(Insert newest game) fails to meet Square Enix expectations

I was sure I'd never enjoy stealth games, but then Hitman is notorious for taking people by surprise. The 2016 release opened my mind to a whole new world of crouching, silenced pistols, and disguised deadliness, showcasing just how fun assassination with an explosive golf ball can truly be. And although many were late to the Hitman costume party, many did eventually turn up.

Sadly its publisher, Square Enix, had already grabbed its coat and gone home.

Square Enix relinquished control of the series, not wanting to back a franchise they saw as unprofitable. In many ways, this is understandable. Square Enix did not become an industry juggernaut by propping up unsuccessful games, and Hitman (2016) had a "historically low" launch according to the above article. Having acknowledged this, there is one question still worth asking. As a reddit post at the time wondered:

"How poor must the sales have been for SE to pull the plug?"

And the answer, looking at the rest of Square Enix's "dissapointments", could well be "not that poor at all".

Tomb Raider (2013) was a successful reboot for the iconic series, breaking franchise sale records. Impressive to many, but apparently barely half of what Square Enix wanted.

Sleeping Dogs was a "must-have" chart topping success according to Square Enix, which is rather odd as later its "slow sales" were given as a major reason for a $67 million loss.

NEO: The World Ends With You is a more recent release with a different audience to the previous three games mentioned, and it was a critical success. This didn't stop it being a Square Enix failure.

Outriders is... Actually I won't waste any more of your time. Shot. Chaser.

All of these "unsuccessful" games show Square Enix are an easy company to dissapoint, but if one project seemed destined to finally meet these lofty goals, it was Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel superheroes are something of a dominant force at the box office, and to call the project an "easy win" is probably underselling it. The added bonus of the game being actually rather good further cemented the certainty of its success.

This week Square Enix announced the game had not met expectations.

"Expect nothing and you will never be dissapointed" is a popular phrase, but for Square Enix's you need to shorten it to only four words, "you will be dissapointed." Many will wonder if this means the end for a potential Guardians of the Galaxy sequel, after all Deus: Ex suffered a similar fate, but ultimately Square Enix is in a difficult spot. If so many of your games fail to meet expectations, how do you create any money-making franchises? Do you just choose the games that failed you the least and run with them? How do you succeed when you only see failure?

Square Enix's answer appears to be getting into NFT's.

Finally, a project which can only result in success.