Square Enix Collective Announced, Partnering With Indiegogo

Change is certainly coming for Square Enix. We already saw the announcement of Dragon Quest 1-8 coming to smartphones in Japan earlier today, and now comes the reveal of Square Enix Collective. It is a community-involved project with game creators submitting ideas that are voted upon by the fans, that could result in a Indiegogo crowdfunded campaign at a later time.

It’s not just a platform that includes original creations, either. The announcement website also states that game pitches can involved old Eidos IP content, allowing for creators to pitch remake/remaster suggestions. Once a pitch is made, it has 28 days for the community to vote on whether the idea is great enough to go through with development. The fans could also interject their opinions on how the game should be shaped. More information will be coming at GDC Next in November.

It is a little too early to judge the prospect of Square Enix Collective without all the details fleshed out, but it seems like it could be either really great or…otherwise. Pitches are free, but are subject to accepting the company’s terms and conditions. It really depends on the monetary split between potential developers and Square Enix to see if Square Enix Collective is truly a fair idea.

Another variable is the quality of the game pitches themselves, and how the community views them. Guaranteed if pitches are open and free that somebody will post the idea of a Final Fantasy VII remake, or get the backing of the community for an idea that commits to the lowest common denominator that just happens to be more popular. On the other hand, forgotten IP’s like Soul Reaver may get some revival pitches, or there could be other great pitches that target the core audience. It all depends on how Square Enix Collective is implemented, which is half the intrigue of huge announcements like this.