https://on.ft.com/3dFrExU
Some sort of impact was to be expected though I admit I didn't think it would be this drastic.
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Square Enix’s Matsuda: Covid-19 has caused “time to stand still”; “we couldn't develop anything.“
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https://on.ft.com/3dFrExU
Some sort of impact was to be expected though I admit I didn't think it would be this drastic.
iirc it was widely reported most Japan had no idea/infrastructure how to transition to a work from home scenario.
It really doesnt surprise me this was the case, I assume there will be a lul in Japanese game releases for a time cause of this.
It really doesnt surprise me this was the case, I assume there will be a lul in Japanese game releases for a time cause of this.
We can't expect everyone to adapt quickly working from home. There were companies doing this before covid but it's not easy for everyone. As a software engineer I can tell you our productivity fell dramatically in my (ex) company. For the first couple of months most projects just froze and we were only supporting our current functionality. Eventually we started slowly moving on with our in progress projects but the pace was significantly reduced.
yeah if you hadn't previously set up the tech and process for work from home , it's going to requirement time to adjust back to productivity. Unfortunately, most Japanese companies have not.
That's unfortunate but understandable.
Maybe they can paper their lack of new releases with ports or remasters.
Maybe they can paper their lack of new releases with ports or remasters.
Remember the thread "do you think coronavirus will impact gaming landscape ?" we had last january (or february, I'm not sure)
As someone who resides in Japan, I can certainly understand Matsuda's perspective. Japan as a nation, has been traditionally an office based country, where most citizens travel to work on a daily basis. With this current pandemic in place, it has now forced most people to reconsider their options and in this case, rethink their approach to creating a proper work environment.
A work-from-home (or telework as they call it here in Japan) scenario is often tough since it's just culturally been engrained in the minds of Japanese to work in an office environment. It's more like a group think mentality and something that I personally feel Japan needs to adapt to, but I think as a whole it's affecting everyone in some way or another.
A work-from-home (or telework as they call it here in Japan) scenario is often tough since it's just culturally been engrained in the minds of Japanese to work in an office environment. It's more like a group think mentality and something that I personally feel Japan needs to adapt to, but I think as a whole it's affecting everyone in some way or another.
It's been said since early on that given Japan's work culture, they would be one of the most impacted countries in terms of transitioning to WFH and it's been very apparent imo, from Nintendo to others.
Square Enix is a big publisher, no?
Why does it seem like that all the other big Studios were able to get most of the work done at home?
Why does it seem like that all the other big Studios were able to get most of the work done at home?
Size has nothing to do with big adjustments not every company going to have an easy time.
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I wouldn't be surprised. A lot of companies work style here was almost completely at odds with remote work. There have been a lot of changes in many places, but some people dislike remote work (even the 20-30 year old demographic).
Source: I teach many clients (technical) English in Ginza. Some of them are in the game industry. Anecdotal, I know.
Source: I teach many clients (technical) English in Ginza. Some of them are in the game industry. Anecdotal, I know.
So the ripple effect is gonna really show in a few months/ next 1 - 3 years time probably? I assume most of the products and games releasing now had to have been mostly done or so far in develeopment when Covid hit really big, that they pooled resources to finish what they can and release as soon as they can.
But I can see 2021, 2022 getting pretty grim for fans of japanese games.
But I can see 2021, 2022 getting pretty grim for fans of japanese games.
Of all the big publishers, I am most surprised that Ubisoft has been able to mostly weather the effects of COVID so far. They are still getting two pretty huge games out before the end of the year and have Far Cry early next. And that's before you consider they have to deal with the added logistical nightmare of every game being touched by studios all over the world in different states of re-opening and restrictions.
I honestly have no idea how they managed it.
I honestly have no idea how they managed it.
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There's simply no excuse for not having had a remote working plan in place before covid for a company that does 95% of its business operations with computers.
I love FF14 especially and the Japanese game output in general but this level of national incompetence is just flabbergasting.
Hell, working in the waste management industry myself, all the remote working strategies were already in place for March in my company. There was very little effect on digital operations.
Please stop sucking so much Japan.
I love FF14 especially and the Japanese game output in general but this level of national incompetence is just flabbergasting.
Hell, working in the waste management industry myself, all the remote working strategies were already in place for March in my company. There was very little effect on digital operations.
Please stop sucking so much Japan.
This isn't just true for Japan. Many studios had no proper setup for such an situation.
Square Enix is a place where management has been awful for decades now, so I can see how Covid would make it even worse.
Yeah, I am unfairly singling them out I guess. What's so special about the industry that remote working strategy is seen as difficult to implement?
Most of their upcoming releases were pushed back from launching early this year, pre-Covid. I imagine they're just as screwed as anyone else timeline-wise when it comes to anything that required mo-cap, research trips, etc.
FF7 remake part 2 will probably be hit the worst with this. That game was 2023 at best before all this but with Covid we'll be lucky to get it in 2024.
For a game as big as Assassin's Creed, with how many people and teams are relied on to get those games done, to more or less make what was its planned release date is pretty incredible given the circumstances.
Not surprised at all, all game production world wide took a giant hit and probably got knocked back on average between 6-12 months in production time.
Anything that requires mo-cap can't do anything during that time until countries starting lowering restrictions for their lockdowns.
Which is why we haven't seen anywhere near as much gameplay as you normally would pre-covid.
Anything that requires mo-cap can't do anything during that time until countries starting lowering restrictions for their lockdowns.
Which is why we haven't seen anywhere near as much gameplay as you normally would pre-covid.
Get out with this shit. Japan have actually managed the important side of covid (you know, saving lives), better than most. About 1600 have sadly died. But that's far far better than many states, who really should stop sucking so much.
Because there are things, especially in high budget games, that require people to come together. Stuff like mocap. And then there is also probably the programming side, and for certain QA that gets messed up by this because you need testing units etc. for all of them (or as many of them as possible) at their home.
Given this affected the XIV team a lot, a team that is extremly well managed, I beg to differ.
This is the gaming section. Please go to Etcetera to continue that discussion if you cannot stick to the topic.
But you are talking about 'national incompetence' and Japan 'sucking so much'. What's that got to do with gaming?
Yes
And the biggest impacts for us in terms of games delays will be next year
It's got to do with gaming obviously, but not exclusively, you're right. My apologies for the unnecessary generalization.
I mean, Phil Spencer was saying back in like April or May that the problem mostly wasn't going to be games coming out this year - it was going to be past that, because things like mocap and music sessions had completely stopped, in addition to the normal problems of WFH in an inherently collaborative trade where people want and need to quickly bounce things off one another.
And Microsoft were a company that enacted WFH really early, and were well equipped for it. I can't imagine what it's been like for some other studios.
And Microsoft were a company that enacted WFH really early, and were well equipped for it. I can't imagine what it's been like for some other studios.
I don´t think this is exclusive to Japan, for now the games are done, maybe most of the stuff releasing till summer 2021 but after that? there will be quite a drought at some point thanks to covid.
This is why I'm basically giving an automatic pass for any game delayed through the next 2 years. We get it, we appreciate that you were honest about it, and you don't have to apologize for it. The communities would rather stuff wait 3-6-whatever more months versus force more crunch. Some games this year had delays that had... other reasons attached, but the bulk I've assumed is organizational and a matter of productivity.
I mean sure. If you aren't set up or prepared for WFH it makes sense. Dev kits have to be sent out or at least prepped for remote use, you need to be even more stringent on control of assets and code, communication channels change, state of the art technologies (including those for mo-cap) are taken away. There is a lot that needs to be in place. If there is one eye opener many businesses have had its that they need to be prepared for remote working and review their strategies for this.
Nintendo with cult of secrecy and their old fashioned corporate habits must have been hit far more harder than what they have admit...
yeah that was my impression when I visited Japan multiple times. Very high-tech in certain area, while being really low-tech in other.
Many of shops/restraunts not accepting credit card was a hassle lol.
SQEX were one of the first to have voluntary WFH since early this year since they had infrastructure to support it. For a Japanese company they were probably one of the best prepared.
The effect of covid is not restricted to just them, I would expect most things to be delayed to some degree, it's simply harder to collaborate remotely even in an ideal WFH setup.
The effect of covid is not restricted to just them, I would expect most things to be delayed to some degree, it's simply harder to collaborate remotely even in an ideal WFH setup.
If only the gaming community at large was this reasonable :/
Honestly between Square and Nintendo I think it's been crazy clear that none of them had any idea how to react to something like this, and that they were far more affected by the pandemic than they let on.
It's understandable that a lot of stuff's been delayed or disrupted and I'm not gonna hold it against them at all - would rather have delays than the devs endangering themselves at work. Hope they've learnt a lot from all this though!
It's understandable that a lot of stuff's been delayed or disrupted and I'm not gonna hold it against them at all - would rather have delays than the devs endangering themselves at work. Hope they've learnt a lot from all this though!
This is the gaming section but that doesn't mean literally never mention anything outside of gaming in your post. it just means thread topics relate to gaming.
I sincerely hope you are saying this from the perspective of someone worried about Japanese companies surviving as a result of this, and not just from the perspective of someone pissed off they'll have to wait a bit longer for games.