Square Enix CEO Feels that Each Final Fantasy Is "Essentially a New IP"; Talks Games as a Service

Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda talks about sequels, Final Fantasy, and the difference between console and mobile games regarding microtransactions.

[Nyxus]

“The way that console games are made, the volume of content, and how much effort goes into them, there’s something in that which doesn’t fit in the mind with microtransactions.”

Thank you!

[AizenSosuke]

Thank you Square Enix just roast EA again

[FallenAngel1984]

Each new installment in a thematic series can’t be considered a new IP

[ninsigma]

He's not saying they are, he's saying they essentially are. Meaning they're whole new storys with whole new characters in whole new worlds and are completely separate from eachother. Only thing that makes them not a new IP is the fact they all carry the title of final fantasy.

[Seraphim]

I get what he's saying. Each new FF is a new game. Yes it often retains core elements of the FF world but they're not sequels, they take place in various different realms and worlds, etc. It's a franchise that with each number is a new game, sometimes completely new. Technically speaking we can say it's not a new IP but in it's own right one could argue that his opinion does hold weight. Though unlike a new IP there isn't the associated risk of making a new FF either. At least not if that FF has a number. Either way, he does have a valid point even if they aren't "new" IPs.

[Damthatsword]

good thing what you consider something that cant be is irrelevant.

[_-EDMIX-_]

It's very much can you also have to consider that the only thing that is even the same regarding a Final Fantasy game is simply the name Final Fantasy

Every time the team makes a new one ,they must still make an entirely different unique story, a different world, gameplay etc

[FallenAngel1984]

@ nin

They essentially still aren’t though. There’s more to the Final Fantasy games that link them together than just the name. They all share common themes, gameplay mechanics, logos with meanings, mythology/legacy characters & setpieces, Cid, people named Highwind, moogles, chocobos, summons such as Ifrit and Bahamut, monsters such as Bomb and Cactuar, Ultima and Omega Weapons, Gilgamesh, and crystals, etc.

@ Sera

That’s basically what a thematic series is. I understand exactly what he’s saying, but logic would mean every new installment in a thematic series would be like a new IP, which it wouldn’t necessarily be.

@ Edmix

There’s much more that links the FF series together than just the name itself. It’s this commonality among the different installments in the series that sets it apart from other franchises.

The difference a thematic series has with a new IP is that the former will still follow a set of guidelines within the franchise it’s a part of while the latter will do whatever it wants.

[ninsigma]

Get what you're saying and agree. I don't think anyone here is arguing that they ARE new IP but when the devs go about creating a new game they are creating what the game is and what it's about from scratch, same as would happen if making an actual new IP hence why he says essentially. It basically just comes down to that the devs are free to change things up and not be wholly tied to the previous game even though they are part of the same franchise.

[PhoenixUp]

By that logic most games in the Far Cry, Tales of, Shin Megami Tensei, Fallout, & Dragon Quest franchises are new IPs because they’re not following the same characters or story and in many cases setting.

[_-EDMIX-_]

I mean you're correct on most of that but in terms of Fallout that's actually incorrect because there's actually lots of things in the Fallout games that actually linked the entire universe together.

There's even multiple characters that exist in the games. I mean you have to understand that the world of Fallout is simply multiple games telling you different perspectives of different areas in the United States that got affected post-apocalypse.

[PhoenixUp]

It’s actually correct since each Fallout game takes place at a different time after the same War, features different characters, and is almost always in a different location. The most common theme is the terrible consequences of war (War. War never changes), and some characters (Mac Cready, Dogmeat, etc) and nations/organizations (the Brotherhood of Steel, the Enclave, the New California Republic, and so on) are carried over, but more often than not, the games are pretty separate and stand alone.

A thematic series doesn’t have to always be in a different universe, it just generally follows a different set of characters in a different story. The Team ICO series for example takes place in the same universe but it’s still a thematic series since each of the three games are standalone stories with some connective elements just as the case with Fallout & Final Fantasy.

Other examples thematic series include Dark Souls, Silent Hill, Fire Emblem, Grand Theft Auto, & Xenoblade Chronicles.

[BlaqMagiq1]

Good. The more companies that take shots at EA the better.

[Elda]

I agree.