Key Points:
- Square Enix plans to be aggressive in applying AI and other cutting-edge technologies to content development and publishing functions.
- They aim to enhance development productivity and achieve greater sophistication in marketing efforts in the short term.
Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu has outlined the company’s vision for the future in a New Year’s Letter. Kiryu reveals that Square Enix plans to be “aggressive in applying AI and other cutting-edge technologies to both our content development and our publishing functions.” The goal in the short term is to enhance development productivity and achieve greater sophistication in marketing efforts. Kiryu believes that technological innovation represents business opportunities and hopes to leverage AI and other technologies to create new forms of content for consumers.
On the publishing front, Square Enix wants to enable greater global collaboration and shift to digital. This will allow them to maximize the sales of new titles and deliver their rich back catalog to more customers, expanding the fan base for their intellectual properties (IPs). Additionally, Square Enix plans to implement easier and greater collaboration between the development and publishing teams to make their customers happier.
In terms of focus investment fields, Kiryu mentions that Square Enix is currently working to modify its organizational structure and optimize resource allocations to support efforts in blockchain, AI, and the Cloud. These technologies are seen as key areas of investment for the company.
Square Enix has a busy year ahead, with several highly-anticipated game releases including Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Final Fantasy XVI’s second DLC, Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail, Foamstars, SaGa: Emerald Beyond, and Visions of Mana. They also have plans for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, Dragon Quest XII, and Kingdom Hearts 4 in the future. Overall, Square Enix’s focus on AI and other cutting-edge technologies demonstrates their commitment to innovation and staying at the forefront of the gaming industry.