Square Enix's latest update on its three-year business "reboot" has shed light on the company's future plans, so expect more multiplatform releases and mobile games based on the publisher's biggest brands, plus a push for AI behind the scenes.
The Final Fantasy publisher made its financial 'Progress Report' public earlier today, where it doubled down on AI adoption, writing that it's "promoting AI utilization" in its Japan-set offices. Square is also working with the Matsuo Laboratory to improve on the tech as it relates to gaming, with the end goal being to "automate 70% of QA and debugging tasks in game development by the end of 2027" and "establish a competitive advantage in game development."
Square also said it recently organized a "company-wide business idea contest held under the theme of AI, with several selected ideas developed into projects [that are] currently being promoted internally." Something tells me Square isn't referring to its never-ending assembly line of 2B figures with that one.
Elsewhere, the publisher said it's working to have its "SD" segment adopt the business-wide "shift of quality over quantity", explicitly referring to its mobile games. Pointing to the Dragon Quest roguelike and the 3v3 Dissidia Final Fantasy, both launching on phones next year, the company stated that efforts are also underway to "transition toward the development of titles centered on major IPs."
If you're curious about what Square Enix considers its golden geese, its website lists five of its "Main Products and Services." Among the lineup are, of course, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest, and then... Space Invaders and Just Cause.
The promise might raise a few eyebrows since Square Enix hasn't exactly shied away from making mobile games based on its heavy hitters in the past, and it definitely hasn't been shy about throwing them away either. Earlier this year, Squeenix canceled a Kingdom Hearts mobile game, repeating itself from Nier Reincarnation's shut down last year. Heck, just last week, two other mobile games based on Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest were sunsetted in Japan after ten years. Maybe the company's next crack at mobile gaming will go better.
Despite all of that, Square is still making the premium "HD" games most of its fans want to see the most, and it's doubling down on its plan to launch its games on all platforms simultaneously. Since Square Enix began its multiplat plan in 2024's fiscal year - recently porting games like Final Fantasy 16 to Xbox and PC - its back catalogue game sales have increased by 31%.
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