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Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes

Posted on Tuesday 12th May 2009 at 18:12 by footbigmike

To anyone interested in the potential of a Chrono Trigger sequel, here is some news for you. It's not the good kind. But not bad, either, unless you were following it. You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?

Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes was a fan-made sequel created by hacking the original ROM. If you remember Chrono Resurrection, you'll see where I'm going with this. After over four years of production, the developer received a cease and desist letter from Square-Enix. The project was due to release at the end of this month. A bit of a harsh move on their part, in my opinion, but if you're an optimist, it may mean that they have plans for a CT sequel of their own...

Here's hoping.

Source: Slashdot

Posted in: Chrono Trigger, Square-Enix News

Written by	footbigmike
	Former Staff Writer
	Member Since: 2005-05-29
	News articles posted: 31
	More articles by footbigmike

Comments

Caesar	Comment 1: 2009-05-12 18:14
	I read that earlier today. That really sucks. A lot of work goes into those projects, so to have it canceled after 4 years of work is just a giant punch to the gut. Maybe they have plans for a CT/CC sequel or whatever, but I doubt it. I think it was more just them flexing their muscles and showing the power they have.
Rangers51	Comment 2: 2009-05-12 18:32
	I can certainly empathize with the developers, given my own role as the person that might someday get a letter like that - hey, who can tell? It sucks to lose that experience, but they can never fully take experience away from you, even if the tangible product no longer exists. By the same token, though, Mike and I were talking about this before he posted it, and I can also see where SE are coming from. This will obviously be hard on company goodwill among the fanbase - I don't think there's a soul out there who would boycott the company over this, of course, but beating up on the fans is never good for morale. And I think that's the reason why it's happening now - we all know that virtually none of these fan projects ever make it to anything resembling a public release. So, why should SE go sending out C&Ds to the 90%+ of these projects that will die in utero? It only logically makes sense from their perspective to use resources to only go after the properties with the biggest impact on their universe. All in all, maybe this game would have been amazing, maybe it wouldn't have been, and maybe that last 2% the development team claimed to have left before release might not have never been done. We won't ever know now, but does it really matter?
Tiddles	Comment 3: 2009-05-12 21:20
	It's a particularly low blow to go after a ROM hack, and quite out of the ordinary. Compare this attitude to that of Sega, who not only turn a blind eye to a trillion Sonic hacks and modifications, both complete and otherwise, but have also been known to use freely available emulators and authors from the "scene" to port their own work to other systems. On the minus side, they've also forgotten how to make good games, but that's another story. Even former kings of corporate terror Nintendo seem to turn a blind eye to this stuff. If anything, they seem to be following a more recent trend of taking a lighter touch on emulation (and hacks by extension) of old stuff, so it seems pretty strange for Square Enix to bother doing something that would almost certainly do nothing to harm their profits and almost certainly do something to harm their public support. Another official CT title would be nice, but it seems more likely they just wanted to use "Crimson Echoes" as the title for yet another FF7 spinoff.
Dragoon Lance	Comment 4: 2009-05-12 21:22
	Quote (Rangers51 @ 12th May 2009 18:32) We won't ever know now, but does it really matter? I'd say that it does matter to the poor soul that poured four years of creative talent into the project. He was only trying to ressurect a game that's been dead for well over a decade. I'm done with Square after hearing this, I won't pay for anything they produce again and I'll make sure word about this gets around.
laszlow	Comment 5: 2009-05-12 21:30
	I think that the strangest thing is that Square-Enix seems to be singularly targeting Chrono Trigger projects and nothing else. Do we know of any other examples of this kind of action from S-E other than CT Resurrection and CT Crimson Echoes? It seems that they're guarding this IP with incredible jealousy, and it happens to be a game particularly close to their heart. Do they have plans for the franchise that they aren't telling us? Of course it's within their rights to do all of this, but it's also awfully mean of them. I mean, a rom hack? Really?
Glenn Magus Harvey	Comment 6: 2009-05-12 21:58
	Between this and Resurrection, ~~Squenix~~ Squenidos had BETTER have something very nice brewing.
Neal	Comment 7: 2009-05-13 12:18
	It's pretty clear from the Cease and Desist letter received that this group knew what they were doing was against copyright and they continued in the hopes that they were small enough to not be found out. Oops! Yeah, sucks for the time lost, but they should've known better, particularly after what happened to Chrono Resurrection. I don't think this means anything for a potential sequel - you really can't call CT a dead game when they just re-released it.
BanjoTheClown	Comment 8: 2009-05-13 20:40
	That really sucks because thats four years of hardwork down the drain and it was supposed to be released this month too. I kinda wanna play the hacked rom now.
Rangers51	Comment 9: 2009-05-13 20:42
	Quote (Dragoon Lance @ 12th May 2009 17:22) I'd say that it does matter to the poor soul that poured four years of creative talent into the project. He was only trying to ressurect a game that's been dead for well over a decade. I'm done with Square after hearing this, I won't pay for anything they produce again and I'll make sure word about this gets around. From reading that guy's posts, I think he's taking it pretty well, or at least as well as one could take it. But as Neal posted, it really doesn't look like they thought they were ever 100% in the clear anyway - caveat emptor, or whatever the Latin is for "developer beware." Please do let us know how your boycott goes.
yelanates	Comment 10: 2009-05-13 23:07
	IMO the question of a new Chrono game is not if, it's when. Square likes money.
RelmArrowney	Comment 11: 2009-05-14 08:01
	I've heard all sorts of rumors for years, such as they've already had a copyright out on the name "Chrono Break," which was years ago, and that sort of thing. Really, I don't know what they could add to the Chrono series. I actually heard a while back ago it was going to be a Final Fantasy, but I guess it took on a life of its own. Or that was a rumor. Either way, until the press release is out, I definitely wouldn't hold my breath on a Chrono sequel.
Glenn Magus Harvey	Comment 12: 2009-05-15 02:03
	Didn't said copyright expire without renewal?
Death Penalty	Comment 13: 2009-05-15 23:26
	I believe it did it America, but that the equivalent didn't in Japan. That's what I've heard at least. I think a sequel could be great fun: maybe take it back to time travel. There's a ton that squenix could do with that. And whoever said it above was right: they like money. A lot. I hope they act on this but I'm not gonna get too hopeful. I can't believe the developers of this are taking it "well." I would be completely pissed to see that happen after four years. I understand the importance, though, of squenix crushing these minor heresies when they arise.
Glenn Magus Harvey	Comment 14: 2009-05-16 04:06
	Quote (Death Penalty @ 15th May 2009 19:26) I can't believe the developers of this are taking it "well." I would be completely pissed to see that happen after four years. I understand the importance, though, of squenix crushing these minor heresies when they arise. I don't understand this "understanding". The chances of Squenidos creating a plot remotely like the one that would be explored by such a fan-made ROM hack is miniscule at best. I have more agreement with Squenix (or was it Square back then) shutting down CT Resurrection, since I could see them wanting to make a 3D remake of CT. A sequel is a different story--literally and figuratively. The only argument that I can see is "fans will get attached to this one continuity and will dislike our canon when we get around to producing it". Any thoughts on how much weight this thought should have?
SilverMaduin	Comment 15: 2009-05-16 08:33
	Quote (Glenn Magus Harvey @ 16th May 2009 06:06) The only argument that I can see is "fans will get attached to this one continuity and will dislike our canon when we get around to producing it". Any thoughts on how much weight this thought should have? I don't really believe it should have any. I can't believe all the Squenidos fanboys NOT buying anything that the company sells. No matter how good a fan-made sequel/spin-off would be, I just can't see it making lessenning sales of a "real" sequel.
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