Today, Square-Enix has published its financial results for the fiscal year behind us – that is, the one that ended at the end of March – and those results are mixed to say the least. The Japanese company reported an 8.9% year-over-year decline in net sales and a 24.6% lift in operating income over the annual period.
Square-Enix attributes the decline in revenues in part to the fact that its single-player launches “generated lower sales” when compared to releases from the prior year, which to be fair included FFVII Rebirth and FFXVI. It also hat-tips Final Fantasy XIV for bucking that trend, though it would’ve been more of a surprise if it hadn’t, as it really ought to compare favorably to FY2023, when there was no expansion:
“In the MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online) Game subsegment, net sales and operating income rose compared with the same period of the previous fiscal year with the launch of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Dawntrail, the latest expansion pack for FINAL FANTASY XIV.”
As Eurogamer points out, SE previously announced a “three-year reboot for long-term growth,” with multiple titles en route – including Final Fantasy XIV Mobile for China. FFXIV’s next MMO expansion isn’t expected until next year.
