If you hear the name “Square Enix”, most likely first think of really good Japano role-playing games: At Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Kingdom Hearts, Star Ocean, or the Mana Series. The portfolio of the Tokyus-based publishers is almost endless when it comes to singleplayer experiences with profound story and sophisticated gameplay. On the other hand, when Square Enix is less thinking less, loveless and sensitive grind buds with games-AS-A-service concept, season passports, chargeable extensions and intrusive microtransactions. And yet that seems to be the direction in which the Group wants to develop further in the future.
Honestly, this is not completely new knowledge. As early as 2017, CEO Yosuke Matsuda made a clear announcement in this direction. In a company-internal presentation for investors, he released: The global games hits of recent years would have been more and more live service games. It is therefore necessary to assume that this is the mainstream model of the future and adapted in accordance with the company policy.
In the coming years, Square Enix therefore wants to publish tags, whose design generates recurring revenue. The virtual worlds of Final Fantasy and Co. are supposed to hold players longer with the rod and pull them back in their spell. Instead of looking at everything and then move on to the next title. Or simply expressed: it should be made as much coal as possible – and over a long period of time as possible.
Table of contents
- 1The clean case of Babylon
- 2Next Flop: ForSpoken?
- 3 scooter, stay with your afford!
Provisions are likely to have been titles such as Destiny, GTA Online or Fortnite, which are always supplied with a new content and, for years after releaser, delight player masses. Any attempts from Square Enix to mimic these successes only, but have not really been crowned successfully. What in my opinion is that the Japanese with Games-As-A service simply work against their own strengths.
The Cure of Babylon
Let’s take a look at Marvel’s Avengers: Then you take Crystal Dynamics, the makers of Legacy of Cain: Soul Reaver or Tomb Raider, and lets you make a game with multiplayer focus – with which the makers do not know at all. There is already to be foreseen that that will be nothing! And of course, Avengers, apart from the story, became the only highlight of Marvel-Verfung, to scream bad: The levels fall tubular and uncreative, the mission design lacks variety, the opponents are completely uninspired. And the endgame recycles not only the content of the campaign, coated grind, boring loot and lack of long-term motivation make the thing quite fast to a monotonal affair.
And the “service” elements could be easy to save: The Battle Pass is fully charged with a cosmetic little shock that could not interest you. The grind for new equipment offers a lack of variation no restart value. The co-op component lets basic functions miss and hardly works due to the number of players. And then, yes then there is still the absolutely ridiculous pricing policy. In a full price title for 70 euros again a digital deluxe upgrade for 50 and Ingame currency packages for up to 90 euros offer? Did they believe all the paint?!
Next Flop: ForSpoken?
Whereby that is anyway on shaky legs. Only recently the release was postponed to October. According to developers, to give a little more time for the fine cut. Finally, it is my own vision to “create a new brand whose world and heroine players attract themselves around the world over the years.” Of course, this does not necessarily mean that foresken also get live service elements. But it sounds suspicious like that. And it also fits into the overall picture. Microtransactions were finally confirmed indirectly. In the official age ranking of the Action RPG, in addition to violence, and swear words from in-game purchases. Therefore, there is only one “M” for Mature, so a release from 17 years upwards.
Schuster, stay with your afford!
That’s not very optimistic now. And that’s awful too bad, because Square Enix can do good games. That’s what you have seen in the younger past. Just watch Guardians of the Galaxy from Eidos Montreal: No multiplayer, no microtransaktions, no DLCs. For a great story, which was even awarded a Game Award at the end of the year. According to reports of various industry insiders and analysts, the thing has also sold one and a half million minutes. And so the foundation for a possible sequel or equals a whole franchise, with which then earn long-term money.
In the meantime, even the sale of the latest extension “EndWalker” had to be temporarily stopped because the servers of the game were totally overloaded! So it can go if you would have to reflect on your own qualities that have awarded a year over years. On things that lie. And that is not a cheaper online shit at Square Enix, which should pull us as much money from the pockets as possible, but Toll told stories and immersive worlds with graping gameplay. Just like in Deus Ex. So there is a new part of a new part. Since I have been waiting for almost eight years since the end of Mankind divided!
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