Square Enix Announces Development Overhaul For All Future Titles

Square Enix undoubtedly holds a prominent position in the gaming industry with iconic titles like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. However, despite its illustrious portfolio, the company has been experiencing some challenges, particularly in terms of sales. In response, Square Enix has announced plans to revamp its development cycles for all its games.

But what exactly does this overhaul entail, and what implications does it have for the company's future and the beloved games it produces? Fortunately, you won't have to speculate any longer, as we have all the details below, shedding light on Square Enix's decision to reshape its development approach and what it means for the future of its gaming repertoire.

Square Enix Will Take A New Approach To Develop And Releasing Games

In a recently released document straight from Square Enix, the developers have noted that big changes are coming for the Japanese multinational holding company, video game publisher, and entertainment conglomerate. In the document, many things are put on paper, but the main takeaway is that the way Square has been developing and releasing games will change in a really big, but hopefully positive way.

To be more specific and quote directly, Square Enix will be making a "shift from quantity to quality," stating that teams "will pursue a shift from quantity to quality as its medium- to long-term philosophy regarding the DE segment’s portfolio. To that end, it will first work to establish the optimal portfolio, striking a balance between a ‘product-out’ approach that reflects the imaginations of its employees to the utmost, and a ‘market-in’ approach that leverages customers’ voices and data to inform development efforts."

They then went on to say that the company will "strive for a regular launch cadence, focusing its development efforts and investments on titles with substantial potential to be loved by customers for years." The document also states that a new focus will be put on multiplatform releases, with the company shooting for its AAA releases to spread more widely across the industry.

So with all that being said, where does that leave the fan base? Well, quite happy from what we've seen as many fans are extremely pleased with the shift to quality-based releases and giving more credence to the customers' voices as these decisions are what make other studios so popular such as Capcom, FromSoftware, and CD Projekt Red. While the jury is still out on what the implications of focusing on multiplatform releases will be in terms of quality and release schedules, fans are also quite happy with this decision.

All in all, we'll just have to wait and see how this new business model works out for Square Enix, especially with new titles like the final part of the FF7 Remake trilogy as well as Kingdom Hearts 4 which are yet to come. But as we know, all good things take time, and if Square is planning on taking its time with these releases, we can expect some real gold to come from the iconic Japanese publisher soon.