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Old 26-10-19, 05:53   #1
Kurtis666
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Default Why Square Enix Should Learn From Ubisoft's and Naughty Dog's Recent Actions

Just recently, Naughty Dog announced it will delay The Last of Us: Part II due to the team's realization that they couldn't deliver the level and amount of polish that they are aiming for in their upcoming game.
This decision might upset many people who are anticipating this game but in the long run, it will be beneficial for both developers and gamers as the game will be launched at its best possible state for players and developers could get enough time to polish the game and not experience a high amount of crunch time.

Ironically on the same day, Ubisoft had its press release where they announced that they are going to delay all of their upcoming games: Watch Dogs Legion, Gods & Monsters and Rainbow Six Quarantine.
The reasoning behind it according to Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot was the missed sales and reception targets with the recent Ghost Recon: Breakpoint and The Division 2.
The statement provided in a very PR'ish way unlike Naughty Dog with a more direct approach to the audience but at the end of the day the reasoning behind both companies delays are the same: lack of polish.

Square Enix needs to understand that if they want the Tomb Raider game to succeed they need to give it time and provided with the right talent they will only see an increase in their popularity and sales.
With Shadow of the Tomb Raider, it was obvious that the game wasn't polished enough for release, many glitches, reused animations, lack of polish and consistency with graphics (especially character models) and of course an unintentional, supposed to be deleted ending.
All of the examples above should've been a red flag for Square Enix and Eidos Montreal for them to decide to delay the game for at the very least 6 months.

The next Tomb Raider will be the final chance for this franchise to retain itself in the gaming market, it needs to be good and financially successful, it needs to bring back classic fans to the franchise and also bring newcomers.
With that being said, in order for the next Tomb Raider game to be popular and successful, Square Enix should give enough time for the developers they choose to develop this IP.


Sources:
https://blog.us.playstation.com/2019...to-ps4-in-may/
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...w-6-quarantine

Last edited by Kurtis666; 26-10-19 at 05:58.
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Old 26-10-19, 06:51   #2
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I agree with you. Square is piss poor at managing their western IP. Shadow was clearly a game that needed an extra 6 months in the oven; look at how much polish it lacks. The older animations and all the reused assets really showed that the game was a bit of a rush job. Eidos Montreal themselves stated they only worked on the game for 2 years. That's too little time!

All of Square's western properties have been struggling as of late due to poor management from higher ups. Just Cause 4's PC release was rushed and broken and was in no state for launch. The game itself also had various downgrades in the graphical department from it's predecessor. Deus Ex: Mankind divided was forcefully cut in half because Square wanted a sequel for quick cash. Look where that got the series; it's now shelved for who knows how long!

Let's not forget the famous exclusivity deal
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Old 26-10-19, 07:43   #3
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I am hopeful that now the trilogy is over and the fact the next game is not a very direct sequel, they could take their time and delay the game if necessary. Just because there is no cliffhanger this time, not a story to end, the pressure to be released sooner is unnecessary there.
At least it seems the delay they did for TR 2013 certainly made good for the game, even if I suspect it was mainly to add the multiplayer mode at the last minute. Square Enix could be as caring as this time again.

Last edited by Chamayoo; 26-10-19 at 07:44.
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Old 26-10-19, 11:32   #4
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I don’t agree and here are my perceptions as to why:

I’m willing to bet The last of Us part 2 has been delayed so it can be toted as a PS5 launch title as by that time even if it’s on PS4 no doubt people will wait to get the better experience. Let’s be honest that’s the reason it’s been delayed and it would be stupid not to capitalise on it. This is even more cemented by Ghosts of Fukushima being delayed as a result of TLOU being delayed - I don’t see why that would be a factor for a completely different studio personally. It’s clearly Sony’s decision as the publisher.

Ubisoft games have been delayed because the most recent release was a mess due to their poor work ethic and now they need to curry favour again just like they did a few years ago when they ‘learned from their mistakes’ with Assassin’s Creed.


Tomb Raider doesn’t belong to either of those situations but I do agree moving forward SE need to not botch the promo and release period because there has not been on game in the trilogy that hasn’t been marred for one reason or another. I do think Shadow could have done with a couple more months in the oven and maybe released in February. I appreciate SE will have been aiming for the holidays for sales but January is becoming an increasingly popular month for games as RE2 remake proved.
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Old 26-10-19, 12:21   #5
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I don't know about Ubisoft but every single title from ND is a big step up in every single way possible from the former one.

The same thing can't be said for the TR franchise.
What they need is to not just push out mediocre games (at best) every few years but try to make an impact with them.
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Old 26-10-19, 12:38   #6
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Naughty Dog would be under so much pressure to make TLOU2 a spectacular game. If the game releases it and it is subpar it would receive so much negative press. Hence the delay.
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Old 26-10-19, 12:46   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoelCaesar View Post
Naughty Dog would be under so much pressure to make TLOU2 a spectacular game. If the game releases it and it is subpar it would receive so much negative press. Hence the delay.
Which is also why most of the fans don't mind at all and are only disappointed because of how unfortunate the timing isthat it had to happen so little after the initial release date was revealed.
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Old 26-10-19, 16:56   #8
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I think that Square Enix doesn't seem to care all that much for their Western IPs if I'm being honest.

They spent tons of money on TR2013 to promote it, and they did a really good job. Not to mention that five years had passed since Underworld, the largest time gap in between releases for the series, so people were hungry for a new game so that worked in their favour. But when the game didn't reach their ridiculous sales mark they stopped trying as hard with the next two games.

It's almost as if they just need TR to stay afloat while they make Final Fantasy and those Disney × Final Fantasy spinoff games.

Look at the remake of Final Fantasy VII, they've been making it for a thousand years. I wish they gave as much love and attention to Tomb Raider.. Even if it meant waiting a thousand years to play the next game in both franchises!

They could also take more advantage of the Lara Croft side series. They're doing okay so far with it but I feel like they can do more.
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Old 26-10-19, 17:25   #9
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In respect to Naughty Dog...

I don't think there's a good comparison to be drawn here between Shadow and TLOU Part 2. I am of the unpopular opinion that Shadow did not lack polish, but rather it never set out to be an evolution of the TR series - it was just derivative and therefore somewhat boring.

Unlike TR, The Last of Us was built as a standalone title. The TR reboot was always going to be a series (later turned "origins trilogy"). TR has a pretty predictable timeline, going all the way back to the original Core games. First TR game is a smash hit. Gets 4 sequels. It's gotten boring by 5th title. 6th title is botched, series shifts to Crystal. First Crystal TR is a smash hit. Gets 2 sequels. Starts to get boring by 3rd title. Series is rebooted. First reboot game is a smash hit. Gets 2 sequels. Starts to get boring by the 3rd title.

So the OG series was dragged out into 5 games, but honestly it was boring by game 3 (objectively).

Would an additional 6 months have brought Shadow from boring-3rd-game level to generational-jump-smash-hit level? No. TR games come out on a predictable schedule until they get boring. Instead of following a strict release schedule, maybe TR should take a page from Naughty Dog's (recent) book and only release a new title when there's enough new ideas, a story worth telling, and the right technology to make those new ideas a reality. We're not going to get generation-jump smash hits on a 2-year release schedule.

TL;DR: More development time would be nice, but if we want a big evolution between each TR game it's going to take a completely different approach in the way the sequels are developed.
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Old 26-10-19, 17:55   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kapu View Post
In respect to Naughty Dog...

I don't think there's a good comparison to be drawn here between Shadow and TLOU Part 2. I am of the unpopular opinion that Shadow did not lack polish, but rather it never set out to be an evolution of the TR series - it was just derivative and therefore somewhat boring.

Unlike TR, The Last of Us was built as a standalone title. The TR reboot was always going to be a series (later turned "origins trilogy"). TR has a pretty predictable timeline, going all the way back to the original Core games. First TR game is a smash hit. Gets 4 sequels. It's gotten boring by 5th title. 6th title is botched, series shifts to Crystal. First Crystal TR is a smash hit. Gets 2 sequels. Starts to get boring by 3rd title. Series is rebooted. First reboot game is a smash hit. Gets 2 sequels. Starts to get boring by the 3rd title.

So the OG series was dragged out into 5 games, but honestly it was boring by game 3 (objectively).

Would an additional 6 months have brought Shadow from boring-3rd-game level to generational-jump-smash-hit level? No. TR games come out on a predictable schedule until they get boring. Instead of following a strict release schedule, maybe TR should take a page from Naughty Dog's (recent) book and only release a new title when there's enough new ideas, a story worth telling, and the right technology to make those new ideas a reality. We're not going to get generation-jump smash hits on a 2-year release schedule.

TL;DR: More development time would be nice, but if we want a big evolution between each TR game it's going to take a completely different approach in the way the sequels are developed.
I agree. I'm more than fine with getting a TR game every 5+ years (as opposed to 2-3) if it means that each title will be memorable.
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