How Square Enix FIXES Final Fantasy 17...

[@jarde1989]

1) launching their games across all platforms day one 2) providing a variety of experiences (action, turn base, mix) in the numbered series to satisfy all different types of fans

[@dantexpcd]

That's a great idea I want a spin off or a sequel that plays FF 16, one that plays like ff7rebirth and other one that plays like ff 6 They could make them with proper budgets and get people behind them, hell use the same kinds of assets that they already have

[@primal1233]

I love the Final Fantasy games

[@Xenado22]

Identity Crisis...Core

[@ismejks]

SE keep creating games for non gamers/fans that's the issue

[@handsam1009]

So true

[@Cloud-dt6xb]

I still believe 15 and 16 are good games, however by the time I finished 16 I realized how much I've been missing the more traditional format and the game made it more noticeable how unsure of the series idenity Square actually is. It's why I've been enjoying the remake triliogy, because it does give me that classic Final Fantasy feel and I want it to carry forward into the future. Especially when as you pointed out other rpg's are coming out and proving modern takes on the format can work great. If I could give them any piece of advice right now it would be to not worry what everyone else is doing and take a good look how the series got so big to begin with. There's still enough of the old guard there that I'm confident they can rediscover their roots if they just took a step back. And to be fair they are recognizing they can't keep going how they have been. If Sega can turn things around for themselves so can Square Enix.

[@wiseguy240Winston]

16 sure 15 tho was disappointing. I enjoyed the 13 trilogy over it tbh

[@Acesinz]

100% agree with you! Square Enix please read this!

[@Cloud-dt6xb]

@@Acesinz I'm confident their thinking about what I've said, their not EA they do genuinely care about making good games but this trend chasing habit has been a problem since the release of Final Fantasy 13 honestly.

[@butterworthboys4985]

I'm playing Remake for the first time right now, and I genuinely believe if they would have just made one game, instead of three, cut all the padding out, and made a closer experience to the original as far as story and gameplay, they could have made one of the best games ever. (Yeah, the OG is already one of them.) Having said that, I'm really enjoying my playthrough. Remake really excels at fleshing the characters out, and I personally love the dialogue between them, but there are so many things that could have been better. The story, characters, and world of FF7 are so special. If the execution of the overall package would have been handled better, SE could have had a MASSIVE hit (saleswise AND critical receptionwise) on their hands.

[@Rikiko722]

I agree. A lot of the filler in these games seems to take away from the overall experience - even if it is optional. There are certain other things that nag me too. They've clearly put a lot of effort in, and we should appreciate that, as it was always going to be hard to make a remake that would satisfy everyone, but I agree that though they executed fairly well, Remake is not quite at the level I wish it was. I wish it was a tighter experience and not in 3 parts. I also wish they didn't butcher the ending. The interactions between characters is one thing they've generally done well. I'm yet to play Rebirth, but will once it lands on PC. I've heard it's made some marked improvements over Remake but still has quite a lot of filler and generic open world design unfortunately.

[@SnuSnu91]

I strongly disagree

[@jasoncurtis4404]

Yes. The audacity to make a trilogy from 1 game hurt them. Also remake was announced in 2016. Part 3 will most likely come out in 2027. That's a very long time to remake 1 game......

[@Official_RetroMania]

I think they jumped too deep into that rabbit hole. After so many decades of changes I don't expect FF to return to form.

[@blue_wolf2077]

I love FF. I think Square just needs to make a game that captures what 1-9 did in a modern way, and is unabashedly as Final Fantasy as possible.

[@blue_wolf2077]

And what I’m describing is just rebirth so keep building on that!

[@Locomotion94]

Yeah those old FFs were so fun with their ubisoft towers, rock scanning and QTE puzzles ​@@blue_wolf2077

[@SubduedRadical]

I think they had the right idea with FF7 Remake's real time + menu turn based system. It felt really good, and better than FF15's. The problem is they keep doing these dumb PS5 timed exclusives. TONS of people (me included) don't have a PS5. And by the time it comes to PC 1-2 years later, who wants to pay full price for a 1-2 year old game they've already watched the story of on KZbin? I did with FF7:Remake, but I won't with Rebirth or FF16. And it doesn't help that year 1 sales number anyway.

[@RIELSG]

They lost most of the Japanese audience because they don't like the action take. People complain about the turn base but Persona and Dragon quest proves that there's still an audience

[@Acesinz]

I agree with you 100% however, i prefer the very traditional turn based battle system. I don’t want another rebirth 😢

[@AndersonTenecela]

Personally I’ve been enjoying the final fantasy games that have come out recently but I think the platform exclusively has hurt the series because I know many friends who have moved on to PC but cannot afford consoles and immediately bought FF7 remake and FF16 once it came to Steam. So now that the future games will be multi platform is a positive

[@ashleysmith2512]

im hating that games are going all digital so future of FF is out for me if thats the direction it goes i rather have physical games . the good ol days. if i spend hard earned money i want to hold if in my hands the direction they are taking things retro games and consoles will die. its all disposable for the future. retro game stores will close there doors gamestop is on its way. all digital all online and soon enough all mobile gaming handhelds and console will be thing of the past.

[@nashdash6404]

They really thought splitting FF7 in 3 parts was a good idea. Not just that but players had to buy a new system to play the second game. Not to mention the dumb changes to the story.

[@Xoulrath_]

I wasn't happy with that myself when the game first launched. Even after playing the original PS4 demo back in 2020, and enjoying it and seeing the potential l, I couldn't believe that they were making the entire Midgar section a game of its own. Then I finally got around to playing the PS5 version last year when it showed up thanks to my PS+ at the time. I put in a lot of time in what turned out to be a mostly enjoyable game. So I understood after beating it why it was going to be broken up into three parts. They just massively expanded the gameplay and story.

[@johnk.2167]

My biggest complaint is the whole confusing story changes... combat is better in the remakes but literally just about everything else was better in the original

[@eterniaaabadi1823]

greedy idea result bad sell game

[@mingQWERTY]

@@johnk.2167 Except it isnt? In Rebirth, 80% of the stuff were faithful or improved from the original. It's mainly the ending that went haywire and it's unfortunate that we needed to wait 3 years to see everything wrapped up. The expansion of Rufus' character, the Gi's lore and the removal of things like Cait Sith kidnapping Marlene are massive improvements from the original. I've played the original and love it as much as everybody else but let's not delude ourselves into thinking that Remake/Rebirth = bad because ending = bad for hardcore fans

[@johnk.2167]

@mingQWERTY well the biggest changes I felt was the ending like you mentioned but I also feel like the original was relatable (you feel like a gang of normal people trying to save the world) whereas remake and rebirth wasn't relatable (feels like a gang of superheroes or matrix characters trying to save the world) Since when can cloud do acrobatics like neo in the matrix? Why not eliminate hojo when they had the chance? Why can people do backflips on motorcycles? Why is a multiverse needed to an already great story? Did anyone even understand the ending without googling it? It feels like a convoluted story that's no longer relatable and lacks the emotional punch the original had

[@wiseguy240Winston]

Main thing is RPG's are dying with Gen Z & Especially Gen Alpha. Fortnite is all they usually want to play

[@XanderVJ]

The sad thing is most of them aren't even playing Fortnite because they like the game. They play it to socialize with other people. Fortnite and other similar GaaS aren't games as much as social media 4.0.

[@ashleydortch2445]

Bring back chrono trigger

[@ashleysmith2512]

yes please!!!!!

[@chrisgideonrosario]

They bought their own BS. They came up with the story of "gamers don't want turn based, they want action games." They doubled down saying "turn based doesn't make sense with realistic graphics." They made the bed and 💩 in it. If they don't cater to original fans who hyped the F**K out of FF for everyone else, they will only have what they have now.

[@bk327]

Facts!!! Stupidity by westernizing it. I would take FF XVI graphics with Turn based combat and a real party! I stopped playing when they turned their backs on us!

[@KH-nk8ry]

Turn Based isn’t the reason it’s failing. If this was turn based, I’d do even worse. It’s console exclusivity and splitting the story over 3 parts.

[@keonhobgood1551]

It will not do worse if it’s turned based look at persona, SMT V, fire emblem, unicorn overlord and baulders gate. People keep saying that nonsense people who loved turned based games grew up with this franchise you can’t turn your back on the community that made you.

[@NuiYabuko]

​@@keonhobgood1551 So your proof is a bunch of mostly niche franchises?

[@luciofilipe]

@@KH-nk8ry they focusing to much time on combat. the story and the rest suffers because of it, focus on story and make a simple but engaging turn base combat. just like the golden days.

[@ryh2638]

Some people may not like hearing this but scaling back and making sure the Switch 2 a priority for the next Final Fantasy should at least be a starting point. The declining sales of FF and Playstation software overall in Japan should've been an eye opener for them a while ago. I think they can get a lot of new fans on board by getting to Nintendo and PC players day one.

[@pablocasas5906]

Downscaling the next Final Fantasy and developed it for the Switch as the leading platform, but releasing them on other consoles at the same time, is something I've been hearing for quite a while, but I don't think that's very likely to happen. The thing is that the mainline Final Fantasy developers have created a sort of expectation of what FF games are supposed to be, and by that I mean AAA experiences with high production values that push the capabilities of high-end consoles to the max, they're not like Armor Project, who always choose to develop Dragon Quest games for the most popular console in Japan, that why DQ IX was released on DS, despite the fact that VIII came out on the PS2 or why they choose to develop two versions for DQ XI, one for the PS4 and one for the 3DS, a similar thing happened with Atlus when they released Shin Megami Tensei IV on the 3DS, while SMT III released on the PS2. If Final Fantasy XVII was announced for the Nintendo Switch 2 there would plenty of people complaining that the developers' vision would be limited by the console's hardware, that the Switch 2 would be holding the game back, that it would be a step backwards compared to FFXVI, etc. And the other thing is, even if the Switch 2 turns out to be just as popular as the original, especially in Japan, it'd been over 30 years since the last time a mainline Final Fantasy game released on a Nintendo console on day one, despite the fact that plenty of other FF games were re-released on Nitendo consoles in the last few years, Square-Enix would need to build an audience for a new mainline Final Fantasy game on Nintendo consoles once again, they'd have to invest a lot in marketing to make it happen, just like how Sony invested a lot when the original Final Fantasy VII was released on the original PlayStation.

[@laxuspoldish6165]

If Square Enix isn't willing to downscale the numbered Final Fantasy games, the least they could do is branch it off into two series. Have a big budget, high production game that leans more towards the action gameplay. Then have a medium budget, turn based FF game that can work well on Switch 2.

[@kqm2010]

@@laxuspoldish6165 but isn’t that kinda what they’ve been doing? Octopath feels like an expansive modern turn-based JRPG. Hell it even was exclusive to the switch when it first dropped. Switch got more square exclusives than any modern system. Plus doing a spinoff just goes back to an issue Square had a while ago with having too many games in development. We all remember the rush of releases of the new Valk game and diofield.

[@XanderVJ]

Nintendo consoles? Sure. PC? No chance in hell. Seriously, people seem to not realize that JRPG have NEVER sold well on PC. Not a single time. Not even when they were sold there on day one. PC gamers just aren't interested in them, and FF is not going to be the franchise that changes that. Or at the very least, not while keeping its JRPG core (well, I guess at this point we should say if they "regain" that core, but you get the point)

[@pablocasas5906]

@@kqm2010 I'd say Square-Enix has made various games for Nintendo systems that try to harken back to old-school JRPGs, particularly the first 6 Final Fantasy games, some other examples include FF: Four Heroes of Light and Bravely Default/Second, but the thing is that I feel that those kinds of games have a sort of niche appeal, I mean, Octopath Traveller 1 and 2, Triangle Strategy and the Live-A-Live remake all managed to sell decently, but I the fact that they play on the nostalgia people have for 16-bit JRPGs makes them feel less important, not saying that they look bad, but the Switch has games like Xenoblade, why Square-Enix didn't try to develop a with graphics and scope like the Xeno series on the Switch? Capcom is the only developer that managed to make a game a game that felt like a sort of "AAA", at least for Switch standards, with Monster Hunter: Rise We also have to take into consideration that the Switch 2 is supposedly going to be more powerful than a PS4 Pro, so I'm hoping third-parties will take advantage of the system's capabilities and make substantial gaming experiences, it would be kind of disappointing for some if companies like Square-Enix would make with HD-2D for the Switch 2. However, know that making a game with a scope similar to Final Fantasy XV for the Switch 2 would take a lot of time, effort and money to develop

[@NoctLightCloud]

even the OG team doesn't know what fans want. Fans usually(!) don't show up for turn-based. We will see how Fantasian is doing. Even Hironobu Sakaguchi wouldn't be able to create what old-school fans imagine because turning a sprite into voice-overed 3D models takes away a lot of the own imagination and thus "magic" and makes everything instantly seem like a movie. Imo something like Xenoblade or Kingdom Hearts is the way to go forward, which Rebirth is already doing. They dropped the ball a bit with ff16 but I believe thag ff17 will be more like Rebirth, and maybe Sakaguchi will return for that one.

[@BigBrotherGnE]

I hear that FFIX remake will be very faithful to the original game, very similar to the Memoria Project, so maybe this will be their testing point to see if the traditional JRPG essence of FF will still stick with the audience.

[@Rejex101]

Nope both were fantastic games and I love the original. The ps5 is expensive so its a mistake to multiplatform. I bought this for a different ending

[@erinherrington2501]

Sad thing is Rebirth overall is a solid to very good game but the inconsistency in quality has worn down a lot of their audience. The long development times to only get a supposedly a part 1 of a something even bigger game is ludicrous. A back to basics and being consistent similar to what Capcom has done in recent years is what got them back in their audience’s favor.

[@gamekiller64]

FF being turn based is far from the solution. If that was the case Octopath Traveler, Bravely Default and Live A Live sales would reflect that. If SE was gonna make a 1 for 1 of FF7 they would have just use the Ever Crisis engine and call it a day. It would be interesting if the market prefers that. Honestly I’m glad they didn’t go that route cuz Remake and Rebirth are amazing. Quality alone just isn’t enough to sell games or maybe this gen just isn’t as profitable for jrpgs

[@luciofilipe]

wrong. can't compare low budget and games with no title power with final fantasy. action just doesn't work with Final Fantasy world. Last good game was 12 and that was 18 years ago. they even managed to screw up the remake of 7.

[@gamekiller64]

@@luciofilipe you can compare them when FF as a brand is not as marketable as it used to be. At this point the gameplay doesn’t seem to be the issue since FF always switched up its gameplay and battle system for better or worst. I’ll have to disagree with 7 Remake. Out of Remake, 16, and Rebirth it seems like people enjoyed Remake’s battle system the most. FF’s appeal is a tricky issue but if FF9 Remake is real and sticks with turn base will see if the market respond in kind

[@luciofilipe]

@@gamekiller64 why did it sold less than the first one then? most of the people enjoying it haven't played the original, most of the og's are despising the changes specually the narrative ones. and despite all the changes FF are selling less and less, and other games are actually increasing theirs. they need to go back to what worked, its been 20 years since a good FF. the fact they need to rely on remakes is a massive red flag.

[@gamekiller64]

@@luciofilipe I answered your question. FF is less marketable now. Which is why it’s selling less. Especially for jrpgs. They don’t have the same pull. Persona 5 just sold over 7mil after 7 years and I bet SE expectations were to make that much at least within a year with 16 and Rebirth. Probably due to FF15 selling 5mil in a week but that release was in a completely different sales environment compared to now. If you believe FF hasn’t had a good game in 20yrs that just sounds like you grew out of it which is fair. Seems like SE is trying to make the effect to attract the younger audience cuz they know the old heads support won’t be enough to keep these games going at this quality. I still see downsizing these games can help it be profitable at least. I still think SE is too prideful with their FF games to look graphically appealing to go that route which is why they make Octopath and such We’ll see how it goes if the FF9 Remake is actually a thing

[@luciofilipe]

@@gamekiller64 imo the last decent one was 12, released in 2006, 16 isn't even an rpg. 15 is meh, 13 jesus... they will have to downsize it at some point. pretty sure they losing money on 16, if 17 flops... we'll see. they shooting themselfs on the foot, their strategy of bringing new audience is clearly not working. they losing audience at this point. not worried cause other franchises are rising to take their place. but its sad watching the downfall.

[@Aries73]

S-E’s attempts at Westernizing FF was a fool’s errand from the start. Latching themselves onto Sony only compounded their mistakes.

[@F_isfor_Fish]

Imagine trying to appeal to western audiences and then calling your main protagonist Clive 🤣 there's isn't a kid out there that wants to be Clive yet we all had our favourite FF character we wanted to be.

[@pablocasas5906]

The thing is that many of the early Japanese RPGs like Dragon Quest were inspired by Western RPGs like Wizardry, and the first Final Fantasy game was clearly inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, in fact Squaresoft blatantly copied some dessigns from D&D's original monsters and they had to redraw the sprites when they released the game in the U.S. so they would get sued.

[@Solidus_25]

I think if Square Enix was always expecting each title of the 7 remake to get close to 8-10million units sold. That is crazy as hell. It's a trilogy so if you haven't done the 1st 2. You aren't gonna buy the 3rd one. There's no issue with 7 remake. I hope Square doesn't take it that way. FF17 having 7 remake combat would be nice. Not 1 for 1, but I don't think FF NEEDS turn based or NEEDS action combat. Think it is all down to the vision for each title.

[@abap-gaming]

I think the big issue is the long time between releases and the fact that FF games are always trying something different. I like the fact that there are different, but I feel like all it's done is split the fans over the years.

[@stephencartwright8355]

Scale the game down a bit. And stick to the best gameplay. For me ff7 rebirth. Use that as the template going forward and put it everywhere all consoles and pc.

[@somaliagainstpanafricanism4865]

The 16 and rebirth combat systems are great. They can iterate on either systems.

[@prinzludwig8052]

I actually found FF16's combat system better than FF7 Rebirth's. Both combat systems are really good, but in FF16 I didn't have the same pressure as in FF7 Rebirth where I had to fill up the bar quickly so I could use spells or items.

[@djcetra]

Nah, just cause it didn't hit profit targets doesn't mean it's not doing well. Most of their probs are just limiting themselves to Sony which they won't be doing going forward. It's that simple.

[@LifeWillChange]

Final Fantasy fans do not want to have this conversation. They want to pretend as if everything is fine

[@elfsong713]

Well it is hard to admit when something you really love isn't as popular as you feel like it should be.

[@andrewshaw7762]

For me, I used to be super excited about Final Fantasy, but I got into FF7 remake on the PS4, and learned the next FF7R (Rebirth) would ONLY be on the PS5, and I quit caring about it after that. I bought a second hand PS4 just for FF7R, but they lost me when they said the next episodes would only be on the PS5. If they same day release on the PC, I might care again.

[@chrisgideonrosario]

I'll bet all the money that if they make the next FF TRUE to its roots (Turn Based ATB, Memorable Cast, Good Writing, Not taking itself Tetsuya Nomura serious but still being cool) it will get minimum of 10 Million sales even with all the 16 and Remake/Rebirth fans saying they won't play it... Fans like familiarity in the series they love, FF 15+ doesn't even feel like FF. 12 was perfect Gameplay wise, maybe just dumb down the Gambit System and allow pro players to customize better.

[@MassiveRican]

It’s unfortunate but I think the PS brand has just become more of a mass casual audience rather than actual gamers. Most of the RPG and JRPG crowd has moved to PC or Switch or were already there to begin with. They may not like the sound of it but game narratives need to be contained to single game and yes it can be expanded to other games the way trails and Xenoblade do it but it needs to have a story that completes within one game. With room for expansion in more if wanted. They may need to bring down the budget and not go so hard on the graphics to keep things manageable the way Nintendo does it and they need to go multiplat with an emphasis on where the RPG market is.

[@MightNight99]

They have to make a game that has equal graphics for all platforms that's the only way for square enix to win or succeed

[@brianwright9215]

You're SPOT ON brutha 👊🏿 Expectations are WAY too high for FF. Let's get back to making a SOLID RPG 🙏🏿

[@ashleysmith2512]

if they would have released all three on same day this would not be a problem now yes there are things that square does that can make a bad game or kill sells just release all in one and just charge us that mount what is so hard about that also the fan of the original after this long wait either dont play games any more dont care or has past on. is this game evan for the old fan or just bring in the new fans out with the old in with the new yes few as myself has been waiting for that moment that finally came there are pros and cons but over all still good game. and the future of FF needs a huge change old style and new style games with the new give us SOMETHING NEW not the new same thing. 16 is not back and yes theres alot you cant not like about it. i would love to see more games like og 7, 9, 10 and 12 would be fine if you did if right . just a different idea from 12 but the experience you get off of 12 that feeling only fans of 12 would understand what m saying.

[@BoluKeju]

The problem is they not release FF multi platform in the same time when they release on playstation. This day if they want to succeed they need to release direct multi platform game immediately no need wait for time exclusivity

[@pinto5012]

Bring back the FF7/FF9 anime artstyle to the series!

[@rexmaskimus]

Probably an exception, but FFXVI is the reason I finally made the move to buy a PS5

[@deathhero1492]

Same

[@samuelchallis3420]

The only action FF game going forward should be FF Origin 2

[@jessebrowning2427]

I really want the remake/rebirth treatment for FVIII. It’s my favorite FF game, and it would benefit quite a lot from it. A lot of holes to fill in, deeper character dives, and fix the draw mechanic to name a few.

[@zaythleon5847]

Honestly I think a system similar to legend of dragoon would work well for a modern day final fantasy. It's interesting that I got into rpgs because of final fantasy and it seems like that's now the last thing that square Enix wasn't that franchise to be

[@MightNight99]

@parris maybe we'll see KH at Tokyo game show but I heard from rumors that the director might retire Plus let Kingdom hearts have his time to develop and let square figure out how to get back to success and bring back final fantasy to all platforms then Kingdom hearts will have it's time to shine again

[@EvanYoungMusic]

The people who said that FF7 remake was weird, they are idiots.

[@kawaraianimeslayer4710]

I am currently playing that game and have seen spoilers for it and rebirth, and I like it and understand the narrative just fine; but I can kinda see the why the old heads are not digging it because the story is just not 1:1 with the original

[@elfsong713]

Remake was weird, but I loved it! 😆

[@nickwick35]

@@kawaraianimeslayer4710 personally I'd find it boring if the story was 1:1. The original will always be there but this is a remake and they're trying to change things up a bit and I appreciated that.

[@kawaraianimeslayer4710]

@@nickwick35 I agree. But as I said some people just want to feel the magic just like in the 90's; however even if its 1:1 it would not be as magical as they first experienced it; because they would know what to expect story wise. So spicing up the scenes like you said is a good way to go but some people are going to say" this isn't my ff7" you know

[@SubduedRadical]

@@nickwick35 same, I liked it being something new to me. Conversely, I do not like PS5 timed exclusivity, so I won't be buying Rebirth. I did get Remake when it came to PC, but don't really want to buy year old games for full price. They need release across platforms or they're going to keep having low sales.

[@ColonelZade]

It's the biggest game out now. Add it up

[@Cloikkk]

I feel like a lot of JRPG players moved to switch and pc, myself included. I sold my ps4 to buy a pc and i now only exclusively play on pc and switch

[@TatKat]

I moved to switch for traditional rpg’s for sure.

[@differentsame9402]

Remake FF8. That's how you fix the final fantasy problem. Simple.

[@mainstreetsaint36]

A bold proclamation. The remaster wasn't too bad though. I'd go for a remake. Though if it does happen, there will definitely be complaining over the voice acting. And all the haters will easily come back and attack the GF system again.

[@raymondjimenez1753]

I wasn’t fond of the endless needing to scan

[@obba40]

FF7 Remake is a better formular but the way they approach the game is too annoying and it takes to long to get the complete experience. And FF16 style is not that of a robust rpg compared to older FF games (not combat) and focuses to much on glimmer over substance of the gameplay. Split it up in turn based vs action, make a hybrid like ff7 but actually condensed and without fluff or make something completely new but actually have rpg stuff like classes or summons, character building, equipment, a controllable party etc.

[@tommymacklin6641]

As someone who became a fan with Final Fantasy VII Remake, I would be disappointed if the next game was primarily turn based. They should build upon what they are doing with the remake trilogy: action combat with the time freezing ATB moves and a full party that you get to control within combat that play differently.

[@avacordsp]

They just need to bring those games to the switch.

[@pablocasas5906]

@@avacordsp the thing is that the Switch is unable to run games like Final Fantasy VII Remake & Rebirth and XVI, heck, I don't think the console is able to run XV, perhaps it could run the XIII Trilogy but I've heard the cut-scenes are the biggest issue, they took a lot of disc space and they have never tried to compress them. Things will be very interesting once the Switch 2 is announced, I can imagine S-E porting the rest of the Final Fantasy games that haven't been in Nintendo systems before, like the above-mentioned XIII Trilogy, XV and there's been talks about bringing FFXIV, which would actually be a big deal, but I'm not so sure if we'll see games like VII Remake/Rebirth and XVI during the console's first years, and even the I don't know if the Switch 2 will be able to run those game at a decent framerate/resolution, though maybe some casual gamers wouldn't be that bothered about that as long as they play decently. There's also the rumors that the Final Fantasy IX Remake is already completed and that'll launch next year on the PS4/PS5, Xbox and PC, but the Switch 2 version will come much later, which perhaps would affect it sales, kind of what happened with Visions of Mana, though FFIX is apparently getting a TV adaption, so I think Square-Enix is hoping it could generate more interest in the Remake

[@jamess.3013]

I don’t mind the 7 remake being in multiple parts, but the odd story direction was a massive mistake. Capcom has been doing it right and MGS delta looks to be the same

[@crosis2]

Rebirth can be played turn based(AI takes over movement, filler attacks and defense while the player only need to use ATB), the problem for that are different difficulties as it does not work for the higher ones. Get back to 1 difficulty, let players choose if they want action/turn based and give more harder challenges. Nobody really cares if one option is easier, it is a single player game, let us play the way we want

[@kerijizo]

Just.. don't make it more photorealistic than it is right now and don't add more budget for the next ff...ff7 rebirth is already great game and looks great,built the next game with this game in mind..change the art style,make the battle system more interesting and make sure the story is solid. Just look at sega game,yakuza like a dragon mostly reused aset from their last numbered game and just add some for their next game(even the new announced majima pirate game is doing it) even persona is doing it especially 3,4,5..you can clearly see the evolution on each game...but the gameplay more or less the same,they just add more and the story on each game is solid(people will argue which game has better story,but at the end of the day they all have great story). I just wanna say is evolve the next ff game one step at a time, don't go full ballistics on change it all.

[@nessianz4730]

Identity? This game got 92 on metacritic, how is game with no identity get that score?

[@Aries73]

At this point, anything that’s an interactive movie will get high review scores from Sony-biased reviewers.

[@DorienTheHeroOfTheArts]

​@@Aries73FFVII Rebirth is NOT an interactive movie lol

[@Xoulrath_]

​@@Aries73I've got a love/hate relationship with FFVII as a whole, but especially with Remake and Rebirth (which I have yet to play outside of the demo). In no way, shape, or form are these games interactive movies. Tell me that you didn't play the games without telling me...

[@evertonsoutolima]

IMO there is absolutely nothing wrong with Rebirth, it’s a great game. Square just had expected too much for a second game

[@chrisgideonrosario]

Metacritic Scored aren't paying SquareEnixs bills... it could have gotten a perfect 100 and it wouldn't change the bad business decision they made to make FF more Western...

[@hauntedhills677]

Okay... I might get some crap for this but I must speak my mind on this. For FFXVI, one thing that could possibly help is to de make the game. Make it 16 bit, similar looking to Final Fantasy VI, make it turn based and above all, put it on all platforms. The ps5, xbox and steam can have both versions much like what Dragon Quest XI did and for Nintendo just do the 16 bit version since I dont think it could run the regular version. I bet it could work out plus be a way Square can see that turn based is the way to go. I'm an old school rpg player so say what you will but I really think it could work

[@nickwick35]

FF17 should use the action/turn based system we've been seeing from Metaphor, Trails through Daybreak, etc. If they go back to an excellent story with a huge world to explore and lots of great characters and launch it on multiple systems, it'll be fine.

[@SuperRamos619]

The suits saw thwt FFX hit 10m sales. And said to themselves, thats the minimum bar for this franchise.

[@vjbd2757]

The last great mainline Final Fantasy game was Final Fantasy 10.

[@RIELSG]

I liked 16 a lot but I'll admit having 16 with turn based like 10 would be a dream

[@toddwatkins5011]

9 was the last good one. As soon as they got rid of the world maps we got corridors. The open maps we get now are full of copy pasted boring landscapes. Storylines have been either nonsensical or dull. Breaking FF7 into multiple games ruined the pacing and non of the added filler has been worth the trade off except Yuffie's time in Midgar.

[@luciofilipe]

and it was the best one, the peak, only downhill after.

[@KuyaHyuuga]

Loved 10, however 14 is a big success and 12 is underrated

[@Dracobyte]

I do not think FF has an identity crisis.

[@GoldChocobo77]

You probably weren't there from the start because it's pretty obvious and known that every FF game after 12 has been struggling

[@NuiYabuko]

​@@GoldChocobo77 In identity? Like, that's some revisionist history. FFVII and FFVIII mostly ditched fantasy for a more modern setting, FFIX went back to whimsical fantasy, FFX had Asian influences, etc. The franchise never really kept one identity for decades now.

[@tntbigshow4826]

It's not just the fantasy elements, it's the gameplay style and tone of the games. ​@@NuiYabuko

[@RIELSG]

FF was turned to action. When it was turn based.

[@SamuelSabharwal]

@@GoldChocobo77I’ve played them all it doesn’t have an identity crisis

[@perunarieska9182]

I feel like fans have been burnt so bad by the continuous betrayal of expectations in the franchise (FF11, 12, 13, 14 launch, 15, 16) that even when a good FF game that is once again unapologetically its own goofy yet serious thing (Remake-series), it doesn't create ripples in the consensus any longer. All except the most hardcore fans have checked out years ago. Dislike and vocalizing disappointment doesn't kill franchises - apathy does. Also doesn't help that Final Fantasy as a franchise has been rifed with subpar spinoffs and gachas, and is overly diluted with all the cross-medium works and mobile cashgrabs that it's frankly become common, cheap and boring. It's no longer exciting when a new FF is announced - it's been milked to death. And with the deluge of FF games, newcomers can't get a good focal point to enter into the franchise since from the outside it seems like an insurmountable mountain to keep up with. SquareEnix seriously needs better brand management with FF. Clear bullet points what their franchise even is, since they seem to have no clue themselves. Then to make sure every entry adheres to those guidelines. And to stop diluting the franchise value by spinoffs and cross-media. If your franchise has slop, it's a slop franchise. The brand also needs to figure out who is the core audience, and make all future plans revolve around not disappointing that customer base. Satisfied customers are the best marketing tool and ambassadors for your brand. ETA: and let's be honest, FF is a boomer franchise. Most of us in the playerbase grew up in the late 70's - 00's, and the brand needs to take that into account. FF had some newcomers after the aggressive marketing of XV, but the launch version was a mess that served mostly in alienating the new customers from any future entries.

[@mikebehan9970]

Ff7r is perfect rpg combat

[@mattblair2]

A new Final Fantasy Tactics on the Switch would be epic.

[@clay.invictus]

I dont know what to comment but if my wife asked me on our wedding day what is the happiest day of my life, I will look her in the eyes with a tear and say.. “the day they made Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth” Not even the birth of our kids would beat it.

[@thechuckster40]

No PlayStation exclusivity did not make sense. Even at the time.

[@Grimetalus]

Personally i prefer XVI to VII remake/ rebirth. People say the combat is button mashing… sure.. its the same as saying devil may cry is button mashing too.

[@robertbastiencote4284]

Profit target by big corporations are like expecting money from the tooth fairy: nothing is further removed from reality. The expression "profit expectation" needs to die, it's killing the industry.

[@selenium9479]

I wish they left ffvii story the same, it was pretty good, and pacing was better.

[@LordFoxxyFoxington]

Nintendo: You could not live with your own failure, and where did that bring you? Back to me.

[@joopvanhedel1372]

Final fantasy just isn't as popular as it used to be. Most fans have grown up and no longer have that much time for gaming and Final Fantasy is simply not a game that many children will play. Games like Persona, although it has great stories and can sometimes be dark, Persona is just child friendly enough for most children, that is something that Final Fantasy just doesn't have, that doesn't make it bad games, but it is a disadvantage for game sales

[@wood1066]

But mainline FF games still massively outsell Persona. For example, the fastest selling Persona game is P3R with 1 million in a week across PS4/PS5, Xbox, and PC. FF16 sold 3 million in a week on just PS5.

[@joopvanhedel1372]

@@wood1066 That's true, but if Square Enix continues the way they are now I think the next few games will do even worse. Square Enix needs change and just like Sony and Microsoft that is easier said than done

[@joopvanhedel1372]

@@wood1066 And Persona always needs a much smaller budget than final fantasy. 3 million is good for most games but because FF16 has a ridiculously high budget 3 million is just not enough

[@wood1066]

@joopvanhedel1372 exactly, the problem with FF isn't the games themselves but their ridiculously high budgets and being exclusive to one platform. FF is still extremely popular.

[@joopvanhedel1372]

@@wood1066 I didn't say that Final Fantasy isn't popular, it's still one of the biggest RPGs in gaming, but it's not as popular as it once was. and if Square Enix doesn't start changing their strategy it would just become less and less popular. because simply making their games playable on Nintendo Xbox and PC is probably not enough

[@JackPliskin255]

Final Fantasy just isn't popular any more. Majority of the fans are in their mid 30's & 40's with their own family's now. It hasn't helped alot of the recent games have been underwhelming; not including rebirth which was amazing.

[@pablocasas5906]

But why is the main why Final Fantasy games fail to connect with younger players? And I know Final Fantasy XVI was rated M, but the Persona games are also M-Rated and they are popular with a younger demographic. Not to mention that recent Pokémon titles have sold better on Switch compared with what they used to sell on previous Nintendo consoles

[@luciofilipe]

@@pablocasas5906 cause persona games are good, and FF games have been garbo. simple as that.

[@hayabusa09]

I wish I could go back and not enjoy Rebirth. Now that I know it missed sales goals, all the fun I had playing it for 150hrs seems all for naught.

[@GoldChocobo77]

I actually don't know how Square Enix survived financially so far, when the last good game was FF12. Even for FF7 remake they messed up: they could have done a masterfull remaster all in 1 game like the original but noooo, they wanted to milk the cow and most none FF7 fans will not invest into 3 games, not even to experience the OG because they changed the story.

[@FleischmannMVD]

HD 2D remake of FF6 will bring it back

[@F_isfor_Fish]

They could stop filling their games with so much pointless boring bloat that they become terrible games.

[@MadCheese1337]

1 console only release was idiotic for them on a bigname release like FF16, their "consoles first" (playstation & xbox) release for FF15 was able to at least give them some payback that should have given them an indicator to do mulitplatform release on all platforms day1 and not the 1 console exclusivity in order to move some units. the sell on other platforms later thing killed all momentum for the game in FF7 remake/rebirths & FF16's case (PS4/5 first and year later for pc). idiocy like censoring games weeks/months after original release is a big no no which also worked against them. holdouts who were on the fence to buy the games FF7-remake/rebirth,FF16 were definitely turned off from that and didnt bother with buying the games with the idiots patch on it. and yes ff7 episodic release definitely was a turnoff for some of the fans from the original ff7 game.

[@Angeloojohnson]

A couple issues watching your video, starters remaking or telling the story in the way they are doing it I enjoy because we all play the OF final fantasy so I don’t think retelling the same story we already know I enjoy the twist and turns they put in an secondly majority of people praised ff7 rebirth battle system as it fused of turn based and action rpg it was actually great, number two they are already doing that with ff9 that will test for them the theory of traditional ff selling tbh

[@toddolsen4604]

Switch 2 is the key. Scale development back to somewhere between AA and AAA specs. And make Japanese games for a Japanese audience. All other reasons pale in comparison to this.

[@parris4038]

We need kh4 news tbh

[@sofienesalem]

Keep in mind they are ps5 exclusive, and thats basically the main explanation

[@Skyw41k3r-u8z]

This is exactly what I meant in the post under the previous video about the ff series

[@kqm2010]

People always say that the mainline final fantasy franchise doesn’t need to be the most technically impressive but that’s something that has always been part of the franchise’s DNA. People say that because they want it on less powerful systems. Each mainline release showcases the leap in graphics and lighting. I’ve personally love the recent releases and think Rebirth’s combat is amazing and should be the standard for the franchises going forward. And this comes from a person that’s played the franchise since FF7 og came out.

[@Cloud-dt6xb]

Right but more and more people are realziing that just because you have all that techincal power does'nt guarantee successs. Infact pushing the console so hard is actually proving to have the opposite effect lately where game budgets are ballooning to obnoxious degrees. We're just at a point now where a developer does'nt really need to use every bit of power a console has to make a game look good. Square should focus on just having graphics that get the job done and have gameplay be a higher priority.

[@kqm2010]

@@Cloud-dt6xb to be clear I don’t disagree with you but from my standpoint every major FF release was square showing off what they can do. There hasn’t been a mainline FF release that didn’t push a system. It’s as much a part of the franchises DNA as Cid in each game. So if we want FF to go back to its roots then that facet would also stay around. FF7 was groundbreaking back then, FFX really showed off the PS2, FF13 still looks amazing and FF16 is gorgeous.

[@Cloud-dt6xb]

@@kqm2010 They can still make their game's impressive to look at just fine by focusing on art style rather than hyper realisim. And that's what they used to do before 13's mixed results. They did'nt care about other trends in the industry they just did what they wanted to do. And that's the attitude they need to have again, and the fact is the way they were doing things recently just isn't getting them results.Going Multiplatform is a good first step, but they need to be willing to take a step back and reexamine where their priorites need to be.

[@sierrakobold6896]

Have we heard anything about FF9 remake?

[@pablocasas5906]

Just today someone posted on Twitter some details about the supposed Final Fantasy IX Remake. Apparently, the development was being done by Xeen, but then changed to be developed internally at Square-Enix for graphical refinement purposes, and the game looks similar to Memoria Project. FFIX's development is apparently completed. It is being prepared for a 2025 launch and is realising on PS4/PS5/Xbox/PC, and perhaps for the Switch 2 in the future

[@sierrakobold6896]

@@pablocasas5906 oh so it seems to be series x/s release as well? I remember like a year ago hearing it would be a Playstation exclusive harkening back to the PS1 release legacy, cool to hear different platforms release

[@pablocasas5906]

@@sierrakobold6896 to be fair, I think limiting Final Fantasy IX's remake to a single platform would be a very bad decision, not to mention that a few months ago Square-Enix confirmed that they are now going to focus on a multiplatform strategy, and FFIX's remake is not as big in scope as FFVII's remake project However, I think that a lack of a Switch 2 version may affect the game, Final Fantasy IX is not as well know as other games in the series and the original came out 25 years ago, I understand that Square-Enix is working on an animated series, but I think FFIX artstyle would resonate much better with Nintendo's audience, I don't want a Visions of Mana situation

[@luciofilipe]

back to turn based, good story and strong party characters. bring back rpg elements and voila.

[@jasoncurtis4404]

Rebirth is top 5 selling game this year. It's the goty to me. No way with all the community around that game, that they didn't have AT LEAST 5 million copies sold. Ff16 sold 3 mil in 1st week on 30 million ps5s. 10% of ps5 owners got ff16 1st week... how is that not successful?

[@juniorcorporan3399]

I told this guy many many times that ff isn’t a huge franchise anymore that only SE thought of their franchise as “huge” and he told me that I’m just an idiot. Now this same guy is saying the exact same things that I used to tell him when ff16 came out. Ff15 was the final nail in the coffin for ff yet this guy still insisted in calling me an idiot for saying that… now he has a whole video agreeing with the things that he called me an “idiot” for 😂😂😂. This guys age is getting to him..

[@kristofferandchristine9252]

Played ff7, 9 and 10. Tried rebirth demo although tje graphics are great but it does not feel the same cant even finish the demo.

[@d18p]

Modern SE games fail bcoz of its outrageous uber high graphic requirements, idk why devs focus on that aspect, graphics isn't everything. NOT EVERYONE can afford high end gpu these days let alone access to them.

[@alanviniciuswanderleytavar4399]

Bro they just need to do expedition 33… it's so obvious

[@bloodyshrapnel2119]

A: Ff is not an action series. B: They deserve dwindling sales for signing with Sony and alienating the pc player base.

[@tntbigshow4826]

Nintendo would've been the big base for FF now.

[@mattblair2]

SE need a redemption story real quick fast and in a hurry. Give me FFX remake or FF9 remake sooner than later.

[@mike1989libra]

Love all the games please gives us more and just have them in all the systems

[@nickspringer6596]

The reason FF7 rebirth sales were “low” had very little to do with the game having an identity crisis. That, to me, sounds like a manufactured excuse by Square Enix to pass the blame on to the game developers on the Square Enix payroll for not satisfying Square’s real problem, themselves. The development team made a beautiful game and deserve to be praised instead of scolding for not making their corporate mommy and daddy happy. Unfortunately, the reality of corporate business is that success is only judged by the amount of sales and revenue generated by a product or service. In the case of Square Enix, the real issues are being ignored. In my opinion, their sales “projections”, which are out of this world, aren’t based in reality. These unrealistic expectations are just a tactic to apply even more pressure to the underpaid and overworked game devs, who are then the scapegoat when Square’s “final fantasy” isn’t satisfied. Secondly, if Square was truly worried about meeting thier sales goals, then they would quit accepting the bag of money Sony offers them for exclusiveness. If this game would have been available on all platforms at release we all know the sales numbers would have been astronomically higher. The only identity crisis is the one Square has with themselves and their business model.

[@marcusclark1339]

best way is not to try to go for broad appeal no when to draw a line and say what the core audience is than try to cater to all not have any agenda in it, mostly avoided now in FF but always paranoid be turn base, any other combat just make its own separated thing or spin off

[@The_Phoenix_Saga]

I'll tell you how to fix Final Fantasy - you see the games from I to IX? Do that. The end. Because there hasn't been a proper Final Fantasy for almost 24 years! And yes - I dismiss X.

[@DWill-e9n]

I have a question? Where are all the bad words and cursing that og ff7 had and why isn't it in remake?

[@st3va91]

Turn based combat is not the answer here. Both FF games already outsold Like a Dragon it is not the action combat that is swaying people away. It is the exclusivity. FF games will always do well in Japan it is the Western market that are not consuming it as much. The article you're referring to were referencing US sales. An easy way to ensure it is played more in the western market is to simply release it on multiple systems at once.

[@luciofilipe]

sales are dropping tho, they losing people and other franchises are increasing their sales, turn based is the answer to be honest, stop wasting time with the combat, do a simple and engaging turn based combat, and go all in in the story and party characters it would sell a lot more than 16 and the remakes. will never happen cause the person in charge of the golden age games story is gone.

[@darthjeff1633]

There is no identity crisis. The ff7 remake rebirth games and ff16 are some of the best final fantasy games in the series! The issues are being console exclusive when ps5s were scarce and just console exclusive in general. Stop spreading this half baked narrative!

[@DankMemeCenterX]

Final Fantasy has done well with less and a thriving user base. The sales are up for you to look at. Reality is the series has lost it way since 10 and completely fumble to grow in reknown appeal. The mere fact it's near Persona or Xenoblade in sales is proof of the IP decline despite perhaps having an enthralling gameplay and story ideas.

[@darthjeff1633]

⁠​​⁠ you’re still ignoring the problem with console exclusivity which is huge when you consider that these games came out when it was hard to get a ps5. I myself had to pay almost double to get it on ebay so I could get ff7 remake. That is not a reflection of the games. And you lose all credibility when you say the franchise has lost its way since ffx. Ffx is my favorite but if you can’t see the value of at least 12, 15, and 16 you don’t care about the future of franchise. You just want it to revert instead of evolve. You’re ignoring the tons of new fans whose first ff games are ff7 remake and ff16. You can find more vods of these games than the older games and more are coming now that 16 is on PC. Ff7 rebirth is probably the best open world game to date, and balanced it with great story telling. Ff16 has one of the best stories and scripts of the franchise. So quit making it about the games, when it’s about the logistics.

[@fillinthevideogameblanks914]

square enix screwed themselves with the graphics thing they can't go back with the graphics that cost a lot of money

[@eddycraig4212]

If ff was to come out on Xbox I would definitely get it he's a hater on xbox

[@matthewdgeisel]

I love FF16 but would have loved it more as a turn based traditional FF. I think they need to return to their roots and I hope when the FF9 Remake gets announced, it's a 1 for 1 with updated visuals. FF7R hasn't been my favorite tbh. They should've released FF16 and FF7Rebirth on PS4 to help with numbers. It's been hard to watch the state of SE but I still believe in them.

[@matthewdgeisel]

@@thommccarthy1139 I didn't mind the combat, but I played because the characters and story were incredible.

[@lollipopwaraxe6032]

Get it on Nintendos platform where it belongs

[@Nextendoh]

They strayed way too far from the original formula. Loosing a lot of fans along the way. No party/turned based gameplay = no FF. No hybrid bs :)

[@ffviifakeremake9997]

FF Fans feel let down by Square Enix, no wonder sales are disappointing 🤣🤣

[@TheUnorthodoxEcclesia]

It will never be as popular as the Legend of Zelda any Final Fantasy game modern or past cannot come close to Zelda a link to the past and Zelda The Ocarina of Time I'd rather play them than any Final Fantasy game