Following the announcement of the upcoming replacement of Square Enix CEO Yosuke Matsuda with Takashi Kiryu the two executives held a joint conference to explain the move to shareholders and the press.
In the conference, as reported by Japanese website 4Gamer, Matsuda-san explained that he has been preparing to step down from his position for some time. He had been considering passing the baton to the new generation after reaching the 10th-year milestone as CEO, a position he took over in June 2013. He also added that there is no direct correlation between the change and the recent financial performance of the company.
While the timing of the change is in the middle of the mid-term business plan, the groundwork for the future structure of the company is almost complete, so Matsuda-san thought it would be best to step down in favor of a new leader for a new era.
He also confirmed that he will not remain at Square Enix and he will continue to watch over the progress of the company from the outside as a simple fan.
He described Kiryu-san as a leader with a strong will to finish the job and a man who is persistent in his efforts. He added that having a passionate heart is a necessary quality to be president, and Kiryu-san has that quality.
The new CEO was exposed to Square Enix's games since the time of the Famicom and he wanted to work for the company for a long time before he got the job. He mentioned that his first mission as a president is to oversee the changes and evolution that are required by the times. He hopes to achieve it with "consistency" and "flexibility."
While the two terms could appear in contrast, Kiryu-san explained that Square Enix must remain consistent in its creativity, content, and the bonds it shares with its users, while it must be flexible enough to take on the challenge to create new content without being afraid of change, in order to further develop these elements and welcome new users.
During the Q&A session, Matsuda-san pledged that the leadership change will not affect the release plans for upcoming major games and the development structure of the company. He also mentioned that Square Enix will continue to follow the same strategy about the Web 3.0 business it has been promoting over the past few years, as it has the potential to spearhead the company's next growth stage.
