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[AFBT88]

Guys, be careful not to quote James Sawyer Ford ! Oops!

 

[Draugoth]

Numbers? I was reading it was 300k

 

[adamsapple]

 

[Kacho]

I’m an alt account? Ask Kacho that if that’s true. You registered here 2 years ago. You have no idea what you’re talking about.

He is definitely not an alt. Kbear and James are BFFs. Not sure why Kbear came out of hibernation to pick a fight. He should ditch REE and become a full-time GAF poster.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

This weasel lol

Same guy that mocked “go woke go broke….” In reference to dragon age veilguard (suggesting it was a success)

Only later to delete that tweet because he looked like a fool

Remind me never to trust any opinion from people posting on blue sky

 

[FIREKNIGHT2029]

Sounds like he's talking out of his ass again.

 

[kbear]

He is definitely not an alt. Kbear and James are BFFs. Not sure why Kbear came out of hibernation to pick a fight. He should ditch REE and become a full-time GAF poster.

Honestly, I love the fact you can actually have a conversation here, but I’m not down with the over-the-top anti-woke shit. The pendulum keeps swinging to the extremes. First, it was the insane woke bullshit, and now we’re at a point where any dude in a video game that has a slight tint is labeled woke. There has to be some sort of compromise in the middle, right? Or am I crazy?

 

[Kacho]

Honestly, I love the fact you can actually have a conversation here, but I’m not down with the over-the-top anti-woke shit. The pendulum keeps swinging to the extremes. First, it was the insane woke bullshit, and now we’re at a point where any dude in a video game that has a slight tint is labeled woke. There has to be some sort of compromise in the middle, right? Or am I crazy?

You'd bring some much needed nuance™ to the discussions here

 

[RoboFu]

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

Woke is just used as ammunition in warring, in many cases. There are extreme examples but seemingly anyone is willing to accept a little homosexuality into their life for a game they enjoy.

So it’s mostly used to mock other people for enjoying the unskippable gay sex when it’s on a game/platform they don’t like, but are absolutely willing to accept it for one they do.

Is that much needed nuance™ Kacho ? Weren’t you a mass effect Stan?

 

[lh032]

i thought this game has 30% discount on steam its a big factor here. its not a full price launch

 

[Hudo]

Can someone ask this motherfucker what's up with the Final Fantasy Tactics Remake/Remaster he said is coming multiple times over the years?

 

[Kacho]

Weren’t you a mass effect Stan?

No. Bethesda RPGs only.

On topic, while I don’t think FF7Re did crazy numbers on Steam, the FOMO is hitting me a bit. Kinda want to sample the FF7 nostalgia. Should I give it a chance?

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

No. Bethesda RPGs only.

On topic, while I don’t think FF7Re did crazy numbers on Steam, the FOMO is hitting me a bit. Kinda want to sample the FF7 nostalgia. Should I give it a chance?

Its an incredible JRPG, best one I’ve played since the PS1 era

So I’d say absolutely

 

[adamsapple]

Is that much needed nuance™ Kacho ?

 

[XXL]

Without context this means nothing, but I'm happy the game is getting the attention it deserves.

 

[LectureMaster]

Y'all make every sales/CCU thread about my man James Sawyer Ford , and I love it. lol

 

[BennyBlanco]

The last time I posted here was March 26, 2024, almost a year ago.

I’m just saying James Sawyer Ford was permabanned from GAF multiple times due to insane console wars rhetoric via the accounts @Private Hoffman and @Snah (Hans backwards, which was his user name on Opa-Ages).

That’s the last time I mention it, promise.

No idea if that’s actually our beloved James but it’s hilarious reading salty fanboy shit from nearly 20 years ago regardless of who it is.

 

[kazuyamishima]

 

[ReBurn]

FF VII Rebirth on PC is doing great.

You: What about PlayStation?

Absolute clown.

At least he didn't "What about Nintendo?" this time.

 

[Haint]

Would have sold 10x or 20x more at $70 -$100 as a day 1 release, Square are so fucking stupid trading that for Sony's $10 -$20 million dollar check. Genuine gold medal retards in their executive chairs.

 

[Kacho]

Would have sold 10x or 20x more at $70 -$100 as a day 1 release, Square are so fucking stupid trading that for Sony's $10 -$20 million dollar check. Genuine gold medal retards in their executive chairs.

They already went on record saying it was a bad move. I wonder if part 3 needs to be PlayStation exclusive as part of an agreement, or if they can do a day 1 multi platform release.

 

[mayham2199]

They already went on record saying it was a bad move. I wonder if part 3 needs to be PlayStation exclusive as part of an agreement, or if they can do a day 1 multi platform release.

I could see Sony letting them out of the contract to sell day 1 PC. With some sort of compensation I'm sure because Sony did pay for it. So then it becomes a do we want to pay Sony back or wait on the PC release.

 

[DarkstarRising13]

Would have sold 10x or 20x more at $70 -$100 as a day 1 release, Square are so fucking stupid trading that for Sony's $10 -$20 million dollar check. Genuine gold medal retards in their executive chairs.

We have no idea how much Sony paid for the exclusivity, so don't assume facts without evidence. It is very unlikely that Sony would have spent such a paltry amount of money for a Final Fantasy trilogy.

And before you Xbots and/or PC fanboys bitch about the would-be sales number, keep in mind that JRPGs are not exactly popular for the former and the latter rarely buys their games at full price, often waiting for a huge price drop before making such purchases.

 

[DarkstarRising13]

Jason Schrier can go fuck himself. Such a biased journalist; the fact he used to work for Kotaku is all I need do know about his credentials. That Park Place even had an article about this "journalist" when he tried to downplay Sweet Baby Inc.'s involvement which led to Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League flopping hard like a sack of bricks. https://thatparkplace.com/bloomberg...-is-angry-hallucinations-created-by-grifters/

Funny no one mentions to him, "Why the heck are you excluding Nintendo?"

And seriously about the console sales? Someone should take note that Xbox is being massively rejected by gamers everywhere, even on its turf, and the abyssal sales have caused Microsoft to go third party. PlayStation sales continue to do well, and I can see the PS5 hitting 100 million units in sales by the end of 2025 if GTA 6 shows up this year.

 

[Three]

Sounds like he's talking out of his ass again.

He's not talking out his ass but he's doing his usual cherrypick data to paint a positive or negative based on his own biases.

FF Rebirth outsold everything for weeks and came second for the entire month of February (despite releasing on the last day 29th, second only to Helldivers 2 which released on the 8th of Feb). Matts coverage then was that it sold worse than other FF's. Now he's doing his usual 1 week "amazing sales" shtick again for it this time, like he did for IJ. I suspect it will do OK but the sales aren't earth shattering either, it's a quiet month.

 

[Haint]

We have no idea how much Sony paid for the exclusivity, so don't assume facts without evidence. It is very unlikely that Sony would have spent such a paltry amount of money for a Final Fantasy trilogy.

And before you Xbots and/or PC fanboys bitch about the would-be sales number, keep in mind that JRPGs are not exactly popular for the former and the latter rarely buys their games at full price, often waiting for a huge price drop before making such purchases.

We have a pretty good idea, Nintendo paid $6 million for a larger franchise with higher sales potential. The absolute maximum Sony paid for the entire trilogy was $30 million, or $10 mil per title. These exclusivity deals aren't worth a fraction of a fraction of what a lot of Neogaf thinks, I've seen people toss around $100 and $150 million just for the timed exclusivity. The problem is these old school traditional Japanese executives live in a JP bubble largely unaware consoles have lost half or more of their potential audiences to PC.

 

[FeastYoEyes]

Still never finished the first one. How's the last half of the game? Worth it?

 

[Skifi28]

*enters thread*

*Sees wars being fought*

*Leaves*

 

[mayham2199]

Still never finished the first one. How's the last half of the game? Worth it?

It's good but it's pretty much the same as what you've already done before. More investigating, sieges, etc. The first one leads straight into #2 so it's kind of required but I guess a recap works also.

 

[Fake]

You guys still listen that Piscatella? lol

 

[ProtoByte]

Don't believe what the numbers say! 40k concurrent players on launch weekend is great!

Absolute joke of an analyst. Corporate stooge. As has been said already, he says this about every AAA launch, and is then nowhere to be found when the opposite floats to the surface.

 

[R3TRO]

I did my part.

 

[ProtoByte]

This fuck already ruined work culture in dev studios. Now he wants to wishcast multiplatformism into existence.

How anyone can take these two dummies as leaders in the gaming press is an indictment. It's 40k concurrent players. Use your common sense. It has nothing to do with PS exclusivity or l8 p0rt cope.

 

[DenchDeckard]

I think these third party devs are realising that if they launched their games on all platforms day one that steam sales would probably be at least equal to ps5, maybe more and xbox would probably be close to steam sales numbers when the games released on steam after a year....

Too much easy money they are passing on here. Sony could probably money hats against Xbox when the install base was smaller and there wasn't as much Japanese game support. Now pc has shown they gobble up Japanese games and often buy more copies. Look at elden ring etc.

 

[Fabieter]

Piscatella can say whatever he wants but his words and opinions can't replace the numbers he doesn't disclose.
The peak 40k CCU on Steam was not good at all.

Yea i expexted close to 100k. Shorter delay, steep launch discount, no epic launcher fuckery.

If it did super great we will hear something from sqaure on the next financials.

 

[kbear]

Woke is just used as ammunition in warring, in many cases. There are extreme examples but seemingly anyone is willing to accept a little homosexuality into their life for a game they enjoy.

So it’s mostly used to mock other people for enjoying the unskippable gay sex when it’s on a game/platform they don’t like, but are absolutely willing to accept it for one they do.

Is that much needed nuance™ Kacho ? Weren’t you a mass effect Stan?

Here’s the thing, Hans. Every post you make is tinted with a Sony slant. Take this one, for example. The only reason you’re criticizing the anti-woke rhetoric is because everyone destroyed Naughty Dog’s new game for being woke, DEI trash.

Another example - remember when you asked me and Kacho if you should buy Baldur’s Gate 3? You’ve literally never played a CRPG in your entire life. The only reason you asked was because it was a PlayStation console exclusive for a while.

You’re ~40, my age. It disturbs me that my friend for 20+ years is still doing this console war shit when everyone else has moved on with their lives - married, kids, whatever. And then I see you on GAF still shilling 24/7 for Sony. I love you and P.S. Altuve wore a buzzer.

 

[ProtoByte]

I think these third party devs are realising that if they launched their games on all platforms day one that steam sales would probably be at least equal to ps5, maybe more and xbox would probably be close to steam sales numbers when the games released on steam after a year....

No they wouldn't. It hasn't been the case for anything else other than Soulslop and WRPGs from studios that reliably release busted games.

Now pc has shown they gobble up Japanese games and often buy more copies. Look at elden ring etc.

Look at Resident Evil 4, Silent Hill 2, Persona, etc. They all sell (significantly) more on PS than PC, even in Europe.

This is even the case with major 3rd party titles like AC, COD, etc.

 

[Kacho]

I think these third party devs are realising that if they launched their games on all platforms day one that steam sales would probably be at least equal to ps5, maybe more and xbox would probably be close to steam sales numbers when the games released on steam after a year....

Too much easy money they are passing on here. Sony could probably money hats against Xbox when the install base was smaller and there wasn't as much Japanese game support. Now pc has shown they gobble up Japanese games and often buy more copies. Look at elden ring etc.

Ignoring the two biggest platforms is just bad business no matter how you slice it. PC is very important, but Switch even more so for Square Enix games. I'd be shocked if SE hasn't made Switch 2 their primary platform going forward.

 

[ProtoByte]

Ignoring the two biggest platforms is just bad business no matter how you slice it. PC is very important, but Switch even more so for Square Enix games. I'd be shocked if SE hasn't made Switch 2 their primary platform going forward.

It depends on the power. If it means they have to make a severely downgraded version, they may not.

Also, why do people assume Nintendo is so important for Square? Their HD-2D games have done well, but not so well that it's insane. Iirc, Octopath topped out a 3 million, Octopath 2 did significantly less on the Switch, Live A Live flopped, and Triangle Strategy did mediocre.

 

[LectureMaster]

Here’s the thing, Hans. Every post you make is tinted with a Sony slant. Take this one, for example. The only reason you’re criticizing the anti-woke rhetoric is because everyone destroyed Naughty Dog’s new game for being woke, DEI trash.

Another example - remember when you asked me and Kacho if you should buy Baldur’s Gate 3? You’ve literally never played a CRPG in your entire life. The only reason you asked was because it was a PlayStation console exclusive for a while.

You’re ~40, my age. It disturbs me that my friend for 20+ years is still doing this console war shit when everyone else has moved on with their lives - married, kids, whatever. And then I see you on GAF still shilling 24/7 for Sony. I love you and P.S. Altuve wore a buzzer.

My man James fighting the good fight, I can see him doing this for another 40 years.

 

[kbear]

My man James fighting the good fight, I can see him doing this for another 40 years.

You’re not that far off, bud.

 

[LordOcidax]

When Mat Piscatella became a villain here?

 

[DownLikeBCPowder]

https://bsky.app/profile/matpiscatella.bsky.social/post/3lhc3xrqq7k2z

If the launch was good, what matters now is for it to have legs.

If true, next step is for Square to announce how disappointed they were with the sales.

 

[Kacho]

It depends on the power. If it means they have to make a severely downgraded version, they may not.

Possible. They've been chasing the AAA dragon for the past decade plus with varying results. To me it would make more sense to take it down a notch, focus on the basics, and put their games on everything.

Also, why do people assume Nintendo is so important for Square? Their HD-2D games have done well, but not so well that it's insane. Iirc, Octopath topped out a 3 million, Octopath 2 did significantly less on the Switch, Live A Live flopped, and Triangle Strategy did mediocre.

This is just my opinion here, but I think a medium scope Final Fantasy released on every platform would do wonders for them. Switch 2 would get them a huge audience in Japan. PC and PlayStation would get them the rest of the world. I think they're at the point where they need to try something radically different just to see how it shakes out. Final Fantasy has been in weird spot for far too long.

 

[adamsapple]

Here’s the thing, Hans. Every post you make is tinted with a Sony slant. Take this one, for example. The only reason you’re criticizing the anti-woke rhetoric is because everyone destroyed Naughty Dog’s new game for being woke, DEI trash.

Another example - remember when you asked me and Kacho if you should buy Baldur’s Gate 3? You’ve literally never played a CRPG in your entire life. The only reason you asked was because it was a PlayStation console exclusive for a while.

You’re ~40, my age. It disturbs me that my friend for 20+ years is still doing this console war shit when everyone else has moved on with their lives - married, kids, whatever. And then I see you on GAF still shilling 24/7 for Sony. I love you and P.S. Altuve wore a buzzer.

 

[ProtoByte]

Possible. They've been chasing the AAA dragon for the past decade plus with varying results. To me it would make more sense to take it down a notch, focus on the basics, and put their games on everything.

That's somewhat true, but idk. For one, the AAA dragon seems more like the AAA horse to me; studios are struggling to keep to 8th gen standards with the time, resources, and hardware available to them now. Something tells me that it'll be harder for Square to wrangle a FF7 Regenesis or KH4 on the Switch 2 almost regardless of the graphical or technical caliber they can reasonably go for.

This is just my opinion here, but I think a medium scope Final Fantasy released on every platform would do wonders for them. Switch 2 would get them a huge audience in Japan. PC and PlayStation would get them the rest of the world. I think they're at the point where they need to try something radically different just to see how it shakes out. Final Fantasy has been in weird spot for far too long.

I think you get the JRPG sales without PC, but I digress. The Switch is undeniable. My only wonder is if FF is going to have to become Dragon Quest or Persona to benefit from the Switch to the same degree. Because there's a key difference in the kind of playing habits induced by the slice of life Persona stuff than an epic 30-40 hour campaign in FF.

 

[Kacho]

That's somewhat true, but idk. For one, the AAA dragon seems more like the AAA horse to me; studios are struggling to keep to 8th gen standards with the time, resources, and hardware available to them now. Something tells me that it'll be harder for Square to wrangle a FF7 Regenesis or KH4 on the Switch 2 almost regardless of the graphical or technical caliber they can reasonably go for.


I think you get the JRPG sales without PC, but I digress. The Switch is undeniable. My only wonder is if FF is going to have to become Dragon Quest or Persona to benefit from the Switch to the same degree. Because there's a key difference in the kind of playing habits induced by the slice of life Persona stuff than an epic 30-40 hour campaign in FF.

I don't envy their position. Something needs to change and they need to figure it out ASAP.

Capcom was in a similar spot towards the tail end of the 360 generation. They punted most of the development to western studios which ended up being a spectacular failure. Then Capcom changed their strategy, made PC their primary platform and now they're having huge success.

Can SE duplicate what Capcom did? Probably not. But Square has incredibly strong IP. They need to figure out a way to revitalize it and reach as many players as possible.

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

I don't envy their position. Something needs to change and they need to figure it out ASAP.

Capcom was in a similar spot towards the tail end of the 360 generation. They punted most of the development to western studios which ended up being a spectacular failure. Then Capcom changed their strategy, made PC their primary platform and now they're having huge success.

Can SE duplicate what Capcom did? Probably not. But Square has incredibly strong IP. They need to figure out a way to revitalize it and reach as many players as possible.

Capcom's success isn't about platform strategies, it was about making good RE and Monster Hunter Games again.

 

[Kacho]

Capcom's success isn't about platform strategies, it was about making good RE and Monster Hunter Games again.

It was about making good games, while also understanding the importance of a platform like PC which they had previously neglected. Now they're reaping the rewards. The only flaw in their current strategy is missing Nintendo with every new release. If they can figure that out with the Switch 2 they'll be raking in record profits.