Originally Posted by
Aldath
That's the issue, FFXVI didn't fail as a standalone title, it failed to compensate for SE's other failed projects.
Put this into perspective: FFXVI has sold less copies in Japan than Pikmin 4, a semi obscure title without the name power the FF brand had. Pikmin 4's numbers are considered surprisingly high for a niche title, and although XVI's numbers are still good in paper, they couldn't compete with a game that gave Nintendo the equivalent of cash for a nice meal for a company their size.
SE can't come out and outright say FF didn't live up to what they needed, I bet investors are already with a rises eyebrow when their supposed big contender lost to a bunch of funny plant dudes and failed to help the company recover from the game of the snarky New Yorker that caused the closure of a studio and the failed FF Battle Royale tie-in, and SE must be sweating cold because they're already spending big cash in VII-2 which if Nomura taught me something is that it might leave some players dissatisfied with the direction he's taking the franchise to, and remember they're gonna launch yet another tie in game that will either close next year or become a deserted whale farm like BE.
This spells nothing but bad news for us, as I really doubt the measures taken to recover players will be aimed towards improving, but attracting new blood and creating a base that can be farmed for profit on cash shop items, make players feel like you're in a second life, create attachment, and keep that smaller playerbase invested enough to cover for the rest.