A proposal has been put forward to replace Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda, but it’s unclear if this means he’ll leave the company too.
While the decision has yet to be finalised, Square Enix has informed its shareholders that it is looking to replace the company’s president and representative director Yosuke Matsuda.
In his place, one Takashi Kiryu will take the reins, assuming that shareholders approve the proposal at a shareholder meeting in the summer.
This will mark the end of Matsuda’s near decade long run as Square Enix’s president, a position he took on in 2013 following the resignation of his predecessor, Yoichi Wada.
His proposed successor, Takashi Kiryu, hasn’t been with Square Enix for very long, only joining in 2020 as a general manager. He currently serves as one of the company’s directors.
It’s unclear whether Matsuda will remain with Square Enix in a different role if/when he’s replaced, or if he’ll leave the company entirely, much like how Wada did two years after Matsuda took over as president.
As for why Square Enix has decided to change its leadership, it only says, ‘Under the rapid change of business environment surrounding the entertainment industry, the proposed change is intended to reshape the management team with the goal of adopting ever evolving technological innovations and maximising on the creativity of the Company’s group in order to deliver even greater entertainment to its customers around the world.’
The decision does come after some notable disappointments for Square Enix. The failure of its Avengers live service led to both its eventual shutdown and Square Enix selling all its Western studios to Embracer Group.
More recently, Forspoken looks to have underperformed both critically and commercially as well, with developer Luminous Studios to be absorbed back into Square Enix.
Matsuda also had big ambitions for NFT and blockchain related projects, something that drew notable ire from fans given the controversial nature of NFTs.
Since Matsuda’s 2022 New Year’s letter, though, Square Enix has yet to release any titles that incorporate NFTs. In fact, only one such project has been announced: Symbiogenesis.
Very little is still known about it, with no gameplay footage to speak of, and its announcement was met with fervent backlash. Not just because of the NFT angle, but because its name led many to believe it was something Parasite Eve related.
It’s worth noting that Matsuda’s departure doesn’t automatically mean Square Enix will abandon all its NFT plans, despite the concept’s unpopularity with general audiences.
Numerous other studios swiftly abandoned their own NFT plans following backlash. Even Ubisoft, one of the more prominent supporters of NFTs in games, hasn’t talked about them for a long time, leaving Square Enix the only major games company that’s still dedicated to the idea.
As such, it’s far too soon to tell how Square Enix will change under new leadership. Assuming the proposal is approved with little issue, though, this will still mark a notable end of an era at the company.
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