Is it too late to revive old franchises?

[Laddy]

At least in the West, did Square Enix wait too long and are reviving Chono, Parasite Eve, etc not worth the time, money, and effort to bring back? It seems that for 15 years since a proper Chrono game, having a third installment in an industry where JRPG's, even the once-unstoppable Final Fantasy to an extent, are considered relatively niche seems like too much of an investment that they'd be willing to undertake, especially since they've shown a lot of hesitance to even revisit old themes and mechanics of that era.

What do you think?

[Wolf Kanno]

Honestly, if they were going to revive a franchise, I feel Chrono has the best shot out of all of their old properties. Mana had a chance but too many weak entries has probably killed a lot of interest. With that said, I've heard they are working on a new, possibly console entry in celebration of the franchises 25th anniversary along with SaGa. Parasite Eve never really had the following I feel people thought it did and the last two entries are questionable compared to the groundbreaking original. Front Mission was always a niche genre and only JRPG enthusiasts remember Bahamut Lagoon, Live A Live, Racing Lagoon, Threads of Fate, The Bouncer, and Brave Fencer Musashi.

Chrono works because it's an iconic game from a bygone era. Even if you've never played it, I'm sure most people have at least heard of it unlike several of the games mentioned above. As Long as Squenix marketed properly (unlike their attempts at Mana and Front Mission) they could easily make something like Chrono 3 or a remake actually be a big deal in the industry. In fact I feel it's the only loose end style game fans have clamored for that SE always dodges the question on. Hell, if Squenix could actually get the original "Dream Team" back together to make it, that alone would make headlines and generate a huge buzz for the title.

[Mirage]

Never too late if you do it well.

[Skyblade]

Never too late if you do it well.

This.

The problem is, Square no longer has any idea what made the genre appealing.

[VeloZer0]

Never too late if you do it well.

This.

The problem is, Square no longer has any idea what made the genre appealing.

For certain.

I don't think it is a question of time, rather than one of quality. Why are you reviving an old franchise instead of creating a new IP? Is the answer is that you think it enables you to make a higher quality experience, or just that you feel that from a marketing point of view there is a target niche to fill?

[Bolivar]

They may be back to making console RPGs again but they're still sticking with using the names of their big franchises for the most part. I think they'd be better off allocating resources to new IPs (like Setsuna) than trying to revitalize the old ones. That's what made those games great in the first place, allowing them to experiment with new ideas which they could then feed back into the main franchises.

[Leigh]

If you can make Shenmue III then you can revive anything!

I'm a bit sick of old franchises coming out of the attic as a sort of creative last resort. If you're going to revitalise a franchise; at least pair it with something new and inventive. Capcom remaking Resident Evil 2. It's major news, but it is a little bit sad that people are more excited about replaying a familiar experience instead of a bit novelty.

[Randy]

I never understood why they ditched the Chrono series to begin with. It was so well loved and also critically acclaimed. If they brought it back now, I think it'd probably do fairly well. Not "FF well" but not much does!

[Vyk]

I don't think Capcom knows how to make a new Resident Evil in the same vein as they did the originals. So people keep re-buying the originals. But Revelations 2 was a step in the right direction. Similarly, I don't think Squeenix knows how to make a game in the vein of Chrono Trigger, but Bravely Default was a step in the right direction. But if they did something like that, it's best home would probably also be on portable. I can't imagine much of a need for a full console version of Chrono Trigger, unless they did it Dragon Quest VIII / Blue Dragon style. Even then, it'd probably just be a gig or 2 and hardly be worth the production cost of a BluRay. So PSN / XBL are probably better bets, which would also make it more likely to end up as a Steam port

But I think if things are marketed well, it can find its audience. People flocked in droves to lap up Bravely Default. Same with Fire Emblem: Awakening. They didn't have to change too much the way most companies do (completely break and dumb down their games) to reach a wider audience. They just need the marketing Nintendo backed them with to give them the best chance of success. Actually, on that subject, I don't think Square really knows how to market their games very well these days. Announcements about future announcements about concepts of things that are planned to happen, only to end up as a mobile game anyway. Like ... what ... the ... fudge ...

But there's a lot of old franchises I would buy right up if they were done right. Hell, there's a lot of current/dying franchises I've neglected for years/decades that I'd dive back into if they were done right. Most things that come to mind are SEGA oriented (Sonic, Shining Force, and Phantasy Star have all been pretty ruined). But Resident Evil is another good example there. Resident Evil 6 wasn't nearly as bad as everyone moaned on about it being, but it really wasn't all that good either. It was a 7/10 budget title with a fair amount of replay value. But kudos on them for keeping co-op a thing

But like stated, they did the same thing with Parasite Eve and that's not that old either. Developers really just need to do better. And I'm not sure why they suck so much these days

Make good games. New IPs, or revitalized old ones, I'll buy them. Just make them good ...