Let’s be honest here. Final Fantasy games haven’t been breaking new ground for quite a few years now. Honestly, the series has evolved to a state where it spends more time huffing the farts of past successes, instead of evolving the series to the next level. It’s time for a change. Could Eidos possibly summon up a development GF to revamp Final Fantasy?
According to Square Enix via OXM, the publisher is certainly open to the idea of allowing someone else handling development duties on their signature franchise. "Obviously, Square Enix bought out Eidos a number of years ago, and now we have direct access to American development teams," Lightning Returns gameplay director Yuji Abe said.
That’s certainly been discussed within the company, the possibility of say, Eidos or maybe someone else to look after or maybe take on the Final Fantasy series.
And we obviously haven’t decided anything concrete, but if we find the right team of developers, the right people who really wanted to do it, and we had the right game, then yes, certainly we’d think about it.
"The whole thing about the Final Fantasy series is that for every iteration, for every game we do, we have a very different game," Lightning Returns director Motomu Toriyama added.
So the development team is also different very time, so that there’s different ideas and different concepts driving it.
So obviously within that framework, having a very different type of team could work. So if we got the right team of people, it could produce something very interesting in the end.
While I’ll admit that Final Fantasy 15 has my attention right now, I’d love to see a studio from the west put their own spin on a Final Fantasy game. And Eidos is one such company that certainly knows how to mix the best of older franchises with more contemparary ideas.
They made a fantastic Deus Ex game this generation, and the Thief reboot doesn’t look bad at all. And a game free of the glut and bloated Japanese development ideas could be just what the doctor ordered.
Last Updated: October 29, 2013
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 12:34
Nope..NO!! NO! I do not want a Western influenced FF…NOOO!!
DarthofZA
October 29, 2013 at 12:37
Because they’re doing such a great job on them… oh wait. I say why not, something drastic has to happen and this could be it. We haven’t had a good one for over 10 years.
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 12:39
Crisis Core was the last good one. And I don’t think this is the route they should take. Jap games are unique and have their own unique style. SE messed up big time but that doesn’t mean they have to hand over a series seeped in Japanese legacy over to a Western Company. That said Eidos could bring some fresh ideas to the gameplay front
SaintsRowNigri
October 29, 2013 at 12:48
Look, the best thing to happen to Tomb Raider was it got took over by another dev team…
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 12:51
Eidos and CD have always been making TR
SaintsRowNigri
October 29, 2013 at 13:14
No. Core design got the boot after Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness:
Core Design was most known for developing the Tomb Raider games until Eidos moved the development of further installments to Crystal Dynamics in 2003
Mobygames
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 13:46
Crystal Dynamics started at Legend. It breathed new life into TR but still it wasn;t good enough until they rebooted. Still the same team from Legend onwards. Final Fantasy team still has a lot of potential, they need to re evaluate the series instead of going to a Western Dev team
SaintsRowNigri
October 29, 2013 at 13:59
Look, my point that I am trying to make is that after Core got booted, the series got better. Maybe not perfect, but certainly much better. So much better in fact, that I could sit down and complete a Tomb Raider game again. Be honest with yourself. How many crap final fantasy games did you have to endure?
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 14:04
In all honesty…2. I understand your point BUT, FF is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, be it good or bad, western influence will dilute FF.Eidos could do interesting things no doubt, but from EVERYTHING I have seen them do, it still pretty generic, it is just generic done really well with a lot of depth, I doubt they could create a unique battle system,hell western battle systems are all mostly the same.
SaintsRowNigri
October 29, 2013 at 14:33
One last question: So please humour me: Are you Japanese? (I have a point, not being racist or stupid)
RangerMossel
October 29, 2013 at 14:47
Completely off topic…but have you guys witnessed The Witcher 1 battle system…played it two nights ago…the HORROR!
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 13:47
Sheeesh how many people have passed through Lara? The dirty skank.
TiMsTeR1033
October 29, 2013 at 12:43
YES YES YES!!!
Rincethis
October 29, 2013 at 13:12
Right now I would take a Baysplosion directed FF game over the uter garbage Enix is gushing
Tarisma
October 29, 2013 at 13:25
Look it cant be worse than the drivel that we have been given in the last 3 games.
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 13:47
Sure it can’t. But western RPGs has it’s own place. and FF needs to re evaluate itself instead of moving to the west…
Rincethis
October 29, 2013 at 13:33
Erm, Lost Odyssey… Not a kiddified Lightening Returns 😛
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 13:46
FF team needs restructuring NOT a western team
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 13:51
They need to kill the franchise. The logo has bloated their egos into into pure ant-climax.
Like DIABLLO 3, one can sell fucking bricks to the fans if the Logo was screen printed on the side.
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 13:53
I will wait till 15 if they need to kill it. They over saturated the series with multiple mobile spin-offs and these horrible 13 sagas….Crisis Core shows me that they have that potential to create some emotional and worthwhile, even Type-0 looks amazing. SE needs to look at where they are going. But in all honesty, I would rather see it die than be westernized
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 14:00
I am sure we all Hoped (excuse the Pun) the same for XIII. 5 years after the first screens, the game finally came out to X BUTTON mashers everywhere.
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 14:05
For sure. But I think this is probably the last chance SE will have to bring back the fans…
Captain GUZ
October 29, 2013 at 12:49
Kudos on the GF reference
Aussious
October 29, 2013 at 13:02
Speaking of GF, Shiva from FFVIII
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 13:35
That will end up getting a MATURE rating. Remember, Final Fantasy is for 13 year old JPOPs.
I long for the day when a Final Fantasy finally gets the 18+ rating.
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 13:48
Boner alert
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 13:55
Frost Bite
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 13:56
Don’t mind. She can use Diamond Dust on me anytime
Aussious
October 29, 2013 at 12:53
to be honest FF games haven’t gotten worse we’ve all just outgrown them. I use to be an Otaku back in the day collected Anime from Spriggan Ultra to Neon Genesis I still watch some of that laugh and laugh like WTF!?
Devourer of Small Bunnies
October 29, 2013 at 12:56
Eidos? For a JRPG? Erm. im in two minds. The franchise is beyond being referred to as stale, so possibly a refresh of sorts could do some good. However. Western pub taking over. I am jacks utter lack of interest.
Otto_ki
October 29, 2013 at 13:09
This is actually good news, since Square Enix has really gone downhill with my all time favorite franchise.
Rincethis
October 29, 2013 at 13:11
“We have a different game with each iteration” says LIGHTENING RETURNS DIRECTOR.
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 29, 2013 at 13:41
They’re neck and neck with CoD when it comes to innovation.
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 13:11
After what Eidos did to Tomb Raider for 15 years I can imagine the Final Fantasy franchise become even more SHIT than what it is now.
Rincethis
October 29, 2013 at 13:17
More shit? 0-O
SaintsRowNigri
October 29, 2013 at 13:17
Nah come on: After Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness the series really improved. From Legends onward to 2013’s Tomb Raider we have reason to love Lara again…
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 13:27
NOPE!!! One word, MOTORBIKE.
SaintsRowNigri
October 29, 2013 at 13:56
OK. I hated the Motorbike in Underworld, but in Legends it was fun.
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 14:02
I ended up with a game breaker bug in Underworld. The one when you go down the wrong passage on the bike first. FAIL.
Gerhard Davids
October 29, 2013 at 13:19
Honestly. It might be time. SE is not giving FF the attention it did some time ago.
The original vision for FF is not being met anymore. That died after the first sequel came that did not re-imagine anything. (aka XIII 2). The only thing that I think will be lost if another team takes over is the incredible amount of quality and polish that goes into the look of the FF franchise.
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 13:32
The work model at square pants inc SUCKS. No focus, just everybody working on everything and being rotated to another side project.
That is why the creator fucked off the mistwalker studios. He wanted Humans to make his next vision (lost odyssey) not robots.
Rincethis
October 29, 2013 at 13:34
And was Lost not a western development? Look how that worked out…
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 13:40
That was when MICROSOFT FUCKING ROCKED. They made some shit hot exclusives before that Kinect THING.
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 13:50
Lost a western development??
Rincethis
October 29, 2013 at 13:55
Lost Odyssey 🙂
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 13:58
But it wasn’t a western developed game??
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 14:06
Produced by the West.
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 14:07
Hmm, really? I’m confused….Mist Walker is not a western studio
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 14:08
It was funded by Microsoft when they were cool.
Umar heartless
October 29, 2013 at 14:08
lol oh, funded yes. But certainly not developed. It’s a Japanese game through and through
oVg
October 29, 2013 at 14:10
They had some very bad translation problems with the Western MiddleWare programmers because the Unreal Engine updated 3 times during production. it was a nightmare. That is why it is on four disks. Unreal Engine 1 on the first disk.
Gerhard Davids
October 29, 2013 at 14:03
Well that was his promise wasn’t it. The day FF stops innovating is the day he resigns.
Rincethis
October 29, 2013 at 14:27
Indeed, and he did 🙂
Brenz
October 29, 2013 at 14:02
Ah shit this is no good.
Handing it over to give a western influence is a baaaad idea, it will go full action, baysplosion, deep as a puddle.
I admit the Japs have been struggling of late with the radiation poisoning and cant seem to get the magic right like they have in the past, but I think a swift kick in the ass is all they need to get them on the right track again, handing it over to dem dirty westerners will do more harm than good to the already ailing franchise.
J_Joestar
October 29, 2013 at 18:51
i don’t know, they still seem to be able to pull it off when they really want to *looks over at Bravely Default*
ToshZA
October 29, 2013 at 14:31
So much panic around this. We live in an international world, where people from around the world work on art based off of cultures from around the world. Some great Japanese style art is done in the west.
I say, give these guys the chance to prove you naysayers wrong. They have the talent to rock your world, and when they do, you’ll be eating your words.
Japanese style art no longer belongs exclusively to Japan. Many of you same fanboys who are decrying this potential move, actually draw art similar, or exactly the same.
On a different note: I’ve always preferred Star Ocean to FF, even though FF is the only reason I bought a PS2.
Pieter Kruger
October 29, 2013 at 14:31
NO, FF should be put to rest. It’s time for a new innovative IP to take it’s place, the longer they keep trying to milk this franchise the bigger a disaster it’ll become! BYE BYE FF!
ToshZA
October 29, 2013 at 14:33
Tomb Raider was more worn out than FF, and look what Eidos did for that IP.
Kensei Seraph
October 29, 2013 at 15:05
Think of the chocobos.
You’ll be condemning them to a fate worse than death.