Square Enix has reiterated its plans to focus on “quality over quantity” and release games on multiple formats.
The company announced its new medium-term business plan back in May 2024, which included making its AAA games multiplatform going forward and focusing on producing fewer, better games.
Now, as part of its latest financial results, Square Enix stated that this three-year ‘reboot’ plan has started, with the aim of long-term growth.
According to the publisher, it’s now in the process of establishing a “mid- to long-term pipeline to achieve a shift from quantity to quality”.
It says that once the three-year reboot plan ends – which should happen by the end of its financial year ending March 2027 – it will be in a position to release “major titles mainly in key IP” on a consistent basis.
The plan has involved enhancing productivity by “optimizing the development footprint”, which included the cancellation of numerous projects last year because they were “incompatible” with the new strategy.
“In addition, for titles currently in operation, we have implemented measures to improve profitability, such as expanding platforms, diversifying payment methods, and optimizing operating costs,” it says.
It also notes that by placing all its games “under the management of the same studio” instead of outsourcing titles, the company has “consolidated, accumulated, and shared in-house know-how”, making its products higher quality.
“Under the new management structure, we reviewed all projects at our domestic studios, including HDG and SD titles, and decided to discontinue development of some titles and invest additional funds in titles that require refinement, thereby steadily implementing a strategy of selecting and concentrating development resources,” it said.
Examples of Square Enix’s plan being put in practice have been seen in recent weeks. It was announced last month that Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade will be coming to Nintendo Switch 2, demonstrating the publisher’s commitment to making its bigger titles multi-format.
Its project cancellations have been continuing too, however. Today it was announced that mobile game Kingdom Hearts: Missing Link has been cancelled.
