What if Sony still bought Square Enix? An insider confirms having heard information to this effect and the sale of Western licenses may not be trivial
Clearly, Square Enix is on everyone’s lips. After taking everyone by surprise by parting ways with Tomb Raider and Deus Ex, the Japanese company has turned the spotlight on it. The reasons for a buyout of its Western licenses for only 300 million euros can largely be explained by the failure of Marvel’s Avengers and loss-making Marvel games as a whole. However, this decision could be strategic.
A total takeover of Square Enix by Sony?
As you probably know, several rumors spoke of a future takeover of Sony, bigger than Kojima Productions, and important enough to have the effect of a bomb like Activision Blizzard or Bethesda. One of the initiators of these rumors has just confirmed that it was Square Enix. Jeff Grubb has indeed heard that the Japanese publisher was in the process of joining the PlayStation family.
” You never hear enough about studio acquisitions to talk about it with certainty. The big rumor was Sony buying Square Enix. But I can’t confirm it, and I still don’t have enough informations” explains the insider in the preamble. He reminds that for legal reasons, it is very difficult to obtain concrete information about the acquisitions before their officialization.
What if Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts became PlayStation exclusives again?
However, the sale of licenses to Embracer Group does not prevent the possibility of a takeover of Square Enix by Sony. On the contrary, the Japanese firm could have gotten rid of a thorn in the side before putting itself in a better position for such a takeover. “JI actually think Square Enix is trying to position itself for an acquisition. But that doesn’t mean anything. This kind of deal can fall through or be turned upside down. It happens all the time says Grubb.
By separating from Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix Montreal and Eidos, the Japanese firm only lost licenses with average or disappointing sales. Only Tomb Raider is an exception, but Sony wouldn’t need it anyway since an Uncharted 5 would soon be in the works. Square Enix therefore only remains with its strongest series including Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Life is Strange, Just Cause, NieR or Kingdom Hearts.
Licenses, some of which are historically linked to PlayStation and it would not be incongruous for the manufacturer to want to get their hands on it. Especially since other rumors spoke of a strengthened partnership between the two actors, with the PS5 exclusivity of Final Fantasy. But it will certainly be necessary to wait before knowing if the takeover of Square Enix by Sony will really see the light of day.