Square Enix ‘not abandoning’ triple-A console games

Final Fantasy and Deus Ex maker Square Enix has gone on the offensive over claims that it is abandoning triple-A productions.

Phil Rogers, Square Enix CEO for the Americas and Europe, has said that the company will continue to deliver the big budget games that core console and PC gamers crave, despite speculation that the company’s financial position has forced it to shrink its ambitions.

“I can categorically say that we’re not abandoning core, triple-A console and PC games. We’re working hard at improving how we develop our games and how we release them,” said Rogers, writing on Square’s official blog.

Rogers explained that Square has recently reorganised its studio leadership to focus production expertise at the top, which he said has taken away administrative duties from studio heads, allowing them to “get closer to the games, gameplay and gamers with fewer distractions”.

“We’ve made these changes to all of our studios in the Americas and Europe and we believe this will improve not only the quality of our games, but also improve the time between releases,” said Rogers.

In addition to Square’s losses, criticism of the company may have been fuelled by its surprise decision to release the new Deus Ex on iOS, instead of as a fully fledged console title.

Rogers added that the publisher’s release line-up for the coming months included Final Fantasy XV (pictured), Kingdom Heart III and the next-gen Thief game, all of which are set to be key console releases for the company.

In addition, Rogers also confirmed that a sequel to Crystal Dynamics’ 2013 Tomb Raider reboot is already “well into development”.

“In the future, we’ll offer gamers more choice, support more platforms and try new things – but we will make sure that whatever the platform, we’ll always keep our focus on raising the quality bar. We feel that is what gamers should expect from a Square Enix game,” he said.