Square Enix has acknowledged that sales of the role-playing game Forespoken fell below its expectations following the title’s January 23 release on PlayStation 5 and PC earlier this year.
“The Forspoken reviews, which we released on January 24, 2023, have been tough,” said Square Enix President and Representative Director Yosuke Matsuda. In a February financial results briefing Detail last year’s fortunes.
“However, the game also received positive feedback for its action features, including its fighting and parkour abilities, so it yielded results that will improve our development capabilities for other games in the future.”
Despite this positive note, Matsuda admitted that the game’s sales were “lackluster”, and that there were “significant downside risks to our earnings for fiscal year 2023/3”. The franchise follows an announcement earlier this month that Forspoken developer Luminous Productions — which was founded in 2018 — will be brought back to Square Enix as of May 1.
“Luminous Productions Co. Ltd. is simultaneously equipped with not only AAA title development capabilities but also technical expertise in areas such as game engine development,” Square Enix said after the announcement. “The combination of the two entities will further enhance the group’s ability to develop HD games.”
Prior to its recapture, the developer announced that it would use the remaining time working on a patch to improve the game’s overall performance, and to develop the DLC In Tanta We Trust, which is “on track for release this summer”.
Summing up our 6/10 review, IGN said that “Forspoken’s slick combat and parkour can be fun, but they’re not enough to make its clichéd story and stripped-down world too open to explore.”
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video game news for IGN. He has more than eight years of experience covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and there is absolutely no time to fool you. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer