Square Enix has madea May 2024 financial results briefingpublic, confirming the public sentiment thatFinal Fantasy VII: RebirthandFinal Fantasy XVIhad disappointing releases.
President Takashi Kiryu saidthe HD Games segment was operating at a loss of ¥8.1 billion (US$51.6 million at the time of the report)over FY2024/3, roughly twice as much as in the previous year.
Slow sales ofFinal Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Final Fantasy XVI, and Foamstarsare the main culprits.The latter is going free-to-playin October.
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One of the biggest enemies in accurately setting goals forRebirthsales is its predecessor,Final Fantasy VII Remake.
The FF7 Remakecame out in April 2020 for the PlayStation 4, a console that had sold112.5 million units in July of that year.
March 2024 sales data for the PlayStation 5 records 54.2 million units, matchingPS4 numbers at its 39th month mark.
Final FantasydeveloperNaoki Yoshida has mentioned plans to diversifyby pursuing Xbox releases following theFinal Fantasy XIVport.
The global lockdowns also boostedFinal Fantasy VII: Remake, with millions spending unprecedented time at home fighting Shinra.
The HD Games sub-segment failed to improve its profitability, posting operating lossesin every year of our previous medium-term plan. - Takashi Kiryu
With production limited to one console, and no pandemic,Rebirthreached the #2 spot in the PlayStation store, behind onlyHelldivers 2.
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The report’s brightest spot was the massively multiplayer online entryFinal Fantasy XIV. The MMO sub-segment recorded ¥19.3 billion in profits (approximately US$123 million at the time).
The successful release of theFinal Fantasy XIV: Dawntrailexpansionin July will be a bright spot in next year’s financial briefing.
TheFinal Fantasy XVI PC portcame out yesterday andhad 22 thousand concurrent playerson day one.
The Windows version of Valisthea is still enjoying this honeymoon period, but the expectation is that this release will help the game gain traction.
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Square Enix is famous for its high sales expectations for its games, so those who follow the company closely are not surprised by the May briefing.
The operating losses in the HD gaming segment remain a big deal when working with a household name likeFinal Fantasy, even ifFinal Fantasy XIVcan cover costs for now.
Square Enix joined other gaming industry giants in layoffs earlier this year, but you cannot fire your workforce on mass and expect success in equal measure.
Thethird part of theFinal Fantasy VIIremake franchiseshould be released after 2027. Time will tell whether Square Enix’s future briefings will show lessons learned or further losses.
How Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth Succeeds | Save Room
Relationships. Side Quests. Engaging combat. Love. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a REALLY good game. Let’s talk about why.
