Recently, Square Enix said it would start reviewing its development processes from scratch. Then, yesterday, the company announced to investors that it was expecting massive losses.
The statement given to investors reads:
In light of the myriad changes underway in the environment surrounding its Group, we plan to revise the Group’s approach to the development of high-definition games with the intention of being more selective and focused in the allocation of development resources.
As a result of a close examination of the Group’s development pipeline undertaken in keeping with this revised approach, the company expects to recognize approximately ¥22.1 billion in content abandonment losses on its books for the fiscal year ended March 2024.
This statement never goes into just what the content is that’s been abandoned, but it is in line with a statement made by the company’s new CEO Takashi Kiryu earlier this year, where he said he planned to ensure higher quality from each title by slimming down the overall lineup.
Here’s hoping that the culling focuses on Forspoken-type games and not Final Fantasy because my heart is not ready for that kind of loss.