Square Enix didn't get to be Japan's powerhouse RPG developer by taking many risks. After the massive success of the big-budget cinematic RPG Final Fantasy VII, says producer Toshiro Tsuchida, the production model for Square Enix games has remained mostly unchanged: Big budgets, huge teams, 2-4 year development cycles, and an emphasis on visual arts.
But Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life As A King has flipped all of that on its head. In a Game Developers Conference session on Thursday, Tsuchida and programmer Fumiaki Shiraishi talked about the lessons they learned creating the small game for WiiWare, Nintendo's upcoming downloadable game service.
