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Opinion: Final Fantasy XIII Producer Explains Declining Sales

One oprainfall writer strongly disagrees with Final Fantasy XIII's producer on the series' declining sales.

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Root4073d ago (Edited 4073d ago )

"The reason for the drop may have been due to the fact that not many players knew you didn’t have to have played Final Fantasy XIII to understand the plot in its sequel. We’re hoping that we can get that message across for Lightning Returns, because the same is true here.”

LOL

Really, or is it because people knew not to trust you again after how crap FF13 was and how average FF13-2 looked.

This is what people were saying when they made FF13-2...you know those FF13 "haters" about how it was pointless because people would rather buy a brand new enjoyable FF game and wouldn't force themselfs to sit through a badly designed first game just to understand the next game and bare in mind this is when they made it seem FF13-2 would have a ton of improvements before it was out.

It was always going to be "If it is good, then still...whos going to play on it when they've either haven't completed it, haven't bought it, or gave up half way throuigh because it was that bad"

This just shows you how stupid Square Enix are

If you brought out FF Versus after FF13 where it's been re named and separated as much from the FF13 mytho (they've had plenty of time to do this) then FF sales would skyrocket instead of them declining which is happening now.

Basing from what you hear with social groups, the media and on the internet the majority of us don't care about Lightning or FF13. We either want FF10 HD, FF Versus, FF Type-0 or a FF7-9 remake.

Larry L4073d ago

It's simple. Final Fantasy has declining sales because no one really loved 13, and most didn't even like it, and all FFs since have been sequels to 13......so what would you expect Square-Enix?

Why would any businessman really think that a game no one liked should have as many sequels as you can possibly pump out. After 13 flopped critically, all efforts should have been focused on Vs13 and 14, not priority given to sequels for probably the worst FF ever.

I can't really think of a worse business related move this generation. The decision makers over at Square couldn't POSSIBLY be this ignorant to the public opinion of FF13 which started basically the night the game released, could they?

To me it seems like deliberate trolling on their part, but then when I hear them talk about it, they genuinely seem to think that FF13 is an absolute masterpiece.

kreate4073d ago

All is fine and dandy w ur comment. Plz let square enix know.

Godmars2904073d ago

"Why would any businessman really think that a game no one liked should have as many sequels as you can possibly pump out."

You only have to look at FF14, the original, to get your answer.

They didn't know what they were doing in regards to system hardware, HD tech and even game, relied too heavily on the brand name and blind fan devotion to carry them through and delivered a mess.

FF13 is exactly the same case, the original project was just too ambitious and they had to scale back while several production directors were pulling in different directions with the sudden multiplatform shift not helping things, and now SE seems to be as unable to realize their errors internally as they've failed to admit them publicly.

Square Enix Japan is dead. The only thing that's going to save the company - keep it going for a few more years - will be as a publisher of Western titles.

joab7774073d ago

Go play ni no kuni or some of the tales games. Hell, go play ur own games from last gen and u will know exactly why sales r down. Ppl love jrpgs because they r jrpgs....otherwise u r trying to sell a non jrpg to jrpg fans. New tech doesnt mean changing the genre.

Or what he is saying is that the reason is because they are not able to trick ppl anymore or ride the once illustrious final fantasy name.

Root4073d ago (Edited 4073d ago )

You know what I find hilarious about Ni No Kuni, it's open world where you can free roam and see towns on the map like the old FF games so why can't Square Enix do this again. Even with the FF7 remake they said it's because an open world game wouldn't work on this gen consoles yet Ni No Kuni proves it works fine.

The game has you on foot, boat and even traveling in the sky.

Lets not forget they actually came up with a better battle system then FF13. Sure it has some problems like the counter attacks and the fact it's hard to manage all three characters in real time but even then it's still good

El_Assenso4073d ago

3 words...Ni No Kuni.Play this game Squeenix and you'll see why you've failed this gamning gen. Ni Ni Kuni is a MASTER-PIECE!

JRPG's are JRPG's for a reason! Squeenix are the worst gaming company out there, beating Activision and Crapcom to the title.

joab7774072d ago

Exactly...what is it so hard to do. Oh yeah, it isn't. They simply wanted to do what they wanted to do. I love the incremental move from foot, to ship, to Dragon, the Dragon is awesome, to vacate and travel. And they got the ideas from you...wtf! The overworld is a big deal because it separates towns from dungeons, and allows non linearity to coincide with linearity to tell a good story while being open. I thought this leads jrpg 101. And it looks awesome and allows u to go wherever u want...freedom!!!!!!

pompombrum4073d ago (Edited 4073d ago )

"The reason for the drop may have been due to the fact that not many players knew you didn’t have to have played Final Fantasy XIII to understand the plot in its sequel. We’re hoping that we can get that message across for Lightning Returns, because the same is true here.”

Wow, what an idiotic excuse. If FF13 was any good, he wouldn't need to make such excuses because those who played FF13 would be jumping at a sequel.

No wonder FF is in the dumps, if their producers are as stupid as this idiot. Maybe a slight twist on his words but he's almost implying FF13 was a bad game.

phantomexe4073d ago (Edited 4073d ago )

Mark it on the calendar....i agree with root totally.

Root4073d ago

You always agree with me...because you love me :)

...

...

...Why won't you look at me when were making love

ritsuka6664073d ago (Edited 4073d ago )

Honestly FF13 wasn't that bad. The issue is that the retard old fanboys still living in the past, so it's 'socially-correct' to highly dislike anything past 10. 13 was not a terrible game at all as it still told it's story well, had great characters (and development), the music is great (I still listen to the OST daily/weekly), and the battle system is refreshing. I honestly cannot take any final fantasy fan that calls 13 terrible without any real thought seriously.

BitbyDeath4073d ago

FF13 was terrible because all you ever did was walk down corridors, fight and get cutscenes.

It was boring and repetitive.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4072d ago
DaThreats4073d ago

DaThreats opinion: IT SUCKED

BanBrother4073d ago

Sssh. Why are you here? I thought Cell smashed your head in with his foot? :)

AllenScribe4073d ago

They're not selling because they lack memorable characters and stories that make something which resembles sense.

maniacmayhem4073d ago

I agree with this, the story in FF13 was extremely convoluted. I found myself skipping cut scenes because they made no sense or were just plain boring.

And for the characters, they too were pretty bland and they seem to introduce new ones every other chapter. Even when your near the end, new characters started to appear and added nothing to the story or plot. IMO.

Igor894073d ago

Combat,story,world...all of that was better in previous FFs.

sithsylar4073d ago

I remember when waiting for the battle system was a major part of how good final fantasy was. Like shit ff9 battle system and item system was awesomeeeee. I miss those days.

Bobby Kotex4073d ago

FFXIII sucked, and people moved on. It's not that complicated. I know I wasted my $60.

squallheart4073d ago

Me to :(. Me and brother in law bought it on launch day. I barely beat it this past november because i just found it irritating to play. Not as fun as i had with the originals.

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70°

The 7 Best Final Fantasy Characters: Unveiling the Legends

While FFVII ranks highly, there's more to the series than one game. Here's Chit Hot's picks for the seven best Final Fantasy characters.

220°

The older it gets, the more I respect Final Fantasy XIII

Alex Donaldson: "Hindsight is a hell of a thing, however, and in the years since Final Fantasy XIII, my respect for the decisions its developers made has skyrocketed. In the two Final Fantasy titles since we see both the brilliance and the folly in alternative approaches - and in Final Fantasy VII Remake, we get a more nuanced understanding of what FF13 was trying to accomplish from many of the same development leads."

Einhander1972117d ago

FFXIII is actually one of the best Final Fantasy games.

I also sort of was disappointed at the time, never as much as the bandwagon. But really all the fantastic 3D rendered cutscenes and I actually liked the characters and the story though convoluted was actually fantastic and the ending was extremely emotional. So much budget and time were put into that game Square had such big plans, I actually have always felt kind of bad for how things played out.

I have been thinking for years how great it would be to get all three games on one disk for PS4 or 5.

Nyxus117d ago

I always liked this game, and I agree, a rerelease for current gen would be nice.

Shane Kim116d ago (Edited 116d ago )

Gotta take off the nostalgia glasses. It's the worst FF. Shiva as a bike, I mean come on.

Elda116d ago

Shiva as a bike is strange but saying FFXIII is the worst FF is not at all a fact, that's simply your opinion.

Terry_B115d ago

*One of the 3 equally bad FF's

DivineHand125116d ago (Edited 116d ago )

When I got my series X a year ago, I bought FF13 for nostalgia reasons but ended up being disappointed. When I first played it around the time it launched, I didn't have a lot of experience with final fantasy games, so I enjoyed it. Fast forward to when I played it again, I found that the game had many unnecessary filler moments instead of just giving us meaningful content.

The game is also very linear and a quote on the article said it best. "It is like a sewage pipe that leads to the ocean until it opens up on Grand Pulse."

The story didn't make much sense either and I believe it is my mistake as I played the FF7 remake on PS5 prior which is a night and day difference in terms of pacing, storytelling and likeable characters even though cloud is aloof.

FinalFantasyFanatic115d ago (Edited 115d ago )

Probably was a mistake to play any of the golden era FFs first (e.g. FF6 through FF10), it makes it harder to enjoy some of the FFs that aren't as good. I think FF12 was where major issues with the series started becoming apparent, and it just got worse from there.

FinalFantasyFanatic115d ago (Edited 115d ago )

I didn't really care for it that much, the only saving grace was that it had a better story than 15 (overall it was better than 15) and possibly 12, and even then, you had to read some of it through primers, like reading a book. Plus the battle system was reasonably fun for what it was, even if it was more the spectacle that was exciting for me (e.g. summoning). And to be fair, the 13 trilogy got better with every games, I still don't like Snow though.

Gamingsince1981115d ago

Ff13 is only good if you haven't played a ff before, or any other games that are decent for that matter.

-Foxtrot115d ago

It is in fact no way the best Final Fantasy game, it's one of the worst

Linear corridors, Cutscene, Fight, Cutscene...rinse and repeat

Dialogue and characters are pretty bad, especially Lightning as the main FF hero, they literally said they tried to make a "Female Cloud" and they failed.

Story was pretty awful

I could go on

I think the only alright thing that came from the game was the music.

Elda115d ago

That's not a fact that's your personal opinion. The game sold 11 million copies between its 2009 release up until 2014 including critically reviewed as an 8 out of 10 or an 80 out of 100. The game does have some issues but it's not at all a fact as one of the worst FF games.

-Foxtrot115d ago

Elda

Not just mine mate

A large majority

So….

Traecy114d ago

N4G commenters such as yourself aren't the majority. The game was well received.

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gold_drake117d ago (Edited 117d ago )

i liked the game alot but i didnt like how they handled the terminology.

i dont mind reading data logs but it had soo many.

but i always loved the music and how it looked. the battle system wasnt too bad either.

but i like 13-2 more :)

i still dont understand why we never got a remaster of the trilogy

Eonjay115d ago

Xbox kinda did. Besides the video files of course which are still best on PS3 due to bluray.

Snookies12117d ago

XIII is a pretty solid game, but XIII-2 is WAY better. XIII-2 was one of the few games I decided to go for a Platinum trophy in, early on. Had so much fun the entire way through getting it too!

Eonjay115d ago

Totally agree. FF 13 was okay but 13-2 is my favorite FF game ever.

shinoff2183117d ago (Edited 117d ago )

I hated this to when it released. I haven't much liked a ff game since ff10 as much , aside from ff7remake. I decided to give it another shot on my series x since it's not on a current ps and was liking it quite a bit(just takes me some time to get over things ) until star ocean 2 remake came out I was all over that.

Square should definitely remaster it or something for ps4 ps5

KillerB116d ago

my favorite jrpg trilogy ever

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70°

Interview: Making music with Masashi Hamauzu

Square Enix Blog: "How do you compose iconic songs that help define a legacy? We speak to legendary composer Masashi Hamauzu about his work on Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XIII, and Final Fantasy VII Remake, and how to make unforgettable music."

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