New IPs are still a big part of Square Enix's plans, but the game developer and publisher doesn't have any plans to let up on the HD remakes of Final Fantasy games. On top that, it plans to slap the HD polish on other classic games beyond the Final Fantasy franchise.
In its 2015 report to shareholders, Square Enix shared its vision for the future, and that future entails efforts to "revitalize" some of the company's "strong IPs" so that the software meets the needs of the current market for video games.
The revitalization effort will see old IPs, created for antiquated hardware, updated and deployed to current gen consoles. The company will also "proactively" develop remakes of those games for smart devices, as opposed to, presumably, waiting for demand to call for a port to mobile.
Square is also looking at bringing remakes to virtual reality systems and "other new platforms."
"We want our longtime fans to relish reliving past experiences with a freshness that only the latest in technology can provide, while at the same time have new customers enjoy the IP as though it were brand new," says Square.
Despite all of the talk about HD remakes and ports to mobile, Square still asserts its commitment to creating new IPs and developing them into new franchises. It says it has the reach to do so.
"Our group possesses many content platforms, including console games, smart device games, arcades, PC games, and comics. All of those platforms are capable of giving rise to new IPs. We see this as a strength of our group that is unmatched by any competitor."
Also on Square's agenda is more collaborations. Noting that today's assumptions aren't always relevant tomorrow, the company wants to stay open to all opportunities to grow.
"A willingness to seek in others what we lack is a better approach to growing our business in this age of uncertainty," Square says. "As such, we will not rule out any possibility as we explore and execute collaborative initiatives ranging from joint collaborations focusing on a single product to business alliances of a wider scope."
