Square Enix Europe hit with job losses

Square Enix is making redundancies to its UK and European operation, MCV can reveal.

It follows news that sales of Tomb Raider, Hitman and Sleeping Dogs missed their targets. Although all three games sold significant quantities around the world, they were well below Square’s very high expectations.

We are reviewing our business in Europe to ensure we have the right structure, content and skills for the changing entertainment landscape," Square Enix told MCV in a statement.

"We do expect changes to the UK office, which will affect personnel. We will update you when the time is right, but our priority right now is for the people within the business.”

Despite disappointing results, the UK team delivered on its ambitious goals over the last 12 months. Hitman: Absolution was the fifth best selling game of 2012, while Tomb Raider is by far the best selling game in the UK so far this year. Furthermore, Sleeping Dogs turned out to be last year’s most successful new IP, outselling Dishonored.

Indeed, it was the firm’s North American division that has been heavily criticised by senior management. The company said in its financial update that the US sales force was ‘ineffective.’ Europe actually accounted for two third of the company’s sales.

Tomb Raider shifted 3.4m copies in its first three weeks while 2012 releases Hitman: Absolution and Sleeping Dogs have sold 3.6m and 1.75m units respectively.

Last month, Square Enix’s global president Yoichi Wada stepped down after what he described as ‘extraordinary losses’.