I’ve seen variations of an argument around the internet that goes something like this:

“If we all wait to purchase the Final Fantasy VII Remake, Square lose money and cancel all the Final Fantasy VII Remake games, so therefore if we buy it Day One it won’t be cancelled? Right?”

No.

There’s no guarantee what a business will do.

Exhibit A: When Hajime Tabata left the company, production of the Final Fantasy XV DLC stopped. Final Fantasy XV was not a spin off title. That was a main line Final Fantasy game. It sold well. And at the time, it was unthinkable that production for anything relating to a main line series would end so abruptly.

Yet, it didn’t matter how many copies of the game or DLC was bought, production of the game was still cancelled. The game’s narrative will be unfinished for quite some time. And Final Fantasy XV sold well for what it was, which should have necessitated more fleshing out. Perhaps filling in story was simply not on the table. Perhaps there was no money in it?

It doesn’t matter if this new game has “Final Fantasy VII” in the title. They’ll damage their reputation in the pursuit of saving money if necessary.

Square Enix may cancel all future production of the Final Fantasy VII Remake due to a number of reasons, even if it is popular. Maybe they will realise that the subsequent titles just won’t sell as much. Maybe their reputation took a hit so irreparably, that this will simply have to halt production of the future installments to gain customer trust.

Making sure fans are happy with the Final Fantasy VII Remake isn’t one reason for them to reconsider. But why bargain with gamers to buy Final Fantasy VII Remake with the warnings that if we don’t, we may never get a chance to pay for other installments. That’s already an insane argument to make if you don’t work for corporate. But it’s not a guarantee either.

You know, this reminds me of a study about The Five Monkey and a Ladder Study. On top of a ladder are bananas, but every time the monkeys go to grab them, they were sprayed with water. Eventually, every time a monkey tried to go up the ladder, the other monkeys pulled him off and started to beat him, to keep him from climbing up again.

That’s us. We’re beating up other gamers for criticizing this game, in the hopes that Square Enix can give us to opportunity to purchase more games from them. And Square Enix is watching us, grinning, silently…