Square Enix - The Next Generation?

Thanks to GameSpot for its feature regarding a Square Enix analyst's attempts to grow the company into the online and mobile arenas. This new strategy "...has two main themes - one that recognizes the limitations of the current-console platforms and one that acknowledges the fascination consumers have with online gameplay." The analyst, Ichiro Otobe, discusses the importance of community above all: "You need to have something like a Final Fantasy XI that can attract a certain community of people. In a way, our content is more a kind of bait to attract strong community, and the actual content is offered through the communication with these communities [of players]", and also has interesting theories on the perceived decline of the Japanese games market, suggesting it's "...actually a shift of users' interests. Most of the people spend time and money for mobile content, but most of the money is actually going to packet fees, which, in turn, go to network carriers."

Re:So in other words...

[thryllkill]

"Basicly meaning that console MMORPGs will eventually mimic and merge with PC MMORPGs"

Final Fantasy XI already did that. When I am logged on my PC playing that game, not only do I play with Americans playing it on their PC, I play with Ameraicans playing on thier PS2 and Japanese people playing it on their PCs and PS2s.

Mobile technology

[SuperMo0]

I honestly don't see mobile technology being accepted as fast in America as it was in Japan. Americans seem to view their cell phones as a portable home phone, and not much else. In Europe, you see a rise in SMS/Text messaging that AT+T seems to be trying to emulate by pimping Ryan Seacrest on American Idol.

In Japan, people were more accepting of downloading things to their phone, but I think a lot of people are wary of the current payment scheme for much of these things, which is a large minute-by-minute charge for the download. It goes against a lot of what Americans seem to enjoy paying for (i.e. a set price for each one instead of an unknown amount of time).

If mobile entertainment catches on in America, I see it as catching on on a much smaller scale... of course, brands like Square Enix, EA, and Sega getting into the mobile field might help draw people into it, but they need something better than the N-Gage to let people know that cell phones are ready for video games.

(Apologies if I ranted a bit, been a while since my last /. post)

Re:So in other words...

[Pluvius]

He meant "PC style," which tends towards less linear story and more nonlinear gameplay. But FFXI is an awful lot like most of the other MMORPGs that have come out, so you're probably right anyway.

Rob