You know those JRPGs like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest that Square Enix is pretty well-known for making, especially since it sold off a whole bunch of its other IPs and the studios that work on them? Well, the publisher doesn’t want to have to rely on them as much going forwards.
It’s an idea that makes plenty of sense in a vacuum, but seems a little bit hilarious given the whole ditching of the likes of Tomb Raider and Deus Ex that Square executed in May 2022, when it sold Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montreal, and Square Enix Montreal to Embracer Group. But, hey, there are other games out there that the publisher could use to help expand its repertoire.
This desire to become less dependent on the existing big series Square Enix has at its disposal was outlined by company president Takashi Kiryu in the Q and A section of a November 2023 financial briefing that was only published recently (thanks, GamesRadar). In it, Kiryu (not that one) cites two areas in which he believes Square “to be lacking”, with the first of these being “the limited diversity of our title portfolio”.