'Final Fantasy XV' may make or break Japan's console market
http://hiligpinoyy.blogspot.com/2014/09/final-fantasy-xv-may-make-or-break.html
Despite the arrival of new and more powerful hardware, the Japanese console market has been in a slump, as of late.
The co-director of “Final Fantasy XV”, Hajime Tabata, believes the fate of this generation’s Japanese console role-playing games will be determined by the performance of this hotly anticipated Square Enix title.
The co-director of “Final Fantasy XV”, Hajime Tabata, believes the fate of this generation’s Japanese console role-playing games will be determined by the performance of this hotly anticipated Square Enix title.
In an interview with Kotaku, Tabata shared his observations about today’s generation of Japanese gamers – how they’re gradually leaving the living room and opting for interactive entertainment on more mobile platforms.
Cultural explanation
“There’s probably a cultural explanation for why the Japanese market is shifting toward handheld or smartphone devices,” he said. “It’s pretty unique to Japan, where everyone is transporting – they have long train rides and bus rides to work, they have time to play handheld devices, or they’re spending more time in their own rooms vs. spending more time in the living room.
“There’s this kind of trend to being more accessible,” he added.
He mentioned his preference for making the types of games he enjoyed playing as a child – those that have you sitting for “long amounts of time in front of the TV.” But Tabata believes that, by this point, a lot is hinging on the success of “Final Fantasy XV”:
So in terms of whether console games will be received moving forward, it’s not to say that I don’t have any concerns at all, but I believe that it’ll really depend on how Final Fantasy XV does. Because I really want more people to enjoy games in the living room, on a big screen. If Final Fantasy XV doesn’t do well, perhaps there’s not much of a future for console games. It kind of really depends on how that goes.
While fans are still excited about “Final Fantasy XV”, the fact the game has been in development since before 2006 has been cause for concern for many, including “Final Fantasy” creator Hironobu Sakaguchi.
“‘Final Fantasy XV’ is taking too long,” said Sakaguchi, when asked by Kotaku to comment on the franchise’s present state.
“Final Fantasy XV” remains without a release date. — TJD, GMA News
