In a feature story published today in Sweden, the founders of GRIN lay their studio's precipitous demise at Square Enix's feet, saying the publisher reneged on payments during the development of a Final Fantasy game and saddled them with ridiculous requirements as the project went sour.
This is according a story (translated via Google) published today by Aftonbladet, an often provocative tabloid but, with 1.2 million readers, a newspaper of record for Sweden. In direct quotes, co-founders Ulf and Bo Andersson allege that Square Enix didn't pay a cent on a roughly $20 million (USD) contract for "Fortress," (concept art pictured) the code name for a Final Fantasy spinoff that diverged from the series' JRPG roots. The Anderssons say they met all project milestones up to the company's August 2009 bankruptcy.
As the relationship deteriorated, the Anderssons say Square Enix sent them a strange demand: Fax us the game's code, including the project's music files. "It is as silly as it sounds," Bo Andersson said (Google translation.) "It is an impossible requirement, you can not send ASCII or binary codes on the fax. It is backward. Really distinguished mentally-challenged. It was almost a criminal activity."
Square Enix then said GRIN had not been sending its milestone work to the right department, that it should have been filed with the publisher's legal division, an unusual requirement. Square Enix also started complaining that they didn't like the game's Nordic style, even though they'd asked for that at the outset, and is presumably why they went to GRIN in the first place.
Feeling like they'd been set up to fail, GRIN sent Square Enix an image taken from Final Fantasy XII saying it was a production shot from "Fortress." The Anderssons say Square Enix replied "It does not look like Final Fantasy."
"Then we realized that whatever we do ... they have decided," Bo Andersson said. (Google translation).
The remainder of the story chart's GRIN's rise and fall and the Anderssons' resulting debts and disappointment, especially in light of successful Swedish developers such as DICE (Battlefield) and Markus Persson, the creator of the indie hit Minecraft. Again, it's a Google translation, but the piece is reasonably straightforward and readable.
"We wanted to come in and revolutionize Final Fantasy, which is exactly what they need," said Andersson. "The latest version sucks of course."
Bionic Commando was a good game though; both 2d and 3d. So I feel a little bad for them.
Will be interesting to see what Obsidian has to say about working with SE on DS3 after it comes out in a month.
good job using distinguished mentally-challenged while being interviewed for a news story
very professional
good job using distinguished mentally-challenged while being interviewed for a news story
very professional
It's a Google translation.
google isn't very P.C.
Like I said in the other thread, it sounds like they were just looking for an excuse to can the game because GRIN shipped three high profile bombs in a row.
SE dodged a bullet.
What happened? It went two months without Square Enix paid a penny. There was no problem, arguing Bo Anderson, the publishers are sometimes slow with it, but three months, four, five? No money from the Japanese. GRIN bled: studio cost around 12 million a month. The brothers held out, they were supposed to do a new edition of one of the world's most classic franchises. Square did not pay. It was half a year. Grin did everything to afford to continue the development of the game. They closed all offices except the one in Stockholm.
- They starved us, sighed Bo.
google isn't very P.C.
someone should start a boycott
Feeling like they'd been set up to fail, GRIN sent Square Enix an image taken from Final Fantasy XII saying it was a production shot from "Fortress." The Anderssons say Square Enix replied "It does not look like Final Fantasy."
Like I said in the other thread, it sounds like they were just looking for an excuse to can the game because GRIN shipped three high profile bombs in a row.
SE dodged a bullet.
lol you're stupid, the reason for some bad games was because they were bleeding money and had to rush some games from the other studios before they closed. Here is more from the original article:QuoteWhat happened? It went two months without Square Enix paid a penny. There was no problem, arguing Bo Anderson, the publishers are sometimes slow with it, but three months, four, five? No money from the Japanese. GRIN bled: studio cost around 12 million a month. The brothers held out, they were supposed to do a new edition of one of the world's most classic franchises. Square did not pay. It was half a year. Grin did everything to afford to continue the development of the game. They closed all offices except the one in Stockholm.
- They starved us, sighed Bo.
garbage methods by SE
http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/spela/article13094476.ab
So, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .
The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”
QuoteSo, to test the waters at Square a bit, and to see if it was even paying attention, GRIN sent it some concept art from taken straight from Final Fantasy XII .
The Anderssons were told: “It does not look like Final Fantasy.”
Fantastic :lol
I'm not trying to say that they don't deserve any credit for Rearmed or that remaking games as well as they did there is easy, I'm just saying it's not a good indicator that they can make an entire game of such quality on their own.
Well, there's no doubt SE was giving them the ol' Japanese "fuck off".
I just don't see why that's surprising. In the span of three months Grin put out three commercial and critical bombs. I liked BC09 well enough, but the game's flaws ran deep.
BC: Rearmed was fantastic, and you're right, a good remake is not a sure thing, but at the same time, most of the work was done for them. Rearmed 2 gives a better indication of where they go without a framework to build on.
I think Grin was capable of greatness (all of their games have a strong feeling of potential) but whoever was calling the shots at that studio was infinitely more responsible for their demise than Square waking up feeling like they were coyote ugly.
I am glad to see Evilbore has a much better view of how the industry actually works than most sites or forums
Oscar DESTROYED Scenster with that list :bow2
The game probably would have sucked and continued to tarnish the FF name. Ah, wait, all of the other games were mediocre, but this would have been different, right?
1. Square Enix
2. Sony Computer Entertainment
3. Square Enix
A short but accurate list of the biggest failures of the current gaming generation.
you have reminded me of one thing, though. outside avalanche, swedish developers in general are almost as fucking terrible as canadian devs.
you have reminded me of one thing, though. outside avalanche, swedish developers in general are almost as fucking terrible as canadian devs.
but none of those did wii music :-[
1. Square Enix
2. Sony Computer Entertainment
3. Square Enix
A short but accurate list of the biggest failures of the current gaming generation.
Er
Namco and Konami are way worse than SE
but none of those did wii music :-[
Other than a poorly choreographed stage presentation, there wasn't much wrong with Wii music.
I think the small population of Xbots who rag on Wii music fail to realize that Wii music was never intended to emulate real instrumentation.
I'm not sure you fully understand what has happened to the Final Fantasy franchise.
i wish square-enix fans were like nintendo ones Undecided
<Square-enix fan> this game is too linear i don't like it Sad
<Nintendo fan> so basicaly all i do is waiting around while the train travels? OMG ZELDA IS SO AWESOME
you have reminded me of one thing, though. outside avalanche, swedish developers in general are almost as fucking terrible as canadian devs.
Starbreeze made one good game and has been coasting off its goodwill ever since. Just like Silicon Knights, come to think of it.
DICE used to be pretty alright but have gotten worse and worse since EA bought them. Just like Bioware, come to think of it.
I'm the minority here but I really enjoyed Wanted. Sure it was short but man it was satisfying curving the bullets. Shame they went under since they were working on a sequel.
I'm the minority here but I really enjoyed Wanted. Sure it was short but man it was satisfying curving the bullets. Shame they went under since they were working on a sequel.
Wanted could easily have been done on a PS2 though, graphics aside. The whole thing felt really linear. It wasn't a bad game by any means; it just wasn't anything special or particularly original.
Er...that it is slowly slipping into irrelevance? No way buddy, I predicted that over a year ago.
Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
Have you ever played a real instrument before
QuoteI'm not sure you fully understand what has happened to the Final Fantasy franchise.
the Final Fantasy franchise can take a hell of a beating still before it becomes damaged to the point of destruction - especially here in Japan.
Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
Have you ever played a real instrument before
I have, and Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
Have you ever played a real instrument before
I have, and Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
No.
so in this analogy of yours square caters to creepy old weeaboos who don't understand math? Or is it creepy old weeaboos who want to vicariously live their anime dreams from their mothers basement? ::)
square caters to sad losers who wish they were attractive, fashionable, and had the will to actually do something, *anything* with their shithole lives
it's also important that said loser not be able to recognize a fucking terrible story if it's hiding under even the slightest veneer of being philosophical
so pretty much nerds in their late teens
it's not like cliffyb wakes up in the morning and says, i'm gonna make a product for awesome successful people who are entirely satisfied with their lives, fuck supermodels, and can bench-press a ford.
I think the small population of Xbots who rag on Wii music fail to realize that Wii music was never intended to emulate real instrumentation.
Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
Have you ever played a real instrument before
actually i think gaming today is doing a better job of appealing to masochists than it has in a long time, at least on the dd end of things
I'm the minority here but I really enjoyed Wanted. Sure it was short but man it was satisfying curving the bullets. Shame they went under since they were working on a sequel.
Wanted could easily have been done on a PS2 though, graphics aside. The whole thing felt really linear. It wasn't a bad game by any means; it just wasn't anything special or particularly original.
condering it was made in Jakarta studio with a budget of a MCdonalds menu, who is suprised here?
Whatever happened to that jackass who was like the lead designer of Wanted and was talking shit about the Wii and how Madworld would sell like shit? Not that I'm judging what he said, but that's pretty damn bold talk for someone who had their game completely flopped. I'd be amazed if all of the combined platform sales outsold Madworld, did anyone ever do a followup with him?
That was Peter Wanat. He wasn't from Grin, he was from Universal's licensing department, and he wasn't the designer, he was just the an executive producer from Universal. He had a rough sales year in 2009, what with Wanted, Riddick Remake, and Brutal Legend, so it's little surprise he's kept his head down since then.
He wasn't wrong about Madworld, though. Unfortunately for him, his games sold like worse shit.
I think the small population of Xbots who rag on Wii music fail to realize that Wii music was never intended to emulate real instrumentation.Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
Have you ever played a real instrument before
Wait, so you say Wii Music is not supposed to emulate real instruments. Then you ask someone bashing Wii Music if they have ever played a real instrument as a rebuttal? Kind of a contradiction there.
Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
Have you ever played a real instrument before
I have, and Wii Music is a baby rattle simulator
No.spoiler (click to show/hide)Yes[close]
QuoteI have, and Wii Music is a baby rattle simulatori bought it and sold it
It's not difficult to simulate a baby rattle, all you need is small objects and the right casing.
I find the early FFs and DQ1 end before they start really bothering me. I also don't find them difficult at all but that's by virtue of how many times I've run them. DQ2 I'm yuck on. Not a fan. DQ3 I think still holds up well today, and I enjoy it in a similar vein as FF1, where if I just want to play a nice, quick RPG without any of the horseshit drama that bogs down every game after the 8bit era, it hits the spot nicely.
Pokemon I've never really gotten into. The core concept does nothing for me, the apparent great depth does nothing for me as I don't like multiplayer games, and the series itself is far too iterative. I got some fun out of blue back in the day but maybe about 20 hours as opposed to the hundreds other got, and I think I played Ruby as well? It was alright but it made me realize the basic simple problems with the game were not likely to ever be fixed due to the series being led by someone who is autistic.