square enix president replaced

Square Enix President Being Replaced Following a Period of Company Troubles

Square Enix has announced that it will replace president Yosuke Matsuda pending board approval at its annual shareholders meeting this June. Takashi Kiryu, who joined the publisher in 2020, will take over the role.

Square Enix president pushed NFTs and Blockchain initiatives

It’s the end of an era for Square Enix, which has been under Matsuda’s leadership since 2013 when he took over from Yoichi Wada. Most recently, Matsuda became known for pushing NFTs and Blockchain initiatives, arguing that Square Enix needs to keep up with new technologies and frameworks.

Square Enix has gone through a number of years of company troubles. Quite a few of its high profile releases flopped or didn’t meet sales expectations – from Marvel’s Avengers to Babylon’s Fall and Forspoken. In the gaming sphere, Final Fantasy has been keeping Square Enix afloat.

Square Enix finally decided to offload its Western business and sell its studios and IPs to Embracer Group, including Tomb Raider and its development studio Crystal Dynamics, and Eidos along with its Deus Ex franchise.

According to a press release, the change in leadership stems from a “rapid change of business environment surrounding the entertainment industry.” Here’s hoping this doesn’t mean a bigger push towards NFTs.

TRENDING