New Square Enix President Wants to Upgrade Select IPs to AAA Status

Square Enix recently shared their Financial Results Briefing session for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024, detailing the company’s continued efforts with financial growth.

The end of the document, containing a Q&A, revealed that the new Square Enix President, Takashi Kiryu, wants to primarily work on the company’s HD game catalog and, depending on the IP, upgrade it to AAA status. This altered approach will have Square Enix focus more on their history rather than only creating new IPs.

Of course, specific IPs weren’t named, but it’s some nice food for thought ahead of more substantial announcements.

You can view the quoted question and answer from Square Enix President Takashi Kiryu below:

Q: What do you hope to accomplish now that you have assumed the role of president?

A: I want to improve our profitability. I see ample room for improvement in our operating profit margin and would like to start by working primarily on our HD games. In addition, rather than solely attempting to create brand‐new IPs, we intend take a nuanced approach to investment whereby we also identify existing IPs with the potential to be upgraded to AAA status, taking ROI [Return on Investment] into account as well. In so doing, we hope to establish greater depth to the layers of our portfolio.

Lastly, I would also like to continue to consistently grow our Publication, Amusement, and Merchandising segments as sources of recurring earnings, thereby enabling our Group to mitigate the volatility of the HD Game sub‐segment and improve its profitability.

You can view the full document here.