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NEWS: Square Enix Los Angeles Lays Off Staff in Several Departments


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Emerje



Joined: 10 Aug 2002
Posts: 7328
Location: Maine
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 9:52 am Reply with quote
That makes sense, if games aren't selling it must be the marketing, PR, and event peoples' fault, not the people making the dumb decissions. It's probably because of the people they're letting go that these games sold as well as they did.

Emerje
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Mikeski



Joined: 24 Sep 2009
Posts: 608
Location: Minneapolis, MN
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 11:57 am Reply with quote
You missed the part where they canned the president, too?

And anyway, if the games aren't selling, it means one of a couple things:

1) the games are terrible, so lose the designers/programmers/artists
2) the games are good but they don't sell anyway, so lose the sales/PR folks
3) the economy is just that bad, so lose whatever you can get by without (which is, again, the sales/PR folks; you need programmers/artists/designers or you have no product to sell once the economy turns around.)
4) your company is just too big for the market, so lose a few of everything to get down to the point that what you're selling is enough to pay all your people.

Apparently, they think it's #2 or maybe #3 (I don't think they'd can the prez if it was #3.)
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Ryu Shoji



Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 671
Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:23 pm Reply with quote
Here's a tip Square Enix:

1) No more iOS ports. Seriously, stop.
2) LISTEN TO THE FANS. This means no more iOS ports and localisations of Bravely Default and Final Fantasy Versus XIII
3) No more iOS ports
4) No more iOS ports.
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Rahxephon91



Joined: 08 Jun 2003
Posts: 1859
Location: Park Forest IL.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:36 pm Reply with quote
Ryu Shoji wrote:
Here's a tip Square Enix:

1) No more iOS ports. Seriously, stop.
2) LISTEN TO THE FANS. This means no more iOS ports and localisations of Bravely Default and Final Fantasy Versus XIII
3) No more iOS ports
4) No more iOS ports.
This is dumb.

Why no more IOS ports? They are cheap, make money, tap into a lucrative market, and are good.

Versus XIII doesn't exist as far as anything is concerned. So why ask for a localization?

Listening to the fans sounds like the worst thing if this is a "fan".


Last edited by Rahxephon91 on Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:53 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Excel Generations



Joined: 13 Jan 2010
Posts: 57
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:51 pm Reply with quote
I heard Final Fantasy XIV hurt them bad with the unfinished and terrible release. Big flop and so now they are remaking the game scheduled to come out this summer I believe with 2.0 version.
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Lady Multi



Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 673
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 1:27 pm Reply with quote
Rahxephon91 wrote:

Versus XIII doesn't exist as far as anything is concerned. So why ask for a localization?


Precisely why he's calling for it.

Personally, I always wanted Versus13 before I wanted 13, itself. We got 13, which, imo, was a beautiful game but a P.O.S. yet we haven't seem much of Versus13 at all.
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Lady Multi



Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 673
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 1:33 pm Reply with quote
Ryu Shoji wrote:
Here's a tip Square Enix:

1) No more iOS ports. Seriously, stop.
2) LISTEN TO THE FANS. This means no more iOS ports and localisations of Bravely Default and Final Fantasy Versus XIII
3) No more iOS ports
4) No more iOS ports.


I agree with the no more iOS ports. People think their awesome, but, honestly, why the crap would I buy something on a mobile device that I already have to play elsewhere? ...Same thing OVER AND OVER. We get it, some of those games ported were great, but quit beating them to death.

2nd, I hate Apple; always have, and I know I'm not alone. So guess what? I don't buy iOS even if I wanted to 'cause I don't own the over-priced devices. Not gonna buy an Apple device to play a game I have on my Playstation or elsewhere.
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Rahxephon91



Joined: 08 Jun 2003
Posts: 1859
Location: Park Forest IL.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 1:37 pm Reply with quote
Lady Multi wrote:
Rahxephon91 wrote:

Versus XIII doesn't exist as far as anything is concerned. So why ask for a localization?


Precisely why he's calling for it.

Personally, I always wanted Versus13 before I wanted 13, itself. We got 13, which, imo, was a beautiful game but a P.O.S. yet we haven't seem much of Versus13 at all.
XIII was good. And you can't call for a localization if there's nothing to localize. And yes I'm sure the game hasn't had some sort of localization done while it's in development. Yes I'm sure localization is the problem here.

And so because you don't like Apple products they should stop porting to IOS? And you think it's stupid because you can get those games elsewhere? Maybe people like playing them on their ipad or iphone, you know things they take everywhere? No, couldn't be. Do you get mad if they port them to Playstation Portables too?

Again, Perfect example of why you shouldn't listen to the fans.
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Aynslesa



Joined: 08 Feb 2012
Posts: 199
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:16 pm Reply with quote
Excel Generations wrote:
I heard Final Fantasy XIV hurt them bad with the unfinished and terrible release. Big flop and so now they are remaking the game scheduled to come out this summer I believe with 2.0 version.


Final Fantasy XIV definitely did hurt them, enough so that they replaced almost the entire development team, made the 1.0 version free-to-play for over a year until they got it to a point where the people playing it actually thought it worth paying for, and yup, now 2.0 is coming out. I played the 1.0 version and the game was *so* much better during the second half of its run versus it's initial release, and I can't wait to play 2.0.

I think it's probably a combination of several factors that have led to this - poor choices made in development, several games not selling as well as expected, unstable economies. Looking at the people who are being laid off, it seems to me as if they're trimming back non-essentials to try and recoup some of their losses.
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Ryu Shoji



Joined: 15 Jul 2009
Posts: 671
Location: Cambridge, United Kingdom
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:51 pm Reply with quote
The problem with the ports is simply, Square Enix won't stop porting. It's going to come to a point where I can play the original Final Fantasy on my fridge. and my future wife's home pregnancy test. What system can't I play the original Final Fantasy on?
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TitanXL



Joined: 08 Jun 2010
Posts: 4036
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 3:02 pm Reply with quote
Rahxephon91 wrote:
Listening to the fans sounds like the worst thing if this is a "fan".


I'm tempted to quote Zero Puctuation's stance on fans. But needless to say, yeah, usually "fans" are the last people you should actually listen to. Especially in cases like Versus where they've never played the game or know anything about it but still insist it's some kind of masterpiece and savior of gaming. Maybe I just lack their unique ability of precognition or something.
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Lady Multi



Joined: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 673
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:03 pm Reply with quote
Rahxephon91 wrote:
Lady Multi wrote:
Rahxephon91 wrote:

Versus XIII doesn't exist as far as anything is concerned. So why ask for a localization?


Precisely why he's calling for it.

Personally, I always wanted Versus13 before I wanted 13, itself. We got 13, which, imo, was a beautiful game but a P.O.S. yet we haven't seem much of Versus13 at all.
XIII was good. And you can't call for a localization if there's nothing to localize. And yes I'm sure the game hasn't had some sort of localization done while it's in development. Yes I'm sure localization is the problem here.

And so because you don't like Apple products they should stop porting to IOS? And you think it's stupid because you can get those games elsewhere? Maybe people like playing them on their ipad or iphone, you know things they take everywhere? No, couldn't be. Do you get mad if they port them to Playstation Portables too?

Again, Perfect example of why you shouldn't listen to the fans.


I don't buy multi-copies of games just because its on another system. It's still the same game, a port is just a port. You dull a great game by beating it to death and eventually people stop caring at all about the release.

It is also you're opinion that 13 was a great game, I think its a big pile of crap with some beautiful graphics; thus my continuing boycott of 13-2 and the un-released 13-3.

Calling for Versus13 to exist as it has ALWAYS seemed more interesting is not wrong as apposed to continuing with a piece of crap.

Where is Dragon Quest? Oh, that's right the DQX is an ONLINE game. The next FF? A rip-off of God of War only T-rated (Lightning Returns) or the ONLINE FF14. Wow. such great game, that 14 failed so horribly. 13-2 sold 1/3 of what 13 sold. So let's continue to sell failures??

What about Star Ocean? When did we last get one of those?

A company that made is name(s) with single-player RPGs suddenly shunning their audience's desires for new games. We already have those old games; we don't want a port of the same thing we've already played. Dealing with gamers (those who play games to play games because they love them) and "gamers" (people who play just a to play because they're bored and on the go) are two different things. I highly doubt that a person who truly cares about playing one of those games will rush out to buy a stalker-product to buy the iOS version of the game. Nope, pretty sure, they'd just go get a full version of the game elsewhere.
...Go find me numbers of how many people who fully completed Chrono Trigger on their phones and we'll talk about how great the ports of RPGs are especially with bugs and graphics issues the ports cause.

There is only one Squeenix game that I have 2 copies of, btw. It's Crisis Core: FF7. Why? I bought the collector's PSP, which I STILL use to play PSP games. It's right on top of my my manga stack directly behind me.
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HitokiriShadow



Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 6251
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 5:13 pm Reply with quote
Lady Multi wrote:

I agree with the no more iOS ports. People think their awesome, but, honestly, why the crap would I buy something on a mobile device that I already have to play elsewhere? ...Same thing OVER AND OVER. We get it, some of those games ported were great, but quit beating them to death.


Because tons and tons of people own iPads and iPhones, so its a good way to get it to people that HAVEN'T played it before.

Like you, I don't like Apple so I don't own those products, but there's good business sense in releasing games for them.
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TitanXL



Joined: 08 Jun 2010
Posts: 4036
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:10 pm Reply with quote
Lady Multi wrote:
Where is Dragon Quest? Oh, that's right the DQX is an ONLINE game. The next FF? A rip-off of God of War only T-rated (Lightning Returns) or the ONLINE FF14. Wow. such great game, that 14 failed so horribly. 13-2 sold 1/3 of what 13 sold. So let's continue to sell failures??


You know, just because you don't like them doesn't mean they don't exist.

Quote:
What about Star Ocean? When did we last get one of those?


Tri-Ace makes those, not Square, they just publish them.. and Tri-Ace has made lots of games since Last Hope, they just don't come out in America.
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Rahxephon91



Joined: 08 Jun 2003
Posts: 1859
Location: Park Forest IL.
PostPosted: Wed Apr 03, 2013 7:00 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
I don't buy multi-copies of games just because its on another system. It's still the same game, a port is just a port. You dull a great game by beating it to death and eventually people stop caring at all about the release.
So ports are bad and dull games because they keep them alive and in circulation, open them up to new audiences, have potential to take advantage of new hardware and improve the experience, and just give old fans a new reason to play them. Wow that sounds like the dumbest thing I've ever heard. And how do they dull the game?Like wtf are you saying? Are you saying we should just keep games on the platforms they were originaly made for and not allow people to discover them or have the games kept relevant?

Quote:
It is also you're opinion that 13 was a great game, I think its a big pile of crap with some beautiful graphics; thus my continuing boycott of 13-2 and the un-released 13-3.
So you did'nt buy the game that was the fan apology game? Ok. And why use the word boycott? Did you think you were taking some stance? Sounds kind of dumb.
Quote:

Calling for Versus13 to exist as it has ALWAYS seemed more interesting is not wrong as apposed to continuing with a piece of crap.
For you maybe. Versus XIII always seemed like it was going to be crap, because anything made by Nomura has a pretty terrible story and the Kingdom Hearts game feature shallow combat and terrible level design. So a game made by them sounded like something to be pretty cautious about.

And you call it continuing a peace of crap, but as a fan I don't mind more XIII games. At least they come out, which is more than I can say for Versus. And no I very much doubt they come out at the expense of Versus. Plus they do make money. Why would a company not make them?
Quote:

Where is Dragon Quest? Oh, that's right the DQX is an ONLINE game.
So because you're not interested that means the FANS did'nt want it and that it's a bad move. Sounds like poor reasoning to me. As DQ9 was really popular in Japan and well the next step would be a MMO. Sounds like something FANs may have wanted. Plus FF11 has made Square more money then any other game. Sounds like a smart idea to try it with the other popular series.

Quote:
The next FF? A rip-off of God of War only T-rated (Lightning Returns)
What? How the hell is it a GoW rip-off. It will have a similar battle system to previous XIII games and be open world. How is that anything like GoW. This game sounds even more open and less linear and that sounds like the linear combo based goW how? Oh wait it dosen't.

Quote:
. Wow. such great game, that 14 failed so horribly.
A disaster that cost them? Ok you're point. It made bushiness since to make a 14 and I'm sure XI fans wanted another game.
Quote:

13-2 sold 1/3 of what 13 sold. So let's continue to sell failures??
Lol you clearly don't know what you are talking about. Do they sell less then XIII? Yes. But they still sell fine and make money. Square felt the need to re-use assets which makes these games way cheaper to make and they get a return on their investment. And XIII-2 has sold almost 2 million so obviously some fans wanted it. So what's your point. They aren't failures.
Quote:

What about Star Ocean? When did we last get one of those?
Well the 4th one was atrocious and the series as a whole is pretty bad. But the point is that failure XIII-2 probably sold tons more then this game. Star Ocean 4 wasn't a success and games aren't getting any cheaper. The audience isn't there for this series, so why make more?

Quote:
A company that made is name(s) with single-player RPGs suddenly shunning their audience's desires for new games.
Suddenly? Where have you been this gen? Pretty much every Japanese company has been hurt badly this gen and pooping out big JRPGs because a small fan group wants them isn't going to help. And it sure is not going to get better next gen.

Quote:
Dealing with gamers (those who play games to play games because they love them) and "gamers" (people who play just a to play because they're bored and on the go) are two different things.
WTF does this have to do with anything. You're not trying to pull this casual gamer vs hardcore gamer crap are you? Please tell me you're not implying that those who play these ports are somehow for whatever stupid reason you have not gamers(which is already a stupid term itself"). Are you trying to say that everyone who plays these games on their Apple stuff is a casual gamer? Why because you have a dumb bias against the product?

Quote:
I highly doubt that a person who truly cares about playing one of those games will rush out to buy a stalker-product to buy the iOS version of the game.
Yep, you decided to go in the very stupid direction. Yes people who buy these products are "stalkers" whatever the heck that means. I highly doubt you know what the hell you are talking about. No how about someone who owns an ipad did'nt have a DS and wanted to play The World Ends With You. Now they can. Maybe there's some people who just missed the boat or never heard of the game, now they can play it. Maybe theres just some gamers who want a new version of a game they like. Or maybe since not everyone is like you, they just want a version of a game they like on a system that they are more active on.

But of of course I guess these people don't count, because you've made up some dumb system where I guess they aren't real gamers.

lol.

Quote:
Nope, pretty sure, they'd just go get a full version of the game elsewhere.
So because you don't do this, no one else does? Do you know how dumb you look right now?

and lol at full version. Seeing as how Square has had success with their IOS versions I'd say there are tons of people who want these on their is systems. Hell I bet they have them on other systems. Hell, I have tons of copies of MGS3 and I sure wanted it on my Vita. Why? So I could play it on the go and just play another version of the game. But no I'm not a real gamer and/or I'm not real.

Oh please continue, your logic here is astonishing.
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