Square Enix announces mass layoffs as “restructuring” plan pulls development from “overseas”

Square Enix is implementing a “fundamental restructuring”, pulling resources away from “overseas” development studios and putting over 100 jobs at risk.

According to an internal presentation – now published on Square Enix’s website – “a fundamental restructuring of the overseas publishing organization is being implemented with the aim of further strengthening global publishing capabilities and improving operational efficiency.”

According to IGN, this forms part of a push to consolidate its publishing business and focus on its own game development in Japan.

It’s thought the company is currently notifying some staff working in the UK and the U.S. of pending redundancies, and while the exact number of those in scope in the U.S. is unknown, IGN reports 137 jobs are presently at risk in the UK.

“To strengthen development capabilities from a Group-wide perspective and to optimize resource allocation for maximizing the value generated by IPs, a further review of the development pipeline was conducted,” Square Enix stated.

“As a result, a decision was made to close overseas development studios and shift toward consolidating development functions in Japan.”

In a statement to press, Square Enix said: “We are reorganizing our operations in North America and Europe to strengthen our development structure and to drive a globally integrated marketing strategy.
This was an extremely difficult decision, made following careful consideration and analysis by our leadership, in order to best position the Group’s long-term growth.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the talented team members who will be departing the company for their significant contributions to Square Enix. During this period of transition, we remain committed to treating each individual with the utmost respect and providing extensive support throughout this process.”

Square Enix did not clarify how many jobs were now at risk as part of these plans.