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What’s Next For Square Enix
(Possibly the title that will dictate the future of SE. The E3 trailer can be viewed here.)
It is safe to say that the one video game third-party software company that is usually first mentioned among anime/manga fans is none other than Square Enix. The Final Fantasy series (and its respective spinoffs) has generated many sales, fans, and cosplay all over the world. The Dragon Quest series (from the Enix side) has also been well-received in Japan. However, things haven’t been so great as of late as their shares fell after reducing their operating profit estimate. After much criticism of Final Fantasy XIII and the questioning of the need for a FFXIII sequel, what can Square Enix do to gain the respect of those who’ve lost faith in the company as a whole?
Square has noted that they want to focus on three things: globalization, being more network-centric, and strengthening their own IPs.
However, there seems to be a divide being choosing to be a follower and choosing to be an innovator. Some fans have criticized Japanese game companies for not being “innovative for the Western audience” with their games, while some have argued that the Japanese game industry is being misunderstood and that they don’t need to change. Is Western influence running rampant all over Japanese game companies? Japanese gamers seem to prefer structured, linear worlds compared to the open-worlds of Western games. You can say video games here promote “self-expression”, while video games in Japan promote “self-escapism”.
With regards to Square Enix, perhaps they really need to look back into what makes role-playing games “role-playing games”. There is still a market for Japanese role-playing games & innovative games here in the United States. Also, gameplay is just as important as presentation. Keeping things simple is fine, but too simple with little incentives equals a bad game. All the old Japanese RPGS from Squaresoft & Enix were very well-received and focused more on gameplay than anything.
Perhaps we should blame today’s visual culture for so much focus on presentation. What do you guys think?
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The Return of “Dragon Ball”?
According to this article at Bleeding Cool, Akira Toriyama is looking to bring back Dragon Ball once more to the manga world.
The question that’s bothering me: Is the manga industry so bad to the point that we need a really old series to rejuvenate the scene?
I love Dragon Ball as much as the next person, but I’m worried that Toriyama and/or Shueisha may tarnish his legacy (if there will be a lengthy run). Then again, it can’t be as bad as Dragon Ball GT. Dragon Ball was the starting point for my love of anime & manga.
The resurgence of Dragon Ball may provide a spark, but the manga industry needs to look back at the past to develop for the future. Don’t just use past elements and place them in the present for short-term impact. Sooner or later, Dragon Ball will be gone again.
To quote from Final Fantasy X-2 (I’m sorry if you hardcore Final Fantasy fans are offended by me mentioning the game), “Knowledge of the past is the key to the future”.
**UPDATE: According to this Twitter status update by Masters of Manga, the return of Dragon Ball will NOT happen.**
