Square Enix’s market value has dropped significantly since the release of Final Fantasy 16, resulting in a loss of almost 2 billion dollars for the Japanese publisher.
Peaking this year around the time of FFXVI’s long-awaited launch, the company’s market value has steadily decreased in the months since. Its current level is its lowest yet since May 2022.
Despite being widely praised by critics, Final Fantasy XVI reportedly failed to meet Square Enix’s sales expectations. The company did, however, admit that its PlayStation 5 exclusive status alongside what it claims to be a slower adoption rate of Sony’s latest console has contributed to this.
Could the PC release boost Final Fantasy XVI performance?
As spotted by Video Games Chronicle, the studio’s flagship franchise has seemingly failed to make a big enough impact for the publisher.
A PC version is currently confirmed to be in development, but it’s difficult to point the finger solely at FFXVI’s for the company’s financial performance.
“Flooding the market with unfinished, bad or untested games is a bad move,” Tokyo-based developer and gamer Michael Prefontaine said, speaking to Bloomberg and referring to releases such as Marvel’s Avengers, Forspoken and The DioField Chronicle. “The company has overstretched itself on too many titles without proper oversight.”
Other recent titles, such as Harvestella or Various Daylife also saw a mixed reception upon launch, likely contributing to the company’s financial woes.
The same article linked above claims that producers have full control over the scope and direction of projects, which also lack proper documentation and team structure.
Final Fantasy XVI’s upcoming PC launch may help bring things back on track, but it does sound like Square Enix needs more of its future games to perform well if it is to properly recover.
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