Crisis Core: FFVII Never Considered for Nintendo DS

By Shane Jury 26.04.2008 29

In an interview with Pocketgamer, Square-Enix's Hideki Imaizumi and executive producer, Yoshinori Kitase talk of why the best-selling Crisis Core was developed for PSP.

The DS was already out at the time we came up with the concept of Crisis Core. It really wasn't an option to begin with and it wasn't something we regretted later because whereas, yes, there are a lot of DSs out there - but does that mean that our products sell in relation to that? That our sales grow with how many DSs or PSPs there are out there?

It's not really the case. How much the product sells really depends on the game itself, who it's targeted to and all sorts of different factors. It's not really always about the hardware. Especially in terms of this game where the demographic was higher teens to young adults as opposed to small children. The PSP seemed closer to that demographic than DS in general. So we feel we really made the right choice.

We'll make a DS game called Brain Age: Final Fantasy for DS [laughs].

When asked about remarks stating that Nintendo only make games for the casual market, they expressed their thoughts on the subject.

Initially I understood this sentiment you are talking about. Especially from the point of view of working for a company that doesn't make these sorts of titles I thought it wasn't right. But now I've come to accept it because part of gaming is innovation to incorporate genres as you go along and say this is another way to enjoy - this is another form of entertainment. You can't just limit games to things we make or things Nintendo used to make. So right now I'm completely okay with it. When I first played Sim City I wouldn't have considered it a game but I played it and it was a lot of fun. So if it's fun and you play it, how can you say it's not a game in the end?

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\"but does that mean that our products sell in relation to that? That our sales grow with how many DSs or PSPs there are out there?\"

Yes, yes it does.

For any user based, your reputation and goodness of the game will detictate the number of users from that userbase which you grab.

GameAttraction x Userbase = Potential buyers.

(Incidently, the DS has a much higher agerange then PSP last time I looked at the demographics....)

( Edited 26.04.2008 14:04 by Darkflame )

http://www.fanficmaker.com <-- Tells some truly terrible tales.
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I think Square Enix were incredibly fortunate to get the sales that FFVII:CC did in the west, considering the Console:Game ratio on PSP is probably one of the worst for any console, looking at software charts, anyway.

Darkflame, how can you have a \"higher age range\"? Don\'t you mean wider?

And frankly, it makes complete sense to release a game targeted at young adults on the PSP over DS, because the DS is drenched with a cavalcade of kiddy stuff. To not admit that is slight ignorance.

( Edited 26.04.2008 14:26 by dojo )

The only reason is because FFVII = PlayStation.

If any FFVII games were released on any other console, the fanboys would go complete apeshit.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

They would have had to hold back on much of their plans if they had proposed it to be a DS game. There really is no way you could get CC in it\'s PSP form on the DS. I get the feeling it was initially going to be a PS2 game so it seems logical that the title moved to PSP. CC needs that WS format and it needs the power of the PSP. The DS I think simply could not pull off a game with that kind of visual quality and likely never will. All you have to do is compare what you see now in RPG form on the DS and look at CC in contrast.

On the issue of whether fully fledged FF games are Sony exclusives, someone really needs to ask SE a straight question there.

( Edited 26.04.2008 16:46 by Linkyshinks )

But if CC had been planned for the DS from the beginning, then none of the stuff you mentioned would have been a problem LS.

Basically they're saying "Let's make a new FFVII game, and put it on PSP." And that was the end of it.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

"but does that mean that our products sell in relation to that? That our sales grow with how many DSs or PSPs there are out there?"

Yes, yes it does.

For any user based, your reputation and goodness of the game will detictate the number of users from that userbase which you grab.

GameAttraction x Userbase = Potential buyers.

(Incidently, the DS has a much higher agerange then PSP last time I looked at the demographics....)

What a massively ignorant post. You're assuming that whatever the size of the userbase, the proportion of users to whom a certain game will appeal is constant.

It's going to be shit and you jolly well know it.

Well, we only have to look at the sales for FFXII: Revenant Wings and FFCC: Rings of Fate to see if DS users buy FF games on the DS:

FFXII: Revenant Wings. 0.94 million copies sold worldwide.

FFCC: Rings of Fate. 0.55 million copies sold worldwide (not yet released in Europe)

Now, the Crisis Core sales stand at 1.17 million at the moment, pending the European sales... and 0.79 million sales are from Japan.

The DS has sold 70.65 million units worldwide. The PSP has sold 33.39 million units wolrdwide.

Which makes more sense to invest on?

EdEN said:
FFCC: Rings of Fate. 0.55 million copies sold worldwide (not yet released in Europe)

FF:CC RoF is out in Europe.

Also, you could have chosen better examples of killer FF games, namely FFIII & FFIV. FFVII is bound to sell tons even as a spin off, but Revenant Wings & FFCC aren't killers by any means.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

EdEN said:
Well, we only have to look at the sales for FFXII: Revenant Wings and FFCC: Rings of Fate to see if DS users buy FF games on the DS:

FFXII: Revenant Wings. 0.94 million copies sold worldwide.

FFCC: Rings of Fate. 0.55 million copies sold worldwide (not yet released in Europe)

Now, the Crisis Core sales stand at 1.17 million at the moment, pending the European sales... and 0.79 million sales are from Japan.

The DS has sold 70.65 million units worldwide. The PSP has sold 33.39 million units wolrdwide.

Which makes more sense to invest on?

To be fair, Ring of Fates is part of the Crystal Chronicles sub-franchise which has never really sold well in any of its forms, whilst Crisis Core is part of a classic and much-loved game world, it was always apparent which one would sell more, regardless of platform. Revenant Wings is the sequel to a game that divided fans on its quality so that game's sales were always going to be in question.

On subject, I'm glad that C.C appeared on the console that would do it most justice. Its no different to when FF7 originally jumped ship to PS1, and I'm happy it did. Smilie

Forgot to add the sales Final Fantasy III to the discussion.

Final Fantasy III: 1.96 Million worldwide (1.07 in Japan, 0.47 in the Americas, 0.42 in the rest of the world).

So, FF games don't sell on DS?

And FFIV?

Basically, DS sells games that would have never sold as many copies before, or seems to. If FFIII was on PSP like FFI & II, it would sell pretty crappy TBH. DS has the audience for proper FF games, and the amazing selling FFIII proves it.

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

FF IV has sold 0.64 million copies in Japan alone and is to be released in the Americas on July and Europe before the end of the year.

Why's it sold so little in Japan? D: I mean I guess it'll sell more over time... but it's already been out there for like 5 months!

It's better than FFIII too! D:

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

I can understand it perhaps in keeping Final Fantasy VII being a 'Sony game', but what about all the other Final Fantasys on the DS? Square is making a fortune on the DS, and it sure as heck isn't because of Final Fantasy Brain Age. Its because of the myriad of RPG titles they've released that, according to this guy, there isn't much of a market for on DS.

So that excuse doesn't really hold much water for me. I can understand though if they just wanted to do it on a more powerful system though, as that is a bit understandable.

From the looks of things, it seems like with FFIV doing not as well in JP it maybe because S-E are starting to saturate the market with all sorts of FF titles, spinoffs and the like.

One big dedicated entry would be awesome, and Crisis Core does look pretty awesome. It could have worked well on the DS btw.

Cubed3 Admin/Founder & Designer

jb,

Final Fantasy IV Advance was released on December 14, 2005 in Japan, two years ago for the GBA. Most Final Fantasy Fans and RPG fans purchased the game then. All Square-Enix did was to redo the game in 3D and added full voice cutsceens and more content but maybe it was not enough. The game has been released on the Super NES, the PlayStation, and the WonderSwan color. After a while RPG fans do get tired of the same game being ported over and over again.

Maybe instead of ports, Square Enix should be thinking about bringing original content to the DS like they are doing with Cell phones, Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy IV: The After--Return to The Moon, Parasite Eve 3, and Final Fantasy Agito XIII.

Yeah I know Square is doing some new games for the DS. Including the Horror game but those Mobile phone games may never see the light of day in the west.

EdEN said:
Well, we only have to look at the sales for FFXII: Revenant Wings and FFCC: Rings of Fate to see if DS users buy FF games on the DS:

FFXII: Revenant Wings. 0.94 million copies sold worldwide.

FFCC: Rings of Fate. 0.55 million copies sold worldwide (not yet released in Europe)

Now, the Crisis Core sales stand at 1.17 million at the moment, pending the European sales... and 0.79 million sales are from Japan.

The DS has sold 70.65 million units worldwide. The PSP has sold 33.39 million units wolrdwide.

Which makes more sense to invest on?

You can't compare those games, if anything has the words Final Fantasy and the number VII then every psp owner will think that it will be the greatest game in history and buy it. The other two games on DS are fending in a broader market where FF Tactics ruled supreme for square, and since FF12 is the most controversial game since ff8, many fans of the ff series might shy away from it and crystal chronicles because of the minor very minor letdowns in the console version.
Plus it hasn't got references to cloud, who in my opinion is the most overrated character out there, but every man for his ow.

To be honest, any game would work on any format, yet the features and style will change according to the hardware limitations/ specialties.

So CC:FFVII would have worked on the DS, it would just not be the same game that we all now have become familiar with. More then likely it would have had a different style when it comes to graphics, involved use of the touch screen in some way, albeit a different battle system, and would have used less CG cut scenes and voice overs.

I think that SE had a vision for what they wanted this game to be, and the PSP allowed for that vision more so then the DS, that's all.

I don't post much, but I will appreciate any feedback on the posts I do make. Feel free to PM

"And frankly, it makes complete sense to release a game targeted at young adults on the PSP over DS, because the DS is drenched with a cavalcade of kiddy stuff. To not admit that is slight ignorance.""

No, it does not.
The DS has more players of the age range they are aiming at.
The fact it has more players at other ages too dosnt make a blind bit of difference.
Neither does the amount of shit games on the market.

http://www.fanficmaker.com <-- Tells some truly terrible tales.
Last update; Mice,Plumbers,Animatronics and Airbenders. We also have the socials; Facebook & G+

Sleuth of shit games = PS2.

With any luck, the DS' sleuth of shit games will be hidden over time.

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SuperLink said:
Sleuth of shit games = PS2.

With any luck, the DS\' sleuth of shit games will be hidden over time.

Well, thats exactly it.
A sideeffect of success.

The PS2 would never have got FF games if shit games on a system effected good ones sales.
No one says \"Oh, I bought Babyz Island Cooking Sim, so I wont buy Final Fantasy\".

DS is this gen\'s PS2.
By far and away the most successfull, with some true classics, but a majority of rubbish.

( Edited 27.04.2008 14:35 by Darkflame )

http://www.fanficmaker.com <-- Tells some truly terrible tales.
Last update; Mice,Plumbers,Animatronics and Airbenders. We also have the socials; Facebook & G+

Agreed, but I'm beginning to wonder if it can top the GB and PS2 by the end of this gen.

Unlike the PS2, which was a must have for hardcore and casual gamers alike, I believe there are many hardcore gamers that still don't own a DS for some reason or another. Then there are the PlayStation fans who wouldn't buy it anyway.

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Hello. Name's GinnyN, I'm new here ^^!. I'm latinamerican, so, sorry about the Grammar horrors.

There's something about develop you have to know guys: When you choose a platform, you have to stay with this platform no matter what happens. Change the platform in the middle of the develop is almost start to do the famous game again. So, that why, if they choose PSP in the begining, they can't see the sucess of the DS and say change it to DS. It's way too many money wasted.

Some development kits can do it easy the thing of port to one platform to another: XNA for example, you can port from PC to X360 with almost no problems. I guess the same thing goes with the Cube and the Wii. But I'm sure is not for PSP to DS.

GinnyN,

Welcome to Cubed3. I hope your time spent here will be enjoyable.

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