Printable View
Okay, so we have the thread where you rank the games in the series because we have a new toy to add to the list, so let's do the other tradition: The inevitable discussion about whether the last entry will be the last game in the series and the long baseless speculation about the future of the franchise.
So to make this simple. Is Final Fantasy XV the last numbered entry, and what do you feel SE is going to do next with the brand?
Simple economic answer: hell no XV won't be the last numbered entry. I highly doubt there ever will be a "last numbered entry" unless Squeenix seriously mismanages some money and has to shut down. It's one of the most popular franchises in existence and their flagship series, and no matter how many spinoffs, non-traditional sequels, and HD rereleases they can pump out, eventually there will be demand for an FFXVI, and an FFXVII, and so on and so forth.
As for what they'll do next (other than the obvious VII remake), I imagine a few spinoffs to XV, maybe an XV-2 if they feel like they could possibly squeeze a direct sequel out of a fairly definitive ending. They were already devoted to making XV a massive multi-media juggernaut with far too many tie-ins, and XIII got far worse reception across the board than XV before getting two sequels, so why stop now?
The entire multimedia thing with XV was specifically done so they wouldn't have to make a sequel.Quote:
Originally Posted by KleinerKiller
Also, I constantly see people repeating the same misinformation that you are. XIII did not get worse reception than XV. As it stands now, XIII is a full 2 points ahead of XV on Metacritic, just as an example. XV has a worse critical reception than XIII.
As far as the original thread topic goes: yes, XVI will almost certainly be made. I'm also optimistic that Square Enix might take the FFIX approach to the game's development.
XV kind of revitalized interest in the series in general, so of course there will be another one.
(it's actually been in the works for years and it's directed by Hiroyuki Ito but they don't want you to know)
I don't think XV will be the last. I can say I am slowly getting through XV on my spare time, and I don't mind it. Lots of little things to do. With XIII being the last one I played I was almost scared to turn it on as I hated everything about XIII. (Just my personal opinion) but I am enjoying XV. Not the best of the series, but not the worst either.
There is a part of me that feels that SE no longer really needs the numbered entries but then again, I feel like they need them so they can garner attention and bring in new fans. I often wonder what would happen if SE would drop the numbers for their big console release, whether it would not affect their sales much or whether the number actually does matter.
With the VII remake on the horizon, I'm also wondering if SE is thinking of doing more remakes (this year is the 25th Anniversary for FFV...) or spin-offs for the rest of the series eventually, despite the mixed reception of the past times they did it. I guess part of that will come down to whether FFXV is going to get anymore of the "sequel/spin-off" now that it is released.
World of Final Fantasy sales: 0.77mQuote:
Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD sales: 1m
Final Fantasy XV sales: 5.44m
You tell me ;)
To be fair, Type-0 was a port of a handheld game no one cared about to begin with and World of FF was targeted towards a younger demo graph. I'm talking about a numbered style game with original characters/story with next gen graphics designed for powerful console/PC first. Basically, could Squenix release something like a numbered entry without using the number? Would FFXV had sold better or worse if it was still called Versus?Quote:
Originally Posted by PsychoticWorld of Final Fantasy sales: 0.77mQuote:
Originally Posted by Wolf Kanno
Final Fantasy Type-0 HD sales: 1m
Final Fantasy XV sales: 5.44m
You tell me ;)
If they ever make the last ever Final Fantasy game ever, I hope it gets called The Final Fantasy.
As others have said, I don't think SE will stop making FF games with a number attached for a long time. I mean, the spin-offs are sometimes great and all but the numbered titles are still the glue holding the franchise together.
To answer your follow up post, Wolf, SE could very well make a high quality FF game without the number but I think explaining to average joe gamer why they should care would be a tough one. It's much more simple to have a number support your argument: "Hey, this is FF SIXTEEN! Crappy games don't make it this far! So that's why you should care".
So, I think versus would have sold okay, but wouldn't have set the world on fire. Part of this I think would have been due to the silly title. I mean, we get it, but to someone not in the know what does versus XIII mean? Do they need to play XIII first? Sounds like a pain in the rear for the marketing team, to be honest.