Final Fantasy XIV and the entire game series holds great significance for many players, but it is precisely the role-playing series that is now causing more than just a stomach ache for developer Square Enix.
Why is Square Enix struggling? Square Enix had to announce in the last financial report that profits have fallen by about 70 %. Investors were not pleased with this report and promptly punished the company.
The stock fell by about 19%, and the company named the popular game series Final Fantasy as the reason for the poor numbers. According to Bloomberg, this is the largest drop in the developer’s stock in 13 years.
The high losses in profit and the falling stock price are sure to cause more than just a stomach ache for the developer. For the future, Square Enix already has a plan: in addition to layoffs in Europe and the USA, the company also wants to scrap unannounced games and attempt a restart.
Here you can see the launch trailer for Final Fantasy XVI:
Final Fantasy is the reason for the poor numbers
Why Final Fantasy? Two Final Fantasy games have not lived up to expectations. Starting with Final Fantasy XVI, the latest main installment of the series. The game was released in June 2023 and initially met expectations. Square Enix even reported 3 million copies sold.
However, after the initial hype, the numbers quickly declined, and thus the business year target for the game was not achieved.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth also did not meet its targets. Even the hype around the game apparently did not meet an internal goal, and as a result, the sales figures for the game fell short of expectations.
Are other games to blame? Yes, the 4v4 shooter Foamstars also failed to attract enough attention. No sales figures were provided for the PS5 shooter, but the developers stated that the goals were not met.
What does the future hold for Final Fantasy? Square Enix remains confident regarding Final Fantasy. The company believes that Final Fantasy XVI can achieve its actual goal within 18 months.
The sales of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and the shooter Foamstars are also not extremely poor, even if they did not meet expectations.
It is notable that all titles were initially released exclusively for PlayStation 5, and the company’s new strategy targets all platforms. However, it is not known what the prospects are for new products in the series. The development of the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV is still ongoing: Final Fantasy XIV is getting a feature that the head wants you not to use
