Final Fantasy XV: How will it affect the FF franchise?

Members see less ads - sign up now for free and join the community!

Wazi the pa

Wazi the pa

Samurai Legend
Moderator
Site Staff
#1
Oct 26, 2013
35
34
Australia
#1
This year of 2016 is a big one for Final Fantasy & JRPG fans alike as it marks the release for the much long awaited......... Wait for it...... FINAL FANTASY XV...... And other cool JRPGs..... *cough* Persona 5 *cough* Horizon: Zero Dawn *cough*

While the hype for the game continues to build up , particularly, there are fans who hope FFXV will be the Final Fantasy game that will bring them back to the franchise and regain their faith for the company that is Square Enix. These same fans are the ones that have been disappointed Square Enix's.... Shall we say, "nonevent" releases. Though currently they are recovering from their mishaps (With major help from FFXIV:ARR and the like), it's Final Fantasy XV that everyone is keeping their eyes on and for good reason in their case.

So my question to you is this: How will Final Fantasy XV affect the FF franchise, from a critical standpoint, fanbase standpoint and financial standpoint?

So let's imagine a situation where the game receive highly positive feedback from both critics and fans as well as booming sales; would that mean more ARPGs for future FF titles? FFVII Remake is no stranger to that so maybe the company is well on their way to make such a transition.

But what if the game doesn't do so well? How would Square Enix react upon such backlashes?

I believe you guys can imagine the two outcomes, even though it may be a bit early to ask the question.
 
Last edited:
Lulcielid

Lulcielid

Warrior of Light
#2
Oct 9, 2014
3,826
2,826
29
Argentina
#2
What does FFXV means to the FF franchise ?

From a gameplay standpoint it will reinforce (if financially sucessfull) Square-Enix leading torwards more action oriented games over the more "traditional gameplay" for their big budget games and maybe it will promote the alienating use of.......dun dun dun dun....feeedback (whether it be for actually implementing them or not).
As far as the fanbase goes, it will certainly divided between those that outright dislike it being Action base and those who likes it. This is pretty much the inevitable conclusion.
Also if the game is financially sucessfull, Square-Enix will keep developing more AAA for consoles.

Now on the flip-side, if the game is received negatively, both critical and financial, Square-Enix will stop working on AAA for console (maybe) and perhaps some fans will be happy that they might go back to "traditonal gameplay."

Worst case scenario, the game breaks Square (higly unlikely) and the franchise dies (maybe at most it goes into invernation for a while).
 
BladeRunner

BladeRunner

White SeeD
#6
Jun 7, 2014
898
625
Poland
#6
I believe it will solidify the series' approach to world structure. Semi-open world with big explorable areas that unlock as you progress through the story. I doubt we'll ever see anything similar to X and XIII's corridor-like worlds. That's something I'm pretty sure will happen. Other than that it's hard to tell at this point. It may push the series in the direction of action gameplay, but I have a feeling we'll see at least one another turn based game and that will be the one to decide the future of the franchise.

I don't know how FF XV flopping would affect the future entries, but it would surely put that much more pressure on FF7R to be a success and this in turn may negatively impact its quality.

On a different level, I think it will (and to an extent, already did) heavily affect SE's approach to development. They'll be very careful not to let another situation like vsXIII/XV ten years dev cycle happen.
 
APZonerunner

APZonerunner

Network Boss-man
Administrator
UFFSite Veteran
Site Staff
#8
Jul 25, 2013
1,134
926
35
Solihull, UK
www.rpgsite.net
#8
I think people can let go of looking at the dev cycle and stuff; regardless of how FF15 does, I think Square has taken steps and begun to evolve and we'll not see these problems again. We're seeing numerous ways to push back against this, from smaller-scale titles like Setsuna with short cycles down to more bite-sized games like what they're doing with FF7. That's changing before FF15.

The truth of the matter is FF was and always has been an island. it's an interesting and unique series in that it isn't as popular or as big as Dragon Quest in Japan, but it found an absolutely massive Western audience by having the right product in the right place at the right time with a Sony-funded 100-million marketing budget. Where FF has had a slide in sales and interest has been in the West, predominantly North America, and that's where I feel FF15 will most effect the franchise - the big question mark is how well FF15 can do in that market and if it can stretch past the 5-6 million FF13 managed (pre-Steam) and instead reach FF8/10 numbers of 8m or so. I think Square would like FF7-esque 10m, but that's a pipe dream. I'd buy a hat and eat it if it happened.

The market has of course shifted enormously, and to be honest, in the FF7 era if you wanted a cinematic big budget RPG Final Fantasy was the only game in town. It's not the case any more, and that's FF15's second big challenge: How it stands up versus your Witchers, your Dragon Ages, your Skyrims - because even if it is a very different type of game, those are ultimately its peers. A lot of people talk up Persona 5 vs FF15, but the truth be told that isn't a fight at all. FF wins every time in terms of sales, and even if you want to look at it from a perspective of who does better with critics, FF15 clearly has more in common with The Witcher or Skyrim at this point than it does with Persona. It's just the truth. So that's the market for them, and how FF15 performs in it is I think going to have an enormous impact.

The holy grail for FF is of course FF7, and it's chasing that which has determined the scope, scale and focus of the games. At a point, though, they're either going to find their way back to that 9-10m number and find themselves returned to a renewed level of relevance or they're going to realize that 6m is about their sweet spot. I think if they realize that, the games may be willing to be a touch more experimental, less concerned with the past, etc etc. Part of why people talk about Persona as if it's in a confident position is because those games know their extremely niche audience well, and they slide into the clothes that audience expects easily and with confidence. FF has, for a while, been trying to please a number of different audiences on a number of different fronts and looking, if I'm honest, a tad confused while at it. Either outcome could be good in different ways, but I think by the time FF15 and the first few 'episodes' of FF7r are out, we'll have our answer in full. That may well end up being FF15's greatest legacy; helping to determine if the appetite is really there for this type of game on that scale any more, or if the market has changed too much.
 
Likes: Liqidclark, yunbuns, Rin and 4 others
Koozek

Koozek

Turk
#9
Oct 19, 2013
410
617
#9
APZonerunner said:
I think people can let go of looking at the dev cycle and stuff; regardless of how FF15 does, I think Square has taken steps and begun to evolve and we'll not see these problems again. We're seeing numerous ways to push back against this, from smaller-scale titles like Setsuna with short cycles down to more bite-sized games like what they're doing with FF7. That's changing before FF15.

The truth of the matter is FF was and always has been an island. it's an interesting and unique series in that it isn't as popular or as big as Dragon Quest in Japan, but it found an absolutely massive Western audience by having the right product in the right place at the right time with a Sony-funded 100-million marketing budget. Where FF has had a slide in sales and interest has been in the West, predominantly North America, and that's where I feel FF15 will most effect the franchise - the big question mark is how well FF15 can do in that market and if it can stretch past the 5-6 million FF13 managed (pre-Steam) and instead reach FF8/10 numbers of 8m or so. I think Square would like FF7-esque 10m, but that's a pipe dream. I'd buy a hat and eat it if it happened.

The market has of course shifted enormously, and to be honest, in the FF7 era if you wanted a cinematic big budget RPG Final Fantasy was the only game in town. It's not the case any more, and that's FF15's second big challenge: How it stands up versus your Witchers, your Dragon Ages, your Skyrims - because even if it is a very different type of game, those are ultimately its peers. A lot of people talk up Persona 5 vs FF15, but the truth be told that isn't a fight at all. FF wins every time in terms of sales, and even if you want to look at it from a perspective of who does better with critics, FF15 clearly has more in common with The Witcher or Skyrim at this point than it does with Persona. It's just the truth. So that's the market for them, and how FF15 performs in it is I think going to have an enormous impact.

The holy grail for FF is of course FF7, and it's chasing that which has determined the scope, scale and focus of the games. At a point, though, they're either going to find their way back to that 9-10m number and find themselves returned to a renewed level of relevance or they're going to realize that 6m is about their sweet spot. I think if they realize that, the games may be willing to be a touch more experimental, less concerned with the past, etc etc. Part of why people talk about Persona as if it's in a confident position is because those games know their extremely niche audience well, and they slide into the clothes that audience expects easily and with confidence. FF has, for a while, been trying to please a number of different audiences on a number of different fronts and looking, if I'm honest, a tad confused while at it. Either outcome could be good in different ways, but I think by the time FF15 and the first few 'episodes' of FF7r are out, we'll have our answer in full. That may well end up being FF15's greatest legacy; helping to determine if the appetite is really there for this type of game on that scale any more, or if the market has changed too much.
Click to expand...
Spot-on.
 
Squirrel Emperor

Squirrel Emperor

Nuts
Moderator
#11
Sep 26, 2013
1,612
626
#11
I think gameplay mechanics for a brand new Final Fantasy game just comes down to who is directing it and what they’re aiming for.

Clearly Nomura prefers action-RPG style combat and that’s just the direction KHIII, FFXV and FFVII:R have taken. He has a history of making those type of games. Tabata seems to prefer it too as everything he has worked on tends to be action heavy.

For all we know, FFXVI could see the evolution of the Gambit System and take strategy, something that there isn't much sense of in many mainline entries, to a whole new level.

If FFXV bombs, all I see happening really is a decrease in funding for future projects. Kill off the goal of creating games with insane production values and not worry about details that have zero impact on the overall experience.

Then again, maybe FFXV isn't what will determine the future of the franchise with all the issues they've been having since the project started...
 
Koozek

Koozek

Turk
#12
Oct 19, 2013
410
617
#12
Just remembered this interview with Naoki Yoshida from a few months ago:

It seems beyond doubt that Yoshida took Wada’s words all those years ago to heart. The Final Fantasy brand has seen serious trouble in the last few years, with lacklustre releases in the Final Fantasy XIII series and the original release of XIV. Now, with Final Fantasy XV on the horizon and Heavensward imminent, has the damage been repaired? Is the Final Fantasy brand once again closing in on the greatness it once embodied?

“I think we still have a long way to go. The Final Fantasy that I know was even better,” he says. “Final Fantasy XIV is not a standalone Final Fantasy title; it’s an MMO. Unfortunately some fans will remain on the fence about it because it’s online, so we can’t reach all of them.

“Of course, with XV coming out as a standalone title, that’s very important. But it’s not only XV - we need to be able to do more and bring back that impact that Final Fantasy gave us when we ourselves played it for the first time. That shock – the good kind of shock – and try to bring that back. Maybe we won’t do that before Final Fantasy XVI. Maybe it’ll be even further in the future. But I still feel we need to continue to strive to improve... There’s a long road ahead."
 
Lulcielid

Lulcielid

Warrior of Light
#16
Oct 9, 2014
3,826
2,826
29
Argentina
#16
yeah_93 said:
The interview just says that Yoshida believes XV may not be enough to repair the franchise, that another game will be needed.
Click to expand...
Maybe it does, maybe it doesn´t, at the end of the day his prediction and opinion are as accuarate as Michael Pachter predictions are (I´m NOT dismissing Yoshida)
 
LeonBlade

LeonBlade

Administrator
Administrator
Moderator
Site Staff
#17
Oct 25, 2013
2,026
1,864
33
Blossvale, New York
#17
Lulcielid said:
Maybe it does, maybe it doesn´t, at the end of the day his prediction and opinion are as accuarate as Michael Pachter predictions are (I´m NOT dismissing Yoshida)
Click to expand...
No, that's not the point, he's not saying XV will be bad or good, he's simply saying that they need more than just one game to repair the series. It's not really on topic though, as the point of this discussion is to talk about how XV will DIRECTLY impact the series, while Yoshida is talking about on a much larger scale for the audience who won't be won over by one game alone. If anything, Yoshida has faith in XV as he speaks of a XVI... and if XV completely fails, I don't think there would even be a XVI.
 
Likes: Rin
You must log in or register to reply here.