Square Enix Stock Price Halves in 2 Years

You know, I thought chrono cross's storyline was fantastic and the music was awesome. Even when they translate the script to english, it was pretty clear that the script was translated to English audiences. A pity there would never be any 3rd Chrono game.

@anon 13:51 they should also share some profit with the fans as it would be their work and idea to begin with.

I think at that era (2004) a collaboration like that was still unimaginable, companies still only thinking the only benefit they can gain in such situations is huge conglomerate-class compensations from every single penniless teenager accused (which, miraculously, never worked out...!?).

Only now games start to purposely concentrate on user added content and innovations, however a point where a large company would actually involve themselves in a fan made project and make it official has still yet to be seen.

I'm okay with this

Companies ignoring or even fighting against fan works are dumb. Not only are they ignoring possible profits, they alienate the fanbase.
Fan projects like the mentioned Chrono Ressurection should be used, not closed. Mod packs are another great example.

They could make a proper Chrono Trigger sequel, that would sell for sure. They could even do it with (modern) 2D graphics so it wouldn't cost very much to develop. An updated version of FF7 would be a fairly simple project too, and it would sell.

Too bad Square is determined to go bankrupt.

Darkrockslizer>>"Only now games start to purposely concentrate on user added content and innovations, however a point where a large company would actually involve themselves in a fan made project and make it official has still yet to be seen."

You're wrong. Valve did that with "Portal", there was also some fan made "Half-life" single player mod that was taken under it's wings by Valve and then sold as normal, boxed game.
Oh, there is also "Counterstrike", yeah, you know - the GAME. The whole Source is great place to develop India projects as well, I'm currently developing one strategic turn based game for it.

Also - the so-hated-Microsoft-corporation created something as homebrew friendly as XNA, where you can distribute your free games for FREE and sell them for small share of profits. On their pages you have even tutorials for various aspects of game developing, working code and much more - for FREE.

Well, there are many other examples, but I think I made my point.

So - the idea already occured to many companies. It just didn't occured to Japanese ones.

Ha. They got cocky, that's what.

New Chrono? Love that idea.

The stock prices go up and down depending on how successful was a game

considering they havent had a hit title in a while... this makes perfect sense

I do agree with Schrobby though. At least with FFXIV (14), I've been hearing alot about them ignoring or even disregarding what the beta testers said.

Why would you ask someone to test a game for you, then later just shoot down what they tell tell you and even explain why it won't work. That's just bad business there.

I liked FF titles but they are really disappointing now a days.

They've been ignoring what people said about their MMOs since FFXI, why do you expect them to suddenly change now? That being said, they're taking criticism seriously and are working on some issues in Nov/Dec.

Don't you think it's a bit silly to compare a console game company with PC? PC has always been about mods, that's one of its biggest strengths. Although it was 100% ridiculous for them to shut down a ROM hack when they don't seem to have any intention of making a game like CR.

You can't even blame the recession on this. Quite a few game developing companies went through it saying "Recession? lol, what recession?" as far as profits and stock prices went.

They can do nothing to amend their sins

Btw what's the best game SE ever made ? I'm a little curious here

@Anonymous above

I'll tell you the best damn thing they made...

EINHANDER!!!

It's a side-scrolling 3-D shooter of awesome...

Ugh...I wish they would make a sequel to that since it's such a waste of potential...

Well...

I got my fingers crossed for Parasite Eve 3...

Einhander is... Squaresoft, Squeenix has... well.. Squeenix.., as for wanting the old FF formula, kinda hard since they fired the director, pretty much "Lost Oddisey" on 360 should be FFX, while "The Last Story" on wii should be the real FFXI.

But who cares about what one anon has to say.

The three Square Enix-developed games that I like are FFTA2, Crystal Chronicles and The World Ends With You. However, they still pale in comparison to the old Squaresoft titles.

I've considered all the SquareEnix titles good. Chiefly, I've yet to hear what made the previous games so much better than the recent ones, because there are a few things that are never taken into account during those discussions.

A) Our generation played them during our influential years. As such, nothing you will ever play again will affect you anywhere close to as much as it affected you then,

B) The technology jumps that lead to such impressive 'discovery' mentality is over with for the time being, where the graphics increases aren't really doing anything as wonderful as they did earlier, and

C) Those games wouldn't have worked in the current format in the way they were delivered. 2D top-down and such wouldn't be delivered the same way, and thus the experience would be skewed. People complain about cutscene length and watching whole games as a movie. That's exactly what would happen with FF4, 6, and 7 if the text were turned into cutscenes.

@HouseLife

Indeed...Especially at C where people complain about long cut-scenes~

Hehe, nothing would ever compare to the awesomeness of Parasite Eve and Einhander from PS1...

PE and Einhander def favorites...

But I blame it all on FFX... despite it being a square game it started the movement on abundant VA's and ridiculous cutscene after cutscene. I knew I hated the game for a reason. Cutscenes used to be something that were praised and something that I looked forward to up until I started playing FFX. From there I started DREADING it, I even made it all the way up to SIN and was able to travel around by airship and just stopped playing. I never bothered finishing it. I'm surprised I even made it THAT far.

When FFXIII Versus comes out it might change everyone's mind. The gameplay is looking pretty good.

Anon 15:28 you speak truth.

@HouseLife

Maybe there shouldn't be numerous lengthy cutscenes? You are, however, absolutely correct with your supposition.

Don't agree with your premise of A. I can say without a doubt that FF1 was incredibly weak, despite having played it during my formative years. I was still a teen when FF7 came out, yet I hardly think it was the best FF ever, either. Despite being leaps and bounds ahead of SNES FFs in terms of graphics, sound, and presentation.

I'll make sure you join the party with me, Dante, Vergil, and their father...Sparda~

I'll make sure you join the party with me, Dante, Vergil, and their father...Sparda~

Relying on one project? FF12 was released in 2006 and their stock went up until 2008. Their stock has dropped back to where it was post-FF7 launch, which is still much higher than it was pre-FF7.

If you want my opinion on what has "doomed" them it is huge, ever increasing budgets for their flagship games which do not have any ROI. There is no sales increase proportionate to the development budget.

They've been working on FF14 for a very long time as well. I remember them showing screens of their next MMO in 2005. Most likely they had started development a bit before then, but either way it's been at least 5 years. Hardly a rush.

Yeah. The problem was that they had a crisis of conscience with the development of that game and they even switched directors. FF12 had its share of problems. But you're right, the development time was absurdly long for that one.