Are the character designs going to affect the sales of Final Fantasy XV

[Infest]

lol that's embarrassing for a big site like Eurogamer to post such a bullshit. But in the end, who cares? It doesn't interest me if other people hate the game/its design or whatever as long as I'll enjoy the game. I have lots of fun with The Order 1886 right now and this game gets annihilated by the press and many players atm. But it doesn't lessen my enjoyment in any way and it also shouldn't.

 

[Shin Kazama]

I don't mind them. At this point I'm used to it. I mean, it's Tetsuya Nomura, it's Japan... what were people expecting? It's cool if you don't like the style and all but no one familiar with SE/FF should be surprised.

 

[yeah_93]

lol that's embarrassing for a big site like Eurogamer to post such a bullshit.

It's just a joke...

 

[Infest]

It's just a joke...

Sure but an overused one.

 

[Squirrel Emperor]

Times have changed. If anything hurts sales, it's going to be that. Change in tastes, change in standards and expectations, new generation of gamers not growing up with an older generation, console gaming in Japan becoming more and more irrelevant with each passing day... We're not living in the mid 90's, early 2000's anymore.

And not just gaming either.

Final Fantasy VII was a big hit because it came out during a time when 3D revolutionized gaming. But another thing that happened during this time was the anime boom in the west. FFVII just so happened to be a game with a heavy anime influence so it had an affect on sales. It's not much different then celebrities being the cause of fashion trends like how Eminen dyed his hair blonde and everyone else did the same when he became very famous. Like all popular trends though, they eventually fade away. Anime isn't as popular today as it once was so it could have somewhat of an affect on how FFXV performs.

 

[Luminous-Night]

I a

Times have changed. If anything hurts sales, it's going to be that. Change in tastes, change in standards and expectations, new generation of gamers not growing up with an older generation, console gaming in Japan becoming more and more irrelevant with each passing day... We're not living in the mid 90's, early 2000's anymore.

And not just gaming either.

Final Fantasy VII was a big hit because it came out during a time when 3D revolutionized gaming. But another thing that happened during this time was the anime boom in the west. FFVII just so happened to be a game with a heavy anime influence so it had an affect on sales. It's not much different then celebrities being the cause of fashion trends like how Eminen dyed his hair blonde and everyone else did the same when he became very famous. Like all popular trends though, they eventually fade away. Anime isn't as popular today as it once was so it could have somewhat of an affect on how FFXV performs.

I agree, but disagree. If the team making FFXV can show the populace a new way to look at "anime type characters" with more character growth and deeper themes than perhaps they can rejuvenate or gain more fans.

Also there is a major fanbase concerning anime JRPGs already, I get that each to his or her own tastes, but if the FFXV team does it right it will please the anime fans while drawing in new JRPG fans.

I really think and hope that's the case.

Though I get your point. =p

 

[Lucina]

Times have changed. If anything hurts sales, it's going to be that. Change in tastes, change in standards and expectations, new generation of gamers not growing up with an older generation, console gaming in Japan becoming more and more irrelevant with each passing day... We're not living in the mid 90's, early 2000's anymore.

And not just gaming either.

Final Fantasy VII was a big hit because it came out during a time when 3D revolutionized gaming. But another thing that happened during this time was the anime boom in the west. FFVII just so happened to be a game with a heavy anime influence so it had an affect on sales. It's not much different then celebrities being the cause of fashion trends like how Eminen dyed his hair blonde and everyone else did the same when he became very famous. Like all popular trends though, they eventually fade away. Anime isn't as popular today as it once was so it could have somewhat of an affect on how FFXV performs.

I sort of dislike the comparison to anime because of how general the term can be. Most anime are directed toward younger or otaku audiences. Final Fantasy XV does not traditionally fall into either categories. Neither do a lot of the other FF games. Forgive me for sounding rude (I certainly don't mean it), but if you have a case study about the correlation between VII and anime, I'd like to see it.

 

[Fin]

VII was really anime haha. Especially when you compare it to other series that were popular in that time period. But when it came out I disagree about anime being popular in the west. Back in those days you were lucky if you could find 2, 3 series on shelves and they were always really expensive.

Anime is waaaay more prevalent now than the 90's and the reason why so many people whine about it these days is because they actually know what it is (at least superficially). People who use it as a dismissive remark can be dismissed themselves because it's their choice not to like something because of where it came from. Even if you try to placate those people and make all the characters gritty 30-somethings with shaved heads and the American flag tattooed across their chests, they'll come up with some other excuse to not like it.

 

[Lucina]

VII was really anime haha. Especially when you compare it to other series that were popular in that time period. But when it came out I disagree about anime being popular in the west. Back in those days you were lucky if you could find 2, 3 series on shelves and they were always really expensive.

Anime is waaaay more prevalent now than the 90's and the reason why so many people whine about it these days is because they actually know what it is (at least superficially). People who use it as a dismissive remark can be dismissed themselves because it's their choice not to like something because of where it came from. Even if you try to placate those people and make all the characters gritty 30-somethings with shaved heads and the American flag tattooed across their chests, they'll come up with some other excuse to not like it.

Last I checked, the market worth for retail anime has largely seen decline compared to the 90s and 2000s. I don't know what streaming services like Crunchyroll are worth, and I don't know how much people spend on all the official merchandise, but @Squirrel Emperor probably has a point on that part.

 

[Crystal Power]

I actually think anime is more popular in the west now. Back then you'd have to have to make tons of wishes just hoping an anime get's dub, and a good dub at that. Now I commonly see anime getting dubs, and also better treatment, original openings, BGM, characters names, no censored scenes, etc.

Also heres something interesting, Bandai Namco stated last year that the Tales Series are growing in the west.
http://www.siliconera.com/2014/04/23/tales-rpgs-growing-west-says-bandai-namco/

I'm sure Final Fantasy XV can get impressive sale numbers, I'm so curious for the demo to release to see everyone opinions after so many years, it's exciting!

 

[Shin Kazama]

Anime is way more popular today than it was back then. Just look at how much more gets localized now and how much cheaper it is. Not to mention how many people download tons of it for free or stream it. Back in the day you'd see the same stuff on shelves for years at $20-$30 per volume. Today, you can buy entire series on blu-ray for that, and it wouldn't be so cheap if it weren't selling well. It's a lot more accessible now. I have friends who kind of think anime isn't as popular now, too, but it just appears that way to them because they haven't been into it like they used to be for many years now, and most of their friends have moved on from it, too. Looking back, I feel like anime was a niche thing in those days. It just seemed big to me at the time because all of my friends were into it and Japanese games were a huge deal, but the video game industry was smaller then as well.

 

[LeonBlade]

Anime is way more popular today than it was back then. Just look at how much more gets localized now and how much cheaper it is. Not to mention how many people download tons of it for free or stream it. Back in the day you'd see the same stuff on shelves for years at $20-$30 per volume. Today, you can buy entire series on blu-ray for that, and it wouldn't be so cheap if it weren't selling well. It's a lot more accessible now. I have friends who kind of think anime isn't as popular now, too, but it just appears that way to them because they haven't been into it like they used to be for many years now, and most of their friends have moved on from it, too. Looking back, I feel like anime was a niche thing in those days. It just seemed big to me at the time because all of my friends were into it and Japanese games were a huge deal, but the video game industry was smaller then as well.

Yeah, I'm not sure what people mean when they say anime isn't as popular anymore in the West... The increases in the Internet has only allowed for people to expand what they watch. I don't honestly think you can estimate something like this so easily when there are plenty of ways to record people watching this kind of stuff that would easily go unnoticed.

BD sales does not equal interest, especially with the west, and it's not like BD sales report on who buys them. So, really... I'd like to see how people come up with these numbers.

 

[Lucina]

Yeah, I'm not sure what people mean when they say anime isn't as popular anymore in the West... The increases in the Internet has only allowed for people to expand what they watch. I don't honestly think you can estimate something like this so easily when there are plenty of ways to record people watching this kind of stuff that would easily go unnoticed.

BD sales does not equal interest, especially with the west, and it's not like BD sales report on who buys them. So, really... I'd like to see how people come up with these numbers.

They're really estimates, as are a lot of things. You never know who buys the discs, nor can you tell how accurate the estimates are, but they do give a general idea at how well something is doing, as well as hinting at possible trends. The reason I say anime is probably not doing that well is because an assumption from the figures of retail sales (though these were figures from articles I Googled) is better than assuming from the absence of figures, despite the rise of the Internet lately. I'm not claiming to be right, but that is the stance I'm taking while abiding by the Occam's razor principle. I'm always open to being proven wrong haha.

One thing I can say is that Japanese video games are not the beast that they used to be. The Western game industry has become increasingly oligopolistic, with the Japanese game industry last reported to account for only 10% of market share in 2010 since its 50% peak. Personally, I'd like to believe that Japanese games have been on the rise in more recent years. They seem primed for a comeback, though that's only from my own observation, seeing as how people are genuinely excited for some of the 2015 Japanese games. I believe that FFXV is pretty crucial for this to work though, and I think some SE employees have also voiced the same concerns.

 

[LeonBlade]

The Western game industry has become increasingly oligopolistic, with the Japanese game industry last reported to account for only 10% of market share in 2010 since its 50% peak.

I can't really disagree with this, I think a lot of that has to do with what's popular with Western audiences now. I see what you're saying here though, I do think that Japanese games can make a comeback, a lot of it has to do with how games have gotten easier and the market has changed a lot and the type of people considered games these days have expanded. There are a lot of other factors involved as well like the casual market and other things I don't think I want to get into.

Here's hoping that JRPGs and other Eastern games can make a comeback!

 

[Zero]

I don't have any factual data to go on, but as someone who got into anime in '97-'98 and has maintained interest in it ever since, I feel like it's more popular in the west now. Although, I'm not so sure that the anime industry in NA is actually as profitable now versus back then, but that wouldn't really have any affect on what's being suggested in this thread anyway.

Personally, I still dig the look. I've always been a fan of Nomura's designs or anime-influenced ones in general. Spiky hair, big swords, crazy outfits... all these guys having time to gel up their hair before saving the world... I like what I like

 

[APZonerunner]

This stuff does have something of an effect, and I actually think Lightning being on the box of FF13 - a girl, anime, pinkish hair - actually hugely harmed that game's potential. I don't think it'll have a huge effect, but if I was them I wouldn't put Noctis and his crew on the box.

 

[Lulcielid]

This stuff does have something of an effect, and I actually think Lightning being on the box of FF13 - a girl, anime, pinkish hair - actually hugely harmed that game's potential. I don't think it'll have a huge effect, but if I was them I wouldn't put Noctis and his crew on the box.

Whether they put or not lighting on the game's box(and Noctis&Co for XV),wouldn't affect the game's potential as the actual content of the game would remain the same

 

[LeonBlade]

This stuff does have something of an effect, and I actually think Lightning being on the box of FF13 - a girl, anime, pinkish hair - actually hugely harmed that game's potential. I don't think it'll have a huge effect, but if I was them I wouldn't put Noctis and his crew on the box.

I don't think that's why XIII didn't do so well.

 

[APZonerunner]

Whether they put or not lighting on the game's box(and Noctis&Co for XV),wouldn't affect the game's potential as the actual content of the game would remain the same

I don't think that's why XIII didn't do so well.

It harms sales; people in the store look at the box, pick up the box. It's statistically proven a good box can increase your sales by half or more - that's why when, say, Bioshock Infinite had some boxes with pretty art, they went for one with a generic dude-with-gun on the cover -- the statistics told them it'd make a large sales difference. It almost certainly did!

I genuinely think FF13 suffered a bit from having a pink-haired girl on the front, as grim as it is to admit. Just a sad truth of the market. It's not just about Lightning, but about the fall in favour with a wider audience of anime-styled stuff in general. Thus me saying XV would be better with a more abstract box than Noctis and his crew.

There's obviously a lot of reasons behind how FF13 performed how it did (and it still did well - 6m sold is very admirable, just not so much by FF standards - but I think the box was a contributing factor, albeit a small one.

 

[Lulcielid]

There's obviously a lot of reasons behind how FF13 performed how it did (and it still did well - 6m sold is very admirable, just not so much by FF standards - but I think the box was a contributing factor, albeit a small one.

By standard how much do you mean? Its Square 4th best saled game
http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Best_selling_Square-Enix_games