President Takashi Kiryu has shared his plans to slim down Square Enix's lineup of titles.
03.01.2024 - 23:26 / mmorpg.com / Square Enix / Takashi Kiryu / Says They / Ai / Will
Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu says the company will be “aggressive” in using generative AI technology to create content, including in development and publishing. This not only means more investment in technologies but also a desire to use the tech for all kinds of development, and “create new forms of content” in a balance between product and marketing.
Kiryu shared those comments in a New Year’s letter reflecting on 2023 and looking ahead to what’s ahead for the company this year. In the letter, he paints 2023 as a transition year after previous pandemic restrictions, and sets to redefine some of the company’s goals. Square Enix is looking to diversify its income sources and adopt technologies like virtual reality and augmented reality (the XR, extended reality field) into new content as platforms became more widespread and accessible to more households.
As for the use of generative AI, this is where it gets a bit more controversial. As developers begin to embrace these technologies more, it isn’t without concern that their use is displacing human creative and development talent. The Finals, for example, released by Nexon, infamously used AI-generated voice overs instead of hiring voice actors to deliver all the lines. Recently, Microsoft signed a deal with Inworld to develop and use generative AI technology in development, including to generate quests, dialogue, and story content. Square Enix’ direction is not surprising, though concerns remain in the industry overall, especially after a year of thousands of layoffs.
Square Enix has already embraced the use of blockchain and other tech in an effort to broaden its portfolio. Indeed, he states that, “We previously identified three focus investment fields, namely blockchain entertainment/Web 3.0, AI, and the cloud” and will realign to allocate resources into them.
Kiryu says that the company is looking for growth and to “adapt flexibly to a changing business environment and to continue to create high-quality content” through these and other moves. Expect their use of blockchain and generative AI technology to continue to be a focus.
President Takashi Kiryu has shared his plans to slim down Square Enix's lineup of titles.
Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu believes the company needs to diversify its gaming output, but also focus on fewer releases.
The president of Japanese publishing giant Square Enix, Takashi Kiryu, has said he wants his company's output to be more diverse.
Square Enix recently revealed during the Xbox Developer Direct that Visions of Mana will be released for Xbox during the upcoming summer. During the event, Microsoft unveiled more information about the upcoming Indiana Jones game developed by MachineGames, and details about Avowed and Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2. However, the appearance of Visions of Mana was the biggest surprise of Xbox Developer Direct.
Square Enix appears to be on the verge of shaking up its development portfolio. According to its president, we may soon see fewer titles, but a more diverse array of genres coming out of a developer and publisher traditionally known for its massive RPG franchises.
Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu says he wants to diversify the studio's lineup of games by relying less on "strong IPs" like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.
Life is Strange's director says he would've loved to have developed the universe further, but that Square Enix decides where the series goes from here.
Japanese publisher Square Enix has revealed that it used generative artificial intelligence to produce some of the artwork in the upcoming Foamstars.
Yesterday, Square Enix announced that its party shooter Foamstars would launch on February 6th for PS4 and PS5. Despite comparisons to Splatoon, it’s received praise for doing different things. Since it’s also out on day one for PlayStation Plus subscribers, it’s almost guaranteed to have a healthy player base initially.
Square Enix has confirmed that upcoming online shooter Foamstars includes AI-generated art.
PlayStation exclusive shooter Foamstars will feature AI-generated artwork, Square Enix has confirmed, with Foamstars producer Kosuke Okatani clarifying to VGC that «in terms of the content of the game, this makes up about 0.01% or even less.»
Foamstars, Square Enix's Splatoon-like 4v4 online party shooter announced last year, is coming next month. The PlayStation exclusive will release February 6 as a day-one launch title on PS Plus, Sony and Square Enix confirmed Tuesday. The game will be available to download for free on PS5 and PS4 as part of the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games lineup for next month, starting February 6 through March 4. Foamstars was announced at a PlayStation Showcase in May last year, showing off soapy shooting and colourful characters, both heavily inspired by Nintendo's Splatoon games. A PS Plus release will likely attract more players to the multiplayer title in its early days.