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Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth multi-platform push and Final Fantasy 14 Evercold hype give Square Enix a welcome win as profits surge over 88%
Square Enix has reported a sharp rise in profits, with the company crediting the continued success of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's expansion to multiple platforms alongside growing anticipation for Final Fantasy 14's upcoming Evercold content. The results mark a welcome turnaround for the publisher, which has faced scrutiny in recent years over underperforming releases and a broader strategy shift towards multi-platform launches rather than PlayStation exclusivity.
Profits surged by more than 88%, reflecting the payoff from bringing Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth to a wider audience beyond its initial PlayStation 5 release, as well as sustained engagement with the long-running Final Fantasy 14 MMO ahead of its next major update. The figures suggest Square Enix's bet on broadening its platform reach and nurturing existing franchises is paying dividends financially.
In short
- Square Enix profits jump over 88% year-on-year.
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth's multi-platform release boosts sales.
- Final Fantasy 14's Evercold expansion is driving added excitement.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Advocates for the multi-platform strategy argue that Square Enix's expanded market reach and 88% profit increase demonstrate sound business judgment aligned with modern consumer expectations and shareholder responsibilities. Platform exclusivity increasingly functions as artificial scarcity rather than meaningful differentiation in contemporary gaming, and publishers better serve both their creative ambitions and audiences by maximising accessibility rather than restricting player access to particular hardware.
The case against
Critics contend that platform exclusivity arrangements provide legitimate strategic value justifying console manufacturers' considerable funding and marketing commitments, and when publishers abandon these deals, they undermine the incentive structures supporting the entire exclusive ecosystem. These franchises' cultural prestige and cachet drive premium engagement; fragmenting releases across platforms dilutes brand positioning and community coherence whilst potentially discouraging future exclusivity investments that originally enabled these projects' ambitious development.
Explained simply
Square Enix is a Japanese video game publisher best known for the Final Fantasy series. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth is a role-playing game that first launched on PlayStation 5, while Final Fantasy 14 is an online game played by large numbers of people together.
The company has faced questions about the performance of some recent releases and has been moving towards launching more games on multiple platforms. This matters because reaching players on more systems could affect sales, while updates to established games can help keep players engaged over time.