This Final Fantasy 15 tie-in has only just become available, but is already reeling from a lukewarm reception on the market. The game, which was developed by Machine Zone, the studio behind heavily-publicized mobile titles such as Game of War and Mobile Strike, has hardly received the earnest endorsements that Square Enix may have hoped for, and the game’s Google Play Store Page shows a fanbase that is heavily polarized on the matter.
It’s easy to see why players aren’t entirely sure on A New Empire, too. After all, it stays extremely close to the gameplay patterns seen in Game of War, rather than what players might expect from something tied to Final Fantasy 15 altogether. Meanwhile, the title is also heavily focused on microtransactions, and a lack of content available at launch has proven to be a sticking point for many.
Of course, traditional video games can make a major splash in the mobile market, even when sticking to a template of a previous successful mobile game. Pokemon GO, for instance, bears plenty of similarities to Niantic’s Ingress, and the title has proven to be a smash hit, even keeping players interested long after release through content such as the Fire and Ice Event. However, it looks like Square Enix’s strategy with the release of A New Empire has not exactly gone to plan so far.
This isn’t the only time that a Final Fantasy mobile game has met with skepticism, either. Previously, Square Enix had been behind the release of the now-notorious Final Fantasy: All The Bravest, which received heavy criticism for its over-reliance on microtransactions to even make the game functional. At the very least, A New Empire has had a better reception than that particular title.
All in all, then, it’s proved to be a difficult week for Square Enix. Not only has its mobile spin-off failed to reach the same immediate successes of the Final Fantasy 15 base game, but that title’s DLC has also hardly had the smoothest of releases, with the Final Fantasy 15: Episode Prompto DLC glitched for PSN users. Sometimes, you just have one of those weeks.
Final Fantasy 15: A New Empire is out now for mobile devices.
Source: Google Play Store
