"It might be a while until next March for Square Enix’s highly anticipated sequel Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. But it’s never too early to get psyched for the inevitably awesome musical composition of the soundtrack.
That hype undoubtedly got its kickoff at E3 2013, where it was revealed that lead composer Masashi Hamauzu would enlist the help of Boston-based Video Game Orchestra to orchestrate the Square Enix RPG soundtrack, due out in Japan at the same time as the game’s release on Nov. 21, 2013.
Being familiar with the symphonic rock band thanks in part to their stellar performance at PAX East this past March, yours truly got the chance to chat up VGO lead guitarist Shota Nakama. We discussed the upcoming release of Lightning Returns, delved into Nakama’s videogame music origins and even picked his brain about his favorite JRPG battle theme.
Hit up the interview past the break, and if you’re the type to enjoy an audio companion, the entire interview I conducted with him is also featured in the newly-released Episode 52 of the Pixelitis Podcast, starting at the 48:40 mark."
- Patrick Kulikowski
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth publisher Square Enix has declared a $140m loss based on a shakeup of its internal development pipeline.
What are they doing over there? Sounds like they canceled something big. I read a rumor a while back about ff9 remake . Here "Final Fantasy IX has gone through a very challenging development, the game is still in progress but may undergo changes drastic enough that we won't hear about it for a couple of years."
This could be one of the reasons if the rumor is true. That was Silknight i don't know how credible he is but it's something and it would make sense.
The industry implosion is continuing. Sky high budgets, prolonged development windows, stagnant sales numbers, and falling currency values (inflation) are wreaking havoc on the legacy industry. AAA games will slowly become the rarity.
Saad from eXputer: "After suffering from massive financial hits, Square Enix & Bandai Namco appear to be turning over a new leaf but I'm still unconvinced."
I was talking about games with some Japanese guys here in Japan, and it seems like around here Bandai Namco has a fame of making low-quality games, with the occasional gem.
About Square Enix, I believe they lack the capacity to improve. They should learn with Capcom (although even Capcom still makes some bad mistakes), but I don't think they ever will. They keep chasing whatever is new at the time (blockchain, AI...) to say "we innovate", without considering the public perception and if these things actually improve the games or not. Them releasing too many small games with no advertising also shows a lack of trust in its own products. Even with their biggest games, like turning FF into an action game with XVI and the very divisive plot changes regarding whispers and timelines in VII Remake, shows them trying to attract a new generation of gamers without understanding what made the series so big in the first place.
I don’t know why NOW they decide on this, but I guess later is better than never.
Saad from eXputer: "I'm glad I don't have to choose between Square Enix, Atlus, and FromSoftware due to bad release windows and Shadow of the Erdtree."
What a word vomit, rambling, turd of an article that simply states the obvious. Classic exputer.