Square Enix – A decrease in turnover for Square-Enix, but more subscribers for Final Fantasy XIV

Square-Enix records financial results at half mast due to few new releases, but retains Final Fantasy XIV players: the MMORPG’s turnover and number of subscribers are on the rise.

The Japanese group Square-Enix has just published Accounts of its first fiscal quarter of 2023 (covering the period from April to June last) and in numerical terms, Square-Enix recorded a lackluster quarter: revenue of 74.8 billion yen (542 million euros), down 15.6% compared to the same quarter a year earlier. And operating profit amounted to 14.4 billion yen (€104 million), down 16.8% in one year.

Results at half mast due to few outings

We retain the same trend for the “Digital Entertainment” segment of Square-Enix, which includes most of its video game activities (the exploitation of its PC and mobile games). In terms of game sales, the Japanese group recorded a turnover of 53.5 billion yen (€387 million), which marks a drop of 23.5% in one year.

To explain this result, Square-Enix notably advances the few large-scale releases during the period – in particular the extension Outriders: Worldslayer launched at the very end of the quarter (end of June), while in the same quarter a year earlier, the studio launched the basic version ofOutriders and Deny Replicating. Ditto in terms of mobile games: the free-to-play launch of Echoes of Mana was not enough to compensate for the poor performance of the group’s mobile catalog during the quarter.

But a loyalty of subscribers of Final Fantasy XIV

The main reason for Square-Enix’s satisfaction therefore comes from its MMO segment, which recorded a turnover of 14.1 billion yen (102.2 million euros), against 11.6 billion yen a year earlier. early (i.e. an increase of 21.5%), and 10.1 billion for the 2021 fiscal year.

What if Square Enix doesn’t release the number of subscribers to Final Fantasy XIV, the Japanese nevertheless specifies that the growth in turnover of the MMORPG is explained by the annual increase in the number of subscribers. And to also point out that certainly, the MMORPG did not welcome new expansions during the period, but during the quarter, the development teams focused on retaining active players. Clearly, the goal has been achieved.