The end of Playstation 3 support.

[Kaethra]

I'm not sure I'm buying the 'sales are down' angle. Not saying you all are posting something false, but I think something else is at play here. Sony and MS have gotten large. So large that what was considered outstanding sales (about 500,000 units) in 1987 is considered low sales in 2017. That means they have to sell more to make the same amount. This has happened before, in the video game crash of 1983. Though they need to be careful, its a different landscape.

If Sony and MS don't slim themselves down, they will feel a similar issue. Nintendo is well aware and experienced in those matters. Hence why it was able to be productive through the crash and defined the whole industry. Personally I think we need another crash. Get Sony and MS out of the picture (as well as some 3rd Party publishers like EA, Capcom, and so forth who've gotten a bit arrogant over the years). Let smaller companies join in and see new directions. Kinda like we saw with Sega and other companies in the late 80s and early 90s.

Going to a upgradeable console is a bold move. I'm not sure its the right direction. Cut out the bureaucracy in their own companies would be a better start IMO. That way if they 'only' sell 700,000 units, its not a failure, but a success.

[Alerion]

Personally I think we need another crash. Get Sony and MS out of the picture (as well as some 3rd Party publishers like EA, Capcom, and so forth who've gotten a bit arrogant over the years). Let smaller companies join in and see new directions. Kinda like we saw with Sega and other companies in the late 80s and early 90s.

You want an entire industry to crash, thousands to lose jobs and homes, fan favorite IPs sold off or die all so smaller companies can TRY to do something fresh? Now that's.. certainly an interesting way of thinking.

In any case, my thoughts are simply this: the PS3 is incredibly weak and it is certainly holding back this game's potential. What they do with that potential beyond what we know (Kugane, new UI elements per job) is anyone's guess. Having the PS4 be the new floor simply gives them far, far more breathing room. No longer having to worry if X or Y will run on a toaster is the only way forward.

[Serilda]

Having the PS4 be the new floor simply gives them far, far more breathing room. No longer having to worry if X or Y will run on a toaster is the only way forward.

While I'm not disputing your core point, for the sake of the mindless enthusiasts who might read it and whip out their pitchforks I want to emphasise that it's not the PS4 but the low end PC that will be the game's floor for the whole of Stormblood. They have increased the system requirements to force out some old graphics hardware, however they're still maintaining support for 32-bit systems even though Yoshida has unambiguously told the fans that it's these 32-bit systems limiting them now. Not graphics, not raw processor speed, but 32-bit operating systems and all of the limitations they bring with them. The PS4 will almost certainly become the new floor again in 5.0 when they're likely to raise the requirements further, but Stormblood officially kicks off an era of PC limitations and anyone who says otherwise is living in a bubble.

The 'soft' push for PS3 users to upgrade came with the original PS3-PS4 campaign before Heavensward launched. And the 'soft' push to those PC users with bad PCs is now, with Yoshida begging them to upgrade. But he's not an idiot; he knows a lot of people out there are still using these older systems and need time to transition to newer setups.

[LalaRu]

Aren't they still trying to get Microsoft on board with an XONE Version as well?

Xbox was addressed in a Q&A session, it is not possible (yet) because the terms for developing games for xbox are barring to use xiv as it is. One main concern is the login system. Xiv on xbox require Microsoft's change of terms for it. Very unlikely, imo.

[Kaethra]

You want an entire industry to crash, thousands to lose jobs and homes, fan favorite IPs sold off or die all so smaller companies can TRY to do something fresh? Now that's.. certainly an interesting way of thinking.

I do actually.

The industry exists to provide me with entertainment. If they fail at that, then why should they exist in their current state? I guarantee you do NOT visit every gas station in town to ensure they all stay in business. You go to the cheapest one or the one with the best service. Don't sit there on a high horse claiming to be more altruistic than another when you actually aren't.

[Yasuhiro]

You want an entire industry to crash, thousands to lose jobs and homes, fan favorite IPs sold off or die all so smaller companies can TRY to do something fresh? Now that's.. certainly an interesting way of thinking.

Fan favorite IP's are dead even with their home companies
I don't see Capcom ever making another Viewtiful Joe, Dino Crisis or God Hand sequel ever again. I'm all for letting other companies do something else with them. Nintendo treated Megaman with more respect in Smash4 than Capcom has in the last 5-6 years.

[Alerion]

Fan favorite IP's are dead even with their home companies
I don't see Capcom ever making another Viewtiful Joe, Dino Crisis or God Hand sequel ever again. I'm all for letting other companies do something else with them. Nintendo treated Megaman with more respect in Smash4 than Capcom has in the last 5-6 years.

Prime example of cherry picking. Meanwhile Resident Evil 7 gets massive praise and is arguably one of the best in the series, Marvel vs Capcom Infinite is coming out when no one thought they'd see another one and i'm more than sure you're happy with Square owning their IPs. I doubt you'd want to see a Final Fantasy developed by some subsidiary of Vivendi, Cox or any other. A legit crash could mean any IP could get sold or flat out die, not just the ones you want to point out.

[Kaethra]

The issue with many of these AAA developers/publishers is they have so much overhead and bureaucracy that they need to sell like 2 million units just to break even. Which means they are not likely to try new things often. They can't afford to. If you 'only' sell 500,000 units and lose money. That department is fired and IP is dropped.

Whereas if a smaller or more specifically a leaner company makes a flub, they can recover from it. And may even still get a slim profit.

A good example is Daybreak. They used to be Sony Online Entertainment (as well as Verant before that and 989 Studios before that). When they became Daybreak, they halved their staff and went almost to indie dev size. They were a full sized corp as SOE. They were developing Everquest Next and it just wasn't going to pan out.

Had that been while they were still SOE, they would have lost the EQ franchise. EQ1 and EQ2 would have disappeared. And a third EQ game would have been impossible.

When a Corp has too much overhead and too many hands in the pot like many big companies do. They lose flexibility. SE is a good example of a corp with flexibility. The 1.0 launch is an example of that. That nearly damaged the FF franchise. But they were able to pull up their bootstraps and make 2.0. Best rebound in video game history if you ask me.

EA can't do that. Capcom can't do that. Activision can't do that. And even though SE pulled it off, they barely did due to their size. But thankfully they had quick thinking management.

[Texa]

I guarantee you do NOT visit every gas station in town to ensure they all stay in business. You go to the cheapest one or the one with the best service. Don't sit there on a high horse claiming to be more altruistic than another when you actually aren't.

That analogy is a bit flawed because most people I know just go to the closest gas station even if they're jerks because you don't have to go inside to pay for your gas anymore.

Which funnily enough DOES describe buying games online.

[Yasuhiro]

Prime example of cherry picking.

No

i'm more than sure you're happy with Square owning their IPs.

Where's Chrono Trigger 3? I never said I wanted a crash either but I do hate how IP's are left to rot.