Today Square Enix released a transcript of the latest quarterly financial conference call, and it includes a few interesting tidbits of information about the publisher's business.

During the Q&A section of the call, CEO Yosuke Matsuda was asked to comment on the growth of home console platforms, and he mentioned that the company expects to go further on the multiplatform path:

"Growth in the number of platforms is basically a good thing, and we intend to further advance our multiplatform approach."

Speaking of games for console platforms, Matsuda-san mentioned that the number of studios in Japan capable of creating them is declining, and Square Enix itself is struggling to recruit developers, which will lead the publisher to look elsewhere.

"Recruiting resources overseas and collaborating with overseas development firms is going to be key"

It's worth mentioning that they've already been doing this with major games, like Final Fantasy XV, which involved large outsourcing efforts especially in Taiwan and South-East Asia, and the inclusion of many non-Japanese developers within the team.

Matsuda-san also talked about the trends expected for the current fiscal year. Square Enix predicts to increase sales of console games due to the launch of "multiple major new games."

"We do not disclose the exact monetary values, so I’ll describe the trends we expect. We look for sales of HD Games to rise given our plans to launch multiple major new titles. It’s likely to be an average year for MMO since we have no expansion pack releases planned. We meanwhile target ¥100 billion in sales of Games for Smart Devices/PC Browsers."

Interestingly, we also hear that the mobile version of  Square Enix's own store will be announced at E3 2018, and should be ready by the launch of Shadow of the Tomb Raider.

During the call, Matsuda-san also illustrated the publisher mid-term plans, including the enhancement of digital sales, the utilization of multiple platforms, expansion on a geographical level, games as a service and games as media, and a new part of the strategy focusing on E-commerce, or more precisely the sale of Square Enix's own IP-related products through a diversity of channels.

If you want to read more about Square Enix's financial results, you can check out our dedicated article from May. The publisher will host its own showcase event at E3 2018.