Square Enix 2014 Annual Report Download - page 8

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As you can see, the HD game business is showing signs
of evolving away from the conventional disc-based sellout
model for game consoles. The sellout model itself is rapidly
shifting from disc-sales to full game downloads, and game
sales are entering into an era of full-scale digital distribution.
We see this change as a huge opportunity for us, and will
endeavor to further expand the HD game business.
2) Smart Devices as Game Consoles
Smart devices such as smartphones and tablets are not
game consoles. However, smart devices have rapidly spread
to gain an important position as a type of gaming device. It
has become a common sight to see people playing games
on these devices, which leads us to a strategically important
theme of how to encourage customers to play our content
on smart devices. Based on this understanding, we have
focused our methods for accelerating game development
and services for smart devices during the fiscal year ended
March 2014. Our efforts have been producing noticeable
results such as big hits of “DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS
SUPER LIGHT” and “SCHOOLGIRL STRIKERS” since the
“DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS SUPER LIGHT”
©2014 ARMOR PROJECT/BIRD STUDIO/
SQUARE ENIX All Rights Reserved.
©SUGIYAMA KOBO
Developed by Cygames, Inc.
“SCHOOLGIRL STRIKERS”
©2014 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved.
second half of this fiscal year. While our Japanese studios
have been taking a lead in this area, Square Enix Montréal, a
studio specializing in game development for smart devices,
launched a game called “Hitman GO” in April, which was
highly acclaimed around the world. It hasn’t proved to be a
major hit yet, but I think it is a significant achievement in that
the originality of its gameplay and art style won high praise.
We are working hard to connect this achievement to future
big hits in Europe and North America.
Online Game Market in Mainland China
Figure 1
(including the mobile game market, such as games for smartphones)
Mobile Game Market in Mainland China
Figure 1
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
(Billions of yen)
2013
(Estimate)
2014
(Estimate)
2012
(The Company’s forecast based on various sources)
2015
(Estimate)
600
450
300
150
0
(Billions of yen)
2013
(Estimate)
2014
(Estimate)
2012
(The Company’s forecast based on various sources)
2015
(Estimate)
President’s Message
06