Square Enix thinks Sony needs to define their console
by Nick Doerr 
{ Dec 5th 2007 at 4:45PM }
He also goes on to say that Square Enix isn't just a DQ and FF company -- Wada says they make so many of those games because "... people keep asking for new installments." It's not entirely relevant to the PS3, but Square Enix is making a lot of fresh IPs in the coming year aside from the next entries in their beloved franchises. With his attitude, though, he seems hesitant to put them on the PS3. Hopefully people will understand that the PS3 is a gaming console, but has the capacity to be so much more. It's not confusing; it's just hard to believe it can do so much.
[via Kotaku]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
_sean_ @ Dec 5th 2007 4:58PM
よいちさん: "people aren't buying the Wii as a game machine, but as a toy."
I don't blame him, especially with the way 3rd party titles are selling for it. It's like people only buy the most intellectually devoid titles available. (see: Carnival Games)
Sqeenix shows nothing but love for the DS though, DQIV, FFIV soon and the spectacle that will be DQIX...S-E's DS lineup is great.
Jason @ Dec 5th 2007 5:11PM
Nice use of hiragana.
Zoesch @ Dec 5th 2007 5:26PM
I find it ironic that FF has basically turned into a movie with small game elements between cutscenes so shouldn't we be telling Squenix that they need to define their game?
Evan Brown @ Dec 5th 2007 7:05PM
you are so wrong
JKPierce @ Dec 5th 2007 8:11PM
I find it ironic that one is so willing to make a judgment on such a series, how they need to 'define' it, while not having enough knowledge of it to define it themselves.
Zoesch @ Dec 5th 2007 9:32PM
And so the sarcasm was lost upon people.
Point being, FF transitioned from a standard fare JRPG to a more story-driven, cinematic experience (Which isn't at all bad) so why does Square fixate on Sony transitioning the PS brand from a simple games console to a media centric gaming device as a bad thing?
Joe @ Dec 5th 2007 11:03PM
i don't understand why they are saying this. don't they have faith in their franchises? the psp install base has increased significantly thanks to them. Is it so hard to see that FF13 and versus 13 will do the same for the ps3... and kingdom hearts 3. they will contribute to ps3's momentum and vice versa. and most importantly, there is no way they won't make a significant amount of money on this franchise. I wish he hadn't made it sound like such a BURDEN to keep up these great franchises.
JKPierce @ Dec 7th 2007 2:58AM
I'm all for sarcasm and dry humor, but... Damn, that was way out of left field.
MatthewJ @ Dec 5th 2007 5:27PM
The Wii is doing pretty good for itself for a "gadget". Pretty much the best lineup of entirely creative and amazing games. To write it off is a big mistake and very naive.
The PS3 is starting to come into its own though and I think it definitely would have already if it wasn't for the various delays we've seen.
The 360, ugh, I just see it as a bulky, glitchy and underpowered PC.
Urza @ Dec 5th 2007 6:13PM
Lol.. you just called the 360 bulky.. so what's the PS3? It's bigger and heavier then the 360. Glitchy? What glitches are you talking about.. all the 360 versions of games that are cross platform work just fine.. hello washed out Oblivion and Rainbow 6. Hi buggy Assassins Creed. Oh yeah.. how long was the Cod4 multiplayer broken for PS3? Underpowered PC.. did I miss PCs having 3 core, or 4 core CPU to pass up the 360 3 core CUP?
Wait wait wait.. forget all that I didn't come here to talk about 360, I came here to check out PS3 news for my PS3. :)
Everything Wadda-san says is true, but then again, Ishizuka-san (Konami) has been saying similar things for almost a year now and Metal Gear still isn't any closer to being on the 360. So we'll still be able to play it on one blu-ray disc on the PS3.. I just home is ready and FF is Home compatible.. I want PS3 achievements!
Darkdrium777 @ Dec 5th 2007 5:30PM
Hey dude, what about a "multi-media entertainment platform"? That good enough for you? Guess not.
Well, That's what it is. It's a PlayStation as well as a blu-Ray player, an internet platform, a multi-media juke box, a photo album, a wifi access point, and so on...
Mike @ Dec 5th 2007 5:43PM
Anybody want a definition????
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=playstation
heavenlysword @ Dec 5th 2007 6:03PM
Hmm, as far as I know PS3 is a gaming machine with tons of bonuses such as media hub.
I may need to slap the guy a few times to wake him up a bit.
oh and he's probably gonna get fired in a few days due to his lack of wisdom.
ComicShaman @ Dec 5th 2007 6:09PM
I'm getting deja-vu. Didn't we see this article a few weeks ago? Or something almost exactly the same?
Budman @ Dec 5th 2007 6:10PM
I look at my super, ultra, special, luck-filled, happiness inducing PlAystation the 3rd and the adventures of the 60gb memory fun as the below:
1.PS1
2.PS2
3.PS3
4.Mp3 player
5.CD Player
6.DVD Player
7.Whatever you call movies that you can play on a hardrive player.
8.Internet browser
9.Photo displayer thing with really cool slideshow effects.
I forgot what else. Gomen! (bows over and over again.)
Galley @ Dec 5th 2007 8:50PM
Don't forget Blu-ray Disc and SACD playback!
Otsego_Undead @ Dec 5th 2007 6:43PM
" It's not confusing; it's just hard to believe it can do so much."
Agreed. I'm pretty sure no one who knows anything about video games is confused that the PS3 is a game system. It just happens to use Blu-ray discs, which JUST LIKE DVD can also be used to view movies. Everything else is just bonus. Its not the greatest media center, or web browser, but it has those capabilities. Its a friggin PS2 on steroids. I get it, why cant the CEO of Squeenix get it?
slim_on @ Dec 5th 2007 6:49PM
Did my comment get deleted? Or did it just never got posted?
Anyways, I just said that I think the world already know what a Playstation is and it doesn't need Sony to tell the public what it is in the first place and it doesn't change anything for the games however they market it.
Dalrint @ Dec 5th 2007 7:07PM
I can see what he means though. It's not about what the PS3 can do, it's about what people Believe the PS3 can do. 'It's just hard to believe it can do so much' is really an example of the problem.
From Square-enix's viewpoint, it doesn't need to do all the extra bells and whistles. It has to be a gaming platform, and convince customers it can be a gaming platform, so that they buy it. I bought my PS3 in June, and didn't buy a game for it until Ratchet and Clank came out. I used it as a dvd player.
If a game comes out on it and the 360...I get it for the 360. And I'm not in the minority there. And companies see that. For people that have thrown their cart behind Sony's horse, it's a worrying thing to see.
Zombie Huggles @ Dec 5th 2007 7:21PM
Square needs to shut up. I hate to be so blunt and crude, but the world knows what the PS3 is. PS1 played games and CDs in 1995, Playstation 2 played games, CDs, and DVDs in 2001, now the Playstation 3 plays games, Cds, DVDs, Bluray, and does a bunch of other stuff...but essentially they've always played games. People know that.
Now if the iPod suddenly started playing games, you may need extra press and commercials to communicate that, but if someone out there doesn't know that a PS3 plays games, they probably wouldn't have the mind-set to use it...so their not the demographic anyway...
But still, we know that Square, despite the Sony platform making them a lot of money, are worried that PS3 isn't selling well enough for their exclusives to make a splash. The Wii is a phenomenon, it's crazy that it sold so well. But so did Tickle-Me-Elmo dolls. There's over 5 million PS3's sold worldwide, and they're well on their way to reaching 10 million by March...maybe. So worry not, someone will buy your mega-production Final Fantasy 13.
AK @ Dec 6th 2007 1:02AM
the ipod does play games...
that new game by harmonix for example.
DeftechPioElite @ Dec 5th 2007 8:00PM
I think once FFXIII comes out, Square will realize there are definitely a couple of people that know the PS3 to be a gaming console.
Vincent @ Dec 5th 2007 9:01PM
A console is defined by its line-ups.
Square-Enix forgets they are one of those companies that help defining what a console is, and they have done nothing for the PS3 so far by hiding all trailers for their mega-productions in the goddamned Closed Mega Theater.
Elsnerma @ Dec 5th 2007 9:47PM
As a PSWii supporter, I think it's pretty rude for anyone to call any gaming console a "toy". I fail to see how the number 1 game console, whose backwards compatibility goes all the way back to the 8-bit era, isn't a "gaming machine".
As for the comment about the PS3 needing to define itself as a gaming platform, I think its a load of bull. Not knowing that a "Playstation," the leader for the past two generations, is a gaming console, is like saying you didn't know Nintendo was a videogame company or that Pacman is a little yellow guy that swallows pellets.
Myke @ Dec 5th 2007 10:18PM
I personally think this guy needs to focus on FFXIII and let Sony do what they do. Obviously, w/ the price cuts and the new ads, Sony is marketing the PS3 as a game console. Everybody knows that it does more, i think thats what makes it so special. Thats basically the reason I bought 1 cause I knew it would do more than game. I mean, the confusion should be gone by now, it is a media hub to addition to MAINLY being a game console. This dude needs to stick to his own business cause if FFXIII doesnt release in 08, there will be chaos!!!!
Kevin @ Dec 5th 2007 10:19PM
Maybe he means the Wii is more of a time machine.
Whooosh with one swing of the Wiimote you're back playing Super Mario Bros with an extremely blocky Mario.
NoK610 @ Dec 5th 2007 10:56PM
Or maybe he means that's Sony is so focused on pushing Fox and other BD supporters to release more movies when they should be pushing game creators to release exclusive gaming content.
a-sin @ Dec 5th 2007 11:02PM
hey are all you people forgetting this is square-enix, the ultimate rpg developing company. sony should do what they tell them if not, at least consider it. FF was one of the reasons I bought my ps3 as well as Kingdom hearts 3. go square!
Brad @ Dec 6th 2007 12:54AM
Come on guys - keep in mind that his main concern is that there be as many PS3's out in the field as possible by the time FFXIII releases. That's all this is about.
I just wish they'd announce KH3.
Personally, I'm predicting Holiday 2009 for FFXIII. No way it's making it in 2008. And, of course, the English version will take even longer. (Heck, we still don't even have a release date for FFVII for PSP in North America!)
Vincent @ Dec 6th 2007 10:07AM
Yes we do, March 2008.
chris.westermann @ Dec 6th 2007 10:46AM
Yeah Square, only the Xbox360 has defined itself as a game console, especially with its recent firmware by adding DIVX support along with HD movie and television downloads and tigheter Media Center connectivity so that it can compete with proposed PS3 features (i.e. so far Sony isn't that great of a media hub yet, especially compared to the Xbox360). And the Xbox360 HD-DVD accessory screams "I'm a game console!".
I think the only people dumber then Yoichi Wada is that Gabe guy from Valve and anybody from EA.
heavenlysword @ Dec 6th 2007 12:05PM
right on dood
NoK610 @ Dec 11th 2007 11:48PM
That would have been a good argument if the PS3 actually had DIVX / XVID support, and if it had a large game library such as the Xbox. The HD-DVD drive isn't mandatory, merely an optional accessory.
The one thing I do agree with you is that "both" consoles are really pushing the media aspect.
Link @ Dec 15th 2007 9:46AM
IIt's pretty obvious to me that the PS3 began without a lot of momentum due to the lack of games, the price, and how difficult I hear the system is to develop for. It's not as if they did anything wrong, it's definitely as next generation as we could get right now, just that they could have used some really fun games to come out with it as incentives. That and people aren't all completely convinced yet about Blue-Ray and whether they want to pay for it, and the fact is, even though the PS3 is a phenominal deal for what it can do, it hasn't yet changed the expectation of what a next gen gaming system should cost. If I could tell them it will all be worth it, and I know it will, they would still argue that the game they want isn't out yet, or they need a high definition screen to actually make use of what your paying for, and yes, it can be quite a lot of money. I hope it doesn't hurt Sony too much, and certainly people are transitioning. But everytime a new format is released, there's always the people that have to have it, and the people that are happy with what they've got. "DVD's work and look good, why do I need Blue Ray?!" Obviously, they don't understand resolution, or it's not inexpensive enough yet for it to matter to them.
I hope to see a strong following of the PS3 as the technology becomes cheaper and good, popular games like Final Fantasy make their way to the shelves.