Posted in: Games, Video Games | Tagged: Dragon Quest X, Final Fantasy, final fantasy vii remake, Final Fantasy XIV, Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts III, shadow of the tomb raider, Square Enix
Square Enix Promises Multiple Blockbuster Games Coming This Year
Following the announcement of their end of year 2018 earnings report, Square Enix has also published their presentation slides which included some insights into the company's plans for the upcoming fiscal year which will end on March 31st, 2019.
First on the docket is the information that the publisher plans to expand its IP portfolio through "major" releases of existing and new IPs, including an expected increase in revenue thanks to the launch of "multiple" blockbusters and medium-sized games. The slides go on to list some of the already announced releases for the upcoming fiscal year, including Octopath Traveler on the Nintendo Switch, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Kingdom Hearts III.
The slides don't include mention of Toshifumi Nabeshima's Left Alive which was previously announced for a 2018 release, but that doesn't mean it won't be launching this year. It may simply not have made the cut as a blockbuster or "medium" sized game release like the others mentioned.
No other original IP titles appear on the slides, despite Square Enix mentioning that they plan to expand their IP portfolio. Likely, we'll find out about those new IPs during the publisher's E3 conference.
Also absent is any mention of the Final Fantasy VII remake. Which could mean they're holding off for an E3 announcement as the rumors would have it, or that the game is still deep in development.
Finally, the publisher added some detail on their plans for their MMORPGs, Final Fantasy XIV and Dragon Quest X. Both games saw major growth during the previous year thanks to the launch of two new expansions, which led to strong disc sales and an increase of paying subscribers for both games.
While neither MMO will see an expansion launch this year, Square Enix intends to "focus on user retention by taking various operational measures such as large updates." A fine example of that plan is Final Fantasy XIV's Patch 4.3 which will launch later this month. Dragon Quest X will also get a major update numbered 4.2 this month, however Dragon Quest X is only available in Japan.
Overall, this is some pretty great news for Square Enix players, but it leaves us with more questions than answers.