Stay true to purpose not technology

Square Enix can be regarded as the Disney of triple A games. They are famous for their high quality games, with incredible storylines, soundtracks, graphics, and distinct brand. Some of their most famous series are Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger, and Kingdom Hearts to name a few. In many ways, Square Enix's influence on turning video games into cinematic sagas can be felt throughout the industry.

Just take a look at their latest trailer for Final Fantasy VII. What a sight and sound to behold.

However in the last 20 years they have been known for some incredibly long development cycles. Famously, Final Fantasy 15 was plagued with a decade long development cycle. The game was announced in 2006 and released in 2016. Originally slated for the PS3, it's release was so delayed that it eventually released 5 years into the PS4 era and had to even be rebranded. Previous titles such as Final Fantasy 13 and 14 also struggled with development in comparison to peer company titles.

One of the major issues that Square Enix faced was that they were building not only a game but also a game engine at the same time. A game company building a game engine and a game is asking to do two things poorly. (Maybe I should take that back since Capcom has been quite successful with the RE Engine while simultaneously building RE2, RE3, RE7, RE8, and DMC all at the same time).