In a recent financial report, Square Enix revealed that Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy launch sales were lower than expected. However, with later sales initiatives such as store discounts, the company was able to increase sales numbers for the title. Furthermore, Square Enix stated that the company intends to continue expanding sales in order to make up for the game’s slow start.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy ‘undershot’ initial expectations
The news comes from Square Enix’s Outline of Results Briefing, which was held on February 4, 2022. During the meeting, CEO Yosuke Matsuda commented on the launch of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, in addition to other heavy-hitter titles from 2021 such as Final Fantasy XIV, Outriders, and NieR Replicant. Despite high praise and positive reviews across the board (including our own review in which we gave the game an 8/10), Matsuda revealed that the title from Eidos Montreal failed to meet sales expectations. In fact, HD game sales at Square Enix were lower in general compared to the previous year.
That being said, the game wasn’t a complete write-off for the company. Later sales initiatives that started in November 2021 such as store discounts resulted in higher sales numbers, though Square Enix still seems keen on pumping those numbers up in the near future. It seems a familiar pattern for the company, who back in November 2021 implied that developer Crystal Dynamics was a “poor choice” due to the disappointing performance of Marvel’s Avengers.
Opinion: Games don’t necessarily have to sell
Andrew writes… I know we might be past the whole “games are an art form” discourse, but it’s rhetoric worth repeating: Games don’t have to appeal to everyone, and in a lot of cases, trying to appeal to everyone could end up doing more harm than good. At the end of the day, Square Enix is a company like every other publisher out there and is looking out for its bottom line. But if every game tries to appeal to everyone, all games are going to end up looking the same. And who wants that?
In other news, 2K Games has signed a partnership with LEGO to produce several new sports games. Guerrilla Games also stated that it is currently prioritizing fixing graphical issues in its latest title, Horizon Forbidden West.
