can't even call "complete" games either. Evolve? What a joke. The Order? nah.

Edited February 28, 2016 by Toominator

[Lulcielid 159]

Wow okay no, SO MANY of these games had HUGE problems at launch.

How many of them?

[Headphone Jack 1,147]

Complete games do release. The Witcher 3 was complete.

yes but it feels as though there is a trend forming among developers where they release bits and pieces of their games at a time and sell the remaining parts a DLC. there are always exceptions to this feeling of course and The Witcher 3 could be one of them. i haven't played it so i wouldn't know. 

[Lulcielid 159]

yes but it feels as though there is a trend forming among developers where they release bits and pieces of their games at a time and sell the remaining parts a DLC. there are always exceptions to this feeling of course and The Witcher 3 could be one of them. i haven't played it so i wouldn't know. 

How can you corroborate that? Other than making a guess. I´m starting to think that people are under the fallacy that DLC inherently means "developers removing pieces of the game to later sell it as cash grab".

[Toominator 916]

How many of them?

You were able to name 5, I'll give you that, but just from memory, Rocket League had RIDICULOUS server issues at launch, couldn't play it for the first 24 hours it was out.

MKX and Arkham Knight had major PC issues, causing one of them to cancel the PC release (I know you said console but you can't ignore that)

Until Dawn had a major issue when released for people who pre-ordered http://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-investigating-until-dawn-ps4-issues/1100-6430041/

Rainbow Six Siege had a terrible launch http://gamerant.com/rainbow-six-sieg-server-error-532/

Dyling Light's launch was terrible too. They had to give away free DLC to make up for it. They delayed the game like a couple weeks before launch http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/01/23/dying-light-gets-free-dlc-following-distribution-problems-in-some-territories.aspx

I don't feel like looking up the rest because I'm not sure of them 

I will give it up to nintendo though, they released complete games.

[Headphone Jack 1,147]

How can you corroborate that? Other than making a guess. I´m starting to think that people are under the fallacy that DLC inherently means "developers removing pieces of the game to later sell it as cash grab".

well Watch Dogs is a good example. Ubisoft released multiple editions of the game and they all had exclusive content from one another, meaning no matter which version you bought you weren't getting all the content. 

 

and then a game like Evolve comes along and feels very bare and empty and suddenly the DLC season pass that's being offered comes off very suspicious. Especially how the season pass and DLC were advertised before the game released.

 

Destiny could also be a good example here. many players felt like content had been ripped out of the base game and repackaged as DLC. the subject is a bit more in the gray area though but it doesn't help build a strong case for DLC. that's just a few instances though.

 

Star Wars Battlefront too. What was it? A $60 season pass and people were saying the base game was already light on content to begin with? That definitely feels a bit iffy to me.

 

i understand that not all DLC is just ripped out of the base game and sold later. some of it is just extra things the developers and artists work on while they wait for the game to be completed. cosmetic DLC is an easily forgivable form of it because it isn't something essential to the story. i think what doesn't help is how quickly developers try to push season passes and DLC down our throats. you usually always see a pre-order dlc incentive or season pass endorsement at the end of a game trailer and to some people that comes off a bit strange.

 

"the devs are advertising extra content for their game that isn't even out yet? why wouldn't they just put that into the game before it releases? they probably just want to make more cash." that's probably the thought process behind it. 

 

in the end, no one can really say for 100% certainty why a developer is releasing DLC for their game, but certain devs and their business practices seem to suggest certain motives for doing so. if anything when it comes to DLC, "buyer beware," pretty much.

[The Transcendent Key 12,109]

While you make a good point with your reasons about how Episodic gaming could be Squared Elvis's policy for the future, I just don't sit well with it yet, ya know?  I mean, developers should take their time so they can make a complete game and release it to the public!  I mean sure, you can release the game episodically, but for me, I just really wouldn't like that format at all, because I want to spend hours upon hours on one singular game, not have my hours split up like cake in tiny little slices, ya know?  Okay, VII Remake's gonna be Episodic, but I think this is Square's way to experiment and see if Episodic gaming kicks off for their big titles, ya know?  Let's see how it works!

 

I just really hope that Kingdom Hearts III isn't Episodic.  I want to finish old Geezernort's saga in one game, not split up into 7 and 13! (See what I did there? )