Are you serious? They gave the guy more freedom than any other publisher would. If Matsuno is looking for creative freedom with decent funding, SCEJ is one of the few publishers that would give it to him.
Yasumi Matsuno leaves Level-5 [Update: Post #201]
- Thread starter Takao
- Start date
Are you serious? They gave the guy more freedom than any other publisher would. If Matsuno is looking for creative freedom with decent funding, SCEJ is one of the few publishers that would give it to him.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Mostly he can't understand why someone would bolt from a steady paycheck that comes from a years-long SE title development. 
I quite honestly don't see him anywhere at the moment since this ended unless he wasn't having any creative input. He's a perfectionist and needs his crew around him and they remain undisturbed (and they're FAR better at vetting themselves when left alone unlike some other directors.)
But it's money. Too few wanna buy his titles. Too few wanna grant him that autonomy. Not with those sales. Not in this day and age.
I quite honestly don't see him anywhere at the moment since this ended unless he wasn't having any creative input. He's a perfectionist and needs his crew around him and they remain undisturbed (and they're FAR better at vetting themselves when left alone unlike some other directors.)
But it's money. Too few wanna buy his titles. Too few wanna grant him that autonomy. Not with those sales. Not in this day and age.
Reality seems to paint a different picture. When Hino first asked him what he would make if he could do anything for Guild01, he wanted to do a puzzle game instead because it would be a quick and simple project. Hino had to convince him that fans expect a certain flavor from the Matsuno name, which is why he made Crimson Shroud.
He's always very appreciative of fan support on Twitter, but there's this underlying tone of defeatism which can be felt. When people ask him to make another epic SRPG, his response is usually that maybe someday he will, but he keeps pondering if there's a market for that sort of game anymore, and whether people really want to play them. It's really kinda sad.
Usually when big name directors leave a company because the company is bad, they have another job lined up somewhere else almost immediately. When they leave and say they want to "take a break" it usually means they're just sick of their job for now.
sublimit
Banned
He still has a contract with them and at this point anything is possible.Maybe Sony will like how TLG will end up and offer him another contract.
Matsuno could sign a contract for one game for Vita and see how it goes from there.Sony really needs a high profile RPG for their system and the only way they'll be getting it is if they form an internal team with a high profile designer to lead them.
Pretty much.
Guess he was more devastated from working on FFXII than I expected. What a shame. :/
Well he's probably not the only one, look at S-E's output since then! >_<
FFXIV's probably going to take out those that remain. They really do seem to drift further and further from what I'd like with each generation, I half expect FFXV straight up stops trying to be an RPG, or at least that Japanese output I'd care about will be even rarer than it is now.
Femmeworth
Banned
Maybe he should see a psychiatrist/doctor. Though I am glad to see him leave Level-5.
Would be nice for Nintendo to give him a small team or something. Aside from Cing, they're usually pretty good at dealing with studios that prefer working on mid-tier projects (Treasure, Monolith, etc...). Not to mention that his SRPGs would be a perfect way to showcase the Gamepad.
At this point I honestly don't think there is any company or team that would make this man happy.
It honestly seems like he would be much happier making something Gaf typically wouldn't give a damn about then anything else. Just handing him a team and telling him to make a game, no matter how much freedom the company gives would be a waste of time and resources.
I can agree to this.
Nintendo and Intelligent Systems already crafted a killer Fire Emblem game on their own, so no, I would let him do his own thing.
And that seems to be the crux of it: the people he works for aren't allowing him to do what he feels good about. SQE threw him into the mouth of the volcano by putting him in charge of a FF title (and all the bullshit that obviously goes with that), then Hino says he should be making games based on what Hino thinks that fans expect from him. Well, Japanese publishers, I expect Matsuno to stay in the industry, so stop fucking that up!
Augemitbutter
Member
he should team up with kazuma kaneko to create the ultimate SRPG.
From what little I've played of Level-5 I actually like them a lot. I think the Layton games are great for what they are, and I only briefly played the first White Knight Chronicle but didn't have a problem with that game at all. Sure the story was a piece of shit but gameplay-wise I thought it was utterly solid. I also played a bit of the two Dark Cloud games and saw them to be well-made dungeon crawlers. I actually don't see where the hate for Level-5 comes from. They seem to be one of the only JRPG developers left who focus a lot on fun, deep gameplay systems.
So, basically, let him form his own group, or at the very least find a developer/publisher willing to give him his own team and then get out of his way. It would really only be viable if he could bring over at least some of the old Tactics band.
Great response.
Level 5 was never a company that has what it takes to realize the kinds of vision Matsuno has. More so now than ever.
Uncle Rupee
Banned
I want to play the PSP version of Tactics Ogre, but I want to play it in 3D on a 3DS. Make it happen, S-E!
Relaxed Muscle
Member
So after finishing the Guild 01 game he hasn't been dping anything and now he quits?..ugh, so we may have to wait years for another Matusno game.
Augemitbutter
Member
bueno.
Relaxed Muscle
Member
What are the chances it is a Mobage/Gree game?
Augemitbutter
Member
don't.jinx.it.
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
Maybe Capcom will pick him up for Resident Evil 7.
Wonder what a Matsuno Rockman RPG would be like.
Wonder what a Matsuno Rockman RPG would be like.
Matsuno going to Gree to develop it for Square Enix!
What a convoluted situation that would be.
D
Deleted member 20920
Unconfirmed Member
He would probably have ended up doing this now for mobile/browsers if he had stayed at SE
He would probably have ended up doing this now for mobile/browsers if he had stayed at SE
Poor Itou. >_>
D
Deleted member 20920
Unconfirmed Member
Itou: Wada san, about that new console game concept I have. I want to bring back ATB in a....
Wada:You must learn from Matsuno San. All he wants to do now is make small puzzle games and take long breaks. Now go back to your long break and think of more small mobile games. Didn't you see what happened when he tried to make the most open and largest offline FF ever?
Itou: -_-"
He would probably have ended up doing this now for mobile/browsers if he had stayed at SE
Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be willing to take him back to do the same thing.
For example, they contracted the director of Nier to work on a browser game.
Femmeworth
Banned
Why did you have to remind me of this. ;_; At least he is still working, or at least was.
He can team up with Minaba again at Mobage!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fantasica/id536474741?mt=8
Top In-App Purchases
Fanta Pts. : C set $9.99
Fanta Pts. : A set $0.99
Fanta Pts. : B set $2.99
Fanta Pts. : D set $19.99
Fanta Pts. : E set $49.99
Fanta Pts. : F set $99.99
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fantasica/id536474741?mt=8
Top In-App Purchases
Fanta Pts. : C set $9.99
Fanta Pts. : A set $0.99
Fanta Pts. : B set $2.99
Fanta Pts. : D set $19.99
Fanta Pts. : E set $49.99
Fanta Pts. : F set $99.99
D
Deleted member 20920
Unconfirmed Member
Totally forgot this...And pity because the art seems so nice...
Level 5 has had bomb after bomb after bomb after bomb lately. Girls RPG, Guild 01, Ni No Kuni, Time Travelers, most didn't sell more than 15k ther first week (mega bomb), and NNK only sold like 60k the first week. White Knight Chronicles 1 and 2 weren't very good either. Now Matsuno leaving before he even makes a single real game. Things are definitely not going well there, and I think it's clear how much people have over-hyped the studio. They're not the next SQEX, at all.
Layton is great, Inazuma still sells for now, and Fantasy Life looks like a charming Animal Crossing clone, but that's all that's on the horizon for now.
Layton is great, Inazuma still sells for now, and Fantasy Life looks like a charming Animal Crossing clone, but that's all that's on the horizon for now.
disappeared
Banned
SquareEnix would destroy whatever soul the poor man has left.
Yeah right. He already went back for the Tactics Ogre remake, and it seemed to go okay.
Femmeworth
Banned
I'm sure Crimson Shrould is better narratively than anything Hino has shat out.
KuwabaraTheMan
Banned
Takes forever to release things, goes on breaks for 'health reasons', but always turns in amazing work whenever it is finished? Sounds pretty accurate.
Too soon.
Femmeworth
Banned
There is little evidence that Itou is only or even actively working on mobile games.Too soon.
disappeared
Banned
All I'm saying is that Matsuno seems to be a hard worker in this industry, and so he would be wise to distance himself from the sinking ship that is SE's past ten years or so.
Parallax
best seen in the classic "Shadow of the Beast"
i want to play them, but they arent coming here until a while after other markets. or not at all.
Glass Rebel
Member
are you a mind reader or something
I'd love to see him work at Valve, or really any good Western developer, just to find out how a Matsuno inspired Western game would be like.
dragonlife
Member
If he goes to Monolith, I hope you guys are prepared for NoA to not bring the game out in a timely manner--or at all. There's always NoE and importing, though...
BocoDragon
or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Realize This Assgrab is Delicious
Maybe ... I think NoA learned a lesson from the Project Rainfall campaign... Small print runs of hardcore titles build goodwill even if it's a blip on your revenue.
OccamsBlender
Member
Inazuma 11 and LBX print all the money they need.
Also, Fantasica is by Silicon Studio, not DeNA. SqEx outsourced Bravely Default 3DS's development to these guys, it might not be a bad place to go...