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According to company staff, the American and European branches of Square Enix will soon face layoffs. The cuts will target IT and publishing, including the company’s indie games Collective division.
Square Enix planning layoffs to overseas branches
Square Enix president Takashi Kiryu revealed the layoffs in an internal meeting, VGC reported on Monday. It’s unclear how significant the layoffs will be, but affected employees will learn if they are terminated this week. Under UK law, British employees are guaranteed a one-month consultancy period, while American workers may lose their jobs before June. Employees reported that the company locked many of its Slack channels after the announcement.
The layoffs coincide with the company’s quarterly financial results. In it, the company spoke of making “structural reforms” to the US and UK branches. Square Enix plans to “rebuild overseas business divisions from the ground up.” This is part of a more extensive reorganization and reprioritization spearheaded by Kiryu, who assumed his position in June 2023. In Japan, this meant promoting developers to executive positions and taking steps to check the power of producers. Square Enix is also moving away from console exclusivity deals for AAA games.
Among the divisions facing layoffs is the indie game publisher Square Enix Collective. Established in 2014, it allows indie developers to pitch their ideas to the public, with polls influencing which games are greenlit. Games published through Collective include 2016’s The Turing Test, 2015’s Fear Effect Sedna, and 2022’s PowerWash Simulator. It’s unclear how the layoffs will affect Collective, though the company hasn’t announced plans to shut it down.