Category: Video Games

Square Enix Admits Final Fantasy 16 and 7 Rebirth Profits ‘Did Not Meet Our Expectations’

Square Enix has finally made public its dissatisfaction with Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth’s commercial performance, admitting neither game met profit expectations.

In a financial results briefing held May 13 but only released today, September 18, Takashi Kiryu, president and representative director of Square Enix said: “In the HD Games sub-segment, we released multiple new titles, including major titles such as Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, but profits unfortunately did not meet our expectations.”

Kiryu went on to suggest Square Enix cannibalized sales of its Final Fantasy games released during the financial year ending March 2024.

“We recognize that issues remain in the Digital Entertainment segment,” Kiryu admitted. “The HD Games sub-segment failed to better its profitability, posting operating losses in every year of our previous medium-term plan. In addition to this, we did not manage our title portfolio across the company as well as we could have, which I believe resulted in opportunity losses due to cannibalization between our own titles.”

Square Enix released Final Fantasy 16 in June 2023, then Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth just over half a year later in February 2024. Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth both launched as PlayStation 5 exclusives, and while Square Enix has announced a sales figure for Final Fantasy 16, it has yet to do so for Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, the second game in the company’s trilogy of Final Fantasy 7 remakes.

The company has already announced a significant rework of its business as it fights for profitability. It has a new multi-platform plan that encompasses PC and potentially Xbox and the next Nintendo console (Final Fantasy 16 launched on PC this week). But it has also canceled a number of games, and, Kiryu revealed, taken steps to better curate its pipeline of games.

“In the case of the HD Game sub-segment, sales of individual games will remain the key variable, but we believe that we will be able to exercise some degree of control over that volatility by carefully curating our pipeline over the next three years,” Kiryu said. “By also working steadily to improve our profitability, we intend to offset the weakness in SD games to achieve overall profitability.”

We did not manage our title portfolio across the company as well as we could have.

Square Enix has now extended the timelines for a portion of its pipeline, “in part because of the massive amount of time required to develop HD games, and in part because we determined that we should rethink how best to deliver some of the titles we had under development to our customers,” Kiryu revealed.

Final Fantasy isn’t the only Square Enix series struggling. Its Splatoon-style game Foamstars also flopped and has since gone free-to-play.

So, what’s next for Square Enix? Square Enix has Kingdom Hearts 4, the third game in the Final Fantasy remake trilogy, and Dragon Quest 12 in the works. In January, Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida said it might be time for a younger generation to lead the franchise and helm Final Fantasy 17.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

EA confirm that Respawn’s next Star Wars Jedi game will be the series’ “final chapter”

As per EA’s recent generative AI tugathon, the third game in Respawn’s action adventure Star Wars trilogy has been confirmed again to be in development. According to EA, it’ll be the “final chapter” in the now-trilogy, following 2019’s Jedi Fallen Order and 2023’s Jedi Survivor.

The existence of the game was first confirmed by Cal Kestis actor Cameron Monaghan, during an Ocala Comic Con panel. “We’re working on a third and we’re in the process of doing that right now,” said Monaghan, which is about as straightforward an affirmative as one could want. It was also double-confirmed this February, following news of layoffs at EA, via Eurogamer.

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HTC Vive’s $999 Focus Vision Lets PC Gamers ‘Bring the Same High-End Headsets Used in VR Arcades Into Their Homes’

HTC Vive has upgraded its lineup of Extended Reality headsets with the new HTC Vive Focus Vision, promising gamers built-in eye-tracking, improved cameras, and better hand-tracking. If actual reality is just too much and you’ve recently received an unexpected inheritance from a wealthy benefactor, the new headset is available to pre-order today.

HTC Vive Focus Vision price:

  • USD $999
  • UK £999
  • €1229
  • AUD 1,899 inc GST

Not to be confused with the currently available Vive XR Elite, Focus 3, Focus Plus, Pro 2, or Viveflow VR models, the HTC Vive Focus Vision will also offer a DisplayPort mode that will connect directly with a PC’s graphics card to let VR gamers work their way through their Steam VR back catalog without a drop in visual quality. The only catch with that feature is that it won’t be available until “late 2024.”

HTC Vive Focus Vision features:

  • Built-in eye-tracking and motorized auto-IPD adjustment
  • DisplayPort mode for stunning, visually lossless PCVR experiences
  • Dual 16MP color cameras for stereoscopic full-color passthrough
  • Up to 120-degree FOV and 90Hz refresh rate. Support for 120Hz refresh rate via
  • DisplayPort mode coming late 2024
  • Combined 5k resolution across both eyes
  • Depth sensor for scene recognition
  • Infra-red sensor for enhanced tracking in low-light conditions

“VIVE Focus Vision gives you the best of both worlds, with outstanding standalone capabilities, and DisplayPort mode support for visually lossless PCVR experiences,” said Shen Ye, Global Head of Product at HTC VIVE.

“Now, PC gamers can bring the same high-end headsets used in VR arcades into their homes. We’re taking everything to the next level with built-in eye-tracking, stereo color passthrough cameras for depth-correct Mixed Reality, and even an infra-red sensor for enhanced hand tracking in low-light conditions.”

Extended Reality – or XR – is the umbrella term for virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies. HTC Vive is one of the biggest players in the space, and its new toy will compete with the Meta Quest 3 and of course the Apple Vision Pro. We’ll let you know how it stacks up against them when its released later this year.

Rachel Weber is IGN’s Managing Editor.

Skate heelflips into my calendar with an early access release some time in 2025

The upcoming skate. game now has an (admittedly vague) early access release date of 2025, according to a post by the developers on Xitter. It’s difficult to write about the new skate. game because if you choose to write skate. with the imposed stylings which skate. publishers Electronic Arts insist, you end up putting a full stop after every instance of skate., which makes your sentences about skate. sound fucking stupid. and. belaboured. with. pauses. Game makers, please stop putting punctuation in your game names.

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Retro-Inspired Soulslike ‘Bloodless’ Punches Its Way To Switch Next Month

Bring it, Shogun.

Publisher 3D Realms and developer Point N’ Sheep have revealed that the pixel art Soulslike Bloodless will be bringing the school of “non-lethal combat” to Switch on 10th October.

Yes, we did just say “non-lethal”. You see, this Soulslike is all about tackling foes in a slightly less stabby manner. You play as Tomoe, a ronin who has given up her blade and sworn to never use it again. You’ll have to utilise dash counters and powerful ki-attacks to overpower foes and bring the fight to Shogun Akechi, the bloodied leader responsible for bringing Tomoe’s homeland to its knees.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

LYMBUS is hostile to my existence and keeps demanding brain cells I haven’t grown yet

What are you LYMBUS? In what vat were you grown? I feel like I’ve sluggishly ambled my way down to the fridge and tried to scoop a gherkin from the jar, only to find a disconcertingly tasty sliver of my own brain. Like a creature from Flatland trying to play 4D chess, and all the pieces are just tiny carvings of my face with “lol get a load of this prick” whittled into the forehead. I quite like it.

“We combined your favorite genres into one grotesque piece of software! You’re welcome, game journalists,” reads the Steam page for the demo. That is a very polite way to kick me in the head and call me a bitch, LYMBUS.

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Nintendo Announces 4 SNES Games for Switch Online Library

Nintendo has announced four Super NES games from the early ‘90s are now live via the Nintendo Switch Online library.

First up, we have Battletoads Double Dragon, a crossover beat-’em-up developed by legendary studio Rare and released in 1993. Here’s the official blurb, from Nintendo:

The warriors from Double Dragon join forces with the toad-acious Battletoads trio to form the ultimate team in this 1993 beat-’em-up! Tussle with terrific twins Billy and Jimmy Lee as they team up with Zitz, Rash and Pimple to defend the Earth against the combined might of the Dark Queen and the Shadow Boss! Leap from the Battlecopter onto the tail of the Colossus spaceship and fight your way through beastly baddies and lethal objects using the Battletoads’ arsenal of Smash Hits or the Dragons’ array of Dragon Force Techniques – each provides incredible attacking combos, including kicks, punches, throws and more! You’ll also put your driving skills to the test with the Speeder Bike and high-speed Space Pod. How will this struggle for Earth’s future end?

Next, we have Jaleco’s Big Run, a racing game originally released for the Super Famicom in 1991. Check out what the game is about, per Nintendo:

Race across the vast landscape of Africa – from Tripoli to Dakar – over the course of nine stages in this racing game originally released for the Super Famicom system in 1991. This monumental task isn’t only about putting pedal to the metal, though! First, you’ll need to select a sponsor and then use those funds to hire staff. Next, you’ll need some spare parts to replace tires and engines when they get damaged or worn out. The glory of victory awaits if you can combine precise tactics and bold driving to weather the brutal driving conditions that stand between you and your goal.

Cosmo Gang the Puzzle is a 1993 action puzzle game developed by Namco and originally released for the Super Famicom.

The Cosmo Gang take on falling-block-style puzzles across three modes in this 1993 action-puzzle game that was originally for Super Famicom. Focus on clearing blocks to get the high score in 1P Mode, play competitive battles in VS Mode and put yourself to the test in 100 Stage Mode, where you can solve stage after stage of strategic challenges. In each of the modes, progress is made by removing containers and Cosmos that fall from the top of the screen. You can remove the containers by lining six up in a horizontal row — and Cosmos are removed when they touch the blue orbs that occasionally make their way down. Though the two types of blocks are cleared in different ways, try to see if you can perform a combo by clearing both types at once!

And finally, Technōs Japan’s sports game Kunio-kun no Dodgeball da yo Zen’in Shūgō!, which came out on the Super Famicom in 1993, is available. The Kunio-kun series, known as River City outside Japan, is now in the hands of Guilty Gear developer Arc System Works, with recent revivals from WayForward.

This sports game, released for the Super Famicom system in 1993, features Kunio-kun (who you may recognize from the River City series!) and his striking dodgeball moves. Take the field and square off against teams from various countries and employ a variety of jumps, passes and dynamic knockout shots as you aim to become the greatest dodgeball team in the world. Plus, each stage has hidden gimmicks to discover, so your matches may even take some unexpected turns! Build your ideal team, power up with in-game items and train your teammates to be the best they can be. Can you take the dodgeball championship by storm?

Super NES – Nintendo Switch Online library additions for September 2024:

All four games are now part of the Super NES – Nintendo Switch Online library, and are available for all Nintendo Switch Online members to play today.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

You’re now much stronger against tanks and armour in Helldivers 2, as Arrowhead patch for “more versatile” tactics

Last month, Helldivers 2 studio Arrowhead thrust a white flag out from their shelled position in an attempt to placate mutinous fans of the co-op shooter. In response to a community sentiment best summed up by a popular Reddit post titled “Let the super earth burn”, Arrowhead released a statement. “In short, we didn’t hit our target with the latest update…what matters most now is action. Not talk.” Said action (which it must be pointed felt a bit troublingly reactive to the loudest and most histrionic voices in the roo..uh, subreddit) was foreshadowed in a list of issues to be tackled over the coming months.

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Video: Mario & Luigi: Brothership New Trailer Highlights Battle Mechanics

“Jazzy jumps, humongous hammers, and boisterous Bros”.

Mario & Luigi: Brothership has this week received a new trailer focused on “enjoying the action in Concordia”.

It’s brief, but if you haven’t been keeping up with the updates, it’s another great look at what exactly you can expect from the battle mechanics in this latest entry. It also follows on from a separate video, welcoming fans to the new location.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com