As a seasoned gamer with decades of experience under my belt, I must say that Square Enix’s recent financial results briefing has left me with a mix of emotions. On one hand, it’s disheartening to see games like Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth and Final Fantasy XVI not living up to expectations. These are titles that have been on my wishlist for years, and I had high hopes for them.
As a passionate gamer, I’ve got to share some insights from Square Enix’s recent financial briefing. It seems the community and I weren’t entirely satisfied with the launches of “Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth” and “Final Fantasy XVI,” as suggested by their public disclosure in their May 2024 report.
President Takashi Kiryu announced that the HD Games division had experienced a loss of approximately ¥8.1 billion (equivalent to US$51.6 million at the time of the report) during the fiscal years 2024/2025, which is nearly double the loss incurred the previous year.
A significant factor behind slow sales is the sluggish performance of titles such as “Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth,” “Final Fantasy XVI,” and “Foamstars.” In October, “Foamstars” will switch to a free-to-play model.
As a dedicated gamer, one major challenge I face when establishing goals for Rebirth sales is the looming presence of its prequel, Final Fantasy VII Remake.
In April 2020, the Final Fantasy VII Remake was released on the PlayStation 4, which at that time had already sold over 112.5 million units worldwide in July.
Data from March 2024 reveals that 54.2 million PlayStation 5 consoles have been sold, mirroring the number of PlayStation 4 units sold by the end of its 39th month on sale.
Naoki Yoshida, the creator behind Final Fantasy, has shared his intentions to expand their horizons and explore Xbox releases as a natural next step after successfully porting Final Fantasy XIV.
During these global lockdowns, I found myself immersed in more hours than usual battling Shinra, the powerful corporation from Final Fantasy VII: Remake. With so much extra time at home, it seemed like millions of us gamers were doing the same!
During the specified mid-term period, the HD Games segment consistently reported operational deficits, failing to boost its financial performance.
Despite being available on just a single console, and with no global pandemic affecting sales, the game “Rebirth” managed to secure the second position in the PlayStation store, surpassed only by “Helldivers 2”.
Not All Doom & Gloom For Square Enix
Among the highlights of the report, the standout feature was the hugely successful Massive Multiplayer Online game, “Final Fantasy XIV”. This particular segment generated a profit of approximately ¥19.3 billion or about US$123 million.
Releasing the “Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail” expansion successfully in July is likely to shine as a notable highlight during our upcoming financial report next year.
The Final Fantasy XVI PC port came out yesterday and had 22 thousand concurrent players on day one.
In simpler terms, the Windows edition of Valisthea is currently basking in its initial success, and it’s anticipated that this launch will boost its popularity further.
It’s no surprise to close observers that Square Enix sets high sales targets for its video games, given their reputation. So, the May briefing didn’t catch anyone off guard.
Despite the fact that the well-known franchise, Final Fantasy, can currently handle its expenses in the HD gaming segment, it’s still significant to note that operational losses persist within this area.
Earlier this year, Square Enix, like other major gaming companies, underwent layoffs. However, indiscriminately reducing a workforce doesn’t automatically guarantee the same level of success.
In simpler terms, we can expect the third installment of the “Final Fantasy VII” remake series to come out past the year 2027. It remains to be seen if Square Enix’s upcoming announcements will reflect valuable insights gained or continued setbacks.
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2024-09-18 22:08