Square Enix changing strategy, going 'back to roots' instead of chasing 'mass appeal'
Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda recently admitted that making games for a global audience actually does the opposite of what it was intended to do. "In the past, when we developed console games with a worldwide premise, we lost our focus, and not only did they end up being games that weren't for the Japanese, but they ended up being incomplete titles that weren't even fit for a global audience," he said.
A lot of Japanese publishers attempted to have "western appeal" with their games over the past few years. Oftentimes, it didn't really work. Square Enix is one publisher guilty of chasing a global market--to limited success.
Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda recently admitted that making games for a global audience actually does the opposite of what it was intended to do. "In the past, when we developed console games with a worldwide premise, we lost our focus, and not only did they end up being games that weren't for the Japanese, but they ended up being incomplete titles that weren't even fit for a global audience," he said.
Matsuda pointed out that games like Bravely Default "ended up selling well all around the world" in spite of it being made specifically for Japanese audiences. "Due to having split [the development mindset] according to regions around the world, we weren't able to see this clearly up until now, but fans of JRPGs are really spread around the world," Matsuda told Nikkei (via Siliconera). Going forward, the company plans on making their games for their fans, instead of trying to chase a broader market. "We basically want to go back to [our] roots and focus on the core audience... I believe that is the best way for our development studios to display their strengths."
This strategy will apply not only to RPG development, but to all aspects of Square Enix's portfolio. "The development team for Hitman: Absolution really struggled in this regard," Matsuda pointed out. "They implemented a vast amount of 'elements for the mass' instead of for the core fans, as a way to try getting as many new players possible. It was a strategy to gain mass appeal. However, what makes the Hitman series good is its appeal to core gamers, and many fans felt the lack of focus in that regard, which ended up making it struggle in sales."
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replyAndrew Yoon posted a new article, Square Enix changing strategy, going 'back to roots' instead of chasing 'mass appeal'.
Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda recently admitted that making games for a global audience actually does the opposite of what it was intended to do. "In the past, when we developed console games with a worldwide premise, we lost our focus, and not only did they end up being games that weren't for the Japanese, but they ended up being incomplete titles that weren't even fit for a global audience," he said.-
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Absolutely.
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"They implemented a vast amount of 'elements for the mass' instead of for the core fans, as a way to try getting as many new players possible. It was a strategy to gain mass appeal. However, what makes the Hitman series good is its appeal to core gamers, and many fans felt the lack of focus in that regard, which ended up making it struggle in sales."
Capcom should take this advice in regards to resident evil if they haven't already-
Fucking signed.
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2012 seems to have been the "publisher business school of hard knocks" for both Square Enix and Capcom. Both companies went for a Western-focused push in 2008-2011; while Capcom made their push by westernizing Resident Evil and pushing hard with Dead Rising 2, Square acquired Eidos and made their push with Deus Ex and Tomb Raider, while at the same time greenlighting a Kane & Lynch sequel (....why?!).
Looking back on it, DX:HR was lightning in a bottle that really carried Square's fiscal year, but then the wheels started falling off in 2012. I have to couch this with the fact that I'm in no way interested in anything Final Fantasy, but I also have to wonder if giving Toriyama-san so much leeway (and budget) with Final Fantasy XIII hurt things, but at least that's behind them, and they're working on FFXV (which in 2011 and 2012, gamers were facetiously asking if "Final Fantasy Versus XIII" was quietly canned; turns out it was being delayed and/or reworked for next-gen consoles).
It's insulting to hear this very very late contrition from Square and Capcom, after them having hyped up their business plan during their "worldwide strategy" years of 2008-2011, while other companies like Atlus and Nippon Ichi kept making JRPGs that appealed to their core audiences, and did it in a way that was profitable (excluding Atlus' bankruptcy filing, which was more related to "round-tripping" fraud, and not a product plan deficiency: http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2013/06/27/atlus-parent-company-investigated-for-fraud-files-for-bankruptcy/ ). -
They are on a good track with tomb raider though imo.
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A big part of the problem is that everything has "mass appeal" then nothing is unique. You are just one game among thousands with "mass appeal". If you stick to what makes you good, what makes you unique, then shockingly you are more interesting.
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