If you’ve been paying attention to The Outerhaven recently, you know that we’ve had plenty to say about the gaming industry as a whole, especially in the last week. We’ve talked about the failures of Xbox and Sony and noted how Nintendo seems to be the “single beacon of hope” in the gaming world right now. If that feels a bit “too much,” you need only look at what’s going on with Square Enix. The legendary RPG company has revealed that they’re doing a significant shift in their business practices and that change will be costly.
In a statement, Square Enix revealed that they were going to step away from doing exclusive games and instead do multiplatform releases for their biggest titles so that they could reach a “wider audience:”
“For HD titles, the Group will aggressively pursue a multiplatform strategy that includes Nintendo platforms, PlayStation, Xbox, and PCs. Especially, in regards to major franchises and AAA titles including catalog titles, it will build an environment where more customers can enjoy our titles.”
This is likely a response to releases like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, FFXVI, Dragon Quest The Dark Prince, and more that either barely met expectations or didn’t meet them at all. And don’t get me started on Foamstars. It was noted recently that Square Enix took a HUGE hit in their financials during the last fiscal year, and this “restructuring” is a key part of stopping that.
However, as others noted via sources, the company is also going to do layoffs to help compensate for its losses:
Square Enix confirms US, EU layoffs as part of restructuring (publishing, IT, Square Enix Collective indie games label predominately affected) https://t.co/nJaQVYaTu1 pic.twitter.com/DsU9G1BFzk
— Wario64 (@Wario64) May 13, 2024
So while they’re trying to spin this as a positive, this once again means that people are going to be losing jobs over a company’s failure to “meet its goals.
