Final Fantasy XIV may be the hero of Square Enix’s most recent financial report, but the company has its eyes on NFTs. The Japanese publisher released its Financial Results for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, reporting increases across the board in net sales (¥365.2bn), operating income (¥59.2bn), and ordinary income (¥70.7bn). The document points towards a “major contribution” from Final Fantasy XIV Endwalker as a reason for its success.
Despite the fact that video games continue to be Square Enix’s bread and butter, the medium‐term business strategy detailed in the report seems to indicate that the company will be treading new ground in the future. The segment titled “Initiatives to promote Blockchain Entertainment domain” lists bullet points such as “Issuing exclusive fungible tokens and designing earnings structures/communities” and “World‐building, story‐focused creatives x launching a new NFT brand and IP.”
The report states, “Our plan is to incorporate game content into our service and to leverage the development and operational expertise we have amassed in our existing businesses to explore the potential of earnings structures, breadth of play, and NFT ownership experiences in the NFT business.”
This information comes on the heels of Square Enix’s announcement that the company is selling three of its Western studios (Eidos Interactive, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montreal) to Swedish video game company Embracer Group. The sale encompasses several key IPs, including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, and Legacy of Kain.
Although the company will (hopefully) soon release the eagerly-awaited Final Fantasy XVI, it’s fair to wonder how much interest Square Enix really has in continuing to produce the kind of games that have made it so beloved to generations of gamers.
