At this point, it looks like fans of the franchise still have some patience and goodwill left, allowing Square Enix to take some more time working on the game. It’s not clear how long that situation will last, but the developers should definitely make use of it while they can.
This is an important release in more ways than one. The industry has changed a lot since the last time we saw a “Final Fantasy” game, and the development practices of Square Enix have seen some evolution as well.
There are many reasons to look forward to this game, even for someone who’s not a fan of the previous “Final Fantasy” titles to begin with, so we’re curious to see how well it will be received once it hits the market for good.
No matter how many innovative features the game has, if Square Enix don’t ensure that it’s finely polished and that they’ve considered every little detail about it, the release could fail badly. And considering that it’s one of the main pillars of the studio’s reputation, it’s even more important for them to get it right. It’s one thing if they messed up a lesser known IP, but tarnishing the “Final Fantasy” brand name could quickly end in disaster for them, and can have permanent effects.