Getting Western Fans a Voice with Square Enix.

[Cat Rage Room]

Oh no, like I said, I agree with the spirit of what you're saying. You're absolutely right; us not buying their shit will, has, and will continue to work. But what I'm saying is that a large scale market action such as that cannot be really controlled or organized; its going to happen regardless. Worst case scenario, without any of our voices, they're just going to pawn off the reason to 'well maybe our games aren't MANLY ENOUGH' or some bullshit reason and things will get worse and SE bankrupts and sinks completely (which, if they can be saved, this isn't a best case scenario)

It's sort of like if your mom, assuming she is also retarded, started baking shit pies instead of apple pies, but without you telling her why, even if she knows you don't like shit pie, unless you tell her 'HEY MOM NO GIVE ME APPLE PIE. DO YOU HEAR ME, YOU DUMB BROAD?! APPLE PIE' she's just going to keep trying everything from piss pie to dirt pie until sheer luck lands her on apple pie again and you kill her and steal the recipe and just start making apple pie yourself so she doesn't fuck up again.

 

[Lord Noctis]

So, asusming we go through with this (we should) when do we want to do it?

 

[Cat Rage Room]

I'm already organizing it IN THE BACK ROOM right now. I want to bring it on the public here as soon as possible for you guys, but until it's organized (if it gets organized *gulp*) I don't want some random schmuck wandering in here on his first post and ruining the groove and surprise element; I don't like unveiling things until it gets to a certain level of organization, or even really how we're going to do it.

 

[Ghost X]

Do you know what 'media' means, Mog? I specifically mentioned them in my posts, but anyway, I think/hope you get the point. I agree with Smooth Criminal too, don't buy their shit. I haven't been for a long while, so I think I've done more than a lot of people here in regards to disciplining SE .

I honestly don't think SE are that ignorant to the media that continually criticises them (many sending the message we want to send already). Hell, even admitting FFXIV is shit is a promising sign from SE. I don't think they did that with FFXIII, perhaps it was because it was a financial success (going back to the point that silly people are buying their shit products, positively reinforcing them to produce more shit).

Point is, the media you are planning to contact are already sending the message you want to send to SE. It doesn't appear to be working, so I'm doing you a favour by saying you shouldn't waste your time. Think of another plan, or just don't buy their shit. The SE horse is already at the water hole. Hell, they're practically drowning in it, but they aren't drinking. The water hole being the vast ocean of information.

And for something completely different. If you're rich, travel to one of the various SE offices and start a picket outside the entrance... and get whisked instantly away by security.

 

[Sephiroth~and~Vincent_Fan]

I really wish so, they should since their foreign fans (aka us) have grown into countless numbers, so I think they will eventually, or should. If not, I'd be one of the people that jump at the next oppurtinity to convince them...somehow...

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

You guys wanna have a voice and give Square a powerful message they can't ignore?

Don't buy their shit.​

The almighty dollar speaks volumes. It's louder than any letter, petition, review, etc. If they see no one's buying their half assed bullshit, then guess what? They'll all cry and Wada will have to get his shit pushed in by a punch of pissed off shareholders who want to know why the fuck their profits are failing not just in Japan but in the US too.

Don't. buy. their. shit. THEN negatively review it and say how bullshit it is. And guess what?

They'll have no choice but to go to the table and say, "I'm sorry we lost your trust, what can we do?"

Seriously. Trying to reason with them and make them see the error of their ways is not gonna do shit. Unless they lose money, they won't give a damn. That's the kind of company they are right now.

They're kind of at that point already. They recognize that they're in trouble, but they still don't seem to have the common sense to figure out that actually talking to the fans who desperately want to have faith in them again is a step in the right direction.

Watching them right now is kind of like watching "Wheel of Fortune" when you have the puzzle figured out while a contestant who landed on $5,000 a few times keeps spinning the wheel. You're shouting, "Come on, just solve it! Stop spinning the damn wheel before you hit Bankrupt! Come on, you've already got over $50,000 on this thing, just end it! Just end it already!" -- and then they start buying vowels and you realize to your horror that they have no idea what the solution is.

SE is like a retarded gameshow contestant who got lucky a few times but whose number has now come up.

I honestly don't think SE are that ignorant to the media that continually criticises them

Oh, they definitely are. Their lack of implementing things like multiple voicetracks despite years of fan requests is alone enough to show that. Their painfully ignorant comments in interviews is the other obvious sign.

Hell, even if they do pay attention to what media outlets say about them, they definitely don't read forums.

 

[Tetsujin]

Their lack of implementing things like multiple voicetracks despite years of fan requests

It's funny, because KH2 and BBS Final Mix HAVE both English and Japanese audio. But even the Japanese get an odd solution, since English audio is mandatory for the game and the Japanese audio is only for the theatre mode. An odd choice.

I do hope that they listen to fans now. At least they have realised they are in trouble.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

So, I've decided to get the ball rolling. Nothing big, just seeing if I can find some interest in other communities. I'll hold back, and wait to see how they pan out before getting into detail. I'm hopeful that we can actually make something happen here. I'll update again when I have some real news.


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[Tifabelle]

I'm up for whatever. Just put the word out when you guys decide what you want to do.

Even if nothing comes of it, who cares? It's worth a try. It's not going to hurt anyone to do it.

And I know the whole "Stop buying their shit" thing seems like a good idea, and maybe it is. But it's hard because there's always that little voice of hope saying, "I bet this one's better." And how do you know a game is bad unless you (or at least a bunch of people) play it and find out? Plus, unless as an entire mass we stop buying their product, a few people not buying is not going to be a blip on their radar (no offense). You'd have to organize a boycott. Which again, Mog makes a great point about them knowing they've done something wrong, but not knowing what it is that they're doing wrong.

 

[Alex Strife]

I'm up for whatever as well, so count me in.

 

[ForceStealer]

Does this mean you're not buying Dissidia 012 Mako?

 

[Glaurung]

I'm already organizing it IN THE BACK ROOM right now. I want to bring it on the public here as soon as possible for you guys, but until it's organized (if it gets organized *gulp*) I don't want some random schmuck wandering in here on his first post and ruining the groove and surprise element; I don't like unveiling things until it gets to a certain level of organization, or even really how we're going to do it.

Once you do it, could we add some other things that we think might be important? I have a few things on my personal wishlist

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Once you do it, could we add some other things that we think might be important? I have a few things on my personal wishlist

What type of things? If you mention them now, there's a better chance of us working towards them.


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[Ghost X]

If you guys manage to make a difference, I will put my foot in my mouth. I am that flexible .

 

[Glaurung]

What type of things? If you mention them now, there's a better chance of us working towards them.


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It has more to do with publication politics than anything.

First of all, if they want to have international projection, they should stop keeping most things Japanese-only, like the Ultimanias and the Novellas. For the Ultimanias, I would understand that they do not wish to risk an investment on something that might not sell as well overseas than in Japan, but for the Novellas, especially in the case of Episode Zero (which was merely uploaded on the Japanese S-E site), it doesn't apply; it's very unfair for non-Japanese fans not to be able to reach said materials unless some kind soul translates them into English on a fan-site.

In addition to this, I would suggest that they visited non-Japanese fan-sites, that they spoke with fans who live over-seas, be it America or Europe, to have some kind of feedback of how fans react to their work without having to release a game and wait for the gaming sites' reviews, so they don't throw years of work out of the window.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

This made me think of Mako's Comment, but applied to S-E.


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[ForceStealer]

lol, I get that the article is being facetious, but its a bit silly. I don't think anyone that has said Activision is evil were ever actually comparing it to real evil. Bobby Kotick is just a arrogant prick. At least Wada has the 'idiot' excuse.

 

[Cthulhu]

cba to read the whole thread, but here's an idea: Write an open letter to SE. Post it on the front page. Have it 'signed' or supported by a number of influential internet personalities and -websites. Have them have their say in it as well.

Establish a bullet-point list of things to get across, write up the best prozaïc work ever to have been imagined (but without making it tl;dr), and plaster it on the internets for everyone to see. If it gets enough media attention, we won't need to contact Square - because people have tried, and probably with all the points you guys have been trying to make.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

Good idea, Yop!

 

[Dashell]

cba to read the whole thread, but here's an idea: Write an open letter to SE. Post it on the front page. Have it 'signed' or supported by a number of influential internet personalities and -websites. Have them have their say in it as well.

Establish a bullet-point list of things to get across, write up the best prozaïc work ever to have been imagined (but without making it tl;dr), and plaster it on the internets for everyone to see. If it gets enough media attention, we won't need to contact Square - because people have tried, and probably with all the points you guys have been trying to make.

This I can get behind. This is a great idea.

 

[Cat Rage Room]

I do still want to send whatever we do to journalistic gaming news outlets like Kotaku and IGN though; no matter what we do, they're getting dibs on it as well.

 

[Shademp]

So...is anything happening here?

Asking because I don't have the time, energy or skill to get involved but I really want to know if any of the ideas are being executed or just left in the corner.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

They're being executed. You'll probably see some admins from other sites trickling in over the next little while. Please be respectful. We're holding the preliminary discussions with them on a specially permissioned subforum, and will be opening up visibility on this operation as it progresses.


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[GlitterBerri]

Hello, my name is GlitterBerri and I've been translating game-related material (including many interviews with the developers at Square-Enix) at my website, BerriBlue, for around 5 years.

I am fully capable of conducting discourse in Japanese and would like to volunteer my assistance with your mission of generating and facilitating a channel of communication between Square-Enix and its English fans.

I can be contacted at the following:
Email: [email protected]
MSN: [email protected]
AIM: GlitterBerri

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Request most gratefully accepted.


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