SE's Bold Strategy: Announcing Shutdown 5 Months Early

Square Enix (SE) is at it again! Their mobile game 'The Irregular at Magic High School: Reloaded Memory', which launched on June 28, 2022, has announced its shutdown in less than a year. What’s truly absurd is that SE dragged the shutdown date until after the first anniversary. This strategy of announcing a 'death sentence' five months in advance has left many players speechless.

Even though the game maintained a monthly revenue of around 40 million JPY during the Chinese New Year, it clearly didn't meet SE's internal standards. Savvy community members had accurately predicted this outcome as early as last month.

Recent statistics reveal that the average lifespan of SE's mobile titles is significantly shorter than other industry players. A chart tracking their releases since 2010 highlights just how high the turnover rate of their projects truly is.

Community reactions were swift. Players pointed out a 'vicious cycle': the fear of a game shutting down prevents spending, which in turn leads to lower revenue and triggers the shutdown. Others criticized the developer’s aggressive 'power-creep' sales tactics (selling cards specifically designed for the current stage). Some users joked that SE treats game development like a game of 'Candy Crush,' where every three new releases results in one being deleted. Many conclude that given the sharp drop in revenue last November, this behavior is just typical SE business as usual.