Square Enix to Further Invest in Games as a Service

"Gone are the days in which single-player games were of primary status."

By Alex Osborn

Expect to see more multiplayer-minded games from Square Enix as the company plans to further embrace the concept of games as a service.

In a message to its shareholders as part of Square Enix's 2017 annual report (via Twitter user Nibel), president and representative director Yosuke Matsuda discussed the increasing importance of multiplayer games and experiences designed with long-term engagement in mind.

"Gone are the days in which single-player games were of primary status and multiplayer games secondary. Lately, multiplayer games have taken the lead, and it is standard for games to be designed for long-term play," Matsuda explained.

He went on to note that while the idea of games as a service and multiplayer games have been around for a while, today they are seen as "game designs that place a strong emphasis on longer-term user engagement," which is something we've seen Square Enix embrace recently with the steady stream of new content for Final Fantasy XV. In fact, the ever-evolving RPG will soon get a multiplayer expansion with the arrival of Comrades this October.

In an effort to "increase customer satisfaction and enhance the lifetime value of the games themselves," Matsuda said Square Enix will "endeavor to develop games designed not to be played once after launch but that customers can enjoy more and play longer."

In addition to new content for Final Fantasy XV, Square Enix has much more on the horizon, including a new survival shooter set in Front Mission universe called Left Alive, as well as new patch for Final Fantasy XIV, and even possibly more content that expands the world of Nier.

Alex Osborn is a freelance writer for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @alexcosborn.

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