Everyone has that one Final Fantasy game, that introduced them to the franchise and got them hooked. Your first Final Fantasy game is always the best of the bunch according to your heart, but the beauty of the franchise has always been that successive games in the numbered series have boasted a fair level of quality that has been consistent across the line.
But over the last couple of years, the brand has been losing steam. Whether it was the lacklustre Final Fantasy XIII series, or the lukewarm reception to the online-only Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy hasn’t exactly been a massive hit in its home territory of Japan. That’s according to Final Fantasy XV director Hajime Tabata, who explained that in 2012 he conducted an analysis of how the brand was doing in Japan. The results, weren’t promising.
“The gravest situation of all was that, at the time we were starting Final Fantasy XV, we didn’t see an increase in new fans of the franchise,” Tabata said to Game Informer via GameSpot.
The brand image of Final Fantasy wasn’t really clear. The reality is not that the situation is okay or in favour of us. Rather, it is more grave and serious than we had initially thought. The way we understood Final Fantasy after our analysis is that it was a dying IP that had already peaked.
So why continue with another game then? Why not let the fantasy be final at long last? Because there was still hope for a better game that would draw fans back to the series andprobablyspendR5000onafancycollectorseditionbutyoudidn’thearthatfromme. “One thing I’ve felt from fans is that they are disappointed in the current state of Final Fantasy, but still have hope in terms of where the brand could go,” Tabata explained. This led to three “core” qualities being listed for the next Final Fantasy, which according to Tabata and GI are:
- “A willingness to challenge the status quo”
- “An exceptional, out-of-the-ordinary experience”
- “Cutting-edge technology to use the hardware to the fullest”
The last game to meet all three was 1997’s Final Fantasy VII, according to Tabata. “Any Final Fantasy released after [Final Fantasy VII] lacks in one or the other,” he explained while possibly forgetting that Final Fantasy VIII actually did do all three while I sit here and clench my teeth.
But what Final Fantasy fans desire is a new entry that encompasses all of these elements, and that is our objective with Final Fantasy XV.
Final Fantasy XV is finally out this September on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. With a PC version maybe on the way as well.
Last Updated: April 14, 2016
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
April 14, 2016 at 07:49
There was a Final Fantasy VIII???
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
April 14, 2016 at 07:51
Hehe…Wait a minute…With a title like this, why didn’t D photoshop a pic of you into the header?
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
April 14, 2016 at 07:55
LOL Why me?
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
April 14, 2016 at 07:57
Hehe, because, you know…. you hate dying IPs…
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
April 14, 2016 at 07:58
Not all, I’d throw a house party if COD died.
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
April 14, 2016 at 07:59
Not just a house party man, I’d streak through the penthouse suite of the Hilton if that happened!
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
April 14, 2016 at 08:03
XD
Loftus
April 14, 2016 at 08:26
Open invitation? 🙂
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
April 14, 2016 at 08:47
Yes
Ottokie
April 14, 2016 at 08:09
People kind of knew that title under a different name “best FF game ever”
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 14, 2016 at 08:17
Wow, the rest must really suck then.
Ottokie
April 14, 2016 at 08:18
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–07TC2bpS–/1481251893960912557.jpg
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 14, 2016 at 08:20
Triple Triad was the best part. 😛
Ottokie
April 14, 2016 at 08:24
If you weren’t humming the triple triad song while playing, you were not playing it right.
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 14, 2016 at 08:29
Then I wasn’t playing it right 😀
Ottokie
April 14, 2016 at 08:33
Thats because you need to possess emotions to hum such beautiful songs
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 14, 2016 at 08:37
That doesn’t make any sense, only robots can hum midi tunes & they don’t have emotions.
Loftus
April 14, 2016 at 08:27
Thus the truth was spoken!
Loftus
April 14, 2016 at 08:27
Oi buddy that be fighting talk. 😛
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
April 14, 2016 at 08:47
XD
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
April 14, 2016 at 08:01
Luckily I now own a Playstation, so for the first time EVAR, I’d be able to indulge in a “not so final” Final Fantasy…
Loftus
April 14, 2016 at 08:29
One doesn’t simply indulge in Final Fantasy, one main lines it like biltong! hahahaha
*damn it the hype got me
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 14, 2016 at 08:17
Terminal Fantasy? ;P
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
April 14, 2016 at 08:37
That does kind of sound like it could really bad disease, or not….
“Hi sir, your test results came back, you have terminal fantasy.”
patient smiles, doctor frowns, patient frowns, doctor smiles…
Alien Emperor Trevor
April 14, 2016 at 08:39
I have the perfect picture for that:
Greylingad[CNFRMD]
April 14, 2016 at 08:40
HAHAHA!!!
Ottokie
April 14, 2016 at 08:47
xD
Strawman Jim
April 14, 2016 at 08:30
I think I only know one person who enjoyed Final Fantasy 13… but I have a feeling the two MMOs also contributed to the franchise going off the rails, plunging into a lake and almost sinking to the bottom….
LightningFarron19
April 15, 2016 at 17:32
Hello Mr. Sterling, I would like to politely to make a few major counterpoints. FF13 was quite successful. Not only rated well on a critic and user end with a 83% critic score, 7.5 user average on Metacritic, 8.5 on IGN, 8.2 user average on Gamespot. FF13 sold 6.2 million copies between 2009-2010. It got a subseries (FF13-2 and therefore LR) based on fan demand. If anything, all of that can be attributed to FF14 original failing rather than FF13. Thank you for your time to read this and I hope I helped.
FF13 sales
http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/final-fantasy/interviews/a351023/final-fantasy-xiii-2-interview-square-enix-talks-time-travel/
>”Even when we were making Final Fantasy XIII, because we took a long time to create the characters and the universe, we had this desire of telling this story about what happened to them afterwards. However, we had to wait until the game released back in March 2010, and as you know, Final Fantasy XIII has endured a great success, with over 6.2 million copies [sold]. And after that, [development] officially kicked off.”
FF13-2 demand
http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Final_Fantasy_XIII-2#Development
>Hints at a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII were first given when Square Enix stated they would be willing to create a direct sequel if the fans want it. They also said the first installment had enough cut content to fill a new game. Late 2010, in an interview from the Final Fantasy XIII Ultimania Omega, Motomu Toriyama proclaimed the idea to make a story where Lightning “ends up happy in the end.”Furthermore, an autographed postcard was personally sent by Tetsuya Nomura to members of the Japanese Square Enix Members community, with an artwork of Lightning and a message saying “She must not be forgotten.” Later, Square Enix registered the domain for the game. The game was officially announced at the “Square Enix 1st Production Department Premiere” event on January 18, 2011.
>Toriyama has said in an interview with Famitsu the main reason they decided to make a sequel is that there was demand throughout the world and because the development staff wanted to portray Lightning’s character further, to give her a clear conclusion. This ended up not being the case, however, and Lightning’s story was to be continued in the sequel Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII.
Strawman Jim
April 15, 2016 at 18:28
That’s a lot of words – I might need the podcast version…
LightningFarron19
April 15, 2016 at 19:01
I apologize if it was a bit much. Basically:
Good critic score, (83) good user averages (around 8.0 user average), great sales of (6.2 million in 2009-2010). It quite a big demand to create 13-2 (and therefore LR) happened thanks to the fans and the people who supported the game.
Thank you for your time.
Loftus
April 14, 2016 at 08:31
I would rather say FF has gone though a teenage depro moment, not dying as an IP.
Strawman Jim
April 14, 2016 at 08:34
Yeah, it became an emo 30-something middle-aged guy who got tired of his office job and decided enough’s enough (it’s time for a change), he’s becoming a kite surf instructor.
http://i.imgur.com/Pzn2Zpi.jpg
DiegoZicoB
April 14, 2016 at 09:23
This is probably one of the most self-aware statements I’ve read from someone at Square. Not sure why it took the series almost dying for them to wake up and listen to/involve the fans and create amazing experiences in a FF game again. Whatever the reason I’m glad they’re trying to bring it back to the gold standard of JRPGs that it was known for.
I always wonder if fans would be happy if FF went the route of the Tales games i.e. pretty much the same gameplay title with changes only to story and characters.
tenshi_a
April 14, 2016 at 09:50
It is still is dying. The only thing keeping it alive is FF14:ARR, which you don’t really play for the story.
I don’t want mobile ports that take great games and make them look cheap and crappy. I don’t want free-to-play spin-offs that end up costing more than a black label PS1 copy of FF7. I don’t want FF7 remade into FF13 style. I don’t want FF15 all about a boy band going on a road trip.
And I especially don’t want any more Final Fantasy that’s all shiny graphics and a humourless, mediocre story.