Despite being a massive AAA publisher, Square Enix is known to produce a wide range of games covering many different budgets. It looks as if this current output is set to change, as the publisher looks to “ensure higher quality from each title by shrinking our product lineup.”
as part of Square Enix's latest earnings report, the publisher participated in an investor Q&A session in which company CEO Takashi Kiryu was asked, “Has the way your development function has spread out to cover so many bases made it more difficult to control your development efforts?” As a response, Kiryu stated:
“It's less about our development function and more about the many inputs into our lineup. I want to structure our development function so that we can ensure higher quality from each title by shrinking our lineup.”
Following up, one participant asked, “Why haven't you been able to narrow down your lineup yet?” Which Kerio claimed so:
“Given the diversity of our customers' needs and the types of devices available, we have tried to make inroads by developing a broad range of titles rather than focusing only on certain titles. I think this has led to a division of our resources.”
He completed“Meanwhile, there have been clear winners and losers among the major titles released recently in the gaming market, and it is becoming possible for even indie titles to make their presence felt. The market is increasingly polarized between blockbuster and indie titles, but I feel we have developed several titles that fall into Somewhere in the middle. I want to make a clearer distinction going forward.
As Kiryu pointed out, Square Enix is one of the few publishers that has an amazing lineup of titles released every year. Although many of them fell under the radar, 2023 has seen the publisher release nearly a dozen titles, including the likes of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai – Infinity Strash; Paranormal Vision: The Seven Secrets of Honjo and the Ultimate Theater Tapeline.
While it makes sense for Square Enix to want to simplify its portfolio, hopefully the publisher will still allow smaller, more experimental games to flourish.
KitGuru says: What do you think of Square Enix's output? Do they need to change their release strategy? What's your favorite smaller Square Enix title released in the last few years? Let us know below.
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