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Square Enix plans to ‘aggressively pursue’ multiplatform game releases

Square Enix plans to ‘aggressively pursue’ multiplatform game releases

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In the company’s earnings release, the Final Fantasy publisher states it’s looking to bring more games to Xbox and PC.

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A screenshot of Aerith in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.
Image: Square Enix

Everybody’s getting bitten by the multiplatform bug; now, it’s Square Enix. In its earnings report released earlier today, the publisher shared plans to increase profits, stating that it will “aggressively pursue a multiplatform strategy that includes Nintendo platforms, PlayStation, Xbox, and PCs.”

Right now, Square Enix’s biggest games, like Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, have been restricted to the PlayStation, with PC releases for select titles including Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade following some time after console launch. However, smaller new releases, like the forthcoming Visions of Mana, are seeing simultaneous release on Xbox.

The company wrote that it hopes bringing its major franchises, including its back catalog, to more platforms will “build an environment where more customers can enjoy our titles.” It’s a policy Xbox has started to pursue, releasing its exclusives on other platforms like Grounded and Pentiment on Switch and the highly praised but ill-fated Hi-Fi Rush on PlayStation 5.

The news that fans can expect more Square Enix titles on more platforms was coupled with additional reports that the company is undergoing a round of layoffs. According to a report in VGC, the publisher is planning to let go of an unconfirmed number of people across its US and European businesses. The Verge has reached out to Square Enix for comment.

Earlier this year, industry analysts have speculated that Square Enix’s most recent game, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, hasn’t been selling as well as expected. Square Enix itself has not shared sales numbers for the game, despite doing so for Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy XV, and Rebirth’s direct predecessor, Final Fantasy VII Remake. This shift to multiplatform releases, then, might be in response to Rebirth’s apparently soft sales and the fact that Final Fantasy XV, one of the bestselling games in the franchise ever, released both on PlayStation and Xbox, selling over 10 million copies worldwide.