As 2020 is comes to a close and every major release of the year has come out, many are looking forward to what 2021 will hold. According to a recent interview with some developers fromSquare Enix, it looks like 2021 could be a big year for the company.
That said, 2020 was a bit of a mixed bag forSquare Enix.Final Fantasy 7 Remakefinally released in April to critical and commercial success, andNier: Automatahit a new sales milestone three years after it released. On the other hand, the publisher also releasedMarvel’s Avengers,which was weakly received and played a part in the company losing over ¥6.5 billion in 2020.
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Looking ahead to 2021, popular Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu had the opportunity to interview a number of developers from Square Enix, and asked them about what games they are working on for 2021 and beyond. First interviewed was the producer ofFinal Fantasy 14and16, Naoki Yoshida, who said that a lot should be expected for both games. However, he opted not to say whetherFinal Fantasy 16will release in 2021. It is expected thata new expansion will be announced forFinal Fantasy14at a Square Enix event in February, so perhaps that is part of what Yoshida was referring to.
Producer of theGame of The Year award-winningFinal Fantasy 7 Remake, Yoshinori Kitase, confirmed that the sequel is in development, but said not to expect more details in 2021. He also added that he will be working on the “series” past 2021, confirming fears that it will likely be another long wait before more of the original PS1 game’s story is remade.
Nierproducer Yosuke Saito said that the series will continue, and said he is excited to reveal ver.1.22474487139next year before its April release date.New gameplay was revealed for the sequel earlier this month at The Game Awards, showcasing more of the series' trademark frenetic gameplay. Saito is also a producer on Square Enix’s collaboration with Platinum Games,Babylon’s Fall, which he teased more info will be revealed about in 2021.
Other producers interviewed includeBravely Default 2producer Tomoya Asano andOctopath Traveler’sMasashi Takahashi, who wanted to talk more about their upcoming games, but had nothing to say yet.Dragon Questseries producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto also said he hopes to revealsomething for theDragon Quests’upcoming 35th anniversaryin 2021. Overall, it seems likeSquare Enixfans have a lot to potentially look forward to.
