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According to Square-Enix representative Shinji Hashimoto, Square-Enix doesn't have that much incentive to release any games on the Nintendo Wii's Virtual Console at present. From 1UP.com:

"We feel that the Japanese game market still requires [physical] media. Also, FF and Dragon Quest are played by a wide range of users, from children to adults, so there are limitations when you consider the problems that we would have with billing systems."

Bottom line, if consumers are paying up to 30 USD for remakes of older Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, why should Square-Enix put them on the VC for a quarter of that? That's what Squenix is thinking, and that statement might unfortunately be evidence that our favorite Japanese developer isn't going to have any downloadable content on the Wii anytime soon.

Source: 1UP

This post has been edited by laszlow on 30th April 2007 23:26

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This doesn't apply to Super Mario RPG, apparently, because that's already been announced by Nintendo.

I'm hoping that SE is really talking about the franchises that they've continued to work with over the years, and not the games that they abandoned with the SNES. Final Fantasy might never come this cheaply, but it's not like they're ever going to do anything with Secret of Mana or FF:MQ...and if they are, that's fine, too, because I'll buy it.

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Veni, vidi, dormivi.

So long as gamers are content to purchase remakes directly from Squaresoft, there's no reason for them to re-release any of their licensed properties. The Virtual Console is a nice way for companies without the traction and brand-name recognition to release decade-old games and still turn out a moderate profit.

Squaresoft has no such problems. Releasing something on the VC now might jeopardize a (more) expensive release down the line. Seeing the way they are squeezing every single cent out of their popular franchises right now, it's unlikely that even the unpopular games (MQ, IoG) would be released.

*sigh*

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Visions of Peace - Four Generals, One Empire, and the Returners caught in the middle.

What's really sad about it all it that if SE decided to release games onto the VC, it wouldn't be the complete works anyways. The most they would have to hook people on with the mainstream games is the original FF I, II, IV, V, and VI. and they wouldn't even be the re-release versions, they'd be ports of the originals.

What they didn't think about is how much they could make if they could hook a new group with these games, and then make them search far and wide to find their copies of VII-XII. It's really a great opportunity for SE, too bad they don't see it that way.

Greed does wierd things to people and companies.

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If internal struggles were as enjoyable and glamorous as the self conflicted wars within video game characters, we would all be statues, reveling in perpetual self war. -Me

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How unfortunate, I was hoping I could play a few games I missed on the VC.

Though it is a good business deciscion on SE's part.

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Could you repeat that?

While this is disappointing, there are only a few Square(-Enix) games I'd like to see on the Virtual Console, really. Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, FFIV, FFVI, and the original FF are all that come to mind right now... but god I'd love to have a direct port of the first Final Fantasy on my Wii. I mean, I have the cartridge still, but I'm starting to fear the internal battery will die soon, and having it on the Wii would be so handy.

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With the lights out
It's less dangerous

And the reason is that those people who are paying 30 bucks will then pay 30 bucks PLUS 10 more bucks to have the game twice...Duh!