[SPOILER ALERT] - The Sevens Squares. - A Square-Enix general support threads.

[REZERO]

That's why this Square character is going to be very interesting no matter who it is.

Geno: Only really known to diehard Smash fans.
Erdrick: Virtually unknown outside of Japan (although the name "Dragon Quest" is fairly well known), licensing issues.
Sephiroth: Would be the first unique secondary addition to a third party IP, and would be getting in despite an absolute dearth of FF content.
Crono: Dead franchise that Square has seemingly no interest in returning to.
Sora: Disney.

All of the above is why I'm still skeptical about the Square character actually existing. Every choice seems like it has a drawback.

There's a good chance that Genos will come out I think because he is a result of Square and Nintendo. It is really fitting.

 

[Fatmanonice]

I'm also getting burned out on the "Smash bubble" argument for that matter. Oh, you mean the millions of people who buy the games who suddenly don't matter for some reason when we discuss Dragon Quest?

http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros.

Look at the numbers. Smash has always sold more in the West by considerable amounts. It's not like Japan has ever been neglected because, good golly, there's a ton of esoteric Japanese references in the Smash games. Honestly, you could argue that Japanese preference has always taken precedent because most argue that Little Mac and Ridley are the only legit Western picks in the entire series. Hell, the Smash Ballots for Melee and Brawl weren't even in English and it was implied that requests not written in Japanese were tossed out. There's this weird sentiment that we're supposed to cry in our beer for Japanese Dragon Quest fans that I simply don't get, as if Japan never gets anything it wants.

 

[Deleted member]

Eli5: Why is a random post making everyone think erdrick is in?

The 2chan/5chan/whatever you want to call it mentioned on a separate note that a P5 fighting game was delayed internally to work on a Granblue fighting game which was just announced.
They posted info about what Joker would bring as well so if they get that right too then that will be interesting

 

[PokéfreakofBACON]

That's why this Square character is going to be very interesting no matter who it is.

Geno: Only really known to diehard Smash fans.
Erdrick: Virtually unknown outside of Japan (although the name "Dragon Quest" is fairly well known), licensing issues.
Sephiroth: Would be the first unique secondary addition to a third party IP, and would be getting in despite an absolute dearth of FF content.
Crono: Dead franchise that Square has seemingly no interest in returning to.
Sora: Disney.

All of the above is why I'm still skeptical about the Square character actually existing. Every choice seems like it has a drawback.

Geno is a lot more well-known than you're giving him credit for. SMRPG was a LOT of people's first rpg in the west, and it's not exactly a cult classic game. It's really popular outside of Smash.

 

[NeonBurrito]

Including a Dragon Quest character would not only be a absolute gold mine in terms of making money from Japan, but would fall perfectly in line with the creator of the series wanting to make the series more popular in the west. People in this thread are vastly underestimating how big the franchise is; the series has outsold Donkey Kong, Crash Bandicoot, The Elder Scrolls, Monster Hunter, Metal Gear, and Smash itself.

I understand that people are really set on Geno and/or Sora, and I still doubt we're getting another Square character considering how much of a pain in the rear they seem to work with, but if we do get one, I'd be incredibly surprised if it was someone that wasn't a DQ character. Just my two cents, considering the recent rumors.

 

[EarlTamm]

There's a good chance that Genos will come out I think because he is a result of Square and Nintendo. It is really fitting.

Geno was result of the peak of Nintendo and Square's relationship before things went south, so it would be a nice sign of good faith. Heck, it was one of the first times Nintendo really worked with anyone if I recall correctly, at least when it came to there big franchises.

 

[StormC]

Geno is a lot more well-known than you're giving him credit for. SMRPG was a LOT of people's first rpg in the west, and it's not exactly a cult classic game. It's really popular outside of Smash.

SMRPG is one of my all time favorite games and I can tell you Geno is talked more in the context of Smash fandom than Mario RPG fandom.

 

[REZERO]

I'm also getting burned out on the "Smash bubble" argument for that matter. Oh, you mean the millions of people who buy the games who suddenly don't matter for some reason when we discuss Dragon Quest?

http://vgsales.wikia.com/wiki/Super_Smash_Bros.

Look at the numbers. Smash has always sold more in the West by considerable amounts. It's not like Japan has ever been neglected because, good golly, there's a ton of esoteric Japanese references in the Smash games. Honestly, you could argue that Japanese preference has always taken precedent because most argue that Little Mac and Ridley are the only legit Western picks in the entire series. Hell, the Smash Ballots for Melee and Brawl weren't even in English and it was implied that requests not written in Japanese were tossed out. There's this weird sentiment that we're supposed to cry in our beer for Japanese Dragon Quest fans that I simply don't get, as if Japan never gets anything it wants.

I would be shocked if smash didn't sell more in the west, competitive smash tend to have more non native players because there's more people outside of Japan. Its just that the developer is Japanese so the odds are favorable for DQ characters.

 

[StormC]

I think when people say "Smash bubble" they mean the diehard fans who obsess over the game on SmashBoards, can pull up any SourceGaming article willy nilly for a Sakurai statement, etc. etc. The kind of people who voted in the ballot. The Smash Ballot had 1.8 million votes (and how many of those were double votes?) while Smash 3DS had 9 million units sold or so. That's a section of Smash fandom that is very separated from the majority of people who buy the games, but drive the conversation about the series online.

 

[Fatmanonice]

I would be shocked if smash didn't sell more in the west, competitive smash tend to have more non native players because there's more people outside of Japan. Its just that the developer is Japanese so the odds are favorable for DQ characters.

But that's what I've been saying. 93% of DQ's sales are in Japan with NA and EU being roughly 3 and 4% respectively (DQ's actually more popular in Europe). That's a hell of a slant. Even with DQ XI's recent success, the slant for the game is still like 80-85% for Japanese sales meaning it's quadruple the difference. There's no franchise in Smash where the gap is this gigantic, especially not third party.

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

Geno is a lot more well-known than you're giving him credit for. SMRPG was a LOT of people's first rpg in the west, and it's not exactly a cult classic game. It's really popular outside of Smash.

And Dragon Quest is not as "awful" in the west as some people here are trying to bring up. Hell, DQ11 is actually the best selling in the west even beating out DQIX which Nintendo helped advertise for with even using Seth Green.

 

[TheCJBrine]

Did this 5chan/whatever post mention anything other than Erdick, Joker, and Granblue?

And what did it say would come with Joker?

 

[Ezclapper]

Eli5: Why is a random post making everyone think erdrick is in?

It’s simple, people want to lower their expectations so they won’t get upset if they don’t get the character they want.

 

[Deleted member]

Did this 5chan/whatever post mention anything other than Erdick, Joker, and Granblue?

And what did it say would come with Joker?

It mentioned an upgraded port of P5, presumably switch
Joker's stage is Mementos, and Jack Frost appears in one of his abilities.

 

[Deleted member]

Did this 5chan/whatever post mention anything other than Erdick, Joker, and Granblue?

And what did it say would come with Joker?

Mementos stage and a move that summons Jack frost. It also said Persona 5 R was coming to switch in 2019 and that P5U is a thing.

 

[PokéfreakofBACON]

And Dragon Quest is not as "awful" in the west as some people here are trying to bring up. Hell, DQ11 is actually the best selling in the west even beating out DQIX which Nintendo helped advertise for with even using Seth Green.

I never personally said DQ sold horribly in the west I don't think. The problem isn't sales numbers exactly, it's how much people enjoyed them. People in the west clearly must not enjoy DQ very much, because no one talks about it despite it selling decently well here.

According to that vgsales wiki (which obviously might not be accurate) SMRPG (including VC sales I assume) has sold more than any single DQ game on it's own. Even if we assume they both sold exactly the same, the amount of people who talk about and fondly remember SMRPG is massively larger. I think we can all agree on that.

 

[Deleted member]

What’s interesting to me is that the Futaba Channel leak said Erdrick summon slime with one of his moves. Does Erdrich have some sort of monster taming ability in the game? I thought only later characters could do that.

 

[REZERO]

I never personally said DQ sold horribly in the west I don't think. The problem isn't sales numbers exactly, it's how much people enjoyed them. People in the west clearly must not enjoy DQ very much, because no one talks about it despite it selling decently well here.

According to that vgsales wiki (which obviously might not be accurate) SMRPG (including VC sales I assume) has sold more than any single DQ game on it's own. Even if we assume they both sold exactly the same, the amount of people who talk about and fondly remember SMRPG is massively larger. I think we can all agree on that.

At one point Shin Megami Tensei games did not sell well because they were considered niche games for people who like Japanese RPGs. Its mainly the marketing, if Square marketed DQ like they do with Final Fantasy 15 the sales would be high.

 

[StormC]

As someone who isn't especially passionate about any of these Square characters, I think the whole scenario is just very interesting. I'm fine with pretty much whatever. I had a dream that Zidane Tribal got confirmed and I was so happy because he's my favorite Final Fantasy protagonist but uh, anyway...

If you put a gun to my head for who is most likely I'd say DQ/Erdrick, then Sora, then Geno. After that is anybody's guess.

 

[KidCham]

Geno is a lot more well-known than you're giving him credit for. SMRPG was a LOT of people's first rpg in the west, and it's not exactly a cult classic game. It's really popular outside of Smash.

yeah just USA, not "the west"
It was never released in Europe...

 

[PokéfreakofBACON]

As someone who isn't especially passionate about any of these Square characters, I think the whole scenario is just very interesting. I'm fine with pretty much whatever. I had a dream that Zidane Tribal got confirmed and I was so happy because he's my favorite Final Fantasy protagonist but uh, anyway...

If you put a gun to my head for who it would be I'd say DQ/Erdrick, then Sora, then Geno. After that is anybody's guess.

Is that order your most likely or most wanted? Just curious.

My most wanted list of these characters is Geno > Sora > Chrono > Sephiroth > Slime > the rest

yeah just USA, not "the west"
It was never released in Europe...

It was on VC wasn't it? The SNES version wasn't, yeah, but I'm pretty sure Europe got it later.

 

[Deleted member]

What’s interesting to me is that the Futaba Channel leak said Erdrick summon slime with one of his moves. Does Erdrich have some sort of monster taming ability in the game? I thought only later characters could do that.

DQ5 was the first game with monster taming, but I can honestly see them pulling from the abilities of other series protagonists anyways.

 

[StormC]

Is that order your most likely or most wanted? Just curious.

My most wanted list of these characters is Geno > Sora > Chrono > Sephiroth > Slime > the rest

I edited to specify who I consider most likely. Geno or Sora would probably be the ones I'd want to see the most.

Or a Zack Fair echo. I'd pay full price for that!

 

[TheCJBrine]

From the few Japan polls I've seen, Geno takes a decent position, beating out other Square characters if any show up at all; on one, he was beat by 2B and Sora but beat Sephiroth; funnily, on the same one, Minecraft Steve also beat Sephiroth, and Sans made the top 10 as did Sora and 2B. Geno was in the 11th spot.

yeah just USA, not "the west"
It was never released in Europe...

It was through Virtual Console, although it was first in 2008 and I'm not aware of how well it did.

 

[Deleted member]

DQ5 was the first game with monster gaming, but I can honestly see them pulling from the abilities of other series protagonists anyways.

A summoner character would be really cool. I know joker kinda does that, but I want a full monster-summoning character who doesn’t do much fighting themselves.

 

[PokéfreakofBACON]

I edited to specify who I consider most likely. Geno or Sora would probably be the ones I'd want to see the most.

Or a Zack Fair echo. I'd pay full price for that!

Honest to god, I'd pay full price for almost any echo of a character I like playing as. Or even most characters I DON'T play as.

 

[EarlTamm]

A summoner character would be really cool. I know joker kinda does that, but I want a full monster-summoning character who doesn’t do much fighting themselves.

I doubt Erdrick would fill that role though. The not fighting himself part, I mean.

 

[AustarusIV]

Geno is a lot more well-known than you're giving him credit for. SMRPG was a LOT of people's first rpg in the west, and it's not exactly a cult classic game. It's really popular outside of Smash.

I was always under the assumption that Pokemon and FFVII broke the barrier for RPGs in the West.

SMRRPG was successful when it came out, but let’s be real, people only talk about it nowadays in the context of Smash. Nintendo only seems to care about the M&L RPGs these days.

 

[Deleted member]

A summoner character would be really cool. I know joker kinda does that, but I want a full monster-summoning character who doesn’t do much fighting themselves.

And that's why I would take DQ5's protagonist over Erdrick.
Using different monsters for different attacks would make for such an interesting moveset, considering how much variety you have to work with. Could easily be Mega Man levels of faithful.

 

[Deleted member]

I doubt Erdrick would fill that role though. The not fighting himself part, I mean.

Yeah, I know, I just think a moveset like that would be cool.

 

[Dr. Jojo Phantasma]

I was always under the assumption that Pokemon and FFVII broke the barrier for RPGs in the West.

SMRRPG was successful when it came out, but let’s be real, people only talk about it nowadays in the context of Smash. Nintendo only seems to care about the M&L RPGs these days.

But anyways, SMRPG's success can be all credited to Mario, and as you said we have even more Mario RPGs. FFVII definitely broke the JRPG barrier though.

 

[PokéfreakofBACON]

I was always under the assumption that Pokemon and FFVII broke the barrier for RPGs in the West.

SMRRPG was successful when it came out, but let’s be real, people only talk about it nowadays in the context of Smash. Nintendo only seems to care about the M&L RPGs these days.

Hard disagree. People talk about the game itself all the time. There was a Boundary Break episode on it recently, several channels have talked about it or done reviews of it, or even done let's plays of it.

 

[EarlTamm]

Hard disagree. People talk about the game itself all the time. There was a Boundary Break episode on it recently, several channels have talked about it or done reviews of it, or even done let's plays of it.

And it certainly had an impact on JRPG's popularity in the west.

 

[StormC]

As someone who spent a good decade or so on a Mario forum, it was common for people's first Mario RPG to be Paper Mario. A lot of folks missed the boat on SMRPG thanks to it being released so late in the SNES's life and being overshadowed by Mario 64. While SMRPG wasn't some unknown game that nobody played, it wasn't a huge darling in the fandom or anything, it was just kinda there. Geno as a character especially generated virtually no discussion unless people talked about Smash.

 

[TheCJBrine]

SMRRPG was successful when it came out, but let’s be real, people only talk about it nowadays in the context of Smash. Nintendo only seems to care about the M&L RPGs these days.

To be fair, NoA did ask people if they were Team Mallow or Team Geno earlier this year, and apparently a Nintendo-sponsored quiz-thing on an app called HQ (I think that's what it was? I just saw someone show it in the Geno thread) included a question asking "in which of these games was one of the main characters a possessed doll?" with the correct answer being SMRPG, it giving Geno's name after choosing the answer; I forgot what the other 2 games were, but they weren't owned by Nintendo (SMRPG isn't either I guess).

I've even seen it said that the makers of M&L would like to do something with SMRPG or its characters, but a source wasn't given so *shrug*.

 

[Deleted member]

As someone who spent a good decade or so on a Mario forum, it was common for people's first Mario RPG to be Paper Mario. A lot of folks missed the boat on SMRPG thanks to it being released so late in the SNES's life and being overshadowed by Mario 64. While SMRPG wasn't some unknown game that nobody played, it wasn't a huge darling in the fandom or anything, it was just kinda there. Geno as a character especially generated virtually no discussion unless people talked about Smash.

One thing I don’t see many mention is that another’s thing that kinda boosted Geno’s popularity was newgrounds. I remember there being quite a few pretty popular flashes with Geno as this cool prominent character, even in the early brawl days.

 

[Jovahexeon Joranvexeon]

Yes but, apparently, K.Rool's support in the ballot was so big (ah, get it?) that it literally gave him a free pass from Sakurai's interview.

Why would Nintendo put a characters with no future except to please the fan?
What would they win in terms of marketing?

Here's to hoping this turn of events means the Kremlings will return as villains to the DK series as well.

 

[Deleted member]

One thing I don’t see many mention is that another’s thing that kinda boosted Geno’s popularity was newgrounds. I remember there being quite a few pretty popular flashes with Geno as this cool prominent character, even in the early brawl days.

Super Mario-ho RPG!
It is the only one just for me!

 

[xenother]

It's suspicious to see insiders jump on the bandwagon of a 4chan post.

At some point, we need to decide if insiders know the DLC or not. Why would they had the actual character if they knew about him all along? All of this kind of seems very suspicious and grain of salt like. We knew nothing about Cloud so what makes Erdrick so different? Isn't Square known as the company that is so secretive? There just seems to be a lot of changing narratives going on without any upfront answers.

I was holding on to it because I wanted to wait and hear from my main source what the deal with The Luminary was.

 

[EarlTamm]

One thing I don’t see many mention is that another’s thing that kinda boosted Geno’s popularity was newgrounds. I remember there being quite a few pretty popular flashes with Geno as this cool prominent character, even in the early brawl days.

Are you referring to these video's?