A question about Square Enix's mobile phone games strategy came up after this. The problem with mobile phone gaming is that unlike Japan, where NTT DoCoMo is the predominant platform, there's a much wider array of phones and carriers in the U.S. and they are not intercompatible. Business models of different carriers also offer stumbling blocks (or opportunities, depending on how you look at it.)
Thus, any decisions about which carrier or mobile platform to bring Final Fantasy VII: Before Crisis to are still in flux. Square Enix is waiting for the penetration of highly compatible phones in the U.S. to increase so the game can actually become popular. It's not a matter of if, but a matter of when the game can come to the West. 2006 is currently the broad target. Though it may technically be possible to let Japanese and U.S. gamers play Before Crisis together through networking, carrier policies in Japan and the U.S., irrespective of Square Enix's desires, could affect this. Negotiations on all aspects of the U.S. release of Before Crisis are still underway.
A question of whether or not Square Enix's PlayOnline service, which governs its online games and requires a special registration, will be compatible with or allowed on Xbox Live, which is a closed network. According to Wada, the user experience on Xbox Live will include PlayOnline, and be substantially similar to that seen currently on the PC and PS2. Further details are forthcoming. As far as the Xbox version of FFXI supporting voice chat and friends list, Wada could not yet clarify this issue. Wada's opinion on all three new consoles -- the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Revolution -- Wada's reaction was surprisingly reserved. "That's a very sensitive question," he said, and refused to comment much more. He commended the manufacturers on creating three very capable platforms, which will produce excellent graphics. He also praised all three for creating stylish console designs that will look good in the living room.
As for Square Enix's next generation plans, the company is changing its philosophy somewhat from the current gen. The decision of which platform to develop for will be governed not by hardware specs, but by the sorts of services the consoles will provide beyond raw horsepower. Wada feels that the companies have already begun to make this clear starting from E3, as exemplified by Xbox 360's commitment to online Live gaming, for example.
From here forward, the manufacturers will continue to expand and differentiate the services their consoles offer gamers and thus Square Enix will make decisions based on the directions these consoles go. Though Wada didn't mention it, the connectivity feature of the Gamecube giving rise to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is probably a good example of Square Enix pursuing this philosophy in the current generation. A Japanese editor pressed the question on how the decision of what consoles to bring Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest to will be made. Wada reiterated that this decision will not be made by horsepower alone. Design of the game, he mentioned, could even change depending on the console and its functions.
