Sony and Square Enix, the makers of the Final Fantasy series, have had a long history of game making together. Until now, Sony owned 8.2% of Square Enix through their 9.5 million shares. Valued at $156 Million, Sony seeks to further streamline their operations, much like they have the last few months.
Many may be wondering what this means for the future of Square Enix, as none of the original developers are still a part of the company, and games are being released with less frequency. There are still plenty of investors in the gaming company, and they have a few games in development as well as approaching release, so there is a good chance this is only a speedbump in their road, but only time will tell.
This move comes after Sony has spent the new year streamlining operations and cutting costs. Since the start of this year, Sony has ended the VAIO line of computers, laid off over 5,000 employees, revamped the TV Business. The more recent changes have included shutting down several of its most notable buildings, such as their Tokyo headquarters.
Sony has been having issues in recent years, warning investors of a $1.1 billion loss at the end of the year. Recent reports show that their console venture is not the same as it was when the PS2 was the king of Console. TechRadar reports that the Xbox One outsold the PS4 at the end of last year, with Microsoft holding 46% of the market share at this time.
Square Enix, who is known for Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, and Dragon Quest has yet to comment to any sites, so their feelings and thoughts on the present situation are unclear. There are rumors however, that this could be the "nail in the coffin", due to lack of improvement in recent games. With a new Kingdom Hearts coming out, we can only hope that Square can reclaim its place and continue to make games for consumers.
Sony is a large corporation, with products in a large number of electronics categories. Even if some are failing, the entertainment giant will continue to find ways to cut costs and keep their doors open for consumers. We may no longer see the VAIO computers, or some of their TVs, but unless something drastic happens, we can continue to hope that the Playstation line of products (among others) will continue running.
