Square Enix in big trouble, huge drop in popularity and sales of FF !

http://andriasang.com/comzh1/ffxiii2_sellthrough/

First Week Launch Numbers (JAPAN ONLY SALES):

FF XIII-2 ...... 524,217 Units

FF XIII.......... 1,516,532 Units

FF XII........... 1,840,397 Units

FF X-2........... 1,472,914 Units

FF X............. 1,749,737 Units

FF IX............ 1,954,421 Units

FF VIII.......... 2,504,044 Units

FF VII........... 2,034,879 Units

Wake up call for Square Enix. My opinion is that they need to go back to their roots, possibly bring back turn based gameplay. Stop making crap like FF13.

Data also shows female gamers are losing interest.

So half a million in one week is now a bad thing? of course it did less than Tales of Xillia but half a million is pretty good, give it few more weeks and will hit a million in japan and will be over a million in 2 weeks outside of Japan, nothing to worry about. looking forward to play FFXIII-2

inb4justaspinoff

This is an obvious decline. Not saying XIII-2 wont see success. Those numbers arent bad and it will likely hit at least a couple of million, probably more. But they do need to get a better gameplan going. Literally.

There is already a couple threads on it, we don't need another

So half a million in one week is now a bad thing? of course it did less than Tales of Xillia but half a million is pretty good, give it few more weeks and will hit a million in japan and will be over a million in 2 weeks outside of Japan, nothing to worry about. looking forward to play FFXIII-2

finalstar2007

Heres what another spinoff sold:

FF X-2........... 1,472,914 Units

The above is first week sales

people are still burned with 13 and more than likely wont want to play a sequel.

Still half a mil is pretty good regardless of game especially for 1 country.

Ppl are still angry at Square Enix for FF13. Miroku32

They complained when 12 was too western and non-linear, they complain that 13 is too linear. Fans spend more time complaining than actually playing the games they 'love'. I hope this is not true, shunning a series over one game. I hope these same people didn't do the same thing with the Devil May Cry series.

people are still burned with 13 and more than likely wont want to play a sequel.

Still half a mil is pretty good regardless of game especially for 1 country.

razgriz_101

[QUOTE="Miroku32"]Ppl are still angry at Square Enix for FF13. SteamedBennet

They complained when 12 was too western and non-linear, they complain that 13 is too linear. Fans spend more time complaining than actually playing the games they 'love'. I hope this is not true, shunning a series over one game. I hope these same people didn't do the same thing with the Devil May Cry series.

neither of them have much in common with the original final fantasies. If you had grown up with them and played them in order you'd notice a general theme, characters, monsters and gameplay that started getting thrown off around ff10 and is basically no longer a ff game by 13 in anything other than enemy and spell names.

[QUOTE="razgriz_101"]

people are still burned with 13 and more than likely wont want to play a sequel.

Still half a mil is pretty good regardless of game especially for 1 country.

cloud3601

guess you didnt do comprehension at school..

[QUOTE="Miroku32"]Ppl are still angry at Square Enix for FF13. SteamedBennet

They complained when 12 was too western and non-linear, they complain that 13 is too linear. Fans spend more time complaining than actually playing the games they 'love'. I hope this is not true, shunning a series over one game. I hope these same people didn't do the same thing with the Devil May Cry series.

Ppl are still angry at Square Enix for FF13. Miroku32

True. I have no idea what they were thinking. Why make a sequel to one of your worst received games in your main series? Why???? It would be like Nintendo making a sequel to Mario Sunshine.

I'm sure it was easy for SE to recycle assets and build upon the previous games structure so the investment was cheap in relative terms, but still they are only further damaging the image of Final Fantasy rather than taking that time and money and investing it towards something that could revitalize the series. Hell they could have even used those resources to bring back one of their many forgotten IPs.

SE has everything they need to be considered a powerhouse developer again, but they keep making piss poor decisions.

http://www.siliconera.com/2010/03/19/final-fantasy-xiii-fastest-selling-title-in-the-history-of-final-fantasy/

incorrect. FF13 was the fastest selling title in FF HISTORY in North America ever. 5 days 1 million strong.

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

[QUOTE="Miroku32"]Ppl are still angry at Square Enix for FF13. z4twenny

They complained when 12 was too western and non-linear, they complain that 13 is too linear. Fans spend more time complaining than actually playing the games they 'love'. I hope this is not true, shunning a series over one game. I hope these same people didn't do the same thing with the Devil May Cry series.

neither of them have much in common with the original final fantasies. If you had grown up with them and played them in order you'd notice a general theme, characters, monsters and gameplay that started getting thrown off around ff10 and is basically no longer a ff game by 13 in anything other than enemy and spell names.

I did grow up playing them actually (but nice assumption there). I have finished all the major entries (yes, even FF2). However, I still saw past 13's rubbish characters, thin plot and linearity to see the game's strengths (end-game content, good battle system etc.). All I'm saying is that, as a fan, I am willing to accept change and see if anything interest comes of it. If not, too bad, if so, that's great. Fans don't know what they like in their series until it's given to them.

[QUOTE="Miroku32"]Ppl are still angry at Square Enix for FF13. sandbox3d

True. I have no idea what they were thinking. Why make a sequel to one of your worst received games in your main series? Why???? It would be like Nintendo making a sequel to Mario Sunshine.

I'm sure it was easy for SE to recycle assets and build upon the previous games structure so the investment was cheap in relative terms, but still they are only further damaging the image of Final Fantasy rather than taking that time and money and investing it towards something that could revitalize the series. Hell they could have even used those resources to bring back one of their many forgotten IPs.

SE has everything they need to be considered a powerhouse developer again, but they keep making piss poor decisions.

http://cloud360.deviantart.com/art/Down-with-Yoichi-Wada-211795245

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

[QUOTE="Miroku32"]Ppl are still angry at Square Enix for FF13. z4twenny

They complained when 12 was too western and non-linear, they complain that 13 is too linear. Fans spend more time complaining than actually playing the games they 'love'. I hope this is not true, shunning a series over one game. I hope these same people didn't do the same thing with the Devil May Cry series.

neither of them have much in common with the original final fantasies. If you had grown up with them and played them in order you'd notice a general theme, characters, monsters and gameplay that started getting thrown off around ff10 and is basically no longer a ff game by 13 in anything other than enemy and spell names.

Well that is true to an extent, FF is mainly just a name these days with a few series staples thrown in the games for good measure.

But with FFs X and XII most of the hate was just your typical vocal minority stuff. Every FF release comes with that. FFXIII is the first one to really be poorly recieved on a large scale and these XIII-2 numbers are only confirming that for those still in denial.

[QUOTE="z4twenny"]

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

They complained when 12 was too western and non-linear, they complain that 13 is too linear. Fans spend more time complaining than actually playing the games they 'love'. I hope this is not true, shunning a series over one game. I hope these same people didn't do the same thing with the Devil May Cry series.

SteamedBennet

neither of them have much in common with the original final fantasies. If you had grown up with them and played them in order you'd notice a general theme, characters, monsters and gameplay that started getting thrown off around ff10 and is basically no longer a ff game by 13 in anything other than enemy and spell names.

I did grow up playing them actually (but nice assumption there). I have finished all the major entries (yes, even FF2). However, I still saw past 13's rubbish characters, thin plot and linearity to see the game's strengths (end-game content, good battle system etc.). All I'm saying is that, as a fan, I am willing to accept change and see if anything interest comes of it. If not, too bad, if so, that's great. Fans don't know what they like in their series until it's given to them.

You do realize that is a lot to see past when playing an rpg right? Being a fan of something doesn't mean taking a load of crap, hoping for the best and saying thanks. Criticizing something doesn't make you less of a fan either. If you really care for a series you aren't going to sit back and watch it deteriorate without saying anything.

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

[QUOTE="Miroku32"]Ppl are still angry at Square Enix for FF13. z4twenny

They complained when 12 was too western and non-linear, they complain that 13 is too linear. Fans spend more time complaining than actually playing the games they 'love'. I hope this is not true, shunning a series over one game. I hope these same people didn't do the same thing with the Devil May Cry series.

neither of them have much in common with the original final fantasies. If you had grown up with them and played them in order you'd notice a general theme, characters, monsters and gameplay that started getting thrown off around ff10 and is basically no longer a ff game by 13 in anything other than enemy and spell names.

I did grow up playing them actually (but nice assumption there). I have finished all the major entries (yes, even FF2). However, I still saw past 13's rubbish characters, thin plot and linearity to see the game's strengths (end-game content, good battle system etc.). All I'm saying is that, as a fan, I am willing to accept change and see if anything interest comes of it. If not, too bad, if so, that's great. Fans don't know what they like in their series until it's given to them.

SteamedBennet

Oh sorry, i guess you just missed the part where they traded in making fun games for pretty games. the fact that you had to look past bad characters, thin plot and straight line linearity tells me all i need to know. what did ff's 2-9 have? fairly open and explorable worlds, memorable characters and good plots (although the translations were questionable at times) ff13 has none of these and the battle system imo was a wreck. i can defecate in a bowl and call it chili all day long but we both know what it really is.

imo final fantasy dipped in quality after FFX

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

[QUOTE="z4twenny"]

neither of them have much in common with the original final fantasies. If you had grown up with them and played them in order you'd notice a general theme, characters, monsters and gameplay that started getting thrown off around ff10 and is basically no longer a ff game by 13 in anything other than enemy and spell names.

sandbox3d

I did grow up playing them actually (but nice assumption there). I have finished all the major entries (yes, even FF2). However, I still saw past 13's rubbish characters, thin plot and linearity to see the game's strengths (end-game content, good battle system etc.). All I'm saying is that, as a fan, I am willing to accept change and see if anything interest comes of it. If not, too bad, if so, that's great. Fans don't know what they like in their series until it's given to them.

You do realize that is a lot to see past when playing an rpg right? Being a fan of something doesn't mean taking a load of crap, hoping for the best and saying thanks. Criticizing something doesn't make you less of a fan either. If you really care for a series you aren't going to sit back and watch it deteriorate without saying anything.

You just highlighted what I criticised about it, and then said I don't say anything. Hmm... Anyway, all I'm saying is that it had it's fair share of problems, but it also had some good features as mentioned, and I don't believe it was as bad as the extreme over reactions I've seen about it. Games only get better by trying things and building on it. Obviously, a lot of things were learnt by Square with FF13, but it was still a good game.

[QUOTE="z4twenny"]

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

They complained when 12 was too western and non-linear, they complain that 13 is too linear. Fans spend more time complaining than actually playing the games they 'love'. I hope this is not true, shunning a series over one game. I hope these same people didn't do the same thing with the Devil May Cry series.

jasonharris48

neither of them have much in common with the original final fantasies. If you had grown up with them and played them in order you'd notice a general theme, characters, monsters and gameplay that started getting thrown off around ff10 and is basically no longer a ff game by 13 in anything other than enemy and spell names.

I can see that. It was so wildly different that it would fit one of those categories. Still though, it was good enough to have been the new direction for the series. I know people take issue with the poor pacing and lack of character development and I understand those complaints, but the core game was great. Evolving that kind of game and world design could have lead to great things if they would have chosen that path.

[QUOTE="jasonharris48"]

[QUOTE="z4twenny"]

neither of them have much in common with the original final fantasies. If you had grown up with them and played them in order you'd notice a general theme, characters, monsters and gameplay that started getting thrown off around ff10 and is basically no longer a ff game by 13 in anything other than enemy and spell names.

sandbox3d

I can see that. It was so wildly different that it would fit one of those categories. Still though, it was good enough to have been the new direction for the series. I know people take issue with the poor pacing and lack of character development and I understand those complaints, but the core game was great. Evolving that kind of game and world design could have lead to great things if they would have chosen that path.

I felt this way about ff 10,12 & 13. On their own merits they're anywhere from good to meh but i don't think any of them really deserve the final fantasy title.

[QUOTE="sandbox3d"]

[QUOTE="jasonharris48"] While I think FFXII is one of the best in the franchise, I always thought FFXII should of been a spin off or a new IP

z4twenny

I can see that. It was so wildly different that it would fit one of those categories. Still though, it was good enough to have been the new direction for the series. I know people take issue with the poor pacing and lack of character development and I understand those complaints, but the core game was great. Evolving that kind of game and world design could have lead to great things if they would have chosen that path.

I felt this way about ff 10,12 & 13. On their own merits they're anywhere from good to meh but i don't think any of them really deserve the final fantasy title.

imo final fantasy dipped in quality after FFX

Chris_Williams

[QUOTE="Chris_Williams"]

imo final fantasy dipped in quality after FFX

abuabed

ff12 would be epic if it had a good story. i also felt that sometimes the game played itself, if you did the gambit system right

[QUOTE="sandbox3d"]

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

I did grow up playing them actually (but nice assumption there). I have finished all the major entries (yes, even FF2). However, I still saw past 13's rubbish characters, thin plot and linearity to see the game's strengths (end-game content, good battle system etc.). All I'm saying is that, as a fan, I am willing to accept change and see if anything interest comes of it. If not, too bad, if so, that's great. Fans don't know what they like in their series until it's given to them.

SteamedBennet

You do realize that is a lot to see past when playing an rpg right? Being a fan of something doesn't mean taking a load of crap, hoping for the best and saying thanks. Criticizing something doesn't make you less of a fan either. If you really care for a series you aren't going to sit back and watch it deteriorate without saying anything.

You just highlighted what I criticised about it, and then said I don't say anything. Hmm... Anyway, all I'm saying is that it had it's fair share of problems, but it also had some good features as mentioned, and I don't believe it was as bad as the extreme over reactions I've seen about it. Games only get better by trying things and building on it. Obviously, a lot of things were learnt by Square with FF13, but it was still a good game.

I know that is what I did, but I got the impression that you think others should do the same and simply look past these flaws and try to find the good. In which case I disagree. (when there is that much that is bad and so little that is good)

I do agree that FFXIII isn't ALL bad, but damn its not very good either. This is (was) a top tier series and the company is full of vets. They should know enough about game design at this point to not make huge blunders when given such a huge budget and lengthy development cycle.

And as a gamer I don't mind seeing SE experiment. They used to do it all the time, but they used to crank out tons of games and a lot of them were damn good. These days its a drag when they put out something so disappointing and you know it will be years before you even see a glimpse of their next effort.

[QUOTE="abuabed"][QUOTE="Chris_Williams"]

imo final fantasy dipped in quality after FFX

cloud3601

ff12 would be epic if it had a good story. i also felt that sometimes the game played itself, if you did the gambit system right

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

I did grow up playing them actually (but nice assumption there). I have finished all the major entries (yes, even FF2). However, I still saw past 13's rubbish characters, thin plot and linearity to see the game's strengths (end-game content, good battle system etc.). All I'm saying is that, as a fan, I am willing to accept change and see if anything interest comes of it. If not, too bad, if so, that's great. Fans don't know what they like in their series until it's given to them.

z4twenny

Oh sorry, i guess you just missed the part where they traded in making fun games for pretty games. the fact that you had to look past bad characters, thin plot and straight line linearity tells me all i need to know. what did ff's 2-9 have? fairly open and explorable worlds, memorable characters and good plots (although the translations were questionable at times) ff13 has none of these and the battle system imo was a wreck. i can defecate in a bowl and call it chili all day long but we both know what it really is.

Yes it wasn't the greatest rpg ever made, and is probably still the 2nd worse entry in the main series (after FF2 of course). However, I still found it to be a good game (not perfect, just good). I found enjoyment in FF13 where it was to be found, nothing more, nothing less. No, I didn't miss anything, because that's your opinion.

[QUOTE="cloud3601"]

[QUOTE="abuabed"] This is absolutely true and I agree.Chris_Williams

ff12 would be epic if it had a good story. i also felt that sometimes the game played itself, if you did the gambit system right

Yeah the crappy part is that Vaan and Penelo were both forced into the game against the directors wishes. That might even be why he said **** it and left mid-development. I swear SE is run by a bunch of ass hats. Why go pissing off one of your top game directors just to include a couple of useless characters that might have a chance of appealing to a younger audience? Dumb asses lol.

[QUOTE="abuabed"][QUOTE="Chris_Williams"]

imo final fantasy dipped in quality after FFX

cloud3601

ff12 would be epic if it had a good story. i also felt that sometimes the game played itself, if you did the gambit system right

Holy crap SteamedBennet I just realized what your user name is and.... :lol:

That's just awesome!

the problem with all the FF's after X is that square shifted the priorities of having good characters, a good story and an interesting world to look at the shiny graphics/j-pop characters with the narrative looking like the last thing they concentrated on, they are running the franchise into the ground at the moment and are either too stupid/ignorant or cash hungry to see it

[QUOTE="z4twenny"]

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

I did grow up playing them actually (but nice assumption there). I have finished all the major entries (yes, even FF2). However, I still saw past 13's rubbish characters, thin plot and linearity to see the game's strengths (end-game content, good battle system etc.). All I'm saying is that, as a fan, I am willing to accept change and see if anything interest comes of it. If not, too bad, if so, that's great. Fans don't know what they like in their series until it's given to them.

SteamedBennet

Oh sorry, i guess you just missed the part where they traded in making fun games for pretty games. the fact that you had to look past bad characters, thin plot and straight line linearity tells me all i need to know. what did ff's 2-9 have? fairly open and explorable worlds, memorable characters and good plots (although the translations were questionable at times) ff13 has none of these and the battle system imo was a wreck. i can defecate in a bowl and call it chili all day long but we both know what it really is.

Yes it wasn't the greatest rpg ever made, and is probably still the 2nd worse entry in the main series (after FF2 of course). However, I still found it to be a good game (not perfect, just good). I found enjoyment in FF13 where it was to be found, nothing more, nothing less. No, I didn't miss anything, because that's your opinion.

i'm glad you enjoyed the overly dramatized and effiminate characters, untold story in cutscenes, encyclopedias worth of backstory not told in cutscenes, horribly unbalanced battle system and the wonderfully linear crystarium. At least in the earlier final fantasies there was some illusion of customization and exploration.

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

[QUOTE="z4twenny"]

Oh sorry, i guess you just missed the part where they traded in making fun games for pretty games. the fact that you had to look past bad characters, thin plot and straight line linearity tells me all i need to know. what did ff's 2-9 have? fairly open and explorable worlds, memorable characters and good plots (although the translations were questionable at times) ff13 has none of these and the battle system imo was a wreck. i can defecate in a bowl and call it chili all day long but we both know what it really is.

z4twenny

Yes it wasn't the greatest rpg ever made, and is probably still the 2nd worse entry in the main series (after FF2 of course). However, I still found it to be a good game (not perfect, just good). I found enjoyment in FF13 where it was to be found, nothing more, nothing less. No, I didn't miss anything, because that's your opinion.

i'm glad you enjoyed the overly dramatized and effiminate characters, untold story in cutscenes, encyclopedias worth of backstory not told in cutscenes, horribly unbalanced battle system and the wonderfully linear crystarium. At least in the earlier final fantasies there was some illusion of customization and exploration.

And all they need to do is remake FF7 :lol: Wtf is wrong with them.

What Square Enix needs is for the West to forget about Final Fantasy and fall in love with Dragon Quest, which is already indescribably huge in Japan. Really, guys, it's a better, less pretentious and far more charming franchise free of all the bullcrap.

[QUOTE="SteamedBennet"]

[QUOTE="z4twenny"]

Oh sorry, i guess you just missed the part where they traded in making fun games for pretty games. the fact that you had to look past bad characters, thin plot and straight line linearity tells me all i need to know. what did ff's 2-9 have? fairly open and explorable worlds, memorable characters and good plots (although the translations were questionable at times) ff13 has none of these and the battle system imo was a wreck. i can defecate in a bowl and call it chili all day long but we both know what it really is.

z4twenny

Yes it wasn't the greatest rpg ever made, and is probably still the 2nd worse entry in the main series (after FF2 of course). However, I still found it to be a good game (not perfect, just good). I found enjoyment in FF13 where it was to be found, nothing more, nothing less. No, I didn't miss anything, because that's your opinion.

i'm glad you enjoyed the overly dramatized and effiminate characters, untold story in cutscenes, encyclopedias worth of backstory not told in cutscenes, horribly unbalanced battle system and the wonderfully linear crystarium. At least in the earlier final fantasies there was some illusion of customization and exploration.

No I didn't enjoy the characters or the story that much (as stated earlier), I enjoyed other aspects of the game (I'm not stating this again). Funny how you say you like FF9, and then complain about effiminate characters (Kuja?) in FF13.

I personally didn't find the problems with the battle system you stated. How is the crystarium being linear any different to traditional levelling in older FF games? (which you stated you like).

Yes, I'll agree that characters in games since 10 have become overly dramatic, but they were in ff 8 and 9. You just didn't notice it as much because there was no voice acting.

people are still burned with 13 and more than likely wont want to play a sequel.

Still half a mil is pretty good regardless of game especially for 1 country.

razgriz_101

even if FF died, SE has a lot more first party franchises, including the extremely popular dragon quest series and the also popular deus ex series. plus they do publishing for western companies in japan, so even if they didn't make games they'd still make money.BrunoBRS

[QUOTE="BrunoBRS"]even if FF died, SE has a lot more first party franchises, including the extremely popular dragon quest series and the also popular deus ex series. plus they do publishing for western companies in japan, so even if they didn't make games they'd still make money.cloud3601

So Deus Ex HR,Just Cause 2 and the new Tomb Raider game coming next year all look bad?

Can't say I'm surprised. And I put the blame squarely on the story told in FFXIII. Good stories cover-up other shortcomings (i.e. XIII's linearity) and go a long way for campaign RPG games.

[QUOTE="cloud3601"]

[QUOTE="BrunoBRS"]even if FF died, SE has a lot more first party franchises, including the extremely popular dragon quest series and the also popular deus ex series. plus they do publishing for western companies in japan, so even if they didn't make games they'd still make money.razgriz_101

So Deus Ex HR,Just Cause 2 and the new Tomb Raider game coming next year all look bad?

[QUOTE="razgriz_101"]

[QUOTE="cloud3601"]they still make crap games

Chris_Williams

So Deus Ex HR,Just Cause 2 and the new Tomb Raider game coming next year all look bad?