If it’s one thing that this year’s E3 made pretty clear, it’s that subscription services are going to be a big part of the future. Microsoft has their Game Pass, which looks to be pillar of their gaming strategy going forward, Ubisoft announced Uplay Plus, Sony has their PlayStation Now, which they plan to push harder in the future, and Google’s Stadia has subscription element the company is highlighting. Another major company looking to get in the game? None other than Square Enix.
Speaking with GamesIndustry, company President Yosuke Matsuda said they were actively looking at the option to do just that. He said there was no solid plan as of now, and they were working now with Microsoft’s Game Pass and Google’s Stadia (their Avengers title will come to Stadia day and date, for instance), but they are looking to the future still for something of their own.
“We are exploring at present both possibilities,” Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda said. “And we do already provide games for Microsoft’s Game Pass. But at the end of the day, the direction that we’re thinking about is having a channel of our own.”
Square Enix is one of the biggest Japanese publishers out there, so it’s certainly within the realm of possibility for them to create a catalog for a potential subscription service. Much like other media, it seems to be the inevitable standard for gaming going forward.