Square Enix’s Go titles are being put on the chopping block, as the company announces that they will stop making “Go” mobile games. The company’s Go titles were a great example of embracing mobile games, with the company offering affordable games that were polished, often feeling like a console release.
Square Enix Montreal announced in an interview that the studio would be stopping the Go series.
Patrick Naud had an interview with PCGamesInsider in which he stated that the mobile game market is diminishing. He blames a rise on high-end, free mobile games making it difficult for premium games to turn a profit.
Naud claims that the studio isn’t giving up on mobile or multiplayer games completely. He wants to push the team in a new direction with more innovation. Free-to-play games, such as the massively popular Fortnite, have made it more difficult for larger studios to turn profits and offer paid games. Free-to-play games, which often include in-app purchases and other ways for the developer to make money, are eating away at the paid game market share.
Square Enix Montreal claims that the division is not leaving the mobile game industry. Instead, the division is shifting away from premium games and will take the “freemium approach.” Square claims that the developer makes more money with in-app purchases than from game sales.
Fans of Square Enix will be happy to know that the company plans to hold an E3 conference. The conference is the company’s first conference in the last two years. Conferences will be held on June 11.
Square is also bringing one of its most anticipated games to the west: Star Ocean: Anamnesis. The title has been available in Japan since 2016 and is currently allowing players in the West to pre-register for the game on the Google Play Store.
The company is keeping the exact release date a secret, but they did mention that the West will see the game sometime in July. Users that want to play the game first can go to the Play Store and pre-register.
The English version of the game has been highly anticipated, with the version being worked on for two years. The game is a casual, sci-fi RPG, which many users view as a replacement for Mobius Final Fantasy. The game allows players to summon heroes from across space and time as you try and fight your way back home.