Speaking at the
Reuters Global Technology, Media and Telecoms Summit in Tokyo, Square Enix president Yoichi Wada has said that his company may decide to get cozy with rival developers. "Economies of scale and breadth of scope are getting important," he said. "It may be a business alliance or it may be us taking a stake in others, but we need to go beyond traditional Square Enix." In moving "beyond" the company's traditional situation, Wada also hopes to move farther beyond the borders of Japan and boost international games sales. Out of total software revenue, overseas sales currently comprise 50 percent -- and he'd rather have them at 80 percent.
By forming alliances with other companies and better heeding the desires of the international market (MOAR GUNZ PLZ), Square Enix would be better equipped to deal with steep competition, "not only from Japanese videogame companies but from game companies worldwide." Square Enix's
The Last Remnant, which is planned for simultaneous release in the East and West, may be the first step towards that goal.
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(Page 1) Reader Comments
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There are many things that people want from SE that they seem to refuse to consider as they churn out yet another FF 2 remake.
They should consider making more traditional western games if they want their sales to reach 80% in western countries. Then again, when he talks about investing in other developers, he might mean ones that make western-style games (and thus Square themselves wouldn't need to branch out). Then again...since they now make games involving Disney characters, maybe they've already tried branching out. Who knows.
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I'm quite surprised that Square's overseas revenue is 50%... I honestly would have figured that number to be MUCH lower. Apparently we love FF a bit more than we really thought we did here in the Anglophonic world. Asking for 80% overseas revenue is a bit much, however... unless Square comes up with a game with as much appeal as GTA or something similar, they're not likely to even come close to that number. If that's what they're shooting for, then consider me on the edge of my seat.
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Earthbound Chrono Trigger
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infinite undiscovery?
really?
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Whats the worst that could happen? Them going serious on busines and flooding the market with yearly versions of the same,flooding the market with crap multiplatform liscensed games and trying to take over every other remaining big good company,in what could lead to a horrible dirty monopoly,and worse,the eventual downfall of the videogame industry and into the next industry crash crysis and the end of all what we love!?!?
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don't get me wrong, I still want the quality to be there, but the delays are frustrating...on the other hand, maybe they're trying to make sure everyone has a chance to complete FFXII and their other remakes.
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if they truly wish to make games that appeal to the Western market they can start by dropping the 15 year-old, gender-confused, melodramatic, male protagonist who suffers from amnesia while wearing bright clothes with way too many belts, straps and buckles. And everything that follows...but they won't because at this point it seems like they just don't know how to.
they've been making the same games for, mostly, the same audience for 20 years now.
Capcom, by contrast, understood this when creating Dead Rising specifically for the Western markets. Long story short; I don't think we'll be seeing Frank West at any cosplay conventions soon.
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"Hey you are over generalizing again!"
No I am not, its true Square Enix's design department really hate to break traditions in their character designs it seems.
"Hey what about western developers obsessions with 40 year old balding men, and dudes on steroids!?"
Umm, there is way more diversity in design when it comes to western gaming houses. Everyone in Japan is content sticking to Anime or Manga, can you imagine if most of western design stuck to one single form of influence?
"Man you are a hater, you just don't get Japan, they are superior in their design to the West"
No they are not, you suck....
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"Hey you are over generalizing again!"
Yeah, you kinda are. Last time I looked, you couldn't find steel gauntlets at your local mall. The reason most look the same is because the character designs for a lot of the big games have been done by the same person for a while(Nomura). And before that, Yoshitaka Amano. But in all seriousness, if you tell me Fran(FFXII) looks anything like Shiki(WEWY), I'm gonna have to slap you.
"Hey what about western developers obsessions with 40 year old balding men, and dudes on steroids!?"
Uh... Gears of War, God of War, Halo, Grand Theft Auto... Yup, uber masculine leads. Not that that's a BAD thing. But if you're telling me that American gamers don't jump (mostly) at the games where the main character oozes testosterone... Well, that's slap #2.
"Can you imagine if most of western design stuck to one single form of influence?"
Show me a best-selling American game NOT on the Wii(ie made specifically for hardcore gamers) that don't have a "realistic" art style. Not many, huh? That sounds like a single form of influence, doesn't it?
"Man you are a hater, you just don't get Japan, they are superior in their design to the West"
And, no, you DON'T get Japan. Japan is about conformity, and small steps in evolution, not jumps, like we are apt to admire in the US. That doesn't make them BETTER(as a matter of fact, it holds Japanese development back, a concern that many of them have actually spoken about). It just means you're wrong.
How can they complain about competition if they never put anything out to compete with.
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The Last Remnant in no way has the same brand hype or appeal as a game that carries the final fantasy name (obviously).
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