Luminous Production is getting merged with Square Enix following Forspoken’s failure

Luminous Productions is getting merged into Square Enix after releasing one game  

Forspoken is the first, and now final, game to come from Luminous Productions, with the Square Enix Group announcing that the studio is going to be merged with Square Enix Co. on May 6th. 

Luminous Productions was formed in 2018 by Square Enix with a team that was primarily comprised of Final Fantasy XV developers. The developer was tasked with creating AAA games using Square Enix’s proprietary Luminous Engine. With Forspoken having a lacklustre launch, Square Enix has decided to merge Luminous Productions with another studio, bringing Luminous Productions to an end. 

Before their merger with Square Enix Co, Luminous Production’s staff will be working on previously announced game patches for Forspoken. These patches are designed to increase game performance, allowing the game to run better on a variety of systems. Additionally, the studio are working on Forspoken’s “In Tanta We Trust” DLC, which isdie to be released this summer.

    SQUARE ENIX HOLDINGS CO., LTD. (headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director Yosuke Matsuda; hereinafter the “Company”) announces that it will merge its wholly owned subsidiary Luminous Productions Co., Ltd. into its wholly owned subsidiary SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. effective Monday, May 1, 2023.

The merger is part of the Company’s efforts to further bolster the competitive prowess of the Group’s development studios, a goal set forth under its current medium-term business strategy. SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. has developed numerous AAA high-definition (HD) games and possesses a wealth of intellectual property (IP) and content. Luminous Productions Co., Ltd. is meanwhile equipped not only with AAA title development capabilities but also technical expertise in areas such as game engine development. Combining the two entities will further enhance the Group’s ability to develop HD games.

While it is sad to see Luminous Productions closing its doors, it isn’t surprising to see Square Enix to take this more following Forspoken’s poor reception. The good news is that Luminous Productions’ staff all have jobs at Square Enix Co waiting for them, and we hope that Luminous Productions’ staff find success in their future endeavours.  

You can join the discussion on Luminous Production’s merger into Square Enix on the OC3D Forums.