Square Enix's Bold New Era: Brand New IP & Collab Strategy

Square Enix, the famous Japanese company that created Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts, is getting ready for one of the biggest changes in its history. Thanks to a new relationship, a new piece of intellectual property, and a full-on internal reboot, a completely different future is underway. Early signs show that it's not just about change but also about development.

They recently launched a surprise partnership with TBS Television, the Japanese media giant best known for making Sasuke, which is better known in the West as Ninja Warrior. Using a unique idea, this unexpected partnership will create a brand-new video game. Still, this isn't a normal crossing. Television and video games are coming together in a new way with the launch of "TBS Games," the network's new gaming brand.

The intentions behind the future game are clear, but details are still being kept secret. The project will probably be different from anything either company has tried before because it will combine Square Enix's skill at telling stories and making RPGs with TBS's creativity in making active and physical entertainment. Industry insiders think this could lead to a mix of combat and RPG systems—think Ninja Warrior meets Final Fantasy—but neither the genre nor the direction of the gameplay has been officially confirmed.

Everyone is waiting for a better look at this joint effort, but the TBS partnership is only one piece of a much bigger picture. A three-year overhaul of Square Enix's whole game creation model has also begun. Although it was first announced in May 2024, this remake is now fully underway and is expected to change the company until March 2027. The strategy has changed clearly: fewer games of better quality.

The company's most recent financial report explained how it plans to stop putting out a lot of mid-level games. Instead, the business is focusing on developing big franchises and putting quality over quantity. As a result of this change, development resources will be grouped, eliminating the division that often led to inconsistent results. In real life, this means fewer projects being outsourced, more work being done in-house, and a stronger focus on key studios taking full responsibility for their intellectual properties from start to finish.

This approach is already changing how things are set up within the publisher. Many plans were publicly canceled, including the mobile game Kingdom Hearts: Missing-Link, which had been in development. These budget cuts were made to simplify the company's production and ensure that only projects that meet the new standard for "high quality" move forward. While cancellations usually cause worry, in this case, they show that people are trying to cut back and focus their resources where they are most needed.

Unsurprisingly, this plan is based on big series like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts. The highly anticipated remake trio continues with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Kingdom Hearts IV, which are still top priorities and are still set to come out by 2027. It will be emphasized again how polished, big, and accessible these tentpole titles are across all platforms.

Importantly, that last point. Square Enix is no longer happy solely releasing its AAA games on a few systems. Part of the company's larger plan to start over is for its biggest games to be available on more platforms. Insiders often call the next-generation Nintendo Switch, which was announced to have Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade, a great example of this. Today is a big day for Square Enix's publishing strategy: they are now welcoming new platforms and bigger fan groups.

Better project management, streamlined studio pipelines, and new leadership roles are backing the change from within. The goal is to reduce the hectic last-minute work that has been a problem for many coders lately. Square Enix wants to strengthen institutional knowledge and ensure consistency from one title to the next by bringing the game creation process together within dedicated teams and reducing the need for outside partners.

An important part of this new plan is to use old IP, but the fact that they are working with TBS shows that original ideas are still welcome. New intellectual property used to make a brand-new game is a strong sign that Square Enix isn't just staying in its comfort zone. In addition to changing how it makes games, the company also wants to change the stories it tells and the people it touches.

This happens at a time when Japanese companies, like Square Enix, are feeling more pressure to change with the times and appeal to wider audiences around the world. Language-heavy, regionally focused RPGs are giving way to a more diverse, dramatic, and globally accessible style. Quadrant is trying to prepare Square Enix for the next generation of games by reducing the number of projects it works on and putting more resources into each one.

The risks are high, but so are the benefits. Square Enix wants to return to the top of the gaming industry by focusing on high-quality games, cross-platform compatibility, and groundbreaking new partnerships. This isn't just about fixing past mistakes; it's also about making the future sustainable and meaningful for everyone.

The company clearly takes its part in the current gaming world very seriously. It's not focused on trends or putting out material quickly. Not now, but in the future: fewer games of higher quality and a wider audience. There are already big games in the works at Square Enix, and a new IP is on the way, so the company seems ready to keep its promise.

The risk won't pay off until 2027, when the full effects of the reboot will be seen. But there is one thing for sure: Square Enix's future is not going to be the same as before. New beginnings are exciting, and the next few years could change what gamers can expect from one of the most famous game companies.