“A major contribution”
A brand new Square Enix financial report (for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022) calls out Final Fantasy XIV in a front and center fashion: and things are looking good for fans of the series.
Not only did the next expansion get a soft confirmation recently (amid comments that the game would continue for at least a decade more in theory), but the company cites Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker as a big reason why there was an uptick in their games division, noting: “Net sales and operating income rose YoY with a major contribution from the Final Fantasy XIV expansion pack launched in December 2021.” This is in light of a direct comparison of “weak performance for existing titles” for mobile/browser-based games (not PC gaming in general, which is put under the “HD Games” moniker of the Square Enix financial report).
In terms of future plans, Square Enix intends to “strengthen their IP ecosystem” following the sale of several IPs to the Embracer Group, and “optimize their business structure” in this new global landscape. Prongs of the former plan involve creating new IP specifically under the Square Enix banner (expect that to come to fruition as early as 2023), and establishing new studios to facilitate that plan.
Of course, as per the CEO’s own comments earlier in 2022, some of those plans involve “initiatives to promote [the] blockchain entertainment domain.” That “Blockchain Entertainment Business Division” was created in February of 2022, with the intent of “tackling scalability in NFT economic zones and experiences.”
Square Enix focusing more on internal IP could yield great games for fans, but of course, we’re also getting a monkey’s paw situation here.
