Originally Posted by
Arek_Fairbairn
I'm a simple guy, and so please bear with my simple opinion on this complex matter. ^^;
The way I see it, Square Enix's net income has been steadily decreasing. Very much like the release of Final Fantasy I, I think the general mindset was to try to get a boost for their financial stability. I’m sure Tanaka was severely pressured to pump this game out due to financial difficulties. While Tanaka stepping down could be for the better, Yoshida's background in the Final Fantasy series is....disheartening. However, he does seem to have the get up and go that the game needs.
I don't think Tanaka has to take much of the blame for the sorry state XIV is in. When it all comes down to it he had to answer to a deadline set by the executives. Granted, I'm sure he can share some of the blame (I swear, why does everything have to be so black and white?) rests on his shoulders for not properly getting priorities in order. Another thing to take into account, Tanaka now had two companies breathing down his neck instead of one.
I hate to play this card, but shouldn't Enix at least be brought into the equation here? Keep in mind, I'm not talking about devs, I'm talking about executives. XI was released before the merge with Enix; just food for thought. I just don't think it's fair to look at the outcome of XIV's release without properly considering all the variables.
I hardly feel my opinion is valid seeing as Final Fantasy XIV is my first MMORPG, and I wasn't here in the beginning to see how bad it really was. However, I don't think it's really fair to place so much blame on one person that has been with Square since the beginning. If you really need to point your finger at somebody, point it at Yoichi Wada.