Japanese publication The Nikkei has interviewed Square Enix CEO Matsuda-kun and asked him a range of questions regarding the company’s plans for this year. Interestingly, one of the things that popped up in the interview is that Square Enix are spending more time focussing on the Nintendo Switch rather than the upcoming Project Scorpio from the Microsoft team. Here’s a translation of the interview from NeoGAF member zeromcd73:
- Talks about extending the life of titles through updates and DLC allowing them to continue selling for longer periods of time (FFXV in this case)
- Notes that releasing titles in Japan than waiting several months to release their titles overseas is not a good business strategy, especially for their story/adventure focused titles and continues to note the importance of worldwide releases
- Smartphone titles in the first half of 2016 did poorly, their motto this year is ‘something else’ as they have to stand out and be different from the competition in order to attract users on phones and not just continue making these games using the same templates as they have before
- Smartphone users aren’t just looking for light games anymore, but more hardcore experiences
- Japan/China/North America account for 80% of the smartphone market, so no need for worldwide releases for smartphone titles
- Has an interest in the Middle East/India as a potentially large untapped market for the future
- More announcements to come for FF’s 30th anniversary
- Notes that 2017 has Nintendo Switch, Xbox Scorpio, Windows 10 game mode and google’s Tango
- Out of all of these Square Enix is focusing most on Nintendo Switch
- This part about Switch is interesting. Matsuda said that having more platforms is good for content creators, therefore he would like Switch to be successful. He also wants more titles in development and existing ones to be ported to Switch if they’re possible/feasible.
This isn’t surprising. The Switch is here NOW. The Scorpio is some nebulous thing in the future. This means nothing. It’s all marketing and speculation. Publishers a fickle.
not to mention Microsoft has done a pretty good job not promoting the Scorpio
It’s about to reveal in a few hours..
Aren’t they just revealing its specs? And don’t we alredy know that it might hit the 6 TF bar? And wasn’t it already clear since E3 that it’s gonna be very capable? But did this really play a role especially among Nintendofans as theyseem to be completely stuck in talking about specs and graphics, but not how they’re using that for original gameplay ideas? So yeah, it might be interesting to see what the Scorpio can do, but unless MS isn’t doing a 180° turn, I don’t see it being anything interesting to me. Instead of fighting the PC masterrace with trying to create a console that’s even more PC than before, Nintendo showed what can be done on the console market if you just move some steps back, see the bigger picture and create something that’s capable to stand on it’s own feet.
But yeah. I also got a PS4 and I only got it to have access to the mainstream of stuff, so it’s not like I can’t understand the need for great visuals at all. I just think it’s embarrassing how MS revealed the Scorpio by just yelling how POWERFUL and STRONG and POTENT it is but nothing beyond that. It’s 2017, noone should really have to care about specs anymore when you can play a 200 hour open-world game on a freakin handheld.
yet they have done 0 marketing on it
Seriously, nobody is caring for the Scorpio at the moment, specially since many developers are seeing that games sell better if their content is good, not their graphics
How surprising for them to find out about that i reckon.
Whats funny is is that even in the gaming industry thd old saying applies: The only thing we learn from history is that we dont learn from history
source?
noone should really have to care about specs anymore when you can play a 200 hour open-world game on a freakin handheld … which open world game is that please ? or are they many ? like I would to like to try not telling anything
I’ve spent 200 hours on google play app store …
While I agree with you, I guess after the XBOne some studios might have a similar wait-and-see approach toward the Scorpio like they have/had with the Switch after the WiiU. While the XBO wasn’t as unsuccessful as the WiiU, production costs might play a way bigger role there, especially on the Scorpio.
And now that the Switch proved itself to be very popular, it’s a very obvious choice. Plus XBox is still a US console while the Switch is a japanese one. SE might not be among the japanese publishers who are that much more into japanese systems, but I’m sure it also adds to that decision.
also the Scorpio is just graphicly better xbox one, the nintendo switch is a new system
I think they have time to focus on both next gen consoles. Even during at E-3 2017.
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Xbox sales in Japan have been woeful, and around the world have lagged PS4. It takes a bit of a leap of faith to argue that Xbox Scorpio will dramatically alter this without multiple high quality exclusives. On the other hand, Switch is here now, seems to have struck a chord with consumers and is selling faster that it can be restocked. If porting is really as easy as developers say, this is simply good business sense from Square Enix.
I agree. Besides, it’s pretty easy for a Japanese company to stand by supporting a handheld, which are wildly popular over there. I’m pretty sure that about ten or twelve whole people have bought an XBox One in Japan, anyways. ;)
Can anybody please explain to me what the Scorpio is?I feel like one of those people that were clueless about what a WiiU was Back in the day lmao.
Same as the PS4 Pro, you can play games on both scorpio and the normal xbox but the scorpio games got superior graphics and power and support 4k televisions. Thats all I know about it from the day they announced it so there might be more to it by now.
yeah, it’s another 0,5-generation jump from the XBox One. But the leap from the XBO to the XBO-Scorio seems to be way bigger (I believe something like 1.5 Teraflops to 6 Teraflops) so it’s gonna have quite a huge impact. However like I said in another comment MS already chose to so give the specs the highest priority by not mentioning anything regarding software and always just pointing out how much power it’s gonna have. While in the end it won’t do much more than increasing graphics-settings from medium to high plus going more into 4K. But still no native 4K it seems, but today’s the presentation, so we’ll know more soon.
Can we get a Parasite Eve collection on the Switch then, in physical form as well as digital?
Hopefully they’re working on more than just Dragon Quest for Switch. It sounds like they’re willing to support it whenever possible. Not too surprising given their support of Nintendo handhelds in the past.
don’t forget about this:
http://cdn.gamer-network.net/2017/usgamer/Seiken-Densetsu-Collection-Shot-01.jpg
Yeah forgot about that. Also forgot about Project Octopath Traveler.
Does this mean FFVII HD for the switch?!?!
*or remake, rather
Like they said:
He also wants more titles in development and existing ones to be ported to Switch if they’re possible/feasible.
In other words if the switch can handle it it might. I doubt it though, i’m sure this game will have top notch graphics and such and game space might also be a issue,
Explain to me how game space would be ANY issue, especially if you’re talking about the Switch.. An average Blu-Ray holds 41gb of information. The current top end SD Cards hold 256gb of information. that’s over 6 times the amount of information for game space. Sounds like the switch could easily hold games that are much more detailed, larger, and have more depth than anything on a console that uses a blu-ray
They said the catdriges only hold like 36 or something they could upgrade ofcourse.
The 256 also costs like 130 bucks as far as I know
Wow, this is a actually exciting to hear. With their focus there on the Switch means that there can be a 50/50 chance where more FF games can come to the platform. Might have to write my own opinion about it. I enjoy Square Enix and a lot more of their games should come to the Nintendo Switch
+1 that. Project Octopath Traveller looks particularly intriguing. I’m very interested in seeing more of that game after the reveal trailer.
Not to forget their western brands. Deus Ex MD had some issues, but seeing it on the Switch would be very cool. Not sure if that’s technically possible but still they git quite some franchises.
I mean why not the last Deus Ex game made it to the WiiU. So why not port it over
The last one was Mankind Divided, WiiU got Human Revolution which was way older.
Sure they could just port Human Revolution over to the Switch, but after it didn’t really sell on the WiiU, already got released over and over again and is pretty old now, it wouldn’t make as much sense as bringing Mankind Divided which would be just a year after it’s original release that more ppl might not have played yet.
But yeah, after Human Revolution was a PS3 game and MD is a PS4 game, the latter would obviously be way harder to port.
But who knows, on the PC version you can also just turn down the GFX settings, maybe a Switch version wouldn’t be so much different than that one.
Right I mean I never got around to playing Mankind Divided so I would like a Switch Port. And yes turn down the GFX settings can definitely help
Please oh please bring KH3 and FF7 so I can have a reason to buy a Switch instead of the competition.
It’s too late for me. I’ve already gotten KH 1.5+2.5 ReMIX on my PS4 along with KH 2.8 FCP digital. That’s okay, though. For me, Kingdom Hearts is my Legend of Zelda on PlayStation.
I just want a reason to buy a Switch.
I know how you feel in spite of already having mine. I guess I should say I just want a reason to continue using it til later in the year when Xenoblade Chronicles 2 & Super Mario Odyssey arrives… if they don’t get delayed for whatever reason like Xenoblade Chronicles X & Zelda: Breath of the Wild did before them.
I doubt there would be delays with this hardware.
I hope so.
Huge Mistake..Scorpion will outsell the switch on Japan till 2040…big mistake..
They will realize the mistake soon
Lmao. Ok. The Xbox one has sold less than 100,000 units in Japan. MS is completely irrelevant there. It’s no surprise that a Japanese developer is focusing more on a Nintendo system than a MS one.
So you really take him serious? After he said ’till 2040′ ???
It was meant to be a joke.
Square may be a Japanese developer, but their reach is far wider than that. It would be foolish for them to focus on the Switch until it’s proven itself a bit more. I hope both consoles do well, really, both exciting!
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what the fuck?…
Swedish blood will be spilled.
– Church of Sasori
More like bronies blood will be spilled, how does it feel?
i’m gonna beat your ass
How adorable!
Given that almost every piece of Xbox hardware ever has been a commercial failure (really almost every piece of microsoft hardware of any type), I would consider this a prudent move.
The Commander will be pleased
You spelled “focuses” incorrectly.
Sickr, you spelled focusing wrong.
This is a UK blog, that’s how it’s spelled over there
I think they have time to focus on both next gen consoles. Even during at E-3 2017.
It should be noted that they don’t have to focus on Scorpio as much because the Scorpio is made to run XBO games at 4K, it’s not a completely new system like Switch is.
This is gonna trigger some fanboys.~
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Awesome! Square Enix & Monolith Soft on the same home console again for the first time in nearly 10(?) years should definitely help Nintendo sell some Switch consoles! Let’s just hope Monolith Soft can give us more than just one game this time around, though. If Mistwalker could just get their shit together & make another awesome The Last Story game exclusive to a Nintendo home console, the Switch could really give PlayStation 4 a run for it’s money in the RPG department.
As for Microsoft, people saying they are doomed in the video game industry are silly. They will survive even if they are the new Sega with making mistake after mistake & pushing out multiple consoles in such a short time span. (Xbox One S & now Xbox One Scorpio!? Definitely the new Sega. lol) They got enough pro-American, anti-non-American business customers to thrive off of. Those people will ultimately pay an arm & a leg for what Microsoft has to offer. With that in mind, they aren’t going anywhere any time soon.
Write to Square Enix tell them you want the secret of mana collection like I did. Now is the time…
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