Squeenix Stock at Five-Year Low

[John Funk]

Squeenix Stock at Five-Year Low

Angsty pretty-boys don't look like they're a good investment these days: Yesterday, Square-Enix saw its stock hit a 5-year low after announcing that it would postpone the release of its 2008 earnings report until later this month.

According to Bloomberg [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=aQWCYPWuDu4Q&refer=japan], the share price of the development house behind the iconic Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest series had fallen 11% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange to 1,936 yen per share - the largest drop since June of 2003. This sudden drop followed the company's announcement that it would postpone its earnings report from Friday, February 6th to Thursday, February 12th.

It's no secret that in a global recession of this magnitude, everybody is hurting - even the "recession-proof" videogame industry, as seen by recent layoffs. But Square-Enix hasn't had much good news in quite some time now - especially after announcing that gamers wouldn't get their hands on Final Fantasy XIII until the very end of 2009, or even 2010... at the earliest. Let's look at some release dates in the blockbuster series:

[blockquote]
Final Fantasy - 1987 (Japan), 1990 (NA)
Final Fantasy II - 1988 (Japan)
Final Fantasy III - 1990 (Japan)
Final Fantasy IV (II NA) - 1991 (Both)
Final Fantasy V - 1992 (Japan)
Final Fantasy VI (III NA) - 1994 (Both)
Final Fantasy VII - 1997 (Both)
Final Fantasy VIII - 1999 (Both)
Final Fantasy IX - 2000 (Both)
Final Fantasy X - 2001 (Both)
Final Fantasy XI - 2002 (Japan PS2/PC), 2003 (NA PC), 2004 (NA PS2), 2006 (All Xbox 360)
Final Fantasy XII - 2006 (Both)
Final Fantasy XIII - 2010...???
[/blockquote]

Before FF12, the longest wait between entrants in the series was three years at the maximum, between FF6 and the blockbuster FF7 - and afterwards, the studio was churning them out at almost a steady rate of one per year. Even the four-year gap between the earliest iteration of FF11 and FF12 was cushioned by the multiple releases of the MMO across different platforms and different markets.

By the time Final Fantasy XIII comes out - hopefully in 2010 - it'll have been the longest wait for an entry in the series since its inception. With development costs skyrocketing for games on every platform - let alone a big-budget franchise like Final Fantasy - it's not hard to imagine that shareholders might be getting impatient for returns that are at least a year away, if not more.

Either that, or the Squeenix executives really need to kick that nasty habit of betting on Chocobo races.


Permalink

 

[boppity]

The stock prices aren't being helped by SE continuing to ban legitimate players of FFXI even though it has been obvious that their automated ban system isn't working. Players who are banned have no recourse, there is no one to talk to that is able to do anything.

With the poor customer service, I'll be avoiding SE titles in the future.

 

[Pendragon9]

MAKE SUPER MARIO RPG 2! Come on Square, that would net you millions of dollars. Hell, if they did, I WOULD BUY A WII just for it.

Better yet. Make another Chrono Trigger sequel. And don't make it suck like Chrono Cross.

They have so many franchises they can revive, but they're so stubborn. They're like Nintendo these days.

 

[AceDiamond]

well this doesn't bode well for us getting the new Front Mission game stateside...unless they think it might sell well in which case nevermind.

 

[DRTJR]

Better yet. Make another Chrono Trigger sequel. And don't make it suck like Chrono Cross.

They have so many franchises they can revive, but they're so stubborn. They're like Nintendo these days.

I would look at the Chrono trigger/cross thing in this light. they are two completely different games

Nintendo can focus on the older franchisees because it has so many Square can't because they have Final fantasy and phantasy star online

 

[BillyShakes]

Make another Chrono Trigger sequel. And don't make it suck like Chrono Cross.

Chrono Cross is not a sequel to Chrono Trigger, it's a successor.
Also, it was a great game on its own merits.
MAKE SUPER MARIO RPG 2!
I agree, actually. I would but it opening day.

 

[WhiteRat07]

Honestly i loved final fantasy as kid.But as i get older the western RPGs are more appealing.I just get sick of playing the same emo pretty boys.I think if they don't mix it up a bit they are gonna see more and more people drop off.

 

[hypothetical fact]

Here's an idea for Squeenix, free of charge.

You want your stock to go up? Stop dicking around and release FFXIII already. No one wants to invest in your company because you haven't done anything notable since FFX and that was ten years ago.

Stock would go up then drop sharply because fewer people would buy FFXIV if FFXIII is a buggy unfinished mess.

 

[BlindMessiah94]

Yeah Squeenix deserves it. Make more games or remake some older games or hell make some sequels for all I care. But give us something that's actually good. Spending 6 years to make a game is pointless if it's not worth the wait.

 

[Pimppeter2]

NIER looks pretty good.

 

[Cryo84R]

An RPG with a male lead character would be a fresh idea for them.

 

[WorkerMurphey]

The delay has been due to SE secretly working on Duke Nukem Forever.

 

[BlindMessiah94]

Yeah Squeenix deserves it. Make more games or remake some older games or hell make some sequels for all I care. But give us something that's actually good. Spending 6 years to make a game is pointless if it's not worth the wait.

So turn into a western games producer then? Churn out tat with a shinier finish than the previous tat to satisfy idiots?

I'd rather Square maintained the business model it is working with at the moment - releases are occurring more frequently and they're trying to branch into other genres once more. Obviously the quality will be sub par while studios are founded, vetted and specialised but the leg work is beginning.

Also; how do you know the game isn't worth the wait?

I said "if" it's not worth the wait. It very well may be.
But I haven't really enjoyed an FF title since they went in the whole cinematic approach. Most of their games feel like "tat with a shinier finish than the previous tat to satisfy idiots".

But that's my opinion, if you like squeenix games of late then please enjoy. I'm pretty happy replaying FF1-7 and Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG anyhow and am thankful they did at least that much right.

 

[BlindMessiah94]

I said "if" it's not worth the wait. It very well may be.
But I haven't really enjoyed an FF title since they went in the whole cinematic approach. Most of their games feel like "tat with a shinier finish than the previous tat to satisfy idiots".

Apologies, but the tone of your post was very loaded. Starting with "deserves it" suggested you were using a rhetorical "if".

By the way things report of XIII though chances are you won't enjoy it, Japanese seem to be falling in love with games becoming more and more film esque.

But that's my opinion, if you like squeenix games of late then please enjoy. I'm pretty happy replaying FF1-7 and Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG anyhow and am thankful they did at least that much right.

Admittedly, VIII and Chrono Trigger are the only ones to have truly performed well in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, each game its own strengths - just those two are the only ones I've ever been "fussed" with.

Fair enough, your points are valid also. But who knows, XIII might be cinematic and awesome at the same time (I love Mass Effect for example). I'll still give it a try like I have all the other FF's. I'm actually playing the FF4 for the DS and am quite enjoying it.