Why does Square Enix keep shutting down its mobile games?

• Square Enix have closed antoher of their big games with Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
• But with so many big names, why is Square Enix finding it so tricky to get a foothold in mobile?
• And is the answer more of their successful ports, or trying something different in live service?

Square Enix are undoubtedly one of gaming’s most enduring icons. Ever since it formed back in 2003 from a combination of, well, Square and Enix, the company has been synonymous with JRPGs. Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts are just a sample of what their Wikipedia intro contains.

Alright, jokes aside. Square Enix have had every conceivable twist on their catalogue over the years. From throwbacks such as Octopath Traveler to reinventing the JRPG to mixed results with Final Fantasy XIII, whether it’s on console or PC, they’ve always managed to find success.

Not so much on mobile, it would seem. While Square Enix have rereleased many of their classics such as the original Dragon Quest trilogy, Final Fantasy VI, Secret of Mana and others, they’ve also tried their hand in the lucrative live service world.

The list of deceased Square Enix live service mobile games reads like an obituary for their brands: Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent (which transferred operations to NetEase), Fullmetal Alchemist Mobile and Dragon Quest of the Stars is just a smattering of the big names.

And the thing is that not all of these are your typical case of ‘Only successful in Japan, not so much overseas’ as you might suspect. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius and the aforementioned Dragon Quest of the Stars were both axed in Japan, after all, even after Exvius proved to be probably the longest-lived with nearly ten years (2015-2024) under its belt.

So, why is it that Square Enix fails to make a foothold with their mobile originals?

It’s not what their audience wants

As I said, Square Enix is synonymous with the JRPG, and these are primarily single-player, narrative-focused experiences with plenty of playtime and grind. And the fact is that as far as we know their ports of these traditional experiences have made a mark on mobile. Just not their attempts to translate them to a live service format.

Most live service games tend to thrive on having large audiences, as well as the ever-fabled whales that spend a lot of money at once. Meanwhile, most Square Enix fans are there for either an original story or a fulfilling single-player experience. So if they don’t find that, they’ll probably bounce right off.

They’re just not that committed to mobile

Supercell are a company which has also cancelled a lot of games. But crucially, these were in soft launch, and the reason they were cancelled is precisely because Supercell is a dedicated mobile development studio seeking their next billion-dollar hit.

Square Enix, meanwhile, has pushed many of their games out the door, only to cease service mere years later. Ever Crisis, for example, will only barely reach its third anniversary this year before shutting down in October.

We’ve seen things shifting on the business side too, with our business-oriented fellows over at dot-biz observing how Square Enix have been overlooking the potential of mobile, and their moves to consolidate development in Japan, a move which will likely mean a greater focus on tried-and-true platforms and genres.

There’s too much competition from other RPGs

This is probably the most nebulous reason, but it’s one that I think is always important to consider. Say you want an RPG experience on mobile: you’ve got plenty to choose from with the likes of Genshin Impact, Arknights: Endfield, Reverse: 1999 and beyond, all of which are made specifically for mobile.

Ultimately, no matter how jam-packed with familiar characters a mobile spinoff of Square Enix’s property may be, it’ll always be just that, a spinoff. And fans are likely to want to put their time (and money) into something made from the ground up for mobile.

What’s the future got in store?

Now, Square Enix have been experimenting a little more with mobile as of late. Dissidia Duellum: Final Fantasy offers a mobile-focused, multiplayer battler featuring iconic FF characters transplanted into the modern world, with a stylish new look to go with it. It’s certainly a lot different to Champions of the Continent or Brave Exvius, which mostly tried to recreate the original JRPG experience with a mobile sheen.

So, will that bold new direction bear fruit? We’ll have to wait and see, but I reckon that trying something new is the best possible thing that Square Enix can do at the moment to try and get a foothold in mobile beyond just ports and rereleases.

In the meantime, if you want to check out the competition, then you'll be glad to know we've collated some of the best options. Check out our list of the best RPGs on Android for just a smattering of adventures in worlds of sci-fi, fantasy and beyond!