Square Enix's newest games aren't doing so hot. Without any major releases in the three-month period from April to June, its net sales dropped by 18.4% from the same period last year. Overall, however, the company still made a 250.1% operating profit, largely due to its mobile and MMO games, which means Final Fantasy 14 is one of the main things keeping its "digital entertainment" financials positive.
In its latest earnings report, Square Enix says net sales and profits of its MMO games are one of the only things going up compared to the previous fiscal year. MMOs made up 68.4% of its operating profits, while its mobile games made up 31.1%. Interestingly, these numbers don't even include FF14's latest expansion, Dawntrail, which launched just last month. It seems like the usual lull before an expansion didn't affect the 12-year-old MMO all that much and I wouldn't be surprised if the next quarter sees the profits go up even higher.
In fact, Square Enix's MMOs have been doing well for a while, especially after the success of 2021's Endwalker expansion. They made a profit over the course of its last full fiscal year (ending in March 2024). Square Enix highlights FF14 and Dragon Quest 10 as the main games in the category.
In May, Square Enix said it would shredded Aerith mod, you never know.
I'm happy to see that the critically acclaimed MMO FF14 is probably helping Square Enix make enough money that its president Takashi Kiryu hasn't fully bet on devastating layoffs over the last year. A successful MMO can only make the numbers look better; it can't make you run a smarter business.
