No answers, just more questions
With the release of Team Asobi’s delightful platformer Astro Bot now behind us, the complete absence of Square Enix references in the Rescue Mission successor remains a mystery. Studio head Nicolas Doucet said that he finds it “difficult to comment” on why the publisher, whose fortunes have always been closely tied to PlayStation’s own, seemingly chose to skip the nostalgic celebration.
Talking to Stephen Totilo’s Game File (thanks, Eurogamer), Doucet said that most “partners just raised their hand and said, ‘absolutely'”, and PlayStation’s first-party family was at the head of the line. Square Enix, it seems, wasn’t interested, and Totillo put this observation to Doucet, who neatly sidestepped: “It’s difficult to comment on [why Square Enix wasn’t involved]. We really respect the choice of each publisher.”
We might be reading too much into things. Still, this does align with Square Enix’s stated multi-platform mandate, and perhaps the storied publisher/developer doesn’t want to be seen to be so closely associated with Sony anymore. Considering that both Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth somehow failed to meet expectations, that might be best for everyone involved.
Are the glory days of the Sony and Square Enix love affair behind us? Considering how well XVI and Rebirth are doing on PC, do you think Square Enix’s multi-platform strategy will be successful? Let us know in the comments section below.
[source gamefile.news]
Khayl Adam is Push Square’s roving Australian correspondent, a reporter tasked with scouring the internet for the richest, most succulent PlayStation stories. With five years of experience as a freelance journalist and mercenary wordsmith, RPGs are his first great love, but strategy and tactics games are a close second, genres in which he is only too happy to specialize.
