Per Wikipedia:
The Oxford English Dictionary defines grok as “to understand intuitively or by empathy; to establish rapport with” and “to empathize or communicate sympathetically (with); also, to experience enjoyment”.
Joystiq has a fascinating read in which they detail Square Enix’s struggle in the triple-A market and the company’s plan to survive an increasingly competitive area. Senior Exec. Managing Director Yosuke Matsuda detailed the company’s plan with the following:
Square Enix plans to construct a portfolio tailored to consumer tastes in respective regions, after finding it “extremely difficult” to sell major titles worldwide. The company will focus on tablets and mobile. And, finally, overhaul large-scale, long-term development to increase asset turnover (i.e. get games out the door).
Regarding that final point, Matsuda brings up a Kickstarter and Valve’s Steam Greenlight/Early Access as ways to interact with customers while a game is in development.
“We’re no longer in an age where customers are left in the dark until a product is completed,” said Matsuda. “We need to shift to a business model where we frequently interact with our customers for our products that are in development and/or prior to being sold, have our customers understand games under development, and finally make sure we develop games that meet their expectations.”
Square Enix is in the midst of a major restructuring and executive power realignment, initiated by the very real financial loss previously noted, along with some questionably “weak sales” of AAA titles.
Two titles that surprisingly failed to meet expectations was our recently reviewed Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider. This concerns me as both IO Interactive and Crystal Dynamics, the respective creators of the aforementioned titles, are amazing companies with a long history of producing quality titles in IPs they established. But most who follow gaming news are well-aware that the triple-A space is becoming increasingly competitive. I’ve voiced concern that this may well be the last generation of consoles, and upon hearing this news, I’m thinking (even more so) that this may be a very real possibility. Square Enix is the company that made Final Fantasy for God’s sakes! What is fascinating though, is the mention of a Green-light or Kickstarter approach. If they take the latter and investors are guaranteed a copy of a game, this could very well be the beginning of a new era of gaming, where anything is possible, so long as interest is there. My concern, however, is that when big publishers are involved, I imagine there’s a greater possibility of abuse. Conversely, one could argue that such a possibility already exists as backers of a project are never truly guaranteed anything until a product actually releases. Regardless, I think we’re in a fascinating, if not tumultuous time, particularly on the console front. The triple-A space is indeed becoming increasingly competitive, as Square Enix’s plight provides a real-life example. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it. I think some of Square Enix’s issues mirror that of THQ (though not as drastic) as we’re seeing a domino effect that’s transpired from mismanagement in a variety of areas, particularly, adapting to the market and anticipating what the consumer wants. We’re seeing a shift or realignment in their strategy. From my end, I hope it’s not too late, as Square Enix owns both IO Interactive and Crystal Dynamics.
-ty
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