Square Enix will relocate from its current office space in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward to a new space in Shibuya.
Siliconera reports that the new office space will be in Block A, the tallest of three buildings which are a part of the Sakuragaoka urban redevelopment project, in the area adjacent to Shibuya Station. The building will have 39 floors with four basement levels, with a total floor space of nearly two million feet. The company is yet to announce how many floors the company will occupy.
Shibuya is considered one of Japan’s most fashionable wards, especially among young people, and has appeared in numerous hit titles, including the Netflix series Alice in Borderland, Atlus’s Persona 5, Spike Chunsoft and Abstraction’s 428: Shibuya Scramble, and even Square Enix’s The World Ends With You series. Additionally, the neighbourhood has served as inspiration for franchises such as Kingdom Hearts, making it among the most recognizable areas in all of Japan.
A not so Final Fantasy?
Although it remains one of the world’s most esteemed game creators, Square Enix has seen a number of recent struggles, from its nascent attempts to break into the Web3 space to the mixed reviews of titles such as Marvel’s Avengers and Forspoken. This move to such a recognizable location could signal a renewed focus for the company.
Although Japanese consumers have been slow to adapt to mobile gaming, Square Enix have been making steady inroads into the mobile arena in recent years, which represents a significant stream of revenue should the company continue to capitalise on it. While the company has shuttered a number of games which have failed to live up to expectations, including Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier and Echoes of Mana, the company has also seen success with titles such as Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius. This summer will see perhaps the company’s most anticipated mobile title yet, Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis, receive a beta test ahead of its release.
Last week, Square Enix’s board of directors called for company president Yosuke Matsuda to step aside, suggesting studio director and web3 expert Yosuke Matsuda as a replacement.
