Square-Enix Approval Rating

[Jinx]

Stormblood is off the chain and they're back in my good graces.

[Loony BoB]

Latest three SE games I played are FFXIV, World of FF and FFXV. All were well worth the money, definitely better than the majority of AAA games out there. So I absolutely still have faith in them.

[theundeadhero]

They still have amazing talent and the potential to create something great, but I don't like what they are creating with it. I don't expect them to create something I would like anytime soon, either.

[Skyblade]

It's very hard to do. Because I feel like Square's problems aren't a problem with the studio, but with its leadership. Square has some fantastic developers working for it who can churn out some absolutely brilliant projects... When they're allowed to. See: Bravely Default. But the leadership, and the core direction the studio is being led in...

Honestly, it reminds me of some of the famous Kickstarter crews. A handful of solid creative guys who amassed a ton of money, and no accountability, pushing their vision more and more with none of the counterbalance that a studio is supposed to bring. No need to worry about a timetable, or a board demanding changes and compromises. Just do whatever they feel like, and keep making it better and better, in their own little echo chamber.

They don't engage with the community or the fans, they ignore them. We know this from the reports where their community engagement people were telling Square that fans didn't want episodic games, but Square pressed on, convinced that stand alone games wouldn't sell any more, until Witcher 3 proved otherwise. They don't have to listen. They have their vision, and they have basically unlimited money, because their games continue to sell.

It's the Star Wars prequels all over again. A few guys, convinced that they know everything, doing whatever they want. And, yeah, some good can come of it. But nothing as great as the prior works, which pulled the best of a ton of minds all struggling with each other. Compromise and sacrifice are foreign to them. The idea that their ideas aren't perfect is a complete surprise, because they never listen any more.

The best things to come out of Square are games that AREN'T run by their big, famous names. That are ignored, developed by smaller teams with passion, working to deadlines and corporate expectations, not creative ones.


Also, I agree with Scruffington and Wolf.