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Square Enix has released financial results for its Digital Entertainment – HD Games division, and it’s safe to say that Marvel’s Avengers hasn’t been the cash flow hero they hoped for. From the six-month period of April to the end of September 2020, Marvel’s Avengers release quarter saw losses of 5 billion yen (£ 36 million).
Take a look at pages eight and nine of the report and it’s clear that in the first quarter of fiscal 2021, when Final Fantasy VII Remake launched, the HD gaming division made a big splash. very healthy 34.1 billion yen (250 million pounds sterling) and a profit of about 12 billion yen (87 million pounds sterling).
As we move into Q2 of the same fiscal year, when Marvel’s Avengers launched, it’s not such a pretty picture. Despite strong net sales of 23.7 billion yen (£ 174 million), there is a huge drop in the red, with more than 5 billion yen (36 million) in losses. Square Enix hasn’t released any official sales figures or costs for Avengers, so we can’t know how much this game is specifically responsible for, but an analyst has suggested that Crystal Dynamics’ superhero sales were below expectations. expectations.
Tokyo-based games industry analyst David Gibson said in a tweet that sales volumes were lower than Square Enix had expected – around 60% or so below normal. Gibson adds that this implies that “the game cost over $ 100 million to make”, but that it only sold around “about $ 3 million”. It is not known where Gibson actually got these numbers.
Square Enix – reported a loss of 6.5 billion yen for HD games driven by Marvel Avengers, would not say how many were sold, but that volumes were 60% of the plan. Implies the game costs over $ 100 million to make but only sold around $ 3 million. Ouch
– David Gibson (@gibbogame) November 6, 2020
That’s not all sadness, however, as Square Enix’s MMO division – responsible for Final Fantasy XIV – made a profit in both quarters this year due to “growth in monthly paying subscribers.” “.
Still, Square Enix must be quite concerned. The average player count of Marvel’s Avengers continues to decline on Steam, dropping from around 2,000 peak players early last month to 1,100 today. Crystal Dynamics has known about the drop in player numbers for some time now, but they’ve set timelines for tons of new content that includes all-new ops, seasonal events, and more story missions in the world. hope they can hang on to their decrease. player base.