Square Enix Europe, even with the critical reception of games like Tomb Raider, Hitman: Absolution, and Sleeping Dogs, has been hit with layoffs. The company missed its lofty projections on multiple occasions over the past few years, and due to this fiscal issue, it will have to move a few pieces around in the European sector in order to once again find success.
This comes not long after the news of Tomb Raider underperforming after its first month of availability. Although most publishers would be more than satisfied with its game being purchased 3.4 million times in this short period, Square Enix had anitcipated sales of 5-6 million. It’s still unclear if these numbers were required to simply break even on the project or see a profit, but either way, some of the company’s biggest games aren't selling what the higher ups had hoped.
“We are reviewing our business in Europe to ensure we have the right structure, content and skills for the changing entertainment landscape," Square Enix told MCV.
Sadly, that does mean that a group of people will be out of a job.
"We do expect changes to the UK office, which will affect personnel. We will update you when the time is right, but our priority right now is for the people within the business.”
It was just last month that the Square Enix CEO resigned from his position. In the statement following his departure, the overall underperformance issue was attributed to slow sales of major console releases in the North American and European markets as well as "sluggish" performance at the company's arcade business.