Square Enix CEO falls on his sword; why this is sad but positive news

Digitally Downloaded writes: "If there is one thing Square Enix desperately needs that its rivals all have right now is a fresh spirit of innovation and creativity. I would expect Matsuda to bring that into the company."

[Agent Smith]

Then make good games and I'll buy.

[aCasualGamer]

"lack of momentum in console gaming"

Sounds like he's trying to spin this and blame console gamers for not purchasing Square Enix titles.

Well guess what? Gamers aren't as blind and stupid as you thought. Why would gamers put their money on Sqaure Enix titles that are lackluster when there are much better games in the market?

Further more, where is the bloody FF Versus? That alone is the reason why people listen to your press conferences and your appearances. You let us down with your lies, and we'll let you down with our lack of purchases. Lose/lose situation in other words, could easily be replaced with a definitive release date for FFXIII Versus and you'll see a bump in sales, in other words... a win/win situation.

Hopefully Matsuda can do a better job.

[adorie]

Edit: OH... he's gone? PARTY TIME!

[Pozzle]

Damn, I hope they really don't think that consoles and console gamers are to blame for their lack of sales. If they do, then that just goes to show how little they are paying attention to their fans' feedback.

I wonder if their opinion will change once FFX HD is released? Maybe then they will realize that gamers ARE still interested in buying their games...as long as those games are good.

[Tetsujin]

"Yoichi Wada, who has been in the role since Square merged with Enix in 2003, will be leaving his post" (From the article)

This song I'm gonna blast all day now:

[indysurfn]

I don't dislike this guy at all. But his plan was to make all games half RPG, and half western action adventure. And he did, so they did lose their way. Meanwhile companies in Japan like nikkon, Gust, kept making ACTUAL rpg's. And taking market share in Japan from Square. Instead of making games that will not just capture to his audience he turned square into a confusion theme. When is the last time the west has seen a turn based RPG for consoles made by square. Which is what made square? Where is the big bangs in RPG's (the Summon spells the espers) that come down with much flare. And cause great destruction? Then leave. Now they have been relegated to a PC style character on the field, casting spells punching. Why take the band away to give another very them character? People want console style rpgs. Not want to bes!

[gaffyh]

WOAH!! This is the best news I have ever heard!! This idiot ruined Squaresoft, and I hope to God that the new guy is nothing like him.

[pompombrum]

Agreed, once they start making good games again, I'll buy them. I don't agree with the article saying they need innovation and creativity, that's what they've tried this gen and where they are failing miserably. I think most fans would be more than happy for them to just going back to what they are good at.

Still, I know Square are in a bad place is it so bad that they've become delusional? Lack of momentum in console gaming? Console gaming is bigger and more mainstream than ever. If they remade FF7 or stopped taking huge steaming dumps all over the FF brand name and instead focused on creating something equal to FF4-10, they'd be able to warm up a whole new generation of gamers to imho the best genre there is.

[indysurfn]

aiBreeze good point, why do articles always say rpg's need innovation? Why don't they say racing, shooting, platform gaming, etc need it? I think it is because they don't like jrpgs, RPG's! So they feel it needs changing. Back in the 90s about 36 percent of JAPANS most wanted games every week where JRPG's Now it is 51% are JRPGs in Japan. Many more companies are taking up the demand that Square left on the floor! That is their fault. I'd go FF4-10 (with a asterisk on 10 until it brings back the old summon spells)

[matgrowcott]

Sleeping Dogs, Tomb Raider and Hitman Absolution.

They all got great critical acclaim, they all deserve to be played, but obviously they didn't sell all that well. Finding out why they didn't sell well is more important than some half-assed joke about Square never releasing good games.

Because any company that would release Versus XIII after three big games that didn't live up to expectation, all from established franchises (Sleeping Dogs, sort of), all with decent reviews, is a company that isn't going to make it.

[DaPrintz]

Tomb Raider sold very well.

[matgrowcott]

@DaPrintz

Oh, so how much did Square spend on it? Do you know how much they needed to make to turn a profit? Any idea how much they get from each sale?

They knew how many it had to sell for them to make money off it and there's no way we can guess how accurate or ambitious that was. We just don't have the relevant details.

All we can say is they sold relatively well, but then that doesn't tell us much anyway.

[Murad]

Tomb Raider, and Hitman sold surprisingly well. Deus Ex HR also sold well. The only thing the CEO is complaining about is the lack of sales in the cash cow known as FF 13.

[indysurfn]

matgrowcott was to be a full fledged turn based JRPG complete with Summon spells! It ironically is the opposite of what he was doing! And was the opposite of FFXIII which was trying to be western.

[zerocrossing]

If they drop IIIX and move on to making genuinely great FF games again then I'll start buying.

[MoveTheGlow]

IIIX...does that mean 7? ;)

[MoveTheGlow]

"Consider Groove Coaster, or Space Invaders Extreme. If there is one thing Square Enix desperately needs that its rivals all have right now is a fresh spirit of innovation and creativity. I would expect Matsuda to bring that into the company."

ALL MY YES. Taito was my favorite game company for a while when Space Invaders Extreme/Infinity Gene and Groove Coaster came out. They were focused, innovative, and simple games, made efficiently, done with a ton of style. I wondered what had happened to Taito lately. Apparently they were losing Matsuda.

I'm expecting exactly what Matsuda governed when he was at Taito: a return to the company's classic style, but with meaningful enhancements to the genre that actually *help* the gameplay instead of destroy it. I hope Square can now get back to making RPG's - ones that reach back to the best aspects of JRPG's when they were awesome - and with modern enhancements only when necessary and helpful, not just tacked on "because new!" like FF13. And no more of this "We need to reinvent the graphical wheel every time, so we have no time to make a single freaking town!" crap.

I expect him to bring back the Chrono series, too. Ahem. GET ON THAT.

[FRAKISTAN]

really? Tomb Raider,Hitman and Sleeping Dogs???

[DaThreats]

thank god,
What took so long for Wada to leave

[Pyrrhus]

Exactly.
I cannot describe how happy I am to see this. Hopefully Squenix takes a step back in time to their glory days.

[uuaschbaer]

A Pyrrhic victory. (Sorry)

[abzdine]

i'm so glad!! now it shouldnt be hard to go back on track cause they have the talent to do it.

[SilentNegotiator]

When I read the title, I thought the guy had committed Seppuku!

I'm glad he's gone. Squeenix is in need for major changes.

[boybato]

please be excited. lol

[LeonhartX]

Thank god, maybe the good old days will come back.

[Flavor]

The good old days are never coming back for the Japanese game industry. They are basically irrelevant. Without the airtight grip they once held on hardware (up until xbox), the Japanese cannot compete against the PR, marketing savvy, market access, and most importantly, creativity of western developers/publishers.

[TheOneWhoIsTornApart]

Thanks for your input Mr.Buzzkill.

[Minato-Namikaze]

Sony seems to have a bunch of classic style JRPG's coming out this year. There is a huge market for them you just have to know where that market is and dont piss off your base.

[KingKelloggTheWH]

More emphasis on console exclusives(Versus/Crystal Chron) and less on DLC and cell phones.

[blackberty]

they will never be the same. wishful thinking i know, but i can just see this company falling to his knees and final breath in a few years.

[Kyosuke_Sanada]

First John and now Yoichi........spring cleaning at it's finest

[r21]

So are we free from more Lightning games? Can we finally get KH3 and FFvs13?

[blackberty]

Youd really want FFv13?????

[Pyrrhus]

Absolutely.

[r21]

YES. That and or KH3.

[Minato-Namikaze]

Yes!!! Are you sick? FFVS13 has been THE glimmer of hope through these tough westernization times for SE.

[Inception]

AMENNNNNNN BROTHER!!!! :D

[Chard]

Wada they waiting for?

[tigertron]

I read that in Alf Fisher's voice. Hehe

Back on topic, yeah, thank god Wada is going. Maybe SE can return to their Squaresoft days?

[Chard]

I hope so, I can't take Nomura this!

[Pozzle]

I love that you have an Alf avatar. :D

[whamlollypop7]

Their last two western titles Deus Ex was well received and Tomb Raider looks good. They need to return to what made them a power house in the first place.

[Daver]

They are good because they are not really from Square Enix, they are from Eidos and Crystal Dynamics

[PS4isKing_82]

Thank god!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now hopefully the company will get back on track and just in time too for ps4. Now maybe with him gone, we'll finally get that ff7 remake. Along with kingdom hearts 3 and ffvs13.

[Dagobert]

Well I hope this does bring a change to Square Enix and not more bullshit ways of westernizing the FF series.

[EffectO]

Positive for smartphone/tablet gamers.

[Whitey2k]

problem with wada and hes company that they announce so many games they wouldnt know where to start and finish they focus on to many projects

[tarbis]

Wada leaving? This is all what I can say to that.
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[sashimi]

Even til the end still blaming others for their failure! Thank god that useless wada won't be running SE into the ground any longer. Now hopefully the next person will do a better job.

[koehler83]

Long overdue.

We can only hope the next guy isn't as incompetent and shortsighted.

[a_bro]

About god damn time.

[listenkids]

I've not had much of a problem with square this gen, deus ex, hitman, sleeping dogs,tomb raider and all the way back to indie titles like quantum conundrum have given me great pleasure. Giving them shit for one franchise is warranted but harsh considering their published games have been stellar.

[DragonKnight]

SE developed none of those games. So you really just didn't have a problem with Eidos or Crystal Dynamics.

[listenkids]

Funny you read "developed" in a comment that mentions it no where. Thanks to Square, games like sleeping dogs were brought from the gutter of other publishers and released. Same applies for most games they publish, you're also implying a film producer does nothing, well done on being yet another ignorant n4g poster.

[DragonKnight]

Funny you should argue semantics. Square-Enix merely funded the games coming from the studios they own, they had a 1% part in the creation of those games and to think that SE were necessary for those games to exist is naive. SE were simply first in obtaining those companies, but if you think that publishers like EA or Activision wouldn't have wanted a Tomb Raider or a Deus Ex game, that's your problem.

A film producer is different from a game publisher. One (a producer) actually does leg work and often times contributes to the actual production of the film (hence the name producer), the other writes checks and makes demands.

Square-Enix didn't develop those games, hence they deserve no credit. It's a no-brainer to hand out money.

[lodossrage]

Don't give Square Enix credit for games the had almost 0% part in.

They only bought Eidos. Eidos themselves are the ones that made those games. Not Square Enix.

The real question is who will they try to buy now. The last time the company started to slide, they bought Eidos and that saved them for a while. But now even with Eidos, they're sliding again.

So who will they attempt to buy this time to stave it off?

[torchic]

they're selling their free-to-play games away.

I don't think theyl'll buy anything. like the article says they'll go through restructiring, probably simialar to that of Sony.

depending on how far along Versus XIII is, this could be good or bad news. if it's still far from being done then the new CEO might cut the cord on it because it's taking too much away in financial and human resources. if it's far along, then he might get everyone on the project to finish it off and get it shipped.

[lodossrage]

Maybe, but even with restructuring, it doesn't rule out the possibility of them purchasing someone

Sony bought Sucker Punch and Gaikai in the middle of their continuing restructure process. Square can very well do the same.

[uuaschbaer]

O my God, this is the happiest day of my life! :') You get a car! and you get a car! And YOU! And YOU! And YOU!

[Snookies12]

I'll take one of those.

[iMaim]

Good riddance on Wada. He singlehandedly drove SE to what it is today.

[Baka-akaB]

This shall become a holiday that will eclipse St Patrick's

[XXXL]

See ya! With new leadership give us an HD remake of Chrono Trigger and Cross!

[Sandmano]

Not exactly the kind of title I would use him being Japanese and all...

[DragonKnight]

NA NA NA NA, NA NA NA NA, HEY HEY HEY, GOOOOOODBYEEEEEE!!!

About damn time.

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[SonyPS4]

"...largely blaming a lack of momentum in Square-Enix games for the loss."

Fixed.

[KwietStorm_BLM]

So we largely didn't go for your bullshit, as it was realized quite a while ago that Square has become a shadow of its former self, but you somehow blame that on external factors. Just as lame as we all knew you were. And his solution is to quit and run away. Amazing.

[e-p-ayeaH]

i wonder if this will make a difference.

[TheyDontLoveYou]

Tomb raider, sleeping dogs, hitman, all of them are flops, LOL.

[Harkins1721]

Actually no.

[maddfoxx]

All of these games sold well, especially Tomb Raider. TR released 3 weeks ago and its about to hit 4 mill.

[UltraVegito]

I know I shouldn't revel in someone losing a job...BUT THANK FUCKING GOD!
A entire generation of mass incompetence and constant pissing over fans comming to a end(why didn't this happen sooner o-e).
I look foward to seeing who the new CEO will be~

[Godmars290]

He's not "losing" his job, he's resigning. Which means he's leaving with benefits. Falling with a golden parachute which will take millions from the company he's been ill managing for years.

[Silly gameAr]

The only games I'm looking forward to from SE, are games that I've bought and played the death out of years ago. Sayonara Wada.

Hopefully, SE can get back on track now.

[Rai]

about freaking time.

[The Rock Bottom]

Finally!

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[DragonKnight]

VICTORY FANFARE COMPILATION!!

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Godmars290]

Its probably too late at this point, Square will need someone who can both keep their devs under control, don't let them go off and do any old thing, but still let them be creative, but still:

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

[Styxoric]

I'm a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series. But no games have ever disappointed me more than the entire XIII catalogue.

The characters are uninteresting. The story could not be more of a bore. The setting and artstyle is fine (although i would have preferred something akin to FFIX) but really not expanded upon enough. For an example, where the f*ck is my world map? Ni No Kuni did it perfectly, i don't see why you're STILL not doing it!. It's insane.

I'm actually super hyped for FFX-HD, much, much more so than i have been for a FF game in... many years.

Sit down, talk it over, give me my real Final Fantasy back.

[Martywren]

Im wrry on who they might get this time.

[MilkMan]

The fact that Hitmam, Tombraider and Sleeping Dogs didn't get them out of the red, is disturbing beyond words.

Keep buying stupid COD and waiting for more FF. What you'll receive is another console crash. Cliffy B is expecting one.

Gamers talk a lot of trash, but don't buy anything.

This is a business and if we are not buying products sooner or later its all gonna go downhill, it happened before and it will happen again.

Those three games I mentioned are ALL great and Square-Enix should be commended for taking on the reigns and publishing them. Add to that Deus Ex.

The shame isn't on Wata, its on us.

[Godmars290]

The reason they're not out of the red,may never be, is FF14.

Not only did they rebuild it from its original stagnant mess, but their still putting it out as a paid MMO when paid MMOs aren't popular. That multiple piles of cash just flushed away.

[tommygunzII]

Couldn't agree more MilkMan. Well said.

[Elda]

FABULOUS NEWS!!..now maybe Square will start listening to the fans & developing & releasing more jrpg's & releasing games that the fans want including releasing games internationally like bravely default,ff type-o,listening to the fans wants & needs would be a wise decision if Square would like to have their company pockets filled with cash.

[forum67]

I hope its not still bleeding. The article does not mention how far the sword has penetrated. Also which part of his body sword has penetrated.

[Nodoze]

Now that I have run the company into the ground, I have decided to leave.

Good riddance. Wada was a disease. His decisions have cost Square Enix dearly. Long time fans no longer even care about their releases.

[uuaschbaer]

SUPPORT SQUARESOFT
. BUY SQUARE-ENIX

=) Yes, I'm naïvely spamming this everywhere.

[Knightofelemia]

Good now its time for a change and bring somebody else who can take the helm and stear SquareEnix back on their path. Hopefully FFVS13 will see the light soon. And hopefully SquareEnix will rebuild the Final Fantasy franchise from the ground up back into an RPG Titan it once was. I thought Tomb Raider did well I am enjoying it. I'm just happy this idiot is leaving.

[CEOSteveBallmer]

I think its a good thing for him to resign since he didnt even do something good for the company even just once!. could you guys think of something positive this guy has ever done for the games industry and square-enix? If so im all ears. Remember the time when he said that console graphics and stuff is getting more advance, seems to him advancing technology is a bad thing and then im sure he's the one responsible for FF being multiplat and resulted in a 3 disc FF13 for Xbox 360 with eurogamer and other sites admitting its a inferior port but playable nonetheless, then instead of releasing FFvs13 we always get FF13, FF13-2 and now Lightning returns. Its just not what gamers wants and he doesnt understand that since hes the CEO he can do something about it but no. Its either he resigned of his own or the other executives, stockholders dont want him anymore.

[CaitSith]

WHAT TOOK SO DAMN LONG?!?!

[izumo_lee]

It was inevitable ever since this gen began & the odd business decisions that Squarenix has done under Wada.

First is they followed the money by backing a console in the Xbox 360 that is unpopular in Japan & has a minority in fans of the games they make. By doing so they basically ignored their largest fan base that they had built over 15+ years on the Playstation giving them for most of this gen the short end of the stick.

Second Squarenix never really adapted to the change from SD to HD game development. Long development times, mismanagement of assets, poor game designs, poor direction led to below average games or even false promises. Look at the mess that was FF14. They clearly rushed that game out with little to no fan feedback from beta tests. With that disastrous launch they spent millions trying to fix it thus delaying other projects like FFvs13.

Third the infatuation with mobile games. By churning out games that they thought have nostalgic appeal would make people go out & buy them. They would if these games aren't outrageously priced or clearly cash grabs like All the Bravest was.

The companies decline from what they once were was a slow burn ever since Wada was appointed as their leader, it was disaster in the making. Squarenix has a long uphill climb to win back the fans confidence that we all use to have. They were the pinnacle of JRPG....to see them in the state they are in is indeed sad. Hopefully with a new set of eyes leading the company in Matsuda (although i'm not entirely confident he is the right guy for this job) Squarenix may once again be prominent, but we'll see.

[maddfoxx]

I hope Hironobu Sakaguchi comes back now.

[OrionNoctis]

Since ff12 i havent bought any ff and they seem meh games , i miss something like ff9 , since square and enix went together things got worse and worse at each game release...

[Marceles]

This is a decade in the making, it's about time Square

[TBONEJF]

BLAME ALL THE EXECUTIVES taking in all the money for themselves they never really do any real work as CEO anyway

[Godmars290]

More like the modern exec acts as much against stockholders as they will against consumers, if its to their own interests.

[tiffac008]

Wada going out?! There is "Hope" for SE yet!

[carlocgc]

extremely good news.

[tommygunzII]

It is a shame that SE was taken to the whipping post for FFXII in 2006 by the fans, now 7 years later the game gets praise from anyone lucky to play it.

FFXI was a brilliant game that many consider the best MMORPG of all time, yet many fans threw it under the bus too because it wasn't Final Fantasy of the old days.

Any time SE and Final Fantasy get brought up the fans always beg and cry for VII or X, or anything in between, and SE tried to give the fans what they thought they wanted, FFXIII (which has more in common with VII and X than XI or XII).
If the Final Fantasy franchise dies the fans should feel somewhat responsible. The people that think SE just needs to remake old games are part of the problem. Do they really think making 2D JRPG's in 2013 is the secret to success? That is a recipe for unemployment in my opinion, but try telling that to their so-called fans.

Since they can't please these people, it was nice knowing you SE. I will cherish the memories you gave me, I just wish you didn't listen to those people back in 2005. :(

[NateCole]

FF13 while a decent game is the worst i played in the series.

[Max-Zorin]

The day Wada resign will be the day the Square fanbase throw a BBQ and pop illegal fireworks in excitement.

[Jamaicangmr]

Hopefully the new guy can restructure the company in a positive manor. Kinda like how the new Blackberry CEO totally turned that company around.

[uuaschbaer]

Since this thread is still going strong...

DANCE
http://i.minus.com/izmy7R5K...

[BlaqMagiq24]

Thank god he's gone. Now Square will be returning to godlike status in the next generation (hopefully).

[kupomogli]

I think the news title should be changed. Some people may actually think he fell on a sword and that's the reason why he's no longer CEO.