Should More Classic Final Fantasy Games Be Remade? The Arguments For & Against
5. For - Commercial Potential
Some criticism has been directed as Square-Enix for the fact that VII Remake will be episodic, with much of this geared around the fact that experiencing the ‘full game’ will end up costing at least £200 (based on an assumption of five episodes at a minimum of £40 each). This is despite the fact that each episode is being expanded into a full-length 50-100 hour experience comparable in value to any other new release, which will have already won over many cynics given the quality and depth of the content.
This practice may have already turned off the most stubborn of players and there will likely be an inevitable fall-off in player count with each instalment as some forget about the game and others simply choose not to continue with it, but the sales figures and financial returns so far look very promising for the board and shareholders. They can reasonably assume that a sizable percentage of episode one’s 3.5 million and counting buyers will end up shelling out for each subsequent instalment no matter what – it’s how addiction works after all…
Success in business is obviously based on revenues, so from a commercial standpoint, analysts within the company are probably seeing the success of VII Remake as a potential licence to print money going forwards. A lot will hinge on whether episode two and beyond are comparable triumphs, but making hundreds of millions from remaking one property will certainly make remaking others an attractive prospect.