Square Enix is still focused on blockchain in 2023
In a New Year’s message, Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda reaffirmed the company’s focus on blockchain technology with “more blockchain games based on original IPs in development” despite public backlash against the initiative. This echoes Matsuda’s New Year’s message from last January, where the company first expressed its enthusiasm for an NFT-driven, metaverse future. Recently, Squeenix partnered with “eco-friendly” blockchain firm Oasys, likely to sidestep potential controversy over, you know, the environmental impact of the technology.
Matsuda addressed some of the public feedback in his letter, arguing that new technology usually faces initial pushback before it is widely accepted. “New technologies and frameworks lead to innovation, but they also create significant confusion,” he wrote. “Having ridden out such societal tides, some such technologies and frameworks gradually become part of people’s lives, eventually giving rise to new businesses and growth.”
However, Matsuda admitted that “The market was driven more by speculative investors than by players” at this time. Although he pointed to “several blockchain gaming events held overseas” that “produced more active discussion than ever before about what makes games exciting and what their user community looks like.” Square hasn’t made things any less confusing, as we still don’t know how this technology can actually improve gaming.
Blockchain is clearly at the company’s forefront. After selling a handful of its western studios and IP for $300 million, including Tomb Raider and Deus Ex, Squeenix mentioned that it would be able to use the extra money to launch “new businesses by moving forward with investments in fields including blockchain, AI, and the cloud.”
Elsewhere in Square’s realm, a handful of live-service games are quietly shutting down. Final Fantasy 7 battle-royale spin-off, The First Soldier, will end services on January 11, followed by Bravely Default: Brilliant Lights on February 28. This follows kart racer Chocobo GP which stopped receiving support in December 2022, nine months after its release.
It’s not all bad news for Square fans, as Final Fantasy producer Yoshinori Kitase teased fans with “another big announcement unrelated to FFVII” in another New Year’s letter. Many fans have speculated that Kitase could be referring to a Final Fantasy 9 remake, based on the prophetic Nvidia leaks. Personally, Final Fantasy 9 is perfect as it is, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a new project. I’ll probably just replay FF9 anyway.
Regardless of game endings, blockchain controversy, or classic remakes, Square Enix is poised to have a pretty good 2023. Their magical parkour game The Forerunner will be released in a few weeks on January 24th. On June 22nd, Square’s biggest series returns with Final Fantasy 16 – currently a limited-time PS5 exclusive. Then the next part of their FF7 saga continues with Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth next winter, which also debuts as a timed exclusive for PS5.
