Tag: Square Enix

Classic SNES RPG is finally coming to Steam and PlayStation

Square Enix’s classic RPG Live A Live is making its debut on Steam and PlayStation soon, after a period of Switch exclusivity

Square Enix’s classic RPG Live A Live is making its debut on Steam and PlayStation soon, after a period of Switch exclusivity, the publisher announced in a press release. Live A Live will launch on April 27, 2023, for PS4, PS5, and PC via Steam. Pre-orders are open now on digital storefronts, and you can download a free demo that lets you play three of Live A Live’s opening chapters and transfers your progress to the full game.

Live A Live’s adventure unfolds across the centuries and follows eight heroes – a warrior from pre-history, a futuristic robot, a samurai from Edo-period Japan, and a gunslinger from the wild west, among others. Each tale gradually weaves itself into a broader story, but what ending you get depends on the actions you take.

Live A Live originally released on Super Famicom in Japan, but was never localized until the HD-2D remaster launched in 2022. Octopath Traveler’s Team Asano developed the Live A Live remaster, with Takashi Tokito, the original director, as producer and a revised score created under the supervision of Yoko Shimomura, the game’s original composer who later penned the scores for Final Fantasy XV and the Kingdom Hearts series.

PlayStation Plus subscribers who pre-order the game will get a 20 percent discount. Square Enix is offering the same discount on Steam, but it runs until May 11, 2023. 

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Square Enix announces Forspoken prequel DLC release date

The first Forspoken DLC is coming up soon, and Square Enix said it’s a prequel story set decades before Frey’s tale begins

The first Forspoken DLC is coming up soon, and Square Enix said it’s a prequel story set decades before Frey’s tale begins. The DLC is called In Tanta We Trust and launches on May 26, 2023, for PS5 and PC. Those who own the RPG’s digital deluxe version will automatically have the expansion unlock on May 23, 2023, while everyone else will have to buy it separately. Square Enix didn’t say how much it will cost.

As you’d expect from the title, the DLC centers on the Tantas, Athia’s former rulers. Frey still joins in, though. Square Enix said she follows a mysterious voice and ends up 25 years in the past, joining Tanta Cinta and Athia’s other rulers in the Battle of Rheddig, which, if you’ve played the base game already, you might remember as the battle where the Tantas lost their minds. No bonus points for guessing how this adventure ends.

Frey also gains new magic powers to unleash in battle alongside Tanta Cinta and, seemingly, new parkour abilities as well. 

“Scale to new heights in unique, vertically-designed environments with Frey’s honed magic-enhanced parkour skills,” Square Enix said in the press release announcing the DLC.

Forspoken is available now on PS5 and PC via Steam.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Square Enix is voting to replace the company president after 10 years

Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda is stepping down after a decade, with Takashi Kiryu taking his place after the company board votes

Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda is stepping down after a decade, with Takashi Kiryu taking his place after the company board votes in June, the company announced in a statement. Matsuda joined Square Enix in 2013 and oversaw the release of games such as Final Fantasy XV, where he appeared as an optional boss, and a renewed push to bring the publisher’s classic games back to life for new audiences. These decisions were accompanied by less triumphant ventures, including the sale of the company’s Western studios and investment in NFTs.

Takashi Kiryu joined the company in 2020 as his first venture in the corporate world and served in various executive capacities, including on Square Enix’s board and as chief strategy officer. 

“Under the rapid change of business environment surrounding the entertainment industry, the proposed change is intended to reshape the management team with the goal of adopting ever-evolving technological innovations and maximizing on the creativity of [Square Enix Holdings Co. Ltd.]’s group in order to deliver even greater entertainment to its customers around the world,” Square Enix said in the statement.

It’s unclear whether Kiryu will continue pursuing investments in blockchain technology as Matsuda did or how his plan for the company will differ from his predecessor’s, if at all.

The news comes after Square Enix reported declining revenue and a weaker-than-expected fiscal year. The company will release its highly anticipated RPG Final Fantasy 16 on June 22, 2023, for PS5 consoles.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Square Enix reports financial decline ahead of Final Fantasy 16

Square Enix’s financial report for the period ending in December 2022 shows a marked decline in sales and MMO revenue

Square Enix’s financial report for the period ending in December 2022 shows a marked decline in sales and MMO revenue, though the publisher hopes it can turn its fortunes around with “multiple” new titles and IP. One of those, Forspoken, already launched, and Square Enix is planning to release Octopath Traveler 2 and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line in February.

Net sales in the company’s digital entertainment totaled 184 billion yen, down 27 billion from the same nine-month period in 2022. Sales in its HD games section – anything that isn’t an MMO or mobile game – dropped to their lowest point since 2021, despite Square Enix releasing several new games, including Star Ocean, Valkyrie Elysium, Harvestella, and Live A Live. These were all comparatively small, special interest releases, at least compared to the company’s heavy hitters like Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Dragon Quest XI in previous years.

MMO sales dropped compared to 2022, unsurprising given Final Fantasy XIV’s Endwalker expansion released in the previous fiscal year, though they remain higher than they were in 2021.

Mobile sales also declined, as Square Enix said new titles could not make up for the existing games’ underperformance. The report made no mention of Square Enix’s NFT projects, which are reportedly still going ahead.

The Final Fantasy maker’s experience is similar to several other publishers across the games industry, both in terms of revenue decline and the lack of major releases, thanks in part to the global cost of living crisis.

Square Enix said it plans on encouraging more player time and spending in its MMO section with “a variety of operational initiatives.” While it’s unclear what the publisher’s release schedule looks like beyond summer 2023, the highly anticipated Final Fantasy 16 is set to launch in late June.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF

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Babylon’s Fall is shutting down next year

Following a particularly rough launch, Babylon’s Fall isn’t going to be online much longer.

In a move that shouldn’t surprise anyone keeping score, Babylon’s Fall isn’t going to be around much longer.

There was a healthy degree of hype going into the launch of Babylon’s Fall. It was another joint venture between publisher Square Enix and developer Platinum Games – a partnership that previously brought us the magnificent NieR: Automata. Sadly, lightning didn’t strike twice.

On Tuesday, Square Enix announced that all online functionality for Babylon’s Fall will shut down on Feb. 27, 2023.

“It is with deep regret to inform you that we will be terminating the game’s service,” reads a statement on the Babylon’s Fall website. “As a result, we will also cancel the large-scale updates that we had planned.”

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Babylon’s Fall only came out on March 3, 2022, so it won’t even be a year old by the time everything shuts down. A pretty rough situation all around.

The downward spiral arguably began once a demo for Babylon’s Fall came out that wasn’t at all well received. Soon after, critics absolutely thrashed the game – it currently has a dismal Metacritic score of 46 on PC.

Earlier this spring, the concurrent player numbers fell off a cliff. There were even instances of only one person playing Babylon’s Fall on Steam.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Square Enix contributes to Bitcoin startup’s $35 million funding round

The Final Fantasy publisher was among several companies investing in blockchain gaming startup Zebedee.

It looks as though Square Enix, the publishing powerhouse behind Final Fantasy, is yet another gaming company toe-dipping into cryptocurrency.

Decrypt reports that Zebedee, a blockchain gaming startup, raised $35 million during its latest round of funding. Of those investors was Square Enix, which contributed an unspecified amount (likely a significant chunk). Zebedee’s platform lets developers implement micropayments via its Lightning Network, allowing players the opportunity to earn Bitcoin through in-game activities.

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Truthfully, none of this is that surprising. Earlier this year, Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda expressed interest in blockchain technology. Specifically, NFTs. Insisting that “there will be a certain number of people whose motivation is to ‘play to contribute,’ by which I mean to help make the game more exciting.” The company also recommitted to this in a year-end report.

All of this comes mere months after Square Enix sold franchises like Tomb Raider, Thief, Legacy of Kain, and Deus Ex, along with studios such as Eidos Montréal, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montréal, to Embracer Group for $300 million. Stating that those funds would aid with blockchain investments. So this has been a long time coming, much to the dismay of long-time fans.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Square Enix recommit to NFTs and the Blockchain in year-end report

A summary of the previous year would be ‘pretty good, especially MMOs’ but the most interesting bits are the forward-looking statements. There, Square Enix explained their Web 3.0/NFT/Blockchain strategy and said it’s “considering multiple potential global investments” on top of what it has already done.

It’s Square Enix’s turn to tell us how the last year went as May rolls ever onward. A summary of the previous year would be ‘pretty good, especially MMOs’ but the most interesting bits are the forward-looking statements. There, Square Enix explained their Web 3.0/NFT/Blockchain strategy and said it’s “considering multiple potential global investments” on top of what it has already done.

While this may come as a surprise, or laughably predictable depending on your point of view, given the recent (and ongoing) negative press surrounding cryptocurrencies, Square Enix do back it up somewhat. Shi-San-Sei Million Arthur, one of Square Enix’s franchises, had a ‘season’ of NFTs in the past year, and it was successful enough that the company is moving forward with another.

“Encouraged by the results and feedback from our NFT business, we have decided to produce a second season,” it says. “Our plan is to incorporate game content into our service and to leverage the development and operational expertise we have amassed in our existing businesses to explore the potential of earnings structures, breadth of play, and NFT ownership experiences in the NFT business.”

Square Enix also detailed the other next steps, including an “initiative to establish regulatory clarity and guidelines for blockchain games.” It’s also looking at “tackling scalability” and how to actually make a new IP that exploits it all. For those who want absolutely nothing to do with NFTs, it’s perhaps slightly less terrifying than you might expect, given it’s focused in new areas. That said, the inevitability of being able to own a Buster Sword NFT doesn’t feel too far away.

As far as results went, HD Games (console and PC, not counting MMOs Dragon Quest X and FF14) were down, but MMOs were up thanks to the Endwalker expansion. Mobile/web games were still the vast majority of Net Sales, and increased slightly compared to the previous year. Endwalker ‘only’ managed to increase sales from 39.8 billion yen (~$309M) to 62.2 billion yen (~$473M) for its segment, with some of that also coming from Dragon Quest X Online’s own expansion pack. Square Enix also mentioned a “sharp rise” in subscribers for FF14.

Given the bumps other games see from major expansion releases, these numbers actually seem a little low to me, considering the constant hype surrounding FF14 in the current climate. No doubt it’s doing way better than it ever has done, but much like how COD and WoW for Activision Blizzard are massively outpaced by the mobile offerings of King and Candy Crush, it’s just another drop in the ocean for Square Enix’s overall business.

Written by Ben Barrett on behalf of GLHF.

Square Enix to sell Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, and more for $300 million to invest in the blockchain

Square Enix plans to use the money to invest in other business ventures, including blockchain tech.

Embracer Group has announced it is acquiring Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal, and all of their IP, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Legacy of Kain, and more than 50 back-catalog titles from Square Enix. 

The deal sees Square Enix dropping most of its Western business, and getting back to focusing exclusively on its development studios in Japan and Asia after decades of operations.

Fans are shocked to see the acquisition is only worth $300 million, to be paid in cash after the closure, despite including 1.100 employees across three studios and eight global locations.

On top of that, Embracer claims it has “secured additional long-term debt funding commitments for this and other transactions in the pipeline,” so expect more from the prolific Swedish company later this year.

”We are thrilled to welcome these studios into the Embracer Group. We recognize the fantastic IP, world class creative talent, and track record of excellence that have been demonstrated time and again over the past decades,” says Lars Wingefors, co-founder and group CEO, Embracer Group. 

“It has been a great pleasure meeting the leadership teams and discussing future plans for how they can realize their ambitions and become a great part of Embracer.”

Just a few weeks ago, Crystal Dynamics announced that a new Tomb Raider game is in the works, based on Unreal Engine 5.

The franchise has sold more than 88 million copies, and its reboot trilogy featuring a young Lara Croft also became a movie starring Alicia Vikander.

Embracer’s press release also names Deus Ex (more than 12 million copies sold), Legacy of Kain, Thief,” and other original franchises. 

After closing this transaction, the US will be Embracer’s #1 country by number of game developers, and Canada will be #2.

Embracer will have more than 14,000 employees, 10,000 engaged game developers, and 124 internal studios, while it claims its “upcoming content pipeline includes more than 230 games with more than 30 AAA games.”

Square Enix says the transaction “enables the launch of new businesses by moving forward with investments in fields including blockchain, AI, and the cloud.” 

Written by Paolo Sirio on behalf of GLHF.

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Square Enix donates $500,000 towards humanitarian efforts in Ukraine

The Final Fantasy publisher hopes peace will return within the country soon.

Square Enix is donating $500,000 towards Ukraine relief efforts.

On Monday, the company made an announcement regarding the ongoing conflict. 

“Square Enix Group today announced the donation of $500,000 to The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in order to provide humanitarian aid to the Ukrainian people who are seeking refuge in neighboring regions,” Square Enix’s statement reads on Twitter. “In addition, our Square Enix group companies have launched an employee fundraiser and matching gift program to benefit the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF and Doctors Without Borders.” 

“We sincerely hope that peace will be restored and that those affected by the crisis will regain peaceful life as quickly as possible,” Square Enix concludes.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s vice prime minister, made a plea with the games industry to stop supporting Russia and Belarus while the conflict is happening. Square Enix joins The Pokémon Company and PlayStation in providing relief funds for Ukraine. Indie game storefront Itch.io has raised nearly $6 million for humanitarian efforts in the country.

Other companies like Microsoft, CD Projekt Red, and Electronic Arts are suspending games and hardware sales within Russia.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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Square Enix president hopes NFTs become a major part of video games

Yosuke Matsuda seems keen on NFTs.

Yosuke Matsuda, president of Square Enix, hopes blockchain technology and NFTs become a significant trend in video games.

In a New Year letter published on Square Enix’s  website, Matsuda outlines several emerging technology trends, such as cloud computing, the metaverse, and cryptocurrency — with blockchain and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) being a significant talking point.

“The advent of NFTs using blockchain technology significantly increased the liquidity of digital goods, enabling the trading of a variety of such goods at high prices and sparking conversations the world over,” Matsuda said. “I see 2021 not only as ‘Metaverse: Year One,’ but also as ‘NFTs: Year One’ given that it was a year in which NFTs were met with a great deal of enthusiasm by a rapidly expanding user base.”

NFTs are a hot-button topic within the video games industry as of late. Dead By Daylight  studio  Behaviour Interactive faced significant blowback from fans over an NFT collaboration, while Ubisoft fans reacted similarly  over the company’s new blockchain technology. However, the worst backlash of all was over  S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl’s  NFT integration. Things got so ugly that its developer GSC Game World outright removed NFTs from the game.

Matsuda knows most people that play video games regularly aren’t responding well to NFTs but believes that the controversial technology might lure in a new audience.

“I realize that some people who ‘play to have fun’ and who currently form the majority of players have voiced their reservations toward these new trends, and understandably so,” Matsuda explains. “However, I believe that there will be a certain number of people whose motivation is to ‘play to contribute,’ by which I mean to help make the game more exciting.”

Many fans and industry figures are already unhappy about the Square Enix president’s words.

“Traditional gaming has offered no explicit incentive to this latter group of people, who were motivated strictly by such inconsistent personal feelings as goodwill and volunteer spirit,” Matsuda says. “It is blockchain-based tokens that will enable this. By designing viable token economies into our games, we will enable self-sustaining game growth.”

Matsuda continues: “It is precisely this sort of ecosystem that lies at the heart of what I refer to as ‘decentralized gaming,’ and I hope that this becomes a major trend in gaming going forward. If we refer to the one-way relationship where game players and game providers are linked by games that are finished products as ‘centralized gaming’ to contrast it with decentralized gaming, then incorporating decentralized games into our portfolio in addition to centralized games will be a major strategic theme for us starting in 2022.”

It seems Square Enix will be in the NFT business soon enough.

Written by Kyle Campbell on behalf of GLHF.

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