I should probably wait until after E3 before saying more, but what the hell, I'll say a little bit more.
Firstly, 'Versus XIII' will be at E3. This is set in stone right now. It was pretty much set in stone from months ago. What did Nomura say? He's looking forward to the spring or some crap? I'm pretty sure I read that. That's kind of how far back they were good to go. And beyond that, he was told years ago for when he needs to be ready.
Also, I guess the following information isn't too intrusive and I think could be quite good so that it can provide some understanding regarding some things happening right now, and over the last few years. Especially for fans since obviously SE doesn't speak to you about anything. Beyond FFXIII's release, and the initial launch of FF14, quite a few drastic changes occurred. Even whilst those were being developed, there was a lot of discussion internally going on, but once they were out, some events occurred that they pushed ahead and made a change. As folks know, FF14 was a pretty big mistake and handled poorly. FFXIII also failed to accomplish what was necessary, and a huge part of this was the poor management of the game's development, and the failure of their engine.
To summarise it all, because of what happened with FFXIII and FF14, and the internal problems at the time, priorities changed to saving what could be saved and preparing better for the future instead. This is why for the past few years, you've basically had FFXIII sequels and full effort in trying to salvage FF14. The recent changes with management at SE is also to prepare for the next generation and hopefully giving a new and somewhat better image than SE have given themselves over these past few years. Best way to do that? Reset button with a new generation.
'Versus XIII' was the first project affected by the change and instead given a more long-term focus. It needs to set the tone for what's to come. So, in a way, there is a huge amount of focus behind it, and a lot riding on its success. At the same time, what Wada said all those years ago about being able to provide consistent content of high quality games; that's what will be the focus as soon as this next generation begins. The last 2-3 years have been about getting ready for that.
You miss the first year of the next generation platforms, and it can have a significant effect. You miss 2-3 years, and you're missing way too much time. This, all the while, other development studios are releasing big games every year essentially and selling millions. This then improves their profile, helps create a stronger brand identity, and ultimately gives them a more representative image. This is what SE needs to try and get back, and what they'll ultimately attempt to do. Whether they'll be successful or not remains to be seen. Though, I do certainly feel that the ball is in place for them to deliver some pretty big games over the next 4 years. If they can still mess it up, there is no hope. I don't think they will though.
2-3 years of proper development time isn't small. It's a lot. The key is in the preparation. If you don't have everything prepared (like FFXIII) then even 1-2 years can seem like it wasn't enough time. But, if you have things ready, a proper vision, and a development goal outlined clearly so various people know what needs to be done, then in 2-3 years, you can create some huge games. As it stands, with how HD development is, you can't just take your time and experiment and waste time and hope things will still work out (coughUedacough), unless your company is giving you that time because they don't necessarily need you as their big moneymaker right now (coughUedacough). It's about efficiency and knowing what you need to do. That's also part of a being game designer, understanding your limits and setting a realistic goal. If you have a big project that needs to be out in 3 years, you can't spend a year thinking about things and not even nailing the fundamental aspects of the game design so people don't know they need to do. At the same time, the tools need to be there too and working properly.
SE have had small teams preparing the next projects in line beyond the ones which are already going on, so there can be a smoother transition. Consideration needs to be given to what, hypothetically speaking, the FF15 and FF16 teams are going to do in a couple of years when they need another project. Every development studio keeps in mind what needs to come next, that's just how it is. However, things were so bad in the early generation for SE, they could't even properly accomplish that. That's how messed up it was. SE has a huge amount of manpower. They've just used it really poorly. It's not like they don't have talented people. They do, I can't really deny that, but they're just led by some dumbasses at times. They spent way too much time preparing a shitty engine this last generation, and the knock on effect of that failure, and their poor management basically made them ruin this generation for themselves.
Thankfully, they sorted their own mess out for the most part and were given a little help getting to grips with next gen, so they're much better prepared to go full steam ahead with development in the coming years. Both 2013 and 2014 will be good times for SE fans. There is a lot to be shown over the next year and a half.
