Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV Should Have Remained Exclusive

Junkie Monkeys: With the recent news that both Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy XV will be arriving on the Xbox One, it has me wondering exactly what happened between Sony and Square Enix?

[Lovable]

TBH Making the game into one console will always be the best choice since they can put all their time learning and optimizing it on that particular console. However, nowadays the cost of making these games even EXCEED the cost of making blockbuster movies! It's just suicide if a developer release their games only on one console unless they got the back up of the publisher(ie sony, ms and nin).

All in all, companies need to make money first and foremost in order to survive. We can't blame SE in this case as it's the most obvious choice.

[Neoninja]

Well said Lovable.
I work in the film industry and I can tell you there are a lot of loopholes and tax breaks that make things a lot cheaper than studios say they do. As far as I know things like that don't exist in the gaming industry, and if a game tanks then a whole developing studio might tank with them. Shoot even if the game is a hit it might not be enough.

[Gildarts]

"shoot even if the game is a hit it might not be enough"

Like what happened with kingdoms of amalur. RIP.

[iMaim]

Square Enix is also bleeding money. FFXIV crippled their stocks pretty bad a couple years ago. They don't have the luxury of making games exclusive anymore. What I find surprising is why KH is on Xbone anyways.

I mean seriously, why? How are Xbox fans going to catch up with the series mythos when the KH HD collection is exclusive to PS3. I feel the same about ME3 on the WiiU as well.

[GameCents]

I seriously find this reasoning perplexing. Are people such brand fanboys that they cannot fathom that anyone who has had a playstation in the past could ever buy another console brand in future?

Just how difficult do you think it is to have owned a PS2 or even PS3 and then buy an X360 or XONE? This is the same reasoning that blew my mind when PS3 fans were complaining about Tekken and Devil may cry franchises were making their Xbox debut.

Let me answer you in a single sentence: Not everybody has stuck to one brand their entire gaming lives, some of us like gaming and not companies.

[Gildarts]

Who cares? People get to try it out. And probably some of the previous story could be explained in the game too like mass effect did.

I played kingdom hearts on the DS and I'm glad I get to play it on my Xbox One too same goes for Final Fantasy 15.

[rainslacker]

There are plenty of webpages devoted to the Kingdom Hearts story. Hell there was a series about it being posted on N4G not too long ago. Despite what most people say it's not terribly complex...good...but not complex. Just a lot of things to remember.

Besides what GameCents says holds weight. Most people from this gen probably had at least one one of those consoles that KH was on. The KH story was on the PS2, PSP, DS, 3DS. Many people considered all of them to be vital to understand the story, but I would wager that a majority of the people haven't even played half of them.

If more people can enjoy the game, I say great. The only time I take issue with things going multi-plat is if one is stripped of features or downgraded to accommodate a weaker system.

[izumo_lee]

My only issue is that since the Xbox brand is pretty non-existent in Asia what is the point of releasing in those territories. Also when a FF game was released on the Xbox with FF13 & its sequel it barely made a dent in sales compared to PS3 versions. Even after all that boasting they did when it was announced for the Xbox.

FF13 on 2 platforms still wasn't able to equal or surpass the sales of FF7 (10mil), FF10 (9 mil), FF8 (8 mil) which were on a single console & in the terms of FF7 it was the most expensive game made at the time.

Do i mind that the series is now multiplat. No. Again my issue is if Xbox fans genuinely care as much as they boasted, support the game as much as PS gamers have for 15 years.

FFXV & KH3 are looking to be fantastic games made by a comparable creator in Nomura. If the Xbox version does not do as well as the PS4 game, than what is the point of bringing it to 2 systems if one will not care.

[Lovable]

Considering the cost of just porting it, versus the revenue, I bet SE is still earning money from whatever small sales it does on the other platform.

This is true and proven when they release FF 13 and 13-2 on both consoles. If they lose money from porting the game on Xbox 360, they would have let these two games exclusive to PS4.

[tiffac008]

Well Sony would have to pay SE for the exclusive rights but since FF and KH will more than likely sell more on a Playstation platform than on an Xbox one. There is no need to pay for the exclusivity rights.

This way SE would look good by not alienating any fanbase they may have on Xbox and Sony would be spending their money elsewhere.

Besides this way SE has no excuse if FFXV or KH3 become vaporware this gen like they did with FFXIIIVs last time.

[Lovable]

@tiffac

"but since FF and KH will more than likely sell more on a Playstation platform than on an Xbox one. There is no need to pay for the exclusivity rights."

This is true.

[showtimefolks]

Here is my question why? Is your joy going to be any less if gamers on Xbox one and pc are able to play? Isn't it good for MGS series to be enjoyed by as many gamers as possible?

I don't believe in 3rd party exclusives, I believe all 3rd arty games should be available on every console and only 1st-2nd party games should be exclusives

And that's coming for a die hard PS fan. I don't get extra joy on knowing well Xbox one gamers get screwed since they didn't play this game. The more people who buy means bigger budgets and better quality for next game in the series

Please keep an open mind and lets get rid of the trolls that exists m every gaming site

[andrewsqual]

And yet now this series will go the way of Resident Evil and Final Fantasy. Metal Gear has already been dumbed down for the dumb Americans becasue they just HAD to add someone huge in the US like Sutherland as the voice for the Xbot fanbase.

[fermcr]

Since the PC, PS4 and X1 are very similar to develop for, why would Square Enix make them exclusive to one platform ?

Square Enix needs money... more platforms, more money to make. Fanboys will be fanboys with no sense of the financial reality of the world.

With gaming platforms being so similar to develop for, it would make no sense financially for a 3rd party developer to make a exclusive. 3rd party exclusives are going to became very rare... unless Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo pay (or help pay) for the development of those games !

[jc48573]

SE just want to maximize profit, which is understandable. If Sony did pay for those third party exclusives, then that means less money for their first party studios. What Sony learned from PS2 and PS3, they realized that they can produce AAA titles by having their own in house development teams across the world. If these small developing teams can create AAA titles with the tools they provide and sell well in the end, then they will gladly accept them as part of the family so that they continue to make profit for them. Paying for third party exclusives is an outdated strategy to secure titles nowadays because of the risks involved. What surprises me is that general consumers or gamers don't seem to understand Sony's strategy.

[DA_SHREDDER]

Lovable , that comment is so 2008. 8 gigs of RAM is enough to run 3 copies of crysis 3 on high settings.

[jivah]

Cause a game only requires ram right?
It will need more than 3 ps4s to run 3 instances of crysis 3 on high settings. The gpu and cpu inside it isnt exactly an 800 pound gorilla

[maniacmayhem]

"Making the game into one console will always be the best choice since they can put all their time learning and optimizing it on that particular console"

That makes no sense especially since both systems are now more closely related in architecture than ever before. I know a lot of Sony diehards got away with that excuse when they kept name dropping the cell, but now that is not the case.

It will definitely be easier for devs to port to each system going into this new gen.

[Mr_Nuts]

Well it might not be much but I'd rather see FFXV and KH3 take advantage of that extra 2GB of RAM and other small advantages the PS4 has

[gintoki777]

Also now that the consoles are very similar in structure and power I think developers aren't sacrificing much in terms of quality. Such as the case with Final fantasy 13 where people were mad the xbox 360 made it a dumbed down game which would have been better if it remained exclusive.

[Shadonic]

All i care about is the fact that its coming. The idea that people on other consoles will get to experience it is ok with me. They can take all the time they need to get it looking amazing.

[wishingW3L]

PS4 and Xbox1 are basically the same, both have lots of Ram, bluray and share the same architecture. I don't think there will ever be issues with multiplats again. No issues related to performance or games having to be cut-down because they don't fit in a couple of DVD9 compared to a dual-layer bluray disc and stuff.

If the game was still on PS3 and announced as a multiplat then I'd be pissed.

[PsnGammer21]

Xbox one games don't play off the blu ray disc right they play off the installation to ur hard drive am I right? If I am to be right pretty much you can say that the Xbox doesn't play blu ray games. Lol

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

as long as the gameplay and story is good I have no problems.

[MrSwankSinatra]

its not like it matters, everyone buys these type of games only for playstation since they are commonly associated with playstation brand like metal gear, resident evil, tekken etc. i mean look a FFXIII while the game did suck the sales of the PS3 version when compared to the 360 version is such a wide gap it might as well been considered exclusive anyway.

[rytlok]

both of these games are gonna look like crap on the xbox1

[My_Name_BTW_Is_Dante]

Who cares? Final Fantasy is a dead franchise. They got rid of turn based combat. Even FF13 didn't have true turn based combat and FF15 will be worse as their games continue to go downhill. I don't buy Final Fantasy games to play Kingdom Hearts and that's exactly what FF15 is. They're basically making 2 Kingdom Hearts games so I couldn't care less what that company does anymore. I hope they go bankrupt.

[SexyGamerDude]

They aren't going bankrupt. Too much hype is surrounding 15 and KH3. Those games are guaranteed to sell, no question.

[NYC_Gamer]

Its a third party game that should be enjoyed by gamers on all platforms

[XabiDaChosenOne]

I don't mind it honestly, Kingdom hearts and FF15 is not really a taxing game processor wise and I'm pretty sure MS is rocking with Bluray this time so I don't really see how releasing it on the Xbone would botch the game. I doubt either game will sell on the console anyway so if Square wants to waste money on the port, fine by me but just don't make me wait another 7 years for the titles. Plus I'm pretty sure the PS4 version will look better and be DRM free so that's always a plus.

[Gigaguy777]

Absolutely not, KH3 is supposed to appeal to a general audience, hence the easy nature and Disney characters, so to appeal to an even bigger audience, they made it non-exclusive, which is always the best thing to do unless there's a specific reason not to.

[abc1233]

Why was it odd that it's landing on the X1 instead of the WiiU? The WiiU isn't in the same league tech-wise to the X1/PS4. The game would be severely gimped, if it had to go multi-platform anyway then X1 was clearly the best choice in terms of the quality of the end-product.

[SexyGamerDude]

It was never an exclusive to Playstations. Are people forgetting that Square Enix made a KH game for the Gameboy Advance in 2004 and have been making game for Nintendo Handhelds ever since?

[Tito08]

They're talking about the main games in the series, not the spin-offs, in the article it is said it has some association with Nintendo, but Nintendo didn't get the main games. But in terms of sales, the PS brand is the most associated with Kingdom Hearts, even the PSP game in on top of the DS & GBA games.

[SexyGamerDude]

You're wrong. Chain of Memories was for the PS2 and sold worse than days.

[Tito08]

Duh, because it was a remake to the 2004's GBA game, the PS2 game released in 2008, 4 years later, at a time where everyone was going next gen with PS3 & 360, also the same year GTA4 & MGS4 released, btw, the PS2 game isn't very far from the GBA game in total sales, so don't make it seem like it sold horribly. BTW, Birth By Sleep is the 3rd best selling KH, on PSP, that is on top of the GBA, DS, & 3DS games, can't prove me wrong "PARTNER".

[SexyGamerDude]

But I still proved that PS games can sell worse than the ones on the Nintendo handhelds. I don't care how much BBS sold. None of that was in the topic. You said Nintendo games never sold more than any of the PS games. I proved you wrong. End of discussion. That's where you admit you was wrong.

I like Sony too but you ride their dick on another level.

[Tito08]

"You said Nintendo games never sold more than any of the PS games." I've never said that, you just did, & you understood my point, but you still want to ignore it being the truth, that is why you have to make research before bringing false claims. Did the GBA, DS & 3DS KHs sold more than the PSP game? no. Did it sell more than the main two PS2 games? no. You're using the PS2 remake of Chains Of Memories, a GBA game, to win an argument you already lost. BTW, there's no Nintendo console version of KH, & it's unbelievable the main sequel is coming to a MS console as well as PS4 instead of a Nintendo console, why? because some of those users used to be PS2 owners & jumped ship, Nintendo only received handheld versions.

And don't twist things around by putting words out of my mouth, and saying you don't care how much the PSP game sold tells me how ignorant you are, you're ignoring the fact a PS handheld with a smaller install base sold more than your precious Nintendo handheld versions. That totally sounds like an hypocrite Nintendo fanboy on your part, ignorance is bad for your health. I'm a Sony fan, not a fanboy, fanboys suck a company's nut, just like you are with Nintendo.

[Ogygian]

The less exclusives the better. If companies aren't able to compete on games anymore then they'll focus instead on better hardware for lower prices.
I mean seriously, would you rather that people using the other console can't play games which you can, or would you rather that you could play games they can? Feeling of purchasing-decision-superiorit y vs enjoyment of other games. I'm pretty sure I know which option a mature adult would choose (I used to be a playstation fanboy as a kid, until I made the switch to PC several years ago, so I know what I'm talking about).
As for business...I'm almost certain that multiplatform games rake in more cash, as you literally double your market by moving machine. Square Enix need cash, and despite being a PS turned PC gamer, I'm glad Xbox gamers will be able to enjoy Kingdom Hearts 3 (I have low hopes for FFXV).

[jivah]

Actually the more exclusives the better. It allows for multiple systems to be on the market. If there's no exclusives and everybody is playing the same games then there should just be one console. It would make multiple consoles redundant.

I would rather have full exclusives tho rather than that timed bs that kills consumer interest by the time it actually comes out.

[Ogygian]

No, you'd still have to choose a console based on value for money, quality of services, promised peripherals etc. much like how you choose a PC from different manufacturers.
All it means is that rather than paying $900 plus game costs to play all the franchises you want to, you'd only need to pay around $450. Microsoft and Sony will only lose out if their hardware is inferior or the prices are too high.

Admittedly it would change the nature of consoles quite heavily, but choosing based on hardward rather than monopolised software is always going to be better for the consumer. Not only that, but it would allow for more cross-platform play, which is again a good thing.

[jivah]

The console market cant support that much. Dont know how old are you, but that is one big factor to the videogame crash of 83. The was a severe over saturation of 13 consoles on the market at the same time as well as a slew of shitty games that didnt help consumer confidence at the time. The market was was to big to support itself.

And its different with pcs cause other than hardware everybody is getting the same services. That wont happen with consoles simply cause you would need a middle man like microsoft is on pcs. and manufactures wouldnt want that.

Is about building an ecosystem. People that by something from samsung might by something else with the samsung brand. Thats how the market works.(not the enthusiast market btw. We buy any brand as long as its the best) Its like Apple as well. People who bought iphones are more likely to buy a macbook or something else from apple just because of the ecosystem. Sony and manufactures know this and wouldnt let that get out of their hands. Either way its better for the market the way it is cause theres more investment into the product

[fsfsxii]

It'll sell better as usual on the PS platform.

[CrossingEden]

no it shouldn't and the only people who think so are fanboys who are made that they can't say "KH3 AND FFXV ARE PS4 EXCLUSIVE!! HAHA!!" like children talking about whose father is stronger -_-

[Elda]

I do wish KH-3 & FF-XV would stay exclusive to PS4 so the game could utilize the power of the PS4 but these games cost alot of money to make & if Sony isn't going to fund Square for it to be exclusive on its console then I do understand Square making these games on multi-platformsl.It'll sell well on the PS4 imo.

[ginsunuva]

It pretty much is exclusive. I mean, no one's buying an Xbox One anyway.

[TheGOODKyle]

Here's my take on the whole deal

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

[gamejediben]

Honestly, if you might as well consider FFXV and KH3 still exclusive because the reaction to the XBone has been less than impressive over the last few weeks. By the time these games release, something like 95% of the audience will be on PS4. It might as well be exclusive. And if the trends continue, Square Enix will likely decide the publishing costs are too much for the other 5% of the market to port it to the XBone.

[Welcome2Die]

The games will not sell well on the Xboned, so they might as well have been exclusive, if this is about money I hope SE and Kojima regret it. Because those games were given life on the Playstation and to be giving them away on that piece of crap system that I hope nobody that is sane buys, is just greedy and ungrateful.

[fiif]

Just a question. How many people do we all know that went from Ps2 to the Xbox 360? Come on it is never about the history of a game on a console its about getting it to the players who historically played that game. I know so true die hard Kingdom hearts fans who are not playing a sony console atm and instead are gaming on Pc or Xbox.

Yes must of the traditional KH fans are playing or will be playing on Sony consoles come its release. However that does not mean this game will not captured the imagination of gamers on other platforms if released there.

Halo was never out on PlayStation but if it was released on it do you not think it would sell a huge amount of copies? Ofc it would and the same can be said for Kh on other consoles. Give it to Pc and Wii U (if powerful enough) I say