Gamers can’t blame a developer for wanting to profit from their titles. They can blame them when that search for profits becomes predatory, disrespectful, and negatively impacts the experience. However, even while other publishers and developers discuss ways to make fewer titles and make more money, Square Enix has gone with a different approach.

Final Fantasy XV is a hit, there’s no denying that, but Square also wanted to get the most out of the success of this title instead of immediately moving onto the next project (as they’ve done in the past). Instead of filling the game with unnecessary grinds for items or currencies to expand it, Square simply decided to build on the success they already had, adding more and more to the title. Keep in mind, this was all after Square already created a CG movie and five episode anime series for FFXV.

Of the spin-offs, the one that we are oddly most excited for is Final Fantasy XV: Pocket Edition. This is especially odd since the game is simply a mobile-friendly, toned-down version of FFXV, but everything we’ve seen for the game is endearing and well-made, and it lets us go back to Noctis’s world in a different way than a simple replay would offer. It’s a creative way for Square to keep their single-player RPG alive and continue to profit on it, and, it just plain looks fun, and we can’t really argue with that.

Square also recently released Comrades, a multiplayer DLC which drops the players into the world of Eos after Chapter 13 of the main plot, which anyone who hasn’t played FFXV will be able to tell, means some seriously bad stuff went down before then. Players will have a chance to create their own avatar and choose from a variety of weapons. They will also be using the powers of Noctis to help them protect their world, meaning the game continues his legacy by allowing players to use some very familiar moves.

In that way, the game doesn’t play so different from FFXV, but the big emphasis is on going on missions with friends or strangers. The quests vary from kill quests to escorts to saving people, but the real purpose seems to be on expanding the world. Later expansions to Comrades promise new weapons and even the chance to play as Noctis and some of his friends, which will drop even more insight into the story and world of FFXV. There’s no word on if these expansions will be free or just how far Square wants to take this multiplayer version, but it will probably depend on how much interest there is.

And this is what Square Enix is doing much better than anyone else. In the past, we might call this selling out, and to a degree, maybe it is, but like the argument against sequels or remakes – you don’t have to play it. That’s what is so refreshing about this direction. Comrades and Pocket Edition don’t take anything away from FFXV, and they don’t require players to dish out cash or dozens of hours to get everything they want from that stand-alone. The power is in the players’ hands.

Creatively, far more respect has to be given to Square Enix as well. They aren’t just making a game and then paywalling off certain aspects of that game. They are actually developing an entirely new mobile game, a cooperative multiplayer game, and even a VR fishing game. This is all entirely new, creative content. It isn’t stagnant or lazy as many of the content by current developers is.

While this could all still be seen as a form of profiteering, in a climate of microtransaction and loot box hell, it’s hard to argue with making new content that players aren’t forced into. And if fans keep clamoring for more, which they seem to be judging by their response to Noctis in Tekken 7, then Square is giving the people what they want; they just happen to be making a killing doing it.