In the pages of Square Enix’s annual report for 2022 that launched final week, president Yosuke Matsuda careworn the significance of releasing video games that hit with international audiences. Competing primarily within the Japanese market has turn out to be a battle, he stated, as a result of nation’s “graying demographics.”

That “greying demographics” he is referring to could be Japan’s aged inhabitants. In September, The Japan Times reported that Japan at the moment has with the very best inhabitants of older individuals on the planet. People age 75 and up account for 15 p.c of the nation’s inhabitants at 19.37 million individuals. Adults aged 65 and up reportedly comprise 36.27 million individuals, or 29.1 p.c.

Going additional, he stated that the courting Japanese market was “now not ample” if the writer needs to show a revenue for any of its titles.

“It is vital for our
enterprise that we produce hit titles that talk to the worldwide
market, which provides higher scale by way of each clients and
gross sales volumes,” wrote Matsuda. “We have to
focus our restricted assets on the event of sturdy
and strong titles.”

Matsuda’s plan to make this occur entails a revamping of Square Enix’s title and studio portfolios. He continued by saying the writer will “shortly set up an organizational construction that
permits us to constantly roll out high-quality content material produced
by way of selective and centered useful resource allocation.”

That revamp, continued Matsuda, was one of many causes that Square bought off Western builders Eidos Montreal, Square Enix Montreal, and Crystal Dynamics earlier this yr. The three studios had been bought to Embracer for $300 million to “obtain additional
development by way of the optimum allocation of our assets and the
creation of a extra strong product pipeline.” 

In addition to a lot extra Final Fantasy titles, a part of Square’s product pipeline can be merchandise constructed on the blockchain and NFTs. As reported final week, Matsuda stated the developer could be “aggressive” in making the expertise a part of its income stream.

“At current, we’re positioning the blockchain area as our most necessary focus. […] Rather than limiting ourselves solely to blockchain video games, we  intend to pursue a variety of latest varieties of leisure
beneath the banner of “blockchain entertainment.”