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The story
A thread titled “What would it take for you guys to trust Square Enix again?” popped up on the Game Hardware & Industry board (Geha), sparked by a rumor — floated by self-described FF14 faithful — that director Naoki Yoshida might become the company’s next president. Posters called for basic honesty like “don’t lie” and “don’t cheat your customers,” alongside gripes about FF16’s PS5-exclusive launch, the lack of an upgrade path for owners of older versions, and the endless remake cash grabs. At the same time, some voiced skepticism about whether Yoshida — a creator at heart — could really run a major corporation as its top executive, leaving opinion in the thread split.
What people said
Either exile Yoshida, or he ends up as another Bigmotor Conan-kun lol (the eerily cheerful mascot statue that became a symbol of the Bigmotor insurance-fraud scandal)
'Reach people's hearts'
(Quit the self-indulgent navel-gazing — if a game doesn't actually strike a chord with consumers, it won't sell and nobody'll enjoy it)
'Challenge with all your might'
(Stop half-assing it and dumping your own work on subordinates or subcontractors)
'Be a swift pioneer'
(Stop chasing trends and start making the next trend with your own head — chasing trends is exactly how the mighty FF ended up getting mocked by a French indie-made command RPG)
'Elevate each other'
(Stop working with the arrogant, self-righteous mindset that your opinion is absolute, that you're right and everyone else is wrong)
'Keep evolving'
(Stop clinging to past glories, past achievements, past successes — even FF is in danger of falling apart)
'Be sincere'
(Stop saying and doing things meant to deceive management or consumers — stop claiming things 'can't be done without PlayStation')
These are literally the company's stated Values, so what they're really saying is: change the mindset you've had ever since the PlayStation-first era
I'm sick to death of both FF and Dragon Quest at this point
but FF16 is still the biggest one — they trashed FF15 nonstop while making it, then it flopped hard
and it's even dragging down whatever FF17 might exist someday
https://krsw.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/ghard/1788577597/
Put those resources into new titles instead
Even the president bothers to personally show up at overseas fan festivals for him, so he's safe
Time to wake up from that fantasy
Start fresh with the resolve of launching a brand-new studio, and make a proper game that actually matches modern quality and sensibilities
Though realistically, given their culture and talent pool, neither is happening
Do that and all you'll be left with is stuff like Left Alive or Balan Wonderworld
Though honestly, if the alternative is mangling their once-great IPs into unrecognizable garbage and getting mocked for it, maybe a Balan is the better option
They were masterpieces back in real time, but if they dropped now, you'd probably have more fun with a decent indie game instead
If they actually put that out, I'd switch to Team Support too
That's basically a cancer on the industry
'Be sincere'
People from the development side only ever make it as far as VP
A lot of idiots get this wrong, but being president is a job about running the company
You don't need any talent or skill as a game creator for that role
you just have other people who are good at making games actually make them
When you think about whether Yoshida could actually run a company the size of Square Enix, it's pretty normal to conclude that quitting creative work to become a full-time executive just wouldn't work
Maybe it'd be fine if he's just a figurehead-slash-mascot for PR while the real authority goes to someone who actually knows finance
That's got the same DNA as RebeSaga (fan nickname for a SaGa-series title)
It's not Square Enix that's great, it's just that the outsourced developer is…
Do that much, and maybe trust starts coming back
Users pick it up precisely because the DQ or FF name is attached
If 'just being fun' were enough to sell, there'd be tons of independent creators out there who'd struck it big on their own
Since that's not the case, you see plenty of 'where'd they go after going independent, and now they're struggling' stories
Even Kojima has struggled, and he was basically king back in Konami's MGS heyday
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
The distrust surrounding Square Enix has built up over time, driven by FF16’s underwhelming PS5-exclusive launch, the business practice of forcing owners of older titles to rebuy at full price due to the lack of upgrade-path support, and frustration with the flood of remakes and ports. Where the thread split was on whether Naoki Yoshida — credited with turning FF14 around — is actually the right fit for “next president.” Some pointed out (posts 57 and 74) that the presidency at a Japanese company is fundamentally about overseeing management and finance, a different skill set entirely from development chops, while others voiced support out of sheer expectation for a marquee creator. It’s also worth noting that the claim of “Yoshida as next president” is itself framed within the thread as an unconfirmed rumor, not an official announcement.
※This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Hardware & Industry / Geha) thread “[Sincerity] What would it take for you guys to trust Square Enix again? FF14 faithful say Yoshida is next in line for president“.
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