Tag: enix
Square Enix fans aren’t pleased with machine learning test
Square Enix turns Dragon Quest creator’s classic visual novel into an odd “AI Tech Preview”
In the summer of 1983, publisher-that-was Enix released a murder mystery visual novel called The Portopia Serial Murder Case. Designed by Dragon Quest’s creator Yuji Horii, it never saw a release outside of Japan – until now. Square Enix are re-releasing the classic on Steam in two days, calling it an “AI tech preview,” and tacking on “natural language processing” technology, in perhaps the oddest port I’ve seen so far.
20 Years Ago, Square And Enix Teamed Up To Create An RPG Powerhouse
The merger between Square and Enix is celebrating its 20-year anniversary today, April 1, 2023. Below, we take a look back at the social and economic conditions surrounding the deal, from the perspective of a Japanese resident.
20 years ago, the Square-Enix merger created a Japanese gaming Goliath amongst a gaming boom
But there was a lot going on in the background overseas observers weren’t aware of.
Xbox has an embarrassing Square Enix problem
Xbox, to hear Microsoft tell it, is losing. This has been the crux of its argument to persuade the world’s regulatory bodies to approve its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, something which would bring the likes of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and perhaps most pointedly King’s suite of mobile games, including Candy Crush, under the Xbox banner. It’s a huge acquisition, which is why it’s garnered so much attention. But Xbox’s argument is clear: we’re just a widdle guy. We need this. Sony is miles ahead.
And so it is in most territories, honestly. It’s not a mischaracterization of the situation. But one element of the Activision Blizzard acquisition that has always baffled me is the optics of what Xbox gains. Which of Xbox’s problems does it solve?
Yeah, Call of Duty is massive, and would be a huge gain. But it’s not like Xbox doesn’t have access to IPs and have games in development that could shake up the shooter world. Warcraft is likewise a huge tentpole, but Microsoft already has both an MMO and an RTS in Elder Scrolls Online and Age of Empires. These don’t fill a gap.
Square Enix goes full Shinra with Final Fantasy 7 NFTs
Forspoken will get its DLC 25 days after Square Enix eats its developer
Final Fantasy 7 NFT Trading Cards on the Way From Square Enix
Parasite Eve has the energy that Square Enix needs to bring to new IP in 2023
Is Square Enix on the cusp of a new golden age, or is it still swimming upstream? Right now, it’s honestly hard to tell.
On one hand, Final Fantasy 16 looks absolutely balls-to-the-wall incredible. You’ve also got the company putting out a wide variety of games that really play to its strengths. There’s much-anticipated remasters like Chrono Cross, Crisis Core, and Live A Live. There’s series continuations and revivals for the likes of Valkyrie, SaGa, and Star Ocean. And there’s fascinating new bets ranging from the nichely obscure like Voice of Cards and Paranormasight to interesting new takes on some of the concepts the company is best known for, like Harvestella and Diofield Chronicle.
On the flip side, it seems barely anybody played a lot of these games. Some of them launched with little fanfare; it was easy to miss that something like Star Ocean: The Divine Force had even released. But the quality and breadth is a badge of honor, at least. As a buddy of mine argued, even if a failure, that line-up was a breath of fresh air.
Square Enix shows off Final Fantasy 16’s big and beautiful world
Square Enix has released a new Final Fantasy 16 trailer focused on showing off its incredibly gorgeous looking landscapes and locales.
Final Fantasy 16 is obviously leaning more into its fantasy elements compared to the last few numbered entries, but that hasn’t hurt how it’s looking. Square Enix gave us a new look at the game yesterday (March 25) during its PAX East panel, offering a brief tour of some of the different locations we’ll be visiting throughout our time spent with it. Personally, the reveal trailer didn’t inspire confidence, but the way the world is looking has me eating my words.
Earlier this year, producer Naoki Yoshida noted that Final Fantasy 16 won’t be an open world game, though also made the point that it won’t be exactly linear either. This feels a lot more evident with this latest trailer, showing off some pretty big, open spaces that look like they should have some opportunities to explore.