Post by metalman7983 on Sept 18, 2006 15:53:33 GMT -5
Matsuno has left SQUARE ENIX due to his team not being given enough attention. The merger has made it so the Enix side is worth more and therefore mean Tetsuya Nomura and Yoshinori Kitase teams are given most attention due their games selling more
Incase you haven't realised, the other teams are being neglected in favour of Nomura's designs which most FF fans seem to ass lick.
Here is the news I just got from Famitsu's answer to a reader asking what is Matsuno's next game (I can read Japanese):
"Matsuno does not to seem to be with SQUARE ENIX no more. He is currently at another studio. We are sure he is making a game but I'm not sure for which platform at the moment. The majority of his team memebers are joining MistWalker as they were not happy with the limited role they had at SQUARE ENIX. The same can be said with the development team of FFIX. They have joined the Games Designers Studio (A team run by Akitoshi Kawazu that only makes games for Nintendo systems) and working on FFCC for Wii. We know where Matsuno-san currently is but can not say. Don't worry he is still making games. Please look forward to his next work"
Says it all really. Some FFIX and FFXII teams are already working at MistWalker. Hideo Minaba (Art Director for FFIX and FFXII) was doing the Art Direcion for Sakaguchi's A.S.H. (Archaic Sealed Heat) RPG on the DS while working on FFXII.
I can honestly say I don't like the way Kitase and Nomura hog the main series and I feel so sorry for the other teams. It is not fare that they are not allowed enough free-reign on the main series. Just coz of blasted FFVII! I love FFVII as it was my first FF but what it has done at Square is terrible. It has made Kitase and Nomura the main team with everyone else second priority. Nomura is even getting to direct now! As if designing every damn caracter wasn't enough. Yet where do I see the FFIX team in this? The FFXII team? Oh I see, instead of letting the FFIX team make another FF game let them help Matsuno's team with FFXII. I'm sure the reason FFXII got delayed so much is because the two teams had to adjust to each others ideas and the way they work.
Did you notice how since Matsuno left the project there are TWO directors? They are:
Director #1: Hiroyuki Ito (Directed FFIX)
Director #2: Hiroshi Minagawa (Art Director of FFT and Vagrant Story)
The above clearly shows how difficut game must have been to make. TWO director's show that the teams found it hard to be accustomed so had to be led by two different people. I'm sure when Matsuno was directing he had a hard time trying to direct the FFIX team as well as his own team. No wonder he had a mental breakdown.
I can understand why Matsuno's team bounced. Come on, this is their 2ND 40/40 from Famitsu. They deserve much more credit from Square as their games are more critically acclaimed then that of Kitase and Nomura. They should be allowed more time on the main series and possibly even make the FFT a bigger series and not just the PS and GBA games.
I see it now. Them all walking out the door and Yoichi Wada shouting, "Wait! I had plans for you to make Final Fantasy XVIII!". If I was a memeber of the team and I heard that I would take off my shoe and throw it at him out of sheer annoyance.
The new FFXII DS game is probably Square realising what they have done wrong and now trying to make amends by showing focus on other teams games but too little to late. The new FFXII is not even being made by Matsuno's team. Besides, where was the promotion for FFT? For Vagrant Story? Why has the FFIX team to-date only made one game in the main series? Why has Matsuno's team only got to make a game in the main series now? Why the HELL did FFX get a sequal when that is completley against the laws Hironobu Sakaguchi made for FF?
I knew there was beef at Square for time. Since I heard Sakaguchi was leaving I knew something was up.
I've been counting the beef between staff for a while. Here is some from the top of my head:
- An interview taken after FFXII was unvieled a journalist asked Akihiko Yoshida "Your designs show a Tetsuya Nomura influence. Did his work influence you?". His reply "You're too direct for a journalist. My designs are my designs and I don't get influenced from members of other teams."
- Nomura was NOT going to put ViVi in KHII. He was only going to put HIS work in. His team said he should put some FFIX and XII characters in but he refused as he "Didn't design those characters" (Does who designed them matter? It's got the whole of Disney in there, Why not FF?). His team were not happy with his reply and refused to work on the game until he added some. He eventually added ViVi but added no other FFIX and FFXII ones but instead MORE from the games he worked on.
- Toshiyuki Itahana (Character Designer for FFIX and FFCC) said he hopes FFCC on Wii "Sells more then FFXIIII" The interview from Shonen Jump Magazine:
Toshiyuki Itahana was the one who did the Character Design of Zidane, Daggar abd Vivi. The other party members and NPC's were drawn by the other two Chracter Designers of this game.
Toshiyuki Itahana later did the Character Designs for FFCC on GameCube and is now directing the Wii game. He said the following in an interview with Shonen Jump Magazine after FFCC was revealed at E3:
On the future of FF
I think Final Fantasy can exist in two forms. The childish style and the realistic style. The main series is following the realistic route. With FFCC series we want to ensure that the chibi style stays popular and so have given it it's own series. FFIX was my first title to make and I liked my characters. I played Zelda: The Wind Waker and it reminded me of my work. It was when I played Dragon Quest VIII that I realised I couldn't let the chibi-look die. The game reminded me so much of FFIX that I almost cried playing it. This game has sold 3.5 million in Japan; much more than the realistic FF titles. This showed me that there was demand for this chibi Character Design. I was intending to just be Character Design of the Wii game but I want to be in charge of it. Thankfully Mr. Kawazu has said I can direct it.
Enter the FFIX team
We will be making many changes with the Wii game but I can not say what they are. When Akitoshi Kawazu took over FFXII as poducer many of the members of the FFIX team asked to be tranfered unto the FFCC Wii project as they have a strong passion for the chibi style. Kawazu gave the green light. Most have just finished working on FFXII. Others are working on FFIII DS but still wish to work on this game too. As a result the team consists of both half of the original FFCC team (other half working on the DS game) and around 60% of the original FFIX team. We initially had a plan for the game but the FFIX team have brought in so many more ideas that we have to think again about the game. With this Wii game I want people to not only see that the old FF style is not dead but that it is back and now incredibly innovative. It may even sell more than FFXIII! [Laughs]
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Good news huh?
I actually agree. dragon Quest is a game that hardly changes but look at FFXIII. Is that Final Fantasy I'm looking at? I agree with Square Enix pushing on what FF can be with the series but what about the original fans?
Hopefully the Wii game will allow the FF fans who like the chibi-look to enjoy the series.
On a side not Toshiyuki Itahana is quickly becoming as popular as Nomura in Japan despite not working on many games. This is definitely a good sign for his Wii game.
Check out one of his Fan sites: homepage2.nifty.com/galetwitter/ti/
Here is a photo of Toshiyuki Itahana at E3 2006 revealing FFCC on Wii. The man standing in the back is Akitoshi Kawazu, the producer of the original FFCC and FFXII after Matsuno fell ill: i.i.com.com/cnet.g2/images/2006/127/itahana734_screen.jpg
- Yusuke Naora (Art Director of FFVII, FFVIII, FFX and Advent Children) answerd in an interview at Square Enix Party 2005 when asked about the possibility of a Final Fantasy VII remake "I'm too busy, I don't really have the time as I wold like to focus on making new games". It should be noted that this interview was taken when he was promoting his Code Age series. The PS2 game of which was being developed by some members of the FFIX team with Character Design by Toshiyuki Itahana. I'm certain somewhere during development they must have expressed their concerns to him.
That's all I can remembr for now... But this is all Nintendo's gain.Why you ask?
It's obvious. Look at Square Enix and the DS. They are releasing games like mad on that but only coz Ninty were licking major ass of Square executives persuading them it would sell better than PSP and to release games on it. Square Enix are Nintendo's weakness in Japan. They are the main reason people buy PlayStations in that country. Iwata (Nintendo president) knows this and that's why he is trying to get as many Square Enix games on DS as possible.
But I think I know what he is doing. He is very clever. I think he knows Square team members are breaking up.
You know that DS RPG Sakaguchi is making called ASH? Well it's being published by Nintendo. But not just published. Nintendo are also helping with the development cost AND the debugging will be done free by them too.
MistWalker is very young and can be bought very easily. Sakaguchi has the most shares and if he wants, he can sell them to whoever he wants meaning the buyer will own the company.
Can you see where I 'm going?
Remember when Nintendo owned Square?
That's right, I think MistWalker is going to get bought very soon. If not fully then partially. Nintendo already owns 40% of The Games Designers Studio (60% owned by Square Enix) and that is where the majority of FFIX team have all joined recently.
