Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

[cidbahamut]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

"I drove this truck over the cliff, but I hope they'll let me stay on as a backseat driver because I owe them." - said nobody, ever. Japan


Icemage

fixed

[Icemage]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

"I drove this truck over the cliff, but I hope they'll let me stay on as a backseat driver because I owe them." - said nobody, ever.


Icemage

[Malacite]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

update, and it's not good news;


Square Enix’s New President Plans To Review The Entire Company | Siliconera

After the announcement of Square Enix’s net income loss of 13 billion yen, it was announced that Yosuke Matsuda will be replacing Yoichi Wada as the president of the company. Since then, there’s been many questions about what this means for Square Enix and what will become of Yoichi Wada.






In a recent Square Enix Holdings briefing session, the to-be president, Yosuke Matsuda, talked about his plans for the company:



“After having succeeded the important role as the president, I plan on reviewing all Square Enix duties, business and assets on a zero-based budgeting standpoint. Due to the radical change of environment, I’d like to fundamentally review what works and what doesn’t work for our company, then cast all of our resources towards extending what makes us successful and thoroughly squeezing out what doesn’t.

As far as a concrete plan on what to expect from us, I will further explain it on another briefing session in the near future, so I kindly ask for your patience. Thank you for your support.”



Matsuda also mentions his plans to make Phil Rogers, CEO of Square Enix Europe, the new director of Square Enix Holdings. The two will act as the renovating pillars of Square Enix.



Former Square Enix president and representative director Yoichi Wada has expressed his confidence in the new president and stated that he is not concerned with the company’s management under Matsuda. Wada’s resignation as CEO of Square Enix will go into effect on June of 2013, but he will still be part of the company. Wada states:



“As an employee, I believe it is my duty to help the company and give proper results from it. I will be retiring from the line of management, but I plan to work on site as a way to pay my debt to the company.”



It has yet to be revealed as to what position Wada will take after his resignation takes effect in June. Meanwhile, Square Enix Los Angeles has been hit with lay-offs.


Read more at Square Enix’s New President Plans To Review The Entire Company | Siliconera

[Etra]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

Honestly, I don't see FFXIV becoming very popular. I'll be surprised if it retains slightly more users than XI has after it's done bleeding the free month users. Of course, this is based on my opinion from alpha and beta.

Guess we'll see what happens after Wada is gone.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

Time will prove me correct.

The best FFXIV can hope for at this point is to limp along with a tiny playerbase. The groundwork has already been laid, it cannot become a hit.

[Pwnagraphic]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

Your tears are going to be absolutely delicious.

It doesn't matter how much better the game is now, it's already had its shot and it blew it worse than any other MMO in recent memory. When ARR rolls around most people are going to go "oh, FFXIV is still around? Wasn't that game supposed to be so fucking god awful that they canned it and went F2P before shutting servers down?". You'll get a few folks curious enough to investigate, but unless it turns out to be the MMO Jesus the industry has been waiting for, it'll get maybe a couple million subscribers at launch, which will quickly fall off and then it'll limp along on a couple hundred thousand and languish in obscurity for years. It might survive, but it cannot become the hit it needs to be to justify all the money they threw away on it.

Only time will tell. A lot of companies don't get second chances for one game and many people who saw the failure of FFXIV are excited to see it rebooted.

Then there's also the PS3 market, and possibly the PS4. I agree with BBQ about the market changing, but I think XIV can survive for a while on a P2P structure possibly for an entire 10 years the devs want it's life to be as long as the content and the will to play is there.

For any of the people who like to bum rush to end game, that content is already in place for the people have every class and job maxed to 50 who are Legacy members. They haven't elaborated much on what they're full plan is for us, but I'm excited to see what is in store.

[Kailea]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

New Square-Enix president?......... *prays he will can FFXIII-3"

[Icemage]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

Then again, SE has a terrible approach to microtransactions as well.

Yeah, I don't think anyone else has created anything quite as egregiously bad as Final Fantasy: All The Bravest (also greenlit under Wada's tenure, I might add).


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

If FFXIV recovers, its only going to be through a F2P model and not a day before.

The market has changed and if they and Zenimax think anyone outside of the WoW and pre-WoW faithful are going to pay a subscription they are all in for a serious reality check. SE had better have plans in place if no one bites on monthly subscriptions.

Then again, SE has a terrible approach to microtransactions as well.

[cidbahamut]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

I still think XIV has a good chance of recovering.

Your tears are going to be absolutely delicious.

It doesn't matter how much better the game is now, it's already had its shot and it blew it worse than any other MMO in recent memory. When ARR rolls around most people are going to go "oh, FFXIV is still around? Wasn't that game supposed to be so fucking god awful that they canned it and went F2P before shutting servers down?". You'll get a few folks curious enough to investigate, but unless it turns out to be the MMO Jesus the industry has been waiting for, it'll get maybe a couple million subscribers at launch, which will quickly fall off and then it'll limp along on a couple hundred thousand and languish in obscurity for years. It might survive, but it cannot become the hit it needs to be to justify all the money they threw away on it.

[Malacite]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

It didn't wow anyone at E3, but when the teaser site went live there was a lot of buzz stirred up. It's all spilled milk at this point anyway.

As for FF15... I actually really do hope that's the case - a fresh start on the next gen with a new FF ready for PS4 launch? That'd be sick. Consoles very rarely launch with more than 1 or 2 (if that) AAA games.

[Icemage]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

Nevermind the whole debacle at the PS4 event, or the fact that we still haven't heard shit all about Versus 13.

Current rumor is that Vs 13 has been shelved and turned into a PS4-exclusive FF15. No idea whether there's any truth to the rumor, but in the grand scheme of Japanese honor, it would make some sense, and Nomura certainly wouldn't object.

I wouldn't go so far as to say 14 wasn't wanted or asked for; it built up a LOT of hype and positive attention when it was first showcased.

Are you remembering the same reveal I'm remembering? I remember Square-Enix showing off alpha gameplay from FF14 and getting a collective yawn from most of the gaming world. Remember, outside of this community, most people have terrible memories of FFXI, and that dropped an anchor around FF14 hype-wise.


Icemage

[Pwnagraphic]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

Rember to keep in account that not even the Eidos part of the company was enough so there's obviously more that needs to change inside the company that has nothing to do with Final Fantasy. What that is, I do not know.

[Malacite]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

I still think XIV has a good chance of recovering. I can't go into specifics obviously because of the NDA, but I will say Yoshida hasn't been busting his ass off for nothing. I think it's a matter of Wada realizing too late just how badly he screwed up. He's done a decent job recently in terms of repairing the damage, but again, the damage has been done. Tanaka should have been sacked from XI after ToAU quite frankly - Letting WotG drag on for 3 years? Inexcusable. Pissing off Sony the way they did with FFXIII, on top of letting Kitase run wild with company resources and not reprimanding him at all? Equally as bad. Worse, even, since he's still at it but then like you said, they're basically using up the resources they'd sunk in.

Nevermind the whole debacle at the PS4 event, or the fact that we still haven't heard shit all about Versus 13.


EDIT: I wouldn't go so far as to say 14 wasn't wanted or asked for; it built up a LOT of hype and positive attention when it was first showcased. Sure, they could have done an HD version of XI instead, but I think XIV generated enough genuine interest to merit its creation. The problem however, was the game got rushed and once again, Tanaka had free reign when everyone who's played XI knew full well the man was a bull-headed jackass who plays by his own rules and ignores criticism. Part of why I want to see 14 succeed isn't just because I like the game, but also to see Yoshida get respect he deserves. We need more guys like him at SE, and less like Tanaka & Kitase.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: Square-Enix CEO Yoichi Wada steps down

I think the saddest thing that can be said about Square-Enix's internal development is that the best work they've done recently is Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, a game with a name so ridiculous that you can't even take it seriously

And no formal western announcement yet. In a year where 3DS is trucking along quite well with JRPGs now is not the time for them to let that game languish in obscurity - rename it and bring it west. Get every hand on deck for FFX and FFX-2 HD.

Its worth pointing out DQ met its greatest and lowest success in retail on Wada's watch as well. DQIX was a high and while DQX is actually where it took FFXI two years toget, its not setting the world on fire. DQX is hardly a full failure, but making it an MMO probably wasn't the best idea. Its not really even the fault of the platform - just the idea of making it an MMO.

Perhaps in time it will become an asset like FFXI eventually did, but I hope its an object lesson in putting online connectivity where it doesn't belong.