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Former Square CEO on Twitter "Merger with Enix a failure"

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https://twitter.com/Hisashi_Suzuki/status/265704663809159169

Rough translation:

A market cap of ¥124 billion [$154 million]. It was ¥150 billion [$185 million] even before the merger with Enix.

The merger was a total failure. There is no vision for the future there.

From April to September, Square Enix Holdings posted a 5.4 billion yen net loss, much of it development expenses.

He sources Nikkei here:
http://www.nikkei.com/markets/kigyo/gyoseki.aspx?g=DGXNASFL060HC_06112012000000

Seems like Kotaku picked it up as well:
http://kotaku.com/5958425/former-square-honcho-calls-square-enix-a-complete-failure-with-no-vision
 

Aeana

Member
Considering that without the merger, the company would be gone, I don't think it's possible to consider it a failure regardless of where the company is at right now.
 
Hmm I wonder where that high development expenses come from.. what was that game again that is doing pretty well in development for 6 years now? Hmm
 
Squaresoft.gif
 

Auto_aim1

MeisaMcCaffrey
Well they had no other choice and it's about making the right decisions with the resources you have. The merger has nothing to do with it.
 

cw_sasuke

If all DLC came tied to $13 figurines, I'd consider all DLC to be free
Probably true, but weird to hear a Japanese business men talk like that to the public. I`m an expert in Japanese culture and it surprises me.
 

wrowa

Member
Sorry, but SE's current position on the market has absolutely nothing to do with the merger of Enix.
 

Weenerz

Banned
These guys still make games? The only thing I remember coming from the company is Just Cause 2 and Sleeping Dogs.
 

raven777

Member
I agree the company is not doing good.

But there was no choice at the time, and the fact that he is responsible for their difficult time.

Basically SE had difficult time cleaning up the mess he left.
 

Celegus

Member
That was what, 10 years ago? How many of the peopple involved are still with the company now? Their current losses are the current management's fault, not the team from 10 years ago. Sucks to see they're losing money when it looked like the stars were aligning to make the best studio in the world back then. I still enjoy their games, but I seem to be in the minority which doesn't do much to help them financially.
 

Famassu

Member
Hmm I wonder where that high development expenses come from.. what was that game again that is doing pretty well in development for 6 years now? Hmm
My dear god, you people can't be so stupid that you think the game has been in development for 6 years. News-flash: it hasn't. This is fact.

Why is it a failure? The Enix side of the company is the one releasing good games right now.
Uhh.. The recent Kingdom Hearts games, The World Ends With You, Theatrhythm and the like are all Square Enix games.
 

Salsa

Member
This guy was in charge when the company had its huge ass losses and now he criticizes the only way they had to stay afloat after everything that happened when he was running it

what an asshole
 

Bruno MB

Member
Square without Enix would be the same Square Enix we know. In fact it would be worse for them since they wouldn't have the Dragon Quest franchise which is a great source of income.
 

Berordn

Member
Enix's brands seem to be doing fine, in spite of being shackled to some dead weight. It kept Square from dissolving completely so... victory all around, right?
 

coopolon

Member
Haha, I read it as he was talking about eidos. And I was thinking that I thought that acquisition had gone really well. Enix though, that makes sense.
 

LevelNth

Banned
Not sure what the heck people are talking about saying the merger was a no-choice situation for Square, or that Suzuki ran the company into the ground. Neither are remotely true. In fact, the merger was supposed to happen even earlier than it did, but it was the fiscal impact of the Final Fantasy film that made Enix hold off til 2003.

The continued success of the EA and Square ventures in the US and Japan (I'm going back to the PSone here) and the capital infusion from Sony was more than enough to get Square back on track after the film (look it up if you don't believe me, they were back in the black by FY2002).

Suzuki is completely right, the merger was an asinine idea headed up and orchestrated by completely incompetent idiots, notably Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum at Enix, Fukushima and Honda, and of course, Wada.

Enix desperately wanted to piggy back Square for US penetration, Wada was an absolute idiot who despised Sakaguchi and was terrified of the backlash from the film, and together they instituted horrendous development reforms and linear focused brand reliances that were so laughably short sighted it amazes me these men have jobs.

Nothing else is more responsible for the state of this company than that damn merger.
 

LevelNth

Banned
He left in 2001 in response to Squaresoft announcing its gigantic loss.
No he didn't. He stopped serving as the pointless and I'm sure constantly ignored position of Special Director in 2005, after the merger woes really started settling in.
 

ULTROS!

People seem to like me because I am polite and I am rarely late. I like to eat ice cream and I really enjoy a nice pair of slacks.
That movie they made FF: Spirits within.

Blew a ton of money on it, bombed hard.

It's more like Enix had plans to merge with Squaresoft before the release of FF:SW. After the failure of SW, Enix was hesitant on merging with Squaresoft but still proceeded to do it.
 
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