The next CEO of Square Enix, Takashi Kiryu, mentioned in a stream that he plays the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. However, he is not as experienced as his wife.
Several weeks ago, the current CEO of Square Enix, Yosuke Matsuda, announced that he will soon step down from his position. His successor will be Takashi Kiryu.
This is what the new CEO says: In the FFXIV producer stream, Naoki Yoshida had both CEOs as guests on camera. While Matsuda said goodbye to the fans and thanked them, Kiryu introduced himself and shared some behind-the-scenes insights.
Kiryu mentioned that he is actually an FFXIV fan. He even appeared in the stream with the official FFXIV guitar, which he reportedly purchased himself, according to Yoshida. Yoshida noted that the new CEO had to wait a full 9 months for his delivery instead of using his position as a company employee to expedite it.
However, Kiryu stated that he is not a hardcore player. That title belongs to his wife in the family. She “forced” him to play the MMORPG.
She is a more experienced player than I am. She does “wall to walls” [big pulls] and I can’t keep up. I’m the healer. […] When I come home, she always has suitable weapons and equipment ready for my level and for the level we should reach together. I love it.
Like many experienced players, the woman still gets annoyed when her healer husband runs in the wrong direction in dungeons, Kiryu laughs.
Who is Takashi Kiryu actually? The soon-to-be CEO of Square Enix joined the company only in 2020 and has switched positions multiple times since then until he landed on the Director Board in 2022.
The announcement about Yosuke Matsuda’s resignation raised hopes among some Square Enix fans. The former CEO repeatedly mentioned in his letters to investors that the developer wanted to focus more on NFTs in their games. This did not sit well with many gamers.
However, the new CEO does not seem any less NFT-inclined. Before his transition to Square Enix, he worked at the Innovation Initiative of the Japanese Dentsu Group, which invested in NFT services in July 2021.
In a 2022 interview, Kiryu also emphasized that he supports Square Enix’s NFT direction and will likely continue to do so:
It remains to be seen what direction Square Enix will take under Kiryu and how his leadership will affect the existing and future IPs of the company. However, NFT opponents should not get their hopes up too high that the new CEO will completely drop Square Enix’s interest in this feature for their games.
The head of FFXIV, Naoki Yoshida, has also already commented on NFTs:
The head of Final Fantasy XIV has a clear opinion on NFTs in his MMORPG
