Why did Square abandon the Chrono Trigger series?

Well from what I understand the problem has been trying to get the same people that worked on the Chrono games together. It is a mix of different collaborators that formed a sort of dream team. The problem is trying to find a time when they all aren't working on some kind of other project.Archangel3371

Half of them aren't even employed by Square-Enix anymore...

i dont think reassembling that "dream team" is feasible or even necessary. one of the biggest problems i have with the gaming public is their attachment to a specific team working on a game. sometimes it can yield fantastic results, but people always act like when members of a team leave, hope is lost for a quality followup.

personally, i hope we get a new chrono game, but only a high quality one. i would rather they keep it on the shelf until they have a compelling reason to create another iteration. if they somehow magically got the old team together, it could be great, but it could just be more of the same game. that might not necessarily be terrible, but it also is not the only way for the IP to have a future.

i guess i went on a weird tangent here, but thats how i feel regarding this particular IP and some others as well. :P

On december 5th 2001 Square did a trademark for a game called 'Chrono Break'.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrono_Break

But as things would go they let the trademark elapse in 2003 and we never heard anything of it again. So I bet they tried to create something but couldn't make it up to the standards they needed.

Why do they seem to be unwilling to touch Chrono Trigger with a 10-foot pole? Are they just afraid that, kind of like Chrono Cross, it will never live up to the standard set by the original or what?SpaceMoose

Those are excellent questions. I loved the original CT, although it has gotten much criticism as being a "textbook RPG with many cliches". Personally, I think a RPG story that involves time-travel in a world that is both midieval and modern is a winning formula. I would love to see a next-gen remake of Chrono Trigger.

They cannot make as much money off of "Chrono" as they can "Final Fantasy."foxhound_fox

I disagree. CT has a huge following. Considering how cookie-cutter the FF games have become. a CT remake or sequel would be very refreshing.

I disagree. CT has a huge following. Considering how cookie-cutter the FF games have become. a CT remake or sequel would be very refreshing.EnigManic

It may be huge but it isn't as ginormous as Final Fantasy. The only reason why we haven't seen another Chrono game is because Squeenix is too busy milking its cash cows.foxhound_fox

The FF franchise may be "ginormous", but just because there are a lot of FF games, that alone doesn't make them great, and it's no excuse for ignoring another highly successful title.

The FF franchise may be "ginormous", but just because there are a lot of FF games, that alone doesn't make them great, and it's no excuse for ignoring another highly successful title.EnigManic

[QUOTE="EnigManic"]The FF franchise may be "ginormous", but just because there are a lot of FF games, that alone doesn't make them great, and it's no excuse for ignoring another highly successful title.foxhound_fox

I agree with you and, while this next statement probably belongs in a new thread, I find it ironic and offensive that we, the people who buy these games, have no input into their development. We buy these games, play them and review them, pointing out ways they could be improved. Yet the developers are not interested in our thoughts. Take Nintendo, for example. I'm a big Nintendo fan but I think it sux that "due to the large volume of submissions, we cannot accept game ideas."

I guess it's not even a series so much. They made one game and then they made a sequel which was only ever so loosely related to that game, and that was it. Yet here we are coming up on Final Fantasy XIII. Chrono Trigger is one of the most widely acclaimed RPGs of all time. They have done a Star Ocean game for the PS2 and I understand a third Kingdom Hearts is being worked on. Why do they seem to be unwilling to touch Chrono Trigger with a 10-foot pole? Are they just afraid that, kind of like Chrono Cross, it will never live up to the standard set by the original or what?SpaceMoose

You're preaching to the choir for the most part. SE has buried several of its original IPs, why, we'll never know. But SE does have four major releases on the way out, two of them originals. SE is becoming more and more bizarre in their approach.

Like it has been pointed out, most of Old Square is gone and Chrono is a part of an older gaming generation. SE clearly doesn't see a point in bringing Chrono back.

I agree, and square has set a benchmark in the solo roleplaying franchise, fans may find this of interest

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/13/gt-previews-final-fantasy-iv-on-ds/