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Wednesday, March 18, 2020

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE (Part 1) Still Releasing April 10 2020, But...

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - ...the supply chain may be affected by coronavirus.

Last night, I published what turned out to be a very well-timed article about how gamers’ purchasing preferences may be impacted by coronavirus (digital distribution vs physical ownership), and if that might be permanent or temporary. I'm not claiming today that I suddenly know the future, but I am saying that today brings a brilliant example of why it's an important discussion.

I framed the discussion around consumer preference and retailer availability, which you might think of as the “last mile.” But there are many miles preceding that one through the complexities of global supply chains, and SQUARE ENIX brings us this example with their statement on FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE
“Due to the extraordinary circumstances the world is facing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we want to update you on how this will impact the forthcoming release of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE.

Our priority is the wellbeing and safety of our fans and customers, taking into account regional government and World Health Organization advice.”
Uh oh...

Barret my heart's pounding like a jackhammer FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Mako Reactor
Did... Did FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE get delayed again? Even corona-cancelled?!

Fortunately, this is how they continued:

The worldwide release of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE on April 10 will go ahead. However, with the unforeseeable changes in the distribution and retail landscape which varies across countries, it is increasingly likely that some of you will not get hold of your copy of the game on the release date.

We are monitoring the situation on a daily basis and working with our partners, retailers and SQUARE ENIX teams across Europe and the Americas, to do everything we can to ensure as many of you as possible can play the game on April 10.

We want to keep you updated ahead of the release and intend to post again this Friday, March 20 with any further news. So please stay tuned to our official channels.

For any other questions regarding the release, please contact our SQUARE ENIX Store Customer Service teams or your relevant retailer for more information on availability in your region.”

I'll update this article if there's anything worthwhile announced on March 20. So far, props to SQUARE ENIX for admitting that there will be a problem and getting ahead of it, public relations-wise.

Essentially, the key paraphrased takeaway from SQUARE ENIX's statement is “coronavirus is making a mess of supply chains, and we can't get enough of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE physical copies in the stores near the people who desire it.” Now, it's a bit unclear if this is entirely due to the “last mile” of getting the physical copies into stores, or they literally can't produce enough physical copies in the factories.

Many people's responses (besides the relief that the game is still releasing on April 10) are along the lines of, “Well I'll just get the game digitally” or “You should've gotten the game digitally.” to anyone who feels like their physical order may be affected. Otherwise, it'll be a struggle to get a tangible copy.

FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE Shinra security officer mako reactor Cloud
Physical retail outlet or warehouse security officers may end up raiding cardboard boxes to get their own copy of FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE.
(Said boxes will have one or less copies contained inside.)

Supply issues can be a problem even without a global pandemic. Perhaps the company underestimated demand and didn't make enough copies. Maybe there's a tariff going on in the country that manufactures the physical product if the supply chain isn't globally diverse.

Any of those cases could prompt a preference for digital downloads. Just be careful that the whole eCommerce platform doesn't disappear, or you suddenly won't have access to buying a certain game from that anymore. (In fairness to DuckTales Remastered, it suddenly reappeared at the beginning of March like nothing ever happened.)

How much of the digital revolution is driven by genuine consumer desire, and how much of it is driven by supply shocks and unusual circumstances? Let's let time pass and see what happens...!


You're encouraged to believe that Ludwig wrote the article before this one knowing that SQUARE ENIX would come out with relevant news the very next afternoon. Feel free to wager if the March 20 announcement will be of any use. Ludwig believes it will not be.


Ludwig rated SQUARE ENIX as the best presenting company from E3 2019 due to FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE.

1 comment :

  1. The March 20 update was so useless it took me 3 days to realise it was supposed to be the March 20 update:
    https://twitter.com/finalfantasyvii/status/1241069496015695873

    ReplyDelete

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