If you happen to take even a fast look at a launch schedule for the following six months, you may see that there are a heck of loads of video games popping out. Look slightly nearer, although, and you may spot that perhaps 50 of them are from Sq. Enix. And that is simply on the Change!
We’re exaggerating, in fact, however it’s onerous to disregard the corporate’s completely large output over the following few months — and for the entire of 2022, actually. We’re not going to checklist each single 2022 Sq. Enix Change launch right here as a result of that may take up loads of area (although you may verify all of its video games out proper right here, or scroll to the underside of this text). Nonetheless, from September till subsequent yr Sq. Enix is growing and/or publishing 13 video games on Change alone. Phew! And naturally, we’re together with PowerWash Simulator in that.
Look, we’re not complaining — it is really sort of superb to see Sq. Enix put out this many titles, and it seems like we’re in one other golden age with Sq. and Nintendo, identical to the NES and SNES days. However with the September Nintendo Direct, our jaws could not assist however drop with each new Sq. Enix announcement.
We acquired launch dates for 2 titles, a demo for an additional, and two model new reveals in Theatrhythm Remaining Bar Line and Octopath Traveler II for February 2023. On different platforms, Sq. Enix additionally has Remaining Fantasy XVI popping out subsequent summer time. On high of every part else! How has this come to cross?
Nicely, we mentioned growing and publishing, and Sq. Enix is not only one large studio both. Subsequent yr’s headline Remaining Fantasy title is, for instance, being developed by Artistic Enterprise Unit III — the crew behind the MMORPG Remaining Fantasy XIV. And it is the identical for the Change’s many upcoming titles.
There are a number of growth groups inside Sq. Enix who’re every engaged on a small slate of various titles. Octopath Traveler II is being developed by Purchase, creators of the Tenchu collection, in collaboration with Sq. Enix Enterprise Division, with Bravely Default producer Tomoya Asano returning to go up the challenge. Followers usually dub these video games — the Bravely collection, and the HD-2D video games — the works of Staff Asano. Varied Daylife additionally falls into this class, although the just lately launched Change port the truth is originated on Apple Arcade and was developed by DokiDoki Groove Works.
You’ve got additionally acquired a slate of ports or remasters coming to the console, akin to NieR: Automata — which was developed by PlatinumGames and is being ported by Virtuos — and Yasumi Matsuno is returning to oversee Techniques Ogre: Reborn. Then there’s the delayed Life is Unusual assortment, which Sq. Enix is publishing.
Numerous studios, each internally and externally, assist develop or deliver Sq. Enix titles to the Change, too. Indieszero is again to work on the brand new Theatrhythm recreation, and The DioField Chronicle’s real-time technique is coming from Lancarse, the crew behind Zanki Zero: Final Starting and Monark.
After all, regardless of a big chunk of them being RPGs or RPG-adjacent, they’re all fairly totally different from each other. Individuals who choose up Harvestella will not essentially be the identical crowd who need Octopath Traveler II, and The DioField Chronicle is totally different sufficient from Techniques Ogre — which additionally has nostalgia on its facet — to face out. And even in the event you love your Remaining Fantasy music, Theatrhythm may not be for you!*
All of those releases comply with a press release made by the corporate just lately, which suggests Sq. might be trying to promote stakes in a few of its remaining studios following a Q1 FY2023 drop in income. The Japanese-based developer has additionally offered off numerous its Western studios to Embracer Group, with the deal finalising again in August.
So, the corporate has acquired slightly bit more cash to play with. However the fact is that loads of these upcoming initiatives have most likely been in growth for some time — July’s Stay A Stay remake took three years to develop, for instance.
A lot to many followers’ chagrin, Sq. Enix has additionally jumped into the world of NFTs, releasing Remaining Fantasy-based ones, in addition to becoming a member of a blockchain — all eco-friendly, apparently. The corporate president Yosuke Matsuda hasn’t been shy about admitting his curiosity in NFTs, and lots of the firm’s income have been invested in these. So maybe Sq. Enix is attempting to cover this from us avid gamers by throwing dozens of video games at us, proper?
Most likely not, however whereas the corporate does not appear to grasp customers on one hand, with the opposite it has been pumping out demos for lots of its releases. Way back to Dragon Quest XI S and the primary Octopath Traveler, proper as much as Harvestella and the PlayStation console-exclusive Valkyrie Elysium, these demos work massively in Sq.’s favour, enabling folks to check out the sport earlier than they purchase it. Not solely that, these demos permit us to switch our save file over to the complete launch, which suggests once we resolve to purchase the complete recreation, we have shaved off a couple of hours of playtime forward of schedule. Consequence!
Sq. Enix will not be slowing down anytime quickly, we’re certain. There are a couple of initiatives we have not heard from shortly and a few Japan-only releases just like the visible novel Components with Feelings, however us? We’ll be feasting for some time. Triangle Technique and Stay A Stay are two of the most effective video games launched on the Change this yr, and there are some top-quality titles on the horizon (nicely, we hope). We’re simply feeling a little bit overwhelmed amidst a massively busy slate within the latter months of 2022, particularly for RPG followers.
However this is not all about us! Vote in our polls under and tell us what you consider Sq. Enix’s output in the mean time. Is it a Blizzaga-style flurry of overwhelming proportions? Or are you as cheerful as a Chocobo seeing all of those video games come out? Oh, and remember to inform us what you suppose within the feedback, too.
*That is factually incorrect, as Theatrhythm is for completely everybody. Play it, now.
