In unsurprising news, publisher Square Enix has announced a bold new vision for the company in 2024, promising once again to go after the hottest speculative technologies on the market. President Takashi Kiryu welcomed the new year with a song Bold guidanceWhich confirms that the company will be “bold in applying artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies to our content development and publishing functions.”
No specific timeline has been set, but Kiryu says the short-term goal is to “enhance our development productivity and achieve greater sophistication in our marketing efforts” using the technology, so be sure to count Cloud's fingers the next time we see Final Fantasy VII officially. Rebirth artwork. Previously, Square Enix made big bets on blockchain/Web 3.0 and cloud entertainment.
It's on a longer timeline where things get more worrying, as Kiryu (perhaps channeling some Rufus Shinra energy) explains the plan: “Leverage these technologies to create new forms of content for consumers, because we believe that technological innovation represents business opportunities.”
This should come as no surprise to anyone, as 2024 is expected to be the year that AI in gaming takes off. Surprise finale The Finals initially caught attention when it was revealed that controversial technology would replace paid voice actors, but that situation certainly didn't stop the game from attracting audiences.
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