Following the unsuccessful launch of its latest entry in the Final Fantasy series, Square Enix has slashed its financial outlook and delayed upcoming works. Released for PC in September, Final Fantasy XIV received nothing but bad press with most review sites rating it 5 out of 10 or worse. GameSpot said the game was a "step backward for the genre," and GameTrailers called it a "broken incomplete mess."
With comments like that, it's no surprise that gamers have been holding onto their cash. Square Enix has cut its revenue forecast for 2010 by over 90% from 12 billion yen ($142.8 million) to 1 billion yen ($11.9 million). Additionally, the developer has postponed the PlayStation 3 version of Final Fantasy XIV for an undisclosed length of time. The title was originally slated for a March debut in Japan.
Unfortunately, the highly anticipated Deus Ex: Human Revolution has also been affected. Square Enix has bumped the title from next quarter (January-March 2011) to some point after April 2011, which marks a new fiscal year for the company. Although the delay is disappointing, the developer said it would use the time to further polish the game, so you can expect better quality than FFXIV offered.