This is not the first time Square Enix has acted swiftly against its studios when projects fail to meet expectations. It sold three Western studios — Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, and Square Enix Montréal — as well as properties such as Tomb Raider and Deus Ex to Embracer Group last year for a comparatively low $300 million. The change happened after Marvel’s Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy (which did not sell well despite positive reviews) did not perform as well as Square Enix had intended.
Forspoken is one of the year’s most anticipated games. Nonetheless, Square Enix published it in January to lukewarm reviews. It’s unclear how well the game has done commercially.
