Image: Nintendo Life

If you instrumentality adjacent a speedy glimpse astatine a merchandise schedule for the adjacent six months, you'll spot that determination are a heck of a batch of games coming out. Look a small closer, though, and you'll spot that possibly 50 of them are from Square Enix. And that's conscionable connected the Switch!

We're exaggerating, of course, but it's hard to disregard the company's perfectly monolithic output implicit the adjacent fewer months — and for the full of 2022, really. We're not going to database each azygous 2022 Square Enix Switch merchandise present due to the fact that that would instrumentality up a batch of abstraction (though you tin cheque each of its games retired close here, oregon scroll to the bottommost of this article). However, from September until adjacent twelvemonth Square Enix is processing and/or publishing 13 games connected Switch alone. Phew! And of course, we're including PowerWash Simulator successful that.

Look, we're not complaining — it's really benignant of astonishing to spot Square Enix enactment retired this galore titles, and it feels similar we're successful different aureate property with Square and Nintendo, conscionable similar the NES and SNES days. But with the September Nintendo Direct, our jaws couldn't assistance but driblet with each caller Square Enix announcement.

We got merchandise dates for 2 titles, a demo for another, and 2 marque caller reveals successful Theatrhythm Final Bar Line and Octopath Traveler II for February 2023. On different platforms, Square Enix besides has Final Fantasy XVI coming retired adjacent summer. On apical of everything else! How has this travel to pass?

Well, we said processing and publishing, and Square Enix isn't conscionable 1 large workplace either. Next year's header Final Fantasy rubric is, for example, being developed by Creative Business Unit III — the squad down the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. And it's the aforesaid for the Switch's galore upcoming titles.

There are aggregate improvement teams wrong Square Enix who are each moving connected a tiny slate of antithetic titles. Octopath Traveler II is being developed by Acquire, creators of the Tenchu series, successful collaboration with Square Enix Business Division, with Bravely Default shaper Tomoya Asano returning to caput up the project. Fans often dub these games — the Bravely series, and the HD-2D games — the works of Team Asano. Various Daylife besides falls into this category, though the precocious released Switch larboard successful information originated connected Apple Arcade and was developed by DokiDoki Groove Works.

You've besides got a slate of ports oregon remasters coming to the console, specified arsenic NieR: Automata — which was developed by PlatinumGames and is being ported by Virtuos — and Yasumi Matsuno is returning to supervise Tactics Ogre: Reborn. Then there's the delayed Life is Strange collection, which Square Enix is publishing.

Lots of studios, some internally and externally, assistance make oregon bring Square Enix titles to the Switch, too. Indieszero is backmost to enactment connected the caller Theatrhythm game, and The DioField Chronicle's real-time strategy is coming from Lancarse, the squad down Zanki Zero: Last Beginning and Monark.

Of course, contempt a ample chunk of them being RPGs oregon RPG-adjacent, they're each beauteous antithetic from 1 another. People who prime up Harvestella won't needfully beryllium the aforesaid assemblage who privation Octopath Traveler II, and The DioField Chronicle is antithetic capable from Tactics Ogre — which besides has nostalgia connected its broadside — to basal out. And adjacent if you emotion your Final Fantasy music, Theatrhythm mightiness not beryllium for you!*

All of these releases travel a connection made by the institution recently, which suggests Square volition beryllium looking to merchantability stakes successful immoderate of its remaining studios pursuing a Q1 FY2023 driblet successful profits. The Japanese-based developer has besides sold disconnected a ample fig of its Western studios to Embracer Group, with the deal finalising backmost successful August.

So, the institution has got a small spot much wealth to play with. But the information is that a batch of these upcoming projects person astir apt been successful improvement for a portion — July's Live A Live remake took 3 years to develop, for example.

Much to galore fans' chagrin, Square Enix has besides jumped into the satellite of NFTs, releasing Final Fantasy-based ones, arsenic good arsenic joining a blockchain — each eco-friendly, apparently. The institution president Yosuke Matsuda hasn't been shy astir admitting his involvement successful NFTs, and galore of the company's profits person been invested successful these. So possibly Square Enix is trying to fell this from america gamers by throwing dozens of games astatine us, right?

Probably not, but portion the institution doesn't look to recognize consumers connected 1 hand, with the different it's been pumping retired demos for a batch of its releases. As acold backmost arsenic Dragon Quest XI S and the archetypal Octopath Traveler, close up to Harvestella and the PlayStation console-exclusive Valkyrie Elysium, these demos enactment hugely successful Square's favour, enabling radical to effort retired the crippled earlier they bargain it. Not lone that, these demos let america to transportation our prevention record implicit to the afloat release, which means erstwhile we determine to bargain the afloat game, we've shaved disconnected a fewer hours of playtime up of schedule. Result!

Square Enix won't beryllium slowing down anytime soon, we're sure. There are a fewer projects we haven't heard from successful a portion and a mates of Japan-only releases similar the ocular caller Elements with Emotions, but us? We'll beryllium feasting for a while. Triangle Strategy and Live A Live are 2 of the champion games released connected the Switch this year, and determination are immoderate top-quality titles connected the skyline (well, we hope). We're conscionable feeling a little bit overwhelmed amidst a hugely engaged slate successful the second months of 2022, particularly for RPG fans.

But this isn't each astir us! Vote successful our polls beneath and fto america cognize what you deliberation of Square Enix's output astatine the moment. Is it a Blizzaga-style flurry of overwhelming proportions? Or are you arsenic cheerful arsenic a Chocobo seeing each of these games travel out? Oh, and don't hide to archer america what you deliberation successful the comments, too.

*This is factually incorrect, arsenic Theatrhythm is for perfectly everyone. Play it, now.