If you were in charge of Square Enix

[AssassinDX]

I'd rethink company expectations, they labeled the Tomb Raider reboot a failure because they put an outrageous number on how many units they wanted shipped - 15 million effectively between Tomb Raider, Hitman and Sleeping Dogs, and even though Lara sold an impressive 3.4 million physical units to high critical acclaim Fukushima still wasn't happy and made out with his lifesize cut-out of Lightning for the third time that day.

After that I'd concentrate on upcoming games and their release dates as already mentioned, more info on Final Fantasy XV and KH3 for starters, just to keep fans interested.

I'd admit the Final Fantasy XIII saga is a failure and most people don't want Lightning rammed down consumers' throats anymore.

Meanwhile I'd also put together a team to work on some remakes, either a total remake of VII or an HD compilation of VII, VIII and IX as a collectors edition and drag the company from the brink of financial ruin. I don't know about you guys but I would pay some serious money for those games, some artwork and maybe a limited edition figurine for example. Revisiting the Mana universe is also a top notch idea, as is Chrono.

I would then concentrate on new titles, as mentioned they've done well with games like Tomb Raider and The World Ends With You among others.

So yeah, in summary I'd split the company into three divisions - Big Releases (Square BR), Remakes (Square-R) and... erm, another for quality 3DS and Vita games. We'll call them Enix.

[Shauna]

the outraged howls of FF fans everywhere.

This is going to happen in response to an FF7 remake regardless of how great it is.

[Pete for President]

I take the number of call outs for remakes in this thread as a sign of the fans being just as lost as Square Enix is.

[Skyblade]

I take the number of call outs for remakes in this thread as a sign of the fans being just as lost as Square Enix is.

The main company is lost. The teams that are doing well are those in charge of their smaller projects, such as Type-0 and Bravely Default. Which is why, as I said, I would make Bravely Default the new flagship series of the company. I'd also continue work on more Ivalice Alliance tactical games, because they're awesome.

But that would still leave me with a ton of teams with nothing to do. I'd rather give them projects that would let them answer fan demands and make money than just fire them all. We know they can make pretty games. We just need to give them good games to put at the core of the experience.

[Ayen]

I take the number of call outs for remakes in this thread as a sign of the fans being just as lost as Square Enix is.

Gonna have to disagree here, remakes by themselves aren't necessarily a bad thing. Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil and Tomb Raider being three examples I would use. It's when they're put first and foremost that there begins to be a problem. This is why for me personally I'd put newer games first, but I wouldn't deny a remake when the demand is high and it'd be profitable and I wouldn't expect anyone else to. Even if it's inevitable you're going to hear six words afterwards, "Not as good as the original."

And I agree with Assassin about the expectations thing. I shake my head at Tomb Raider being considered a failure by them.

[Edge7]

I'd start by firing anyone who decides that the most profitable business strategy would be to make every numbered entry in Final Fantasy it's own franchise, regardless of relevance or popularity.

I'd follow Iwata's example and have monthly news videos so fans would be able to keep up to date with all of Square Enix's new projects (this includes coverage of the other two parts of the ill-fated Fabula Novala Crystalis project)

I'd have the company remake sections from classic Square Enix games like Parasite Eve, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, etc. so that the game design/atmosphere of those segments can be used in potential sequels (that way, a Parasite Eve sequel would be more like that than say, the 3rd Birthday).

If demand for the Final Fantasy VII remake is really as great as it seems, I'll hold a public Q&A to see what it is people like about the game, contrast all the conflicting views together, and then oversee the project to make sure that the game keeps its lighthearted tone, I wouldn't want the game to be as dull and angst-ridden as Advent Children or Dirge of Cerberus. (Or anything Square's released as of late, now that I think of it).
-Side note: The more I think about it, the less sense it seems to be to remake FFVII without making it too serious. At least, not with the visuals seen in the tech demo. Of course, One could always dial back the comic relief, but why would I want to do that? Some of the wackier moments of NPC dialogue in FFVII has actually made me laugh out loud. Could that even be replicated if the game looked like Advent Children?

[Skyblade]

I'd start by firing anyone who decides that the most profitable business strategy would be to make every numbered entry in Final Fantasy it's own franchise, regardless of relevance or popularity.

I'd follow Iwata's example and have monthly news videos so fans would be able to keep up to date with all of Square Enix's new projects (this includes coverage of the other two parts of the ill-fated Fabula Novala Crystalis project)

I'd have the company remake sections from classic Square Enix games like Parasite Eve, Xenogears, Chrono Trigger, etc. so that the game design/atmosphere of those segments can be used in potential sequels (that way, a Parasite Eve sequel would be more like that than say, the 3rd Birthday).

If demand for the Final Fantasy VII remake is really as great as it seems, I'll hold a public Q&A to see what it is people like about the game, contrast all the conflicting views together, and then oversee the project to make sure that the game keeps its lighthearted tone, I wouldn't want the game to be as dull and angst-ridden as Advent Children or Dirge of Cerberus. (Or anything Square's released as of late, now that I think of it).
-Side note: The more I think about it, the less sense it seems to be to remake FFVII without making it too serious. At least, not with the visuals seen in the tech demo. Of course, One could always dial back the comic relief, but why would I want to do that? Some of the wackier moments of NPC dialogue in FFVII has actually made me laugh out loud. Could that even be replicated if the game looked like Advent Children?

Which is why I have been consistently arguing that they shouldn't be using Advent Children style graphics. Kingdom Hearts style visuals would be a much better aesthetic choice, and much more in keeping with what the original game had.

[Kalevala]

Fire everyone, hire Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu, give them a small office building full of money and SNESes, come back in a year.

Could not have said it better myself.

[Fynn]

Fire everyone, hire Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu, give them a small office building full of money and SNESes, come back in a year.

Could not have said it better myself.

I kinda disagree. The Last Story was a bit disappointing to me, both story/concept-wise and music-wise.

[Kalevala]

I've yet to play The Last Story. But the criticism I've read does echo yours: not bad by any means, but certainly disappointing. Although, I did listen to the soundtrack and enjoyed it. It doesn't live up to Uematsu's work from the 90s, but his work is still very much enjoyable.

I think what Dr Unne was getting at (or at least what I thought) was that, if forced to go "back to basics" (i.e. 16 bit), these men could still produce some stunning work. I think Zeboyd Games has demonstrated that it's still possible to produce quality 8 bit and 16 bit games. It'd be interesting to see Square Enix try something similar, rather than strangely designed cell phone ports/remakes.

[Fynn]

Well then, you should check out Bravely Default. That is definitely a game that has the same feel as the older Final Fantasies, despite being made by a team of completely different people. Honestly, I think Revo's soundtrack sounds more like Uematsu's SNES-era stuff than the Last Story, while the script was written by the author of Steins;gate. If you've seen the anime, you know you can expect brilliance.

I did like the Last Story, but I do think it could have been much better if they made the main characters more interesting. The supporting cast is ridiculously entertaining, which makes me wonder why our main breeding pair turned out so dull.

[Kalevala]

I'm getting a particularly FFIX feel from most of the screenshots. Speaking of art design, I'd like to see Amano do the character designs for another Final Fantasy. He's been sorely missed, if you ask me.

I'll definitely check out Bravely Default. Thanks!

[Mercen-X]

Oh trust me, you don't want me in charge of Square Enix.

Dustpan the current projects under the rug for years to come because I've a slew of stories I need told and games are the format I've most often imagined using to tell them. Of course, FFSW and FF7AC give me hope for producing films and tv series.

[black orb]

-Side note: The more I think about it, the less sense it seems to be to remake FFVII without making it too serious. At least, not with the visuals seen in the tech demo. Of course, One could always dial back the comic relief, but why would I want to do that? Some of the wackier moments of NPC dialogue in FFVII has actually made me laugh out loud. Could that even be replicated if the game looked like Advent Children?

>>> Yes, it can be replicated. The question is if SE can really acomplish that.
If they do a remake im afraid they will put Nomura on charge, he is a good artist and maybe a good action movie director but thats pretty much everything.. The old good FF7 comic relief with him on charge? forget it. I dont know how many of the original FF7 development team still at SE but without Sakaguchi is going to be hard to do a remake that lives up to the original title..

[Mercen-X]

I would also prioritize the creation of a Battlefront version of Final Fantasy. I would also see about making a Final Fantasy/DC crossover.