The President of Square Enix, Yosuke Matsuda, has released another letter to celebrate the new year and, like last time, many fans are not responding well. At the beginning of 2022, Square Enix's Matsuda had shared a similar New Year letter in which he primarily focused on discussing the potential of blockchain and NFTs. This came after a year rife with discussion about development studios and publishers adding the controversial tech into their games.For many people, the growing trend of adding monetization schemes into even single-player games has not been a welcome one, and the thought of companies implementing NFTs into the ecosystem is even more troubling. While some don’t see a problem with it, others have threatened boycotts and blacklists, especially as larger companies like Ubisoft have shown an interest in NFTs and proven that blockchain could be a real threat to the status quo.To usher in 2023, Square Enix President Yosuke Matsuda shared a letter in which he doubled down on the company’s move toward NFTs and blockchain technology. Rather than discuss the exciting games coming in the new year — like Luminous Productions’ Forspoken, which launches on January 24 — Matsuda discussed the company’s new focus. According to the businessman, Square Enix has “devoted aggressive investment and business development efforts [on]… blockchain development.”
Matsuda went on to reveal that Square Enix Group — which includes Square Enix, Taito, Tokyo RPG, and Luminous Productions — has multiple blockchain titles in development. These are games based on the companies' original IPs, and while some were announced last year, fans can expect more to be unveiled in 2023. Gamers already learned that the 25th anniversary of Final Fantasy 7 will serve as a launching point for Square Enix NFTs. That landmark date falls on January 31, 2023, so fans may not have to wait long to see what the company is up to.
In the tail end of 2022, Square Enix trademarked the word “symbiogenesis,” which sparked rumors that a remake of Parasite Eve might be in the works. Instead, it turned out that Symbiogenesis is a story-driven NFT mystery game that is set to launch in Spring 2023. Understandably, many people were disappointed both by the realization that there would be no new Parasite Eve game and that Square Enix’s attraction to Web3 tech appears unwaning.
Nearly half of Matsuda’s New Year 2023 letter was devoted to discussing blockchain and NFTs, dismissing the market collapse of 2022 as nothing more than “volatility.” As a result, on social media, many people are calling for Square Enix to replace Matsuda with somebody more attuned to the wants of gamers and less focused on unpopular cash grab schemes. Others have expressed relief that Square Enix sold off a number of its studios to Embracer Group in mid-2022. Though the acquisitions resulted in the shutdown of Square Enix Montreal and a number of mobile games, to some people, that seems a better fate than beloved IPs being lost under a wave of (perhaps misplaced) NFT enthusiasm on the part of Square Enix.
Source: Square Enix