a little over a year ago Square Enix He put in his pocket no less than 300 million dollars (about 285 million dollars at current exchange rates) after the change of hands of Eidos, Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix Montreal and all their IPs. The future is resounding, with two new Final Fantasy on the horizon, no less, and a strong alliance with PlayStation. And yet, the arrival of March has come with a drastic turnaround for the company: next June Yosuke Matsuda He will cede the leadership and the presidency of the Japanese titan.
Of all the proper names that Square Enix shuffles, both creatives and sagas, as well as its own characters, that of Yosuke Matsuda is one of the least referred to. And it will not be to keep a low profile, for the record: last year, for example, Matsuda defended the inclusion of NFTs in their own games with a view to self-sustaining growth. It was not the only Japanese company to want to bet heavily on them, for the record.
The presidential chair already has a new name: Takashi Kiryu, who has served Square Enix for a few years, will take over. For reference, Matsuda took over in 2013, technically bringing him a decade at the helm of one of the most iconic video game companies in history.
And, let it all be said, those of us who are passionate about videogames have been very well served by large and small very remarkable productions and noted fiascoes. What is the reason for this new position?
New airs for the titan behind Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts
Like almost everything that has to do with the entertainment industry, the key is not so much in the how, but in the who y in the when: the change of roles was known publicly through an official statement and it will be effective coinciding with the shareholders’ meeting in June.
The motif offered by Square Enix is adapt to current circumstances of the video game industry, which is a more or less ambiguous term. However, in the statement itself they already drop the two new priority objectives: remodeling the management team and adapting to technological innovations.
In the wake of the rapidly changing business environment surrounding the entertainment industry, the change [de presidencia] proposed is intended to reshape the management team with the goal of embracing ever-evolving technological innovations and maximizing the creativity of [Square Enix] to offer even more entertainment to its customers around the world
From this point on, it is time to analyze the figure of the successor to Yosuke Matsuda in a better and more detailed way: the next president as of June, Takashi Kiryu, joined Square Enix in 2020 leading the corporate strategy.
Your previous job (according to Linkedin) was the general manager of the advertising and public relations colossus Dentsu. A group that is very well directed towards the gradual conversion of the general public to the metaverse.
The delicate context of the current Square Enix
Square Enix has always been one of the great references of the Japanese video game, having a permanent place in major international events such as E3 or a major role in the Tokyo Game Show. The reason: to combine very powerful releases with highly anticipated remakes and new jewels that They will delight fans of the JRPG and beyond.
For some time now, Square Enix has also become a dream ally for PlayStation in the face of PS5 expansion, guaranteeing priority access to games like Dragon Quest XI, Nier: Automata and Final Fantasy VII Remake, as well as exclusive content in games like Marvel’s Avengers in which Spider-Man only launches his webs on Sony consoles.
That does not mean that it does not give affection to other systems: Nintendo Switch has received games like Octopath Traveler or Triangle Strategy before any other platform.
In any case, 2023 is a particularly decisive year for Square Enix given the weight of three of its major projects:
- A Final Fantasy VI Rebirth that promises to redraw the JRPG cult classic and, despite being announced for Christmas 2023, we will have to see its release date with our eyes. Consequences of the previous delivery.
- A Final fantasy XVI that refuses to confirm its arrival on PC, despite the fact that it is positioned as one of the great bombings of the year itself. As a reference, Square Enix throws balls out advising to buy PS5 to play it.
- And a Forspoken that, in the absence of the arrival of its DLC, has not caught on among critics and players as expected, resulting in the absorption of the studio (or rather the development team) towards Square Enix itself.
This complex situation takes on new nuances after complicated movements that go through a Babylon’s Fall that closed before its first year or a mammoth Marvel’s Avengers that did not share the same success and depth as the movies. At least Guardians of the Galaxy lived up to the characters.
And what about Xbox? Square Enix games have been some of the best excuses to subscribe to Game Pass, offering entire collections dedicated to Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or Crystal Dynamics and Eidos games for months (and years). In addition to indie gems published under the Square Enix label. In any case, it has not been absent or as active as on Japanese consoles.
What this change of roles implies for Square Enix and the players
In the short term, ongoing plans for Square Enix are proceeding as planned. Both with regard to the games announced and marked on the calendar as well as those promised, such as the next Dragon Quest or Kingdom Hearts 4. We do not rule out delays, quite the contrary, in titles like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. And it is worth remembering that, definitely, the future of Tomb Raider is no longer in your hands.
We know, yes, that the game of Guardians of the Galaxy will change hands: the cloud version for Nintendo Switch will disappear for as short a period of time as possible to change publisher. The adventure of the Avengers, on the other hand, begins its sunset although all the DLCs will be offered to the users.
Meanwhile, we have new revivals of classics. Last year we saw an update of sagas like Secret of Mana the pixelated classics of Final Fantasy. And we have not forgotten that little candy that will mean carrying Dragon Quest III the HD-2D.
And what will happen in the long term? Takashi Kiryu has two open paths: extend Yosuke Matsuda’s plan in seeking self-sustaining entertainment models (including NFTs) or draw up a plan based on heavy licensing and a traditional production model that can work commercially. O no.
But, if we look at it from the outside, we find that PlayStation Studios has currently launched or announced for PS5 in 2023 a handful of exclusive games in which Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 stands out among alternatives such as Horizon Call of the Mountain, Stellar Blade and Firewall. Ultra. In addition to relying on Square Enix, Sony needs to surprise .
What is clear is that Square Enix cannot afford more cases like Babylon’s Fall o The prophesied. And not every year you can trust that there will be a new Final Fantasy (or two) capable of cushioning in interest, expectations and sales the most complicated situations to carry.
