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Square Enix president says his company's need for reform is 'urgent'

Final Fantasy Lightning

Final Fantasy XIII's Lightning.

Image Credit: Square Enix

Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda stressed the need for the publisher and developer to reform its business model in an interview with Japanese outlet Infoseek, as originally spotted by Games Industry International.

In the interview, which Siloncera translated, Matsuda discussed the changes in gaming development culture, where content must now be created on a more consistent basis. He says developers can no longer lock themselves away from the public while they work for years on a single project.

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“When making something, developers want to spend more time and money. However, that can be related to lowering the asset-turnover ratio, so the key point is to find a good balance,” Matsuda told Infoseek. “In fact, one of the factors of the final deficit is the delay from the development to release. Such time-lag means a decrease of contact frequency with the players. It is necessary for us to set up a system that allows us to meet the demands of our customers in a more timely manner. We can’t just have a year of leniency. We must reform with urgency.”

Matsuda became president of Square Enix after Yoichi Wada stepped down from the role last March. This was after the company lost more than $130 in the last fiscal year, partially because sales for games like Tomb Raider, Sleeping Dogs, and Hitman: Absolution, despite being in the millions, failed to meet internal expectations. It’s also worth noting that the company had to completely remake Final Fantasy XIV after many considered the fist version a disaster, and that Final Fantasy XV, formerly Final Fantasy Versus XIII, has been in development since 2006.