Back in May, Square Enix management said the video game industry is heading towards the `games as a service` model, at the time stating that the Final Fantasy publisher `will approach game design with a mind to generate recurring revenue streams.` Now, Square Enix president Yousuke Matsuda has doubled down on those comments, saying in a new note to shareholders that the games as a service model is the way forward. `Gone are the days in which single-player games were of primary status and multiplayer games secondary,` Matsuda said (via @Nibellion). `Lately, multiplayer games have taken the lead, and it is standard for games to be designed for long-term play.`Games as a service is not a new concept, and it`s a term that is defined differently depending on which company you`re looking at. For Square Enix, games as a service means a game that `place[s] a strong emphasis on longer-term user engagement.`Square Enix will continue to make games that fit this description. The idea is to make games that people play for a long time instead of completing them quickly and moving on. `In so doing, we will increase customer satisfaction and enhance the lifetime value of the games themselves,` Matsuda said.One of Square Enix`s biggest recent games, Final Fantasy XV, is adding online multiplayer through an expansion coming up soon. And just this week, the company announced a brand-new shooter called Left Alive, which we wouldn`t be surprised to learn has a significant online element. The games as a service model makes business sense, as a publisher can continue to sell the game and its related content over time. And provided that content is compelling enough, it can be a good thing for gamers. Also in the note to investors, Matsuda spoke about the growing importance of gameplay streaming. Square Enix is looking into how it can turn this into a business to create another form of revenue. `An increasing number of our customers around the world enjoy not only playing games themselv ...
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