Square Enix: "You have to take risks"

As part of Square Enix's latest financial report this week, the company said "large-scale online titles" would be a focus for the coming fiscal year. Such games require significant investment and might be deemed high-risk, but for Square Enix Western executive Phil Rogers, risk is the name of the business.

"You have to take risks to innovate and create great new gaming experiences. What we won't do is stand still," Rogers told GameIndustry International. "Online games are a way to facilitate that ongoing relationship with the player within our game worlds, where we can provide regular content updates, engaging gameplay mechanics, and a deep sense of community."

Rogers singled out Square Enix's upcoming PC multiplayer game Nosgoth, currently in closed beta, as an example of an online-focused game that has "great potential."

"It's early days, but we have a dedicated Live team every day reviewing the data and looking at how they can refine and improve that gameplay experience before it goes wider," he said.

Another large-scale online-focused game Square Enix has in development is Deus Ex Universe, which was announced in October for "next-gen" consoles, presumably the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This game promises to offer an ongoing, expanding, and connected game world with a "persistent experience," but not like an MMO, Rogers says.

"It's an exciting project, potentially the most ambitious game we're working on across the western studios and we're looking forward to sharing more information about it later this year," Rogers said.

For the fiscal year ended March 31, Square Enix posted a profit of $65 million, thanks in part to games like Thief, Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, and Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn.