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I don't know about Wakfu, but development of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, even localization, is all done in their Tokyo offices. I don't know what anyone at the L.A. satellite office would be doing working on ARR, so I don't know how layoffs there would affect that project expect perhaps by reallocation of resources (which does not seem to be the case).
What did Square Enix's L.A. offices even do? Were they anything other than a State-side localization (and maybe marketing) team?
Marketing, PR, probably service support (ie, GMs etc), stuff like that. Not sure about the finer details - Murd or Shlup have been there so they can possibly give you a better idea of the size of their office.
Urgh. This is why I hate name changes. Two people change names and I can never remember which has changed to which. You should both get reverted. >=[Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Big Hands
The hell? Arn't I the only one people here called Neo? XDQuote:
Originally Posted by Loony BoB
And mostly we'd be missing any of the bitchin' Non-FF games they now release. :p
I'm surprised this thing still hasn't come out yet. I'm guessing they're just waiting for the pandaria/guild wars 2 hype to die down? I played the original at pax prime 2010. They could've released final fantasy XV online instead.
What's up with square redemption titles?
FFXIV: ARR isn't a redemption title. It's a this MMO, NEEDS to be successful campaign. xDQuote:
Originally Posted by Bolivar
Well maybe they should stop making MMO FFs with numbers in the name instead of just a friggen FF MMO and let the numbered games be the actual series.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tifa's BoobsIf it affects FFXIV, no, they won't. The company has already stated that if FFXIV: ARR flops, the company will most likely go under. Thus, jobs for no one, and no games for the fans.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. rydrum2112
And there's other MMO's out there that offer the same stuff but don't cost monthly fees and have a larger userbase :p
You have it the wrong way around, Bert - They NEED to have them be numbered FF titles because it boosts interest, and they NEED the interest because they NEED the money. I'm sure if they could get just as many subs using an alternative title, they'd not have them numbered. But they know where the money is, and that's the numbered titles / MMO's, so mixing the two is a cash cow that can put them back in the black.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert
Pretty sure there are no other MMO's out there that offer the same stuff as FFXIV for free. You'd have to name the games, dude.
Guild Wars 2 :p
and I understand that the numbered names draw some fans but also, turned off many others.
Guild Wars 2 is pretty different to FFXIV in some fundamental ways - or at least, this is the impression I'm getting from those that have played both games along with the information I can find on GW2.
Yes GW2 strays from the DPS/Tank/Healer build of other MMO's but, it's a MMO at it's core and offers the same features just about ever other MMO does. And they're making a push for GW2 PvP to become a esport :D!
Either way, I don't want Square to die so I hope it does well enough to not tank the company but damn that's pretty sad that a company like this needs a MMO to save it :/
The free MMORPG with content comparable to AAA studio developed titles is a myth. There are many non-subscription-based MMORPGs on the market, but most of the "free-to-play" titles operate on a "freemium" model with cash shops. Some (The Lord of the Rings: Online) do this better than others (Star Wars: The Old Republic), but ultimately just about any major-release MMORPG involves some form of payment to enjoy content that is otherwise included as part of a subscription package.
Guild Wars 2 is the best example, but it's not free. You paid the retail price to get the game, and you'll be paying for expansion. Also vanity cash shop.
Also, maybe I'm misreading your post, Bolivar, but you do realize that Final Fantasy XIV came out two years ago, right? It launched in August of 2010 to an absolutely horrible (and absolutely deserved) reception. By November, the project lead had been shuffled back to FFXI and the reigns were passed on to a new development team. The game operated free of charge until January 2012, at which point they announced that in addition to providing major updates and fixes via patches to Final Fantasy XIV version 1.x, they had been working on an entirely new game engine for a commercial re-release as 2.0. At this point, with a roadmap in place, they began charging monthly subscription fees. Version 2.0 was eventually re-named Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. It is currently in the final week of its closed alpha test. They have not yet announced whether beta will have a separate application, but the development team has expressed a desire to roll over all existing alpha testers into the closed beta test. There have been no plans for an open beta test announced.
This timeline is delayed from the initial 2.0 timeline released a year ago; according to the developer blog an adjusted timeline which will include the beta test dates and (presumably) a target release date will be released soon (i.e. before the end of the calendar year). The delays have been allowed to happen, as BoB has suggested, because it is absolutely critical for the company that they turn FFXIV around and make it profitable. FFXI was only ever the fourth most popular MMORPG on the market at its peak, and it still has been the most profitable game the company has ever released. You don't have to have WoW's subscription numbers to be a financial success. Square Enix needs FFXIV:ARR to release to success or the company will face some very serious consequences (given that SE's biggest successes lately have been publishing other titles, I would not be surprised to see them move away from large-scale in-house development), and they're giving the development team plenty of time to make sure the game is right this time.
I wasn't talking about that end of things, I was more referring to the job/class system, the Final Fantasy 'feel' (chocobos, moogles etc), the crafting system, the materia system, the different style/pacing of combat, the graphics (although I can't speak for this, just going by what I'm told on that end) and the leveling system are all fairly different, which I would say are key proponents. Not to mention GW2 seems much more PVP-centric, although Yoshi-P is a big PVP fan so you never know how that might turn out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bert
To be fair, if they played their launch right they wouldn't be in this situation. A big game bombing out can destroy a large chunk of a company pretty quickly.Quote:
Either way, I don't want Square to die so I hope it does well enough to not tank the company but damn that's pretty sad that a company like this needs a MMO to save it :/
Well I technically didn't "buy" GW2 :p mom got it for my bithday!
anyways yes it cots money to purchase but, the stuff you can buy in the in game store are just (horribe) armor skins and mini pets and crap. It's not a pay to win type system of other non sub based MMO's.
@ BoB - Yeah I can see the FFness in the games, or well what I played of XI. I get that it's different but I'm guessing there's a healer class a DPS class and a tank class. Same as most other MMO's. I'm not saying this game is going to be horrible or anything but, I just feel like they could just done more with XI than make an entirely new game pretty much twice now.
We never got to visit the actual office, sadly. The event took place in the hotel.Quote:
Originally Posted by Loony BoB
Well, this is the same situation that they found themselves in with the original Final Fantasy. Funny how things come back around.
I don't really think it's quite that dire. The company isn't going to go under if FFXIV fails, they're just going to have drastically adjust their overall business strategy. Dragon Quest is still bringing in loads of money, and the various developers they've acquired the past few years for whom they publish titles have done well for them. I would just expect to see a big cut back on ambitious in-house projects. Significant lay-offs. Fewer titles per year, and safer ones (i.e. Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy pillar IPs only).