Veteran analyst Billy Pidgeon says $100m Tomb Raider needs 5 to 10 million sales to be successful
The single-player focus of Square Enix's IP stable has left the company in a difficult position, according to veteran video game analyst Billy Pidgeon. In a note passed to GamesIndustry International, Pidgeon predicted that that the imminent departure of CEO and president Yoichi Wada will herald positive changes for the company. However, the coming year will be "very tough" for Square Enix, as it waits to see returns on its investments in new markets. "On the positive side, the company has made investments in online, social and mobile games including free-to-play games," said Pidgeon, an independent analyst who previously worked at Inside Network, M2 Research and IDC. "Many of these, such as the browser based games, won't bring in significant income for a year or more. [...] "The AAA market is extremely competitive," he said. "Most of Square Enix's franchises are single player games, which are less popular than multiplayer. Square Enix has been a leader in that sector, but now faces stronger competition from multiple publishers, both large and small, including Bethesda, Capcom, Xseed, Atlus and Level 5. |