Why Square-Enix Moved Away from PlayStation
- Scribbled on October 13th, 2008 by Jonathon Howard
- Filed in E3, Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, RPG, Sony PlayStation 2, Sony PlayStation 3, Tokyo Game Show
After this year’s E3, there was a huge amount of fallout online and in the gaming press over Square-Enix’s announcement that the highly anticipated Final Fantasy XIII would no longer be a Sony exclusive. It has been a few months since E3, and the furor had begun to die down, until this year’s TGS, where Microsoft’s and Square-Enix’s booth were right next to each other, and the two companies hosted a number of shared press events.
Needless to say, this set-up has reignited the fires, so what is going on here? Why has Square Enix jumped the Sony ship
When you think about it, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who remembers the transition from 16-bit to 32-bit systems, and Square’s and Enix’s (then separate companies) jump from the Nintendo ship. This wasn’t based on any sort of betrayal, or underhanded dealings, it was just economics then, and that is all it is now.
Over at Final Fantasy Union, a Final Fantasy fan-site, they’ve broken it down for you, with charts and graphs for very in-depth analysis. What it comes down to though is that Square-Enix has always been loyal to themselves (and their shareholders), by going with the console that is in the most hands. Last generation that was the PlayStation 2 which explains why the company published on that system almost exclusively. This generation the winner has been the Nintendo DS, and that is where Square-Enix has done most of its development. The PlayStation 3 hasn’t lived up to its predecessor, and so Square-Enix is moving to the consoles that are. Simple as that.
(Thanks, Final Fantasy Union.)
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