Square Enix has announced a new multi-platform release strategy going forward

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Reporting its financial performance for the financial year ending March 31, 2024, sales in the Digital Entertainment segment, which includes video games, rose by 2.6% but profit fell by 15.8%. This despite the sale of Final Fantasy 16, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Foamstars, and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. Specifically on HD games, the subcategory Square Enix uses to encompass all the above games, the company saw a significant operating loss of ¥8.1 billion (approximately $51.9 million).

Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth both launched as PlayStation 5 exclusives, and while Square Enix has announced a sales figure for Final Fantasy 16, it has yet to do so for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second game in the company’s trilogy of Final Fantasy 7 remakes. In its financial report, all Square Enix would say is it has suffered from an “incomplete journey to better profitability in HD game development”, and that it had “launched many titles but some failed to live up to profit expectations, especially outsourced titles and some AAA titles.” It seems likely Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, at least, is included in that.

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In response to the tumbling profits, Square Enix announced what it calls “Square Enix Reboots, and Awakens”, a three-year plan for rebooting for long-term growth. This involves a rethink across all parts of the business, but the highlight is a “shift to a multiplatform strategy." Square Enix said it will “aggressively pursue a multiplatform strategy that includes Nintendo platforms, PlayStation, Xbox, and PCs.” Note the wording here of “Nintendo platforms”, with Nintendo set to announce its Switch successor console before April 2025.

As part of this multiplatform push, Square Enix said it will "build an environment where more customers can enjoy our titles in regards to major franchises and AAA titles including catalog titles." The suggestion in all this is mainline Final Fantasy games will ditch PlayStation exclusivity going forward, although Square Enix has yet to announce specifics beyond Final Fantasy 16's upcoming launch on PC.

There’s also a shift from quantity to quality, Square Enix said, and a bid to deliver “ensured fun.” Square Enix has been accused of pumping out too many Final Fantasy games in too short a timeframe, so perhaps this means the release of major Final Fantasy games will be spaced out a bit more.

Overall, it’s a tough time for Square Enix, which had already absorbed ¥22.1 billion (approx $140.9 million) in what it called “content abandonment losses” ahead of today’s financial report. Square Enix did not name the canceled or rescoped in-development titles.

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