The New Year’s letter from Square Enix President Takashi Kiryu included hints that the gaming giant might be preparing to explore the world of blockchain and Web3. While not explicitly announcing concrete plans, Kiryu mentioned blockchain entertainment and Web 3.0 as an investment area alongside artificial intelligence and the cloud.
The letter states that Square Enix is “redefining our overarching mission and goals for these three fields,” and is “working to modify our organizational structure and optimize our resource allocations to support these efforts.” This suggests that while no immediate projects are on the horizon, blockchain integration is being seriously considered at the highest levels of the company.
The letter, however, offers no specifics on what form this future engagement with blockchain might take. Square Enix could consider incorporating the technology into their existing games, developing new blockchain-based titles, or exploring other applications within the Web3 space.
This may be that they’ll publish games using blockchain or maybe dip into it themselves; what’s clear is that they’re interested in the space and want to capitalize. Additionally, Kiryu acknowledges that blockchain and Web3 have long been viewed with skepticism in the gaming community but also states that change is also happening in digital entertainment, where their core business is. Society may be changing in a positive way.
“In terms of new business domains, we previously identified three focus investment fields, namely blockchain entertainment/Web 3.0, AI, and the cloud. Last year, we redefined our overarching mission and goals for these three fields. We are currently working to modify our organizational structure and optimize our resource allocations to support these efforts.”
Takashi Kiryu
Square Enix has previously dipped its toes into the blockchain waters with ventures like the Symbiogenesis NFT project and partnerships with web3 platforms. However, their recent New Year’s letter suggests a potentially more substantial and strategic dive into this evolving technological landscape.
Whether this marks a genuine turning point for the company or simply a continued exploration of emerging trends remains to be seen. Only time will tell if Square Enix’s “focus investment fields” lead to blockchain-based projects and how the gaming community reacts.
