Square Enix pres Yoichi Wada preaches platform neutrality
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jul 29th 2008 at 12:46PM }
Speaking with GamesIndustry.biz, Wada said, "We always consider the territory and hardware for titles, and I just want to make sure that we're neutral about dealing with companies." Though he conceded that "in Japan ... the Xbox 360 isn't really that strong yet" he acknowledged that in "North America Microsoft is doing very well with its hardware." Sounds about right to us.
Throw in escalating development costs, and you've got a no-brainer. Wada sums it up: "We're now in the age of the multi-platform ... in order to offer our product to the vast majority of gamers we need to deal with multiple companies and platforms." Multiplatform third-party games are increasingly the norm; however, with certain "now-gen" Square Enix titles remaining selectively exclusive (think Infinite Undiscovery), we're not quite ready to call it for Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Z @ Jul 29th 2008 12:50PM
Well then give us some more Wii games, S-E!!!
koehler83 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:13PM
Wii has more SE games than Xbox or PS3.
Chocobo Dungeon Go!
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:26PM
That's because they're taking their time making the 360 and ps3 ones good.
Vegeta (aka Ska Oreo) @ Jul 29th 2008 2:23PM
Wow an anit-wii comment coming from elitist tmac?
How surprising.
WiiFTW @ Jul 29th 2008 3:12PM
@ Vegeta:
tmac's got a point. The games that go to X360/PS3 are the huge games like FFXIII, Versus XIII, Infinite Undiscovery, etc that are made less often.
The Wii on the other hand gets the games that I guess appeal to a smaller audience and that I personally don't like (Roguelikes with chocobos? not thanks)
4MyFriends @ Jul 29th 2008 3:37PM
"tmac's got a point. "
No he doesn't, he made yet another blatant anti-Nintendo blanket statement, and he gets rated up for it because Joystiq did a 180 degree turn At E3 2008 in regards to liking Nintendo.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2008 4:37PM
I got voted up for it way before this E3. So what's your cover up excuse for that?
el serpiente @ Jul 29th 2008 8:29PM
I think Fernanny has stiff competition in the frothing at the mouth nintendonald's fanboy championship.
4myfriends, please describe to us what you think the controls for a new kid icarus game should be, the best wii-ware titles currently available, and 10 reasons why the PS3 sucks.
Be careful. You will be judged on quality and style.
WiiFTW @ Jul 29th 2008 12:53PM
How about some Wii love?
Everyone (hardcore devs) hate the Wii.
A Pissed-off English Gamer @ Jul 29th 2008 12:55PM
I'm a large Final Fantasy fan who welcomes the news for Final Fantasy 13 (a game I've admittedly not seen a great deal of detail for yet), but I have to ask what the tie is between Final Fantasy XIII and Final Fantasy Versus XIII? It's something which is so rarely stated bluntly that I'm begginning to wonder if it's a very well known piece of information at all; somebody spell out the primary differences, please. Details of different platform releases, and general release date expectations seem to be far more common-place for these games than details of the actual substance in them. I hope this changes soon.
WiiFTW @ Jul 29th 2008 2:35PM
IIRC, Versus and XIII are the guaranteed PS3-bound games from the series Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy XIII, which includes FFXIII, Versus XIII, and Agito XIII. According to Wikipedia, Agito XIII is going to mobile phones.
Versus will be real-time from the same universe as FF13. I believe it's going to be like Kingdom Hearts (PS2) as far as gameplay goes. Regarding release dates, I guess Versus is secondary to FFXIII. However they're all in development so it's hard to say what the priorities are.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fabula_Nova_Crystallis_Final_Fantasy_XIII
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 12:58PM
Nice edge up Yoichi, lookin clean playa.
:P
eilegz @ Jul 29th 2008 12:59PM
now where its FF XIII for Wii
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:15PM
Why would you want something like that on the wii? It would be so gimped it'd make Dead Rising look like the 360 version. Why do wii owners want gimped games all the time? Just buy a 360 it's not much more expensive than a wii.
eilegz @ Jul 29th 2008 1:17PM
xbox360 cost a LOT here in latin america (like 100 dollars or more), and the tendency to fail with RROD plus the warranty policy here dont make it better.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:23PM
Wow I had no idea it was so much more expensive over there. Guess I should have known because our economy is pretty shitty right now.
Leobebes @ Jul 29th 2008 1:24PM
Your last statement is kinda ironic, especially coming from someone who has a logo of a browser that went extinct and is no longer supported.
You would think that a machine that RROD's would be right up your alley.
Saria the Cat @ Jul 29th 2008 1:43PM
Wow, you guys are enormous jerks.
Noshino @ Jul 29th 2008 2:10PM
uh, eilegz, the latin american market tends to be the last one when it comes to electronics, so yes, I actually find it surprising that the gap between the 2 of them isn't higher
btw, how much is the Wii selling for? and also, what country are you from?
eilegz @ Jul 29th 2008 3:29PM
the wii its 300 dollars 50 more than the US, and a lot of US tourist come here to get the Wii.
Cyro @ Jul 29th 2008 5:06PM
I am from latin America, Dominican Republic, and the Wii sells for US$330.00 now. The Xbox 360 20 premium dropped to US$464.00. Arcade US$405.00, and the elite for US$588.00. The 40GB PS3 sells for $600.00 for some stupid reason.
Nobody dares to buy a used Xbox 360 unless its an elite for fear of RROD. and The PS3 is not very appealing because they dont even rent Blu-ray movies down here yet and HD LCD displays are just beginning to sell. And as you might image, quite expensive. Its a luxury really.
PS: Every freaking body knows what halo is. Its actually funny. The Wii is selling like hot cakes also. Dont know why. But no shortages though.
Dirt @ Jul 29th 2008 1:00PM
If FF XIII sells like gangbusters on the 360, and it should, you can bet every major S/E title will be brought over. 360 owners just buy up anything good like crazy, everyone knows this. The tie ratio is astronomical.
"we're not quite ready to call it for Final Fantasy Versus XIII."
Would be the silliest comment available. Right now the 360 is the lead JRPG platform by quite a large margin. Anyone, and I mean anyone, who thinks the PS3 might have some sort of 'gotcha' to this whole thing, is out of their minds.
Welcome to multiplatform releases, Square.
finaldarklord @ Jul 29th 2008 5:19PM
Not exactly the easiest call to make right now, I should think. The PS3 has ONE jrpg as it stands, which was a miserable port to begin with.
I'm also not finding the evidence of the 360 being a JRPG haven all that convincing either. Yes, it has more. No, they aren't selling as they should be. LO and BD both flew off the line on their opening weeks, but then fizzled almost immediately after.
Lets wait for something like FF13 or even Eternal Sonata to be released before we make a comparison.
3cubed @ Jul 29th 2008 1:01PM
Even though I'm happy that trese is coming to the 360, I might still purchase a PS3. The one thing that turned me off on the trailer is that they were using guns instead of magic and swords. Hopefully that is just a class or something and the mages are still in this one.
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:13PM
In before the "They put guns in it to appeal to the 360 crowd" comments.
Ok so that's a bit of a stretch I guess :P
Deric Lee @ Jul 29th 2008 1:07PM
Whats a Wii? And does it play REAL games?
:-p
eilegz @ Jul 29th 2008 1:20PM
well if third parties can make "real" games and not shovelware....
4MyFriends @ Jul 29th 2008 3:43PM
I agree, Wii owners might actually purchase and play "hardcore" titles when devs start making decent ones and not last gen PS2 ports that looks worse than 1st gen PS2. Tell Ubisoft to stop releasing 2-3 casual shits a month and give the system true support (I'm giving Red Steel 2 a benefit of the doubt, it did decently when you consider it was a Wii launch title).
FOXHOUND @ Jul 29th 2008 1:10PM
Without going into a long rant as to why, I'll just sum it up in one line of disgreement with Mr. Wada:
I fear the day of a unified game system simply because of the complacency it would bring.
Ziggy55 @ Jul 30th 2008 12:34PM
A single platform wouldn't be complacent. There will always be companies willing to enter the market if they think they can make a better/cheaper product. Even a monopoly has to innovate to maintain high barriers to entry.
Zippy5150 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:13PM
"We're now in the age of the multi-platform ... in order to offer our product to the vast majority of gamers we need to deal with multiple companies and platforms."
We weren't in the age of multi-platform before?
4MyFriends @ Jul 29th 2008 3:45PM
We were, it's just that we are in the age where you can't profit by just supporting one console like they had been doing in the past.
koehler83 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:17PM
There is no similarity between the two. Entirely separate projects. Versus is a real-time action RPG built on the shoulders of the Kingdom Hearts series.
It remains tenuously PS3 exclusive with absolutely no expected date of release, even in Japan. It is on hold pending the release of FFXIII.
browntown @ Jul 29th 2008 1:25PM
I bet it will go multiplatform, but it could star exclusive if FF13 sells alot on the ps3, but i highly doubt they would keep it exclusive anyway. If star ocean does not come to the ps3, then ff 13 will probably stay exclusive.
Leobebes @ Jul 29th 2008 1:21PM
Someone please tell "we are in the age of multiplatform" to Konami. Oh yea that is right they hate money and I am tired of Kojima being worshiped as a genius rather than the fanboy that he is.
Is it me or does Kojima come off as nationalistic?
tmacairjordan87 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:25PM
Weren't you the one who confessed to hating him because he snubbed your friend's toy factory or something like that? You're STILL sore about that?
Leobebes @ Jul 29th 2008 1:34PM
Yes it was me, the reason I want to see MSG4 go multiplatform is because MSG4 fanboys are the most melodramatic fatalistic bunch since the Jim Jones revival. So seeing this game go multiplatform would be an internet event of epic proportions. Who wouldn't want to see this event transpire?
j.howlett @ Jul 29th 2008 1:36PM
why doesn't someone tell that to Gabe
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 1:40PM
Leobebes
"Who wouldn't want to see this event transpire?"
To quote Chris Grant from yesterday, "Yes. Oh, very yes."
Leobebes @ Jul 29th 2008 1:42PM
So everyone will skirt my question? Does anyone here think Kojima comes off as ultra nationalistic?
If the consensus is that he is, then isn't it kinda odd behavior to be displayed from a business man and a game designer?
erico316 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:48PM
just because he doesnt want to downgrade his mgs4 so it can fix and run on the 360 doesnt make him dumb.s-e already stated that they would be downgrading parts of ff13 so it can fix on the 360.i find this to be the worst part of ff13 going muil platform.it would had been ok if they didnt have to make changes to the game but since they will i going to dislike s-e.also this statement of the age of muilt platform is a lie why is he making game only on the 360.
Jling84 @ Jul 29th 2008 1:46PM
Never heard of MGS2: Substance for the original Xbox huh?
Leobebes @ Jul 29th 2008 1:49PM
In all fairness that was a like throwing table scraps to a dog. No marketing, no passionate plea to get the word out there that Metal Gear was on the Xbox. It was set up to fail. Plus I think that decision was more Konami that Kojima.
Leobebes @ Jul 29th 2008 2:22PM
@erico
"ust because he doesnt want to downgrade his mgs4 so it can fix and run on the 360 doesnt make him dumb.s-e"
Downgrade in what way? Be more specific?
Noshino @ Jul 29th 2008 2:29PM
Goddamn Leobebes,
"Oh yea that is right they hate money and I am tired of Kojima being worshiped as a genius rather than the fanboy that he is."
So? Im tired that you keep spreading FUD...
Have you thought for a second that the fact that he is seeing as a great game designer has to do with the games that he has worked on?
Hell, I wouldn't normally stand being on the freaking sun for so many hours, but Boktai was so amazingly addicting!
"Yes it was me, the reason I want to see MSG4 go multiplatform is because MSG4 fanboys are the most melodramatic fatalistic bunch since the Jim Jones revival."
Wow, so you want see people being pissed? that's low, seriously.
Fanboyism aside, why is it that Microsoft is so into getting all of the PlayStation franchises? (I know that MG started on the SNES, but MGS did not)
"So everyone will skirt my question? Does anyone here think Kojima comes off as ultra nationalistic?
If the consensus is that he is, then isn't it kinda odd behavior to be displayed from a business man and a game designer?"
There, you just made yourself look like a complete idiot.
From a business perspective, do you know of all the ins and outs of the talks between Konami/Kojima and Sony? They could have bought the exclusivity, if not, there many other things that Sony could have offered, for example, they could be backing up the movie. All in all, if they don't release it for the 360, don't you think there must be a good reason behind it?...
From a game designer perspective, there are 2 things you designers aim for, either getting as many people as they can to enjoy a title, or just focus on one console and get the most out of it. Kojima seemed to have opted for the second one. As an example, CoD4, the title as is was great, but imagine how much better it would have been if it was released for just one console?
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 2:39PM
Noshino weren't you the one that told Mcpoop to keep his comments brief. Goodness man take your own advice. I liek how you lose it when people talk bad about anything Sony related. :)
Noshino @ Jul 29th 2008 2:50PM
what are you talking about! I complained to Nando when I was complaining about people not playing Star Fox Command (seriously, wtf!)
Nah, dude, I needed to answer Leobebes point by point or else the message wouldn't get to his brain
And what I actually told McPoop (or w/e is his name) was that almost all of his comments are long as hell
xFenixKnightx @ Jul 29th 2008 3:09PM
lol, true
eNrique @ Jul 29th 2008 3:47PM
so... anyone has a conclusion???
Sharp @ Jul 29th 2008 6:19PM
It's because they are bathing in Sony money. Sony paid I'm sure a very hefty price to get MGS4 exclusive. Anybody that believes Sony doesn't pay for exclusives is well.. nevermind I don't want to get crude and insulting. Of course Konami likes money and they know they have a hit with MGS4 that is why I'm sure Sony is buttering their bread with dolla signs.