Square Enix admits Forspoken has had “lackluster” sales

The fact that Square Enix is not happy with the commercial result of Forspoken had already been hinted at when they decided to absorb Luminous Productions, the internal development studio they opened to create new experiences and video games. Now, the Japanese company has recognized that sales have been less than ideal.

In a shareholders briefing, the still president of Square Enix, Yosuke Matsuda, has called Forspoken's sales mediocre. He pointed out that this happened after reviews for the game were published, which he refers to as “challenging.”.

“However, the game has also received positive feedback on its action features, including its parkour and combat capabilities." According to the executive, this setback will allow them to improve their “development capabilities of other games in the future”. The financial results of the new titles coming out in February and March will be decisive, but Matsuda raises the possibility of a "downside risk” to their quarterly earnings.

Goodbye to Luminous Productions

A few weeks after the launch, the Japanese company announced that they would integrate Luminous Productions within the Square Enix structure. The studio “is equipped not only with AAA title development capabilities but also technical expertise in areas such as game engine development.” According to the statement, this merger will allow the group to improve its abilities to develop HD titles.

Forspoken is available on PS5 and PC. In the MeriStation review, we give it a 7.3/10 and we highlight its parkour and combat mechanics. Still, we did note that the open world felt empty and the side quests weren't satisfying:

"Its impressive visual display is partially overshadowed by a number of controversial design decisions: an open world “of dots” full of activities that may satisfy the completionists, but that have no soul or contribute almost nothing to the story or the protagonist’s plot.” You can read the text in this link.