By Sagar V. Mankar Square Enix, a Japanese company renowned for its RPG franchises like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts, has recently faced scrutiny after a shareholder questioned the company’s business relationship with video game consultancy firm Sweet Baby Inc.
They wanted to know if Square Enix was really working with Sweet Baby Inc. and what kind of work they were doing together.
This question shows the growing tension between old-school gamers and those pushing for more diverse stories in games. It’s like a battle between tradition and change. Let’s delve into the details:
What Did the Square Enix Shareholder Ask?
According to That Park Place, a Square Enix shareholder raised the following question during a recent financial report:
“I’m personally happy about the shift from quantity to quality. I hope good titles will come out in the future. I’m concerned about the Canadian consulting company ‘Sweet Baby Inc.’ Square Enix is listed as a client, but is there actually a transaction there? What kind of transaction is it? Will they continue to do so in the future?”
This question highlights the growing concern among some shareholders about the potential impact of external consultants on the game development process at Square Enix.
How Did Square Enix Respond to the Question?
The boss of Square Enix, Takashi Kiryu, didn’t give a straight answer. He just said:
“I would like to refrain from making specific comments about individual clients. As we shift from quantity to quality, providing content that is enjoyable and safe for our customers is also part of what makes a product fun. We will do our best as creators.”
It’s like he was trying to dodge a tricky question!
Now, Why Are Some Gamers Upset About Sweet Baby Inc.?
Sweet Baby Inc. is a consultancy company that focuses on promoting inclusivity and representation in the video game industry.
The company making games more inclusive is okay, but some people think they’re pushing too hard.
These gamers believe Sweet Baby Inc. is forcing “woke” ideas into games, making them less fun.
This has led to the creation of a Steam Curator group called “Sweet Baby Inc Detected,” which tags games associated with the company with labels like “Woke” or “SJW.”
Things got heated when Sweet Baby Inc. tried to shut down this group that was criticizing them. This made even more people angry and curious about what the company was doing.
To make matters worse, an old video of Sweet Baby Inc.’s boss, Kim Belair, made forward. In the video which was from the Game Developers Conference in 2019, she said some pretty controversial things like:
- She suggested that developers should “terrify” marketing teams to secure resources for consultants and research.
- Belair referred to white, cisgender, heterosexual male gamers as “picky babies” who are resistant to change in-game content.
- She advocated for pushing white male players to experience stories through different perspectives, even if they initially resisted.
Yikes! That didn’t go over well with many gamers.
Is This the First Time Square Enix Has Faced Criticism for External Consultations?
This isn’t the first time Square Enix has been in hot water for working with outside helpers.
The company had previously worked with Black Girl Gamers, a consultancy dedicated to representing Black women in gaming, on the development of the action RPG Forspoken.
However, “Forspoken” garnered “mixed or average” reviews from critics and was a commercial failure, which led to the shutdown of its developer, Luminous Productions.
Some believe that the game didn’t do well because it tried too hard to be inclusive.
This could be the reason why Square Enix shareholders might have been contentious and raised questions to prevent such failures.
In the end, this whole situation shows how tricky it is to change the gaming world. Everyone wants good games, but people disagree on what makes a game good. It’s a puzzle that Square Enix and other game makers are still trying to solve.