ViKtoricus
Ex-Soldier
I'll hear your thoughts.
If you were to own Square-Enix, what would you do?
- Thread starter ViKtoricus
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Macattack222
Newbie
I'm so glad that you asked. 
Earning money and building great games aren't always the same thing. However if you put me in charge of the company, the first order of business is rebuilding the name Square into a synonyms brand that equals quality. Particularly in PS1 days, whenever you purchased a square game, you got a winner. Even games like Frontier Saga were better than many of their top tier games today. Stop with the Final Fantasy sequels. Hire GREAT writers! It's not hard to do. This convoluted BS that is FF13 and sequels (which I have all of and will buy Lightning returns) is not helping them raise quality. Anyways, I'd be curious to see what others think.
Earning money and building great games aren't always the same thing. However if you put me in charge of the company, the first order of business is rebuilding the name Square into a synonyms brand that equals quality. Particularly in PS1 days, whenever you purchased a square game, you got a winner. Even games like Frontier Saga were better than many of their top tier games today. Stop with the Final Fantasy sequels. Hire GREAT writers! It's not hard to do. This convoluted BS that is FF13 and sequels (which I have all of and will buy Lightning returns) is not helping them raise quality. Anyways, I'd be curious to see what others think.
Stop with the cellphone bullshit, no more Final Fantasy 6 cellphone ports or whatever
Make Final Fantasy XVI's battle system closer to Bravery Defaults
Make another Dragon Quest game like IX's, but add in a choice to pick a personality for your main character.
Remake Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VI, and Final Fantasy VIII on the PS4
Remake Final Fantasy V on the 3DS
Give out a report that Advent Children, Crisis Core, DOC etc are not canon and are just Fan- Fiction like projects made by the company.
Make another Dissidia on the Wii- U or PS4, but keep the characters actually IN character, and add in more FF6 and FF9 characters.
Make Final Fantasy XVI's battle system closer to Bravery Defaults
Make another Dragon Quest game like IX's, but add in a choice to pick a personality for your main character.
Remake Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VI, and Final Fantasy VIII on the PS4
Remake Final Fantasy V on the 3DS
Give out a report that Advent Children, Crisis Core, DOC etc are not canon and are just Fan- Fiction like projects made by the company.
Make another Dissidia on the Wii- U or PS4, but keep the characters actually IN character, and add in more FF6 and FF9 characters.
ViKtoricus
Ex-Soldier
I thanked you for this post because you mentioned FFVIII remake. I'd love that too.
I'm so glad that you asked.
Earning money and building great games aren't always the same thing. However if you put me in charge of the company, the first order of business is rebuilding the name Square into a synonyms brand that equals quality. Particularly in PS1 days, whenever you purchased a square game, you got a winner. Even games like Frontier Saga were better than many of their top tier games today. Stop with the Final Fantasy sequels. Hire GREAT writers! It's not hard to do. This convoluted BS that is FF13 and sequels (which I have all of and will buy Lightning returns) is not helping them raise quality. Anyways, I'd be curious to see what others think.
I agree with the great writers.
And I'm not sure if you'll agree with me on this but...
If it was me, I would hire English and European writers. Those guys have a knack for creating stellar dialogue (If you don't believe me, get the game Divinity II - Dragon Knight Saga, and you'll know what I'm talking about.
).I will keep the Japanese people as far as the art is concerned, but when it comes to the storytelling and the dialogue, I'll leave that to the white people. lol
Macattack222
Newbie
I thanked you for this post because you mentioned FFVIII remake. I'd love that too.
I agree with the great writers.
And I'm not sure if you'll agree with me on this but...
If it was me, I would hire English and European writers. Those guys have a knack for creating stellar dialogue (If you don't believe me, get the game Divinity II - Dragon Knight Saga, and you'll know what I'm talking about.
I will keep the Japanese people as far as the art is concerned, but when it comes to the storytelling and the dialogue, I'll leave that to the white people. lol
Personally I say leave the remakes alone. Lets focus on new GOOD content. We can play the old games easy enough, and even if they remake them, they won't feel the same.
As for the writing yes, we need better writing. I don't think it's necessarily a western vs. Japanese things though. While there are some cultural differences that seem to have stories have so many similar elements (we also see this in Animie), I think there are Japanese people who are great writers. We also need great translators (which I don't think is their current problem). Looking at the best FF step-child aka Lost Odyssey. The short stories in there were sooooo great! That was from a Japanese book if I recall. I think Japanese people may need to shift focus if they want to engage western audiences.
Lets use Animie to drive this point home. I just watched Attack on Titan. I thought it was good and I watched it quickly, but the dialog was so bad. It wasn't a translation issue, it's simply the themes the writer focus on. How many more Animie's and video games where the main dude is such an introvert, has bad people skills and is just oozing with the confidence yes lacking experience? I mean it's been done so many times. Then we get to the speech about "friendship" and it's all downhill. I liked Cowboy Beebop because it doesn't include that bullshit. Spike has experience, that's why he's badass. The writers treated me like I'm an adult who can handle serious thought. So I know it can be done. Having said that, I also think Japanese writers struggle with convoluted, esoteric writing. You know, there's always a name for some new element not found on earth and the plot revolves around said elements and then convoluted items are mixed in. There is a proper balance that must be struck. I'm looking at you Xenosaga (though I love all of them). Anyways I just keep my fingers crossed FF15 is great.
Fire Motomu Toriyama.
ViKtoricus
Ex-Soldier
Why? What did he do?
Realist Livi:
- Sit back and continue with the mobile revolution. A single mobile game called Dragon Quest Monsters: Super Light (game) has caused the company's share price to surge to a four-year high. Why should I, as a smart CEO, look at these numbers and charts and not follow the smell? Chasing after that Puzzles and Dragons money has worked very well so far!
- Dragon Quest XI for 3DS. Afterwards when possible, port it to iOS and Android.
- Set a sequel-agenda for FFXV as this multi-game "epic". Get FFXV out eventually, but leave enough assets unused or cut out for at least two sequels. Outsource wherever possible. Limit exposure of whichever characters possible in case players are sick of them and decide to drop out after a particular game. If players want more female characters and less of a sausage fest, bring in more women. Reduce them to basic archetypes or just plain fanservice.
- Add microtransactions to the console games somehow. What's that, Noctis? You want the Ultimate World-Destroyer weapon? You're in luck! It's yours for a fiver. Either that or you grind 300 hours for a no-guarantee chance to get it.
- Find a way to make FFVII-IX mobile. Mobile technology is advancing at a range none of us would have anticipated back in 2007. By 2017 who knows what we can achieve then! We can even put a Kingdom Hearts game on mobile!
- Keep re-releasing Eidos games. Deus Ex: Human Revolution DEFINITIVE Edition. Thief: Definitive Edition later on (providing it's not going to be a sales disaster). Tomb Raider: The DEFINITIVE DIRECTORS' CUT Edition. Hitman Absolution: 1080p Absolutely Friggin' Beautiful 1080p Edition! If we manage to make management decent enough, we may even seek to make Tomb Raider an annualised franchise from now on!
Idealist Livi:
- Never let Toriyama go near a mainline FF title ever again. His talents are best served for what may well become the best profiteering department of the company: mobile games.
- Diversify the portfolio. I'm sitting on a wealth of unused IPs and I will start using them for a variety of platforms in whatever shape or size. Mana can be good for handhelds. Keep supporting smaller projects for consoles like Drakengard. Realise that there is a grey area between AAA games and mobile/indie. Realise this and reach out to Tri-Ace again for another Valkyrie Profile and maybe Star Ocean. Even The Bouncer can be back as a downloadable brawler. Embrace some risky new IPs.
- Sony and even Ubisoft have invested in smaller, more dedicated teams to produce smaller-scale and unique experiences far away from the usual triple-A fare. Look at Puppeteer and Child of Light. A sensible SE should take ideas and particularly look ahead and...
- ...expand into the PC market. Two Final Fantasies, a Last Remnant and Eidos stuff on Steam at the moment. A bit halfhearted from SE Japan side. Start realising that Steam is a good place to be for current and upcoming portfolio. A good place for more experimental games to find a home in.
- Dedicated handhelds still exist. Type-0 can be finally re-released for the PS Vita, and Tabata can start making any followup Type-X game he so desires. Meanwhile, Silicon can keep making the Bravely games.
- Get an actual writer to come in and sketch out a plot or two, instead of a talentless hack inside the company who can't tell the difference between writing a story and sniffing paint while sitting in front of Microsoft Word. Even better if people in the company can work with western writers and storytellers and learn some valuable lessons from them. Sometimes Japanese storytelling absolutely gets on my nerves.
- No FFVII remake. No more Compilation of FFVII stuff.
- Fully end the FFXIII trilogy. I know after LR it has (supposedly) ended, but I want assurance that it will be 100% dead and in a tightly padlocked coffin in a plot covered with concrete.
- Consider allowing a GOOD western studio to work on a spinoff Final Fantasy title to see what they can do with the IP. I'm thinking of developers like Obsidian who are renowned for brilliant writing, deconstruction of tired tropes and clichéd narratives, and excellent character-building, even if their games do lack a bit of technical polish.
- Radically see to major restructuring of the company. It seems clear to me that Square-Enix operates as a company at least a generation or two behind. Staggeringly poor communication and ill-management between teams and departments. The axe must come down somewhere and someone with a decent expertise in this sort of thing to stand up and assertively shuffle the tables and chairs so there can be ACTUAL efficiency from now on.
He's done many things from the writing of Mindjack to Front Mission Evolved to The 3rd Birthday. His name is also associated (along with Kitase's) with the whole FFXIII trilogy. For the people who really, really don't like his work, Toriyama is the equivalent of a fellow employee who regularly manages to clog every cubicle of the lavatory at work, leaving a putrid stench in his wake.
- Sit back and continue with the mobile revolution. A single mobile game called Dragon Quest Monsters: Super Light (game) has caused the company's share price to surge to a four-year high. Why should I, as a smart CEO, look at these numbers and charts and not follow the smell? Chasing after that Puzzles and Dragons money has worked very well so far!
- Dragon Quest XI for 3DS. Afterwards when possible, port it to iOS and Android.
- Set a sequel-agenda for FFXV as this multi-game "epic". Get FFXV out eventually, but leave enough assets unused or cut out for at least two sequels. Outsource wherever possible. Limit exposure of whichever characters possible in case players are sick of them and decide to drop out after a particular game. If players want more female characters and less of a sausage fest, bring in more women. Reduce them to basic archetypes or just plain fanservice.
- Add microtransactions to the console games somehow. What's that, Noctis? You want the Ultimate World-Destroyer weapon? You're in luck! It's yours for a fiver. Either that or you grind 300 hours for a no-guarantee chance to get it.
- Find a way to make FFVII-IX mobile. Mobile technology is advancing at a range none of us would have anticipated back in 2007. By 2017 who knows what we can achieve then! We can even put a Kingdom Hearts game on mobile!
- Keep re-releasing Eidos games. Deus Ex: Human Revolution DEFINITIVE Edition. Thief: Definitive Edition later on (providing it's not going to be a sales disaster). Tomb Raider: The DEFINITIVE DIRECTORS' CUT Edition. Hitman Absolution: 1080p Absolutely Friggin' Beautiful 1080p Edition! If we manage to make management decent enough, we may even seek to make Tomb Raider an annualised franchise from now on!
Idealist Livi:
- Never let Toriyama go near a mainline FF title ever again. His talents are best served for what may well become the best profiteering department of the company: mobile games.
- Diversify the portfolio. I'm sitting on a wealth of unused IPs and I will start using them for a variety of platforms in whatever shape or size. Mana can be good for handhelds. Keep supporting smaller projects for consoles like Drakengard. Realise that there is a grey area between AAA games and mobile/indie. Realise this and reach out to Tri-Ace again for another Valkyrie Profile and maybe Star Ocean. Even The Bouncer can be back as a downloadable brawler. Embrace some risky new IPs.
- Sony and even Ubisoft have invested in smaller, more dedicated teams to produce smaller-scale and unique experiences far away from the usual triple-A fare. Look at Puppeteer and Child of Light. A sensible SE should take ideas and particularly look ahead and...
- ...expand into the PC market. Two Final Fantasies, a Last Remnant and Eidos stuff on Steam at the moment. A bit halfhearted from SE Japan side. Start realising that Steam is a good place to be for current and upcoming portfolio. A good place for more experimental games to find a home in.
- Dedicated handhelds still exist. Type-0 can be finally re-released for the PS Vita, and Tabata can start making any followup Type-X game he so desires. Meanwhile, Silicon can keep making the Bravely games.
- Get an actual writer to come in and sketch out a plot or two, instead of a talentless hack inside the company who can't tell the difference between writing a story and sniffing paint while sitting in front of Microsoft Word. Even better if people in the company can work with western writers and storytellers and learn some valuable lessons from them. Sometimes Japanese storytelling absolutely gets on my nerves.
- No FFVII remake. No more Compilation of FFVII stuff.
- Fully end the FFXIII trilogy. I know after LR it has (supposedly) ended, but I want assurance that it will be 100% dead and in a tightly padlocked coffin in a plot covered with concrete.
- Consider allowing a GOOD western studio to work on a spinoff Final Fantasy title to see what they can do with the IP. I'm thinking of developers like Obsidian who are renowned for brilliant writing, deconstruction of tired tropes and clichéd narratives, and excellent character-building, even if their games do lack a bit of technical polish.
- Radically see to major restructuring of the company. It seems clear to me that Square-Enix operates as a company at least a generation or two behind. Staggeringly poor communication and ill-management between teams and departments. The axe must come down somewhere and someone with a decent expertise in this sort of thing to stand up and assertively shuffle the tables and chairs so there can be ACTUAL efficiency from now on.
He's done many things from the writing of Mindjack to Front Mission Evolved to The 3rd Birthday. His name is also associated (along with Kitase's) with the whole FFXIII trilogy. For the people who really, really don't like his work, Toriyama is the equivalent of a fellow employee who regularly manages to clog every cubicle of the lavatory at work, leaving a putrid stench in his wake.
You love FF VIII as well !
Well I hope that your day is blessed, that you find $ 100 on the ground, get kissed by a attractive celebrity, and get given a free chocolate cake. :3
ViKtoricus
Ex-Soldier
I guess it's my turn to share.
First priority is to make a FF8 PS4 sequel.
Second priority is to put FF1 to FF6 on the PC, Smartphone, and Ipad platforms.
Third priority is to create a community of Final Fantasy artists from writers to painters to video-game creators.
Fourth priority is to increase profit.
Fifth priority is after I make enough money, I'll buy other video game companies and make them all a part of Square-Enix.
Sixth priority is to start an annual Final Fantasy convention that will be held in the US and Japan. However, people must pay for tickets to attend.
Seventh priority is to start a series of Final Fantasy merchandise.
Eighth priority is to END the Final Fantasy series as soon as I can. (This is a clever marketing strategy. I'll end the series and resume it after two decades.)
Ninth priority is to start an official 18+ only Final Fantasy series, including canon-characters from the original FF series and possibly new FF characters.
First priority is to make a FF8 PS4 sequel.
Second priority is to put FF1 to FF6 on the PC, Smartphone, and Ipad platforms.
Third priority is to create a community of Final Fantasy artists from writers to painters to video-game creators.
Fourth priority is to increase profit.
Fifth priority is after I make enough money, I'll buy other video game companies and make them all a part of Square-Enix.
Sixth priority is to start an annual Final Fantasy convention that will be held in the US and Japan. However, people must pay for tickets to attend.
Seventh priority is to start a series of Final Fantasy merchandise.
Eighth priority is to END the Final Fantasy series as soon as I can. (This is a clever marketing strategy. I'll end the series and resume it after two decades.)
Ninth priority is to start an official 18+ only Final Fantasy series, including canon-characters from the original FF series and possibly new FF characters.
I'd break down and sell the company, piece by piece.
Probably keep the Eidos section though... Always liked Legacy of Kain.
Seems like fun to break it up, to me.
Though, I'd rather not own the company in the first place.
Gamers are among the hardest fans to please, with FF fans being among the higher echelon to please.
"Remake [insert roman numerial here], it's the best one".
Oh lord...
Probably keep the Eidos section though... Always liked Legacy of Kain.
Seems like fun to break it up, to me.
Though, I'd rather not own the company in the first place.
Gamers are among the hardest fans to please, with FF fans being among the higher echelon to please.
"Remake [insert roman numerial here], it's the best one".
Oh lord...
Red Wizard
Ex-Soldier
I'd do a couple things:
I'd have all my staff be forced to play Final Fantasy 4, 6, and 7, as well as Chrono Trigger to see how a good RPG is supposed to be. Then start remaking RPG's that are fun to play again.
Remake Final Fantasy 7, but have no more spinoffs.
Rename past Final Fantasy games so the online ones don't get numbers. As it is now, if anyone wants to play ALL the Final Fantasy's then they would think 11 would be mandatory, but as F14 is now out, and as time goes on, people will stop playing FF11... and therefore one CAN'T play them all.
I'd have all my staff be forced to play Final Fantasy 4, 6, and 7, as well as Chrono Trigger to see how a good RPG is supposed to be. Then start remaking RPG's that are fun to play again.
Remake Final Fantasy 7, but have no more spinoffs.
Rename past Final Fantasy games so the online ones don't get numbers. As it is now, if anyone wants to play ALL the Final Fantasy's then they would think 11 would be mandatory, but as F14 is now out, and as time goes on, people will stop playing FF11... and therefore one CAN'T play them all.
spoonyrogdrumps
Blue Mage
I'd fire the board of directors, hire back Sakaguchi and Uematsu and pay them a six-figure salary.
Jdeadevil
Blue Mage
Most of these are things SE are already doing, lol