Square Enix Reveals It Is Going To Focus On More AAA Titles Moving Forward

In a new earnings call, the developer said it will put less emphasis on mid sized titles from now on.

Story Highlights

  • During its financial earnings call, Square Enix said that it will put more emphasis on major AAA console titles moving forward.
  • As per its statement, the company will focus less on smaller games from now on.
  • In addition, Square Enix also shed some light on the performance of Final Fantasy 16, revealing its sales are in line with the developer’s expectations.

In its latest earnings call, Square Enix uncovered that moving forward, the Japanese company is going to put more focus on developing AAA titles and less so on mid-sized games. As per analyst David Gibson, who was present in the meeting, the developer is going to work on more “larger” AAA consoles in the future. However, this strategy is going to take several years to put into impact but will be the company’s new focus. 

Besides this statement, Square Enix did not reveal how this new strategy will affect the different Creative Business Units under its leadership. You see, the company’s corporate structure is divided into four main development units, with Creative Business Unit II focusing on smaller titles. This division comprises the popular “Team Asano” or as it’s known by its former corporate term, Business Division 11.

Tomoya Asano, a producer at Square Enix, is the head of this development team and has created brilliant titles like Octopath Traveler and Bravely with small budgets. Hence, fans are concerned about what this change will mean for Team Asano as the division has created some highly successful fan-favorite games over the years. As of September 2022, Octopath Traveler 1 alone has sold more than 3 million copies globally.


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On the other hand, its sequel has already surpassed one million sales just under four months after launching in February 2023. The Bravely series has also been very triumphant for Square Enix, with the collective sales of the franchise being over 3 million as of November 2021. Therefore, it isn’t surprising that fans want to see Team Asano continue making games on a smaller scale.

During the earnings call, Square Enix also shed some light on the performance of its most recent major AAA console title, Final Fantasy 16. According to David Gibson, the results were in the range of the developer’s expectations and it feels the penetration of the PlayStation 5 install base was quite good. Considering how the action game sold over 3 million copies in just a week on a console with 40 million users, it’s pretty impressive.

Furthermore, the analyst also revealed that the sales of Final Fantasy 16 fully expensed its cost in quarter 1, meaning any sales from this point onward will be counted as profit. With a PC port still in development and expected to release next year, the Square Enix title is assured to sell more, especially with the PlayStation 5 install base increasing every day.

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Ahmed Mansoor is a News Writer who has a deep passion for single-player adventure games. He loves to keep tabs on the gaming and technology industries and loves to break stories that interest his audience. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and several years of experience writing for games. Experience: 3+ Years || Education: Bachelor's in Journalism || Written 600+ News Stories.

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