Sq. Enix seems to be on the verge of shaking up its improvement portfolio. In line with its president, we could quickly see fewer titles, however a extra various array of genres popping out of a developer and writer historically identified for its huge RPG franchises.
In an investor Q&A that passed off again in November however which was solely not too long ago revealed in English, Sq. Enix president Takashi Kiryu addressed a number of questions from buyers concerning the firm’s portfolio going ahead. In response to a query about what Sq. Enix was missing that it wanted to realize sustained development and meet its enterprise objectives, Kiryu cited two factors: the restricted range of the corporate’s portfolio, and a scarcity of robust advertising and marketing. On the restricted range level particularly, he went on to clarify the necessity to improve the totally different sorts of video games in Sq. Enix’s portfolio by strengthing inner improvement capabilities, or maybe even making acquisitions.
“As a result of we possess robust IPs just like the Dragon Quest and Last Fantasy franchises, I consider that we now have tended to be overly reliant on sure gameplay kinds or genres,” Kiryu mentioned. “In the meantime, the tastes of consumers within the gaming market have diversified, and prospects have come to get pleasure from content material from quite a lot of genres. Furthermore, blockbuster titles are usually not the one ones that get pleasure from reputation. For instance, our title Powerwash Simulator is considerably of an outlier in our portfolio in that it’s a sport properly fitted to informal play, however we now have been capable of steadily construct up our earnings from it.”
Later within the Q&A, Kiryu was requested once more concerning the firm’s improvement efforts, and repeated that he wished to strengthen Sq. Enix’s inner capabilities and “tackle new challenges, partly as a result of we need to add to the range of our portfolio of titles, as I famous earlier, whereas additionally enabling our builders to develop their talent units.”
However, on the identical time, Sq. Enix additionally seems to be very conscious of its status because the RPG firm. Elsewhere within the Q&A, Kiryu famous that the “quite a few entries in our lineup” had been making it tough to maintain tight management over improvement efforts. “I need to construction our improvement operate in order that we’re in a position to make sure larger high quality from every title by slimming down our lineup,” he mentioned.
In a follow-up query, Kiryu continued:
“As our prospects’ wants and the varieties of units obtainable have diversified, we now have tried to supply hits by creating all kinds of titles quite than by focusing solely on sure ones. I consider that this has resulted within the splintering of our useful resource pool. In the meantime, there have been clear winners and losers among the many main titles launched not too long ago within the gaming market, and it has develop into attainable for even indies titles to make their presence felt. The market is more and more polarized between blockbuster and indies titles, however I really feel that we now have developed many titles that fell someplace within the center. I need to make clearer distinctions going ahead.”
The market is more and more polarized between blockbuster and indies titles, however I really feel that we now have developed many titles that fell someplace within the center.
What the president of Sq. Enix appears to be indicating right here is that the corporate has been a bit too reliant on simply making heaps and many mid-budget RPGs that weren’t huge successes – see current efforts like Harvestella, Numerous Daylife, or Valkyrie Elysium. Whereas the massive AAA swings like Last Fantasy and Dragon Quest are unlikely to cease being hits for Sq. Enix, Kiryu is noting a have to spend some improvement vitality creating video games like Powerwash Simulator (developed by Futurlab) internally and capitalizing on title range, as a substitute of simply reiterating the identical system throughout dozens of various, AA releases.
That is one interpretation, however we’ll have to attend and see what Sq. Enix is cooking up in 2024 and past to say something definitive about Sq. Enix’s plans. We do know it is on the verge of publishing Foamstars from Toylogic, and has Visions of Mana within the chamber for 2024 alongside a remake of Dragon Quest 3, the brand new Dragon Quest 12, and (perhaps sometime) Kingdom Hearts 4. We additionally know the corporate is absolutely keen on getting AI to make content material for a few of these video games, as Kiryu acknowledged in a New 12 months’s Letter earlier this yr. it is also one of many few corporations that hasn’t totally given up on blockchain tech, whilst different corporations seem like abandoning the concept.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Received a narrative tip? Ship it to rvalentine@ign.com.