DaybreakHorizon
Beauty in the Chaos
I feel like the argument comes down to risk and reward. Is Square Enix willing to take a risk to get a larger reward? Or will they play it safe and get a lesser reward? Speaking from a psychological standpoint (I’m a psych major), people pretty much never go for the long term rewards. But, Square Enix might be different.I agree with this, but at the same time, I believe SE would see it as worth the risk to include DQ instead. The logic goes like this:
- Kingdom Hearts 3 is going to sell with or without Smash. It already has a huge following in the west, and it's practically guaranteed to be a success. DQ XI S, however, is not (at least in the west). What better way to drum up interest in the franchise than to include it in Smash? It may seem like a risky move now, but that's only if you're thinking short-term. DQ's inclusion in Smash could massively increase interest in the series, thus leading to more sales for DQ XI S, thus getting DQ into more people's hands and possibly creating more fans in the west. An increasing fanbase could snowball from there, which could subsequently lead to more successful DQ releases in the future.
It's a risk that could massively pay off for the franchise both now and in the future, while Kingdom Hearts really wouldn't benefit all that much from such a promotion. Basically, this is SE's big chance to really push DQ into the west, and it's a risk I think they'd be wise to act upon. This opportunity will probably never present itself again. If they really want DQ to become bigger in the west, then this is their chance to really get the ball rolling.
Dragon Quest is probably the biggest and most historically important video game series currently not in Smash. It's legendary. It's one of the few game franchises that truly "deserves" a spot due to how influential it is. For how important it is to gaming as a whole. I personally think its legacy is enough to get it in Smash alone, and it's definitely something I think Sakurai would like to represent in the greatest gaming crossover of all time. I believe it'd be a smart idea to use the VGAs to not only highlight the franchise, but also bring attention to DQ XI being a great game all while boosting the series' name further with a Smash DLC announcement. It'd have people everywhere talking about Dragon Quest, and I'm sure that's something SE would like to happen.
To sum up:
- Kingdom Hearts wouldn't benefit very much from using Smash as cross-promotion. It's already massively popular in the west and doesn't really need such a push to sell KH 3. I believe the sheer hype surrounding the game is sufficient to get newcomers on board as well.
- Dragon Quest being promoted in Smash could probably be the push it needs to finally breakout in the west, thus leading to more successful western releases in the future. There's not much hype or interest surrounding DQ in the west, but it being in Smash could potentially change that.
I think Dragon Quest benefits more from being in Smash (and has done more than enough to deserve it). It's something that I'm sure everyone involved would want to make happen. KH could very well take the spot, but I'll always see it as a huge missed opportunity to increase interest in DQ. Well, those are my thoughts, anyway. I'm not an expert on subjects like this, so please excuse me if I'm not making too much sense.
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Whatever happens, I'm sure it's going to be rad. I wish the best of luck to all of you Sora fans, but don't count us DQ fans out just yet.
Something we’re not taking into account is wider popularity. KH has the advantage with worldwide popularity, and Sora has the advantage in traditional fan polls (specifically the ballot).
If Sakurai goes to Square Enix for Sora, will they deny him for a long con with a Dragon Quest character? One that might not even work? No way. Sora is popular and will make Square Enix a bunch of money.
Sora also seems to have an easier process for addition, as the Square Enix step is only through Normura. Sakurai invokes his relationship with Normura and asks for Sora. Normura agrees. Sakurai doesn’t have to work with Square Enix and instead works with Disney, who are pretty chill about Sora’s inclusion.
For a Dragon Quest character, no one has any idea how it works, but it involves working not only with Square Enix, but also Blue Sky Studios (Toriyama) and a separate one (I forget which). If you thought Square Enix was hard to work with? Try working with them alongside two other studios for one character.
It just doesn’t seem to be worth it.
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