In an interview with Nikkei Trendy, Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda talked about some of their recent games (most notably Hitman: Absolution) not performing well on a global or local front. When compared to the success of Bravely Default, a title thought to only have niche appeal in Japan, this has caused a change in the way the company thinks about its future releases.
Moving forward, Matsuda had this to say about future games, “For the new games we’ll be developing from this point on, while this may sound a bit extreme, we’ve been talking about making them as heavy JRPGs. I believe that way, we can better focus on our target, which will also bring better results.”
It’s unlikely this new approach will impact any currently announced titles. Games like Final Fantasy XV will likely be unaffected. However, this will likely impact a few titles that Square Enix may be announcing at the Electronic Entertainment Expo this year. Based on Matsuda’s comments, it seems as though the new focus would affect Final Fantasy titles more than anything else, given the slow sales of Lightning Returns, and the non-traditional gameplay of Final Fantasy XV. However, it’s likely to cause changes for all of Square’s titles moving forward, including those that fall under the former Eidos umbrella.
