The start of 2024 has been surprising as Square Enix came up to the public stating how they want to proceed with AI, Web 3.0, and other modern trends. A long message covering all the plans for Square Enix was shared by Takashi Kiryu, the newest appointed president of the company.
Kiryu has shared his positive views on AI, while the public has been against it for various reasons. He believes that 2023 has been productive for Square Enix and more could be achieved after the implementation of AI. He mentioned the public being skeptical about the use of AI, even though people use tools like ChatGPT to improve text-based dialogues and translations.
Kiryu dived into more details by talking about Generative AI which is not limited to only text medium but also other aspects. With Dall-E, Photoshop, and other companies using AI to improve digital entertainment like image, video, and music, Square Enix wants to keep it in their workflow and be more productive. The following was stated by the president in the formal letter to his employees:
I believe that generative AI has the potential not only to reshape what we create, but also to fundamentally change the processes by which we create, including programming.
For now, Square Enix has the short-term goal of improving their productivity with development and achieving better marketing sophistication. Looking far into the future, they want to come up with new forms of content for consumers that would benefit both business and innovation. The newest appointed President, Takashi Kiryu also stated the following:
We also intend to be aggressive in applying AI and other cutting-edge technologies to both our content development and our publishing functions.
Without surprise, the public has shown mixed reactions on the matter of Square Enix’s plan to use AI for their future projects. Few have talked about the potential of AI and how it can help them reimagine their existing character and in-game locations. Furthermore, the technology can also be used to create visual novel games with AI-based texts which could make everyone’s story unique.
Looking away from the minority, most people have been against the notion of Square Enix’s emphasis on AI. Many believe that the company is being lazy with their work. Moreover, many fear that other companies will follow in Square Enix’s footsteps to implement similar policies. This hot take is currently raising a lot of debate on the internet, yet, most have agreed to be against it.
What other plans does Square Enix have for 2024?
Apart from the implementation of AI, Square Enix also wishes to focus on other domains like Blockchain entertainment or Web 3, and cloud. Kiryu wishes to invest in these three fields at the moment to diversify their earning sources and create a mechanism that would help them achieve that. The following was quoted by Kiryu about this matter:
These initiatives will be the most important determinants of our Group’s ability to adapt flexibly to a changing business environment and to continue to create high-quality content. They will also help us create an environment that allows each and every one of our employees to demonstrate the full measure of their individuality and creativity.
Blockchain or Web 3 is a top-of-the-line technology and many had the idea to implement them in their domain. In the gaming industry, it means that every player can get unique content that would exist only for them and no one else. As good as it sounds, the idea was rejected as gaming hasn’t been about exclusivity and many had spoken up about it.
Fans of Square Enix fear that this decision might not turn out well for the company and might affect them in the long run. For instance, when Ubisoft planned on using NFTs, they faced multiple backlashes and still face the same till now. Square Enix hasn’t revealed their plans for the usage of blockchain yet, but more could be shared in the future.
For Square Enix, 2023 has been mostly successful with major releases like Final Fantasy XVI, Octopath Traveller II, and more. These successes are followed by some failures too with the biggest one being Forspoken. The game faced much criticism for being boring and falsely advertised in terms of visuals. The announcement of the implementation of AI in the future also made fans worried about Kingdom Hearts 4 and other titles.
Despite such announcements, fans are staying positive about upcoming releases like Visions of Mana, SaGa: Emerald Beyond, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and other titles coming in 2024. Only time can tell whether all of it plays out normally for the publishers.
