More Remakes of Older IPs? Square Enix wants to remake your old games!

[Freya]

http://i.imgur.com/lkJ54GF.png

In Square Enix's fiscal report (http://www.hd.square-enix.com/eng/pdf/ar_2015en.pdf) this year there was an important tidbit added in; a tidbit that many long time fans may be thoroughly excited about!


1. Revitalizing Existing IPs
We will revitalize some of our strong IPs in ways that meet the needs of the modern gaming market.
For example, we will take an IP developed for earlier generations of game consoles and recreate it
for the latest consoles, while also proactively developing versions for play on smart devices. In
addition, we will also explore possibilities involving VR (virtual reality) and other new platforms. We
want our longtime fans to relish reliving past experiences with a freshness that only the latest in
technology can provide, while at the same time have new customers enjoy the IP as though it were
brand new. By not only optimizing single pieces of IP for single platforms but also rolling out IP in a
multi-dimensional manner to meet the needs of the modern market, we believe we can deliver
exciting new experiences.

So Square Enix plans on remaking some older games to reach new audiences, and possibly use VR to do so!

What are you thoughts about this new remake mission? What games do you want them to remake and update?

[escobert]

I like it since I haven't been very interested in anything new they've put out for quite a few years now.

I'd love to see some Saga games redone, specifically 1. Vagrant Story, FFT, FFVI and FF8 get my vote as well.

[Freya]

I want some Chrono games! Trigger preferably but if that leads to Cross as well, I can deal with the two of them.

[Del Murder]

Of all their games, Chrono Trigger is the one that least needs to be remade. It was pretty perfect exactly as it was.

FFVI with 3D models would be fun and I'd play the hell out of that one. Not super interested to see remakes of the other FFs. The older ones have been done to death and VII is coming. I guess the other PS1 games would be cool. Oh wait, there's the forgotten FF: V! Imagine FFV with essentially X-2's battle system, fast paced battles where you can chain attacks and switch jobs on the fly *drools*.

Vagrant Story is a great candidate although they could easily nerf the best (and most time consuming) aspects of it and make it terrible.

Really what I want to see most is a remaster of Seiken Densetsu 3 and have it finally released in the West. They can redo Secret of Mana while they're at it since it's an action game and fits well with current trends.

However, let's not ignore the third line of that quote. We'll probably just get a bunch of cell phone versions of these things and that's the 'remake'.

[Ayen]

I would make fun of them for running out of ideas, but then I would have to make fun of everyone in Hollywood, and I just don't have the time. So I'll narrow it down.

Remember when Square set trends instead of following them?

Me neither.

[Freya]

Oh they are going to make new IPs too this was just part of a really long plan. It's linked in the first line if you want to check out. I just thought people would like the remake aspect the most.

[Ayen]

Damn! I activated their trap card. "Online Assumption!"

-loses 800 life points-

[Freya]

The Way Forward
Our business environment is undergoing major changes. Sales of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are
growing significantly, primarily in Europe and North America. At the same time, smart devices are
becoming more advanced and more commonplace. As such, we are seeing an evolution in where
and how we enjoy digital content. Moreover, as the term IoT (Internet of Things) suggests, everything
around us is beginning to connect to the Internet. This is another trend that promises to create new
experiences for us. We recognize that such changes are a constant feature of the landscape in
which we do business, and based on that recognition, we maintain a constant goal: to deliver
content of consistently high quality to customers around the world under the best conditions
possible. We will continue to strive to attain that goal by engaging in research into the latest content
and technologies, developing new business models, and cultivating new sales channels and regions.
In addition, we will focus on the following initiatives in order to further strengthen and enrich our
Group’s content and IP portfolios.

1. Revitalizing Existing IPs
We will revitalize some of our strong IPs in ways that meet the needs of the modern gaming market.
For example, we will take an IP developed for earlier generations of game consoles and recreate it
for the latest consoles, while also proactively developing versions for play on smart devices. In
addition, we will also explore possibilities involving VR (virtual reality) and other new platforms. We
want our longtime fans to relish reliving past experiences with a freshness that only the latest in
technology can provide, while at the same time have new customers enjoy the IP as though it were
brand new. By not only optimizing single pieces of IP for single platforms but also rolling out IP in a
multi-dimensional manner to meet the needs of the modern market, we believe we can deliver
exciting new experiences.

2. Creating New IPs
How to constantly generate new IPs and how to cultivate them are key business issues for any
content provider. Once new content begins to take shape, it is vital to have an environment and
mechanisms in place that help it grow into a major franchise. We intend to strengthen our efforts to
sow the seeds of new content, and cultivate them constantly, and we will pursue a variety of avenues
in order to do so. Our Group possesses many content platforms, including console games, smart
device games, arcades, PC games, and comics. All of those platforms are capable of giving rise to
new IPs. We see this as a strength of our Group that is unmatched by any competitor. We will work
in the fiscal year ending March 2016 to ensure that these IP cultivation platforms give rise to new IPs
for us to foster for the future.

3. Collaboration with Partner Companies
As I mentioned above, we find ourselves in an age of change. Devices, business models, and the
competition are constantly changing. This means that today’s assumptions may not apply tomorrow.
In such an ever-changing environment, insisting on complete self-reliance does not strike us as the
best approach to staying unique and highly adaptable. Instead, I believe it is more beneficial to remain
flexible about forming partnerships with others. A willingness to seek in others what we lack is a better
approach to growing our business in this age of uncertainty. As such, we will not rule out any possibility
as we explore and execute collaborative initiatives ranging from joint collaborations focusing on a single
product to business alliances of a wider scope. In so doing, we hope to capture earnings opportunities
in a timely fashion and leverage them for our further growth.

4. Geographic Expansion
The regions marked in red on the map below are those that the Square Enix Group has yet to enter.
While the Internet has made the world more interconnected and less impeded by national
boundaries, I believe that regional and individual tastes remain a major determinant of preferences
for different types of content. Furthermore, as these untapped regions experience economic growth,
their demand for content will mount, and their consumers will begin to want content rooted in the local
culture rather than being satisfied solely with imports. As such, these regions have the potential to
become major content-consuming markets in the future, which means it is important to establish a
foothold there now. In the fiscal year ending March 2016, we will remain open to not only exporting
existing content but also investing in local development efforts in these regions. We note also that
economic growth in Asia remains strong and that the region continues to be a key market for us. In
terms of size and technological development, Asia is now an advanced market rather than a growing
one. In particular, China’s shift to mobile has been remarkable, and the country possesses some of the
most advanced mobile game development technologies in the world. This makes collaborations and
partnerships with Chinese companies very appealing, and we intend to approach such opportunities
as an important part of taking on the competition not only in China itself but also in Japan and globally.

[Vermachtnis]

Mystic Quest should be remade. It was already kind of self-aware, they should take that and run with it. Get some funny writers onboard and make it a full blown parady/love letter to the series. Could replace the old man with S-Sha from Neptunia.

[Vyk]

And there's always Setsuna

[Zanmato]

Remakes are very profitable these days - everybody knows that. :P
Maybe it's weird, but I'd like to see the remake of... FFXII! *shocked*

[Fynn]

Remakes are very profitable these days - everybody knows that. :P
Maybe it's weird, but I'd like to see the remake of... FFXII! *shocked*
No, a lot of us have been clamoring for at least an HD remaster of XII for years.

[Vyk]

If they could remake it without being so Vaan-centric in the beginning, that'd be great. Or just remove Vaan and stop pandering to 12 year old Japanese kids who don't like playing as mature characters because they're crazy, I wouldn't mind

[Fynn]

I loved Vaan. He's a sweet cinnamon roll too good for this world, too pure, and must be protected.

[Vyk]

Actually, I only care about the obnoxious "I'm Captain Basch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" scene

On par with FFX's laughing scene. Except that scene pretty much summed up the game, it didn't ruin anything that wasn't already questionable. Vaan actually ruined XII for me. But I can't swear that changing him would draw me back into the game. It's ship may have sailed. So I guess if people actually like him, then so be it. I just hate the knowledge that he was knowingly shoe-horned into the game because a few focus groups of Japanese kids couldn't handle a JRPG where you didn't play as a kid. So they added a kid

People forgot that you played as (young) adults in FF6 and 7. And if their focus group didn't play/enjoy those games, then they had the wrong focus group to begin with /rant

[Fynn]

The key is the execution here. Sure, he was shoehorned in, but was really subtle and far from the stereotypical kid hero. His role was smaller compared to others, but it was still a substantial part of convincing Ashe to not get revenge on the empire, thereby preventing her from becoming a villain. They may have been forced to include him, but I think they went about it in a very smart way, which is why aim personally really miffed by people complaining about Vaan's inclusion. But that's just my opinion :monster:

I'd personally love it if the Saga series got a revival so I could finally play all of it! I wanna check out that game that made The US branch of SE apologize to its fans.

[Depression Moon]

I'd rather have sequels. There's nothing of theirs I want to see remade.

[Del Murder]

Let's take bets on when the FFXIII remastered trilogy with bonus Lightning content will hit PS4.

[FifthDream]

PS4 FFVI-VR confirmed.

[Wolf Kanno]

They've already started with Seiken Denetsu with them remaking the first game for Mobile and possibly Vita. The director even mentioned that if it did well, they would follow with remakes of Secret of Mana and Seiken Densetsu 3. Course I would have just preferred a collection of Mana games. You know, just give me the original SD3 (not like it isn't still beautiful and plays well) just translate it officially and release it on PSN/Nintendo eShop and let's be done with it. It baffles me how much some of these game companies waste money on projects when just releasing some of their old games with actual translations would probably do just fine.

I'm sure this plan will largely focus on the 16-bit era though, with a few early PS1 titles being thrown into the mix.

[Ayen]

Actually, I only care about the obnoxious "I'm Captain Basch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" scene

On par with FFX's laughing scene. Except that scene pretty much summed up the game, it didn't ruin anything that wasn't already questionable.

Except, the laughing scene was supposed to be bad and awkward. Tidus was letting out a forced laugh for Yuna. Even Wakka made fun of them at the end.

[Wolf Kanno]

Actually, I only care about the obnoxious "I'm Captain Basch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" scene

On par with FFX's laughing scene. Except that scene pretty much summed up the game, it didn't ruin anything that wasn't already questionable.

Except, the laughing scene was supposed to be bad and awkward. Tidus was letting out a forced laugh for Yuna. Even Wakka made fun of them at the end.

It's still a cringe worthy scene that could have been done a bit more gracefully.

I actually like the "I'm Captain Basch!" sequence in XII, it was pretty amusing and actually made Vaan relevant by finally showing that he's the team's official errand bitch. If you really pay attention to the characters, you can see that the party resents him as well since he tends to embarrass himself more than the others and the other party members tend to give him shit all the time.

Back on topic. Part of me was going to joke about Xenogears getting a remake as a mobile only visual novel title and then it occurred to me that the change of format may not actually be bad for it.

[Ayen]

Actually, I only care about the obnoxious "I'm Captain Basch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" scene

On par with FFX's laughing scene. Except that scene pretty much summed up the game, it didn't ruin anything that wasn't already questionable.

Except, the laughing scene was supposed to be bad and awkward. Tidus was letting out a forced laugh for Yuna. Even Wakka made fun of them at the end.

It's still a cringe worthy scene that could have been done a bit more gracefully.

Never bothered me in the least bit. The fans who still gripe about it to this day are more annoying than the scene will ever be.

The Captain Basch scene never bothered me, either. Well, not the actual performance of it, anyway. The running around having to scream it out wasn't exactly a high point, but eeh.

On Topic, say no to mobile.

[Fynn]

I say lay off mobile. Just finished the iOS port of Shin Megami Tensei and it was phenomenal, and I played it mostly during commutes. So yes, a definite yes please to mobile.

[Ayen]

I say lay off mobile.

Not until they get this guy as their mascot:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X21mJh6j9i4

[Pike]

All this stuff and Square Enix still won't give me FFX HD on Steam

[Randy]

FF12 looks pretty certain at this point.

After that, I bet they'll wait and see how FF7 does. I'm fairly sure it'll be a big success.

I bet they'll consider FF8 and FF9 if it does well. I don't think either of those would benefit as much from the remake as FF7 will though.


All this stuff and Square Enix still won't give me FFX HD on Steam

I'm guessing there's a continuing contract with Sony for it. That'd be my hunch anyway. They were fine to do the FF13 trilogy because that had been multiplatform anyway.