Square Enix is nearly done with last-gen

The market is moving on

There comes a point in every console’s life cycle where we all collectively decide the party is over. Some people start filing out around midnight. Others will disappear later on. Eventually it’s just one guy trying to keep the night alive, even though the sun is rising and nobody else is around.

The PlayStation 3 isn’t quite there yet, but it’s getting close. And Square Enix is slowly edging toward the door, trying to make its escape as soon as possible without being impolite. 

The publisher announced Star Ocean 5 for a western release last week at E3. However, unlike the Japanese version, which is coming to PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 this winter, the localization is skipping out on the older system. You’ll need a PS4 if you want to play it in English (or French). 

Speaking with Star Ocean 5 producer Shuichi Kobayashi following Square Enix’s E3 media event, I asked him to explain why the publisher is choosing to forgo a PS3 release here in the West.

“It’s simple,” Kobayashi replied (through an interpreter). “The PS3 still has a fairly large market in Japan, but in the West, particularly the United States, people have just moved on to PS4. The PS3 market has almost diminished to nothing.”

Meanwhile, Dragon Quest Heroes, also released for both PS3 and PS4 in Japan, is only coming to North America and Europe on the new hardware.

That isn’t to say the publisher is completely finished with the last generation at this point, though. Rise of the Tomb Raider (which Microsoft is distributing) is still scheduled to launch on Xbox 360 this November, for instance. Just maybe don’t expect that trend to go on too much longer.

If you’ve yet to acquire one of the newer machines, the time to do so is likely fast approaching.