Square Enix's H1 sales get a 5% bump as profits plummet
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Final Fantasy creator Square Enix released its financial earnings for the six months ended September 30, 2023.
Square Enix's Digital Entertainment division is broken down into HD Games, MMO, and mobile/PC browser sub-segments.
The HD Games subsection generated ¥43.7 billion ($290 million) in net sales, an increase of 49% compared to last year.
The revenue bump was attributed to the releases of new Final Fantasy game offerings, which included Final Fantasy Pixel Master – the retro release had sold three million units as of September.
But Square Enix's biggest HD Games release of the period was Final Fantasy 16, which released on June 22. The AAA RPG sold three million copies in just a few days.
In August, Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu said in a post-earnings call that Final Fantasy 16 did not meet sales expectations. The executive reportedly said that the slow adoption of Sony's PlayStation 5 console played a factor in the RPG's sales performance. This led investors to question publisher's strategy, with the company losing almost $2 billion in value as a result.
Square Enix's HD segment also saw the multiplatform release of Infinity Strash: Dragon Quest - The Adventure of Dai on September 28.
Mobile/PC browser games amassed ¥54 billion ($358 million) for Square Enix during H1 FY2024, a decrease of 7% year-over-year.
The segment saw two releases, with the launch of Dragon Quest Champions on June 13 and Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis on September 7. The mobile Final Fantasy offering reached two million downloads a day after its release.
Square Enix has 18 games identified as "major operating titles" for the division.
During the quarter,
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