Is the Final Fantasy Franchise Doomed?

With declining sales and changing mechanics Final Fantasy is no longer the titan it once was. Luke Luby looks ahead to see if the franchise is doomed.

[Chaosdreams]

It's not doomed.

[SuperSonic91]

Ever since Sakaguchi left FF it was all downhill.
It was just Nomura's style over substance.
Sad sad story.

This is why the FFVII Remake is Square Enixes solution.
Next should be FFVI Remake.

The Thrill Is Gone by BB King

[Godmars290]

Only the mainline, "numbered", entries. Doomed to be ambitiously over promised and produced. Then undelivered and compromised, especially in terms of story.

[G3ng4r]

Even there ffxv sold fine. Name alone ensures the franchise can take a beating but it is a shadow of its ffiv-ix self.

[bouzebbal]

the question is valid.
not sure where they want to take the series but the last episodes have really been way below in terms of quality and enjoyment. FF15 is the first FF i didn't even bother to finish. It was just too bland and boring.

They need to go back to heroic fantasy with the next episode and bring back some oldschool mechanics but dynamic combat if they want.

[Seraphim]

I had a blast with XV when it released. I thoroughly enjoyed it though the story, revolving only around Noctis was ill conceived. Splitting the characters story lines and packaging them as DLC was a major blow to the overall quality of the game as well. An RPG is one genre that needs to be packaged as a story driven experience; imo. XV's story would have been much better if they split off those characters as playable side missions instead of disappearing acts during the story. I don't know how I feel about DLC in RPGs but I've yet to really see anything done properly outside The Witcher. Though I was never interested in XVs DLC plan so never did play the DLC.

From what I can recall every other FF has had a story that focused on several party members. Really though, that's the only glaring knock of XV; it's story. Well maybe how slow the car was as well and the time wasted driving. But the rest of the game was great. Hunting Contracts, Fishing, Dungeons, combat... So if they take this formula and create a robust story driven experience around it then XVI is going to be a phenomenal game.

Regardless, Final Fantasy as a series is far from dOOmed. It still has a large fan base and is constantly gaining new fans through each generation of children growing up.

[bouzebbal]

with FF15 something wasn't right for me..
i couldn't feel there was a massive threat in the world.
it was just poorly written, highly overhyped and the main characters were really annoying (all of them) and didn't look like some who would actually save the world.
it was a bad game and a massive letdown..

[Bhuahahaha]

i still havent played it.
story (for what i read and what my gaming buddies told me) doesnt interest me

[thatguyhayat]

You might as well wait for the complete complete completed edition. Biggest let down in the franchise. They have more dlc planned

[Bhuahahaha]

@thatguy
i see thanks. i might give the complete ed a try

[chris235]

it has actually been dead since ffx.

[CorndogBurglar]

Holy crap. I finally agree with chris235.

He's right. FFX was the last good FF.

[UltraNova]

Agreed too. After FFX the FF series was unrecognizable.

[VJGenova]

XII was solid. I hear people actually like Xi and XIV too, so this article seems silly. Just because XIII and XV were let downs doesn't mean the series is dead. If they ever gave us the teboot of VII, us fan boys would be pissing ourselves.

[SamPao]

I liked XIII. Y'all can hate all you want but there are a quiet few that liked it :D

[Old McGroin]

I loved 14 but that was nothing like a traditional FF. I remember being glued to 10, it was amazing at the time and you're right, it hasn't been the same since.

[Eiyuuou]

Well, anything can change I suppose.

[Andy_Dee]

FFXII was freaking awesome exploration and huge world map! Not dead since X... Maybe try to finish the others! However 15 is westernized that is the difference that started from X and forward.

[CorndogBurglar]

Why? You don't need to finish a game to know you don't like it.

[Andy_Dee]

Since ppl might not give it a fair chance!

Ppl hated on FFXII because it renewed the fighting system. Not to play the game but trying out combat and then blame that the game sucks. Same thing happened to FFXIII. Sure first half of the game is linear. But later on it opens up and by any means it was a well done game.

Ppl are not used to real time or dynamic combat. Many associate FF with turn based. Even me but I do give them a good shot and I haven't hated none.

I don't have all of them as favorites but still good games.

[CorndogBurglar]

But.....why would I put all that time into a game that I'm not enjoying? A game's combat system isn't going to suddenly change. It is what it is and if you don't enjoy it, then nothing is going to change that

[Andy_Dee]

I really disagree and ppl down voting are afraid of change like always. A certain Type of player will never enjoy change. Rather hate on the the game instead of playing it, learning it, liking it!

Dragon Age to dragon age inquisition for example.

FFX to FFXII to FFXIII to FFXV.

You don't enjoy a game because of one thing!? Only one thing!

Be simple minded then, down vote the truth! But it doesn't make it less true or going away.

[CorndogBurglar]

Now wait a minute. That's quite a big assumption you are making, not to mention over-simplification.

It's not a matter of everyone being afraid of change. And for you to call everyone that doesn't like FF past FFX as simple minded is again, very presumptuous on your part.

Let me prove you entirely wrong. I've been playing Resident Evil games since then original back in the 90's. When Resident Evil 7 came out, I gave it a chance and absolutely loved it. I think we can both agree that the combat and perspective in RE7 is completely different than then the old RE games. If I, or other people are just "afraid of change", then I wouldn't have liked RE7.

And again, saying only one thing isn't a reason to dislike a game is again, oversimplifying things.

Yeah. One thing ABSOLUTELY CAN make people dislike a game. Especially when that one thing is something as important as a combat system. Something that you spend a HUGE part of the game doing. We're not talking about a couple bad sound effects. Or a plot hole in the story. Or less than perfect graphics. We're talking about the meat and potatoes of the game. The combat system. Something you will spend the majority of your time doing in the game.

So yeah, if a game that is built around combat, doesn't have a likeable combat system to people then they more than likely won't put 40+ hours into it to finish it.

That isn't being "simple minded". That is common sense.

It's also quite ironic, considering that the only person being "simple minded" is you for making all these assumptions about people that you've never met in your life, simply because they dislike an aspect of a game enough to not want to play it all the way through.

[Andy_Dee]

First of all I said be simple minded specifically to you and the Down votes! I did not state that all ppl are simple minded or everyone who plays FF. Meat and potatoes of final Fantasy is totally wrong. You could say the same thing about the story, the depth, the customization, the lore, the world!

You chose a specific thing and then you make it all about that. So wrong of you.

Final Fantasy is way more than built around combat. Fighting games are build around combat. Final Fantasy is what it is because of the whole package. The combat is one of many things making it what it is.

There are people loving only the lore about FF and still playing them, the story, the customization it is not only about combat mechanics, you are right in some and wrong in a lot of other things.

Resident evil 7 was a huge change! But as well as you said it. Some literally hated it because of the change and I would still argue that if they liked the other games to give that a real chance. Your are stating exactly my point and then you said you wouldn't have liked it but you aren't all ppl in the world.

Maybe you swallowed too much air. My point is clear. Don't hate a game because of one change. All I said was give it a real shot. You play final Fantasy for combat then I do think you missed out on more than just combat.

Cry me a river calling me simple minded and then pulling some shit story about ppl that I haven't met and so on.

Simple minded, you sound as much. But you know what. Your loss on missing out on great FF games!

[CorndogBurglar]

First of all, I have yet to downvote any of your comments. So again, assumptions...

Second, you're right. There is a lot more to FF games than combat. So I shouldn't have said its built around combat. However, combat is still a VERY large part of the game. One that you will definitely spend a very large part of the game doing. It's also an aspect that many people look forward to in these games.

Third: "Resident evil 7 was a huge change! But as well as you said it. Some literally hated it because of the change and I would still argue that if they liked the other games to give that a real chance. Your are stating exactly my point and then you said you wouldn't have liked it but you aren't all ppl in the world."

I'm not stating your point. You originally said people downvoting your opinion are afraid of change. That isn't true. If it was as simple as being afraid of change, then people wouldn't have liked RE7 either. I'm proving to you that it isn't about being afraid of change. At least not for everyone.

You keep going back to that whole "give it a try" argument. I'm telling you that I did. I tried playing the newer combat systems and I didn't like them. They haven't been fun for me. I'm also saying that one does not need to play an entire game to be considered as having "given it a shot". Its entirely possible to play a game for a while, decide you don't like something about it enough to not want to keep playing it, and then stopping. Again, that's not simple minded. Lol. It also isn't being afraid of change. It's called trying something and forming your own opinion.

"Your loss on missing out on great FF games!"

This is the part you don't seem to understand. This is YOUR opinion. There are plenty of people that don't agree with that. There are also plenty of people, like me, who have tried the newer FF games and didn't like them. Maybe we didn't play the entire game all the way through, but you don't need to do that to understand that you aren't enjoying a game.

[Andy_Dee]

Fine I'll give you this, I should've said givet it a real shot and not just for the combat, that is my true opinion!

Well in my opinion ppl are losing out on great games because of not playing them, but sure not all will like them! You are right on this!

Good night sir, now it is time for me to play Spider-Man! :)

[TricksterArrow]

FFXV broke several records and is a step up from XIII. I think the series is fine, specially since every entry can be it's own thing.

[PhoenixUp]

Declining sales? This author fails at basic research

[CarlDechance]

7 million sold as of January 2018.

[CorndogBurglar]

I mean, it was doomed for me as soon as they came out with FF12 and stopped using a traditional turn based combat system.

[nommers]

“Declining sales”. The major entrees since FF7 have sold within the 7-8 million range. Some outliers here and there, but the great sales are still happening.

[sinspirit]

Depends.

They need to get ambitious again. They don't have the excuse for weak hardware anymore. They pushed for in-game graphical detail more than varied and vast environments during PS3 and 360 days. FF15 became a great looking game with a nice open-world, but it has a lot of flaws. Sure, the real time action gameplay seems more intense at first, but when turn-based battles became faster and reliant on time it actually did make your action-time very quick.

They don't have to go back to turn-based. But, it was pretty boring to constantly have to swing, dodge, occasional special attack, over and over. It may as well of been turn-based but with a more cumbersome feeling, and less dynamic choices to be made.

I like that they try to separate all Final Fantasies from each other and explore new mechanics and worlds. But, the formula has been changing too much from what drew in fans in the first place. It just doesn't give you the same sense of progression, feels slow, unimportant story arcs, and chasing character design so much that the story delivery actually suffers.

We know they milked FF7 a lot, and the remake is on the way. But, if we're not going to adapt the much loved fan requested aspects of FF games into a new Final Fantasy, then give us a spin-off in the same vein as FF, but simply titled differently.

The same missed opportunities that I feel the Breath of Fire franchise suffered early on. Abandoning the simple yet deep; engaging formula while having a big world with side content, secrets, and distractions to make the game feel less on-rails or point A to point B every now and then.

[Relientk77]

I wish they would make FF16 like FF9, medieval fantasy, characters have job titles, great cities, card game, etc

[Nintendew]

FF7 Remake will be a big deciding factor if the FF series is really dead to me.
At least have Octopath for old school RPG nowadays.
FF15 was just to bland for me.

[VJGenova]

I just wish I didn't need a switch to play it, since my last Nintendo system was Wii.

[Nintendew]

So far octopath is awesome!
Just wish FF series would just continue that way.
Grandia 2 will be next RPG for my go to when it comes out.

[raWfodog]

I always look forward to the next entry so no complaints here. Had fun with FFXV and I haven't even played the side stories yet. But it is a valid debating point since the series new directions are not liked by many longtime fans.

[Razmiran]

Sales declining? This checked?
Also, XV was a good game, not a doomsday subject

[nommers]

Careful, you can’t say xv was great because that would be too much for the old school fans. Their blood pressure would sky rocket.

[Noclos]

FFXV sold more than 5 millions only on PS4 and 3 millions on PC and X1. PS4 numbers exceeds Zelda BOtW, HZD and most X1 exclucives. Low quality and effortless games such as COD didn't doomed so why would high quality and creative games such as FF would doomed?. Most FF games in mobile are good, FF in portables can be excellents such as CC, Dissidia and 3d remakes, most current gen were so good such as World, FFXHD, XIIHD, FFXIV and XV are quite amazing and fun.

Clickbait just because Dissidia NT!!

[3-4-5]

Looking at what FF could be in Dragon Quest XI......they should go back to that route because so far Dragon Quest XI is amazing, and it's more like what FF used to be.

[NautilusXIII]

*edit*

[MadLad]

They haven't made a truly proper release since FF12; the rest being resting on the success of the re-release of the MMO, and gussied up re-releases of past titles.

[Elda]

I'll always be a fan of the FF-series I've enjoyed playing all installments except the MMO's & FF13-2 & FF13-3 loved FF13.I'm looking forward to playing FFVIIR if it doesn't take 10 years to release. I like the fact in every installment they gameplay always evolves,though FFXV story was very lackluster but loved the gameplay.

[Fist4achin]

After 15 games, you'd think they would have it down to a science. I don't think it is doomed, but a lot of gamers don't have the 50+ hour time investment to put into games.