Forspoken Developer Luminous Productions Merging Into Square Enix

Following the release of Forspoken earlier this year, Square Enix has announced that the game’s developer, Luminous Productions, will merge into the company. 

It’s a strange announcement, given that Luminous Productions was already a studio under the Square Enix umbrella. But now, it seems that Luminous Productions as an individual entity will be no more and, thus, won’t be seeing its name appear on future titles.

“The merger is part of the Company’s efforts to bolster the competitive prowess of the Group’s development studios, a goal set forth under its current medium-term business strategy,” a press release reads. “Square Enix 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.” 

As you can see, it’s not that Luminous Productions’ developers are no longer with Square Enix; it’s just that the team has been merged into the wider Square Enix umbrella. As for why remains unclear. Perhaps it’s the result of Forspoken’s mixed reception at release, but that’s speculation. 

For more, read Game Informer’s Forspoken review. 

Did you play Forspoken? Let us know what you think of it in the comments below!