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Title: Square Enix is laying off more developers in the UK and US as it
refocuses on Japan

Link: https://www.engadget.com/gaming/square-enix-i...

Square Enix is laying off developers in the UK and US as it reworks its game
development structure to focus on its studios in Japan, Video Games Chronicle
reports. The mass restructuring follows the publishers' 2024 announcement
that it planned to "aggressively" apply AI to its development process.

The total number of employees being laid off isn't yet public, but Video
Games Chronicle writes that over 100 developers in the UK could be impacted,
possibly up to 140. The number of US developers caught in the layoffs is
still unknown. In a slide deck for investors spotted by IGN, Square Enix
characterizes its "Overseas Structural Reform" as part of its goal of
"consolidating development functions in Japan." The deck also notes that
Square Enix is particularly interested in automating "70 percent of QA and
debugging tasks in game development by the end of 2027" with artificial
intelligence, which could be one reason it's trying to eliminate roles.

Engadget has contacted Square Enix to confirm its restructuring plans. We'll
update this article if we hear back.

Square Enix has made an ongoing number of attempts to pull out of Western
game development in the last decade. The publisher appeared to play some kind
of role in project cancellations at developer People Can Fly earlier this
year, and before that, it initiated mass layoffs in 2024. Even earlier in
2013, Square Enix made large cuts to its US and European divisions, including
selling studios like Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal and Crystal
Dynamics to Embracer Group.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at
https://www.engadget.com/gaming/square-enix-i...
the-uk-and-us-as-it-refocuses-on-japan-201907305.html?src=rss

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